Chapter 1607: The Aligned Hunter Siz’s sudden intervention had fractured the high-tension standoff. The silence was broken only by the furious murmurs from the other Assessors. The members of the Rock Guild were frozen, glaring with murderous intent at the young man who dared to interfere. Siz had been debating what to do for a while now. He felt everything was his fault. If he spoke up, the worry was palpable: would anyone believe him about what was happening? He had heard it clearly, and he was sure the other participants had heard what the Rock Guild members had said, too. Maybe they didn’t say anything because it didn’t affect them, or that they thought the Rock Guild had just said that out of pain of not wanting to get hurt anymore by Gary. Still, this was something that affected Siz. These three had acted, rashly but decisively, to help him pass the initial trial and then defend him from the Rock Guild’s repeated foul play. He couldn’t just stand there and say nothing. Even if the chances were high that they would always believe another knight over just the words of a nervous candidate, he needed to speak up. While Gary was lying on the ground, struggling to push himself up, he forced himself to stay down, his eyes locked onto Bluebird. It was then, as Bluebird shifted his stance, that the afternoon sun glinted sharply off the knight’s polished armour. Gary saw it, a subtle, faint, almost hand-painted crest near the joint. A stylized, sharp-winged bird, almost the same as the kingdom’s symbol. ‘Wait a second… doesn’t that look a bit familiar?’ Gary thought, his mind racing through the fragments of lore and warnings from his own world. ‘I thought it was strange when I saw him coming in… the color is slightly different, and that looks hand-painted, but now I see it… doesn’t that look like the marking of an Altered Hunter?’ Amazing skills with the sword, precise Qi manipulation, and though they were human, they clearly knew how to fight things that weren’t. Gary was starting to wonder if these knights from these kingdoms were where the Altered Hunters had come from. Either way, though, with the situation they were in, there was a good chance they were screwed. Bluebird slowly withdrew his fist from its downward path towards Gary’s stomach, a tight, controlled smile spreading across his face. He looked from the defiant Siz to the recovering Kai and Lupus, and finally back to Gary. “I never intended to hurt these three,” Bluebird said, his voice dropping to a smooth, reasonable baritone that commanded respect. He slowly sheathed his sword, removing the immediate threat. “I had just arrived at the situation, so I had no idea what was going on. It’s always best to hear out everyone, regardless of where they are from or their current standing. There are many times where knights can have the wrong judgment, and that includes myself.” He paused for effect, letting his gaze sweep the entire assembly, including the frightened Assessors. “I just wanted to demonstrate to these three, and frankly, to the entire assembly, that they couldn’t solve their issue with mere violence, because there is now someone here, myself, who can deal with them rather easily. Now, young man, speak your piece.” “Thank you, Sir!” Siz said, finding courage in the knight’s unexpected deference to fairness. He went on to explain everything that had taken place. Siz started with the initial run assessment, detailing Oppo’s malicious trap and the use of the beast gear by Fenix. He recounted the attempts by the Rock Guild to trip and hinder the other applicants and the blatant aggression shown during the agility test, where they specifically targeted him and his new friends. He saved the most damning part for last: the confession he had overheard from Oppo during the break, the explicit, whispered plan to sabotage Kai, Gary, and Lupus at every turn. “It’s all lies!” the Assessor, the grizzled man who had overseen the tests, shouted, stepping forward from the group of watching knights, his face flushed with panicked rage. “It’s lies to just let their friend pass the assessment! Things like this have happened time and time again! Everything happened as the young man said, but these three were wild, arrogant, and not listening to a word we said! They were the aggressors!” The Assessor, as well as the other corrupt knights, seemed confident. After all, it was their word, the word of established authority, over three young strangers and a nervous repeat failure. That’s what they thought until Bluebird gave his final answer. Bluebird said nothing for a long moment, simply watching Siz, his head tilted slightly. Then, without warning, he lifted his sword just enough to draw it halfway from its sheath, and in a movement that flashed like lightning, he swung the blade from where he stood right at Siz’s torso. It wasn’t a full strike, but a devastatingly fast, controlled test blow delivered with the concussive force of high-level Qi. In that moment of absolute terror, Siz didn’t flinch. He lifted the short sword he still carried, a plain, practice weapon, and held it desperately by its side, instinctively blocking the strike. The impact was enormous, a sickening THWACK! that drove Siz skidding across the dirt, his feet digging twin trenches. His arms shook violently, the practice sword singing in protest, but he stood his ground and eventually stopped, still on his feet, holding the block. Bluebird immediately sheathed his weapon and gave a curt, approving nod. “We will run an investigation into the Rock Guild and the Knights, to see if what you say is true. If it is, there should be some evidence, and we will even ask for help from some of the Mages of Roland Academy. I’m sure we will find something,” Bluebird stated, his eyes now cold and fixed on the Assessor. “But Sir, is there really a need to run an investigation!” the Assessor shrieked, his panic spiking. “They are just wasting our precious resources and time! Sure they are talented, but to have people like these, unruly, violent people, they should never be knights!” “And you are the one to decide that?” Bluebird countered, stepping towards the Assessor, forcing the man to back up. “Even if what they said is true, because if it is, I think you are the one who shouldn’t be a knight. Do you know the reason why I decided to go ahead with the investigation, despite the wasted time?” Bluebird asked, his voice sharp enough to cut glass. The Assessor shook his head weakly, sweat beading on his brow. “Because just now, I did a test of my own, and even I can see that the young boy, Siz, is talented and possesses the inner resolve and speed to pass the assessment with flying colors, which means the fact that you decided to fail him repeatedly means that there is something up with your assessment process. Siz should have been a knight years ago,” Bluebird declared, his words a death knell for the corrupt man’s career. He then turned back to the three foreigners, his expression neutral. The tension, however, remained palpable. “And as for you three,” Bluebird continued, his gaze lingering on Gary, Kai, and Lupus in turn, “you will be held prisoner until the investigation is over. Because until the Assessor and the Rock Guild are proven guilty of corruption, right now you three are the ones that have committed a crime: assaulting a Knight Official during an authorized assessment. You may have exposed a conspiracy, but you acted with violence and broke the law. You will come with me.” **** For updates on MWS and future works, follow me on my social media below. Instagram: jksmanga P.a.t.r.e.o.n: jksmanga When news drops about My Vampire System, My Werewolf System, or any other series, you’ll hear it there first. Feel free to reach out, if I’m not too busy, I tend to reply.