The Transmigrated Author-Chapter 171: But You Piss Me Off

[Paris, Champs-élysées - Dawn's Blade Arena, Arena Hallway]

haa...hah....ha....

Valencia's breath came in uneven gasps.

Just hearing Alessandro's voice made her panic.

She couldn't find her voice at all, couldn't defend herself or Rel against Alessandro's tyranic nature.

"Come on, Val," Alessandro said, his tone leaking with condescension.

"Let's leave this rat here. You shouldn't be seen with such a loser."

He brushed past Rel, who remained frozen in shock.

Valencia watched Alessandro approach her slowly, her legs trembled at the thought of him.

His closeness brought a wave of nausea, reminding her of the past.

"Let's go," he urged.

THUD...

Then, a firm hand on Alessandro's shoulder stopped him.

"Hey,"

Rel's voice was quiet, but his tone felt absolute.

"I don't think a prince should be acting this way."

Alessandro whipped around, surprise twisting into a sneer. "Prince?" he scoffed.

"Get your filthy hands off me. I'm not 'Prince' on weekends."

"Is that so?"

Rel's gaze shifted past Alessandro to Valencia, who had slumped to the ground, fainting from shock.

"Yes you Idio-"

With a silent burst of speed, Rel lunged to closed the distance between them.

Alessandro's eyes widened in alarm, but it was too late.

A fist, now crackling with dark energy, slammed into his face.

BANG!!!

[Critical Hit!]

The impact resonated like a thunderclap, a shockwave of pure force.

Alessandro's head snapped back and his body lifted from the ground.

And flash of black lightning erupted from Rel's fist, sending the prince flying down the hallway like a ragdoll, crashing into the far wall with a sickening thud.

...

...

...

The echoes of the impact still rattled through Alessandro's head as he struggled to his knees.

His back faced the wall, feeling the blood dripping from his nose.

"Did I... Did I just get hit?"

The thought was as impossible as the blow itself.

Not just hit punched, by some nobody from the streets.

The pain he felt was enough for him to crush his teeth, a humiliating truth he couldn't quite grasp.

The rage, the aura… none of it had mattered.

He tried to rise, but his legs felt like water.

drop!

The world tilted once more and he found his face pressing against the floors hardness.

Alessandro faced the same shame from just a day ago, but beneath it all, he wasn't going to let himself be embarrassed from this.

As he raised his head to glare at Rel, approaching with those steady, relentless strides, his vision doubled.

There, an image overlapped with Rel... it was another man.

He couldn't see his face but his presence was familiar, yet completely unknown.

Black hair, eyes like piercing blue flames… who was this?

The image moved alongside Rel, then faded away.

"Get up..."

Rel spoke with a conviction that shooke Alessandro's body.

He gritted his teeth feeling his pride demanding he retaliate.

But his body refused, locked in a state of shock.

Alessandro's mind raced. His body had never betrayed him like this.

The pain throbbed and this humiliation was unacceptable!

"Disgusting..." He spat, How could this... this nobody... have done this to him?

But as Rel approached, his right fist clenched and a black aura emerged into view.

"...!"

That was when a feeling hidden deep within Alessandro rose.

a primal fear he'd never known.

"Look," he stammered, struggling to regain his composure.

"I... I was wrong. It was a misunderstanding."

He tried to conjure a dismissive smirk, but it came out more like a frown.

"Let's not do anything rash."

Rel stopped mere inches away. "Why not?"

His voice was a flat, yet it held an undeniable edge.

"Because if you hit me..." Alessandro swallowed, his confidence faltering.

"You'll be making an enemy of the royal family."

Rel raised an eyebrow. "But I thought you weren't a prince on the weekends?"

Alessandro flinched, his carefully constructed facade crumbling.

"Look, this is different!"

"How so?"

Rel's voice remained cool, but he knew very well Alessandro was lying.

"I'm not a fool." Rel paused crouching down to his level.

"Tell me... 'Prince' what freedom will you have left after you run crying to your father?"

Alessandro's eyes darted back and forth, a trapped animal searching for an escape route.

Rel tightened his fist, and the black aura crackled, a promise of pain.

A memory echoed in Alessandro's mind, his father's words chilling him to the bone.

—"Son, in combat with users of aura, there are situations that you must run away from."

Terror seized him. "W-wait..." He raised a trembling hand. "L-Let's talk this out!"

—"But one you must run from... is those with the color of black."

But Rel ignored him.

—"Black is the rarest color of aura... and it is, of course, the most dangerous."

