ã€ŠMarked Soulã€‹


 Chapter 1 - Everyday Morning

    Chapter 1 ¡°Everyday Morning¡±

    After letting out a yawn, I walked toward the window and then opened it immediately, revealing the shutter that has done its job keeping the cold outside the house last night. With a creaking sound, I pushed open the wooden shutter from the inside. Thankfully, it was not too heavy, making it an easy task in the morning for me each day. And with that shutter opened, the last barrier that kept the air outside from entering the house has been removed, allowing the fresh smell of the morning dew carried inside by the cool morning breeze.

    ¡°Nice morning today.¡± I said as I slowly breathed in the fresh air.  And with that, I started my morning work.

    After a few sit ups and pushups for a quick exercise, I marched toward the kitchen of the house and proceeded directly to check on the stock of food placed inside the cupboard. The job didn¡¯t take long due to the relatively low amount of stuff inside it.

    ¡°Hmm, I still have a few more apples and a few slices of old bread.¡± I tapped my chin as I realized that I nearly don¡¯t have enough for the next day if I splurged on it in one go. ¡°Ugh, I guess I have to eat less again then.¡± And with that decision, I eat my breakfast which consisted of a single apple. I think I can leave the bread for later since it can withstand longer then the apple.

    Although that was still far from one would deem a filling breakfast, my daily lifestyle has made me able to survive for a long time with a meager amount of food without affecting my overall health. Some might say that I have become a miser. I prefer the term survivalist. I don¡¯t have enough money to always eat luxurious food, you know? Well, that¡¯s not exactly correct. I have enough for that. But I don¡¯t have enough for that to last long. With that in mind, I prefer my current lifestyle.

    *knock, knock*

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Just barely finished the apple in my hand, sound of knocking came from the door downstairs. ¡°Who could it be?¡± I said to myself as I descend the stair quickly to not upsetting the one waiting outside. When I arrived, I opened the door and I was greeted by a rather energetic voice.

    ¡°Good morning there, Nerva!!¡± The voice was so loud that I instinctively took a step back to lessen the impact of the voice against my ear. ¡°I have a delivery for you!¡±

    ¡°A-Ah, yes, good morning, Bardo.¡± I said to reply my guest¡¯s hearty greeting. ¡°A delivery?¡±

    ¡°Yup, from my old man! Here you go!¡± And with that sentence, a loud sound of impact could be heard coming in front of me together with a very huge vibration on the floor of my porch. ¡°This morning trip to the forest was a bountiful one. We got a lot of berries that were almost too ripe. They practically fell over the trail as we trek on.¡± The sound of rustling came to my ear as he opened the sack. The moment he did that, a familiar scent attacked my nose.

    ¡°Berries, eh? I guess that¡¯s reasonable since it is almost the end of its season.¡± I guess they really did fell on the ground as the scent was somewhat overly sweet.

    ¡° Yes, yes, you got it! Since there¡¯s a lot even after we left some for the wild animal, the old man said to give them to you since you look like you could use some. Aren¡¯t you happy, my friend?¡± asked my guest to me while giving me a strong pat on my shoulder rather excitedly. As always, he doesn¡¯t know how to hold back on his own strength, which I was reminded quite painfully as I winched under the force of his strong hand. But I honestly couldn¡¯t hate him since he was just expressing himself truthfully. I could never hate a person like that. An honest and a straightforward man that refuse to say anything but the truth. Although that sometimes made him to be seen by other as an uncouth and tactless man, they who have known him will know that he is anything but that. Fortunately, I¡¯m one of the later and I can and would give that exact opinion about him.

    ¡°Well, I better get going again. The old man might break his back if he is left around to lift the heavy sacks in our storehouse alone.¡± As I know that his ¡®old man¡¯ is not so old, I really doubt that. But he is a very caring and loving son, although tad to be a bit overprotective sometimes. In fact, I seem to remember that his ¡®old man¡¯ is a man with a large muscle that possessed strength comparable to a bear. I might be exaggerating, but the point is that that man is far from weak. ¡°I¡¯ll see you again, Nerva!¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, of course. Give your father my thanks for these lovely berries. I would share some jam that I will make later.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± A hearty laugh escaped his mouth. ¡°The old man will be delighted to hear that, my good friend! Farewell!¡±

    ¡°See you later, Bardo.¡± I waved at him as he left my porch. As always, I questioned why he always has to speak in a very loud voice all the time. Come to think of it, his father also does the same. Maybe it¡¯s a hereditary trait? I might ask his father later if my curiosity still persist. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get this inside.¡± I grabbed the large sack and then hauled it over inside to store it in my kitchen right away. With the berries, my stock of food has become slightly better. Although I need to cook them soon or it might get spoiled, it still counts as a very welcome addition to my dwindling supply of food.

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    With most of my morning task, which one might guess is not much, is done, I only have one more thing to do. And that is to wait for my employer. Well, not exactly my employer since that would be strange. I guess you could say that he sent one of his subordinate to pick me up and also to watch me so that I don¡¯t skip my job. I¡¯m not lazy, I can at least tell you that. But the thing is¨C

    ¡°Good morning!¡± Oh, speak of the devil. The one I was waiting for has arrived. I guess I have to get ready sooner than I thought. ¡°I¡¯m coming up!¡± And with that, the sound of the door being opened rather hurriedly came from downstairs.

    ¡°Got it!¡± As usual, that fellow didn¡¯t even try to knock on the door and just barged in like that. Not that I¡¯m complaining, though. I just hoping that a little warning would be nice. But I guess that first greeting was meant to be the warning. So I have nothing to complain, eh? So while listening to the sound of footsteps on the stair, I reached my bag that was always put conveniently under the kitchen table. While I¡¯m doing that, I had a certain idea as I sniffed the scent of the berries. I picked up one of my leather satchel and then filled it with a few dozen berries. A snack wouldn¡¯t hurt, right?

    ¡°You ready?¡± Just as I was tying up the string of the satchel, the footsteps had stopped a few steps away from my current location and a voice called out to me.

    ¡°Ready.¡± I tie the satchel to the belt of my pants and then faced my guest. ¡°I only need my walking stick and my¨C¡°

    ¡°This, right?¡± The fluttering sound of a small object being thrown on the air could be heard. I instinctively grabbed the object mid-air with my dominant hand. The rolled up object inside my fist felt very familiar to me that the moment my finger made contact with the object, I could immediately recognize the object¡¯s identity without opening my hand.

    ¡°You pick this one for today?¡± I open the rolled up object and stretch it in front of me. The leather material felt soft and quite smooth on my finger. I could feel the craftsman¡¯s skill on this small object.

    ¡°Does the company have something formal scheduled for today?¡±

    ¡°We are going to inspect the new recruit and also to give ranks and reward for their achievement.¡± The person walked toward the stair, but then turned around just after taken a single step on it. ¡°Do you need help?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? With putting this on?¡± I gave a smile after hearing that.

    ¡°Err, I mean with walking down the stair.¡± I was taken aback slightly. I could felt my expression changed for a split second. But I managed to regain my composure immediately. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t mean anything by that.¡± It seemed that I have failed to do it fast enough since my companion managed to notice that split second change. I guess I am not fast enough. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­err¡­¡± The sentence came out dripping with awkwardness. At that, I let out a small snicker. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t laugh!¡± And I was awarded with a scolding right away.

    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m sorry about that.¡± I¡¯m sure I sounded far from sincere as I still let out a small laugh between my sentences. And judging from the ¡®hmph¡¯ sound I heard, I¡¯m quite correct. ¡°Let me just put this on and you can help me in walking downstairs.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not forcing you to accept my kindness.¡± Oh, that sounded like a very bitter statement. Although the voice sounded calm, I could sense the bitterness in it. ¡°You don¡¯t have to accept my goodwill if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°I said I¡¯m sorry, didn¡¯t I? Don¡¯t take it into heart.¡± I tried to calm down my companion rather bad mood. Well, the reason was partially mine, I admit that. ¡°Or do you want to help me walk downstairs first and then I can put this on? It would be much better to do that when I¡¯ve reached the first floor, you know.¡±

    ¡°I said that you don¡¯t have to¡­Ah! Forget it!¡± And with that the sound of footsteps could be heard in front of me. ¡°I¡¯ll wait downstairs!¡±

    I shook my head as the footsteps disappeared under the stairs. My companion really possessed a rather fiery temperament. And I really have a knack in getting someone else¡¯s skin really quick. I need to change that aspect of mine soon. As I ponder that, I opened up the rolled object to its maximum length. With that, I placed the long object over my eyes and circled them over my head several time, covering my eyes completely. Yes, the object that was handed to me ¨Cor thrown to me, you be the judge for that¨C is a leather blindfold. So why was I wearing a blindfold? Well, that¡¯s simple. That¡¯s because I need to cover the pair of empty socket on my face. So yes, I¡¯m blind. Did I forget to mention that?

 Chapter 2 - Morning Walk

    Chapter 2 ¡°Morning Walk¡±

    After putting on my blindfold, I walk down the stair. One might consider that a blind person might be having difficulty to do a simple task like that. I don¡¯t know about the other, but I certainly don¡¯t find it difficult to do. Maybe that¡¯s because I have the ability to perceive everything around me quite clearly with my remaining senses. If I have to explain it, I can somehow portray the whole world around me very clearly even with my lack of eyesight. My ¡®seeing¡¯ ability is even able to help me identify the material of the object around me, although I still couldn¡¯t identify color as that is a domain exclusive to those who can see. I know that sounded rather far-fetched and impossible, but that is really what I can do.

    ¡°Watch your step!¡± I could hear my companion voice from downstairs. I let out a chuckle and was going to reply with something along the line of ¡®You asked a blind man to ¡®watch¡¯ his step¡¯ but decided not to since that might worsen the damage I¡¯ve done even more. I opted to just quicken my step while being as careful as I could.

    ¡°Thank you for waiting.¡± I said to my companion as I reached the first floor of my house. I then walked toward the place where I put my walking stick and grabbed it immediately. ¡°Shall we go?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we should.¡± The sound of the door being opened came to my ear together with the blow of the cold morning breeze that made my whole body shiver. I also reached my coat since it seemed to be a bit colder than usual. It was such an old coat that l don¡¯t need to be able to see it to know how ragged it looked. But this is the only coat I have so I won¡¯t complain.

    ¡°Nerva.¡±  I snapped my attention to my companion as I heard my name being called. ¡°When are you going to replace that coat of yours?¡± Ah, I knew this would happen sooner than later. ¡°I have to say that your appearance is quite¡­ pitiful.¡± I guess the word ¡®pitiful¡¯ is not the term that was going to be used at me at first. The truth is probably much worse.

    ¡°Really now?¡± But surprisingly, I didn¡¯t feel offended at all. I guess I really accepted that fact. ¡°Can you explain it to me how my appearance is?¡± I asked my companion as I stretched my arm to give a better view.

    ¡°What? Your appearance?¡± I guess that was a rather strange request, eh? ¡°Well, in a few words, you have the look of¡­ a neat beggar.¡±

    ¡°Ho?  A neat beggar?¡± Truly a strange combination of words that is. This made me more and more curious. ¡°Explain more.¡±

    ¡°Well, your coat has lost most of its color, leaving it with a very dull greyish brown. I can also see some of it has been torn and also creased so much.¡±

    ¡°Okay, that is a very detailed description of my old coat. No wonder I could feel a bit more draft than before. So that¡¯s the beggar part, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, that and your walking stick that has chipped part here and there, I think that¡¯s it. Now I suppose you want to hear about the ¡®neat¡¯ part?¡± I nodded. ¡°Well, that¡¯s because you are wearing your uniform for work, a grey shirt and a pair of black pants. Thankfully, they looked quite new since the company handed them not long ago. Or are they your old one?¡±

    ¡°The shirt is new, the pants is old.¡±

    ¡°I see. Oh yeah, fortunately your hair is still barely on the neat side. But I think you should cut it soon.¡±

    ¡°It is getting quite long, eh?¡±

    ¡°Want me to cut it for you?¡±

    ¡°What? A mere apothecary like me, asking the great militia captain Eryell Reystone, to cut my hair? What would the whole company say?¡± I let out a rather exaggerated gasp after I said that.

    ¡°Funny, very funny.¡± She then hit me softly on my arm after replying in a rather unhappy tone. ¡°I¡¯m serious here. Want me to cut it?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, maybe later.¡± As I moved my hand and brushed my hair near my neck, I still think it was on a bearable length for me.  ¡°It¡¯s still not that long yet.¡± I flashed a smiled at her. ¡°But I¡¯ll take that offer when it has gotten longer. Or I have moved away from the ¡®Neat Beggar¡¯ image. Whichever comes first.¡± A slight chuckle escaped my mouth as the particular strange phrase rolled over my mouth. That phrase really did come as a surprise for me.

    My companion, Eryell, often did come up with the strangest combination of word I¡¯ve ever heard. And I¡¯m sure that I¡¯ve heard the same comment about her from the soldiers in her company. Even without that unique trait of hers, she was already a celebrity among the local armed force. An expert spearman and dangerous hunter, she has made her name known on this frontier town of Fouge.

    Fouge is a small fortified town located on the farthest border of the Kingdom of Astiard against its oldest ally, the Meyze Empire. As usual with any other border town, the town of Fouge benefited much from the ever bustling trade route that connects the two giant countries. Many merchant caravans passed through the gate of Fouge to continue their journey into the main part of the kingdom bringing a variety of goods and wares from and to the Kingdom of Astiard. As they passed through, the town profited much from them in the form of increased local trading, border fee, and also the use of many local facilities such as inn and stable. The town, with its relatively large population, clearly enjoys the increased activity from the trade route as best as they could.

    But together with that benefit, a series of problems followed. There are two major problems faced by the town because of the bustling trade route. The first one is the problem regarding bandits and robbers that litter the whole area around the town that view the passing caravan as their prey. The bands of outlaw hide themselves under the dark cover of the thick forests that surround the town. They lurk and tail unsuspecting merchant and then ambush them. After stripping them clean of their valuable belonging, be it human being or trading goods, they will leave them to die in the middle of the forest just like that. The other problem is the increase of crime inside the town itself. There has been report of increased amount of pickpocket and thievery inside the town. The majority of the victim was the travelling merchant and their group that either made camp or rent a room in the inn. If it is not handled properly, before it might disturb the relationship between the two great countries, the town itself will lose their peace because of the growing number of criminal.

    To solve those two problems and many others that slowly piling up, the town formed a group of armed force. At first, it was made entirely from the local residents that want to help their hometown. But as time went on, the kingdom saw the urgency of the matter and sent professional soldiers and mercenaries to help the town protect one of the most important frontier towns in the kingdom. As of now, the local militia is consisted of a mix of professional soldiers, mercenaries, and local residents. With the increased of robber and crime activities inside and outside of the town, the increase of armed forces in the town is a very good news, both for the merchants and the local residents.

    After the formation of the mixed militia, a new and much complex chain of command is in order to lead the growing armed forces. At first, the royal palace sent a few of their commander to lead them. But it was found to be ineffective due to their lack of knowledge and orthodox training, which made them unable to lead the soldiers on the dense forests and uneven terrain around the town. After many discussion ¨Cand a lot of pressure from the merchant that become victim of the increasing outlaw activity¨C the royal palace decided to adopt a hybrid chain of command. It means that the highest position is still held by an officer chosen by the royal palace, but all of the other positions should be held by experienced officer that has been there for quite some time. It was a suitable change that has gave a much better result for the past couple of years.

    Among the many commanding officers in the ever growing armed force, the Reystone family has taken several important posts. It is understandable since they were the family that proposed the creation of the armed forces in the first place. Furthermore, they have been a prominent family in the area and have been known for their ability as skilled and deadly hunter. For numerous times they have roamed inside the dense forest, looking for a good hunt every now and then. But as time changes, their prey have also shifted into those who were threatening the peace of Fouge and their surroundings. Many outlaws have been the target of their precisely aimed arrows and bolts and their bodies have been left to enrich the forest¡¯s soil to atone for their sin in their life.

    One of those officers is, of course, my companion here, Eryell Reystone. She has taken command the troop that is tasked to scout and patrol the whole forest. As one of the youngest officer, and a female at that, she had a rather rough time at the beginning of her career. From what I¡¯ve heard, she had been offered a better and easier post by her family, but she refused the offer immediately. She opted to that particular position as that position allowed her to still explore the forest in her free time with an excuse for patrol and other work related task. Thankfully, as time went on, she had the acknowledgement of her fellow officer and her subordinate. Rumor has it that it was a change that happened in only one night, but that¡¯s another story altogether.

    ¡°Be sure to greet grandfather today, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯ll be the there today?¡± So today really is an important day if the famous head of the Reystone family is going to be present. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to do that. Let¡¯s hope that I won¡¯t forget it when get there.¡±

    ¡°Sheesh, you and your forgetfulness.¡± She let out a sigh after hearing my rather worrying reply. ¡°Remember, he always wants to settle the score with you.¡±

    ¡°That old man really is a stubborn one, isn¡¯t he?¡± I shook my head as I remembered our little ¡®bet¡¯ that day. He still bugs me about it whenever we met. But I guess that is also the thing that allowed me to still be employed there with a certain condition. ¡°I could say the same about his granddaughter too.¡± I said with a snicker.

    ¡°Ah, yes, I aggr¨CWait a minute!¡± She stopped walking for a second and then raised her voice. ¡°You¡¯re talking about me!?¡±

    ¡°Why yes, I am.¡± With a calm voice I reply to her while also stopping near her and faced her. ¡°What are you doing there? We¡¯re going to be late.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no! What do you mean by that last remark of yours, Nerva!?¡± Still with her raised voice, she demanded an explanation. Her hand was pointed at me with such speed that the wind that was produced by her gesture was able hit me in the face. I let out a sigh that probably made her a bit angrier.

    ¡°I may not be able to see your face, but along the way we walk, you probably put a sour face. Frowning all the way, maybe even until now.¡± Although I couldn¡¯t see her expression, she probably widened her eyes after hearing my comment. That and also her surprised gasp told me more than enough.

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    ¡°W-What!? N-No, I d-d-didn¡¯t, I just¡­¡± The way she stuttered her speech is also one of her habit whenever someone see through her like that. ¡°W-Wait! What does that have to do with me being stubborn?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still bitter about my comment.¡± I relaxed my pose and shifted my weight onto the walking cane as I started my explanation. ¡°After I reject your offer, you were angry. You didn¡¯t want me to know that so you rushed downstairs, hoping that somehow you can calm that anger. Fortunately, you managed to, but only part of it.¡± I paused to gauge her reaction. Since she was still silent, I think I can continue. ¡°But that anger of yours rose up again because I put aside your offer for cutting my hair jokingly. It angered you slightly.¡± I could hear her fidgeting and her atmosphere emitted a somewhat awkward feel. I guess being read open like that would make anyone reacted like that. ¡°Do you want to deny that, Eryell?¡±

    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t.¡± Even if she is a stubborn one and wants to deny that fact, there is another trait of hers that overcome that intention of hers and preventing her from doing that. And that is her strong belief that one should never lie, not even at the smallest thing possible. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that.¡±

    ¡°May I guess the reason of your anger?¡± She didn¡¯t give any reply. I¡¯ll take it as a yes. ¡°The first one is that you were angry simply because I rejected and also laughed at your request. The second one is that I bring up stuff about the difference about our rank. Did I guess that right?¡± Once again, there was no reply. Chances are I hit her right on the sore spot. A few seconds passed without any of us uttering a single word. To my surprise, she was the one that break the silence first.

    ¡°..I hate it when you read me like that.¡± The voice no longer carried the same harsh tone as before. It was more akin to a little girl¡¯s voice that¡¯s been found out being naughty by her parents. ¡°I know that you are not weak. But it¡¯s just that¨C¡°

    ¡°Forgive me, but I have to ask you to stop.¡± My voice cut her sentence since I don¡¯t want to hear it. Somehow that doesn¡¯t feel well with me. ¡°I didn¡¯t say you did anything wrong. If you think carefully, I should be the one apologizing.¡± I then walked toward her. ¡°Should I kneel down in front of you or should I prostrate? Would that be enough?¡±

    ¡°W-What!? Don¡¯t do that!¡± Her panicked voice entered my ears. ¡°There¡¯s no need to do that!¡±

    ¡°You are still angry. I can see, no, feel it clearly.¡±

    Yes, I can¡¯t see it as I am blind. There¡¯s no doubt about that. But as I mentioned before, I could portray the whole world around me. To do that, I have a few different ways of doing that in my everyday life. One of the easiest ways ¨Cand also the simplest¨C is through the way sound bounces off every object and reflected back to me. All I need to do is either made a light noise with my mouth or hitting the floor beneath me with my walking cane. Since my house is built entirely out of wood, the sound my foot made each time I move around is enough for me. But when I move outside, I need another source of sound such as the tapping sound of my walking cane. I could, once again, portray them as each sound came back into my ear. As such, my ears are much more sensitive to the normal human being. Maybe even a bit better than a beast.

    Together with that, I could also gauge people¡¯s emotion as my experience told me that each emotion is strongly connected to their body language. For normal people, those ¡®language¡¯ are visible and could be seen by their eyes in the form of expression and gesture. Although I couldn¡¯t see a person¡¯s expression, I could still ¡®see¡¯ their gesture by using my ability. But there is another aspect that I deemed much better to reflect someone¡¯s emotion. I ¡®see¡¯ them by hearing their heart rate. Different heart rate indicated different emotion. And that, as I have also experienced, is much harder to be faked then faking one¡¯s expression and gesture. Because of that, I could clearly ¡®see¡¯ that my companion here has been struggling to keep her anger from exploding from the time we got out of my house.

    ¡°But there¡¯s no need to do it to that extent!¡± I could feel her hand on my shoulder as she said that, probably stopping me from doing any of the things I¡¯ve said before. I promptly smiled at her.

    ¡°If you are angry because of my joke and teasing, it is entirely my fault. It is all fun and play until someone got offended, right? Besides¡­¡± As I moved my left hand toward hers, I could felt the heat from them. ¡°If something like this could appease your anger, I wouldn¡¯t mind doing it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean appease?¡± She let out a sigh after saying that. ¡°Am I a god or something?¡±

    ¡°To me,¡± I paused and bring her hand toward me and kissed it lightly on the back, ¡°a Goddess is more likely.¡±

    ¡°W-W-W-What!?¡± The combination of my words and my action has surprised her so much that her heart rate became much more erratic than before. It has turned wildly and the interval between each pulse has varied so much that it has no longer made a perceivable pattern for me. In a short time, she experienced a combination of panic, confusion, and embarrassment. What a very colorful person she is.

    And if one was wondering whether I was just lying about her being a Goddess to me, they would be mistaken. That was my true and honest feeling about her. To me, Eryell Reystone is like a Goddess to me. Maybe she is just a normal human being for everyone else. But to me, she is anything but that.

    ¡°H-H-How could you say something like that so easily!?¡± Still with her raised voice, she literally screamed at me. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t notice anyone on the road near us. Either that or they hid themselves quite perfectly, which is a quite noticeable feat considering I could sense them with my sensitive hearing.

    ¡°Saying something that is nothing but the truth is always easy for me.¡± I pulled back her hand again and kissed it again. ¡°Especially toward someone I have opened my heart to.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± If I could see her face right now, I could swear her face would be redder than anything. I could say that since I could senses her heat has risen considerably just from touching her hand and also her heartbeat has risen much more than before. I think I should stop this or her heart would explode. ¡°Do you¡­plan to do this every time I¡¯m mad?¡±

    ¡°If that is enough, and it is to your liking, then yes. If not, then I¡¯ll gladly lower myself to prostrate in front of you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Damn you.¡± Even though it was a cursing word that came out of her mouth, I didn¡¯t contain the usual feeling one would feel when hearing that. And to add to that, it was delivered with a rather quiet voice. ¡°I could never win against you.¡± As she said that, she averted her face from mine.

    ¡°So do you forgive me, my dear Eryell?¡± For a few moments, she went silence. Then she retracted her hand from mine.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to forgive for. Let¡¯s just¡­forget about that.¡± Hearing that, I chuckled. ¡°What?¡± Oh, she was getting angry again. What a temperament girl she is.

    ¡°Nothing, my dear.¡± Another though of teasing her came into my mind but I decided not to. Her heart beats has normalized and it seemed that she has calmed down. Provoking her would bring nothing but troubles. ¡°I am thankful for being forgiven.¡± I bowed at her.

    ¡°Stop talking and acting like that when we¡¯re alone.¡±

    ¡°If you say so, my dear Eryell.¡± I smiled at her again. For a few moments, she went silence again. But this time, there¡¯s no change in her heart beats. It did raised a bit when I said that last sentence, but then it normalized immediately. This time, I¡¯m the one that is confused. If the change is too little, not even I could understand it. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Erm¡­do you sensed anyone around us?¡± What did she mean by that?

    ¡°Hmm? Around us?¡± I concentrated to heighten my sense slightly. Even after that, I failed to notice anyone except little critters such as birds and squirrels on top of the tree. After all, the path that led to my house is anything but popular due to the small number of buildings. ¡°No, there¡¯s no one.¡± I said as I shook my head.

    ¡°I see¡­.¡± Another pause. This repeating event has made me rather awry and tense. ¡°Then turn around and face that way.¡±

    ¡°Which way?¡± Did she forget I can¡¯t see?

    ¡°Err¡­sorry. Just turned around.¡± I tilted my head slightly to the side at her order. But before I could voice my mind, an order was barked at me. ¡°Just do it!¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± I instinctively replied and turned around at the same time. ¡°Is this all right¨CWaahg!¡±

    ¡°Just b-b-be quiet!¡± The thing that made me let out a rather uncharacteristic scream was none other than her hand being wrapped around me while her head rest on top of mine. She could do that easily since Eryell is much taller than me. At my full height, I only reached her shoulder. Although, she did say to me that she herself was much taller than the average female while I¡¯m in the average, so it didn¡¯t really bother me. Well, in the first place, our differences are much more than just simply body structure, so it didn¡¯t really bother me at all.  ¡°Let me do this in silence.¡± After that, she kept hugging me, pressing her shapely breast onto my back and making me feeling her warmth being transferred to me. Her hair also draped over me slightly, allowing some of the scent of her favorite soap that was left on her hair tickled my nose. It smelled pleasant for me. Such a shame I couldn¡¯t see her hair. But feeling it was enough for me.  Overall, the whole experience is a very pleasant one for me.

    ¡°Uhm¡­my dear Eryell.¡± After being in her grasp for quite some time, something tickled my curiosity.

    ¡°¡­What is it?¡± Ah, she sounded a bit upset. I seemed to have disturbed the mood for her.

    ¡°Mind enlightens me why do I have to turn around?¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t¡¯ want you to see my expression when I do this.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t see, you know?¡± I said with a-matter-of-fact tone.

    ¡°¡­Quiet.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, my dear Eryell.¡± It seemed that she was just too shy to see my face head on. She is, as always, act a bit spoiled whenever we¡¯re alone, not that I have anything to complain about it. The least I can do is to warn her whenever someone¡¯s going to see us. Fortunately, she had decided to let go of me first before anyone could see us. I guess she¡¯s content enough.

    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± After saying her thanks, she coughed a bit to regain her composure. ¡°We should get going, Nerva. We¡¯re going to be late.¡± And with that last sentence, the sound of her boot came to my ears as she walked in front of me. I let out a small smile as I walked behind her to follow her. Until now, it has been a rather pleasant start of the day for me. And judging from my companion¡¯s steady heart beats, she seemed to share my opinion.

 Chapter 3 - Disturbing News

    Chapter 3 ¡°Disturbing News¡±

    At the moment, I¡¯m very regretful that I have to say that I am feeling rather¡­Impatient? Angry? Annoyed? I am quite puzzled about it even if it is my own feeling. Maybe I can just say that my emotion contains at least those three at the moment.

    ¡°I-I-I¡¯m sorry, Master!¡±

    And the one that made me feel those emotions stood in front of me is repeatedly bowing his head at me with a very panicky voice. His movement was so fast that the air in front of me turned into a slightly pleasant breeze against my skin.

    ¡°You too! Apologize to him!¡± The same voice from before uttered a command to the person next to him.

    ¡°E-Eh? Y-Yes! Sorry, Master!¡± And with that, in front of me stood two bowing machine, making me felt more and more annoyed. As I kept tapping my finger on to the desk, I let out a rather loud sigh. This simple action made the two flinched. It was so clear that even a blind man like me was able to notice their action just by the sound and noise they made. I don¡¯t even need to rely on my sensitive ear much to know that.

    ¡°Sit down and calm down.¡± I said to them while trying to use the calmest voice I could muster, which I must say was not very convincing as their heart beat still beats too fast. Both of them were fidgeting, probably unsure of what to do. ¡°¡­I said sit down. Now.¡± It is very hard to calm one¡¯s anger. I have to admit that I am not one who had perfect control of it even until now. As a result, my previous request for them came out all cold and unforgiving, making the two in front of me immediately sat down onto the cold wooden floor with a rather loud ¡®thud¡¯ sound. Hearing that, I shook my head.

    ¡°M-Master, I, w-we, didn¡¯t mean¨C¡°

    ¡°Enough.¡± I stopped the boy¡¯s incoherent rambling. ¡°The two of you didn¡¯t mean that. Just¡­clean up and prepare a new batch. That will be for now.¡± A few seconds passed and the two in front of me didn¡¯t make any reaction to my sentence. ¡°Did you not hear me or are you deaf now after inhaling that smoke?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, Master!¡± They replied at the same time.

