Crimson Words on the Pillar
‘What in the world is that?’
Sama Battleground Lord Karimru shot up from his seat. He had just witnessed a shocking sight.
Aleck. The name he’d heard whispered in his ear a few times recently. That kid had just put on a stunning display.
‘That power…?’
Karimru watched Aleck overpower Chase, utterly speechless.
‘Is that kid really still in the Infant Stage?’
It was simply unbelievable. He’d heard how Aleck had caught the island centipede, so he’d expected the boy to hold his own in a duel against a Juvenile Stage shield mantis kid.
‘But I never dreamed he’d dominate with pure swordsmanship.’
He’d been curious how Aleck would overcome the vast physical gap with his opponent. But sword skills like that?
‘What even is that technique to begin with? That kind of power without any ether?’
No matter how specialized the mantis race was in ‘swordsmanship,’ no Juvenile Stage should possess skills like that from the start.
‘Especially not from the stalk mantis clan, who’ve always favored camouflage and stealth over swordplay generation after generation.’
Yet here he was, completely subduing a Juvenile Stage shield mantis kid who wasn’t even an Infant Stage like himself.
‘Lord, Aleck’s such a waste in the stalk mantis clan.’
He suddenly recalled what Monahan had said not long ago. There was good reason even that superior-race supremacist old man had acknowledged Aleck.
‘Come to think of it, Norton volunteered as an instructor because of that kid too.’
Now he understood why the top figures in the clan were taking an interest in a mere Juvenile Stage child.
‘Interesting.’
Now it was clear in Karimru’s eyes. The brilliant talent that kid Aleck harbored.
He could even see why his precious daughter Robed had taken a liking to him.
‘But…’
Aleck was still in the Infant Stage. Whether he’d maintain this talent all the way to Maturity Stage remained to be seen.
There had been others in the past who shone like stars in their Juvenile Stage—not quite on Aleck’s level, but close. Yet only a handful had kept that light burning past Maturity Stage.
‘So I’ll keep watching.’
Karimru let out a wry chuckle. He was deeply curious whether this kid Aleck could truly surpass the limits of their ‘race.’
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Whoa!"
"Aleck! I knew you could do it!"
"Congrats, Aleck!"
"Kyah, you’re the first from our group to advance to the finals!"
"Great job, Aleck! Here, have some water."
As soon as victory was confirmed and I stepped down from the platform, my peers rushed over. They celebrated like it was their own win.
"You really worked hard. Rest up until the finals!"
"Yeah, thanks."
I flashed a bright smile back at Robed, who beamed at me so refreshingly, and replied.
That’s when I spotted it. A familiar figure lurking near the entrance to the contestant waiting room in the distance.
‘That guy…’
It was Theo. He’d just barely lost in the 5th round earlier. He’d been out of my sight for a bit since then.
‘What’s he doing over there?’
I narrowed my eyes, watching Theo’s movements closely. He was loitering near the entrance. It looked extremely suspicious to me.
‘Hmm.’
I turned my body toward the outskirts so Theo wouldn’t notice me.
"Aleck, not heading to the waiting room?"
Robed tilted her head as I changed direction away from the waiting room.
"Nah, I’m gonna stick around and watch all your matches."
"Oh…!"
Robed’s face lit up at my words. She must’ve thought I was skipping rest just to watch her fights.
‘Well, I was planning to watch Robed’s matches anyway.’
I took a seat in the contestant-only spectator area after telling her that. It was a blind spot where Theo wouldn’t spot me easily, but I could glance over and keep tabs on him just by turning my head.
‘What’s he up to?’
I side-eyed Theo’s actions intently. He was standing right next to the entrance of Waiting Room 3, by a massive pillar.
‘That…’
I focused my ether-enhanced vision on him. Soon enough, I figured out exactly what he was doing.
‘He’s writing something.’
Theo was using a strange rubbery lump on his finger ring to scribble whenever no one was passing by. It looked so natural, like he’d done it a hundred times before.
If I hadn’t already suspected him and kept watching, I probably would’ve just thought he was leaning against the pillar watching the matches and moved on.
He didn’t linger by the pillar for even five minutes. After furtively glancing around and scribbling away, he slipped into the contestant waiting room.
‘Hmph.’
I considered moving right away but held back to observe. I had a pretty good guess what that behavior meant.
‘The code-passing method spies use to leave messages for other spies.’
In my 20 years clawing from assassin to top warrior through every hellish battlefield, I’d experienced just about every kind of encounter imaginable. And spies’ methods for leaving info drops and passing signals to their contacts? Basic stuff.
