Chapter 123
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Matthew led the two to a single house in the desolate village which looked no different from the rest. Had the two of them been the ones to search the village, they would have taken a long time to chance upon this house because there were no fluctuations nor any signs that there were living people inside.
Inside, Nine was the first person they saw. The fact that he was in plain clothing did nothing to cover up the regal air that exuded from his very pores. Justin and Psyber couldn't help but lose part of themselves as they stared at Nine's visage. How could such a person exist in this world…?
It was only when Matthew coughed lightly that they broke out from the effects of Nine's Charm.
Justin's face turned a little pink. Why wasn't he used to it yet! Every time he tried to assassinate Nine he had done the same thing as well! Silently, the preteen blamed his failures on Nine's outstanding ability to draw him in, conveniently ignoring the fact that Nine had not fallen for his traps even once.
On the other hand, Psyber unabashedly continued staring at Nine, a sense of wonder building up within her before she reluctantly tore her gaze away. How was she supposed to find a husband now?! Maybe… this man?
Psyber's eye twitched as she felt a phantom sense of pain shoot through her. She looked around her, feeling like something bad would befall her should she ever try to make a move. She had no idea why she felt this way, but she trusted her gut.
When she looked away, Psyber's eyes landed on a familiar face. A very familiar face. It was a face that she had seen almost her entire life. Instantly, a sense of disbelief welled up within her. She had just seen his mutilated body a few hours ago and had been burning with anger and grief. The resignation that had built up within her had not yet dissipated, only having been locked away for the time being.
Almost instantly, Psyber let out a roar, launching herself at her brother. Before he could react, she soundly punched him as hard as she could in the face, ignoring the unmanly yelp that resounded in the room. The indignant sister ignored the stinging sensation in her hand as her anger evaporated with that one punch containing the entirety of her strength.
With her anger evaporated, tears once again sprung to her eyes as she grabbed her brother, wrapping him in a fierce hug. "Stupid! You're so stupid," she couldn't help but murmur, lightly hitting him with her fist.
When her brother's familiar arms wrapped around her, patting her gently, she couldn't help but break down, all the repressed emotions coming out at once. She really thought that they had lost him for good.
Wiping her tears, Psyber stepped back, letting Justin hug his horrible father instead. She breathed deeply as she calmed down, slapping her cheeks lightly. The moment she saw his face, several things had clicked into place. Obviously, Chow was in this as well if he had left his necklace on that body, so her anger was not unjustified.
The curse that had been lingering on the both of them had probably been placed there the night previous, whilst they were asleep. It was just like him to do something like that. This was not the first time she had fallen for one of his pranks, and it definitely wasn't the first time he had broken into her house to apply some sort of spell on her, only for her never to realize it.
The amount of times she had woken up and went out with strangely coloured hair or a moustache drawn on her face probably wasn't in the double digits any more.
"So?" Psyber said once her emotions were under control. She raised a brow, crossing her arms. "Whose idea was this? How are you going to tell the tribesman that they were deceived by you?"
Chow sheepishly scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed. "Sis, calm down…"
Psyber whirled around, glaring at him. Though she was glad that he was still alive, she was still angry after everything. There was no way that a single punch would take care of all the lingering anger after the things that he had put Justin and her through.
"Don't 'sis' me! Do you know how hard your son cried earlier? I felt like my heart was about to give out on me seeing him so sad!"
Chow looked guiltily at his son, only to be patted gently on his head by Justin. The Wererabbit teared up. Justin was the best!
"Look, it wasn't my idea, alright?"
Psyber squinted at him suspiciously. "It wasn't your idea? Then whose as it? Matthew?" she said, pointing at the stationary assassin. "Look at him! How many years have we known him already? That man is serious to a fault! How many times do you think he's carried out a retaliatory prank on you after everything you've done to him?"
Chow crossed his arms in indignation, mirroring his sister. Matthew silently glanced at both brother and sister. The actions they used were remarkably similar, and he had seen the same things reflected in his disciple as well.
"I never said it was him! Besides, do you think he does nothing in the face of my pranks? Obviously, you haven't been on the other end of a spar with him if you think he's letting me off the hook! Why do you think I've grown so much faster than you in terms of magic? We're twins!"