[Critical Hit!]

The black aura exploded into a blinding flash.

Alessandro screamed as the fist connected.

CRACKLE...CRACKLE...CRACKLE...

The hallway reverberated with the sound of shattering bone and the echo of Alessandro's body slamming once more into the wall.

Rel glanced down at Alessandro's crumpled body.

The prince was out cold, sprawled on the plush hallway carpet like a discarded toy.

"Well,"

Rel muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"At least he won't be causing any more trouble... for now."

But a knot of unease tightened in his stomach.

"Though I'm probably at the top of his kill list now."

***

{Rel's POV}

I stared down at Alessandro, who was out cold.

Damn. Now what?

Leaving him here was just a bad idea.

Someone's bound to find him, royalty or not.

And a beaten-up prince wouldn't look good for anyone.

I scanned the hallway. Empty.

A few stray chairs lined the walls... and I could see a storage closet stood ajar down the way. Perfect.

Quickly I dashed inside the closet and it revealed a stack of spare blankets, a few crumpled posters, and a notebook with a hastily scribbled "DO NOT DISTURB" sign. This'll do.

Dragging the unconscious prince to one of the chairs, I propped him up, arranging the blanket to look semi-natural.

The "DO NOT DISTURB" sign went on top, strategically placed over his face like he was taking a nap.

Hopefully, this'll buy him some time – no one messes with royalty, even when they're snoring in public.

I turned back towards the hallway, my mind already on the next step.

"Get Valencia to the infirmary," I muttered.

I remember at my time as Shadow Writer I recall Dawn's Blade always had one for emergencies.

FWANG!

A sudden system notification flickered in my vision, the familiar chime jolting me out of my thoughts.

[A Hidden Quest Has Been Completed!]

[Description: Knock out a prominent character from your novel!]

Wait, what?

[Rewards: 25.00+ Strength, Ability: Aura]

[Transferring Rewards... Transfer complete!]

My heart pounded as a cascade of new information filled my vision.

[The Following Stats Have Been Upgraded:]

[Strength: 69 >>> 94 (25.00+)]

[...]

[Aura Has Been Added As A Special Ability And A Special Stat.]

[The Following Skills Have Been Added With The Ability: Aura]

[Skills:]

[Sensory Aura - Level: Basic]

[Enhancement and Flow Aura - Level: Basic]

[Dominance Aura - Level: Basic]

[...]

[The Following Ability: Projectile Projection [Grade 3] Has Been Converted to BP due to a conflict. All masteries and percentages will be calculated and compensated correctly.]*

[10,000 BP Has Been Added As A Hold For Compensation!]

Whoa. A wave of disbelief washed over me.

I get aura... and that absurd strength boost... just for knocking out an important character?

But it came at a cost. Projectile Projection... was gone.

It had been my go-to ability and I could feel my gut twist at the loss.

"Damn system," I muttered under my breath. "Thanks for taking away my favorite ability."

But hey, 10,000 BP wasn't too shabby. Could upgrade a few things or maybe even get a new ability down the line.

I shook my head, clearing the remaining annoyance.

Right now, Valencia needed help so I had to at least get her out. That was priority.

...

...

...

{Valencia's POV}

[Paris, Champs-élysées - Dawn's Blade Arena, 10th Floor: The Infirmary Room]

My eyes fluttered open, the world a blur of white.

A hospital room?

I blinked, trying to focus.

Sunlight streamed through a large window, painting the scene with a warm glow.

The Eiffel Tower, a majestic silhouette against the sky, filled my vision.

"So... high?" I muttered, feeling the raspiness in my voice.

Was I still at the arena? But no... that wasn't right.

Then a sudden memory flooded back.

Right...the hallway.

I recalled that moment and my memories all about Alessandro.

I'll never forgive him... I'll never ever, forgive and forget about what he said all those years ago.

But after seeing him use aura or that technique called dominance, I'd fainted. Again.

haah...

I sighed feeling the embarrassment rushing towards my face.

Why did his aura have this effect on me?

I wasn't able to tell exactly if mine was stronger or not.

But I knew that wasn't my biggest concern as of now.

"Who..." I started to ask, but the words caught in my throat.

Turning my head, my eyes widened.

It was him... Rel.

He was sitting in a chair beside the bed, his usual emotionless expression firmly in place.

Seeing him like this – calm, concerned, almost... gentle – was a shock.

I... I don't know what's wrong with me now...

As I felt the slight burn on my cheeks I couldn't understand... why is my face heating up?

_______

No Authors Notes Today...