    ¡°Then start moving!¡± I hit the desk with my hand as I said that, making a loud noise that made the two of them jumped in surprise.

    ¡°Y-Yes, Sir!!¡± And with that, the two left running all around the place and finally doing the task I asked.

    Once again, I shook my head while hearing the noise my two assistants made. I turned my chair toward the desk and continue my work for today, which is making medicinal compound and preparing bandage. As the company current apothecary, it is my job to treat any injury of the soldiers.

    According to Eryell, the number of injury of the company is not that high. But it still happened every now and then, making it quite necessary to have an apothecary ready to treat in case of emergency. In the big city, they usually employed physician and surgeon that charged quite a high fee for their service. Although quite a few handfuls of them reside in the town, their service is not what the company could really afford on a daily basis. With that in mind, my service as an apothecary is quite needed. Since my service could treat minor injury up to performing simple surgery and also relatively cheaper than those two previous professions, it is very fitting for the situation. Although the higher official has agreed to it, there are some that didn¡¯t believe my ability since I¡¯m blind.

    And that is where my two assistants, Rago and Gire, come in. Both of them are war orphan that has been adopted by the company as a permanent helper. The two of them used to be slaves that were going to be smuggled into our town. As the town managed to track and capture the smugglers, they also took the smuggled goods in custody. Among those goods were these two, chained and malnourished to the point where they said that their bones were showing through their skin. Actually, there were more than a dozen slaves that were going to be smuggled. Sadly, only Rago and Gire were still alive after the bloody battle between the town militia and the heavily armed smugglers. After that traumatic event, the two were hired to become the company errand boys. With nowhere to live and no choice, they took the offer right away. Although, isn¡¯t that a form of slavery too? I guess not since they are paid and they are treated quite nicely. At least that is what the boys had told me. And thankfully, I didn¡¯t sense any lies from them at that time.

    From what I heard, before I came into the company, these two have already experienced handling minor injuries suffered by the soldiers. But with their minimal understanding of human anatomy and medical knowledge, the quality of their treatment is at the same level of any normal soldier on the battlefield could give. It is very understandable since the one that taught them were the soldiers in the company that has no medical knowledge whatsoever.

    After I came into the company, they became my assistants. One could say that they have become my hands and eyes. They have also improved as they studied very diligently. Along the way there were a few problems, but I could still say that I¡¯m very grateful for their work.

    But before I could explain the previous event, I need to explain the story behind it first. Besides preparing medicinal material and other stuff, I also want to teach the boys proper medical knowledge. My goal is that in my time of absence in the future due to any kind of unforeseen reason, they could treat the soldiers, even saving their life if possible. It is also my hope that I could at least equip the two former slaves something that could support their life in the future. It was just on my own whim and certainly no one is forcing me to do it. Well, I might hope that as they continue their study, they would lighten my load slightly. I guess that¡¯s the most I could get from my good deed, although I¡¯m starting to regret my decision.

    Not long ago, I asked each of them to prepare a salve that could be used to treat burn injury. Usually I didn¡¯t even bother asking them to make more since I could make enough by myself. Unfortunately, the amount in order is quite large due to the recent daily inspection done by the militia that led to a very nasty encounter against a group of smuggler. The smuggler apparently had hired a few mage that adept in summoning and controlling Arcane Puppet. With them on the opposing side, the usually normal inspection had become a small battlefield that resulted in few burn injuries cause by the powerful fire claw of the Arcane Puppet. Fortunately, there are no casualties, at least on the local militia side. The smuggler side, on the other hand, has been ruthlessly taken care of, leaving only the ring leader alive, barely. After that event, I was summoned that day and I had to dispense a lot of salve to the guards which have depleted the whole stock. Seeing that the stock for that particular medicine is empty, I have to refill that real soon before a similar event happened.

    And the trouble came when they were busy making my order. One of them, probably because of being too rough in handling the pestle and mortar, knocked down one of the candle placed near them. Fortunately, since I can¡¯t see, there is no candle placed near my work area. Unfortunately, because of that the candles were placed near the pile of dried herbal leaf. It seemed that one of them moved it there so it would make it easier for them to grab more ingredients to put in their mortar as soon as they are done with their current batch. As a result, the fire immediately licked the easy to lit dried leaf, producing smoke right away. In their panic, the two failed to give a proper reaction, opting to panic while shouting. But at least the fire could be put down quickly after I threw a wet cloth over it as soon as the smell of burning reached my sensitive nose. I¡¯m glad that the worst disaster could be avoided, although that small mistake has made a few of the ingredient burnt and become unusable. And because of that, the number of ingredient for the order decreased slightly. After all of that event, I started to think that my two assistants are still far away from being able to be left on their own. At that thought, I shook my head.

    ¡°What is it, Nerva? Something¡¯s bothering you there?¡± I stopped my hand after hearing that familiar voice. It seemed that I was concentrating too much on my work that I failed to realize that someone was coming into the room. It was either that or I was feeling to frustrated after the accident. ¡°You¡¯ve been sighing a lot for quite some time.¡±

    ¡°Please bear it no mind as it is a mere minor setback that was caused by my lack of supervision.¡± I turned around to face the voice. ¡°So how can I be of service today, Lady Constie?¡±

    ¡°My, your ability to recognize a person just by the voice never failed you, Chief Apothecary Nerva.¡±

    ¡°I did not think a humble ability such as that deserves such praise. But I am grateful for your compliment, milady.¡± I let out a smile as I said that to my guest.

    ¡°Such ability does deserve praise. Do not take light of your own ability, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°I will gladly keep that in mind, milady.¡± And with that I gave a bow while still on my chair. Usually I would stand immediately and gave a much more polite greeting as I get her a seat to sit on, but the woman in front of me has asked me to refrain from doing that whenever we¡¯re not in public. Strange as it may sound, I have decided to respect that wish of hers.

    The one I called Lady Constie is none other than another lady from the Reystone clan. She is Eryell¡¯s older sister to be exact. From what I¡¯ve known, Eryell has about three older brothers, one older sister, and one younger sister. Among the three sisters, no, among all of those six siblings, Lady Constie is considered the wisest of them all. Lady Constie Reystone, just like her little sisters, is a very famous individual in this town. Known for her vast knowledge and wise mind, she took the role of strategist and also chief administrator for the whole town. In the company of local militia, she is also my direct supervisor.

    ¡°Judging from the ingredient sprawled on that table of yours I assumed that you are working on resupplying the salve,¡± said my guest as she walked toward my desk, making a few knocking sound as her shoes made impact on the floor. Judging from the rather dampened sound, she is probably using her boot. I guess she was on her round to check each division¡¯s progress.

    ¡°Correct, milady.¡± I nodded at her.

    ¡°How much longer will it took?¡±

    ¡°From my previous estimation, we will take about two more days. But¡­¡± I shifted my head toward the place where the previous fire incident happened. ¡°We have a minor setback.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± She let out a sigh after that, probably while looking at the burnt mark at the wooden floor. ¡°Your current estimation?¡±

    ¡°I need another day. I will send one of them to collect more material from the town storage this day. If they are available, I will ask them to deliver it immediately.¡±

    ¡°Although ¡®immediately¡¯ will probably mean the soonest you will get it deliver is tomorrow evening.¡± She let out another sigh after saying that. ¡°And if there are not readily available? You will ask them to collect it from the nearby forest?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, that is the plan, milady.¡± From her movement, I could sense a feel of impatient. She was fidgeting and her whole body language told me she was anything but calm. Although it was hardly far from noticeable, to my heightened sense it was clear as day. ¡°Forgive me for being blunt, milady. Are milady¡¯s feeling of impatient has something to do with the replenishment of the company¡¯s medicinal stock? If that is true, I want to apologize for not making it sooner.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Impatient?¡± She paused for a while. After that, a slight chuckle came from her mouth. It was a very pleasant voice although it was filled with a slight feeling of frustration. ¡°Forgive me, Nerva, as I had somehow forgotten that you are not a man that could be fooled easily.¡±

    ¡°I am just a simple man, milady. Well, a simple blind man, to be exact.¡±

    ¡°Really now?¡± She let out another chuckle. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no hiding it from your ever seeing ¡®eyes¡¯, Nerva.¡± Ah, she often used that phrase at me. I guess it was inevitable since from what I¡¯ve heard I¡¯ve able to perceive her mood correct for a couple of times and somehow also able to guess her mind even before she say anything. I guess that is because instead of seeing the expression on her face, I was sensing her emotion by noticing her heart beats and just from my instinct. And for the part about guessing her mind, it was just a simple deduction from my part. ¡°The truth is, we might probably need it sooner than expected.¡±

    ¡°And why is that, milady?¡± Does the smugglers from before appeared again? Or maybe a revenge from the slain mages¡¯ comrade? I guess that is a possibility if the whole smuggling ring wasn¡¯t eradicated completely.

    ¡°We have been notified that a guest from one of the royal families would like to visit this town.¡±

    ¡°A guest from the royal families?¡± I tilted my head to the side as I didn¡¯t really catch the connection to out medicine problem right away.

    ¡°He is from the Grese Royal Workshop, Count Ferre Grese.¡± At the mention of that family name, I let out an ¡®ah¡¯ voice. ¡°I see that you understand the reason for our problem.¡±

    ¡°If that Grese means the Grese family that dealt with magic artifact and the manufacturing of Arcane Puppet, then I might understand the problem, milady.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re correct. The Grese Royal Workshop has been producing a lot of them in order to supply the army with a constant supply. And,¡± she paused a while and then let out another sigh, ¡°he decided that the forest near our town is the perfect place to conduct an experiment for their latest design.¡±

    ¡°An experiment? In the forest near our town?¡±

    ¡°Correct. And to make matter worse, the letter said that it will be a large scale experiment.¡± She let out another sigh. Even without using my ability to perceive her heartbeat and her aura, one could easily discern her state of mind. ¡°Furthermore, the experiment will be dealing with fire based Arcane Puppet.¡±

    ¡°¡­Fire based¡­¡± As soon as she mentioned that, I put my hand on my chin. Many thought came into my mind. I could hear her snickered as I did that. For a second, a different feeling emanated from her figure. ¡°What is it, milady?¡± Although I have a hunch, I still decided to ask.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± She let out another chuckle and then continued to explain her reason. ¡°I can be sure that I¡¯m not the only to think that there is something wrong.¡±

    ¡°The only one? Pardon me, milady, but have you present that particular letter to someone else?¡± She gave a nod. ¡°Then surely they responded the same was as I did, right?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately that is not the case, my dear apothecary.¡± At that, I raised one of my eyebrows. They didn¡¯t feel the same? No one questioned the possibility of a connection among those two events? ¡°They all just said that it is just mere coincidence. The reason for their full trust is probably because of the Count¡¯s very clean and honorable reputation.¡±

    ¡°Just because of that?¡± I know that the Count is known to be a very honorable person. It is even widely known that he had put a considerable amount of money for charity purposes. In fact, there is almost no negative rumor about that particular nobleman. For me, that lack of negative aspect had become a sole reason for me to suspect him more than anything. ¡°Surely there¡¯s something else that made them thought like that.¡±

    ¡°If there is something else, it is probably because they are too scared of him. After all, the Grese family holds a very important and powerful role in the royal military as a sole producer of their Arcane Puppet.¡±

    ¡°That is a very troublesome problem we have, milady.¡± I let out a wry smile as I said that. ¡°Then is there something I can do for you to prepare ourselves for that particular event, milady?¡±

    ¡°For now you can concentrate on your task, Nerva. Although¡­¡± She paused for a while. Her posture suggested that she was thinking about something.

    ¡°What is it, milady?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­could you help me think a few things that might become the reason for his sudden visit? I know that we shouldn¡¯t accuse him without any concrete evidence. But we couldn¡¯t afford to be careless either.¡±

    ¡°I understand, milady.¡± As expected of the wisest one of the three sisters. She had thought to that extent. I¡¯m honestly impressed. ¡°I presumed that the Count will probably come this week, correct?¡±

    ¡°Correct. It is written on the letter that he is on his way riding his fastest Arcane Puppet built especially for swift travelling.¡±

    ¡°I see. He sounded in quite a rush.¡± I gave her my opinion after hearing another part of the letter. ¡°Then I will report you this night at the latest. Is that acceptable, milady?¡±

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°I was honestly expecting it to be sooner than that, but then again you have your task first.¡± She crossed her arms and tilted her head from one side to the other, probably pondering about my previous reply. ¡°I suppose that would be acceptable. Just don¡¯t be late.¡±

    ¡°Understood, milady.¡± I gave a slight bow as I answer her.

    ¡°Good.¡± She nodded. ¡°I have high hope that you will give me a useful answer.¡±

    ¡°Milady, I will do my best to answer your expectation.¡± Once again, I bowed toward my superior.

    ¡°I certainly hope so.¡± She then turned around, ready to leave the room. But before I could turn around to resume my job, I notice that her footsteps has ceased. After that, the footsteps continued, but its direction was aimed toward me once again. ¡°I almost forgot, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°What is it, milady?¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s your situation with my little sister?¡± Although it was a question delivered with a gentle tone, I could feel anything but that from it. In fact, I feel her aura has gone cold and unforgiving. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t hurt her.¡± That reminded that Lady Constie Reystone loved her little sisters so much that she would gladly turn into a ferocious dragon whenever her sister is involved. And from her view, the one who could hurt her little sister is not the bandit around our town, but the one who is closest to her. And that very person is me.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even dream it, milady.¡± I wore my usual calm expression while giving her an honest answer. Although I seemed to have gotten into Eryell¡¯s bad side at that time, I have apologized immediately. I hope that doesn¡¯t count as hurting her. Besides, Eryell is far stronger than what she thought, both physically and mentally. ¡°And I hope to continue to avoid hurting her in the future too.¡±

    ¡°Ah, how many times have I heard that line of yours, my dear apothecary?¡± She then approached me closer. ¡°But I don¡¯t know the reason for this slight feeling of anxiety that surfaced in the back of my mind each time I heard that honest answer of yours.¡± Her hand gently moved toward my chin and with that she forced my head to turn upward facing her face. I could feel her breath hitting my face as our face getting closer. ¡°Is it because I couldn¡¯t see your eyes? As eyes are the window to one¡¯s heart and mind, it is as if the blind you have barricaded your own window, preventing anyone to see into you. Each time I approached you, you become much and much more unpredictable.¡± She paused and put her face closer again, making it a bit too uncomfortable for me, especially since she was still gripping my chin with a slight force. While keeping my face on place, she threw another question. ¡°Do you have anything to say about that, my dear apothecary?¡±

    At first, I was quiet as I sensed her emotion has somewhat turned a bit onto to the fiery side. Her heartbeat has turned calm, but her body language told me the emotion that dwelt inside her has slowly reaching into a rage. Usually one would feel fear after realizing that they are being held by a creature governed by pure anger. Fortunately I am still able to calm my own emotion, thus allow me to prepare my answer with composed mind.

    ¡°One may think that the eyes are the windows to one¡¯s heart and mind. But just by looking past the window it would not be enough to discern the real content of one¡¯s house. The window itself might limit the whole view for them who want to know the inside of the house. It might even distort one¡¯s way of perceiving the real content of the house. ¡±

    ¡°So by being blind, you are actually covering the whole window.¡± It was a sentence delivered with a voice filled with accusation.

    ¡°That is one way to see it. But there¡¯s another way to see it, milady.¡±

    ¡°And that is?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t cover the whole window. In fact, there are no windows in the first place.¡±

    ¡°No windows?¡±

    ¡°Correct, milady. There is no window at all. For the one on the outside, they couldn¡¯t look inside. But for the one in the inside, they are also the same. They couldn¡¯t look outside.¡±

    ¡°What a nonsense. You can easily know the whole world around you.¡± Hearing her anger filled voice against my rather contradicting sentence, I only gave a slight smile and continued.

    ¡°For the one on the inside, all they can try is to guess the world outside by hearing whatever little sound came from behind the wall of their house. Be it a joyous laugh, or a saddened cry, or even a shout of anger. Even that, they couldn¡¯t really understood right away the meant of those sound. Maybe the joyous laugh is a forced laugh to make them looked happy in front of their superior. Maybe the saddened cry is actually a cry of happiness seeing their dearly beloved one coming back from war alive. Maybe the shout of anger is not just anger, but it is a worried shout from a mother seeing their children getting too close to a blazing fire of a fireplace.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that all these times you are only guessing? Are you trying to fool me?¡±

    ¡°Milady, I am not trying to fool you. May the heaven strike me so if I have done that to you.¡±

    ¡°Words are cheap, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree with milady more. As the one inside the house, I couldn¡¯t agree more that words are cheap, milady.¡±

    ¡°Then how am I going to know the content of that house, Nerva?¡± At her question, I let out an honest smile. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Your question has been answered by your dear sister, milady.¡± At the mention of her sister, my supervisor tightened her hold on my chin unconsciously¨C or maybe consciously, I couldn¡¯t really tell. ¡°Eryell Reystone has answered that question of yours, milady.¡±

    ¡°And the answer is?¡±

    ¡°Knock on the door, ask the owner to let them in and see it for yourself. Isn¡¯t it much better than trying to peek into someone¡¯s house from the window?¡±

    At first, Lady Constie didn¡¯t give any reaction to my answer. She just stood still, that¡¯s all. I tried to sense her heartbeats and found nothing out of the ordinary.

    ¡°¡­as expected.¡± Then after that I heard a small muttering from her, which of course sounded loud enough for me to be able to discern it without a miss. ¡°She¡¯s done it again.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, milady?¡± Although I did hear that, I tried to feign ignorance.

    ¡°Nothing. Never mind.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I guess that¡¯s the natural thing to do, right? Knock on the door and asked the person inside to let them in.¡±

    ¡°Precisely, milady. And Eryell has done that. She asked me to open it and I let her into my humble abode.¡±

    ¡°I hope that humble abode is suitable for my little sister.¡±

    ¡°For a person like her, she deserves the best.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean yours is not good enough?¡±

    ¡°It means that I will have to work harder each day of my life to make it suitable for hers, which would mean a lifetime works. And even that, in my mind, is never enough for her. She deserves the best of the best, milady.¡±

    ¡°So you are not suited for her?¡± I felt a slight ache in my heart as her question was thrown at me. I know that I might not be the best one for her. The ever dazzling Eryell surely deserves more than a blind man like me. But as I felt a surge of negative feeling attacked my mind, a new voice came.

    ¡°He does.¡± At the new voice that entered the room, both of us moved our attention to the source of it, although I have a bit of difficulties as my face was still on her grip. ¡°What are you doing here, sister?¡±

    ¡°Oh, Eryell dear.¡± My supervisor¡¯s voice turned gentler. ¡°I was just discussing work related matter with our chief apothecary here.¡±

    ¡°Ho? So does that discussion have to be done in such a way that you have your hand on his chin like that, my dear sister?¡± Her voice came out with a tinge of anger.

    ¡°Oh, this?¡± Lady Constie turned her attention toward me again and immediately released her grip on me. ¡°This is just a symbol of our closeness.¡±

    ¡°Sister, may I remind you I despise lies?¡± The sound of her footsteps filled the room as she approached her older sister. ¡°And I also despise someone who constantly trying to meddle with my affair.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so angry, Eryell dear. I was just confirming my own opinion against our chief apothecary here.¡± Although Lady Constie voice was calm, I could sense a slight uneasiness as soon as Eryell entered the scene. I guess she didn¡¯t expect to meet her while she was in the middle of ¡­ discussion with me.

    ¡°Lies, dear sister. Next time, try to tell a believable one¡± After she was only a few steps away from my place, she continued. ¡°Or even better. Don¡¯t even try to.¡±

    For a few seconds, the atmosphere around the three of use tensed up. Even without the ability to see the two of their faces, I could sense that they seemed to shot daggers at each other. The two¡¯s heartbeats actually seemed beats in the same pattern, as if resonating against each other. I guess that is the evidence of their closeness. Although I was supposed to be the focus of their conversation, I felt somewhat left out, which of course is not something I could complain off.

    ¡°¡­Okay. I understand.¡± While I was in the middle of evaluating those two, Lady Constie let out a heavy sigh and then muttered out something. ¡°Don¡¯t glare like that, Eryell dear. It ruined your beauty.¡±

    ¡°From the rumor I heard, it says otherwise as they mentioned my glaring is as fierce of a gallant lion, dear sister.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why I said it ruined your beauty.¡± She let out another sigh after hearing her younger sister¡¯s reply. ¡°A woman has to remain beautiful and dignified even while angry. Didn¡¯t I always say that?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, dear sister. Your lesson has been engraved in my heart and mind.¡±

    ¡°Although practicing what you learn is another different matter.¡± I let out a comment with a slight chuckle.

    ¡°Hey!¡± The two of them shouted at me as soon as they heard my comment.

    ¡°Don¡¯t insult Eryell!¡± ¡±How dare you!¡± And with a simple comment, the two of them united against me in an instant. It¡¯s a wonder how a mere comment would be able to made two opposing person forget their differences and focus on the same thing in a split second. The power of words is, as always, magnificent.

    ¡°I beg your forgiveness if my comment is seen as an insult, milady.¡± I bowed to the two of them. ¡°Although I would ask you, where is the mistake in my word? Please enlighten me as I could avoid doing the same mistake again in the future.¡± I have to say that I couldn¡¯t help myself to tease the two of them. A bad habit of mine that is surely hard to let go. Thankfully, I managed to avoid making a grin on my face or it might anger them further.

    ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±

    And just as I expected, they only looked at me in silence. But then I felt a slight tugging my ears. The slight tugging then changed into a full force that pull aw my ear.

    ¡°Ow, ow, ow, ow!¡± Pain attacked my ear lobe as it was being pulled away from my face. ¡°M-M-Milady, w-what are you doing!?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± It seemed that Lady Constie is unable to find any appropriate answer to my question. But as she still felt irritated at my action, she opted to punish me.

    ¡°E-Eh!? W-Why¨C OOOW!¡± I let out another scream as my other ear joined in giving me pain as it is being pulled by Eryell. ¡°W-Why!?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± The same answer came from Eryell. She probably felt the same. Fortunately, the two let go of my poor ears after just a few seconds. It was a few seconds full of pain, I tell you. As I rub my two ears, I could feel that the two sisters have somehow cheered up. There was no trace of anger or irritation left on them. What a strange and interesting pair of sister they are.

    ¡°Well, I guess I should get back to my office,¡± said Lady Constie as she stretched her arms a bit. ¡°I need to prepare our town for that particular matter.¡± Seconds after that, she pointed her finger at me.

    ¡°Nerva, don¡¯t forget your task.¡±

    ¡°I will do as you asked, milady.¡± I gave her a slight bow again.

    ¡°Good.¡± My supervisor gave me a slight nod. ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you at dinner, Eryell dear.¡± She then left the room without waiting for her sister to reply. As the sound of footsteps gone out of the room, I shifted my attention to my recent most guests.

    ¡°What can I do for you, my dear Eryell?¡± I let out a smile to accompany that sentence.

    ¡°¡­Let me see your ears.¡± She said as she walked closer to me. Ah, she¡¯s worried about me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine.¡± I waved at her casually. ¡°So what¡¯s the reason for your visit?¡±

    ¡°Can I visit you without any reason?¡± At that, I felt quite surprised. But my surprise lasted only a second as she quickly continued. ¡°Is what I was hoping to say. But the truth is far from that.¡± Her voice had told me that whatever reason that made her come to me is anything but pleasant. I guess that was also the reason her previous conversation with her older sister become too heated than usual.

    ¡°What is the matter?¡± My tone quickly grew serious without the trace of the previous relaxed manner from before. ¡°Tell me.¡±

    ¡°The 3rd Rangers have found some¡­disturbing remains on their recent patrol on the outskirt of our forest.¡± The Rangers she mentioned previously is a group of seasoned soldiers that roam the forest to search for any sign of unwanted outlaw or intruders. They are numbered based on their proximity to the town.  At the mention of that ¡®remain¡¯, her voice and heartbeats told me that it was not something she is comfortable with. And I could guess the reason. First is, of course, for the unknown state of the remains which is probably far from being normal as they have summoned me personally. Usually they would just bring the item in question here and I will identify it together with the other apothecary. And second is because of the code number of the Rangers which ranged from 1 to 7.  The 3rd corps of the Rangers is relatively close to the town. It means that whoever or whatever responsible for that has managed to pass the detection of the other corps.

    After hearing that statement, my mind immediately went into my previous conversation with Lady Constie. If this event is related, then we have at least three strange events that might relate to each other. The question is in what way do they relate? I let out a ¡®tsk¡¯ sound after forming that question inside my mind.

    ¡°Take me there.¡± I stood up immediately as I felt a slight uneasiness if I don¡¯t move right away. ¡°Tell me the detail on the way.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± She then faced the exit, but she didn¡¯t move right away. I sensed something is not right, but before I could ask she opened her mouth again. ¡°Uhm¡­I have to apologize for that last action, Nerva. Both for my and my sister¡¯s action.¡± Ah, so that what¡¯s bothering her? I let out a slight chuckle as my previous tense moment immediately dissipated. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it. We can talk about it later in our free time. I¡¯m sure you are also curious about what my conversation with your dear sister, right?¡± She nodded right away, not bothering to hide her curiosity. ¡°Then we would have a good conversation later. For now,¡± I took my walking cane and my coat, ¡°we have something much more important to do.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± said my dear Eryell with a nod.

    ¡°Rago! Gire!¡± Before I took a step, I called for my assistants. I know that all these time they were silently watching my conversation. From what I could perceive, they were a bit afraid to do anything, so they hid themselves behind the shelves and try to eavesdrop on my conversation. I don¡¯t really know how much they heard but I know what task I need to give them before I leave. ¡°Finish your task! And don¡¯t say a word about anything you heard!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ¡°Good! I¡¯ll leave for now and when I come back I want to see your task finish!¡± With my last order, I joined Eryell who has already stood near the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°As usual, you are strict with your disciple.¡±

    ¡°Is that a compliment?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    ¡°Then thank you. I already planned to be strict with them even if anyone said otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Then just keep doing that. Shall we go then?¡±

    ¡°Lead the way, my dear Eryell.¡± And with that, we left the apothecary room toward our next destination.

    ===============================================================================

    Author Note:

    Well, this is the 3rd chapter for the story. I apologize that if the pace is quite slow. I just want to thank all of you that has read this story and I hope that you will continue to read this series. Please give me comment and opinion for this story. I also welcome any critique that you can give as I am a newbie writer.

    Thank you and I hope to see you again in the future!

 Chapter 4 - Scene Investigation

    Chapter 4 ¡°Scene Investigation¡±

    ¡°Is this the place?¡± I let out a question after my guide, Eryell, ceased walking. We are all alone if we didn¡¯t count the two Rangers who were hiding themselves under the heavy thicket of leaves on top of us with their weapon at the ready. Even without looking at them, their feeling of worry was clear for me. In fact, the only feeling I could sense hanging on the air is only anxiety. I could really understand the reason very well after hearing Eryell¡¯s explanation along our way to this very place.

    It seems that the founding of the so called disturbing remains just came in less than an hour ago. After noticing every squad to increase their vigilance, Eryell immediately returned to the headquarter to warn the squad responsible for the town¡¯s interior security. At that moment, the idea of asking me for help surfaced in her mind and she immediately walked toward my workshop only to find me in a heated ¡®conversation¡¯ with her older sister. At first she didn¡¯t realize the content of the conversation, but she then felt a slight feeling of uneasiness and she also spotted my two assistants cowering on the farthest end of the room. That was evident enough that the conversation was anything but pleasant and she decided to intervene. What a nice girl she is.

    ¡°Yes, this is the place.¡± She then moved to a certain direction and then the sound of her tapping something entered my ear. From the sound, I could recognize the object as a slab of stone. ¡°This is the remains I was taking about. Come closer.¡±

    After moving closer I tapped my walking stick to create a constant sound. It then bounced at my surrounding and a ¡®view¡¯ is created on my mind.

    ¡°Hmm? This is¡­¡± I put my hand on the slab of stone. The surface felt smooth on my finger. I could also feel a small crack that ran along to the edge of the slab as I traced it with my finger. ¡°This is¡­ a part of a Arcane Puppet, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I see that you have the same prediction as mine.¡± But is something like this can be found in the middle of the forest? I traced my finger on the edge of the slab and found that it has a size as big as a regular shield. The edge also felt smooth on one side where the crack ended but felt jagged on the other side.

    ¡°This is just a small part of a bigger one, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°If that is true then the problem might be much more serious than we expected.¡± A ¡®tsk¡¯ sound entered my ear after Eryell said that. She folded her arms and then shifted her head toward the broken piece of Arcane Puppet on the ground. ¡°How did something like this escaped our patrol? That is just unbelievable.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is. Either the patrols were careless or the perpetrator is much more careful than we expected. It just that¨C, ¡°I stopped my mouth after I found something else on the slab.

