Nightmare Mythos

Right after he took another quick shower since talking with Karl and Cedeit brought some exciting info, Cesar left the bathroom and found that the assassin had already left.

However, a sign that he wasn't betrayed and was going through with their plan is apparent due to his weapons still on the floor where they are dropped and untouched.

Of course, he could've escaped. In fact, he can just buy a different weapon and go as far as he can from Dawn Breaker but Cesar already instilled the fact that he knew each of his movements, even if that is hardly the truth.

Even so, Cesar had already planted the seed of doubt. After showcasing a glimpse of his powers, Karl definitely will rethink his thoughts twice.

'I just hope this wouldn't bite me much in the back,'

Cesar mused inwardly, and let out a short sigh before preparing himself for the banquet as he wore the attire he was supposed to wear today.

Leaving his chambers, Cesar went straight to Castle Hearth again.

…

Fortunately for Cesar, he hadn't encountered any attempt of being assassinated on the way towards the castle.

It was probably because it was crowded and lots of guards spread across each street that the assassins chose the right spot and place to carry out their missions.

There's one specific thing that Cesar noticed regarding these assassinations though, and it was that they didn't just involve any innocent or civilian.

It was probably work ethic, their own standards, or whatnot, but it seemed that getting this out in the open would cause a major shift that might get overlooked by the Army or the Association.

If those organizations got involved in this case, their whole plan might not work.

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It's not like these two organizations weren't aware of this situation. To keep the people calm in their homes, they didn't stir enough news since nothing great had been taken accounted for.

'I guess I'm just a sacrificial lamb that I better drop dead for the better of the world,' Cesar considered inwardly, amused at his own thoughts.

As he entered the castle, Cesar suddenly came to a thought.

'But Arnold seemed to be keeping quiet about this matter to me. And there's no way he isn't aware of this matter. Should I just ask him and try to see what he has on mind?'

Cesar left those words aside when he spotted a group of people waiting for him on the second floor of the main hall.

When their eyes met, all of them had a huge smile on their faces.

Cesar also felt happy to be able to meet them again.

…

Their table consisted of nine people. Cesar's previous squad was also there, Klaus, Leah, and Amar were also there. Finally, to make the table full, their previous commander at that site, Vin, also sat beside them.

They've already talked about kinds of stuff regarding Cesar's return but only made the conversation jolly and not serious.

However, they maintained a sense of privacy for Cesar, unlike some attendees who brutally asked him what his experiences were even if it was already a breach of discretion.

Some words are better left unsaid and kept after all.

But all those useless talks have to end. Now, they are back on business.

"Cesar, we heard about your situation from Reyna. A bounty on your head? It would've made sense if we also got as well, but throughout the year we've escaped from the Mansion, we never received warnings from our superiors regarding our own bounties, well, because they never existed in the first place,"

Nike tried to give his own view regarding Cesar's situation and others agreed as well.

If they are worried about Cesar's strength, they should've also hunted the fifty-three survivors since they've become a powerhouse and made a name for themselves.

However, Cesar already received such a warrant that made assassination attempts rampant which he already experienced.

It just doesn't make any sense, but it's not like they are aware of his situation.

There was a bigger play in here, and Cesar wasn't willing to risk telling it to them in the open. Hence, keeping the goal crystal clear, he lied through his teeth and mastered the class of talking smoothly.

"I don't have any idea how this came to the current situation but all I'm asking is protection until the end of the banquet. I'll return to the Academy after that but I won't need you guys since Arnold will be me. You see that he's the Headmaster, right? Of course, he had a lot of things to do aside from keeping a watch on me. At least, on this banquet,"

Klaus, who was only listening to the side, agreed as he gave his opinion, "Don't worry kid. We're already in the same boat here. We're going to start applying protection for you but we just wanted to hear the reason, if there's any, why they are doing this. But I guess there are no answers yet,"

'Good… Reyna had done her job exceptionally well. Now, that is less burden for me to carry…'

Wiping the sweat from his neck even though he barely even moved, Cesar smiled darkly and let out a tired sigh.

"Now since we're still talking seriously, how is the Army? Any interesting news that I need to know? If it's a secret, whisper it to me,"

Cesar tried to liven up the mood and tried to find some interesting information about certain Nightmares, like Soul Scholar that he just couldn't find no matter how much search he did.

Though that didn't work as the demeanor of each person was bleak.

'Something's wrong?'

Each of them gave a strange look at each other. The only ones who didn't look between were Nike and Reyna who seemed very determined to not lock their gazes together.

But in the end, those actions were trying to relay something to Cesar. Eventually, Vin who is a Major now, took the lead to disclose the information.

"A month ago. A horde of Nightmares are spotted gathering in one particular red zone area," Vin paused, "Then, a few weeks ago, another group of Nightmares has gathered in another site. Then these spotted bunch of Nightmares kept appearing all across the world as if they were assembling."

Leah, who also seemed aware of this information, nodded, "Do you get this? We never had this weird case recorded before. If a group of Nightmares banded together and started to wreak havoc, even a city would be under their mercy,"