Martial Demons Ascension

Nero didn't linger with Eto and Rinnte Once the conversation was done he turned away without so much as a backward glance The crowd parted for him again whispers swelling in his wake but his expression was unchanged calm sharp unyielding

He spent the rest of the day moving through the village

First he stopped by the open dirt courtyard where the younger students sparred in pairs under the eye of a minor priest He watched a few exchanges clumsy footwork mana spilling wastefully out of cores the obvious hesitation of children who had never been struck in earnest One of them slipped mid step landing face first in the dirt

Nero exhaled through his nose This is what they call training

He didn't bother to speak to them He turned and left

Next he found a group of apprentices carrying wood and stone for repairs along the temple wall They paused when they saw him their faces brightening as they glanced at his fine clothes and steady posture

One a boy perhaps fifteen puffed up his chest and flexed his mana It spilled clumsily into his arms giving him a momentary strength boost as he hefted a log with both hands and looked at Nero expectantly waiting for praise

Nero's gray eyes flicked over him once The flow of mana was wasteful the reinforcement uneven His grip faltered when he shifted weight almost dropping the log before catching it again

Nero turned away without a word leaving the boy's forced smile to fade into embarrassment

At the small training yard behind the church he encountered two older students closer to his age both already in the First Stage's peak They squared off against one another with wooden staves movements crisp but rigid more memorized drills than lived combat

Nero stopped long enough to watch three exchanges The taller boy swung wide exposing his ribs the shorter countered too slowly wasting the opening Both were sweating heavily after a few minutes panting as if the wooden sticks weighed a hundred pounds

"Too weak" Nero muttered under his breath He didn't even bother to let them know he was watching before walking away

Everywhere he went it was the same

Children who had only just awakened their cores Villagers who had learned a trick or two for survival but nothing resembling discipline Even the better trained students those at Peak Stage 1 were still fumbling in his eyes brittle as glass compared to the monsters and mercenaries beyond these mountains

By the time the sun dipped low and the village fires began to burn Nero's composure had sharpened into something colder He stood at the edge of the main road arms folded eyes narrowed in faint irritation

Is this truly all they have he thought Not a single one near my standard Not one person who could survive a week outside the mountain paths If this is what Emmet meant by potential allies then he is blind or desperate

The arrogance in his posture wasn't baseless Nero had fought beasts alone on his way here He had bled endured refined his fundamentals until they were unshakable He was strong enough at Peak Stage 2 to threaten even Early Stage 3 opponents He knew his value and it was far beyond the scraps he had seen today

It was annoying A waste of time

The villagers still watched him in awe from the corners of their eyes whispering about the handsome pale noble who had appeared like a phantom on their mountain But Nero paid them no mind

He had come here seeking opportunity Companions At least someone who could stand without crumbling under the weight of danger

And yet so far all he had found was weakness

His gray eyes hardened as the mountain winds tugged at his cloak

If this is all they can offer me then I will walk alone.

By the third day Nero's composure had cracked

He had tried to keep it contained the faint crease in his brow the sharper edge to his stride But as he walked the narrow stone streets of the village again the truth was plain to anyone who looked closely he was frustrated

Everywhere he'd searched students apprentices villagers even the handful of hunters who carried bows and spears none of them came close to the standard he had set in his mind They lacked foundation lacked control lacked presence Weakness clung to them like dust

And Nero was not a boy who tolerated weakness

He rounded a corner onto the main road his cloak swaying sharply behind him only to find Emmet approaching from the other direction

The teacher carried a bundle of scrolls under one arm his expression calm as always But when he saw Nero he slowed his eyes narrowing faintly at the tension radiating off him

Nero didn't wait He strode forward his slate gray eyes fixed on Emmet

"You" Nero said his voice harder now "I asked you before to join me I'll double the offer Whatever coin you refused last time I'll pay twice Name your terms"

The pouch he produced this time was heavier the sound of coin unmistakable as he held it out His tone wasn't desperate but it carried a sharpness that hadn't been there before like steel striking stone

Emmet looked at the pouch then back at Nero His expression didn't change

"I told you already" he said evenly "I'm not for hire"

Nero's jaw tightened "Then explain this You said there were people here who wanted to leave Students You made it sound as if they were worth something I've searched I've spoken I've seen their strength None of them are fit Not one If you thought otherwise then you misled me"

His words carried the bite of someone not used to being disappointed of someone used to reality bending to his judgment

Emmet sighed through his nose lowering the scrolls under his arm

"No" he said his voice quieter but firmer now "I wasn't unclear You assumed wrong"

Nero frowned "What"

Emmet's gaze sharpened and for the first time since their meeting he looked at Nero not like a wandering noble but like another man used to battle

"I wasn't talking about Eto or Rinnte though they've made progress" Emmet said "I wasn't talking about the villagers or the hunters I was speaking about someone else entirely A student who left my class"

He let the words hang for a moment his tone steady

"He has no magic No core He was mocked for it Outcast"

Nero's eyes narrowed disbelief flickering in their gray depths "A magicless student You expect me to believe that"

Emmet didn't flinch "Believe it He left my classroom but not this village He serves now as a combat instructor Two of my brightest students stand where they are today because of him And I don't say this lightly what you've seen so far in this village aside from me and a few others will mean nothing until you've seen him"

Nero stared at him the weight of those words sinking in His mind reeled at the contradiction magicless yet valuable An outcast yet praised He had traveled enough to know there were charlatans liars who spun myths to make weakness look like strength

But Emmet's voice held no exaggeration No hesitation

If anything it carried the faintest trace of something rarer respect

Nero's lips parted slightly then closed again

He tucked the heavy pouch of coin back into his cloak his expression hardening once more

"…Then take me to him"