YM778.TV Chapter 170: I Understand
[You\'re unable to move, due to the restriction of a fixed event.]
[All conversations have been muted out for the time being.]
haah...
Just how long was this going to take?
I swear I\'ve been stuck in this corner for an eternity.
I couldn\'t even peek around to see what was happening.
But I could tell their conversation could\'ve gone in any number of ways, especially knowing those two.
But... a bad feeling twisted in my gut.
It was like a warning sign, telling me something wasn\'t right.
"Hey, System how long do I have to wait for this \'fixed event\' to finish?"
FWANG!
[Don\'t worry Mr. Axel!]
[You\'ll be free to move soon.]
"But can I at least get a time for how long I gotta wait?"
[Nope!]
"What?"
And just like that the system disappeared once again.
Though I\'ve thought about it long and hard.
I wanted to know the backstory between Alessandro and Valencia.
Both were strong characters, and they\'ll definitely be powerhouses in the near future.
If things got bad and a fight broke out, I wouldn\'t be sure if I should intervene, but I\'d try.
But if there was something that\'d endanger Valencia\'s growth, then I\'d simply need to step in.
[Fixed Event Is Over...]
Like now.
...
...
...
The hallway was empty, quiet. My heart pounded in my ears as I turned the corner.
There she was, Valencia, pressed against the wall, her eyes wide with alarm.
"...Stay back." Her voice barely rose above a whisper, yet it sent a chill down my spine.
This wasn\'t the Valencia I knew, not the unflappable noblewoman I\'d created.
Alessandro, I realized instantly.
The memory of his arrogance, his hungry gaze at the arena, flashed through my mind.
The bastard was at it again, and this time, it was worse.
Before I could think it through, my body moved without thought.
It felt as if this very moment, that I needed to help her.
zooom!
Within moments of rushing to Valencia\'s aid.
My hand whipped out, slapping away Alessandro\'s reaching hand before he could even touch her.
slap!
The sound echoed, sharp and startling, in the silent hallway.
Alessandro stumbled back, his eyes wide with surprise. He hadn\'t even seen me approach.
***
"You!" Alessandro spat, his voice raw with indignation. "It\'s you... again!"
His face twisted in a mask of disgust, and Rel took an instinctive step back.
Not out of fear, but concern for Valencia.
She\'d gone stiff beside him, her breath hitching as if Alessandro\'s presence were a physical blow.
He could almost hear the past pain in her silence.
"I ignored you the first time at hand." Alessandro sneered, advancing with a preying grace.
"Twice you\'ve interfered." He paused and locked eyes with Rel.
Rel met his gaze, with a silent challenge in his eyes.
If he could just get her away, out of Alessandro\'s sight... maybe her fear of him would fade.
He needed to try something at least.
"This second warning... will be the last. Gutter Rat."
STOMP!
Alessandro planted his foot, a surge of power rippling through the ground.
The hallway\'s plush carpet ripped, creating a jagged crack racing towards Rel.
huuu...
Alessandro\'s eyes glowed a sickly green, and then a massive flux of aura built up from his body, creating an enormous flair.
[Due to the Author\'s Authority effect you are immune to the following ability: Dominance]
A silent message flashed across Rel\'s vision.
The feeling of relief washed over him, but he didn\'t let it show.
Instead, he met Alessandro\'s glare with a bored stare.
Alessandro\'s smile was triumphant. "Walk away now, and perhaps I\'ll spare your pathetic life."
But the wave of dominance meant to crush Rel\'s will, never reached him.
It washed over him like a warm breeze, but in Alessandro\'s eyes, it was a fleeting annoyance.
"..."
Slowly as the seconds ticked by Alessandro\'s smile faded away.
Rel stood there motionless, seemingly waiting for something to strike him.
Alessandro\'s brow furrowed, feeling confused at the situation itself.
"...!"
Then a sudden realization reached his eyes.
"Impossible..."
He muttered, while his dominance was still running rampant.
Despite all the things that exceeded The Prince\'s expectations, what he was witnessing was something entirely unexpected.
...How?
His mind raced, searching for an explanation.
Any lower-class hero, even the most stubborn student at the academy, should have crumpled under the force of his Dominance Aura.
But Rel remained standing, being the outlier.
There were only a few possibilities he could have thought were true.
