BXBX NOVEL Chapter 196 196: A Mother's Touch [Pt1]
Keith had a suspicion about what happened to his hair and eye color. But he did not want to make a call just yet.
Thankfully, there was a mirror in his inventory that allowed Keith to look at his facial features and confirm what he wanted. His hair was green and his eyes were red.
He looked just like he did as the grandmaster. And Keith almost flinched once he noticed this. But he was able to catch himself in time and did not give anything away.
"Y-Y-You look like the grandmaster. Are these your natural colors?"
Shimi looked stunned but she was not the only one. Keith could feel everyone's ego stiff behind him and he sighed. It was going to take some time to get everyone on board with what was happening.
Of course, Keith was going to lie about his real motive behind making this dual identity. He did not people to find out that he was not the 'real' grandmaster after all.
"Whatever you are seeing here is top secret. I am on a mission so I would appreciate it if you keep yours quiet. A lot of important people would get into trouble if you speak about what you saw today."
Keith's voice was cold and it made everyone in front of him flinch. They could not decide if they wanted to look at Keith or the ground in front of them.
Finally, it was Nigel who stepped forward and proposed a real solution to Keith's problem.
"I understand that it could be a problem if your 'hidden' identity is exposed to the public. I am willing to make a scary vow to you to ensure I do not spill anything. I am sure the others will agree with me."
Keith was surprised at the offer. A scared vow was the highest level of magic one could practice when it came to keeping secrets.
If the one who made this vow tried to tell this secret, he would not be physically and magically able to. There was also a chance of one losing their magic if they tried.
Only Keith would be able to give them permission of using magic in that case.
"Hmm, this is not a bad idea. If you are all willing to make this vow, then I think I can compromise with you all."
Keith had no power to force anyone to do anything, but these people did not know that. They had just seen Keith fight off against a goddess's familiar so they were still in awe of his powers.
"Is it necessary to make this vow? Can we not just promise to keep it a secret?"
Shimi asked this question with a pouty voice. Out of everyone, she was the one most likely to spill this secret. And if she did it in front of Amane, then Keith would be in real trouble.
"Shimi, be respectful of how you speak. Besides, I don't think we should risk this secret getting out."
"Truly, especially when it's you we are talking about. You tend to have a big mouth sometimes, right?"
Nigel and Lune cut off Shimi's words and her except route. What they were saying was correct but Shimi did not want to admit it.
She *sometimes* had a big mouth but she could keep a secret when needed. She would not tell anyone that Noah was the grandmaster. And it was not like anyone would believe her even if she did.
"You people are spoilt sports. I cannot believe you will have me take this stupid vow that will limit my options of telling others what I know."
Shimi was not happy but she was willing to make a compromise for the sake of her future.
"W-Wow, I never thought I would get to meet the grandmaster. It is such an honor for me."
Stranger #1 just managed to get himself out of the daze he had fallen into. He looked toward Keith and then pinched himself. But the dream did not disappear from in front of his eyes.
He was still where he had been standing before. And the grandmaster was still in front of his eyes.
"I don't think this is a dream. And I also agree that taking a vow is a good idea. In our business, trusting others too much is never a good thing. But a vow would ensure that we never betray our words."
Stranger #2 had already come around and accepted what happened. He was also the one to take the first vow followed by everyone else.
One thing had settled, Keith's skin itched to go back to the alliance. He wanted to go back to the comfort of a familiar space before he had to participate in the final round of the tournament.
"Now that things have settled here, I will head back out. I hope you all have a good time ahead."
Whatever emotions Keith's voice had before evaporated as the grandmaster's mask slipped over his persona.
His coldness made people flinch and step away from him. But Keith had gotten long used to this outcome of his personality.
This time, there were no detours in his journey. Keith took a direct route to the guild alliance and entered it with his head held high.
As expected, everyone turned to look at him when he was in the alliance. His green hair and red eyes attracted a lot of attention for him.
"Grandmaster, if you have some time to spare, then can I talk with you? It's about Shinu and his adoptive mother."
Shimi was the one who stopped Keith in his tracks. She looked a little uncomfortable standing in front of Keith right now.
There was also an uneasiness in Shimi's expression followed by doubt. Whatever that was tempting her was not something to be taken lightly.
"Alright, speak. What is it that you want from me?"
Keith asked with a blank voice. He was willing to hear Shimi out but that was it. He was tired and he wanted to sleep.
"I…that is to say…you should come and check the training grounds for yourself grandmaster."
Shimi's voice was hollow when she asked Keith to come with her. There was also anger and stress lining her words. Whatever had happened seemed to be serious enough for Shimi to ask Keith for a favor.
As much as Keith wanted to ignore Shimi, he knew it was a good idea to go after her for now. She was a loyal retainer of his.
The training ground was empty and there was nothing to see there. Keith was a little annoyed after seeing this empty field but he did not know why Shimi had brought him here.
What did she want to prove by showing Keith this empty field?
"Grandmaster, none of our people had shown up for practice for the past few days. All they do is spend time with that bit-I mean Shinu's mother and forget that they need to get stronger. At this rate, all our soldiers will become useless."
Shimi pointed out with a worried and coy expression on her face. She also tried to flutter her eyelashes to make herself look more seductive, but Keith pretended like he did not notice.
He did not know how much truth there was behind what Shimi said about this situation, but it could not be allowed to continue.
Even if there was nothing these soldiers could do when the real problem came looking for Keith, they could still buy Keith time to make his escape.
"I see. So, this has been going on for some time now, right? So, do you know where these soldiers are?"
Keith sighed as he prepared his heart for another annoying day. He would get these soldiers back for now and then concentrate on what he needed to do for the day.
"Of course, I know where these people are. I will take you to that place right now. But grandmaster, please do not fall for her traps as well. Shinu's mother is a crafty one and not for this place."
Shimi warned Keith and her words were forceful. It almost felt as if she was trying to make up Keith's mind before he had seen the situation for himself.
Now he was curious and scared of what he would see once he reached his destination.
Shimi led Keith toward the servant's quarters. She looked familiar with the route which indicated that she had traveled it a lot of times before.
"...and then you all did a good job…"
Keith's sharp senses picked up the middle of a sentence and he a refreshing feeling washed over him when he heard that soothing voice. He would have fallen for that voice if his instincts had not warned Keith up.
As a result, a frown ended up on Keith's face and his senses were on alert suddenly. He did not feel like going into this room but Shimi had already pushed the door open for him.