Psyber scoffed. "We're fraternal twins! It's obvious there would be distinctions between us!" she immediately refuted.
Nine's lips twitched as she watched the brother and sister banter with each other. She tilted her head at Andrew and Valerie, causing them to step forward to mediate a little.
"My apologies, Miss Hopcaper, but it was indeed our idea," Andrew said diplomatically, doing his best not to flinch when the angry woman turned her gaze to him.
Valerie stepped forward to continue the explanation. "We have reason to believe that there is a traitor in the Hopcaper tribe, so we had to take some drastic measures. Without you and Justin's surprise and shock, this would not have worked."
Psyber took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Finding a chair nearby, she sat near Nine, sneaking a few glances at Nine's perfect looks before determinedly turning her chair so she couldn't see him even out of the corner of her eye. She was still getting a chilling feeling down her spine whenever she looked.
"The further Elder Chow's news of death spreads, the more complacent the traitor will be. As such, we have made preparations for his and his family's safe departure of the tribe. Like this, it would be better to completely remove you from the village in a guise of 'revenge' instead of staying within to ensure your safety. We can fake your remains being found in order to fool them. After we're able to confirm that they have made contact with the Elves, we will extract them."
"Who's the traitor?" Psyber said, her eyes dark.
The thought that there was a traitor from amongst their tribesmen in these dire times made her feel cold and disappointed. Instead of helping, they were making things worse? Even if she knew that there would always be bad apples within the good ones, it didn't make swallowing the fact any easier. If she had her way, she would deal with the traitor herself, but obviously they were part of a bigger whole that she did not fathom just yet.
Andrew shook his head. "We don't know," he said, making sure not to sneak a glance at his Teacher. He had a feeling that Teacher already knew, but he was making plans that they didn't know about yet.
Psyber frowned. "How are you so sure that there's a traitor?"
Before anyone else could speak, Nine cut in for the first time since they entered.
"You don't have to know just yet," she said faintly. "However, stick around, and you'll be able to see their true face. After ensuring that they are indeed traitorous, we will bring them here to take care of loose ends."
Psyber's frown deepened but thought about it logically. It wouldn't be too late to say something should this plan fail, but her gut was telling her to listen to this man. Her brother, Matthew and Justin all seemed to trust him, so she would tentatively trust these strangers for the time being.
Psyber had not made it this far in life just being complacent. She had listened well to her gut instincts, trust, luck, and of course, a load of hard work.
Having made her decision, she stalked forward, grabbing her twin brother by the ear, causing him to yelp, dragging him outside to 'reunite' with him.
Chow cast desperately pleading eyes at his son and his best friend, Matthew, only for them to look away, pretending they didn't notice his expressions. The Wererabbit teared up.
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Matthew led the two to a single house in the desolate village which looked no different from the rest. Had the two of them been the ones to search the village, they would have taken a long time to chance upon this house because there were no fluctuations nor any signs that there were living people inside.
Inside, Nine was the first person they saw. The fact that he was in plain clothing did nothing to cover up the regal air that exuded from his very pores. Justin and Psyber couldn't help but lose part of themselves as they stared at Nine's visage. How could such a person exist in this world…?
It was only when Matthew coughed lightly that they broke out from the effects of Nine's Charm.
Justin's face turned a little pink. Why wasn't he used to it yet! Every time he tried to assassinate Nine he had done the same thing as well! Silently, the preteen blamed his failures on Nine's outstanding ability to draw him in, conveniently ignoring the fact that Nine had not fallen for his traps even once.
On the other hand, Psyber unabashedly continued staring at Nine, a sense of wonder building up within her before she reluctantly tore her gaze away. How was she supposed to find a husband now?! Maybe… this man?
Psyber's eye twitched as she felt a phantom sense of pain shoot through her. She looked around her, feeling like something bad would befall her should she ever try to make a move. She had no idea why she felt this way, but she trusted her gut.
