Epic Of The Demonic Sage

"Blade Fury?" Lucius mused to himself aloud.

Kiana behind him stiffened slightly at the mention of the gift but didn't say anything else.

It was possible to have all sorts of gifts, that much was clear to anyone, but the fact that it was a Rare Gift related to bladed weapons was most worrisome because the abundance of blades was everywhere.

'It doesn't even have to necessarily be a sword, even a simple knife can be considered a blade. And so long as he has one in his hands, he could end up being much more powerful than most people.'

To be fair, everything that Kiana had heard mentioned from Arius, Carlyle and Cohen was enough to put anyone at unease, especially when she and everyone knew that this mad man was prowling the streets.

'I am not sure how I'd fare if I truly was caught in surprise, even though my gift is now at Epic Rank, I can't help but feel like he's still a dangerous threat.' Kiana thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Lucius himself went into an opposite line of thinking with the mention and explanation of the Blade Fury.

"While it is enough to be uneasy of a man with a gift such as Blade Fury, I reckon that it is still a combination of his own personal and physical skills trained and refined that has led him to this level of notoriety, I presume," Lucius finally said.

"Well, if he did work as a knight before then it makes sense that he's got proper training unless the rest of us when it comes to blades." Arius nodded slightly.

"Psh, a knight is a knight. Even if you learn things from an order, it doesn't necessarily mean that he learned everything from them or refined such skills. It also comes from experience too in the field." Cohen said.

"If we were only considering the refined nature of his swordsmanship akin to a knight, then perhaps it would be a little easier to read this man and assess how dangerous he is, but paired with the fact that he is as crazy as all of you say he is… then it lends to a certain sense of unpredictability with his movements." Lucius murmured. "This will in fact turn him more dangerous than others."

"Well, he's not as strong as us." Carlyle said.

Lucius chuckled, and knew where their confidence came from, but Leif who was still present in the private room looked ill at ease.

Leif cleared his throat.

"The three of you may find it in your nature to relax considering that all of you know your own individual strength, but it is vital for Lucius here to be careful. In fact, something like this may be of need to report to Count Inanis."

"Count Inanis?" Carlyle said flabbergasted. "You're going to send information to the lord of the city, Leif? Isn't that too much? I'm sure that Bordeaux will end up getting bored and leaving out of his own volition."

"We've already lost many good men in our city thanks to the Count's actions," Arius said.

"Yeah. Well, less competition for us… but you know what we mean," Cohen added. "The city's peaceful, but sometimes you have to shake it up."

Kiana clenched her fists lightly, but refused to say a word. Meanwhile, Lucius was too distracted by the implications of the mad man Bordeaux coming to the territory of Inanis city and what it would mean to them.

"Hmm… an expert with the sword and someone who works alone primarily," Lucius murmured.

"Bad news, best left alone, Lucius." Arius said before he received a scathing look from Leif.

"This individual somehow reminds me of an incident that I've heard about while I was in… certain areas," Lucius said.

'I need not mention that I was in Etara's Cross. Even though all three of them are already in my employ with the Mark of Obedience and Leif undoubtedly knows who he is dealing with, it is better to err on the side of caution.'

"Incident?" Arius asked.

"Was it a bloody accident of some sort?"

"On the contrary, I can't help but feel as if he might be the one involved in the killing of the kingdom's soldiers. Multiple sources dictate that there was someone who defeated royal soldiers all by himself and left without a trace. What are the chances that we are dealing with the very same person?" Lucius asked as he folded his hands together.

Kiana's eyes widened once more and she stifled a gasp.

It was one of the stories that they'd heard while they were on their way to Aisse Territory, and though it was quite vital and important news, somehow she had forgotten it alongside all the other events that occurred.

'The fact that Asher remembers such incidents and is able to relate our current information to this other one is incredible.' Kiana thought. 'What are the chances that he's correct? If that is the case then…'

'… We would be dealing with a huge threat that immediately needs to be taken care of. While I've had an interest in recruiting such a strong individual, if they're unpredictable and as crazy as Arius and the others have said then it will be a little difficult to control him as I don't know what makes the man tick. I'd have to measure the risks.'

Leif's face suddenly hardened slightly at Lucius's statement. He had also heard of the news of this evasive murderer that killed off the royal soldiers of Grantz, but if that man was truly Bordeaux then, well, all the more reason to report quickly to the Count or avoid getting on Bordeaux's bad side.

However, Arius, Cohen and Carlyle all glanced at each other and immediately shook their heads.

"No. Can't be him." Arius said.

"Yeah, definitely can't be Bordeaux."

"If the two were one and the same, well, I'd cut off my own toe." Carlyle said.

Lucius was impressed that they were confident about this information. He raised a brow slightly and gestured at them.

"Would you gentlemen care to explain why he's not the same person?"