Accidental Ascendance
Chapter 18 18: Night Salamander Part 5

The sun rose, illuminating the beautiful Ravencrest. Oliver woke up and stretched before walking out of his room to replace Cedric standing there, dripping with sweat. "Why are you sweaty?" Oliver asked with curiosity.

Cedric tilted his head back and forth, stretching his tired muscles. "Morning training. I haven't missed a day for six years, and I won't miss one now."

Oliver nodded in understanding. "That's dedication."

Cedric then walked up to a door next to Oliver's room. "I think this is it..."

Oliver pointed at the door. "That's Lily's room."

Cedric nodded. "I know."

He knocked on the door, and Lily appeared, still in her nightgown. Her eyes widened in shock as her face turned bright red. "Good morning, Miss Cornale," Cedric said with a mischievous grin.

Lily screeched in embarrassment. "Put a shirt on, you weirdo!" She quickly slammed the door shut.

Cedric laughed. "Well, that should wake her up. I'm going to take a shower. See you downstairs, Oli."

Oliver watched Cedric walking away and mused to himself, "I guess he's still Dark Cedric. And did he just call me 'Oli'?"

Cedric sat in a large wooden tub and let out a loud sigh of relief. "This is the life. Too bad I only have one more day to play. It's not like I'll stop existing, but being separated is gonna feel weird."

After his bath, Cedric dressed and cleaned himself up before walking downstairs. Sitting at a table, eating food, were Oliver and Lily. Oliver waved him over, saying, "Over here, we got food."

Cedric nodded as he walked over and accidentally bumped into a small girl. As he looked down, her features became apparent. Her pink hair covered her pointed ears, swaying back to reveal her green eyes. "Sorry, little miss," Cedric apologized politely.

The girl stared at him for a moment, her eyes filled with excitement. "Cedric, Cedric Montclair?"

Cedric scratched his head, puzzled. "Do I know you?"

The girl's eyes lit up with joy. "It is you, finally!" She then turned around and called out, "Gorm, I finally found him."

Then, as if emerging from the shadows, the previously unseen giant Gorm stood to his feet. With a soft nod and a grunt, he acknowledged the small girl. Cedric stared at the giant man intently, remembering their previous encounter. "Hey, I remember that guy. I don't like him..."

Gorm walked over to the two. "What? You met him before, Gorm?"

The giant shook his head with a strong gesture. "Grunt."

The girl nodded her head. "I didn't think so. Gorm said he never saw you before."

Cedric stared blankly at the two, recalling the trauma he felt when he was his other half. "I really don't like either of you now..."

Cedric tried to walk past them, but the small girl grabbed onto his legs, attempting to stop him, but she ended up being dragged along instead. "Wait, Mr. Montclair, we have been trying to replace you."

Cedric nodded silently a few times. "I don't care."

The small girl desperately held onto his legs, trying to halt his progress. "Wait, please! We were sent by some very powerful people, and they specifically requested your help."

Cedric stopped and looked down at the small girl. "Who?"

The girl pointed up at Cedric. "You!"

Cedric looked up, trying to contain his annoyance. "Not the 'who' you were sent to replace. I meant, who sent you to replace me?"

The girl stared blankly at Cedric. "Huh?"

Cedric's rage grew almost to a boiling point. "'Sparks of flame from the raging fire within.'"

Oliver quickly jumped up and covered Cedric's mouth, trying to defuse the situation. "Let's calm down. Now, miss..."

The small girl stood up straighter. "Sorry, I never introduced myself. I am Elena, and this big guy is Gorm. We are A-rank Wanderers."

Lily looked over curiously. "A-rank?"

Oliver gave a gentle bow. "Nice to meet you, Elena and Gorm. Now, who sent you to replace Cedric?"

Elena glanced around cautiously. "I don't know if I should say it out loud."

Cedric attempted to cast the Flare spell repeatedly, but each time, Oliver covered his mouth to prevent him from speaking. "Whisper it in my ear, then," Oliver suggested.

Elena hesitated for a moment before walking over and whispering into Oliver's ear.

After hearing what Elena said, Oliver's face turned blank, and he stood up abruptly, grabbing Cedric and Lily before quickly leading them away. "What's going on, Oliver?" Lily asked, bewildered.

Oliver's forehead was glistening with sweat as he responded, "Nothing but trouble. If those two were telling the truth, I cannot let Cedric go with them in his current state."

Lily looked even more puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Oliver shook his head, avoiding her questioning gaze. "Don't worry about it..."

Cedric glanced back at the guild with a hint of sadness in his eyes as Oliver carried him away. "But, I didn't get to have breakfast..." he mumbled.

Oliver quickly said. "Don't worry I have some rations you can snack on we need to get as far away from as possible though."

Cedric let out a soft sigh. "Well can you at least tell me who sent those weirdos?"

Sweat feel from Oliver's brow. "They said where hired by the king of the Union."

Lily kicked Cedric. "What did you do Montclair!?"

Cedric, confused, responded. "I don't think I did anything. Why are you reacting this way? Who is this king?"

Oliver stared at the distance. "The King of the Union Lucian Fell, the second strongest person in this country and the king of said country. Your king Cedric."

Cedric nodded a few times before saying. "Yep I don't care..."

"You should," said Oliver. "Right now, he is by far the strongest mage in this country and is the sole reason that the Fest Empire is having such a hard time making ground on us despite their overwhelming numbers. And if those wanderers were hired by him, those are no ordinary A-rankers. Those are royal wanderers!"

Suddenly, a large object crashed in front of them, cutting them off. It was Gorm, and on his shoulders sat Elena. "Hey, it's very rude to run away from someone when they're talking."

Oliver was beyond overwhelmed with his thoughts. "This is bad. If Dark Cedric and these two fight, I think he might do more than hurt them. That would instantly make him an enemy of the country. I don't know what to do...."