‘He finally left a trace.’
My eyes gleamed. After nearly a month and a half of waiting, the fish had finally bitten. That’s why I hadn’t nabbed Theo sooner—I’d been biding my time for this.
‘For now, let’s see if anyone approaches the pillar before the prelims end.’
I kept my eyes glued to the pillar where Theo had been. If my hunch was right, someone would come check his message soon enough.
Meanwhile, the 1st league prelims continued, and soon it was Robed’s turn. She stepped up to the platform.
"Ooh!"
"She’s gorgeous!"
"Man, the future of our mantis race looks bright!"
Robed’s beauty stirred a small buzz among the spectators. Made sense. Her doll-like face was captivating enough to draw every eye, even though she wasn’t fully mature yet.
Then—
Thud!
"…What was that?"
A heavy thud echoed from the VIP section where the high-ranking Mantis Hall figures gathered. A few people turned, puzzled expressions on their faces.
‘What the hell?’
I felt a flicker of unease too. Some accident? But the staff said nothing and just continued the matches on standby.
Ting!
The match began. Robed’s dual blades danced in a flashy blur, relentlessly pressuring her opponent from the start.
Her foe wasn’t as strong as my Chase, but still top-tier for Juvenile Stage. Robed hounded him mercilessly, and soon the crowd refocused, cheering her on.
I pushed aside the odd moment from before and concentrated on her fight.
‘Robed’s talent really is dazzling.’
It was every bit as exceptional as Ruslan’s. Considering Ruslan was hailed as the mantis race’s top talent right now, that said plenty about her potential.
‘Is it the orchid mantis clan’s high potential? Or just Robed herself?’
No way to know yet. The orchid clan was so rare they were practically extinct, all slaughtered before the continental war even started, from what I’d heard.
So I knew next to nothing about them. No records left, no contacts.
‘Hmm.’
A sudden sense of déjà vu hit me.
‘Could the reason spies like Theo are active during this Mantis Tournament be the orchid mantis clan?’
No hard proof, but past rumors and the current situation lined up in my mind.
‘Timings varied, but promising mantises dying or vanishing in “accidents” happened not just on missions, but during the Mantis Tournament too.’
It was a major event for the mantis race’s revival, drawing all the future leaders. Perfect for schemes. Hell, even a mantis lord had died in an “accident” mid-tournament once.
Maybe that’s how key figures and orchid mantises got picked off one by one?
‘And any other sprouts showing promise were bonuses.’
If so, that explained why orchid mantis numbers were so low.
‘Because of their sky-high potential.’
Assuming all orchids had Robed-level talent would be a generalization fallacy. But my gut told me I was onto something.
‘Too little info is a shame.’
If I knew more about the orchid clan, I’d have more certainty right now.
"Wooooaaah!"
A thunderous roar snapped me from my thoughts. I looked up. Robed stood on the platform, extending a hand to her fallen opponent with a radiant smile.
‘She won.’
Now Robed had advanced to the finals too. In the 1st league prelims, where 64 advanced, it was unprecedented—over 5 Infant Stage entrants made it. Three of them: me, Robed, and Ruslan.
Figuring out the spies was secondary; the prelims results were fantastic.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
‘No one approached the pillar until the matches ended.’
No disappointment, though. They’d come eventually, today or not.
Plus, considering the target was assassinating prospects and key figures during a massive event like the Mantis Tournament, their contact was likely stronger than current me. Definitely.
Blindly jumping someone shady here could backfire and put me at risk.
‘Let’s check it out first.’
I waited until the spectator seats emptied, then headed alone to the pillar. No one around. Just a few prepping the arena for tomorrow’s matches.
‘Around here, right?’
I eyed the wooden pillar. Paulownia, thick enough that several mantises linking arms might not encircle it.
I circled slowly from the north side counterclockwise, stopping at one spot.
This was it. Where Theo had lingered, scribbling away.
‘Nothing visible now, of course.’
No traces to the naked eye. I stared at it, pulling a gourd from my pouch. Robed had discreetly given it to me earlier—filled with aphid honeydew.
‘This’ll reveal all the spy codes used in this era.’
I smeared the honeydew on the pillar. A startling change appeared.
Shhh.
Blood-red letters emerged vividly against the brown paulownia bark.
‘Gotcha!’
Excitement raced up my spine—my hunch was spot on. Theo was a spy, confirmed. Time to plan their total takedown now that I had his tail…
Wait.
‘What the hell is this?’
My eyes widened like saucers at the fully revealed crimson text on the pillar.