1. He might have had a higher level of aura than his own.
2. He may have a weaker will... but he seems to have a natural immunity or a rare trait that surpasses the ability of Dominance.
Then as a memory resurfaced, his father\'s words played through his mind.
"I may not have inherited Dominance from your great-grandfather, but you possess other gifts, Alessandro. Don\'t underestimate your opponents - some carry a resilience even royalty can\'t replicate."
Alessandro\'s gaze snapped back to the present observing Rel with a newfound intensity.
This... this was no ordinary gutter rat.
If he was immune to Dominance, it meant he possessed something that surpassed his own.
tch...
His jaw clenched. and anger simmered within him, the flames of his pride licking at the edges of his control.
He wouldn\'t be humiliated again. This... foolishness needed to end now.
SHAAAAA!
Another wave of his Dominance aura rushed through the room making Valencia flinch.
She knew the feeling all too well – the crushing weight of another\'s will trying to bend hers.
But then, something far more shocking: Rel didn\'t even budge.
"But... why... why would you do this?"
She stammered, the words catching in her throat.
Another wave of Alessandro\'s aura, and she stumbled backward, her body betraying the fear she couldn\'t quite suppress.
Rel... the boy she\'d always thought of as a nuisance, a weak link in their class… he was standing up to Alessandro, the one person she couldn\'t face.
And why? Why would he do this for her?
He was the one she\'d pushed away, the one she\'d dismissed as having ulterior motives.
What if she\'d been wrong? Could it be... that he was trying to prove himself to her after all the times she\'d treated him badly?
Her mind was a complete mess trying to make sense of this.
However, her greatest concern was for Alessandro.
She had to stop this, to protect him...
She tried to rise, but a hand, firm yet gentle, stopped her from getting up..
Rel\'s voice, calm and resolute, cut through the buzzing static of Alessandro\'s aura.
"Stop."
Rel stepped forward, the air crackling with unspoken tension.
Alessandro\'s dominant aura kept flaring out towards the hallways and he met Rel\'s gaze once more.
"...!"
For a moment, the prince faltered, a flicker of doubt clouding his eyes as Rel\'s unwavering gaze pierced through him.
With a sigh, Rel spoke, his voice a low rumble that belied his calm exterior.
"I\'m not sure what you were doing, but it\'s clear you upset her."
Alessandro\'s face twisted into a scowl.
"And why is that any of your business?" he spat, his voice dripping with disdain.
"We were having a reunion. You\'re interrupting."
Rel\'s lips curled into a wry smirk. "A reunion? Didn\'t seem very friendly to me."
"We\'re family friends though?" Alessandro scoffed.
"Don\'t make me laugh. What are you to her? A charity case? I\'m sure someone like Valencia wouldn\'t even consider you a friend."
"...!"
Rel\'s eyes narrowed.
The prince was right, damn it. He knew Valencia\'s dislike ran deep.
"Cat got your tongue, rat?"
Alessandro\'s grin widened, his arrogance blossoming in the face of Rel\'s silence.
He paced back and forth, the echo of his footsteps sharp in the empty hallway.
"I bet you haven\'t even had a full conversation with her. What could someone like you possibly have to offer the prestigious heiress of the Miracles Guild?"
Rel remained silent.
Every word Alessandro spoke was a twisted truth, a bitter reminder of his own powerlessness in this world.
He wasn\'t just a writer anymore. He was a character, trapped within a story he couldn\'t fully control.
Alessandro\'s smirk deepened, his eyes glittering with cruel amusement.
"Nothing,"
He drawled, circling Rel like a predator.
"You have nothing of value to offer. Not your skills, not your background, certainly not yourself."
He paused, savouring the moment.
"You\'re nothing but a waste of space."
Rel had no response.
No comeback, no cutting remark.
Just a hollow ache where his confidence used to be.
Alessandro\'s words, fueled by arrogance and malice, had struck a nerve that couldn\'t be understood.
_
To be continued...
_
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Authors Notes:
- For chapter reference on his immunity to dominance, head to chapter 24: Monster Overhaul (2)
- The author\'s Authority isn\'t a passive of Rel\'s or an ability. It\'s a privilege given to him as the author of the novel allowing complete immunity of intimidation effect, mental pressure or anything that tries to break his soul will.