When she looked away, Psyber's eyes landed on a familiar face. A very familiar face. It was a face that she had seen almost her entire life. Instantly, a sense of disbelief welled up within her. She had just seen his mutilated body a few hours ago and had been burning with anger and grief. The resignation that had built up within her had not yet dissipated, only having been locked away for the time being.
Almost instantly, Psyber let out a roar, launching herself at her brother. Before he could react, she soundly punched him as hard as she could in the face, ignoring the unmanly yelp that resounded in the room. The indignant sister ignored the stinging sensation in her hand as her anger evaporated with that one punch containing the entirety of her strength.
With her anger evaporated, tears once again sprung to her eyes as she grabbed her brother, wrapping him in a fierce hug. "Stupid! You're so stupid," she couldn't help but murmur, lightly hitting him with her fist.
When her brother's familiar arms wrapped around her, patting her gently, she couldn't help but break down, all the repressed emotions coming out at once. She really thought that they had lost him for good.
Wiping her tears, Psyber stepped back, letting Justin hug his horrible father instead. She breathed deeply as she calmed down, slapping her cheeks lightly. The moment she saw his face, several things had clicked into place. Obviously, Chow was in this as well if he had left his necklace on that body, so her anger was not unjustified.
The curse that had been lingering on the both of them had probably been placed there the night previous, whilst they were asleep. It was just like him to do something like that. This was not the first time she had fallen for one of his pranks, and it definitely wasn't the first time he had broken into her house to apply some sort of spell on her, only for her never to realize it.
The amount of times she had woken up and went out with strangely coloured hair or a moustache drawn on her face probably wasn't in the double digits any more.
"So?" Psyber said once her emotions were under control. She raised a brow, crossing her arms. "Whose idea was this? How are you going to tell the tribesman that they were deceived by you?"
Chow sheepishly scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed. "Sis, calm down…"
Psyber whirled around, glaring at him. Though she was glad that he was still alive, she was still angry after everything. There was no way that a single punch would take care of all the lingering anger after the things that he had put Justin and her through.
"Don't 'sis' me! Do you know how hard your son cried earlier? I felt like my heart was about to give out on me seeing him so sad!"
Chow looked guiltily at his son, only to be patted gently on his head by Justin. The Wererabbit teared up. Justin was the best!
"Look, it wasn't my idea, alright?"
Psyber squinted at him suspiciously. "It wasn't your idea? Then whose as it? Matthew?" she said, pointing at the stationary assassin. "Look at him! How many years have we known him already? That man is serious to a fault! How many times do you think he's carried out a retaliatory prank on you after everything you've done to him?"
Chow crossed his arms in indignation, mirroring his sister. Matthew silently glanced at both brother and sister. The actions they used were remarkably similar, and he had seen the same things reflected in his disciple as well.
"I never said it was him! Besides, do you think he does nothing in the face of my pranks? Obviously, you haven't been on the other end of a spar with him if you think he's letting me off the hook! Why do you think I've grown so much faster than you in terms of magic? We're twins!"
Psyber scoffed. "We're fraternal twins! It's obvious there would be distinctions between us!" she immediately refuted.
Nine's lips twitched as she watched the brother and sister banter with each other. She tilted her head at Andrew and Valerie, causing them to step forward to mediate a little.
"My apologies, Miss Hopcaper, but it was indeed our idea," Andrew said diplomatically, doing his best not to flinch when the angry woman turned her gaze to him.
Valerie stepped forward to continue the explanation. "We have reason to believe that there is a traitor in the Hopcaper tribe, so we had to take some drastic measures. Without you and Justin's surprise and shock, this would not have worked."
Psyber took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Finding a chair nearby, she sat near Nine, sneaking a few glances at Nine's perfect looks before determinedly turning her chair so she couldn't see him even out of the corner of her eye. She was still getting a chilling feeling down her spine whenever she looked.
"The further Elder Chow's news of death spreads, the more complacent the traitor will be. As such, we have made preparations for his and his family's safe departure of the tribe. Like this, it would be better to completely remove you from the village in a guise of 'revenge' instead of staying within to ensure your safety. We can fake your remains being found in order to fool them. After we're able to confirm that they have made contact with the Elves, we will extract them."
"Who's the traitor?" Psyber said, her eyes dark.
