Scarlet

After our match finishes, we’re sent to a private booth to watch the rest of the first round. And I immediately begin frowning as I hear people chanting the words ‘Apex Predator’ for some reason.

Who’s that?

I look out over the audience from this private booth – one where no one can see inside – before eventually shrugging.

If it’s important then I’ll find out soon enough. If not? Then I don’t really care.

The chanting begins to die down after not too long as everyone starts to focus on the next set of battles for the round. But I can’t really focus on the battles as I contemplate the last battle. And more importantly, how disappointing it felt as a hunter.

The girls on the other team didn’t really put up much of a fight. It was to the point that I felt it perfectly safe to avoid attacking any potentially exposing areas to help them avoid the nasty criminals on the internet.

Although if I were in an actual fight against someone who could match me, then I wouldn’t be worried about that.

I sigh as I take a seat in one of the incredibly overly luxurious seats they have in this equally luxurious booth. A booth fit for a king in many ways.

Honestly was hoping to find some interesting opponents to fight during this tournament, but it looks like I’ll have to wait till the later rounds. Or possibly even till the solo primary. Because I know there will be plenty of them there.

I watch a couple siege battles without participating in the others’ conversations that have arisen, only to glance down at my terminal as I remember the email I got not too long before the tournament. One that I’ve been pointedly avoiding having to respond to, because it’s from the Guardian Research Team, along with another email from the government asking me to ‘listen to their request.’

But when I open up my email account linked to my Guardian ID, I find both of the emails… just… gone. And in its place, there’s another email from the government that was sent only seconds ago.

Huh?

I blink in surprise before opening it to find some sort of flowery apology letter telling me that the original email was a mistake in their system and that I do not have to do anything I don’t wish to do.

“The fuck?” I mutter out loud, not really sure what’s happening.

The conversation next to me stops as Belle asks, “What’s wrong?”

I glance at her before showing her the email, making her eyes widen, only for her to frown a second later and mutter, “What the…”

“Exactly,” I answer while focusing on the email again.

Why would the government suddenly retract their ruling on that? Because it was clear they were trying to force me into accepting the Guardian Research Team’s prodding. Even if they didn’t directly state it.

It was why I was avoiding looking at my emails for the last few days until I had the time to bring it up with Allen. But now… I guess there’s nothing wrong anymore?

Kind of surprised that the Guardian Research Team’s email was deleted as well though.

The only thing that comes to mind is that the government completely wiped their email after changing their mind, somehow coming around to side with me instead. Which is a rather shocking development, because while the government does have a lot of backing in regards to its top brass being directly backed by a couple Knights and various powerful Associations of Guardians, they don’t really have anywhere near as much power as they used to.

And the Guardian Research Team has several Class V Guardians leading them. Not a force to look down upon in the slightest.

They’re a group who’s only goal is the study of Guardians and figuring out how the System works. They don’t even care about the demons, only helping as little as they can to satisfy the government and the populace.

Which basically means fighting in Class IV and V Fractures and nothing more. Outside of when it conveniences them to level up or something.

“They don’t sound like the kind of people we want to meet,” Tar mutters, surprising me slightly.

You don’t already know about them?

Tar appears in front of me and sits on my lap again as he answers, “No. My last contractor before you died over a century ago. Before they were established. In fact, before these Interschool Tournaments of yours began as well.”

Oh.

Sorry to ask.

“It’s fine,” he answers. So I take the pause to return the topic back to what it was originally on.

The research team is rather uncaring when it comes to achieving their goals, and I’m pretty sure they’re doing a lot of illegal stuff to do that. And the government tends to look the other way more often than not because not only are they not strong enough to deal with the team without crying to the Knights to do it for them, but the end results tend to justify the means in their eyes. At least enough not to cry to the Knights for help in dealing with them.

As long as they keep it out of the public eye, which they almost always do.

It was just one time that it managed to slip out and the people heard about a cruel experiment they conducted on a fae and their contracted partner.

I shiver at the thought.

The contracted partner was a very minor criminal, not someone who deserved a lifetime in prison or anything like that. But when they were being sent to the Rogue prison, they were being kidnapped by the team.

“They sound…” Tar begins, seemingly trying to think of something to compare them to, “like the cult back in the Farshore.”

I blink in surprise.

A cult? There’s a cult in the fae’s dimension?

“Yes,” Tar answers, “one worshipping Titania, the long since dead creator of the System.”

Of course, there’s a cult worshipping the System’s creator.

Well, research team or not, doesn’t look like I’ll have to deal with them for the time being. Or hopefully ever, but I doubt they’ll just give up simply because they lost the government’s approval.

I raise my head to focus on the tournament again and quickly find that a few more tower sieges have already passed since I started looking for the emails.

Guess I might as well check out the other teams that we might be up against.

So I open the internet on my terminal and begin doing some research.