    ¡°What is it, Nerva?¡±

    ¡°This is¡­melted?¡±

    ¡°Melted?¡± I could hear her voice was dripping with confusion. I couldn¡¯t blame her since I myself also felt hard to believe what I¡¯ve just said. ¡°Are you sure, Nerva?¡±

    ¡°Let me see¡­¡± I chuckled mentally after saying that. I can¡¯t see, you know? I pushed that thought aside and concentrate on my current task. As my finger arrived at a certain part of the slab, I¡¯m convinced that it really has melted. ¡°Yes, look here.¡± I beckoned her to get closer to the place where I had my finger stopped. As I could feel her getting closer, I pointed to that certain part. ¡°Look here. It is not cut like the other, but it is melted.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right? Do you know how much magic it needs to melt stone?¡±

    ¡°I know it needed to be at least cast by multiple mages at once. My dear, this is getting stranger with each founding.¡±

    ¡°Tsk.¡± She clicked her tongue again, a clear sign of her frustration. ¡°I really don¡¯t know how the outer line patrol squad missed something as clear as this.¡±

    I can¡¯t really blame her for feeling that. This has gone beyond mere careless. It could even be said that they have literally let intruder entered the forest with open arms. And that is not something that the town would like to see anytime soon. But somehow in the back of my mind I felt that something really important is missing. It seems I need to be more attentive. Because of that, I tapped my walking stick to the ground repeatedly while I crouched down.

    ¡°What is it, Nerva?¡±

    ¡°Quiet for now. I need to concentrate.¡± My words seemed to make my companion¡¯s worry increase. I could feel from her figure. But I decided to ignore that as I keep tapping my walking stick. With each hit I get a clearer ¡®view¡¯ of my surrounding. At first I could not find anything wrong. But after a few more seconds, a slight abnormality appeared. ¡°¡­So many.¡± I muttered softly.

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± It seemed that I have not muttered soft enough as my companion apparently picked up my word. I then pointed my finger to a certain direction while still crouching.

    ¡°Eryell, you search under the bush between the two fallen barks. After that walk farther away, about two or three steps near the leaf mound there. Search the places around them. But whatever you do, don¡¯t move whatever things you found there. Just keep it there.¡± After that, she nodded at my request.

    ¡°Got it.¡± The sound of her boot that made scrunching sounds as she walked away from my position told me that she had understand my direction. And next I could hear rustling sound from the bush I pointed to. Now as she is busy with her work, I need to do my own part too. Instead of tapping my walking stick, I flicked my finger twice.

    ¡°Tsk.¡± I clicked my tongue as the ¡®view¡¯ came into my mind. I stood up and then moved to a certain location not far from my current one and then flipped away a stone. Under it, a certain object could be found. I picked it up and put it into my pocket. After that I moved to a stone next to it and moved the stone aside. I tapped my walking stick again and I could ¡®see¡¯ a similar fragment as the first I inspected. As I traced my finger around the fragment¡¯s edges, I noticed the whole piece is melted terribly on the edge. A similar crack could also be felt running onto the other edge.

    ¡°Nerva! I found a lot of those around here!¡± At her shout, I walked toward her. ¡°Look there.¡±

    ¡°My dear Eryell, you ask me an impossible task there.¡± At first I could sense her confusion at my reply. And then a jolt from her shown that she understood my little joke. And together with that I also sensed her emotion turned to anger.

    ¡°This is no time to joke!¡± And an expected reply came from her. But facing her anger I only let out a calm smile. ¡°Why are you joking around in this situation!?¡±

    ¡°Because you are getting impatient, my dear,¡± I said as I walked toward the object she wanted me to see.

    ¡°W-What!?¡±

    ¡°Getting impatient in this kind of situation will not do you any good.¡± I traced my finger on the fragment she found and found the same characteristics as the other one. ¡°You will risk yourself becoming careless, thus making your job much more difficult.¡±

    ¡°¡­Darn you.¡± I smiled at her reply. That means she understood what I mean and will try to calm her mind. I really like her honest trait.

    While facing something unknown like this, people tend to get panicky, making them unable to see the real threat. The risk is even higher if the one panicking is the one leading. The result will be disastrous.  As the leader, she needs to be the calm one or she might risk her subordinate. That¡¯s the last thing we need at the moment.

    I know that I might not be the most suited one to speak remembering that I lost my calm not long ago as I faced my two assistants, but someone has to do it. On her shoulder rest the security of the town. One single mistake might lead to the end of all of us. And I will make sure that will not be happening any time soon.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m calm now.¡± Lies. Her heartbeats showed that she was still impatient. But that was perfectly understandable. I guess I shouldn¡¯t tease her more or she might really blow up. ¡°So, is it the same as the other one?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡± I gave my opinion with a sour expression my face. ¡°This leads to at least two possible situations.¡±

    ¡°And that is?¡±

    ¡°Either we are dealing with plenty of small to medium sized Arcane Puppet or we deal with a single huge Arcane Puppet.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding right?¡± She is anything but pleased after hearing my predictions. ¡°And who controlled them in the first place?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t say it.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Ah, she seemed to read my reaction spot on. It seems that I have to say it either way.

    ¡°¡­There are at least two possibilities for that too,¡± I said as I put two fingers up.

    ¡°Either they are controlled by an army of mage.¡±

    ¡°Or the Arcane Puppet is a rogue one.¡± I felt the mood plummeted down even further after I said that. Her heartbeats also increased together with a change in the feel she emitted. A rogue one is much more dangerous than a group of controlled ones since it made the construct behaved unpredictable and wild. With a controlled one, subduing the controller will be more than enough to stop the construct. For the rogue one, the same solution can¡¯t be used as it has no controller. The most effective way is to look for its core that supplies the whole body with magic and then either destroy it or rearrange the flow of the core. Either way, it is a very dangerous and deadly task that no sane man would like to have.

    ¡°¡­Great. Just great.¡± I could hear the sound of her slamming her palm at her face. ¡°Just damn great!¡± And it was followed by an angry remark. In this situation, I couldn¡¯t really blame her. Hearing bad news isn¡¯t what anyone in this situation would really appreciate.

    ¡°Calm down, my dear Eryell.¡±

    ¡°I am calm, Nerva!¡± Ugh, that is not a display that I can exactly call calm. ¡°Just¡­just let me think for now.¡±

    ¡°May I give a suggestion?¡± I heard a sigh came out of her mouth as I said that.

    ¡°What is it?¡± She said with a tone that clearly lack any evident of calm. ¡°Let me say this first. Not one of your witty remarks, I hope.¡±

    ¡°No, not this time, my dear Eryell.¡± And just when I was going to tell her to calm down with a joke. I guess I¡¯ll set that aside for now. I¡¯ll go with a simple suggestion for now. ¡°For now, I think it is better to tighten the security inside the town and the circle of patrol nearest to the wall.¡±

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Do you think I haven¡¯t done that?¡± A slight annoyed reply came from her almost immediately. It would really help if she could be a bit calmer than this.

    ¡°If you¡¯ve done that, then the next thing to do is to collect information. How many informant the company has deployed?¡±

    ¡°Informant? Why?¡±

    ¡°In my opinion, the next thing we need to do after tightening the security is trying to really know what we are dealing with. And, sadly, at this moment we know absolutely nothing about this.¡± I scratched the back of my head after I said that. At that, what her sister said not long ago came into my mind.

    ¡°Just to make sure, when I said that this fragment is a piece from a Arcane Puppet, you said that you have the same thought, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, what about it?¡±

    ¡°Why, if I may ask?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I guess it is the first thing that came into my mind. Why?¡± She returned the question.

    ¡°Because imagine that this is just a fragment that come from a single Arcane Puppet, how large do you think the whole construction is?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­that would be large. At least larger than the ones we fought recently.¡±

    ¡°See? So why did you said that it came from an Arcane Puppet?¡± I pressed on that question.

    ¡°Ehm¡­I guess¡­..Err¡­¡± I could hear her started to fidget around. It is a sign that she herself is anything but understand her own reason. ¡°¡­Instinct?...Maybe?¡±

    ¡°¡­Really now?¡± I half expected her to say that. But to actually say that? ¡°That¡¯s the best reason you can give?¡±

    ¡°Hey now! Are you insulting me!?¡± And another angry remark flew toward me. ¡°So what¡¯s your reason then? Tell me a better one!¡± She really needs to calm her temper. This fiery girl really needs to learn how to control her anger much better. Or is it my fault that she got angry over and over again? Maybe my remarks were¡­too blunt? Let¡¯s put that aside for now. I will talk with that with her later on.

    ¡°I actually have¡­heard a disturbing piece of information from Lady Constie¡±

    ¡°My sister?¡± I gave a nod to answer her question. Her heartbeats immediately changed to a calmer one, although it also told me that her worry had increased the moment I mentioned her sister. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Uhm, come closer.¡± I beckoned to her with my hand. I don¡¯t think sharing this information on the open like this is a good idea. But at least I can try to keep it between the two of us. Although, Lady Constie never really did tell me to keep it in secret? She didn¡¯t, right?

    A slight rustling sound was produced as she trampled the leaves around me and crouched down to my height. I gestured to get closer. After she was inches away from me, I started explaining what I heard from her sister.

    ¡°W-What!?¡±

    ¡°Quiet down!¡± I pulled her head down again as she was going to stand up and raised a ruckus. I know it is impolite of me to do that regarding our rank, but it was an emergency. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that you need to keep it down for now?¡±

    ¡°A-Ah, yes, sorry, sorry. It¡¯s just the news is¡­rather too coincidental with our current situation.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know.¡± I nodded several times. ¡°That¡¯s why the first thing that came into my mind is that.¡±

    ¡°I see, I see.¡± She also nodded several times after I said that. ¡°But this just makes it much more difficult to actually found out what we¡¯re really dealing with.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that it is actually not the other way around?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t the fact that a member of the royal family will limit our movement?¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why I said that we need informant. Listen.¡± I took a breath before starting to explain. ¡°If the royal family really is going to get here, then there should be abnormality in this town, right? Ask the informant to look for abnormality that happened at least in the last two weeks or so. That is enough for a start.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I get it. Then we can also try to find what kind of character has come into our town as the royal family is certainly going to send a dozen or so of their own informant, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That in itself is a fact that we can use. Tail them and try to look what they are looking for. Also the fact that this news of visitation is a sudden and rushed one is probably going to make those informants careless. Although, the same thing could be said about the ones on our side if not careful.¡±

    ¡°I guess we have to enlist our most trusted man to look at this, right?¡±

    ¡°And the most skilled too.¡± If they are just to the extent of trusted but are not skilled enough, it will not only bring danger to them but also to the whole town. ¡°And, if we can persuade the higher ups to spend a few more coins for this operation, try to buy the service of the many information brokers inside our town. Oh, also place a few of our informants in either the tavern or the gate to see ongoing gossip and rumors. You never know what useful information we might get from people¡¯s chattering.¡±

    ¡°¡­How did you even know that there are information brokers?¡± Oh, she didn¡¯t expect me to know that? Really now? After all these years?

    ¡°Well, my dear Eryell. You¡¯ll be surprised what people said in front of this frail and weak looking blind man.¡± I let out a chuckle as I remembered the times when people just open their mouth and say whatever they think without any restraint when I¡¯m around. It seems that besides blind, they all thought that I am deaf too.

    ¡°¡­You are anything but frail and weak.¡±

    ¡°That, my dear Eryell, is not something people would agree on their first look at this blind man.¡± A mischievous grin appeared at my face. I¡¯m sure combined with the fact that I¡¯m wearing a blindfold, the grin really made me terribly creepy and weird looking.

    ¡°I get it, I get it.¡± She just dismissed my joke as she stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll get to that straight away. I¡¯ll get back to the headquarter to report this and to enlist a few of our informant as soon as possible. I want them to get useful information as early as tonight.¡±

    ¡°Difficult task you¡¯ve given them.¡± I also stood up and dusted away my clothes. ¡°But not impossible. Seeing the current condition we are in right now, even if it is impossible, we need to do it. We must do it no matter what. The fate of the town rest on that.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± said Eryell as she nodded at me. ¡°I just hope that in the end this thing is not as horrible as we all thought.¡±

    ¡°I doubt that it will be what we hope. I¡¯m sorry to say that.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be. I prefer to hear the bad news right away so that I can prepare myself to handle it.¡±

    ¡°Good mindset. I like it.¡± I said to her with a smile on my face.

    ¡°So shall we get back to the headquarter now? Or do you have any other plan?¡± Ah, she has seen my expression and able to deduce that, eh?

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here for now. I want to look for a few more clues.¡± I then chuckled slightly after realizing what I just said. ¡°Well, not ¡®look¡¯ as I can¡¯t do that. You get what I mean.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± I heard her rather annoyed reply with a swishing sound from her head as she shook her head at hearing my statements. ¡±You and your horrible jokes.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t really help it. It just came out that way.¡± I shrugged my shoulder as I said that.

    ¡°Whatever. See you back at the headquarter. Be careful.¡± She waved at me as she moved walked away from the forest. I wait for a few minutes and then I also felt that the two Rangers have moved away from their previous location, probably trying to get a better position for their ongoing patrol. I heard a few rustling sound around me but I didn¡¯t found any heartbeats that belong to any kind of humanoid creature. I guess it is safe to say that I have been left alone for the moment. It is an opportunity that I gratefully welcome at the moment.

    Just to make sure, I tapped my walking cane a few times, producing the same sound over and over again. After being convinced that the condition is just as I wanted, I pulled out the object that I picked up moments ago.

    ¡°Tsk! As usual. That fellow is very flashy.¡± I muttered out a complaint at no one in particular. As I rubbed the small object, I was convinced enough that it was just as I predicted. After letting out a groan of annoyance, I put the object back into my pocket. I then walked back to the first fragment that Eryell asked me to identify.

    A few thumping sound was made as I hit the large fragment with my walking stick several times. I then transferred the stick to my left hand. I walked closer to the fragment again and then put forward my right hand. A few snapping sound was made as I snapped my fingers a few times.

    ¡°¡­How flashy.¡± I muttered yet another complaint as the ¡®view¡¯ appeared on my mind. But this time the ¡®view¡¯ is not from the bouncing sound. ¡°Too much magic inside the fragment.¡± Yes, it was from the resonating magic wave from the magic wave that stay trapped inside the fragment. I put my palm toward the fragment and felt the smooth surface and also the crack vine that ran from edges to edges. ¡°Haaa¡­.¡± I let out my breath and then a warmth feeling started to build on my palm. If one could see my hand at that very moment, they would noticed that my hand have let out a dim glow. Although I couldn¡¯t see, the feeling of resonating magic has told me enough.

    After a few seconds, I pulled my hand and then curled my hand into a fist in one swift movement. From that move alone, the air around me moved, making a gale that disturb the tranquility of the forest and replacing that very silence with a few rustling sound from the moving leaves.

    ¡°¡­Good grief.¡± I then waved my hand away, letting my warm hand cooled down. ¡°This is going to get troublesome soon.¡± I then headed toward the direction of the town. ¡°Very soon, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    ========================================================================

    Author Note:

    Well, this is the 4th chapter for the story.  We''re finally entering into the plot from here.

    Once again, I want to thank all of you that has read this story and I hope that you will continue to read this series. Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter.

    Thank you and I hope to see you again in the future!

 Chapter 5 - Private Meeting

    Chapter 5 ¡°Private Meeting¡±

    After I finished my investigation, I returned back to my workshop and found that my two assistants have done their job splendidly. With half of the order has already been made, the rest of the order needs some more ingredients. I have sent the two to separate place to find the remaining ingredients.  Rago will go to the town¡¯s warehouse to check for ready to be delivered ingredient and ask them to deliver it as soon as possible while Gire will check the marketplace for the ingredients. In the morning they will report their task to me and then I will decide the next action. If the ingredients from the town¡¯s warehouse are enough, then I will not do anything but focus on getting the proper amount ready as soon as possible. If not, then I will buy them from the marketplace. Of course, the amount will not be as much since I will need to use the company¡¯s money.

    With my current task is done, my next task in hand is to report what I have in my mind regarding the news Lady Constie has brought not long ago. And with that in mind, I stood in front of the mansion of my direct supervisor.

    ¡°Halt!¡± A shout filled with hostility is thrown at me. ¡°Beggars are not allowed here! Please leave!¡± It was the greeting I received the instant I arrived in the front gate.

    Ah, beggar, is it? I guess I couldn¡¯t really blame them as my appearance is probably similar. In fact, I think I might look exactly like that, not that I worry about it since this is my regular clothes. And just like Eryell said, my regular outfit combined with my appearance really gave me that beggar appearance. Well, if I could borrow her word, it will be a ¡®Neat Beggar¡¯, but beggar none the less. And because of that, I was denied of entry to the mansion even from the start. And that was a considerably troublesome obstacle for my current task.

    ¡°Ah, but I have a meeting with Lady Constie Reystone.¡± I tried to give them my reason.

    ¡°Huh? Preposterous!¡± And it was rejected right away. ¡°There¡¯s no way our lady has any business with the likes of you! Now go away and make us throw you out forcefully!¡±

    Hmm, this is troublesome. I could ¡®see¡¯ the two guards were starting to get angry and irritated at me. Their heartbeats were pretty high and the feel they gave was hostile. They will probably throw me out rudely if I don¡¯t do anything soon. I scratched the back of my head as I showed a wry smile.

    ¡°Geez, I hate using this.¡± I mumbled to myself as I put my hand into my pocket.

    ¡°What are you still doing here! I said¨C!¡± One of the guards that shouted to me stopped mid-sentence. The reason was that he saw the object I pulled from my pocket. ¡°W-Wait!? T-That is!¡±

    ¡°I see that you know what this is, gentlemen.¡± I let out a smile. I don¡¯t know what kind of smile I made that time. But I hope that it is not an evil looking one. To be honest, I have to confess that hearing them surprised like that really gave me a bit of satisfaction. So I slightly worried that my smile came out as an evil one instead of an honest one.

    ¡°W-Why did you have that emblem? Only a member of the militia could have one!¡± Sheesh, why the dumb question? The object that I have shown them is a small medallion that bears the symbol of the local militia, which are a sword and a shield on top of each other.

    ¡°Because I am a member of it, gentlemen.¡± I threw the emblem at them. ¡°You can check it if it is a real one or not. If it is, tell them their Chief Apothecary will meet their lady by her request.¡± Ugh, I hate using that kind of tone. It made me remembered many uncomfortable memories.

    ¡°Y-Yes, sir!¡± And stop with the stuttering, would you? It¡¯s getting irritating. I could hear the two of them immediately left the gate. Why do you have to leave the gate empty like that? Can just one of them get inside while the other stays on guard here? I really need to talk about this with Lady Constie about their amateurish guard.

    <hr />

    After waiting for a few moments, I finally entered the mansion and the sound of quiet footsteps accompanied by fluttering sound of fabric came near me. I faced the source of the sound and found it was one of the residence maids and an acquaintance of mine, Lena.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been expecting you, Master Nerva.¡± A soft and feminine voice entered my ear.

    ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s been a while, Lena.¡± I gave a smile at her as I faced her.

    ¡°Please follow me.¡± She then turned around to face the other way, making her shoulder length hair produced a swishing sound. As she started to walk away, I followed her shortly.

    While we were walking toward my supervisor¡¯s study room, I decided that the silence between us is not pleasant for me. And because of that, I started the conversation with something simple.

    ¡°Are you well?¡±

    ¡°I am well, Master Nerva.¡± She gave a bow after saying that. ¡°Thank you for asking.¡±

    ¡°If it is just us two, you can leave the formality. I am, after all, just a commoner.¡± A small chuckle escaped my mouth. ¡°To be called ¡®Master¡¯ is funny, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even dare to do that, Master Nerva. You are an esteemed guest and the whole house of Reystone has seen your ability.¡± Her tone was filled with nothing but honesty. Or at least, it sounded like that to me. Either she was telling the truth or she was just being polite. At that, I decided to not pursue the matter further. It would be impolite of me to deny her goodwill. ¡°I hope that you are doing well, Master Nerva. I haven¡¯t been seeing you for quite some time. When was the last time you visited us?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, probably last Winter Festival if I¡¯m not mistaken. Besides, I will be better for everyone if I didn¡¯t show up too often.¡± I let out a chuckle after saying that.

    ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t say that, Master Nerva.¡± Her tone, although it sounded like a calm one, I noticed a hint of sadness in it. Or is it disappointment? Those two emotions feel quite similar for me. ¡°Some people will be saddened by that.¡±

    ¡°Saddened or not, it is the truth that no one, not even the head of House of Reystone, will be able to deny.¡± I said that with a firm tone as I know the true feeling of those around me.

    While I have quite a lot of people that view me as a reliable and talented person, the general public can only see me as a weak blind man unable to do anything. That is a saddening fact that I have lived my whole life with. At first, it was very painful. But as time went on, I could even laugh at that fact without feeling a bit of sadness in me. Either I have gone stronger or my heart has become too numb by the amount of pain it received. Either way, I felt that it was for the best that I could endure that painful public opinion.

    Although, for the people that has different view of me, they could still feel that pain. It was as if they took the pain for my sake, which is not what I really wanted. And it seems that what happened after I said to Lena. I could feel a bit more sadness coming from her compared to before. I need to watch my words more careful next time. Saying the truth just like that may bring others pain.

    ¡°Let¡¯s forget about that, shall we? Now tell me, how has Lady Constie been?¡±

    ¡°¡­She has been rather busy.¡± Ah, she has done a good job covering her emotion. If only she could do the same with the aura she emitted. If I could see her face, she probably tries her best in covering her expression. But overall, I have to give her credit in trying to do it in the first place and feeling sympathy for someone like me. ¡°She has locked herself in her study right ever since she got back.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± It seems that Lady Constie is really worried about the royal family¡¯s sudden visit. Her reaction, in my opinion, is a wise one since the reason behind their action is quite suspicious. And the fact that other higher office lack of suspicion is making it even more suspicious. It was as if they had predicted their action or deliberately want turn a blind eye at their movement. ¡°Has anyone visited her yet since she got back here?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± Hmm, so she probably had no information about our finding yet. I guess I will tell her.

    ¡°Is Lady Eryell here?¡±

    ¡°No, Master Nerva. She hasn¡¯t got back.¡±

    ¡°I see. She has been pretty busy as in lately.¡± I let out a small smile.

    ¡°She is. Some of the maids are pretty concern about her well-being. It is not good to overwork one¡¯s body even if the situation tells you so.¡±

    ¡°A wise word, Lena. But you don¡¯t have to worry about it too much. She is a good and smart girl that knows her own limit.¡±

    ¡°I hope that Master Nerva will be there to assist her in her time of need. Also to tell her if she really does overwork herself.¡±

    ¡°It will be my pleasure to do so. Although, I doubt that she will need me to remind her. But I¡¯ll keep an eye on her. Even if I don¡¯t have any eyes to do it.¡± A small chuckle came out my mouth as I make that joke.

    ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t make that kind of joke, Master Nerva.¡± Ah, she is not pleased with my joke. Well, it is rather dark. Not everyone can see its value. Oh, another one! But better not said it out. It will just worsen the mood even further. ¡°But I feel grateful if you will really help Lady Eryell there.¡±

    ¡°As I said before, it will be my pleasure.¡± I smiled at her again. Hmm, that reminds me. ¡°By the way, Lena, are the guards in front of the gate new?¡±

    ¡°The guards? I¡­thin they are. Probably from the last few months or so.¡±

    ¡°¡­No wonder they don¡¯t recognize me.¡± Because if they came from that time, the will certainly find it hard to forget about my appearance.

    <hr />

    Lena stopped her feet and then she knock on the door in front of her three times.

    ¡°Milady, Master Nerva is here to see you.¡± A few seconds later, a very familiar voice came from the other side of the door.

    ¡°Let him in.¡±

    ¡°Please excuse me.¡± After saying that, Lena opened the wooden door and then stepped aside, letting me inside. I walked inside and I immediately noticed the smell of paper and book in the room, especially after I could feel the door is closed behind me.

    I tapped my walking cane several time and the ¡®view¡¯ of the whole room came into my mind. It was¡­how should I say it? Very chaotic and very organized at the same time. I know that sounded rather strange, but that is the feeling I had when I could ¡®see¡¯ the condition of the room. And judging from the smell of dust that lingered on the air around me, she probably refused the maids that come into this room several times. As usual, my supervisor habit of overworking is still uncured.

    Oh, is that why Lena mentioned about Eryell is overworking herself? Well, they do share that particular habit. I guess I also need to add my supervisor to my list of people to warn when they overwork. Although, it will be quite difficult since my supervisor has this tendency of going¡­violent and grumpy when being told off. I guess I still have to bear the risk. If those two overworked themselves to sick, the whole town will be affected. And that is not what everyone want now, do they?

    ¡°Take a chair and sit,¡± said my supervisor without stopping his hand that made scribbling noise. ¡°I¡¯ll be with you after this one last paper.¡±

    ¡°Understood, milady.¡± I took a chair near me and then placed it in front of her desk. After I sat myself down on the chair, I started to tap my walking cane softly to avoid disturbing her concentration. The more I tap, the clearer the view in my mind is. And the clearer the view, the more I sigh at the condition of the room. Why, you might ask? It seems that I have noticed a lot of books and scroll littered on the ground as well. At first, I only though that the books and scrolls were on the desk. But it seems that my supervisor has ran out of space and decided to use the vast and empty space on the room to its maximum potential. Sadly, I could sense that the book case behind her desk is in a relatively empty state. Chances are, she emptied the whole book case into the desk and floor. At that thought, I couldn¡¯t help but shook my head with a rather wry smile on my face. I just hope she didn¡¯t notice that.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m done.¡± The sound of flapping paper could be heard as she placed the paper on the stack near her. ¡°Let¡¯s get straight to business. You have a possible reason for the royal family sudden action?¡±

    ¡°I have, milady.¡± I said with a nod at her. ¡°But please allow me to give you some more information that your sister has investigated recently.¡±

    ¡°Eryell? Do you think there is a possible connection between the two?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure. But at this moment, we might as well consider every little information we have, don¡¯t you think so, milady?¡±

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°Hmm, very well. Explain it.¡± She then gave a nod.

    As I explained the whole finding Eryell and I found in the forest not long ago, I couldn¡¯t detect a change in her behavior. Lady Constie remained calm and composed throughout the whole session without a slight change in her heartbeats. It was as if she purposely hardened her heart and refused to react to anything that come out of my mouth. Maybe she will give her opinion after the explanation finished. A wise choice, if I may say so myself.

    ¡°Is that all?¡±

    ¡°Yes, milady.¡± I gave a nod. ¡°At least that is all I know. I don¡¯t know if any further investigation has been taken by the company or any informant have any further lead about the situation.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± She then leaned her body forward. The sound of her elbows placed on the wooden desk entered my ears. ¡°So tell me now, Nerva. How is that connected with our¡­situation?¡±

    ¡°The royal family that will visit us is strongly connected to the production of the kingdom¡¯s Arcane Puppet. That is the first one.¡±

    ¡°The second one?¡±

    ¡°The second one is that their purpose of testing fire based Arcane Puppet. From my observation of the remains we found on the site, they were melted. The process of melting something is closely related to the fire attribute.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± She tapped her desk a few times after she said that. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°The third is the forest. They mentioned it specifically in the letter that the forest in our town is suitable for their experiment. That is a very suspicious thing to mention for me.¡±

    ¡°I agree at that since our forest have no particularly unique aspect whatsoever that could make them special.¡± She then leaned backward, making the chair produce a slight creaking sound. ¡°Is that all?¡±

    ¡°That is all.¡± I nod at her. ¡°That three reasons alone have made me able to make at least a few possibilities. Does milady want to hear it?¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡± She put her hand forward. ¡°At this stage, I need to hear any possible reason for their action, no matter how strange and weird it is.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± I took a breath before giving my first possible scenario. ¡°First is, just as they stated in the letter, they are just here to carry out an experiment. No string attached, milady. If that is the case, then we only have to look for a few magic users that can use any element except fire. The water mage can use their magic to douse the fire. The earth mage can raise soil to cover the fire. And, lastly, the wind mage can control the air flow so that the fire will be controlled enough to avoid burning more area.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that is one of the best possibilities. As much as I would like that to happen, I think we really need to get that out of our mind at the moment.¡±

    ¡°I agree, milady.¡± Another nod came from me. ¡°Then the next one is this. There is a chance that their intention is connected with our recent encounter with the smuggler. For what way they are connected, it is far too many to list, milady. They could be looking for some slave or they might even be the one that funded the whole operation.¡±

    ¡°Or they might be trying to cover their dealing with the military grade Arcane Puppet.¡±

    ¡°That is also a possibility, milady.¡± I agree with her opinion. ¡°And to add more to the matter, there might be remnant of those smugglers. If it is true, then more reason popped out more than we can count.¡±

    ¡°Do you think the slave smuggling is just a cover for their main operation?¡± Hmm, that is possible. I didn¡¯t thought of that at first. ¡°They might try to deliver something illegal and cover them with something¡­less illegal. That is such a strange way of doing things.¡± I could hear her letting out a sigh after saying that.

    ¡°Unfortunately that is a still possible reason, milady, no matter how strange and crazy it might sound.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, it is as if the trouble is not enough at the moment.¡± She shook her head as she said that. I could feel the stress emanates from her more and more each time the conversation progress. ¡°Got any more predictions?¡±

    ¡°I do have one more¡­but it is somehow¨C¡°

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± My words were stopped as a voice came from the other side of the door.

    ¡°What is it? I¡¯m busy.¡± Lady Constie said that with a rather irritated tone. That is very understandable since it disrupted the whole conversation flow. But it seemed that the other party, probably Lena, decided to ignore that and continue.