The thought that there was a traitor from amongst their tribesmen in these dire times made her feel cold and disappointed. Instead of helping, they were making things worse? Even if she knew that there would always be bad apples within the good ones, it didn't make swallowing the fact any easier. If she had her way, she would deal with the traitor herself, but obviously they were part of a bigger whole that she did not fathom just yet.
Andrew shook his head. "We don't know," he said, making sure not to sneak a glance at his Teacher. He had a feeling that Teacher already knew, but he was making plans that they didn't know about yet.
Psyber frowned. "How are you so sure that there's a traitor?"
Before anyone else could speak, Nine cut in for the first time since they entered.
"You don't have to know just yet," she said faintly. "However, stick around, and you'll be able to see their true face. After ensuring that they are indeed traitorous, we will bring them here to take care of loose ends."
Psyber's frown deepened but thought about it logically. It wouldn't be too late to say something should this plan fail, but her gut was telling her to listen to this man. Her brother, Matthew and Justin all seemed to trust him, so she would tentatively trust these strangers for the time being.
Psyber had not made it this far in life just being complacent. She had listened well to her gut instincts, trust, luck, and of course, a load of hard work.
Having made her decision, she stalked forward, grabbing her twin brother by the ear, causing him to yelp, dragging him outside to 'reunite' with him.
Chow cast desperately pleading eyes at his son and his best friend, Matthew, only for them to look away, pretending they didn't notice his expressions. The Wererabbit teared up.
Matthew led the two to a single house in the desolate village which looked no different from the rest. Had the two of them been the ones to search the village, they would have taken a long time to chance upon this house because there were no fluctuations nor any signs that there were living people inside.Inside, Nine was the first person they saw. The fact that he was in plain clothing did nothing to cover up the regal air that exuded from his very pores. Justin and Psyber couldn't help but lose part of themselves as they stared at Nine's visage. How could such a person exist in this world?It was only when Matthew coughed lightly that they broke out from the effects of Nine's Charm.Justin's face turned a little pink. Why wasn't he used to it yet! Every time he tried to assassinate Nine he had done the same thing as well! Silently, the preteen blamed his failures on Nine's outstanding ability to draw him in, conveniently ignoring the fact that Nine had not fallen for his traps even once.On the other hand, Psyber unabashedly continued staring at Nine, a sense of wonder building up within her before she reluctantly tore her gaze away. How was she supposed to find a husband now?! Maybe this man?Psyber's eye twitched as she felt a phantom sense of pain shoot through her. She looked around her, feeling like something bad would befall her should she ever try to make a move. She had no idea why she felt this way, but she trusted her gut.When she looked away, Psyber's eyes landed on a familiar face. A very familiar face. It was a face that she had seen almost her entire life. Instantly, a sense of disbelief welled up within her. She had just seen his mutilated body a few hours ago and had been burning with anger and grief. The resignation that had built up within her had not yet dissipated, only having been locked away for the time being.Almost instantly, Psyber let out a roar, launching herself at her brother. Before he could react, she soundly punched him as hard as she could in the face, ignoring the unmanly yelp that resounded in the room. The indignant sister ignored the stinging sensation in her hand as her anger evaporated with that one punch containing the entirety of her strength.With her anger evaporated, tears once again sprung to her eyes as she grabbed her brother, wrapping him in a fierce hug. "Stupid! You're so stupid," she couldn't help but murmur, lightly hitting him with her fist.When her brother's familiar arms wrapped around her, patting her gently, she couldn't help but break down, all the repressed emotions coming out at once. She really thought that they had lost him for good.Wiping her tears, Psyber stepped back, letting Justin hug his horrible father instead. She breathed deeply as she calmed down, slapping her cheeks lightly. The moment she saw his face, several things had clicked into place. Obviously, Chow was in this as well if he had left his necklace on that body, so her anger was not unjustified.The curse that had been lingering on the both of them had probably been placed there the night previous, whilst they were asleep. It was just like him to do something like that. This was not the first time she had fallen for one of his pranks, and it definitely wasn't the first time he had broken into her house to apply some sort of spell on her, only for her never to realize it.The