Level Up Legacy

1175 Trusting a Degenerate

As the forces of change gathered in Kera, with fiery eyes staring at the capital, Oriole was panic-stricken after Reece revealed the secret. If the rulers manage to summon a god, then there will not be hope for Arthur to save Emma Agard, his friend from their days in Jerano.

Since things came to this point, Oriole decided that he must act now. This is the moment that he has been waiting for, where he would be Arthur's aid behind enemies' lines.

In his time with Mistletoe, Oriole did not become a hostage. He became a dependable member of the team, although Sier still treated him with suspicion. However, there was a bigger reason behind Oriole joining the seer.

Gala told him what happened in Alka after the two of them left the timeline. Paradise was founded through the memories of people that Oriole helped in his twelve years in the other world, but this was far from enough.

The witch told him that Kar also obtained the memories of the alternate timeline, and so did the elven guardian, Lyari. This caused a change of their plans, since their desire to incarnate the Horseman of Death has been sabotaged by Arthur making the impossible choice.

Throughout his journey in Mistletoe, Oriole made sure to gather their forces in Alka. In normal times, that would be impossible.

However, if he used Mistletoe's knowledge to pinpoint convergence point necessary to transmit his letter, and then erase his memories after he succeeds, then it would be possible to fool the seer guardian.

Oriole always believed that his power was useless, but after awakening the spiritual control of his, he found that he unlocked the secrets of souls. The strongest powers require the finest control, and his microscopic telekinesis allowed him to achieve that.

The flames of his fireplace could not erase the loneliness he felt in this room. It has been months since he met someone who knows him. Throughout this time, he had to live behind masks and lies.

"Our meeting will be soon, it seems," said Oriole with a smile. "As he raised a sleeve to reveal a bracelet he had. It had the three letters, AOE, engraved on its metallic surface. These initials stood for Arthur, Oriole, and Ellen. Oriole and Ellen created this bracelet when Arthur won the Apprentices Runic Cup. At that time, it was lame. But now, it was his most precious possession.

After caressing the initials with his finger, Oriole's expression hardened before he took his robes and wore it again. He has been looking for Emma Agard nonstop, but he could not waste time resting here. If he wanted to help Arthur, he needs to work harder.

Oriole took his usual seat in front of the mirror and raised his hands. Mana leaked out as they passed through his soul, turning into microscopic needles. His eyes shone as he looked deep into his own eyes, and began altering his memories.

The process was not painful, but tedious. Oriole would use his spiritual energy to protect the neurons responsible for certain memories. He found them using his eyes, which he evolved using alchemy.

After an hour and half, Oriole was done. The memories were now replaced with others if Sier ever sneaked a peek into his mind. Oriole just wanted to make sure that Reece's message would never reach the Omniscient Vessel.

Oriole no longer had a reason to hide himself. He walked into the brothel with the confidence of shamelessness. As soon as he entered, perfumes and alcohol stung his nose, making him frown. A large woman was sitting at the front desk, smoking a pipe.

"Welcome here, dear customer," said the woman while puffing out her acidic smoke, and it smelled like cherries. "What do you prefer, men, women, or both?"

"Women," said Oriole as he placed a gold coin on the table. He wanted to chase after the prince and see for himself whether it was him. "Give me your finest woman."

"I'm afraid that my finest is already occupied at the moment," said the woman as she stared at the gold coin on her desk. "And this amount of gold is far from enough to satisfy her."

"Already occupied?" asked Oriole with raised brows, his instincts tingling again. "Even for this sum?"

Clink! Ching!

The coins clinked against each other in the bag that Oriole dropped, spilling on the table. Gold and more gold laid before the woman, making her drop the ashes in her pipe on the carpet. She stared wide-eyed at the gold before reaching toward it, but Oriole placed a hand between them.

"Is she available or not?" asked Oriole again, and the woman gulped. After licking her lips, she smirked at him and picked out a key from the wall behind her.

"Third room on the third floor. Wait there for a few minutes and she will be there."

"Good," said Oriole with a smile before taking the key and walking away. The woman hugged the gold and pulled it in an embrace, feeling like this was her lucky day. As for Oriole, he climbed the first step of the stairs before hiding behind its curtain.

As a man of fine taste, Oriole would never enter a brothel for pleasure. His aim was to lure out the prince, who should be the customer that occupied the finest of this establishment. As long as he interfered with his pleasure, the prince should come down to protest.

After a certain while, a veiled woman came to the stairs. She flinched when she saw Oriole standing there, but he quickly showed her the key he was given. Understanding that this was her customer, the woman calmed down.

"Wait for me there, beautiful," said Oriole with a smile as he placed the key in her red seductive lips. She bit the key and nodded before taking the stairs. As he watched her back figure ascend the stairs, even Oriole was tempted to follow.

"What is the meaning of this?!" shouted someone from the reception hall, making Oriole thrilled. The voice was familiar, and his instincts proved to be right!