    ¡°Apology, milady, but it is your sister.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Before an answer could be given from the other side, the door to the room opened. A thumping sound from the wooden floor filled the room. It was a familiar sound that came from none other than the boot of the company famous captain.

    ¡°Excuse me for barging in, sister.¡± It was none other than Eryell. She closed the door and then walked toward us. ¡°But I have urgent request and report.¡±

    ¡°Urgent request and report?¡± My supervisor parroted her last part of the sentence with a confused tone. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I need to request for some additional funding for our informant. I believe that Nerva here has already explained it to you, right?¡±

    ¡°Informant? Is it so urgent that you need to ask it now, my dear Eryell?¡± Although it was delivered in a calm manner, I could feel the irritation in her words. I could support her request, but I think I will wait for her to explain it further.

    ¡°Then I guess the report first then. We have several of our informants found out that¡­the information brokers has been¡­¡±  Few seconds passed as she stopped her sentence, which made me questioned her finding more and more. ¡°Silenced.¡±

    ¡°Silenced? As in¨C¡°

    ¡°Killed?¡± I said the word that my supervisor wanted to say. That earned me a slightly annoyed glare that I could feel quite intensely. Eryell nodded at my question. ¡°All of them?¡±

    ¡°Fortunately, some still remains. And they asked quite a high amount of money for their information and also for their safety before they will open their mouths.¡±

    ¡°This is¡­an unexpected turn of event.¡± It seems that the situation has worsened without our knowledge. ¡°Are our informants still roaming the street?¡±

    ¡°They are.¡±

    ¡°Any casualty from our side?¡± This time the question came from Lady Constie. Eryell shook her head, which is a good sign. ¡°That¡¯s good, for now.¡±

    ¡°Most of our sentry and rangers didn¡¯t found any strange movement outside the wall. Either there really is no danger outside the town or it might already have entered the town completely undetected.¡± The last part of her report was given with a grim tone. ¡°If it is the later one, we are in deep trouble.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, more and more trouble as if it is not enough.¡± I could ¡®see¡¯ Lady Constie massaged her temple with a very bad expression on her face. I don¡¯t want to bring more bad news into the table, but it seems it is a necessary move at the moment. So I opened my mouth and deliver the bad news.

    ¡°Forgive me for this, milady, but I have much more bad possibility at hand after hearing Eryell¡¯s report.¡± At that moment, I could hear the two¡¯s heartbeats risen, a sign of them being more anxious than before. Ugh, I hate to do it, but it is much better to be prepared for the worst at this time.

    ¡°¡­Just tell me what you think, Nerva.¡± My supervisor let me continued. Her voice is filled with fatigue and frustration. It seemed that the stress of the situation has caught up with her with the addition of Eryell¡¯s latest report.

    ¡°Very well, milady. At first, I think it is much too farfetched to be considered a possible reason. But after hearing the report¡­it sounded much more plausible.¡±

    ¡°Is this about the royal family reason for their sudden visit?¡± Ah, I forgot to tell Eryell that this is about that. I nod at her to give her answer. ¡°Okay, go on. I¡¯ll ask the other reasons later.¡±

    ¡°Understood. The letter might be some sort of¡­hidden instruction. For who it was directed to, I don¡¯t know. For what, I also don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­do you suggest that the remains that we find in the forest is a result of that instruction?¡± My face soured up at Eryell¡¯s question. I nodded at her.

    ¡°The smuggling accident might also be another thing that is instructed by the letter. The possibility is endless. And if this prediction is the correct one, then the level of danger we face is far too much than we can handle since it means that we are dealing with one of the royal family directly.¡±

    The atmosphere in the room darkened after I said that. It was the worse possibility among the other possibilities. In the end of the day, we are just a frontier town equipped with a local militia. Furthermore, a few of the officer in the local militia are closely connected with the royal family due to the importance of the town. No matter how strong the house of Reystone grip on the city and the militia, it is incomparable to the influence the royal family has in their hand.

    ¡°At the moment, I have only a few suggestions.¡± I tried to break the tense atmosphere.

    ¡°¡­What is it?¡± Eryell¡¯s voice lacked her usual vigor.

    ¡°First, we should order the informant to keep lower profile than before. They risked losing their life if trying to find too much information at this stage. And also abandon the idea of asking the information brokers. The information they yield will not only be costly, but also might endanger ourselves. The moment the other side knows that we have information leading to them, no matter how small it is, they will start to hunt us. The last thing we want to achieve is increasing the danger on our town.¡±

    ¡°¡­Next suggestion?¡±

    ¡°Secondly, try to increase the patrol in the inner circle. Concentrate the force in the weakest part of our defense. We have already lost the momentum to avoid letting them inside our town. We need to at least hold them up from getting out too easily. Prepare for some losses for our men that are stationed there. As sad as it might sound, the possibility of it is too high.¡±

    ¡°¡­I actually hate that suggestion, but I can¡¯t give any argument about it at the moment.¡± My supervisor voiced her opinion with a tired voice. ¡°Any more suggestion?¡±

    ¡°Yes. This is a personal one. Take some rest, both of you. Even without seeing you, I could feel that you two have been pushing yourself too much.¡±

    ¡°Huh? No we¡¯re not!¡± As usual, the hot blooded Eryell was the first to voice her objection. ¡°At least I¡¯m not!¡±

    ¡°Eryell dear, are you suggesting that I have?¡± And it seems that my supervisor didn¡¯t take that objection kindly. The two heartbeats had risen to show their anger. Before the two start to argue, I continued.

    ¡°If it is not the case, then it is good. But words of advice from this blind man. The two of you hold the responsibility of leading many men and women to protect this city. At the moment, there are no substitutes for the two of you. And remember, I¡¯m not the only one that is worried about you. The maids felt the same way as I did. And I¡¯m sure the others also felt the same.¡± I then stood up. ¡°That is all I can say at the moment. Is there anything else, milady?¡± The two didn¡¯t give any immediate answer. Although their heartbeats had calmed down, it seemed that their emotion is still not. I¡¯ve said what I need to say. It is their decision to follow it or not.

    ¡°¡­Not that I can think of. I¡¯ll send someone to get you if it urgent.¡±

    ¡°Very well then. Please excuse me, milady, Eryell.¡± I bowed to each of them and then opened the door. I stopped before I exited the room. ¡°Please take care of yourselves. And please don¡¯t forget, don¡¯t carry that burden all by yourselves. You have the whole town ready to assist you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me that, Chief Apothecary.¡± Her tone seemed to be dripping with irritation. But it dissipated in a matter of seconds as a new emotion filled her next words. ¡°Thank you.¡± It was pure gratitude. I could also feel the same emotion from Eryell who still stood near her. At that, I turned back and smiled at them.

    ¡°It is my pleasure to do so.¡± I exited the room and closed the door, leaving the two sisters alone.

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    There you go! Not much for now. Next chapter will have some action to it.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter.

    Thank you and I hope to see you again in the future!

 Chapter 6 - Reunion

    Chapter 6 ¡°Reunion¡±

    Sound of people rushing could be heard all around me as I walked back to my home. Some brought out feeling of exhaustion while others feeling of excitement. The scent around them also varied. Some has the scent of sun and soil. Probably from working their hardest in the field. Some has the smell of charcoal and fire. Maybe from either cooking or toiling in the front of the smithy. While others have the smell that I couldn¡¯t really exactly point my finger at. It was a testimony of the many kinds of livelihood the townspeople have. It was an experience I quite enjoy every time I walk back to my home.

    But for some reason, today¡¯s experience is not as pleasant as usual. The reason is because of my conversation with the two ladies of the house of Reystone. Instead of just enjoying the whole lot of variety of sensation I could sense around me, I unconsciously put more effort in trying to detect something that is out of place. Something that could give any of us any kind of lead of some sort. Because of that, I was far from relaxed while walking home. Although I doubt my appearance was different from my usual one, I could feel my body tensed up, getting ready to react as soon as possible in time when I caught something suspicious.

    Unfortunately¨C or fortunately, depending on how you see the situation¨C, I¡¯ve not discovered a single sign of change in the crowd of people I swam through. It was as if the whole thing about the royal family sudden visit and the strange remains we found at the forest was nothing but a mere dream. Actually, if you think about it, there is no need to tell the town¡¯s folks about those matters at this point. It will only bring confusion and panic for the whole town, which is the last thing we want.

    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh after contemplating on those thoughts of mine. As I walked toward my house, I kept my using my walking cane to help me travel safely. Each time the cane hit the ground, the ¡®view¡¯ of my surrounding reappeared in my mind. As usual, the nearer I get into the vicinity of my house, the quieter it gets. It is very understandable since the location of my house is quite secluded. Only a couple of people lived in my neighborhood, which includes my ever spirited neighbor Bardo.

    For many people, walking in this empty and quiet street is a feat they want to avoid at all cost. But for me, my everyday walk across the empty street is a very relaxing and soothing part of my day. I could thoroughly enjoy the quiet atmosphere, resting my senses along the way. As a one who used the hearing sense most of the day, this quiet time let me relieved the fatigue on my ears.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± A new sound entered my ears? I kept my pace while focusing my ears once again. At first, I thought I heard something entered my surrounding, but whatever it was has already disappeared from my hearing reach. Or was there actually nothing in the first place at all?

    <hr />

    I put aside that thought and just continued my journey back home. As I finally arrived at my front door, I pushed the door and entered the house. I then closed the door behind me and then climbed upstairs. But unlike the usual, I kept my walking cane with me. The reason for that? I will surely found the reason soon enough.

    I let a grin crept onto my face as I stopped walking and stood right at the center of the room. I tapped my cane several times, making a clear ¡®view¡¯ inside my mind. Although without doing that, I was convinced enough at the condition of my house. And with that out of the way, I moved on to my next move.

    ¡°My, my, my.¡± I muttered with a calm voice. ¡°You do know, if you were trying to set an ambush, you are still in needs of some more training. And I mean, a lot more.¡± After I said that, no response came.

    I tapped my walking cane several times on my wooden floor, making a slight hollow sound each time it hit it. Each time the ¡®view¡¯ came onto my mind a slight change could be noticed. I let my grin wider as I relaxed my body. I walked toward one of the chair in my living room and pulled it to the center of the room. I took a seat and then put my walking cane in front of me, supporting myself with my hands on that cane.

    ¡°Really now, if you can¡¯t make a proper ambush against a blind man like me, I wonder how you will fair again a normal opponent. You¡¯ll lose your life in an instance, you know?¡± Once again, only silence reply to me. I tapped my finger onto my cane several times, creating a constant sound. ¡°At least you have a good head in your shoulder to not give in to my provocation. But then again, I guess that is understandable as one of the elite squad under his leadership.¡±

    I let out a chuckle after saying that. My chuckle resounded in my house.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I am a bit tired today, so I want to apologize for ending this little game of yours.¡± I then leaned forward and then shifted my whole weight onto my walking cane. A slight warmth could be feel traveling from my hand onto my cane. As it hit the tip of the cane, a slight rumbling in the air happened. It was just a minuscule change, but, I assure you, the effect will be tremendous.

    The air around me stiffened as if the wind refused to enter my house from the open window. The relaxing air around me has also disappeared. It was replaced by a more threatening atmosphere one would usually encounter in the battlefield before all hell breaks loose.

    Then all of a sudden a very quiet moan of pain could be heard from somewhere in my house. I let out another grin after hearing that very low and easy to miss voice. I guess that means my action has taken its desired effect. With that, I need to get to my next plan. What¡¯s that? Standing up.

    Just as I stood up, a ¡®click¡¯ sound entered my ear. I swung my cane toward the direction of the sound and an object was repelled immediately by my cane. Judging from the sound it made, the object was a sword. The length is probably not longer than my cane, so it can be considered a short sword. As I hit the sword on the hilt, a groan could be heard from my mysterious attacker as they took a step back from me.

    ¡°Hoo?¡± I let out my voice as I noticed a few more presences appeared around me. ¡°My, my, my. Five against one?¡± I chuckled at the situation I¡¯m in. Contrary to what an ordinary person would react, I didn¡¯t get tense or nervous. In fact, it somehow relaxed my body. Maybe it because I could finally noticed the presences all around me clearly. Although, I think there might be more than the ones at the moment.

    ¡°I¡¯m flattered that you deemed it necessary to use so many people to¡­subdue me? I don¡¯t know your reason, though. So I thought that is your objective.¡±

    After saying that, I could hear a few metallic sound all around me. From what I noticed, there were at least seven different sources of sound. I tapped my cane rapidly without making myself looked suspicious and I could ¡®see¡¯ my attacker.

    Just as I noticed before, there were indeed five of them. Judging from their rate of heartbeats, two of them are probably female. They were armed lightly, an evident that they were trying to avoid frontal conflict against me. Two of them are wielding dual dagger while the other three are using short sword. From what I can ¡®see¡¯, all five of them wear light outfit that prioritized ease of movement and also easy concealment than protection. In other words, those five are either a group of scouts, spies, or assassins. No wonder they were able to conceal their presence nicely. But all of their efforts were wasted as soon as I tweaked the atmosphere around me.

    Remembering that, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a chuckle. And it seemed that my chuckle angered them as four of them have a notable increase in their heartbeats, a sign of getting anger. Of course, the one that attacked me the first time had the most increase rate of heartbeats, an evidence of her¨Cyes, the first attacker is a female one¨C being rather a hot headed one. Not exactly what I can say a good trait to have for this line of job.

    ¡°My, my, my.¡± I shook my head several times. ¡°You lot are far from calm now, aren¡¯t you?¡± I provoked them further. ¡°You¡¯re going to make your mission a lot harder for you, you know? Ah, that¡¯s it!¡± I then placed my walking cane way, leaning it on to the chair. ¡°Now that would make it easier, right? What a terrible host am I to make my guest have a hard time? I should have known better.¡± I let out a wide grin that I¡¯m sure made me looked creepy. This time, the last one that had stayed calm has a notable increase of heartbeats and also emitting a sheer amount of bloodlust. As for the other four, I can proudly say that my provocation has successfully changed their mind from angry to pure fury. A success I am proud of, if I may say so myself.

    ¡°Five armed warriors against one unarmed blind man. This is a sight to be seen, don¡¯t you agree? But then again, I don¡¯t have eyes to see.¡± I laughed a little at my own joke. Apparently they don¡¯t approve of my joke as their anger keep rising and rising each time I open my mouth. Sheesh, what an emotional group they are. ¡°So yes, let¡¯s do this quickly. I¡¯m a bit tired, so if you don¡¯t want to start the fight,¡± I widened my smile while tilting my head to the side, ¡°I¡¯ll be one to start it.¡±

    My opponents just stood there with their weapon pointed at me, ready to attack. But it seemed their mind have stopped them to do anything except standing there. My patience grew thin as they were hesitating. Why do you even hesitate even after getting it this far? You¡¯ll die a dog¡¯s death if you hesitate for a single second in this line of work. With my impatience and disappointment mixed together, I opened my mouth.

    ¡°NOW!!!¡± The moment I shouted at them, they all lunged forward at me at the same time. Ugh, why are you even falling for that? I¡¯m not your leader, you know? I¡¯m your target. Sheesh.

    I kept clicking my tongue to keep my ¡®view¡¯ as clear as possible. One of them has managed to get closer to me the fastest. He brought his sword behind him and readied himself to throw a slash at me. But before he could do that, I surprised him by instead of trying to position myself to avoid it, I jumped straight at him. With the center of my body lowered, I smashed his unprotected chin with an opened palm. The hit has made a clean strike and left him thrown backward and the sound of his weapon thrown rang at the same time.

    I caught his sword mid-air and then turned my body around. With an upward swing, the sword managed to hit my second opponent¡¯s weapon. A loud and crisp metallic sound was made as the two steel made contacts with each other. The collision has made his sword thrown upward while mine downward. I smiled at this result, which I noticed made my opponent confused and suspicious evident from the change of beat from his heart. While my hand was still in motion, I let go of the sword and then pushed my elbow straight at his chest.

    He managed to lessen the damage by quickly stepping away from me. But that action of his has made him changed his center of balance, meaning that I can get him to lose his balance with a single clean strike. And a clean strike I delivered by extending my previous arm landed directly to his face. After a shirt groan, he then fall and hit the floor quite hard, making a rather loud noise as his body made impact. A sound of his sword being thrown out of his hand and embedded into the floor next to him entered my ear and told me that I have managed to put two out five fighters out of the stage.

    All of a sudden, a very thick and intense amount of bloodlust struck me from my side. I slid to my side, evading the strike. The only damage the strike able to give to me was a wind that hit my face. I hit the arm of my current opponent, disabling her in an instance. I then grabbed her immediately and without waiting for her to realize what had happened, I turned around and then using my back as a leverage I flipped and threw her onto the direction of one of my attacker as I sensed him trying to attack me. It seemed both of them were too late to notice what had happened and the sound of impact could be heard as two bodies collided with each other. They were propelled backward only to stop as they hit the wall.

    Unfortunately, I have no time to rest as I heard rapid footsteps coming from behind me. The sound of object being thrown in succession entered my ear. I quickly picked up the previously dropped sword near me and then slashed away the dagger that is trying to hit me. A crisp sound resounded followed by the sound of the dagger stabbed in to the wall of my house. Realizing that my weapon has been distanced away from the center of my body, the last attacker tried to utilize it and rushed toward me. I smiled at the perfectly ordered plan of hers. Unfortunately for her, as soon as she got into my reach, I flipped backward while kicking my legs upward, hitting her straight in the chin. That action of mine not only made me able to avoid her attack, but also made her lost her balance. I threw the sword in my hand at her and she managed to parry it out of the way, only to let her defense opened.

    As our role switched, I rushed toward her. In a split second, I grabbed her hand that was using the dagger and then threw her into the ground while my other hand was placed onto her slender neck. A slight groan of pain accompanied the sound of her hitting the floor below me. As I tightened my grip on her arm, she let go of the dagger, letting it drop and producing clinking sound as the blade hit the floor. With that, my last attacker was subdued.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help your subordinate?¡± I said that without taking my focus off my last attacker. ¡°You are lucky I¡¯m not in the mood of shedding others blood at the moment.¡±

    A moment of silence was the only reply to my question. But after a few seconds, a voice answered me.

    ¡°Since when did you notice me?¡± The question was delivered with a rather gruff voice. I grinned as I finally got a response, although it was barely audible.

    ¡°The moment I shout, your heartbeats changed and give away your presence in a split second.¡± I then released my grip on the poor fighter on the ground, letting yet another groaning voice from her followed by a slight coughing. I stood up and then walked calmly toward the chair. I picked up my walking cane and then take a seat. ¡°Now are you going to introduce me to your friend or subordinate or¡­I don¡¯t know. What do you call them?¡±

    ¡°They are called Shades.¡± Unlike before, the gruff voice sounded much clearer. After that, a hollow sound came from the floor as I noticed the presence walked closer to me.

    A very slight fluttering  sound of fabric and clinking sound came from the figure. Those sounds were almost impossible to be noticed. I could only do that because I have a honed my hearing sense much more than an ordinary person would. Against my sharpened sense, the fact that it was still barely audible was a testimony of how proficient the figure is at concealing his presence. Truly a magnificent skill that¡¯s not an average person could possess.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Shades, eh?¡± I tapped my cane as I let the word rolled out of my tongue.  ¡°Moving in the dark shadow, concealing oneself, both in sound and appearance. Blending completely into ones surrounding.¡±

    ¡°Precisely.¡± Then the walking sound stopped right in front of me. In a split second, the hard to detect presence flickered and appeared completely in my ¡®view¡¯, as if removing its protective layer in one swift motion. ¡°It is nice to see you again, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°Likewise, Reiyes. How you¡¯ve grown.¡± I shifted my weight to the chair as I leaned back in a relax manner. ¡°The last time I see you, you were still undergoing a strict training. But then again, I couldn¡¯t really see. Well, you get the meaning.¡± I smiled at his direction after I said one of my usual jokes.

    ¡°As usual, your jokes still remain the same.¡± The gruff voiced man spoke with a hint of irritation. Was he irritated by my joke or was that his usual way of speaking?

    ¡°So what brings you here to see this blind fellow?¡±

    ¡°Before we continue, can I ask you to release your influence first? My personnel are still affected by it.¡±

    ¡°Hah! If they couldn¡¯t get pass that simple trick, how could they do their job?¡± I let out a laugh at him. ¡°Surely you¡¯re joking, Reiyes?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not. I ask you to lift that influence of yours, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°And if I don¡¯t lift it?¡±

    ¡°I will convince you to do it.¡± His tone became serious. I could also feel some pressure from his figure. ¡°One way or another.¡±

    ¡°Really now?¡± I smiled at his action and words. It seems following his action is not a bad idea. ¡°Then should I also convince you to accept my decision? Whatever it is?¡± After saying that, the two of us didn¡¯t say anything. But I could feel a lot more pressure coming from him. My smile widened as I also increase my own in this little duel of ours.

    A few minutes passed. None of us were showing any sign of giving up any time soon. I could feel the air became much stiffer than before. The wind has definitely stopped blowing into my house. Silence filled the house. But then a low groan came into my ear. I traced the presence and found that all five of my previous opponents were on the ground, writhing in pain. It seemed that our little game has made them feel much worse than simply uncomfortable.

    Fortunately, I also noticed that Reiyes had realized the same thing. Because of that, the two of us put down the pressure we have been releasing onto the air. Immediately after that, the stillness on the air dissolved, returning the atmosphere to normal. Sound of coughing and also a slight groaning came from all around us. Following that, I could also hear some thumping sound that came from the other five. It seemed that they were slowly gathering their strength. At that, I couldn¡¯t help but letting out a sigh.

    ¡°So, care to tell me the purpose of this late visit, Reiyes?¡± I tilted my head to one side while keeping both my hand on top of the cane. ¡°Since I¡¯ve remove the influence of my power, it is fine to start now, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°¡­It is now.¡± I could ¡®see¡¯ him looking around to check for his subordinates¡¯ condition. For a short while, his heartbeats returned to normal. ¡°We have been informed that a Marked Soul is being led out of his string of fate into a dangerous path.¡± His voice grew serious again together with his heartbeats that changed from its relaxed state.

    ¡°¡­Marked Soul, is it?¡± I tapped my cane as I heard that name. ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°It is prophesized that it will meet its demise in this town,¡± said the man in front of me while pointing downward. ¡°And the time for that is also not long from now. They have sent for some Watcher to deal with it.¡± It¡¯s been a while since I heard the term Marked Soul and Watcher.

    Marked Soul is a term for a soul that has been, just as its name, marked by a powerful entity. The entity in question might be a demon, angel, god, or goddess. As long as they have power against soul, which is a power that is in the domain of the immortals, they can mark a soul. The reason for marking a soul is also various. One might become one because the owner of the soul in question has a very complicated history with the one who marked it. The complicated history might be that the soul has established a very genuine love relationship or it might be the opposite; it has a strong hatred for each other. Those two examples were the rarer kind of reason.

    Usually the reason is just simply because the immortal being has taken a liking or interest to the soul. They will usually marked the soul and then alter their fate to make it interesting to watch. Most of the time the immortal beings would only direct the soul without interfering right away, although some cases has them live together with the soul in question, making it much more interesting for them. For them, rather than just watching their live unfold like watching a theatrical show, diving into the soul¡¯s life will be the same as playing the role together with the soul they have marked. They will sometimes be their allies while other times they will play the role of their rival and enemy.

    Because of having their thread of fate interfered, the Marked Soul¡¯s fate is much fragile than a regular being¡¯s fate. Besides being fragile, their soul of a marked on usually gave a very unique characteristic to their body. Powerful magic capability, charming aura, incredible wisdom. Those were only a few examples of what unique ability a Marked Soul could possessed. With the combination of a fragile fate and unique characteristic that could make them become a target of attention, it was not an exaggeration to say that a Marked Soul attract trouble more than it could actually handle. But whatever the trouble is, the soul should never be destroyed or it will change the balance of the world.

    The one who is tasked to watch after those souls when their fate is skewed is simply called Watcher. They are also beings who held Marked Soul inside their body, but they have a higher stability in their own thread of fate. The reason for that particular condition varied for each individual. Some is because they are simply abandoned by their marker after being deemed not amusing anymore while others are because they have finished the task they have given or any other reason. The list for those reasons is endless. Although the ones who marked those souls could intervene directly, for the purpose of their own selfish amusement, most prefer to be in the sidelines, watching their ¡®actors¡¯ play their own story. But in some extreme cases, a direct approach is needed. For the ones who already play an active role in their soul¡¯s fate, they can just delve into the world and fix whatever is wrong. For others, they choose Watcher to deal with the problem. I and Reiyes are one of those individuals.

    ¡°¡­Are you the only Watcher sent to this task?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± He shook his head slightly. ¡°There is another one besides me.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± I nodded at him. ¡°Before we continue, a question from me. When did you arrive?¡±

    ¡°I, no, we arrived just this evening, Nerva.¡± After hearing that, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a heavy sigh full of resignation. It seems my fear has become a reality. ¡°From your reaction, you seem to know the other party.¡±

    ¡°Sadly¡­I have a hunch. Is the other party the bearer of Igneous Hatchet?¡± Reiyes nodded at my question. Ugh, it¡¯s her.

    ¡°The bearer of Igneous Hatchet, Cyrielle Natine. That¡­fellow.¡± Reiyes then let out a sigh too. It seemed that our opinion on her is on the same. ¡°I am actually not that surprised to why I, no, we are paired with her. It¡¯s just that working together with her is rather¡­tiring.¡±

    So it is an official order that I have to work with them, eh? Can¡¯t really say that I¡¯m glad with the composition of the team, but I guess that¡¯ll do. Although, the fact that three of us is needed to solve this problem is rather¡­worrying. I guess I¡¯ll set that thought aside for now.

    ¡°I agree, Reiyes. I couldn¡¯t agree more with you.¡± I scratched the back of my head while showing a wry smile. ¡°She is a very troublesome person. Although her ability is indeed not one to mess with, the fact that working together with her tend to be tiring is not something that any of us could deny.¡±

    ¡°May I ask why did you already know it was her? If my memory serve me correct, I¡¯ve never mention her eve once in our short conversation.¡±

    ¡°That fellow¡­has left a trace of destruction on the outer forest.¡± I paused for a while to massage my temple as I felt a sudden headache surfaced. ¡°Her action has made the whole town¡¯s security forces in panic.¡±

    ¡°¡­Unbelievable.¡± He said that with a tone of disappointment while holding his head. ¡°Utterly unbelievable.¡±

    ¡°So, where is she now?¡±

    ¡°She is currently¡­hunting for prey.¡±

    ¡°Hunting for prey? What do you¨Coh, no. Don¡¯t tell me.¡± I put my hand on my face, clearly not amuse of what he had meant. ¡°Is she in the¨C¡°

    ¡°Brothel.¡± Good grief. She never changed. ¡°I met her just before I enter your house. She left right away saying that she is not fond of waiting.¡± Typical. ¡°I suggest that you go fetch her.¡± I raised my eyebrow at his suggestion.

    ¡°And why should I do that? You have more men than me. Send one of them to fetch her.¡±

    ¡°Nerva, the number of my personnel for now is very limited. I also need to place each of them in their position as soon as possible to know the current situation of this town and also report to me each change that happened. I will not risk losing a single one of them to that dangerous fellow.¡± Hate to admit it, Reiyes¡¯ argument was very correct and wise. Even in the worst scenario, I am far than enough to handle her. I just¡­don¡¯t want to clear up her mess. Ugh, just great.

    ¡°¡­Fine, fine.¡± I stood up and faced him again. ¡°Before that, would you like a review of our previous¡­practice?¡±

    ¡°¡­A review, is it?¡± He then glanced back to look at the five fighters that have made a neat line behind him. Each and every one of them had a sudden increase of heartbeats as soon as Reiyes gaze landed upon them. It was a very understandable reaction seeing that they have been subdued effortlessly by a single blind man in a five to one battle. ¡°I would be very grateful for that.¡± After saying that, he step aside and the five Shades from before step forward to his previous position after he beckoned them. I approached the first one.

    ¡°You are too easy to fall into one¡¯s provocation.¡± I said to the Shade that attacked me the first as I pointed my walking cane to him. ¡°Be calmer next time.¡±

    I then moved onto the next one. It was the girl that used dual dagger that was unfortunate enough to be thrown to her comrade. ¡°Too many unneeded movement. Train your technique. And you,¡± I pointed to the next one, which was the target of my previous throw, ¡°need to react quickly. You are simply too slow.¡±

    As I moved onto the fourth one, which is the one that follow the attack of the first Shade, I tapped my chin. ¡°You¡­are too blood thirsty. Cover that up and you¡¯ll do yourself and your comrade a favor the next time. ¡°

    I then moved onto the last person standing. She was none other than the dual wielding Shade that threw her dagger at me. I made a smile as I face her. That reaction made her heartbeats rate increased. I could also sense a rather anxious and worried feeling coming from her. ¡°I presumed you are the leader of this small group?¡± She nodded. I guess Reiyes really drilled into them to avoid talking as best as possible. In this case, nodding was clearly enough to answer my question.

