Chapter 250 Questionable Plans (1/2)
”War?” Arran stared at Brightblade in disbelief ”I represent war?”
What she said was plainly ridiculous He was a es, but the Ninth Valley held people far es, all with power far beyond anything he could wield
He did have other powers — htblade and Snowcloud were aware of those
To the rest of the Valley, he ht seem exceptional, but certainly not so o to war The very idea was absurd
Yet Brightblade merely looked at him with a calm expression ”No need to look so startled,” she said ”It's hardly surprising that others ht draw such a conclusion”
”But I'ument, but then, her claim was so outlandish he found it hard to think of a reply
”You're an outsider,” she said ”Where the Ninth Valley's younger generation has only ever known peace, you have experienced real battles, defeated eneers of the borderlands”
”The same is true for all outsiders,” Arran countered ”Not to e over fifty in this Valley”
Given es' extraordinary lifespans, there would be many thousands within the Ninth Valley who still reainst the Hunters Whatever Arran had experienced in a few short years of traveling the borderlands, he doubted it could coave hilance, then continued, ”Once here, you joined the House of Swords — one of the few Houses whose ainst the Hunters On your very first day, you — aadept After which you proe a year later with the skill to match Masters in swordplay”
To this, Arran had no response
Everything she said was true, and these were not the kinds of things one could expect to go unnoticed Of course, Arran had known this already, but now, he began to think that he had underestimated just how suspicious his actions had been
But even so, this did little to convince him of her earlier claims Even if he was suspicious, it hardly meant he represented war — whatever that even htblade wasn't done yet
”Then, you decided to study the Forue But it is the path walked by the last e to pose a serious threat to the Hunters And to a talented young ht be a te
”All of these things could be easily explained as the delusions of a young but overae, of course There are many of those in every Valley But when the Matriarch chose you as an apprentice…” Brightblade paused briefly, her eyes focused on Arran in ahi look made Arran uncomfortable, he re to fade, and he felt no shtblade was about to tell hiravity to her voice that had been absent before
”It wouldn't be far-fetched to think a failing Matriarch would want to groom a successor Someone to win the war she failed to win, to hold the power she failed to hold A chaacy So, could achieve the things she never achieved”
At this, Arran sed hard Not just because of the idea that the Matriarch ht want him as a successor, but also because he had no intention whatsoever of spending the next half-century in the Ninth Valley
”The Matriarch didn't know about those things,” he said, anxious to find a different explanation ”When she took me as her apprentice — she didn't know about any of it”
”Didn't she?” Though Brightblade's voice was neutral, her eyes suggested she thought otherwise
Arran paled slightly at her words He had believed it had all been a an to rise in his mind When he arrived in the House of Seals, he had believed it was ot him sent to the Matriarch But what if she had already been expecting him?