Chapter 362: Friend or foe? |
Haru looked around for a few moments as he tried to locate a way out of the situation he had found himself in. There were guards to his right that would attack upon sight if they knew his location and there was a cultivator within the building that knew his every move even though he had a cloaking ability surrounding him.
He knew that if he tried to run away he would have a hard time escaping from the cultivator but he didn't see any other way he could get out of the situation. He was being forced against a wall since he had still yet to learn the powers that people held on this planet but the fact that the man could see past his magic made him pretty sure that he didn't have the upper hand within the city lords mansion.
'Could I try reasoning with him? Maybe if I could just explain what is going on?… No that's a stupid plan. If I try to explain myself it will make me look more guilty and like I am hiding something. If I do that and then go to talk to him I will likely be tortured.
Where is Annabeth? If I can just get here out here then she will be able to vouch for me and let them know that I'm not up to anything.' Haru thought as he knew that whatever he said wouldn't be trusted unless she was around to let the others know that he wasn't a threat.
But as he stood, thinking about what he should do. The other cultivator was becoming increasingly more impatient as time went on. He didn't want to let Haru think of a way to escape so he once again provoked Haru by throwing a small needle towards him in hopes that he would speed up with his decision but Haru caught the needle with his hand which was surprising as it was almost as though his body had moved on its own to intercept the attack.
'That was weird…' He thought as he looked at his hand to see the thin needle that was almost invisible to the naked eye. If the man was intending to kill Haru it would take a lot more than a simple needle which showed that he wasn't taking the situation all that seriously as if he already knew that Haru wasn't a threat yet was still carrying out his duty.
'I see… He is trying to get me to show my intentions. I was sneaking around so he assumes that I am up to no good. If I was here to cause trouble I would likely run away after being discovered. If my intentions were innocent then there would be no need for me to run.' Haru thought as he finally understood the situation.
From the previous attacks, he knew that the cultivator that was hidden within the room was in fact much stronger than he was. But the attacks weren't anything that he couldn't handle. If he did want to kill or inflict harm on Haru then it would be much easier to come outside and face him head-on. Instead, he remained within the building as he knew that there was no threat.
Haru deactivated the cloaking spell and showed himself to all the guards that immediately locked their eyes towards him, some of them stunned by the fact that he had appeared from nowhere and the others staring furiously as they looked at the intruder.
But upon doing so a gust of wind blocked the needle in the air and made it float gently over to the building before being guided back inside through the door.
The guards began to coordinate themselves as they were wary of Haru and were getting ready to rush towards him together and subdue him. But just as they started to move forwards they were stopped by an invisible wall as a single note was plucked on the instrument again.
Before they could say anything a man with long silver hair stepped outside from within the building. Although he looked young on the surface. From the look in his eyes, Haru could instantly tell that the man was a lot older than he was. Probably decades if not centuries older.
"Who are you? Are you the one I sensed appear in the forest? You're from a lower realm aren't you?" The man asked as he looked Haru up and down with suspicion.
Haru felt a knot appear in his stomach as he was trying to keep that a secret just in case the people of this world looked down on people from lower realms and would target him. But he had just been exposed in front of so many people.
He took a glance behind him at the guards who were now banging on the invisible wall that was created by the instrument and it looked as though they were shouting something but they remained completely silent.
'A sound barrier formation? It seems like he wants this conversation to stay strictly between the two of us.' Haru thought as he sighed in relief knowing that the cultivator before him hadn't completely revealed his secret.
"Yeah, that was me. Is there something wrong with that?" Haru asked as he was confused as to how the situation was going to play out. But since the cultivator already knew he wasn't from this planet, there was no point in hiding it.
"I thought so. That's good. Congratulations on ascending up here. It's not too often that someone manages to break through the restrictions of their realm. And especially not common for someone to come to this star system. I don't know if I should feel happy or sad for you." The cultivator said with a sigh as he looked at Haru who instantly became confused by his words.
"Oh, you don't know do you?" The cultivator asked as he watched Haru's eyes aim upwards as he tried to decipher what he could have meant by feeling bad that he managed to ascend to the middle realm.
"I don't know what?" Haru asked as he looked back at the cultivator with a blank expression.
"Well, I guess as thanks for saving my students yesterday I should probably tell you. Follow me inside I will take care of the situation out here." The cultivator said as his demeanour changed completely as he smiled at Haru with sadness in his eyes as he held out his hand towards the door that he had just walked through.
Haru hesitantly walked towards him and kept his guard up since he still wasn't sure if he could trust this man or not since he knew about Haru right from the moment he arrived on the planet yet treated him as an enemy until just a few moments ago.