    ¡°Your own movement, speed, and willpower, I have neither complaint nor compliment. But your leadership is an utter disaster. If that was a real battle, you¡¯ll lose not only your life, but also your comrade¡¯s life in a split second.¡± She nodded again. ¡°Good, regardless of what the result, you are good and seasoned warrior. I can see that. Well, since I can¡¯t really see, let¡¯s just rephrase it to I can assure you on my word.¡± I turned around, making them face my back. ¡°But you really need much more experience and training to even lay a single hit on me. Much, much more .¡±

    After I said that, I could ¡®see¡¯ that each and every one of the Shade gave a slight bow and then walked away, concealing their presence once again. But sadly for them, those small and almost non-existence presences they unable to conceal were more than enough for me to locate them.

    ¡°I guess that is all then, Nerva.¡± This time, I could sense Reiyes preparing to hide his presence from the world. ¡°I will contact you after we¡¯ve set up our net in this town.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll go fetch her and drag her here even if she was in the middle of something.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be grateful for that, Nerva.¡± And after that, his presence completely vanished. No matter how much I tapped my cane, no trace of him could be found. I also noticed that the other five Shades¡¯ presence had also vanished completely. It seemed that he use his own presence to hide them. Marvelously done, if I may say so myself. That Reiyes truly is a master in the dark.

    ¡°Now¡­next is not something I¡¯m really fond of.¡± I shook my head at the prospect of seeing her. I guess I have no choice at the moment. I then descended down and then went straight to the door. All I want to do is complete this task as soon as possible. Once again, I put on my coat and then opened the door.

    ¡°Nerva?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± There¡¯s someone on the door? And I didn¡¯t realize the presence at all? There¡¯s no way I could miss something like that. Ugh¡­did he also hide this person¡¯s presence too? Damn you, Reiyes!

    ¡°Are you¡­going somewhere?¡± This voice?

    ¡°¡­Eryell?¡± I called the speaker¡¯s name with a visible sign of confusion in my voice. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    Fight scene!  Next chapter we will hear the story from the view of another person.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter.

    You can visit my website  in this link http://bit.ly/1Q3YDZg</a>. I''ll post my fanfiction link there. Thank you and I hope to see you again in the future!

 Chapter 7 - Misunderstanding

    Chapter 7 ¡°Misunderstanding¡±

    ¡°Really now! Does it have to be that long!?¡± I mumbled to myself after finally finished my little discussion with my older sister.

    I know that I have been working a bit harder than usual for the past couple of days, but that is understandable, right? I mean, for the past couple of days the state of security in our town was anything but normal. Just after eradicating the smugglers that enlisted an army of Arcane Puppets, we were surprised by the suspicious remnant we found inside the forest. Of course I need to work harder! I have a responsibility to solve it! Does that warrant me a lecture? Sure I was getting a little less rest than usual, but I make sure that I have enough sleep, my dear worrying sister.

    Actually, isn¡¯t she the same as me? The fact that her office has been littered with a lot of paper and document like that was more than enough evidence that she has locked herself up for quite some time. I even heard that our trusted maid, Lena, had tried to warn her to not overwork herself like that. Aren¡¯t we the same, my dear sister of mine?

    ¡°Ugh,¡­damn it.¡± To be pointed out by Nerva that both I and my sister share the same bad habit is kind of irritating. I know that Nerva, no matter how blind he is, is more than able to see the real situation much clearer than both of us combined. But the fact that being told like that kind of¡­irritating and annoying. To add salt to the wound, I know that what he said to us is¡­correct and spot on. ¡°Damn it!¡±

    I shook my head several times to put aside my annoyance after cursing to no one in particular. Or was I cursing Nerva for pointing that out? Err¡­maybe. That¡¯s beside the point! Focus, Eryell! You have a job now! And that job is giving the latest information to him! Yeah, that¡¯s it!

    Ah, to think that we almost lost some of our personnel just to collect a vague piece of information like this. I just couldn¡¯t imagine the real big picture of this case with that alone. I¡¯m quite glad that our informants managed to escape unnoticed after being able to eavesdrop the news that an underground movement is going to arise toward the capital with our town as the starting point of that movement. I felt a shudder the moment I thought about the possibility that the underground movement noticed our side is trying to sniff their presence in this town. Their retaliation might wipe us out if we¡¯re unprepared.

    Unfortunately, we still have no name or other particular lead that can help us point to the leader or organization that lead the movement. Maybe I should just be grateful that we can have a bit more information than before. But this is just like noticing the presence of a wild and dangerous beast without knowing what kind of beast we are dealing with. This just make us more worried while trying our best to defend ourselves. The toll on mind caused by the worry is a bit too much.

    Ugh, the more I think about it, the more hopeless the case became to me. I could feel my head throbbing after thinking about it. Maybe I should take Nerva¡¯s advice and took a rest for a while. But then again, this is my last task for the day. After giving Nerva the information, I will get back and take a nice rest.

    With that objective in mind, I marched to Nerva¡¯s house as fast as I can. As I make my way toward my destination, I noticed that the way to his house is rather quiet. Well, not that it¡¯s anything new, but I¡¯ve just realized it again that Nerva¡¯s place is rather isolated. I wonder how he got information for a desolate place like this. And I also noticed that his place is very windy. Good thing I followed Lena¡¯s advice to wear a coat over my militia uniform.

    Oh, yeah. Grandfather. He¡¯s the one that give it to him. How could I forget? I guess that¡¯s the reward he got from him after that time, eh? But because of that, grandfather has never stopped asking me to bring Nerva to meet him again. I guess I have to bring him to meet grandfather soon.

    ¡°Hmm?...Weird¡­¡± I broke off my idle thoughts and realized something out of place. I unconsciously slowed down my walking pace as I glanced around. No, there¡¯s nothing visibly wrong or strange. But¡­I guess I have to say that the atmosphere around me felt¡­slightly off? Yeah, that¡¯s it. The atmosphere around me felt off. It had the same feel as a hunt that will have a terribly high chance of going wrong. There is no hard fact that can support that, only a hunter¡¯s instinct and experience that can tell that.

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s going on here?¡± The more I walked toward his house, the more intense the feeling is. ¡°Is there somet¨CUgh!?¡± Suddenly, I felt my knees getting weak, forcing me into a kneeling position. I could also feel the air around me becoming heavy and dense, suffocating me slowly and pressuring me so much. Breathing was getting incredibly difficult, as if I¡¯m trying to breathe in dense smoke. I also felt the wind around me had suddenly stopped blowing and becoming ominously still. ¡°W-What...is¡­this?¡± I could barely mutter that in my current condition.

    In my confusion, a single memory resurfaced from the depth of my mind. It was my memory when the militia was still just a notion my grandfather suggested in the latest town meeting. Together with my older brothers and my father, we were tasked to hunt an unknown beast that roamed the forest recently. The beast¡¯s identity was unknown at that moment. The only thing that was known then was the fact that it has killed several merchant parties that made camp inside the forest. We also received several reports that several townspeople that ventured into the forest had returned with life threatening injury. If it was not deal with properly, there is a possibility that it will attack inside the town.

    Fortunately, the hunt was finished without any single casualty from our side. But I remember that at one time I looked into the beast¡¯s eyes and feel that it has grasped my life, suffocating me just by its deadly glare alone. That was one of my earlier days as a hunter that teach me that we should be wise to pick our opponent before diving into a battle.

    This feeling I was having near Nerva¡¯s house is the same, if not stronger and much worse. I gritted my teeth as I steeled myself to stand. It was as if trying to go against a raging current. My curiosity and worry for him made me strong enough to go against that raging river. After finally able to stand¨Cbarely that is¨C I started to move forward. It was a task much more difficult than one would think.

    I don¡¯t know how many minutes it took me just to arrive at his gate. But the moment I arrived at his fence, I could feel that the pressuring atmosphere started to thin out. Together with that, my strength returned and I could breathe much easier than before. I leaned onto the fence while trying to take another breath. What¡¯s happening here? For a moment, the air was heavy and intimidating. But then it returned to normal just like that? I glanced around and, just like before, couldn¡¯t find anything out of the ordinary. It was the same calm and silent scenery all around me.  That just made me more confused.

    ¡°¡­Calm down¡­Nothing will come if you panic.¡± I straightened up my back and slapped my own cheek to make me focus. Just like Nerva said to me quite often, I need to stop getting impatient or reckless. I need to stay calm and focus. But even after saying that, my mind still refused to calm down.

    I know that Nerva is far stronger than he looks, but I just can¡¯t get this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that something happened. And I fear that it might be something big.

    I shook my head several times to push the negative feeling away. I hate to say this, but I¡¯m not exactly what one would call a very wise person. I prefer a straight forward method than a complicated one. For the complicated ones, I left that to my dear sister who is far wiser and smarter than me. I tend to choose the easier and simpler way of doing things, although I still try to be as careful as I can.

    Because of that, my only possible method of dealing with this anxiety of mine can only be one. And that is to go straight forward to his house and confirm that he is fine or not. I quickly pushed my own body to walk toward his house, which only take a few quick steps to finally reach the porch.

    I glanced around and, once again, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. His empty garden is still¡­well, empty. I could see no sign of forced entry or damage whatsoever to the door. I leaned to the side to look at the windows and found it was still just like this morning. All in all, I found nothing is wrong, which is a good thing. But I still have this nagging feeling in the back of my mind, as if shouting at me to not be relieved so fast. I knew it. I still have to see him in person to calm myself down.

    But before I could do anything, I could hear the door creaked. It started to open. My body stiffened at that. Instinctively, I assumed a more battle suited pose at the sudden change. But then my body relaxed in an instance the moment I saw the one behind the door.

    ¡°Nerva?¡± I called out the man I¡¯m looking for. A smile appeared on my face as I could see that he is fine.

    ¡°Eh?¡± What? He¡¯s confused? He didn¡¯t expect me?

    Okay, I got the reason that he wouldn¡¯t expect me at this hour. But doesn¡¯t he usually know who it was just by the sound of the heart beats and footsteps? I¡¯m sure he had told me that not long ago. But now¡­he¡¯s confused? I looked at him and noticed that he was dressed in his usual outing outfit, complete with his worn out coat of his. I swear I will drag him one of these days to buy a new coat! That coat of his really screamed beggar out loud! I know that the person in question didn¡¯t mind it, but it somehow irritated me to see everyone underestimated him just because of his appearance. Okay, getting sidetracked there for a minute.

    ¡°Are you¡­going somewhere?¡± As I said before, I¡¯m not good with beating the bush for an answer. A straight question is more of my type of action.

    ¡°Eryell?¡± He sounded confused. W-Wait! He was not sure it was me? He really is confused! What¡¯s going on here!? ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Nerva!¡± I grabbed his shoulder, which earned me a surprise reaction from his in form of a taken aback expression and also a slightly gasp from him. ¡°Are you okay? Are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°Err, I¡¯m fine, my dear Eryell.¡± He was back to his usual calm tone. But I knew that he wasn¡¯t so calm. ¡°Why the question?¡±

    ¡°Uhm,¡­¡± I took my hand of him and scratched the back of my head, making my brunet hair slightly messier than before. ¡°Uhm¡­you looked confused for a minute. And¡­you are not one who gets confused easily, right?¡± Wait a minute! Why am I giving a question for an answer?

    ¡°¡­Okay¡­¡±  He didn¡¯t buy it. As expected. ¡°You still didn¡¯t answer my question, my dear Eryell.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Your questi¨COh, yes, yes.¡± I nodded several times as I remembered his question. ¡°I was here to inform you that we have some lead from our informants.¡±

    ¡°Really? That fast?¡± He then tapped his chin. ¡°This is¡­not exactly what I call good news.¡± Eh? Not a good news?

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­let¡¯s just forget about my opinion first. After all, I haven¡¯t heard the news yet. It was too hasty of me to say that.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you have a point there.¡± As usual, he is a sharp person. ¡°So¡­where are you going, Nerva?¡±

    ¡°Oh, me?¡± Why did he look taken aback at that? This is getting suspicious.

    ¡°Where are you going, Nerva?¡± I put more pressure to my voice as I asked him again.

    ¡°Uhm¡­I¡¯m going to meet with my¡­acquaintance.¡±

    ¡°An acquaintance? At this hour?¡± Now this is getting too suspicious. Too suspicious.

    ¡°Yeah, I need to meet that fellow as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡± Okay, why did he look more startled than before? And did he just take a step back from me. ¡°Nerva, what¡¯s going on here?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­I¡­Should we just discuss the information you have first, my dear Eryell?¡±

    ¡°Okay, this is getting ridiculous, Nerva.¡± I took a step forward, placing myself only inches away from him. As I crossed my arm, I blocked his way out of his own house. ¡°Spit it out!¡±

    ¡°Uhm¡­really, my dear Eryell, isn¡¯t the information is more¨C¡°

    ¡°Nerva!¡± I shouted at him as I felt my temper rising. I know I¡¯m not the wisest person, but I know he¡¯s trying to hide something. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go until you tell me the truth! And you know I hate lies!¡±

    ¡°No, no, no! I¡¯m not lying! I was just¨C¡°

    ¡°Nerva!¡±

    ¡°¡­Ugh¡­I give up.¡± He slumped down his shoulders after saying that. ¡°But¡­promise me not to¡­uhm,¡­freak out?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What are you saying?¡±

    ¡°Just promise me¡­stay calm? Can you do that?¡± He asked me while scratching the back of his head. Why the awkwardness in his voice? This is something new.

    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t promise you anything. But¡­I¡¯ll try.¡±

    A short silence came after I said that. I can¡¯t give him false promise when he¡¯s trying to tell the truth, right? That is just not right. All I can do is telling him that I¡¯ll try to keep my calm. Although, why did he have to ask me that? Is the thing he is going to tell me is something that surprising?

    ¡°¡­Good enough.¡± He let out a sigh after that. ¡°Just¡­try to be calm, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Why did he have to emphasize on it over and over again? This is getting frustrating! ¡°Get on with it!¡±

    ¡°Err, the thing is,¡­err¡­I¡¯m going to¡­¡±

    ¡°Why are you fidgeting around like that!?¡± I grabbed his shoulders in my frustration. I started to shake his body, making his head swayed front and back. ¡°SPIT!! IT! OUT!! THIS!!¨C¡±

    ¡°¡­brothel¡­¡±

    ¡°INST¡­ant?¡± What? ¡° Sorry?¡±

    ¡°¡­uhm¡­¡± His face was as red as it can be. D-D-D-D-D-Don¡¯t tell me!

    ¡°¡­N-N-Ner-v-v-v-va?¡± I felt my voice stuttering. ¡°D-D-D-D-D-Did you just¨C¡° He just gave me a slow nod at my question. ¡°S-S-So y-y-y-you ar-r-r-re going to a¨C¡°

    ¡°Brothel¡­.¡±

    A moment of silence came over the two of us. With my eyes looking at him closely, I could notice that his face is redder than before although it was casted downward slightly. I probably wore the same expression as his as I feel my face heating up tremendously.

    ¡°¡­Aa¡­ah, y-y-yes. A b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-ro-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-¡°

    ¡°Brothel.¡±

    ¡°¡­..Yes¡­that¡­¡± I let my hand away from his shoulder and took a step back. I could feel I have less energy than before as if it was drained in a split second. The cause? Well, probably him. No. It can only because of him!!

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°¡­Eryell?¡±

    ¡°¡­W-W-W-Why!?!?¡± I shouted at him with a flushed face. Why did he have to go there!? E-E-Eh!? Why am I asking that!? ¡°O-Of course! T-There¡¯s no other reason, right? W-What other r-r-reason a man need to go to¡­to¡­to¡­a b-b-brothel!¡±

    ¡°E-E-Eryell? C-Calm down, now.¡±

    ¡°I a-a-am CALMMM!!!¡± There¡¯s no way I don¡¯t know his reason, right? I would be a stupid woman to not know that, right? Right?

    Long time ago, I stumbled upon one of my soldier who chatted with others about their so called night out while they were patrolling. It was a slow day, so I just let it slide. They mentioned something about being pent up or something. I have to admit, I didn¡¯t know what they were talking about. I racked my brain out but nothing came to mind. I also noticed that they were whispering, as if it was not something to be told in public.

    Considering that it might turn into trouble if something is not done right away, I approached my older sister. It is a habit of mine to come to her whenever there is something I don¡¯t understand. Especially if it is something beyond the realm of hunting, fighting, and¡­well¡­fighting. I confess, again, I¡¯m not the wisest one and prefer to use my muscle more than my head.

    Now that I think about it, it is very amazing thing that a single question of mine led to a whole night lecturing courtesy of my dear older sister. I was¡­how do I say it? A very na?ve girl that only knows hunting and leading a small squad of militia. I knew that I was¡­very much in the dark concerning those type of stuff. Either my father, who was my one and only teacher, left that kind of thing out for later or maybe he knew that sooner or later the one that will teach me will be my sister.

    I could not forget the face of my sister at that time. The moment I let out that question, her hand that was busy writing documents stopped completely and her head shot up to look at me in the eyes. With a slightly blushing face, she asked me to take a seat. It was a start of my late extra education. I¡¯m glad that I didn¡¯t just barge into those soldiers at that time or things might turn into something awkward and uncomfortable.

    Because of that, I understand completely about that certain night activity that needs to be catered once in a while. I also know the part of this town that catered to those kinds of needs since the militia also patrols in that area every day. In fact, it is one of the areas that need a lot of surveillance since travelers and merchants use that facility all the time.

    ¡°E-Eryell? A-Are you okay?¡± His voice was filled with worry. ¡°You sounded?¨C¡°

    ¡°I-I-I¡¯m fine! R-Really!¡± Why did I shout!? ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, I know that even you h-have that kind of need, right? So it¡¯s n-n-normal to do that, r-r-right?¡± Ugh, stop stuttering!!!

    ¡°E-Eh? N-No!¡± Now he¡¯s the one shouting at me? ¡°I said that I need to meet a friend of mine there.¡±

    Oh, is that all? Ah, then everything is¨Cno, no, no,no! Don¡¯t feel relieved right away! What if his friend is a woman I don¡¯t know? Oh, no! if it  is a woman I know, wouldn¡¯t that be more terrible? As usual, I confront him again.

    ¡°¡­Is your¡­¡±

    ¡°Ha?¡±

    ¡°¡­Is your friend a¡­woman?¡± Y-Yeah! That¡¯s it! He might just want there to meet his male friend, right? But then again, what if he is going to meet a male friend of his and then proceeded to¡­to¡­the b-b-b-b-brothel? Ah, I could feel my face blushed harder and harder at the mixed emotion swirling in my mind.

    ¡°¡­Err¡­¡± Why are you silent!? ¡°¡­y-yes.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah¡­¡± So that¡¯s it, eh? ¡°So¡­you¡¯re meeting a woman¡­in the brothel¡­¡±

    ¡°Err¡­that¡¯s right, but that¡­didn¡¯t sound right.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really now?¡± I felt my body staggered onto the nearby wall. Ah, why didn¡¯t I realize it? I¡¯m so stupid.

    ¡°¡­Eryell?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Nerva. I¡­understand.¡± I put my hand forward and waved at him to stop him. ¡°I know...that just as everyone else, you have that kind of need.¡±

    ¡°W-What?¡±

    ¡°I know that we promised¡­.to not doing¡­t-t-that. T-To keep it for the future.¡± Ugh, what am I doing here? I should just keep quiet and walk away. This is getting awkward for both of us. I glanced at him and noticed that he was getting more and more confused.

    ¡°¡­Err¡­why are you talking about¨C¡°

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know that. I will still keep my promise to you and thank you for promising the same too, Nerva.¡± Ugh, I felt my eyes started to get wet. ¡°S-So, y-y-yeah, I-I-I¡­¡±

    ¡°Eryell? Are you okay?¡± Damn, I should just get away from here!

    ¡°S-S-Sorry! I-I-I¡¯ll be going now!!¡± I turned around to make him face my back and prepare to run away. But I felt my hand was gripped by him very strongly, preventing me from moving away. ¡°E-EH?¡±

    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t go!¡±

    ¡°D-Don¡¯t¡¯ worry. I understand, so there¡¯s no need to say anything. Y-Y-Yes, don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Why am I stuttering again!? ¡°So you can just¡­just¡­just¡­¡± I¡­can¡¯t say it. I can say ¡®just go there and enjoy yourself¡¯ just like that. Something stopped my tongue to say it. ¡°J-Just¡­¡±

    ¡°Eryell¡­are you crying?¡± H-Huh? I instinctively touched my face after hearing that. My finger immediately felt the dampness on my cheeks after that. I¡­was crying? W-W-Why?

    ¡°N-No, I wa¨C¡°

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± His words struck me in my heart. ¡°¡­Please¡­¡±

    ¡°D-Don¡¯t worry, Nerva.¡± I felt my voice started to waver even more, just as my heart does. ¡°T-There¡¯s no nee¨CWAAA!! N-N-Nerva!!¡±

    What happened next was not something I could have expected. He pulled me with a very strong tug and immediately hugged me, forcing me to yelp out in surprise. Due to our height difference, his head stayed inches away from my breast. I could feel his breath on my body. I looked at him and noticed that he was gritting his teeth.

    ¡°Listen to me! It¡¯s not what you think!¡± He shouted at me. ¡°I¡¯m going there to get my friend here for a job.¡±

    ¡°J-Job?¡± Is there something the company requested him to do? I never hear anything about it. ¡°W-What job?¡±

    ¡°¡­I know I can¡¯t lie to you.¡± H-Huh? Why did he have to start by saying that? ¡°But I can¡¯t disclose my job at the moment.¡±

    ¡°W-What are you¨C¡°

    ¡°I have another job besides being an apothecary.¡± What? I never heard anything about that. Is that really true? ¡°I¡¯m not lying.¡± As if answering the question inside my mind, he faced me and proclaimed that in a firm and resolute tone. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry¡­for not telling you this sooner. Truly, I am. I¡­have no excuse for that. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Really? I mean, I have only known him for a while, but this is certainly a very surprising piece of news for me.

    ¡°¡­Nerva..¡±

    ¡°Please, forgive me¡­Please believe me that I will tell you about it someday. And please believe me that whatever my job is, I would never hurt you. Please believe me¡­that I am not going to the brothel to do¡­what you think. I¡¯m just¡­going to meet my friend.¡±

    Why is your shoulder trembling like that? What is this job you¡¯re talking about? More and more question filled my mind. Confusion had replaced my previous anxiety¡­and jealousy. I admit that I felt that the moment he mentioned the brothel. It was as if¡­saying that I¡­failed to understand his needs. But it¡¯s normal, right? To be told that your lover is going to visit a brothel so blatantly will make any woman angry, right? I mean¡­ugh, I felt sick thinking about it.

    ¡°¡­Let me go, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°If you won¡¯t run away and listen to me.¡± He gripped his hold tighter after saying that. ¡°I..will.¡± Why are you acting like I¡¯ll be gone from your life the moment you let me go?

    ¡°Just¡­let me go.¡±

    ¡°Promise me.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡­¡± Do I have a choice? I guess I could hear his explanation. ¡°¡­yes.¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± He then let me go. But I could sense a sense of hesitation from him. I might not be an expert in knowing one¡¯s emotion, but the Nerva in front of me at the moment showed his emotion so clearly without even trying to hide it. He looked¡­so weak and afraid? Is that even possible for him? But¡­he really looked afraid. His own body emitted out fear.

    I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I also wiped my eyes after that, noticing that I have cried quite a lot judging from the trace of tear on my cheeks. After I took another breath, I could finally feel myself getting much calmer.

    ¡°¡­Eryell¡­¡± His voice was so weak and¡­afraid? I guess I was right. Ugh, I¡¯m feeling a bit guilty now.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine. And I¡¯m calm now.¡± I leaned myself to the wall. ¡°So¡­ are you still going to the brothel, Nerva?¡± He gave a short nod. ¡°¡­I see. Well, I¡­ugh, this is getting awkward.¡± I scratched the back of my head again. I know that I can trust Nerva. I know I should. He have never betray me even once and showed a perfect loyalty and faithfulness to me. But¡­I have this nagging feeling in my heart and mind that I should not allow him to do that and get angry at him. Even after his heartfelt confession, I still angry at him, eh?

    ¡°¡­Uhm¡­I have a suggestion.¡± I looked at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you¡­go with me?¡±

    ¡°W-W-WHAT!?!?!?¡± He took a step back after being shouted by me. This time you deserve that! What are you trying to suggest here!?

    ¡°S-Sorry!! It¡¯s just¡­that will make you believe me more, right?¡± He gave his reason. He knew that I still doubt him? Of course. It¡¯s Nerva we¡¯re talking about. ¡°I know that it is¡­not an appropriate action, but I think you will only be convinced by that¡­.Ehm,¡­I think.¡± Hearing his explanation, I felt a bit calmer.

    ¡°¡­Ugh, do I have a choice?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­but unless you can wholeheartedly believe that I will not do anything that will hurt your feeling¡­¡± he paused for a while, as if thinking about something, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, there¡¯s nothing came into my mind.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± I let out a heavy sigh. ¡°I¡¯m such a petty person, right?¡±

    ¡°No! Absolutely not!¡± He shouted his answer, startling me a bit. It seemed that he noticed that and he also took a step back while wearing an regretful expression. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry for shouting, Eryell. I mean¡­to be angry at one¡¯s lover because they are visiting¡­a shady establishment is absolutely normal.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡± After hearing that, I felt a bit relieved.

    ¡°Yes, really! Believe me! In fact, if you didn¡¯t get angry and just let me go without saying anything will be a sign that you view me as someone unfaithful, a loose man that is far from redeemable. For that, I¡¯m very grateful.¡± He then showed a smile. And my relief turned once again into guilt. This man of mine really has bad habit of making people experiencing a mixed emotional trip just by listening to his words. And also a bad habit of putting himself down. It was one habit I of him that I resent a bit. Why do you have to demean yourself so much? ¡°I have surprised you, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    He did. It never even crossed my mind that someday I will hear him saying something like that. It honestly surprised me and made me lose my mind there. I even cried, eh? I need to strengthen not only my body, but also my mind.

    ¡°¡­Yeah¡­¡± Ugh. Why did my tone still carry irritation and it come out so cold? He had apologized to me so many times. I¡¯m making him feeling bad again.

    ¡°I see. I have made you experience something horrible, aren¡¯t I? I¡¯m really sorry for that.¡± He bowed his head to me as I noticed that his expression saddened even more. I could only feel an honest and sincere feeling from his words. Well, from the beginning, I didn¡¯t notice a single ounce of lies from his words. Either he is a very sincere man or he is a sly and cunning fox. Argh! What am I doing!? I doubted him again! Argh! Damn it!!!

    ¡°E-Eryell? A-Are you okay?¡± Huh? Ah, it seems like I have been making a lot of funny faces and swaying my head around while holding it. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He then moved closer to me and touched my face. ¡°Ah¡­please forgive me.¡± Huh? Oh, he noticed the remaining dampness on my face. I let out a sigh and then grabbed his hand while putting it away from my face. I could notice a slight disappointment as I did that.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. But¡­,¡± I paused as I pondered should I say what¡¯s inside my mind. I guess I should, right? If he was willing to tell the truth, I should also respond in truth. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry that I can¡¯t just believe you like that. Call me petty or anything. But after hearing that you have¡­another job that I don¡¯t know all of a sudden made me doubt you, Nerva.¡± He smiled and shook his head several times.

    ¡°No, I understand that, my dear Eryell. I am at fault and it is understandable that you doubt me. I will not hold it against you for doing that and please don¡¯t label yourself as petty.¡± He then grabbed my hand that held his with his other hand. ¡°I will say it again, I have no excuse. I will tell you when the time is right. I rather not say anything right now than to deceive you with cheap lies.¡± He shook his head again. ¡°No, you deserve more than that, my dear Eryell. That¡¯s why, please wait for me.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­you and your words.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but muttered a complaint. I¡¯m happy that he had used his usual gentle and calm tone. Although, that made me feel a bit more guilty after suspecting him on cheating on me.

    ¡°A compliment that is wasted on me as I have only said the truth. You, one who hates lies above anything, should only hear the truth from my mouth.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± I was at lost. I couldn¡¯t say anything toward his words. I just hope that I will not regret believing him.

    ¡°No, no. Thank you, for trying to believe me and also agreeing to wait for my explanation.¡± He then released my hand after I released his. ¡°Then shall we go?¡±

    ¡°H-Huh?¡± Oh, right¡­ ¡°We¡¯re really going to go there?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no other way.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a long and heavy sigh. He just chuckled at that.

    ¡°I¡¯m truly going to regret this.¡±

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    Next chapter we will see the shady district.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 8 - Night Outing

    Chapter 8 ¡°Night Outing¡±

    ¡°So¡­this friend of yours.¡± I started the conversation after unable to endure the silence between us as we walked onto the shady part of the town. ¡°Who is she?¡±

    ¡°Uhm, at the moment, I couldn¡¯t tell you of her identity as she is related to my job.¡± This job of his again, eh? Figures. ¡°But if I have to describe her, it would be like a wild animal.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Wild animal?¡± What a strange way to describe a woman. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I mean that she is a woman that hates to be restricted by rules and common sense. Choosing to live her life as free as possible.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a rather strange and dangerous combination.¡± I let out a ¡®tsk¡¯ sound as he described that friend of his.