amount of times she had woken up and went out with strangely coloured hair or a moustache drawn on her face probably wasn't in the double digits any more."So?" Psyber said once her emotions were under control. She raised a brow, crossing her arms. "Whose idea was this? How are you going to tell the tribesman that they were deceived by you?"Chow sheepishly scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed. "Sis, calm down"Psyber whirled around, glaring at him. Though she was glad that he was still alive, she was still angry after everything. There was no way that a single punch would take care of all the lingering anger after the things that he had put Justin and her through."Don't 'sis' me! Do you know how hard your son cried earlier? I felt like my heart was about to give out on me seeing him so sad!"Chow looked guiltily at his son, only to be patted gently on his head by Justin. The Wererabbit teared up. Justin was the best!"Look, it wasn't my idea, alright?"Psyber squinted at him suspiciously. "It wasn't your idea? Then whose as it? Matthew?" she said, pointing at the stationary assassin. "Look at him! How many years have we known him already? That man is serious to a fault! How many times do you think he's carried out a retaliatory prank on you after everything you've done to him?"Chow crossed his arms in indignation, mirroring his sister. Matthew silently glanced at both brother and sister. The actions they used were remarkably similar, and he had seen the same things reflected in his disciple as well."I never said it was him! Besides, do you think he does nothing in the face of my pranks? Obviously, you haven't been on the other end of a spar with him if you think he's letting me off the hook! Why do you think I've grown so much faster than you in terms of magic? We're twins!"Psyber scoffed. "We're fraternal twins! It's obvious there would be distinctions between us!" she immediately refuted.Nine's lips twitched as she watched the brother and sister banter with each other. She tilted her head at Andrew and Valerie, causing them to step forward to mediate a little."My apologies, Miss Hopcaper, but it was indeed our idea," Andrew said diplomatically, doing his best not to flinch when the angry woman turned her gaze to him.Valerie stepped forward to continue the explanation. "We have reason to believe that there is a traitor in the Hopcaper tribe, so we had to take some drastic measures. Without you and Justin's surprise and shock, this would not have worked."Psyber took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Finding a chair nearby, she sat near Nine, sneaking a few glances at Nine's perfect looks before determinedly turning her chair so she couldn't see him even out of the corner of her eye. She was still getting a chilling feeling down her spine whenever she looked."The further Elder Chow's news of death spreads, the more complacent the traitor will be. As such, we have made preparations for his and his family's safe departure of the tribe. Like this, it would be better to completely remove you from the village in a guise of 'revenge' instead of staying within to ensure your safety. We can fake your remains being found in order to fool them. After we're able to confirm that they have made contact with the Elves, we will extract them.""Who's the traitor?" Psyber said, her eyes dark.The thought that there was a traitor from amongst their tribesmen in these dire times made her feel cold and disappointed. Instead of helping, they were making things worse? Even if she knew that there would always be bad apples within the good ones, it didn't make swallowing the fact any easier. If she had her way, she would deal with the traitor herself, but obviously they were part of a bigger whole that she did not fathom just yet.Andrew shook his head. "We don't know," he said, making sure not to sneak a glance at his Teacher. He had a feeling that Teacher already knew, but he was making plans that they didn't know about yet.Psyber frowned. "How are you so sure that there's a traitor?"Before anyone else could speak, Nine cut in for the first time since they entered."You don't have to know just yet," she said faintly. "However, stick around, and you'll be able to see their true face. After ensuring that they are indeed traitorous, we will bring them here to take care of loose ends."Psyber's frown deepened but thought about it logically. It wouldn't be too late to say something should this plan fail, but her gut was telling her to listen to this man. Her brother, Matthew and Justin all seemed to trust him, so she would tentatively trust these strangers for the time being.Psyber had not made it this far in life just being complacent. She had listened well to her gut instincts, trust, luck, and of course, a load of hard work.Having made her decision, she stalked forward, grabbing her twin brother by the ear, causing him to yelp, dragging him outside to 'reunite' with him.Chow cast desperately pleading eyes at his son and his best friend, Matthew, only for them to look away, pretending they didn't notice his expressions. The Wererabbit teared up.
