Prince of Gluttony: Born from Betrayal

Chapter 91: An Attempt


Kiyomi had been watching for a while, slipping into the shadow of a half-fallen wall at the edge of the training grounds long before either Cain or Maris had noticed anyone nearby. She had arrived expecting to find Cain leaning on tricks and cheap moves to hold off Maris. The last time she had seen him spar, he had relied heavily on that strange blink skill of his, disappearing and reappearing before his opponent could react. She had assumed his victories came from the novelty of it, the way it threw people off balance.

But as she leaned silently against the stone, her golden eyes sharp in the fading sunlight, Kiyomi began to realize that this was not the case at all.

Cain was genuinely strong.

Not perfect, no. He moved with the calculated precision of someone still mastering his power, but his technique was clean. His wooden swords spun with a speed and accuracy that made even Maris work for every strike she managed to block. Kiyomi could see it clearly. His footwork, his sense of timing, the way he read Maris's attacks and countered them… it was all real skill. And the strangest thing was that he kept up with her for hours.

By the time the sun bled orange across the horizon, Maris was trembling on her feet, her shoulders heaving with each breath. Cain had finally stopped the session, spinning his wooden swords once before lowering them.

"You are done for today," he told her evenly.

Maris grit her teeth, leaning on her spear. "I can still stand," she muttered.

"And you will fall flat on your face if I let you keep going," Cain said sharply, his voice carrying an authority that surprised Kiyomi. "You are no good to me if you push yourself until you break. Rest. That is an order."

Maris opened her mouth to argue but closed it again when she saw the look on his face. It was not anger, not quite, but a sternness that left no room for debate. Her golden eyes softened as she nodded reluctantly.

"As you command," she said, voice low, before turning away on legs that shook with every step.

Kiyomi stayed hidden until Maris was completely gone. The girl limped slightly as she disappeared down the path toward the dormitories, her spear dragging just enough to betray how close she had been to collapsing.

When the sound of her footsteps faded, Cain turned his head sharply, his eyes locking directly on the wall where Kiyomi stood. His voice carried easily across the quiet training ground.

"The hidden rat can come out now," he growled.

Kiyomi froze, blinking in surprise. A rat? He was calling her a rat? She stepped forward, ready to make her presence known with a cutting remark, but before she could move, someone else stumbled out from the other side of the training ground.

Cain's eyes shifted instantly to the newcomer.

It was a boy. A first-year student by the look of him, pale-faced and shaking like a leaf in the wind. His dark hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, and in his trembling hand was a small knife that caught the last streaks of sunlight.

Kiyomi straightened where she stood, her eyes narrowing.

Cain's expression changed slowly, hardening as he took in the sight before him. The boy looked terrified. Not the kind of fear someone wore when facing a stronger opponent in training, but the kind born from desperation.

"You have got to be kidding me," Cain muttered, lowering one of his wooden swords slightly.

The boy swallowed hard, his knuckles white around the handle of the knife. He did not speak. Did not even move. His eyes darted between Cain and the ground as if he was waiting for someone else to tell him what to do.

Cain's eyes sharpened. He had seen this kind of look before. The wide-eyed panic of someone shoved toward a death sentence they did not choose.

"Someone sent you," Cain said flatly. It was not a question.

The boy flinched.

Kiyomi stayed where she was, arms folded, watching in silence. This was not what she had expected when she came here. She had thought Cain might snap at her for spying. Instead, a trembling would-be assassin stood ten feet away, barely holding onto his weapon.

Cain took a slow step forward, his movements deliberate. "Who was it?" he asked.

The boy shook his head violently, eyes going wider. His lips trembled, but no words came out.

"Fine," Cain said, his voice low. "Then drop the knife."

For a moment, it looked like the boy might obey. His grip slackened just slightly. But then something flickered behind his eyes. A mix of fear and determination. He lunged forward suddenly, knife aimed straight at Cain's chest.

Kiyomi tensed, ready to step in if needed.

Cain did not move at first. His body shifted at the last possible second, one wooden sword snapping up to knock the knife aside with a sharp crack. His other hand struck the boy's wrist with just enough force to make the weapon clatter to the dirt.

The boy fell to his knees immediately, clutching his wrist and gasping like he had forgotten how to breathe.

Cain stood over him, expression dark. "Pathetic," he said quietly.

The boy's shoulders shook. He still did not speak.

Kiyomi finally stepped into view, her arms crossed. "Looks like someone wanted you dead," she said lightly, though her eyes stayed sharp on the boy. "And they picked the weakest possible messenger."

Cain did not look at her. He crouched slightly, tilting his head at the boy who still knelt in the dust. "Tell me who sent you," he said, voice low but edged with steel. "Or next time, I will not be so gentle."

The boy looked like he might faint right there on the ground. His mouth opened, closed, then opened again before he finally managed a strangled whisper.

"I… I cannot," he stammered, voice cracking. "They will kill me."

Cain's eyes narrowed.

"Interesting," Kiyomi murmured.

Cain straightened slowly, staring down at the boy for a long moment before speaking again. "Then run," he said finally, his voice calm but cold. "Tell whoever sent you that they failed. And tell them next time, they had better come themselves."

The boy's eyes went wide. He looked between Cain and Kiyomi like he could not believe he was being allowed to leave alive. Then he scrambled to his feet and ran, vanishing into the deepening twilight without a backward glance.

Silence settled over the training ground.

Cain finally turned toward Kiyomi, his expression unreadable. "So," he said evenly, "what do you want?"

Kiyomi raised a brow, smirking faintly. "To see if the stories about you were true," she said. Her gaze flicked toward the path where the boy had vanished. "Looks like they were. And then some."

Cain did not answer. He only bent to pick up the fallen knife, studying it briefly before tossing it aside. The weight of what had just happened hung in the air, unspoken but undeniable.

The last light of the sun disappeared behind the horizon, leaving the training ground in shadow.

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