    ¡°Yeah, I agree. She is a rather¡­violent one too. I doubt that you will find her pleasing.¡± He let out a wry smile after giving his opinion. ¡°But I have to say that she has one aspect that resembles you.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?¡± I felt a bit irritated that I was compared with such a wild and disagreeable fellow. That made my tone cold.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t be angry, my dear Eryell.¡± He noticed, eh? ¡°It is that she hates injustice and always tries to protect the weak, regardless of the rule or law.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really? That¡¯s such a strange combination.¡±

    ¡°If you think about it, it might not be such a strange combination.¡± He snickered at my comment. ¡°It is because her mindset has been formed and built because she saw more than enough injustice around her.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­Promise that you will not say anything about this to her. But¡­her past is not something anyone would like to hear.¡± His tone carried a tone of sadness. It was such a misplaced tone one with our surrounding that ooze out happiness and merriness. He then shook his head several times. ¡°Let¡¯s stop this depressing talk for now. Ah, yes, there is another description that will surely make it easier to look for her. She is very beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Really?¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t quite know since I can¡¯t see.¡± A small chuckle escaped his mouth. ¡°But I remembered that she has a long amber colored hair with a few strands of white. She also has a nice body. If she hasn¡¯t change, she has a tall and slender body. Maybe as tall as you, my dear Eryell.¡±

    ¡°Really now?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Are you perhaps didn¡¯t found my explanation pleasant?¡± He snickered at me. Damn, he knew.

    ¡°No¡­it¡¯s just that hearing you describe someone like her with such a positive light¡­irked me.¡±

    ¡°Are you perhaps¡­jealous?¡±

    ¡°NO!!¡± Ugh, why did I shout again? Didn¡¯t that made it obvious that I am je¨CNo! I¡¯m not jealous! ¡°Just forget about it!¡±

    ¡°My dear Eryell.¡± He walked closer to me. ¡°Will you not believe me that you are also beautiful?¡±

    ¡°W-W-What!?¡± I could feel my face flushed at his direct compliment. You!! ¡°I don¡¯t think¨C¡°

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that Nerva?¡± A sudden voice entered my ears as I was talking with him. I quickly turned my head around to the source of the voice and found a group of girls looking at the two of us. They approached the two of us with a rather relaxed pace.

    I noticed that the group consisted of three girls. The girl that called Nerva has a very long blonde hair fashioned into a ponytail. Her tanned skin matches her whole outfit that had the color of purple as its main color. Her wide purple eyes seemed to ooze cheerfulness and childishness. I could discern from her way of acting and height she was probably the youngest of the group. But that might not be the case for all I know. In this kind of place, the statement ¡®looks are deceiving¡¯ couldn¡¯t have any more truth that it already have.

    ¡°Oh, Missa.¡± Nerva called the girl¡¯s name. ¡°How are you doing now?¡±

    ¡°Very fine and healthy~!¡± She let out a cute chuckle as she did a spin in front of us, making her dress flutter in the air. ¡°Thank you for your last visit.¡±

    Huh? Last visit? What were you doing here, Nerva? I will have to ask him later. Putting my curiosity aside, I glanced around and noticed that the moment the girls approached us, the crowd started to looked at us with curious eyes. I also felt a certain emotion filled those gazes they threw at us. It was envy and¡­did I sense some kind of respect from some of them? No, no, no. The respectful gazes were coming from the girls that walked around us. I also noticed that a few of them bowed to the direction of the three girls and then disappeared from our side. Who are these girls?

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Nerva waved his hand at her. ¡°It is a pleasure of mine.¡±

    ¡°Missa promise Missa will treat you someday, m¡¯kay?¡± She let out a small smile at him. At that, Nerva also gave him a smile. ¡°Oh, who is this?¡± Her attention then turned toward me.

    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s a friend of mine.¡± Nerva introduced me, startling me a bit. I guess expecting him to say that we are in a relationship is not that easy, eh? Even though I understood that, I couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly dejected at that.

    ¡°Oh~? A friend, eh?¡± Why did she sound suspicious of me? ¡°Are you really~?¡± W-What are you implying by that? And stop getting closer to me. ¡°Ow!¡± All of a sudden she yelped in pain. The cause of that is because of a hand that hit her softly on her head courtesy of her friend.

    ¡°Missa, stop being impolite.¡± The girl in question has a similar built to her, although looked slightly athletic. With her fine, curly brunet hair and white skin, she is in no way going to lose to the girl called Missa in the beauty aspect. But in contrast, she emanates a serious aura, unlike her childish friend. Also unlike her friend, she wore clothes that lacked any frilly part and certainly left a little to the imagination. ¡°You¡¯re making her uncomfortable.¡±

    ¡°Uuu, Alina, you meanie~! But look at her!¡± She pointed at me. ¡°She looks like a beauty, you know? I mean, how did someone like her befriend someone like Nerva?¡± Hey! What is that supposed to mean!? ¡°No offense, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°None taken, Missa.¡± Nerva just brushed that aside. And why didn¡¯t you get angry at that!? I swear I really need to have a long talk with him about his tendency to humble himself more than he should.

    ¡°Hmm, although I hate your way of comparing him like that, I have to say that you have a point there, Missa.¡± Why are you agreeing with her!? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be the normal one here!? ¡°Shoulder-length brunet hair, nicely chiseled face, strong looking body, brown colored eyes that shouted seriousness and discipline¡­wow¡­¡±

    ¡°E-Eh?¡± Okay, that description of hers made me blush. I really appreciate the detailed description and all, really. But¡­w-why are you licking your lips like that? All of a sudden, her eyes turned into that of a predator.

    ¡°My, my, young miss, can I offer you my service for tonight? Free of charge as for the first hour.¡± W-W-W-What!?!? Am I being seduced!? And by prostitutes at that!? ¡°Oh, don¡¯t back up now. I¡¯m sure I can be very gentle¡­or very harsh¡­depending on the misses¡¯ preference.¡±

    ¡°Ah~! No fair! Missa want to service the pretty sister too~!¡± She immediately grabbed my arm in a flash, which startled me very much. I could feel her modest breast touched my arm. Behave yourself! ¡°Hey, sister, let Missa be your partner tonight! Missa promises that Missa will be reeeeal nice~! How¡¯s that, sister?¡±

    W-Why am I being seduced by two girls that looked to be younger than me? What kind of situation is this? I looked at Nerva who just stood there without making any move. He was just grinning at me. Y-You jerk!!! You¡¯re enjoying the situation!

    ¡°Uhm, sorry, but¡­I think I¡¯ll pass for now.¡± I regretted how my voice came out lacked of any persuasive intention in it. I guess the sudden action of those two combined with their words had managed to confuse me and also flustered me too much. That had probably prevented me from making a proper refusal for their¡­questionable offer.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that. It will be an honor to service such a beautiful miss like you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah~! Missa also thinks the same too. Or maybe sister want to do it with the two of us at the same time?¡± W-W-What!? S-Such indecency!! S-Such boldness coming from such a young girl! ¡° Ah, look, Alina! She¡¯s considering my offer, hehehe~¡± W-Where did you see me considering your offer!? Don¡¯t make me into some kind of a pervert that enjoy being toyed with by two younger girls! Or anyone at that matter!

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right, Missa. Maybe we can do it together. I promise we will make you enjoy your time, miss.¡± Now the other girl took my other arm. Unlike her friend, this girl has a slightly more bountiful chest and that made me experience a different firm yet soft sensation on my other arm. ¡°Hey, what do you say?¡±

    ¡°N-No, I d-d-don¡¯t think¨C¡°

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t be like that~!¡±

    ¡°Come on, beautiful miss. Just say the word and you have two angels on your hand.¡± Someone help me! I can¡¯t handle these two!

    ¡°Missa, Alina.¡± A sweet and firm voice entered my ear. I looked to the speaker immediately and found that it was the third girl of the group.

    The moment I laid my eyes on her, I could feel my breath was taken away in an instant. The owner of that sweet voice was a girl that had a tall body that possessed an adequate amount of curve. She let her black hair flow behind her while she walked toward us. Her eyes that shone like a green jewel looked straight onto my eyes, captivating my mind. I doubt any men will be able to stay calm in front of this beauty that seemed to have jumped out of a masterpiece art a maestro has made. ¡°Have you forgotten our way of work, my dear little ones?¡± W-Why did I felt a sudden chill in the back of my neck as I heard her words?

    ¡°N-No, sister Tisena. W-We wouldn¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, at least Missa wouldn¡¯t, dear sister!¡±

    After saying that in a trembling voice, they let me go immediately. I felt a sudden relived that my call for help was answered. But they still stayed near me. To be exact, they stayed on my sides while leaving the area in front of me free for the third girl to see right onto my direction. The girl called Tisena then leaned toward me, which made me instinctively took a step back.

    ¡°My, my, why are you so afraid, milady?¡± She smiled seductively at me. Combined with her sweet and melodious voice, it was a dangerous weapon against a sane man. Even I, a woman, felt slightly taken aback by her manner and way of action. I could feel an intense heat filled my whole face. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, milady. If it is your first time, the three of us will be more than happy to guide you, a beautiful woman, into a pleasant place and sensation few has ever reached.¡± Unknown to me, the woman has placed her slender finger onto my chin. ¡°Certainly, a beauty like you deserves a very beautiful experience too.¡±

    ¡°W-W-What!?¡± I shivered after realizing the peril I¡¯m going to be if I don¡¯t snap out of it. ¡°N-No, thank you f-f-for the offer.¡± Why the stutter? Why the stutter!? Why the damn stutter!?

    ¡°Ahh, don¡¯t be like that, milady.¡± She reduced the distance between us in a mere second and this time placed not only her finger, but her whole soft and smooth palm on my left cheek. ¡°Please rest assured that we can be very gentle. But if milady wants it to be rough, we will gladly be a little rough.¡±

    ¡°If you want to be the one in control, we are in your palm, beautiful miss.¡±

    ¡°Yes~! But becoming the receiving one for all of our affection is also recommended, pretty sister~¡±

    W-W-Why are the two of you joining too!? And why are the two of you so non-nonchalantly holding my hand in the confusion!? I backed off again but felt my back touched the wall behind me. No! I¡¯m cornered!? I glanced at each of their eyes and I felt shiver running on my back. Their eyes gave the same feeling a wild beast stared at their prey. W-W-Wait!? I¡¯m the prey! Cornered and trapped, I felt a sense of danger invaded my mind. I¡¯ve never been in this situation before! I don¡¯t know what to do! I h-have to get away at least! But I shouldn¡¯t hurt any of them. It will be rude of me to do that since they weren¡¯t hurting me or doing anything bad to me in that matter.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    In my moment of confusion, I let my instinct take the control. With a swift jerk of my hand, I managed to get my arms free from the two younger ones¡¯ grasp. Next I jerk my head backward slightly to let the older one¡¯s hand away from my face. Thankfully, my legs had been trained more than enough to get away from any kind of grapple. But the difficult part of this move is to not hurting any of them in process. Without wasting any second, I grabbed her waist and then execute a single swift motion. As if in a dance, I moved as gracefully as I could while still holding the girl named Tisena in my arm. After performing a circular motion, Tisena and I switched place.

    I managed to glance at the three of them who wore dumbfounded expression, clearly not expecting my action. Really now? They thought that I will just accept their offer?

    After releasing my grab on her waist, I moved quickly toward Nerva and positioned myself behind him. I don¡¯t know why I did that. It just that my instinct told me that the next best move would be to stand behind my blind lover. I hope my instinct is right.

    ¡°¡­Hahaha¡­¡± A soft laugh came from Nerva, breaking the three night ladies from their trance. ¡°My dear Eryell, you never failed to surprise me even once.¡±

    His comment made my face flustered. It was not just because of embarrassment, but also a slight fury at the fact that he didn¡¯t even lift a finger when I was being cornered by the three of them. I looked at the tall girl and noticed that she was looking at me with a gentle and warm gaze, complete with a smile on her face. She then put her hands on the other girls¡¯ shoulder and then let out a soft sigh.

    ¡°It seems this one is out of our reach, girls.¡±

    ¡°Eeeh? But Missa wants to service her~!¡± She pouted her mouth, which complemented her cuteness even more. The brunet friend of hers, on the other hand, just let out a smile after giving a shrug.

    ¡°No, Missa.¡± The hand then moved onto the blonde¡¯s hair, ruffling it a bit. ¡°We should respect the lady¡¯s wish. And also Nerva¡¯s.¡± She then threw a smile at our direction. I don¡¯t know why, but I felt a shiver just from her simple action. This woman is dangerous in many ways.

    ¡°¡­Uuuu¡­Okay then.¡± A reply dripping with disappointment came from her mouth.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good girl.¡± She then received another serving of gentle patting on her head. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get back to work, Missa, Alina.¡± The two nodded at her words. ¡°Nerva, milady, we¡¯ll be seeing you later.¡±

    ¡°See you, Tisena, Alina, Missa.¡± Nerva waved at them. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later as usual.¡± I still felt a little scared by them, so I forgot to wave at them or do anything for that matter.

    The three then bowed at us slightly and then turned away to melt into the crowd. I still stayed in my positions with my guard still raised on full alert.

    ¡°You can relax now, my dear Eryell.¡± Nerva¡¯s voice entered my ear. Together with that, I relaxed my mind. But in a split second, I felt something boiling inside my mind. With that, I grabbed his shoulders and then forcefully turned him toward me.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you help me!?¡± I shouted at him while somehow managed to control my voice to avoid attracting attention to us. The last thing I need is to gain unwanted attention from the inhabitant of the area that is filled with questionable establishment. I have only managed to avoid a dangerous situation by a hair¡¯s breadth. I¡¯m not exactly ready to test my luck against any of them any time soon.

    ¡°Oh, that?¡± He kept his calm even after being shouted like that. ¡°I trust that you can get out of that kind of situation eventually.¡±

    ¡°E-Eventually!? So you didn¡¯t even have a single thought of helping me back then!?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, of course I have. Only if the situation has definitely turned out of hand, though. But, I have to confess, I was enjoying it.¡± He let out an awkward laugh. What¡¯s there to laugh! You jerk!

    ¡°What do you mean by that, you jerk!?¡± I tightened my grip, burying my fingers on his shoulder. He let out several yelp of pain but I ignored it. You deserve it!

    ¡°M-My dear E-Eryell, i-it was because of h-hearing them complimenting you like that.¡± Huh? He said that with a slightly awkward tone. ¡°I-I mean, I can¡¯t see your face and f-figure, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± I let out the same question again. But this time, with a slightly more confused tone than before.

    ¡°I m-mean, I n-never know your appearance. Even if I a-ask you, you always say s-something like¨C¡°

    ¡°I¡¯m normal.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah, that.¡± A slight chuckle came out from his mouth. I unconsciously loosened up my grip. Noticing that, he let out a soft sigh. ¡°They praised you so highly. I¡¯m very proud and happy to hear that.¡±

    ¡°¡­They were just giving me empty flattery to trick me into their service.¡± Another chuckle came out from his mouth. It came slightly louder than the previous one. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Ah, those three, I think Eryell wouldn¡¯t know, I suppose. Do you know their nickname?¡±

    ¡°Nickname?¡± He nodded. ¡°How should I know?¡±

    ¡°They are called The Three Diamonds.¡±

    ¡°Huh? So what? Does that mean they are beautiful?¡± He shook his head at my question. So it¡¯s not that simple?

    ¡°No, the term Diamond here doesn¡¯t only mean beautiful. It is meant for they who are far too precious and far too expensive for a simple man to purchase and enjoy. A prize impossible to be attained by a normal being. That is the meaning of their nickname.¡± Really now? ¡°To be able to receive their service, they have two conditions. The first is that they must be either a handsome man or a beautiful woman. The second one is that the other party has to be a ¡®Bright Eyes ¡¯.¡± Hearing his explanation, I could only look at him with a blank expression.

    ¡°Okay¡­I get the first condition.¡± Okay, so they think I¡¯m a pretty one, but what about the other one? ¡°The second condition? What does it mean?¡±

    ¡°The term ¡®Bright Eyes¡¯ is a term used by them, the ¡®Dim Eyes¡¯, for one who have noble upbringing that tried their best to walk the right and pure path of life.¡± Oh, quite a simple meaning. ¡°On the other hand, ¡®Dim Eyes¡¯ is a term used for they who have been, how do I say it, witness and live the dark side of life, voluntarily or not. Mostly not in most cases.¡±

    ¡°So if, let¡¯s just say, I agree to their offer, I will be a ¡®Dim Dweller, too?¡± After hearing that, he let out a small smile. H-Huh?! ¡°No! I wasn¡¯t thinking of accepting their offer at all!¡±

    ¡°N-No, of course not. I didn¡¯t mean that.¡± He immediately waved his hand in panic. ¡°I smiled because you were showing a pure interest in the explanation. Really, just that.¡± He then let out a small cough and he started another one of his explanations. ¡°For that question, no, you don¡¯t. Only they who continued to being drawn by the dim light of the questionable path will only be considered a ¡®Dim Eyes¡¯.¡±

    ¡°This is¡­much more confusing than I thought.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It is just a loose term. It has varied meaning. But for those three, the meaning I just explained is the one they used and believed. So being a noble that has good looks and high standing will not guarantee to have their service.¡±

    ¡°You must be one that is not accustomed to the stuff in here and don¡¯t plan to being accustomed to it. Is that what you mean?¡± He nodded. ¡°That¡¯s quite¡­a very specific way of choosing their customer. And, I know I might regret asking this, but how do they earn their money if they have such a specific condition for a client?¡±

    ¡°Those three has several ¡­how do I call them? Hmm¡­¡± He tapped his chin as he tilted his head slightly. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s it. Underlings. Juniors. They organize them to be able to have a steady supply of customer and also to protect them from being deceived or even killed.¡±

    ¡°What? Those three? Even the one called Missa?¡± I couldn¡¯t believe it. She looked to be so young and playful. The image of her being in control of many other girls really baffled me. But then again, in this line of work and area, looks are deceiving. In this particular case, very, very deceiving indeed.

    ¡°Yes, also Missa.¡± Nerva gave me a nod. ¡°Now do you understand how happy that made me when they considered you a beautiful ¡®Bright Eyes¡¯, my dear Eryell?¡± An honest and wide smile appeared on his face. At that, I felt my face heated up a bit. ¡°But I have to admit I quite regret the fact that I can¡¯t see your beautiful appearance, hehehe¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­You¡­¡± I can¡¯t say it. I can¡¯t say ¡®why do you always have to say something that sounded self-loathing like that¡¯ although it was on the tip of my tongue. Something stopped me from saying that. I don¡¯t know what to be exact. ¡°¡­Nothing¡­¡± I let my hand away from his shoulder. ¡°But I have to say that I felt slightly insulted at what they say in the beginning.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Something in the beginning?¡± He tilted his head to the side as he asked that question. ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°They said that they can¡¯t believe someone like me befriended you.¡± It is as if we are incompatible with each other. I honestly felt insulted at it. ¡°And why aren¡¯t you angry at them?¡± I looked at him after saying that with a rather irritated tone.

    ¡°Oh, that.¡± His voice was calm, unlike mine. ¡°That¡¯s a given since you are a ¡®Bright Eyes¡¯ for them. While I¡¯m a ¡®Dim Eyes¡¯.¡±

    ¡°What? You a ¡®Dim Eyes¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. Is that really so strange? After all¡­,¡± suddenly his voice turned a bit grim,¡± I have lived the majority of my life around this kind of place. For a people of their kind¡­my kind, having a relation with people of your status is quite¡­an achievement. Usually the most of those relations are master and servant. For a ¡®Dim Eyes¡¯ to call a ¡®Bright Eyes¡¯ is almost¡­unheard of.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡­uhm¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t say anything to reply to his answer. I realized that I really don¡¯t know anything about him. Part of it was that he never talked about himself to me, even when we¡¯re alone. But maybe the bigger part of it was that I never thought about asking him. I feared that it might force him to remember painful memory of his past.

    ¡°Ah, never mind that. Forget about it.¡± He waved his hand at me. It seemed that he noticed my moment of silence was caused by his answer. ¡°I don¡¯t really care about that. It was¡­I¡¯m just happy that I¡¯m with you.¡± What were you going to say, Nerva? And why are you showing me a fake smile like that?

    ¡°Nerva, is that¨C¡°

    ¡°WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU SCUMBAGS!??!?!¡±

    A sudden shout stopped my words. The two of use immediately snapped our head toward the direction of the shout. It seemed that the voice came from a nearby building. A few girls could be seen running away from the place with fear visible in their eyes.

    ¡°¡­Oh, good grief.¡± I heard Nerva¡¯s irritated voice came from near me. Then a question surfaced in my mind.

    ¡°Nerva, don¡¯t tell me. You¡­recognized that voice?¡±

    ¡°¡­Unfortunately I do, my dear Eryell.¡± He let out a heavy sigh. ¡°It seems my fear has come true.¡±

    ¡°¡­That friend of yours, eh?¡± He nodded while showing me a wry smile. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t have any other choice.¡±

    ¡°Sadly it is right.¡± He then started to walk toward that particular direction. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    The shady district, ladies and gentlemen. Next there will be a slight action.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 9 - Night Brawl

    Chapter 9 ¡°Night Brawl¡±

    We didn¡¯t need to search for the source of that voice since the amount of crowd was more than enough to act as a landmark for that. While running toward the place, I looked around and noticed that if not because of the crowd, I would probably miss it since the buildings around that place was very similar. It was just a simple wooden building made in a shape of a square that has two floors with a few windows scattered in a uniform way on the wall. On the doorway is an entrance that has a small plank that has a number on it. All of them are completely the same.

    ¡°E-Excuse me!¡± I shouted as I tried to swim my way toward the voice. I glanced back and I noticed Nerva was in the same predicament as me. But why did he make it look easy?

    ¡°Hey! Watch it!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push!¡±

    ¡°Kya!! Where are you touching me!?¡±

    Ignoring the shouts, especially that last one, I continued to swim in the ocean of people. Although the number of people was not so much, but due to the narrow path it was enough to crowd the place. Thankfully, I was tall enough and strong enough to break through the crowd. I also tried my best to not hurt anyone in the process. The last thing I need at this moment is injured people due to my carelessness.

    ¡°Say that again, you whore!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it as many time as I want!¡±

    Woah, thing is getting too heated up too quickly. I really need to get there as soon as possible.

    ¡°Excuse me, coming through!¡± After that last shout, I finally came out of the ocean of onlooker. ¡°W-Waah!¡± I almost fell forward due to using excessive force to push through the crowd. I straightened myself and looked to my side and found Nerva standing without an ounce of fatigue. How did he do that? This guy is really amazing.

    ¡°Tch! She¡¯s already making trouble.¡± I heard him muttered that under his breath.

    With that word, my attention was sent toward the scene in front of me. My eyes immediately fell on a group of a five men that was in the middle of a heated argument against a tall woman that was standing in front of a crouching girl.

    I examined the first party that consisted of five males and found that all of them wore a set of dirty looking set of leather armor. From their ragged appearance, I could guess that all of them were either mercenary or bodyguard for a passing caravan that stayed in this town. I also noticed that at least three of them had a sheathed sword on their belt. The other two looked unarmed but I doubt that is the case. There is a high possibility that they are carrying concealed weapon such a dagger or short sword hidden under their armor.

    I then shifted my attention to the opposing party. At first, I examined the crouching girl. She has a slightly long brunet hair that seemed to be dirtied by dirt. I also noticed that she was holding her cheeks. Is that¡­a bruise? Oh, so she was probably hurt by the men there. Ugh, this is a typical situation in here. I often heard report from my soldiers that patrol here that situation where the customer treated their ¡®companion¡¯ roughly to the extent of injuring them. Usually the guard was more than enough to stop the problem before it escalated into something out of control. I guess this time the guard didn¡¯t get here fast enough. Ugh, I¡¯ll have to reorganize their route next time. Even though it is not something big, but I hate to hear a report that a fight breakout in this part of the town, or any part of town in that matter.

    ¡°B-Big s-sis, i-it¡¯s allright¡­¡±

    ¡°Shh! Don¡¯t worry, dear.¡± The woman in front of the girl smiled at her while shielding her further from the men¡¯s view.

    I moved my view to the woman in question. At first, I thought that the owner of that loud voice would be a rather big and rough looking woman. I couldn¡¯t be more wrong. The woman in question has an appearance that wouldn¡¯t lose against the Three Diamonds any time. She has a pair of long slender leg that is wrapped with a brown pair of tight looking pants and a pair of black tall boots on the bottom. On her top she wore a brown and red jacket that emphasized her chest, which was quite on the large side. I also noticed the design of her jacket was quite¡­unique. A lot of straps could be found on her sleeves and the area around her stomach.

    As my gaze traveled upward, I was taken aback by her face that showed perfectly chiseled features as if she came out of a statue made by a master sculptor. Or maybe even by a great deity at that. While her face showed a beauty, her hair that possessed the burning color of fiery amber gave her a gallant aura worthy of a huntress. And just like what Nerva mentioned, there are a few strands of white on her long hair. A combination of beauty and gallantness. Such a magnificent person.

    ¡°Leave her to us and we¡¯ll forgive you!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make us angry, you whore!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll regret trying to pick a fight with us!¡±

    Torrent of provocations was thrown by the group of five toward the woman. The woman just sneered at their cheap and petty provocation, showing not a bit of fear. She shielded the girl even more as he girl was trembling visibly under the pressing aura of the men. I pity the girl and I am tempted to just jump into the commotion and beat the men away.

    ¡°Wait.¡± But I was stopped Nerva that put his arm to prevented me from rushing to them. ¡°Stay down. There¡¯s no need to get your hands dirty, Eryell.¡±

    ¡°And what do you suggest?¡± I could hardly keep my temper at bay at his words. Although I tried my best to keep my voice down, my emotion probably leaked out enough for him to notice. ¡°This is a crime and it is my responsibility to deal with it!¡±

    ¡°No, this hasn¡¯t yet become a crime.¡± Huh? What is he talking about? ¡°Each of them didn¡¯t make any move that could be deemed as a crime. Besides, there are too many people here and I doubt all of them are just innocent onlooker.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What do y¨CN-No way!¡± I immediately realized what he meant by that. ¡°Their friend might be among them?¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± He nodded. ¡°I¡­could detect their presence among the crowd. Don¡¯t turn around!¡± He immediately grabbed my hand to preventing me from doing that. ¡°They¡¯re near us.¡±

    ¡°¡­How many?¡±

    ¡°About¡­one¡­three¡­five.¡± What!? That many? And I didn¡¯t notice any of them. ¡°You can¡¯t notice them as they didn¡¯t let out a killing intent.¡± Ugh, he read me again. Kind of annoying whenever he did that.

    ¡°So what are we going to do?¡± I¡¯m certainly not going to let those scum do whatever they want!

    ¡°Just like what you do at your hunting trip.¡± Huh? What I do at my hunting trip? Sensing my obvious confusion, he smiled at me. ¡°Observe, my dear Eryell. And then, we¡¯ll strike at the right time.¡±

    ¡°Just that!?¡± I almost couldn¡¯t keep my voice down. After saying that, I felt his hand squeezed mine.

    ¡°Patient, my dear Eryell. We are not waging a war here. In fact, our only mission is to get her, nothing else.¡° I immediately frowned at his words. ¡°Although, saving that girl is not a bad deal too.¡± Of course it is not! In fact, I actually care to help the girl more than that woman. ¡°But for now, we wait. Don¡¯t make yourself too obvious.¡± He then stepped in front of me and then shifted his full attention toward the commotion in front of us. Although I have a lot to complain, I felt that his plan might be the best at the moment. Because of that, I just kept quiet for now.

    ¡°Young lady, do excuse our behavior.¡± A sudden voice came from the man that stood in the rear most of the group of five. As he stepped forward, the other three that has been arguing with the woman made way for him. He looked to be the leader of the group judging from the way he talk and also from the action of the other three. ¡°We are just¡­how do you say it, impatient. A tiring full day of working has made us a bit impatient and with that¡­we have become boorish.¡± The man, clearly trying to be as calm as possible, kept talking. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean that you, young lady, can just take our¡­entertainer away like that. So if you can give her back, we can forget all of this and let us all enjoy the night. What do you say? Isn¡¯t that the best option for all of us, young lady?¡±

    A moment of silence came and it seemed that the tension was lessened. I glanced around and noticed that some of the onlooker let out a breath of relief as it seemed the commotion can be solve in a civilized manner. But I, on the other hand, felt a bit unconvinced about that. I looked at Nerva, but he just stood there in silence, not showing any kind of reaction.

    ¡°Eww, disgusting!¡±

    ¡°W-What!?¡±

    The crowd all gasped in surprise at what they heard. Just like them, I also showed the same reaction. All eyes immediately focused on the woman that looked at the group of men, winching in apparent displeasure. She looked at them as if looking at a disgusting pile of trash.

    ¡°Trying to sound all civilized? Ugh, your effort was¡­eww!¡± She didn¡¯t finish her sentence. Her arms then hugged herself and her body shivered a bit. ¡°Ugh¡­that really made me shiver. Can any of you be more disgusting? Try to look at yourself in the mirror, you idiots. Don¡¯t try to act like what you aren¡¯t.¡± She waved her hand at them while throwing insulting remarks like it was a normal action. The man, especially the leader of them, showed a very furious expression. With reddened face due to the mix of embarrassment and anger, their hands were trembling. Their eyes were glaring at her with a single obvious intention. Kill. I could know that since their looks reminded me of an angered beast.

