Uncrowned King Revenged

Chapter 8 - The Hidden Truth

"How are you, James?" asked Scarlet.

"Scarlet? What are you doing here? Arrrgh..." replied James, cradling his head.

"Lay down, James, and relax. I know you have millions of questions, but we have enough time to answer them all," said Scarlet, introducing the old man beside her.

"Before you start asking, let me introduce my master. The person who has always guided me: Arthur Wiseman, teacher and owner of the holding company where we work," she said, smiling.

Hearing this, James was, of course, surprised. He tried to tidy up the patient's clothes he was wearing, but instead, he looked uncomfortable. His behavior was exactly like that of a child who had been caught doing mischief by his parents.

For Arthur, maybe James and Scarlet looked like children because he was almost fifty-eight years old. But even so, his physique still looked very fit and toned. Even though his hair was covered in white due to aging, it didn't take away from his charisma, with his hair slicked back. His bright blue eyes still showed smoldering embers.

"No need to be too formal, James. We're not in the office. Besides, with your condition like that, you don't need to bother yourself. Relax," Arthur said.

“Regarding your question about Scarlet, let me answer it. She has been assigned to me to watch over you. I know the story of your journey and how you ended up in one of my companies. That being said, how did you manage to get into my office through one of the higher-ups in my company? I had Scarlet watch over you because I was suspicious of two things: first, that you had succeeded in reaching the highest peak of the gangsters, and second, your physical characteristics.” Arthur said.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're talking about," said James.

Even though it was said to be more relaxed, James, who was still shocked by reflex, showed a tense attitude like a soldier on the battlefield. His tone was firm, like a subordinate receiving an order from his superior. Because of his attitude, Scarlet pursed her lips and locked her mouth with all her might to keep from laughing.

"I told you right now you don't have to be so formal with me. My first suspicion was that you were an aura user, hence you could be on top of the thrones of gangsters. But apparently my guess was proven wrong through your fight the other day. And as for my second suspicion, let me explain later. Now, you must have a lot of questions about many things. You can ask whatever your question is, James," said Arthur.

“The first is probably about the power that Gerald has. How is it possible that there are humans who cannot be penetrated by bullets without the slightest injury? Even with the best safety suits in today's era, that's impossible," said James.

“The power that Gerald uses is called aura,” Arthur said, demonstrating his ability to use aura by cutting the small cupboard beside James' bed like cutting a cake. “As I said before, the power of aura can have such a large impact. I think maybe you are an aura user. With that power, it is not impossible for you to sit on the throne of the king of gangsters at such a young age. You know, aura has such extraordinary power. Both Scarlet and I can use it.”

Then he said, "Maybe ordinary people would call this power magic. And it's not at all wrong. Because long ago, the people who were called wizards were actually people who could control auras. Everyone can actually control the aura, but not everyone realizes it. Aura itself comes from energy that seeps out of the dimensional gap," Arthur explained.

James was still guessing about Arthur's explanation. He was still very confused by Arthur's story, which seemed more like a fairy tale than a fact.

“Energy from the dimensional gap? Are you not kidding, sir? Or are you fooling me with fairy tales for children?” Arthur asked with a stupid expression, like someone who had lost his way.

"I'm not kidding or fooling you, James," Arthur said. "That's the truth. Let me tell you a story so you can easily understand it." Arthur then began to tell James a story about the origin of a power called aura.

Arthur took a deep breath then began his story. "This world is basically created in layers of seven levels up and seven levels down. These dimensions are inhabited by many entities that have immense power which we often refer to as gods or demons. The existing dimension gap, from ancient times until now, due to the magnitude of the power possessed by these entities, can no longer be accommodated by their dimensions. So it forcibly tore the partition between dimensions and overflowed into this world. Those sparks of power are ultimately inhaled and settle in the human body. For those who cannot control aura, the power will only continue to settle in their bodies until they die," said Arthur.

"I understand now, so humans don't actually produce their own aura from within the body, but rather take energy from the outside to use," said James.

"Exactly, and every human being has an energy container that varies in capacity depending on the training they do or can be labeled a talent if it is large from birth," said Arthur.

"Then how did I end up in this place?" asked James. "I think the last thing I remember is my chest having a hole because Gerald stabbed me with a sword-shaped aura."

Arthur and Scarlet then told James the chronology of what happened during the battle, starting from when he suddenly woke up and Gerald was carried away by a masked man wearing a black robe with the symbol of a snake biting its own tail.

"Who are they, sir? And what is their aim?" said James, wondering.

"The man who brought Gerald was from a Leviathan worshipper, one of the seven demons of Mortal Sin," Arthur said. "Apart from Leviathan worshipers, there are six other groups who worship and yearn for the coming of the devil, symbolizing the seven great sins."

Arthur then showed a paper with a picture of a pendant necklace decorated with blue stones and continued his words, "This is my second suspicion about the physical characteristics you have. If my guess is correct, you certainly know about this necklace."