    ¡°Tch!¡± I glanced at the source of that sound. ¡°She¡¯s letting her mouth ran wild again.¡± I felt displeasure from Nerva¡¯s voice. From what he said, it seems that the woman, whoever she is, really has the tendency to turn an ugly situation much uglier just by using her mouth. I could only smile wryly at his comment.

    ¡°What now, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± His reply was short but firm. I actually envied his ability to stay calm in a heated situation. I, on the other hand, will probably lash out immediately. It is a bad habit of mine that my sister and Nerva has always reminded me to take care off as soon as possible.

    ¡°Y-You damn whore!¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s more like it.¡± Instead of becoming scared after being shouted like that by the whole group, the woman put on a wide smile without any sign of fear. ¡°You barbaric guy really suited that way of thinking and talking, you know? Oh, I mean that you better stay away from trying to use polite language and fancy stuff. It¡¯s just doesn¡¯t suit you at all. Sorry if I made that hard to understand for you. Silly me.¡± After hurling those insults, the woman let out a giggle that unfitting for the kind of situation she is in.

    ¡°How dare you!?¡± One of them shouted the loudest than the other. ¡°I¡¯ll cut that mouth of yours!¡±

    ¡°Oh, good, good.¡± She nodded several times while crossing her arms. ¡°That kind of rustic and simple insult is very suitable for your ugly and disgusting appearance. Ah, but maybe try to look angrier. Meaner and more intimidating. Hmm, but then again¡­¡± She paused and then tilted her head. ¡°Is that even possible? I mean with your weak look and¡­ah, yes, yes, that¡¯s impossible. Sorry about that.¡±

    ¡°¡­B-Big s-s-s-sis¡­¡± I could hear the little girl looked at her with a pale face. I actually shared her opinion. Is this woman really right on the head? She kept throwing insult after insult like it was a normal conversation. And to make matter worse, those were insults delivered without a sign of insulting.

    The effect was to be expected.

    ¡°Y-You bitch!!!¡± Metallic sound resounded from the direction of the men as they unsheathed their sword. Each and every one of them showed their intention of killing the read haired woman. I felt my whole body tensed as their bloodlust filled the air. Some of the onlookers have fled the scene, not wanting to risk themselves getting hurt. In the end, the crowd has reduced to only a dozen people, I and Nerva included. There is a high chance that most of the people here are the five men¡¯s comrades, which make this into a much more dangerous situation than it already is.

    ¡°Wow! Now that¡¯s more like it! Hahaha!¡± A loud laugh escaped her mouth. Facing a group of armed men like that the woman didn¡¯t faze a bit. It was either a sign of bravery or stupidity, I don¡¯t really know. But her next move will probably tell me more. ¡°Stand back, girl. This will get dangerous.¡± An excited grin spread on her face. The girl didn¡¯t take long to think for a respond. She immediately got up with a wobbly leg and get behind the building, peeking slightly on to the would-be-battlefield. ¡°Since I¡¯m in a good mood, I¡¯ll take care of you quickly. How¡¯s that?¡±

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.¡°You¡¯ll regret underestimating us!¡±

    ¡°Hah! Underestimating? Aren¡¯t I taking you as a fair fight by using my weapon? Bah! Whatever! Get ready, you scum!¡± Her hand then reached onto her back, as if trying to pull out something. I never noticed that she had a weapon.

    ¡°Tch!¡± As I heard a clicking noise from near me, I turned my head toward Nerva. ¡°Troublesome fellow.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Nerva?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Eryell, I will do this alone.¡±

    ¡°H-Huh? What do yo¨Chey! Nerva! Nerva!¡± I shouted as I saw him jump right onto the battlefield.

    Of course, the addition of a new person in the already heated situation certainly startled both parties in question.

    ¡°Who the damn are you?!¡±

    ¡°N-Nerva?¡±

    While the two showed a very different reaction about his appearance, it was clear that his appearance wasn¡¯t expected by any of them. I even heard a sudden gasp from the onlookers around me.

    ¡°¡­You troublesome fellow.¡±

    ¡°W-What!? Why are y¨CGUH!!¡± He didn¡¯t let her finish her sentence by delivering a straight jab right onto the middle of her chest with his walking stick, incapacitating her in a split second. The red haired woman fell forward and he caught her inches before her head meet the ground. He then lifted her up and put her on his shoulder.

    ¡°I should do this from the start.¡± I could hear him muttering, although only slightly. He then walked toward me without minding the stares that were thrown at him. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said after he got closer to me.

    ¡°O-Oh, right.¡± My response came out as a stutter. Before we could take another step to leave the place, we found five men surround us. It was not the previous group, but their comrade who were mixed into the onlooker. I could see the ones who are not with them just looked at us and then distanced themselves from us.

    ¡°Wow, wow, wow there.¡± A voice came from behind us. The two of us turned around and found one of the five, the one that shouted the loudest, looked at us with disgust and contempt. ¡°Do you think that you can get away just like that? It doesn¡¯t work like that.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, please excuse us, my good men.¡± Nerva said to him calmly. ¡°I apologize if my friend here cause you trouble. She is, after all, just a hot headed idiot.¡±

    ¡°Well, that hotheaded idiot friend of yours insulted us. And we feel that she needs to make amend with us.¡± He then let out a creepy snicker at us. Ugh, I know these kind of guy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t hurt you. Just leave her to us and we will¡­have a nice and long night with her.¡±

    ¡°Please, my good men, can you all find it in your heart to forgive this foolish woman? Surely a man of your caliber wouldn¡¯t take a fool¡¯s words into their heart, right?¡± Ugh, I know that Nerva tried to reason with them, but hearing him using polite tone against this bunch of scum¡­just doesn¡¯t sit right with me.

    ¡°Hahaha, nice try. But no can do.¡± He shook his head. His friends then snickered at Nerva. ¡°A fool or not, we demand compensation from her. Or maybe¡­¡± I felt his sight moved to me. That made me shivered instinctively. ¡°How about your friends here entertain us? The more the merrier, right?¡± The man and his friends let out a laugh after he said that.

    I felt my blood boils with anger. Even if Nerva tried to reason with them, I will not! How dare they look down on us!? Even if I¡¯m wearing my civilian clothes, that doesn¡¯t mean they can underestimate me like that! I will teach them a lesson they will not forget any time soon! I guarantee that!

    ¡°¡­Oh, really?¡± But before I could pull out my weapon, I felt a sudden change around me. I glanced around and noticed that I was not alone in that. The group of men walked back instinctively while the unrelated onlooker paled in fear. I then looked to my close companion and saw that his smile was nowhere to be seen. His expression was cold, as cold as the air around us. ¡°So¡­you want to take her with you?¡± He tilted his head and then slowly put down the woman onto the ground gently. ¡°Is that true?¡±

    ¡°H-Hah? O-Of course it is true!¡± Hey, hey! If you¡¯re sure, don¡¯t stutter! Or is he just trying to act tough? Probably that. ¡°So just leave those two here and you can go free!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Nerva tilted his head again. His voice grew colder and I felt a sense of danger in it. I don¡¯t know how I can feel that, but that is what I felt from hearing his voice alone. ¡° So¡­if I don¡¯t comply, then¡­hmm¡­ten of you will beat me up, right? You will win, right? You will have number of your side, right?¡±

    The man looked at Nerva with a confused expression, not knowing why he was questioned with such questions. Just like them, I was also confused by what Nerva asked. It sounded like simple but weird questions, but at the same time it felt like his words were tests. For what, I couldn¡¯t know at the moment.

    ¡°Y-Yeah! You will be beaten up by us! You hear that?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see. Then.¡± He tapped his stick onto the ground. Together with that, an invisible wave rippled throughout the air. I didn¡¯t see it, but I could sense it.

    The moment I sensed the wave, a surge of chilling terror that my body had never came across with invaded my mind and soul. It was so chilling, that my body started to tremble and shiver. No, it was not a sign of the cold temperature, it was a sign that something has happened. Once again, it seems that I was not the only one that felt the sudden change. I confirmed that as I glanced around and noticed the people showed similar reaction.

    Without able to understand completely what just happened, I felt my whole body become heavy and sluggish, as if a load of lead was strapped on my whole body. Not only that, my vision also blurred slightly for a second. But then it became worse. While the chill had not worsened, my mouth felt dry and sour and the back of my throat ached. Dizziness also invaded my head after that. I¡¯m still puzzled at what happened.

    ¡°¡­Urgh¡­¡± Groan and moan resounded all around us. As I looked for the source, I found that almost all the onlooker has fainted while the men that threatened us has either fell onto their knees with watery eyes and terrible complexion or crouching while holding their own trembling body with the addition of paled and empty gazes. It was a sight I have never seen in the entirety of my life.

    ¡°So¡­why are you crouching down?¡± A voice that instill fear and dread resounded in the air. I turned to my side and found Nerva walking leisurely toward him. He could stand as usual? He didn¡¯t get affected? So¡­he¡¯s the one doing this? B-But how? ¡°Stand up¡± But the man in front of him didn¡¯t budge, only a slight trembling could be seen from him. ¡°Stand up.¡± No change from him. ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Nerva then raised his walking cane slightly. I felt a sudden fear that he was going to kill the man. No matter how I hated and despised that kind of guy, killing is not a proper punishment for them. I opened my mouth to stop him but my voice failed to come out. Only a slight groan escaped my mouth.

    ¡°W-W-What ar¨CAAAARRRGGGHHH!!!¡± A loud scream echoed all of a sudden. The one who screamed was the man that has become Nerva¡¯s target. I was dumbfounded at what I saw. To my relief, Nerva didn¡¯t hit him or anything, but just poked him slightly on the area around his leg. But that was enough to make him scream like that and fell on the ground while holding his leg? ¡°I-I-IT H-H-HURTTS!!!!¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Nerva then poked his hand that held his leg.

    ¡°GUUUAARRGGHH!!!¡± Another painful scream erupted from the man. This time, he rolled with his hand being held by his other hand. ¡°I c-c-can¡¯t feel my h¨CGAAARRGHH!!!¡± Before he could finish his words, another scream came. This time it was because Nerva has struck the other hand. ¡°P-Please h-h-have mer¨CAAARRGHH!¡± This time, Nerva¡¯s cane has landed on the man¡¯s other leg. ¡°I-I c-c-can¡¯t¡­f-feel¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Nerva then reached out to him and grabbed the man¡¯s hand. Without saying anything, he swung the arm up, lifting him onto the air. While still in mid-air, Nerva pulled the man¡¯s arm down, slamming him onto the ground. I flinched at that sight and the sound of heavy impact.

    ¡°...guh¡­¡± No scream came from him after that impact. Only a small whimpering came from him.

    ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± After saying the same thing again with a cold and merciless tone, Nerva pointed his hand onto the man¡¯s leg and then lifted it the same way again. But instead of slamming him onto the ground once, he did the same thing thrice. I couldn¡¯t watch the brutality that was happening in front of me and I averted my eyes.

    ¡°¡­p¡­p¡­lease¡­¡± Only a quiet pleading could be heard from the man. I looked at him again and noticed that there wasn¡¯t a lot of blood from all that carnage. Although some scratches could be seen from him, chances are that he had a couple of broken bones here and there.

    ¡°Y-You bastard!¡± I heard a shout from one of his companion and found that he was able to stand up. With his sword pointed at Nerva, he charged at him. ¡°Die!¡± The enraged man managed to get closer to Nerva, but his blade was parried aside effortlessly by the silent Nerva. ¡°W-What? H-Ho¨CARRGHHH!!!¡± The attacker become the victim and found himself writhing on the ground helplessly. A split second after Nerva parried his sword he poked both of his leg. I don¡¯t know what exactly he did to him. All I know is that it was deadly effective in term of incapacitating opponent. ¡°M-My legs! I c-c-c-can¡¯t feel th¨CAAARRRG!¡± Another scream erupted from him due to Nerva poked both of his arm. Now the enraged man has joined his friend writhing on the ground like a dead fish.

    ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± I felt another chill attacked my body as I heard his voice. He picked up his latest opponent and then threw him next to his previous one. It was thrown a bit rough that I could even hear a crunching sound from him. Ugh! This is¡­too much. ¡°Nobody wants to join?¡± He scanned the area, but the other men, completely terrified by what they have seen, were too afraid to give any single response. ¡°Then shall we finish it then?¡± W-What? What did he mean by that? O-Oh no! He pointed his cane toward the first man¡¯s chest. If that move of his could stop them feeling their limb, then if he did the same move on their chest then¡­I have to stop him!

    ¡°N-N-Ner¡­va¡± No matter how hard I tried, I couldn¡¯t muster enough strength to let out a shout. ¡°N-Ner¡­va¡­¡± But I kept trying, hoping that he could hear me. ¡°S¡­Stop¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± Ah! He reacted! I have to shout louder.

    ¡°N-Ner¡­Nerva¡­S¡­S¡­.S¡­Stop¡­¡± But all I could manage was just a broken sentence with a quiet voice. ¡°¡­Pl¡­Please¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Tch!¡± He then put down his cane and just settled to kick both of them so that the two was laid with their body spread open. A small thumping sound was made as Nerva tapped his cane onto the ground. Just like before, an invisible wave rippled and I could feel my condition improved.

    ¡°Ugh¡­*cough*¡­¡± After letting out a cough, I could finally stand up, although still with a wobbly stance. ¡°Nerva¡­¡± I called him while looking at him with uncertain eyes. I felt that his back that facing me felt cold and distant. It was not the back of someone I know. ¡°Are you¡­okay?¡± I scolded myself mentally as my tone came out as a scared one.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡± He then turned around and walked toward me. I couldn¡¯t help but flinched the moment he turned toward me. Unfortunately, Nerva noticed that judging from his sudden change of expression. Although it only lasted for a few seconds that was enough to tell me that he was actually hurt by my reaction. ¡°You guys.¡± Without turning around, he addressed the fallen men that have started to stand up.

    ¡°Y-Yes?¡±

    ¡°Keep your mouth shut tightly or you¡¯ll lose yours.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes! Understood!¡± Without an ounce of hesitation, they all gave an agreement to his merciless sentence.

    ¡°Eryell.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes?¡± Once again I scolded myself mentally at that tone of mine. And just like before, a slight pain could be seen from his face.

    ¡°Could you¡­give some money to the girl from before?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll need it. To buy new clothes. And¡­to calm herself down.¡±

    ¡°O-Oh, okay.¡± I then immediately ran toward the girl that hid herself not long ago. I approached her and I finally realized what he meant by that. The girl, although looked calm, was shaking profusely and under her was a puddle of slightly yellowish liquid. I could only smile wryly at how accurate Nerva senses were.

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    Actions! If you can call it. It was rather one-sidedly.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 10 - Night Conversation

    Chapter 10 ¡°Night Conversation¡±

    ¡°¡­Are you going to lay her on the bed?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Nerva answered me right away. ¡°There¡¯s no way I will let this fellow on my bed. Ever.¡±

    ¡°E-Eh? O-Okay¡­¡± I was quite shocked to hear him said that with such a harsh tone. I guess the two have some history, right? Usually I will proceed to ask him in quite detail but¡­I glanced at him and felt the same feeling from before again. Fear.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°H-Huh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m calm now.¡±

    ¡°O-Oh, y-yeah.¡± Ugh! Damn my stuttering! I cursed myself as I was the one that failed to calm myself.

    After looking at his¡­fight¡­no, that cannot be called a fight at all. That was just a massacre. A torture. I¡¯ve never seen him like that before. And I felt¡­scared. I¡¯m scared of him. And the worst part of it is¡­He knew it. He realized it very well. Even if I¡¯m being silent, he still realized it very well. That is his ability.

    ¡°Come in and wait for a while,¡± said Nerva as he opened the door of his house. ¡°Make yourself at home. And¡­please calm yourself.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Hearing that last part of his sentence really made me feel my heart painful. The tone of his that filled with guilt didn¡¯t help one bit too.

    After entering his house, I realized once again how modest this man lived. Although grandfather has offered to provide him a much better accommodation, he refused it very politely. He chose to live in this run down house that is quite far away from the center of the town. Although I couldn¡¯t call it remote, it is quite far from the main street. At most, there are only about three more houses near here.

    Then after I stepped right into his living room, I couldn¡¯t help but feeling that this man really live a very frugal life. Besides the essential as a pair of chair and table, I have not seen anything else. The relatively large cupboard might be the only thing that looked rather out of place here since it was given to him by my older sister. The reason is because we don¡¯t have enough room since we ordered a new one. Besides that, the house feels rather empty. I¡¯ve seen the second floor too and it certainly is in the same condition as the first floor.

    Although the house is empty, it is very clean. It is so clean that I think that my family mansion¡¯s maid should learn one or two things from him. The wooden floor is spotless and the surface of the table seems to be devoid of any sign of dust. It was such a strange thing for a blind person like him to be able to clean so thoroughly.

    My hand reached onto the chair and then I pulled it toward myself. It made a slightly creaking sound as I sat on it. Why doesn¡¯t he buy a new chair? This old stuff is almost unusable. But then again, what do I expect from a man that still wore a worn out coat without showing a single sign of discomfort. I let out a sigh after realizing that.

    As I sat there waiting for him, my eyes fell on to one of his spare cane that he left near the door. The moment I noticed that object, a feel a wave of dread spread all over my body. Together with that, the memory of Nerva dealing with those thugs resurfaced in my mind.

    ¡°..N-No¡­s-stop¡­¡± My muffled voice came out worse than I expected. Together with my breathing that has gone rugged and short, the previous calmness that I had achieved by thinking mundane things was blown away completely. My hands moved to hug my own body to calm myself down.

    ¡°¡­Eryell¡­¡± Hearing a sudden voice, I abruptly stood up and turned around to face the source of the voice.

    ¡°N-N-Nerva!¡± I was in so much panic that I made the chair fell over, producing a very loud thumping sound. ¡°T-The chair! S-Sorry about that.¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± His voice was so weak and tired. And if I know him, I know the cause of that. Me. ¡°She¡¯ll wake up soon. It will be enough time for me to hear what you want to report.¡±

    ¡°Report?¡± What did he mean by report?...¡±Oh! That report!¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­That report.¡±

    ¡°Err¡­ehm..let¡¯s see.¡± After recomposing myself as best as I could, I picked up the chair and sat on it again before starting my explanation while Nerva kept himself distance from me. With his back leaned onto the wall, he kept tapping on his cane while listening to my explanation.

    From time to time, I glanced at his face to try to see what he was thinking. But all I ever get from his face was a face that showed almost no expression at all. It was quite strange to see him like that. But maybe that was his usual expression. I was just feeling that since I¡¯m conscious of his feeling due to the recent experience on the brothel district.

    ¡°What is it, Eryell?¡±

    ¡°E-Eh?N-No! N-Nothing!¡± Curse my stuttering! Why can¡¯t I be calmer? I really hate this side of mine that quickly show my emotion to the open so easily.

    ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± And what I heard due to my inability to hide my emotion was a pained tone from him. I scolded myself mentally again after hearing that. ¡°Is that all, Eryell?¡±

    ¡°That is all, Nerva.¡± I nodded. ¡°Just as you suggested, we will hide our operation as best as possible while maintaining a tight security on each key position on the town. Our focus will also switch from the outer ring into the inner ring to defend. For the outer ring we will focus on deploying scout and ranger with primary mission of surveillance from the cover.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. Place the newly trained sentry in a group of five so that they can react better. The last thing we want is our personnel being plucked one by one from the dark.¡±

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll instruct them right away in the morning for their next shift.¡±

    ¡°And be careful in hiring more men. They might also work with the underground movement. We should also monitor our personnel much closely since the chance of them already being in our rank is too high to be ignored.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, got it. I¡¯ll deliver that message to my older sister later.¡±

    ¡°Good. And¡­¡± He stopped tapping his cane. This action of his startled me as the surrounding became eerily silent. ¡°¡­You are still not calm.¡±

    ¡°E-Eh!?¡± He then let out a sigh.

    ¡°¡­Not that I blame you or anything.¡±

    ¡°N-Nerva it isn¡¯t li¨C¡°

    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡­understand it.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°No.¡± He shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to be sorry about. You¡¯ve done nothing wrong. Instead¡­¡± He grabbed his head and let out a slight groan. ¡°I¡­have been doing nothing but mistakes this night.¡± Is he also including the time when I misunderstood him before we gone to the brothel district? I guess¡­No, I can¡¯t really call it his mistake. That was just me misunderstanding him. But¡­he didn¡¯t tell me about his secret, so I guess that is¡­his mistake? Ugh¡­my head and heart is not in the right condition to make a proper thought.

    ¡°I¡­w-wouldn¡¯t call it a mistake, Nerva.¡± I guess I can¡¯t really put all the blame on him, right?

    ¡°¡­And why is that, Eryell?¡±

    ¡°¡­Ehm¡­at the time you were facing those thugs, you were just angry at him for insulting me and your friend, right? I guess¡­I shouldn¡¯t really blame you for that. In fact¡­I should thank you, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­You are too kind, Eryell.¡± He muttered under his breath in an almost inaudible voice. ¡°Really¡­too kind.¡±

    ¡°And¡­I think that you chose the best move, right? I mean, you choose to save all of them in the end. Your friend, that little girl, and me included.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So I can¡¯t really call that your mis¨C¡°

    ¡°Then why are you still scared of him, milady?¡±

    ¡°W-What!?¡± A sudden female voice mixed into our conversation. I shifted my head to the direction of the voice and found the woman from before stood on the entrance of the room. Her eyes that shared the color of her amber hair stared at me.

    ¡°¡­You have woken up.¡±

    ¡°Like you don¡¯t know.¡± She sneered at him. ¡°Ah, forgive me for not introducing myself. I am Cyrielle Natine, Nerva¡¯s comrade.¡± She then does a slight curtsy while bowing her head toward me. It was done in such a way that could be considered to be a fruit of detailed and thorough practice befit of a noble lady. ¡°Pleased to meet your acquaintance, milady.¡±

    ¡°A-Ah, the pleasure is all mine, Miss Natine.¡± I abruptly stood up and bowed to her. Ugh, I felt rather defeated by her in term of etiquette and it is on our first meeting. I have made a bad first impression. ¡°My name is Eryell Reystone, Nerva¡¯s superior and also one of the captains of the town¡¯s militia.¡±

    ¡°Once again it is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Reystone. Please feel free to call me Cyrielle.¡±

    ¡°Ah, understood, Miss Nat¨CCyrielle.¡± She then gave me a smile that could be considered one of the best smiles I have ever seen in my entire life. But for unknown reason, that smile put me very uneasy.

    ¡°Before we get back to the conversation, may I tell you one thing, Lady Reystone?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I hate a lies.¡± Her tone was calm and composed. But somehow that short sentence pierced right through my mind and left me shocked. ¡°Very much so since I have seen far enough of it in my short course of life. Do you share my opinion, milady?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±

    ¡°Ah, very nice. It is so hard to find someone who truly hate lies and stick to the truth.¡± She then smiles at me again. But for some reasons that smile of her that time felt chilling. ¡°And you, milady, is not one of them.¡±

    ¡°W-What?!¡± I certainly didn¡¯t expect her to say that bluntly. ¡°And w-what is your reason for that?¡±

    ¡°Oh dear, milady doesn¡¯t realize it? Then may I state the reason for you?¡± She smiled again at me. It was the same smile that felt devoid of any good intention. It was cold and unforgiving. ¡°Milady said that what he did isn¡¯t a mistake. It came straight out of milady¡¯s lips. But did it come from milady¡¯s mind?¡± My body stiffened after hearing her words. ¡°Does it come from milady¡¯s heart?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, it does c¨C¡°

    ¡°If milady insisted it so much, do try to say it again while looking straight at my eyes.¡±

    ¡°E-Eh? Looking at¨CW-What!?¡± I let out a sudden shout as in a split second her face was inches away from my own. I was left dumbstruck by her inhumane speed, but I was unable to even started thinking how she did that. It was because I was too preoccupied at looking at her eyes.

    Her amber colored eyes gazed straight into my own pair of eyes. They are very beautiful and alluring, bewitching even. But¡­they planted fear and uncertainty into my soul. I was unable to say anything else as her gaze locked onto mine.

    ¡°Milady can shape many words into so many beautiful reasons that might seem sufficed to hide milady¡¯s true feeling. None of them are lies, but milady also realized that, none of them are the real truth either.¡± She then moved away from me. ¡°Whatever it is, to a simple person like me, as long as it didn¡¯t contain the real truth, they are lies.¡±

    ¡°B-But I still think that what he did was¨C¡°

    ¡°Not a mistake. True. But milady, do you approve of his action? Do you truly feel relieved that he helped you that way? Do you feel delighted that he beat the living daylight of those barbaric thugs that threaten you? Do you truly believe that in milady¡¯s mind, Nerva¡¯s action was the most correct?¡±

    ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t answer that. At that, I felt my hand fell onto my side. She¡­read me completely.

    ¡°Enough, Cyrielle.¡± Nerva¡¯s calm and cold voice boomed in the silent house. ¡°Not another word out of you.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, but I¡¯m just trying to¨C¡°

    ¡°Enough.¡± His voice silenced her completely. His tone was so foreign for me. It felt very unforgiving. ¡°Do not make me repeat myself.¡±

    ¡°¡­Tch¡­¡± After that, she went quiet and stood next to him, as if that was a natural thing to do. After that, she kept staring at me. No, the more suitable word is glaring. She kept glaring at me.

    Under her glare, I felt¡­weak. She was able to read me completely. There was not even a word that she said about me that was false. She was able to say all of that just from a first glance. As I pondered that, I remembered that Nerva didn¡¯t say anything against my opinion. Did he¡­noticed that too? I¡­ugh¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day, shall we?¡± Nerva broke the silence in the room again. He walked toward me. ¡°I¡¯ll escort you back.¡± As he closed in to me, I saw him halted his feet. ¡°¡­¡±

    What happened? Why did you stop? As I looked at him, I noticed that he was looking at me while slightly gritting his teeth in silence. That action made me confused. I moved my gaze at the woman on the wall and saw her looking at me with a very sharp look. Why?

    Ah¡­I¡­realized what I did. I¡­backed away from him that time. When he was nearing me, I took a step back unknowingly. Is that a sign of how scared I am? Of how I really felt against him? Against Nerva? I-Is that why he looked hurt? I¡­No¡­ I j-just¨C

    ¡°Eryell.¡± His word startled me as I was starting to panic. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Calm down.¡± He then reached his hand forward, waiting for me to grab it. At first, I was conflicted. Should I? Could I? But¡­I reached onto his hand and grabbed his in the end. ¡°Let¡¯s get you home. You¡¯ve been on a long day today.¡± His gentle voice felt slightly forced for me, that it pained me to hear that. But I also realized that it was more painful for him than me.

    ¡°¡­Thanks¡­¡± Although I only mumbled that, I really hoped that he heard that.

    ¡°Cyrielle, I will be gone for a while. Don¡¯t go anywhere.¡±

    ¡°Okaaay~¡± After letting out a carefree response, she looked at me. I flinched the moment her sharp glare came into my eyes. ¡°Then I will be seeing you later, milady.¡± Once again, she did a slight curtsy with a bow.

    ¡°A-Ah, yes.¡±

    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t apologize for what I¡¯ve said.¡±

    ¡°E-Eh?¡± Although her voice was barely inaudible, for some reason I managed to receive the whole message completely. At that, I couldn¡¯t do anything but to give a weak nod.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go, Eryell.¡± He then tugged my hand to get me out of the house and out of the uncomfortable atmosphere.

    <hr />

    While we walk toward my mansion, I noticed that we walked in a very slow pace. I don¡¯t really know whether it was I that followed his slow pace or it was him that tried to accommodate my slow pace. No matter the real reason, the fact was that the supposed to be short walk turned into a relatively long walk.

    Not only long, the walk had become a very suffocating experience. That was due to neither of us opening our mouth to say anything. Along the silent road, Nerva just kept pulling my hand without looking back at me. Usually, he would start a conversation, no matter how mundane the topic was. He was not one who keeps being silent like this. For me¡­this is suffocating. And painful.

    ¡°¡­Why are you being silence?¡± E-Eh? W-Why did I blurt that out? That was supposed to be only in my mind. As I held my mouth right after I said that, he stopped walking. I instinctively stiffen after seeing that.

    For a few moments, he just stood there without saying anything. I couldn¡¯t see his face at all. The only thing I could see was his back that somehow looked very different. His figure, usually proud and confident, emitted not a single trace of that. The Nerva in front of me looked so frail and¡­well, empty. It was like he tried to hold everything inside. It pained me that I couldn¡¯t do anything to make him feel better. Instead, I just made it worse for him.

    All of a sudden, his grip on my hand tightened slightly.

    ¡°¡­For which one?¡± He asked without turning his back to me.

    ¡°For which one?¡± That was unexpected. I didn¡¯t know what he meant by that. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°¡­You asked me the reason for being silence.¡± He then turned his head to face me. ¡°I have been silence when we were walking until now. And I¡¯ve also being silence when I heard your words.¡±

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°¡­Nerva¡­¡± I was surprised. And also astonished. He didn¡¯t try to get out of the delicate topic by diverting the topic onto something else. He didn¡¯t even try to hide anything. His tone was devoid of any hesitation. I¡¯m¡­utterly impressed at how he tried to face this. ¡°¡­When¡­I said all those words first.¡±

    ¡°I will not lie. I was silence because I¡­think you were¡­not saying the truth.¡± Although I very much expected him to realize that, why did I still feel surprised to hear that? It was still painful to hear that I that proclaimed to hate lies¡­had lied to him. ¡°It was not exactly lies. But¡­they were also not the truth.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see¡­¡± I felt a slight nausea after hearing that. After I let out a breath, it felt slightly better, but still uncomfortable. ¡°I guess that you realized it after all.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, I did.¡± He, who had said to me that he will not lie, said that with firm tone. ¡°You didn¡¯t agree at what I did. You felt that there is another way of dealing with them. A much better way than the way I did it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah¡­yes.¡±

    ¡°Please bear in mind, Eryell, that I will not blame you for that. You are free to think any way you like. You don¡¯t have to agree with everything I did.¡± He took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°That is the reason behind my silence back then. For when we were walking¡­I was¡­¡± He paused for a while. I could feel his hand trembled for a moment.

    ¡°Nerva?¡±

    ¡°I was¡­at lost.¡± Lost? ¡°I don¡¯t know what else to say, but at the same time I have a lot of things to say.¡±

    ¡°A lot of things?¡± Then why don¡¯t you just say it? ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°I want to apologize for my previous behaviors, but I don¡¯t know how to say it. I want to give reason for my outburst at that time, but I don¡¯t know what to say. I¡­want to¡­,¡± he paused again, gritting his own teeth, ¡°want to defend you against Cyrielle''s words, but¡­I could not. I¡­am lost.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Hearing his confusion, I don¡¯t know what else to say. I looked at him and I saw not a trace of the calm and composed Nerva. He was¡­confused, lost. I guess not even he could handle such an impressive series of event like this with calm and composed mind. The worst part is, I don¡¯t know what to say to calm him down as I am also confused.

    A few moments of silence enveloped the two of us. Inside my mind, millions of thought swirled around and around. But sadly, those millions thought yielded me nothing but more question. It is very amazing to think that an event that lasted only in a span of a night had made such an impact for me. I guess the same also goes with him.

    Then he let his hand go from mine. I was startled to see that he did that. I looked at him and saw that he was slightly trembling. Before it was only his hand, but this time I could see it spread to his whole body. To my surprise, he stopped his trembling and suddenly wore a smile.

    ¡°A-Ah, it¡¯s already so late, right?¡± Why are you giving me that look? ¡°We shall get going.¡± Why are smiling you? ¡°I don¡¯t want to make your sister mad.¡± Why are you giving me such a fake and hurtful expression? I thought you weren¡¯t going to lie to me? ¡°Shall we go then, Eryell?¡±

    He stretched his hand toward me. But before I could even react to that, his hand stopped and he pulled it again to his side. For a split second, I could see his smile cracked. This Nerva¡­I¡¯ve never seen it.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go then, Eryell.¡± He then turned around and then started to walk.

    I can¡¯t take this! This is not him! I don¡¯t know him! I want Nerva back! I want MY Nerva back! Before I know it, my whole body moved forward.

    ¡°What is it, Er¨CW-Wha?!¡± His shout entered my ears. I knew the reason very well. It was me.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± At the moment, my hands pulled him toward me and my arms wrapped around his waist. I could feel his entire warmth on my body that somehow soothed me in the cold night. ¡°Shut up!¡±

    ¡°E-Eryell! C-Calm do¨C¡°

    ¡°No!¡± I shouted again, refusing to do what he said. ¡°No! I won¡¯t¡­calm down¡­¡± Why are you the one trembling? I¡¯m the one who is scared and confused here.

    ¡°¡­Please, Eryell¡­¡± The hand he used to hold mine felt warm. ¡°You have¡­to let go.¡±

    ¡°¡­No¡­please¡­¡± Why did you say that as if you were telling me to let you go forever? ¡°Please¡­don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Eryell¡­¡± I could feel my stomach hardening and a slight nausea also attacked me. A painful tightness in my throat stopped me from saying anything else. I could also feel something gripped my chest, making it hard to breathe. ¡°¡­Please, Eryell¡­Calm down. You¡¯ll¡­hurt yourself. I don¡¯t want to hurt you¡­any more than I have done.¡±

    ¡°¡­The same¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I¡­also don¡¯t want you¡­to hurt yourself more than you have done.¡± Amidst my terrible condition, I heard a slight gasp escaped his mouth. ¡°Please¡­Nerva¡­turn back to the usual Nerva¡­to the one I always loved¡­Please¡­¡± I could feel my voice turned into a soft plea. Although my body felt weak, I refused to let him go. I don¡¯t want to risk losing him here.

    ¡°¡­Eryell¡­this man have many secret. They are secrets not one should hear¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°¡­This man is not what you think he is. He is far worse that what you expect.¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°¡­This man is¨C¡°

    ¡°I said I don¡¯t give a damn care!¡± I shouted without letting him finish his words. ¡°All I care is that I want the usual Nerva back.¡± After saying that, the hand that held mine tightened slightly.

    ¡°¡­I made a mistake¡­¡± I stayed silence as he started talking. ¡°I was supposed to be able to keep my emotion in check. I was supposed to be able to hold my calm, whatever the situation is. But¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­You wasn¡¯t able to.¡± He didn¡¯t deny that.

    ¡°I was going to solve it peacefully. I was just going to let them be without hurting them one bit. I wasn¡¯t planning to hurt any of them. But¡­,¡± I could hear him gritting his own teeth. His whole body trembled as he told his feeling. ¡°I¡­was enraged. The moment he said that he will involve you¡­.something snapped.¡±

    I felt a bit happy hearing him saying that the reason he snapped was because of them threatening me. But I decided to not say anything from stopping his words.

    ¡°At that time, I could hear voices inside my head saying¡­terrible things. Very¡­very terrible things.¡±

    ¡°¡­Such as?¡± He casted down his head after hearing my question.

    ¡°Kill¡­murder¡­.slaughter¡­don¡¯t let any alive¡­ make them pay¡­no mercy¡­¡± I noticed that his voice trembled when he recited those terrible words. As I noticed that, I tightened my hug.

    ¡°¡­Is that so¡­¡±

    ¡°That is the case, Eryell¡­¡± He let out a sigh. ¡°This man¡­has a dark side inside him that he is still unable to control. I am¡­very¡­very sorry for letting you see that.¡± His voice trailed off into a whisper, but it was still audible for me. ¡°I know that I¡­ scared you too. To think that I have harmed the one I want to protect. Inexcusable. Truly¡­inexcusable.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nerva¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t bear hearing him punishing himself over and over again. But I also don¡¯t have any calming word that I can use. I am¡­at lost. Just as he is¡­Just as he is¡­Just as he is? Should I¡­¡±Nerva.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, Eryell?¡±

    ¡°What you said to me was the truth, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Sadly, it is.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­do you want to hear my truth?¡±

    ¡°Your truth?¡± He paused for a while. ¡°I suppose¡­that is fair¡­although, I fear that¡­I might not be strong enough to hear it.¡±

    ¡°You are.¡± I quickly gave him a reply. ¡°I trust you are.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thank you. Then¡­I suppose I have to try to live to that trust of yours.¡±

    ¡°Then, here goes.¡± I took a deep breath before I start my turn. Although I am far from calm, this is the only way I could think of. ¡°I was¡­afraid. I was very afraid.¡± The moment I said that, his hand trembled again. I¡¯m sorry, Nerva, but that is the truth. ¡°And confused. Because of many things.¡±

    ¡°Because of many things?¡±

    ¡°Yes, many things.¡± I took another deep breath. ¡°The main one is, of course, because of you. You¡­at that time had become¡­like a stranger for me. Foreign and somehow¡­cold. It scared me.¡± This time, it was my turn to tremble. ¡°But¡­I realized. That you have so many things I still don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­you are. And it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t tell you.¡±

    ¡°Tell me, Nerva. Why didn¡¯t you tell me? About that job of yours? About how strong you are? About your real ability?¡±

    ¡°Because¡­the information might get you in danger.¡± He clenched my hand tighter. ¡°And because I am not sure you can¡­take all of the stories like that. It¡­is quite strange and¡­well, strange.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡± I closed my eyes. Scene of the past with him past over my mind one by one. Just like what I said, I know so little about him. Yet, I have made my decision. ¡°Then, will you still tell me someday? Or do you intend to keep it to yourself for all of your life?¡±

    ¡°I will tell you.¡± His answer was an immediate one. ¡°But¡­I have to prepare myself.¡±

    ¡°Why do you have to prepare yourself?¡±

    ¡°At the moment¡­the thought of losing you because of that¡­scared me so much. I know that the fact that you¡¯ve stayed with me is a blessing that someone like me could not have obtained, yet I obtained it. The thought of¨C¡°

    ¡°Stop.¡± I cut his word. ¡°Please don¡¯t continue. I don¡¯t want to hear the man I chose to mock himself any further tonight. If it doesn¡¯t pain you, it pains me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah, s-sorry, Eryell.¡±

    ¡°Then tell me when you are ready. I will not make an empty promise that I can take it all. But I will promise you this. I will give it my all to take it, even if it takes my whole lifetime.¡± He didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t even react. ¡°That actually takes us to the next reason. Myself.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Just as you have to prepare yourself, I fear the me right now is¡­not strong enough and capable enough to take your story. But I really, really want to be able to. As quick as I can.¡± I then once again, tightened my hold. ¡°Will you¡­wait for me? Please be honest with me.¡±

    ¡°¡­I will.¡± Although it was not an immediate answer, his voice carried his determination. ¡°I will, Eryell. If you will wait for me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a promise.¡± Somehow hearing that, my heart felt warm. ¡°At that time, please tell me everything about you. No matter how sad, how happy, how strange, how normal that is, please tell me. I will not promise you that I will be able to take those all immediately, but I will try my best.¡±

    ¡°That is fine with me, Eryell.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t put more guilt in your heart than there already is. Don¡¯t wear such a fake expression. As I always said, I hate lies. And¡­I hate to say it, but I hate myself that I had lied to you at your home. No wonder that woman hated me.¡±

    ¡°¡­I can understand that.¡±

    ¡°Then the next one is the probably¡­that woman.¡± I could feel that my tone became rather icy as I said that. I don¡¯t mind as that is my honest opinion. ¡°Her words are very true and direct. The fact that she was able to see right through me just like that really bother me.¡±

    ¡°Cyrielle is a very blunt fellow. Not many could hold their calm when talking with her. Man or woman.¡±

    ¡°I guess that is very understandable. But¡­just as you said, I could still relate to her in term of hating lies. But¡­I still don¡¯t like her.¡±

    ¡°That is expected.¡±

    ¡°And¡­I am quite envious of her.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Why do you have to sound so astound by that? Is it that surprising?

    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­she has seen the side of you I never seen. And¡­she is fine with that.¡± Ugh, that was hard to confess. But my own will to tell the truth pushed me to do that. ¡°Nerva, this might be another difficult question, but I will still ask this in hope that you will still tell me the truth.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± He nodded. ¡°I will tell the truth.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­is the Nerva you showed me all these times is the true Nerva or¡­the Nerva that dealt with the thugs the real true Nerva?¡±

    ¡°¡­Both.¡± He paused. ¡°None of them are the false one. Both of them are the true me.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡± I feel relieved. To hear that from his own mouth made me feel that a load has been lifted form my mind. ¡°Then is it correct to say that I¡¯ve only seen some part of you?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°Then just like my previous promise, I want you to tell me when you are ready. I will prepare myself to see all part of you, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°¡­All part of me, Eryell?¡±

    ¡°Yes, all part of¡­¡± H-Huh? All part of him? As in¡­¡±W-W-Wait!? I d-d-didn¡¯t mean it like t-t-that!? N-Not that I didn¡¯t want to¨CN-No!!! Why is it going to this direction!?¡± I then heard a soft snicker near me. I shifted my eyes to him. ¡°Y-Y-You?!¡±

    ¡°S-Sorry, my dear Eryell. I was also taken aback by your choice of word there.¡± Y-Y-You jerk! And here I was being serious. But¡­he called me dear Eryell. Just like¡­Ah, good. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°You called me ¡®dear Eryell¡¯ again.¡± I then rested my head onto his shoulder. ¡°You are back to normal.¡± Back to the normal calm and occasionally teasing Nerva. The one I always see. ¡°I was¡­waiting for that.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­that¡¯s right, isn¡¯t it?¡± Although I couldn¡¯t see it, his voice seemed a lot calmer. I hope his face also showed the usual calmness he always showed to me. ¡°And all it takes was for you to have chosen such an ambiguous choice of word.¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t spoil the moment, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. Sorry, my dear Eryell.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t wear that fake and hurt expression anymore. No, only the fake one. If you¡¯re hurt, don¡¯t hide it. Showed it. Tell me anything. I want to know about you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my dear Eryell.¡±

    ¡°In turn, I will also not hide my feeling. I¡¯ll say I¡¯m scared when I¡®m scared. I¡¯ll say I¡¯m sad when I¡¯m sad. I¡¯ll say I¡¯m happy when I¡¯m happy. I¡¯ll say I¡¯m angry when I¡¯m angry.¡± Okay, at least I¡¯ll try too. That is not exactly easy for me to do.

    ¡°Yes, that is good. I¡¯ll be happy to hear all of that.¡± He gave a short nod. ¡°Thank you for that, my dear Eryell.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. If I¡¯m committing myself with you, then it is the least I should do.¡±

    ¡°¡­Committing to me¡­¡± A small laugh escaped his mouth.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°You really are a goddess to me, my dear Eryell.¡± He turned his head sideway and showed me a smile. This time, it was an honest smile. Although I could only it from the side, it was more than enough for me.

    ¡°You regard me too much.¡± I then pinched his cheek. ¡°While you regard yourself too little.¡±

    ¡°O-ow!¡± He groaned as I pinched his cheek. After I released it, he rubbed the place. I doubt it was that painful. ¡°I¡¯ll try to not overestimate myself.¡±

    ¡°That reminds me. How strong you really are, Nerva?¡± Suddenly he frowned. ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Uhm¡­this might be hard to swallow. But¡­do you know the entire number of force in this town?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that about a few thousands at most?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­multiply that by ten and¡­¡±

    ¡°You are that powerful!?¡± I shouted as soon as I heard that. That¡¯s crazy! ¡°You¡¯re kidding me!¡±

    ¡°Uhm, no¡­¡± Oh, thank goodness. ¡°I was going to say that you multiply that by ten and¡­you got only a small fraction of¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­No way¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­No, that is the truth.¡± He nodded at my reply. ¡°I still don¡¯t even know the limit of my own power.¡±

    ¡°¡­I really not to prepare myself much better.¡± Both my mind and body. Especially my mind.

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    Next it will be the meeting of the three.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 11 - Watchersâ€™ Discussion

    Chapter 11 ¡°Watchers¡¯ Discussion¡±

    After saying goodbye at Eryell at the Reystone¡¯s mansion, I immediately walked back toward my home. Since it was already so late, the street was absolutely empty. The only sound that filled the place came from the leaves that were sent fluttering slightly by the night wind and the usual cats that were prowling around, meowing quietly. Together with those was, as one could guess, the sound of constant tapping that came from my finger each time I tapped my walking cane.

    The cold air felt quite chilling as it brushed onto my skin. A slight shiver ran down my back because of that. Although I wore a cloak, it was¨Cas expected¨C not enough to shield my body from the attack of the cold. The fabric has become thin and with the addition of a few holes here and there, it was clearly not fit to do its job any longer.

    But the cold didn¡¯t bother me too much. The reason? Even though my body felt cold, my heart felt warm. It was because I felt¡­glad and relieved. Very relieved indeed. After hearing everything Eryell said to me, I felt like a load that has been burdening my mind has been lifted off.

    What Eryell said to me was, once again, very precious. She didn¡¯t reject me right away, which I have to say what I feared and yet expected the most. Not that I doubt her or anything, but that is just the logical action. Yes, she didn¡¯t reject me right away, but she also didn¡¯t accept me freely like that. That is a very unexpected move from her. Once again, not because of I doubted her.

    She accepted me after confessing that she might not be ready to accept me yet. Both because of me and also because of her own weakness. She confessed to me her own weakness, both body and mind. She said that after witnessing my true strength. Well¡­to call it my true strength is not exactly correct since I only used a fraction of my strength. But that was enough to make her understand that before she could accepted me, she needed to prepare her mind. She will accept me, but it will take time.

    That realistic and understandable way of thinking really shocked me. For me, it means that the act of accepting me is not something she views as simple and mundane, to the extent that she will prepare herself before accepting me. That was far better than just accepting me blindly like a fool and definitely much much better than rejecting me without listening to my reason. I, once again, felt proud for knowing her. I also felt honored for being chosen by her. Really, I am.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I halted both my step and my musing as I noticed something. Lowering my body slightly, I start grabbing the pebbles near my feet. After weighting some of them and found a few suitable ones, I looked to a certain direction and threw them with a very controlled strength.

    Short after that, sounds of crisp metallic ringing resounded into the area. Due to the empty and silent environment, the sound rang much louder than I expected. Following after that sound, I could sense a presence started to appear from the direction of the sound, which is also the direction where I threw the pebbles. I could feel my mouth formed a small smile.

    ¡°Do you want to know when I found you?¡±

    ¡°¡­Go ahead.¡± From his tone, I could feel he was somewhat irritated. I could understand that. After all, he was found out rather easily. Hmm¡­No. It was not an easy job. It was just bad luck on his side.

    ¡°When the cat that was walking suddenly changed path.¡±

    ¡°¡­Cat?¡± I could sense confusion in his voice. ¡°What cat?¡± I then lifted my walking cane and pointed to the creature in question. ¡°Oh¡­that one. So¡­can I presume that it was just a lucky guess?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­yes, that¡¯s about right.¡± I smiled again. ¡°If you just dodged those pebbles instead of parrying it aside, you would probably still hidden by now.¡±

    ¡°Clever.¡± The sound of rustling and fluttering clothes came near me. ¡°Is that why you threw several of them with a slightly different target? To make it difficult, if not impossible, for me to dodge?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± I gave a nod. ¡°I only have a slight suspicion about the reason that cat changed its course. Since there was no one around and I also couldn¡¯t sense any other cat near that particular one, I choose to test the water.¡±

    ¡°Tch¡­¡± After that, a slight metallic clank came to my ear that ended with a click sound. It seemed that he had sheathed his weapon. ¡°Seeing you here, I assume that you have met that fellow?¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t remind me.¡± I frowned immediately as I recalled the event.

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that you are faultless in the whole event tonight, Reiyes.¡± I let out a snort after saying that. ¡°Although not directly, but your needless action had made it much more difficult to do.¡±

    ¡°Ho? Is that so?¡± I could detect a slight amused tone from him. ¡°And what is that needless action? Care to explain, Nerva?¡±

    ¡°You covered that woman¡¯s presence from me at the last minute, didn¡¯t you? The one that was going to my house.¡±

    ¡°Oh that one. I guess I did.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ask your reason. But do try to not do anything like that again.¡± I pointed my cane at him. ¡°Ever!¡± If that needless action of his caused even a dent in our relationship, I will personally beat him to extent of my ability. But I guess I will not kill him. He is a close friend after all. That is, if my mind is still clear. If not, I fear the worst. For him and for me.

    That¡¯s because Reiyes is not someone I can take light off of. Among the many Watchers, he could be seen as one of the most proficient in dealing with stealth attack. Together with his personally trained unit¨CThe Shade if I¡¯m correct¨C he is a very strong adversary no one should mess with. From what I know, he trained them to be able to collect information and also perform many operations under the cover of the shadow. I guess, once again, their name is really appropriate for their line of job.

    ¡°Okay, got it.¡± What came after that unconvincing response is a shrug. It seemed that he didn¡¯t really feel any guilt for doing that. Ugh, this guy is sometimes too unpredictable and act on his own whim. But at another time, he acted too predictable. ¡°So I presume that that fellow have done something too?¡±

    ¡°¡­She almost killed a group of mercenary in the shady district.¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡± And just like I predicted, he gave me a confused response. ¡°Killed a group of mercenary? How? Why?¡±

    ¡°Uhm¡­I¡¯ll give you the short story. She found a girl that was supposed to ¡®entertain¡¯ the mercenary being treated rather harshly. She argued with them after defending her. One of them tried to cool down the situation. But¡­.¡± Ugh, I immediately felt a headache while remembering the story. ¡°She ran her mouth, insulting them casually. She almost pulled out her weapon after the other group threaten to fight her.¡±

    ¡°When you said that she almost pulled out her weapon, I assume that you stopped her. Am I correct?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I have to. If not, we will have a bloodbath in the town. A major incident will happen if not stopped.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, that fellow is¡­I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± He shook his head as he said that. ¡°But, pray tell, what did she do after that? From the way you talked, it seemed that it was not the worst thing she had done tonight.¡± This guy really is sharp. I guess for one that worked in the darkness all the time, there really is a need to be sharp. Not that you can be careless on every other job.

    ¡°¡­Remember that woman? I¡¯m in a relationship with her.¡± I actually felt proud I can say that openly. ¡°And she ran her mouth again and almost made my relationship with her¡­fall apart.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ugh¡­I¡­no, I can¡¯t say anything again.¡± I could her Reiyes hit his own forehead after saying that. ¡°That is just¡­terrible. Although, that is not the worst thing she had done, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Sadly to say, you¡¯re right.¡± I felt a shiver ran down my back after he said that. Just as he said, she have done more terrible thing than just hurting a man¡¯s relationship. ¡°Fortunately, we managed to avoid the worst. But the fact that she almost did that remains.¡±

    ¡°Forgive me for saying this, Nerva. But I¡¯m quite relieved that I left that fellow to you and not to one of my Shades.¡±

    ¡°Damn you¡­¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s correct, no? In the end, you proof to be the only one capable of dealing with her.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. But still¡­damn you for giving her to me.¡± I hate it when I can¡¯t see a gap to attack his argument. Although I can¡¯t see anything, but that is my physical condition. To not be able to see a gap in his argument, that is just my own weakness. ¡°Let¡¯s put that aside. If you are here, than you have spread around your people in the whole town?¡±

    ¡°I have, just as you said.¡± Quite a fast work. Impressive. As expected of Reiyes. ¡°I have stationed all of them all around town. I will have report as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Good, the first thing we need is information. I can contribute a bit since I¡¯m in contact with the inner circle of the town militia.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good. We can use that. And¡­¡± His voice turned slightly dark. ¡°I guess we also need that fellow to look for more information. Her way.¡±

    ¡°As bad as it sound for me, you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s get back first. We will need to discuss this with her too.¡±

    ¡°Lead the way, Nerva.¡±

    <hr />

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back.¡± I heard Cyrielle voice as soon as I was close to my house. And¡­why is she there? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±I was going to get some fun again if you didn¡¯t get back tonight.¡± Figures.

    ¡°¡­You¡­¡± I could hear Reiyes¡¯ voice filled with disbelief. I guess I¡¯m not the only one. ¡°Don¡¯t you know the trouble you¡¯ve done in just one night?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What trouble?¡± I slapped my own forehead as soon as I heard that reply. I also heard similar sound from near me, probably from Reiyes doing the same thing as I. ¡°Really? What trouble?¡±

    ¡°You¡­you¡­¡± Reiyes¡¯ heartbeat risen to the level that I am quite afraid he will hurt himself. But then it turned normal again. ¡°¡­Ugh¡­you are impossible, Cyrielle Natine.¡±

    ¡°Jeez, can¡¯t you just call me Cyrielle like everyone else?¡± After she said that a small sound of ¡®hmph¡¯ came from her. ¡°Really, Reiyes. To think that we have work together for so long and you still sound so formal. I thought you have warmed up to me.¡±

    ¡°This is how I always am. Isn¡¯t that right, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are, Reiyes.¡±

    ¡°See?¡± I could ¡®see¡¯ her pointed her finger at both Reiyes and I accusingly. ¡°The tone you used with him is different! You still treated me like a stranger!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just your imagination.¡± Reiyes didn¡¯t even take her words seriously and I could ¡®see¡¯ him waving his hand, dismissing the thought away. Typical of these two.

    Actually, I could say that this is their way of showing how close they really are. Close, as in good teammate. No more, no less. Or at least that¡¯s what I know. I don¡¯t know if something happen since the last time I¡¯ve met the two of them.

    ¡°Enough, you two.¡± I clapped my hand, earning their attention. ¡°Put that trivial thing aside.¡±

    ¡°Trivial!?¡± Cyrielle shouted as she heard that. ¡°That is a very important matter!¡±

    ¡°Cyrielle¡­¡± I put pressure in my word, making her known that I will take no other answer than obedience. ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡±

    ¡°¡­Tch!¡± She clicked her tongue. For a split second, I could notice a rise in her heartbeat. It seemed to be a mix of anger and fear. ¡°¡­As you wish.¡± After that, the sound of footsteps that lead into the inside of the house was heard.

    ¡°Reiyes, we¡¯ll talk inside.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± I then followed those footsteps while I heard similar sound from behind me.

    As we came into the house, the three of us sat encircling the table. None of us started talking. I then tapped my cane several times to ¡®see¡¯ for any other party inside the vicinity. Luckily, I found no one, except for some of Reiyes¡¯ Shade. It seemed that he kept several nearby in case of something emergency. Quite a capable and careful man he is. That is something I like about him. Even in between friendly face, he still try to keep his guard but not to the level that it will be visible to the other party.

    ¡°Now, since the two of you is the one being given the mission, I will confirm it again.¡± I said that to start the discussion. ¡°There is a Marked Soul that is led out of its thread of fate into a dangerous path. And it will meet its demise soon in this town. Because of that, some Watchers are dispatched. Did I get that right?¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty much what Reiyes told me.¡± Cyrielle said that with a rather carefree tone. As usual. ¡°I was only called with a single piece of letter. No more. No less.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­So Reiyes is the one being given the job first? Do you have anything to add to that, Reiyes?¡± I shifted my face onto him.

    ¡°Sadly, that is all. We¡¯re in lack of any useful information. That¡¯s why I immediately spread my Shades into the town in hope that we can secure information as fast as possible.¡±

    ¡°Who give you the order? The Twin?¡±

    ¡°Yes, The Twin. By a sudden vision. In the middle of the night. In the middle of a mission.¡± His tone grew more and more upset with each sentence. I guess that is a very irritating way of giving message. And in the middle of the mission at that. The Twin really have a lot of learn about real human interaction.

    The Twin Reiyes and I mention is another fellow Watcher, meaning they are also fellow Marked Souls. They have a very great aptitude in channeling power from powerful entity. They can talk directly with them effortlessly. They also have a very powerful magic ability, to the extent that even a hundred or more court magician class mage face them in an ambush, they will still be able to deal with them with ease. Clairvoyance, telepathy, levitation, instant teleportation, chantless spell, and the list go on for their ability. Their only weakness is that their body is weak. But that is not a problem since they always strengthened their own body with magic. It is not wrong to call them an unfair existence.

    But unlike me and the other Watchers, they held special task in the Watcher¡¯s community. They are our messenger. They also sometimes act as the one that will divide task to suitable watcher. Although not to the extent that they lead us, some Watchers still look up to them as their leader. I myself am not one of them. But I still respect them a lot since discussing things with the powerful entity is not an easy task. Most of the time it is quite a crazy and tiring job that I will be happy to avoid for the rest of my life.

    ¡°No other information? No name? No date? No nothing?¡±

    ¡°None whatsoever.¡± Reiyes answered Cyrielle question right away. ¡°Not even a way to contact them again.¡±

    ¡°Wow, aren¡¯t we in a good situation?¡± She sarcastically said. ¡°No wonder we were paired with Nerva.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± I could ¡®see¡¯ Reiyes gave a nod. ¡°But no matter how powerful his ¡®vision¡¯ is, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do it without any lead.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why you rushed your subordinate to do it, right?¡± Once again, Reiyes nodded at my question.  ¡°Then let¡¯s do that for the next couple of days. The three of us will collect as many information as possible. But I have to warn you. The town is currently in a very tense condition.¡±

    ¡°Tense? How so? I never notice that.¡± After hearing Cyrielle saying that, I hit her feet with my cane. ¡°OWW! What are you doing!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for making the situation worse, you fool!¡± I shouted at her. ¡°Do you know what you just did?¡±

    ¡°Huh? I didn¡¯t do anything that will get the town into trouble, you k¨COWW! Stop it!¡± I hit her again before she could finish her statement.

    ¡°Then tell me this, Cyrielle. Do you know about the charred remains of Arcane Puppet outside of the town, near the forest?¡±

    ¡°Arcane Puppet? Near the forest, is it?¡± The sound of her tapping her chin entered my sensitive ears. For a few moments, I could ¡®see¡¯ her titled her head from side to side while folding her arms. ¡°Oh! That! What of it?¡±

    ¡°¡­What did you do there?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing much. I stumbled upon a few mages and bandit-like people in the forest. They seemed to be trying to burn the forest or something. I just warned them to not do that since they might be trapped by the fire they made. But then the mages summoned those big golem-like creatures out of thin air. So¡­I stopped them.¡±

    ¡°By using your Igneous Hatchet? At full force?¡± I asked her while I could feel my face twitched a bit.

    ¡°How did you know that I used full force!?¡± She shouted as she heard me. ¡°OWWW!!!¡± Another yelp of pain came from her, but it wasn¡¯t because of me. ¡°R-Reiyes!? You too!?¡±

    ¡°You fool!¡± Oh, it is quite rare for me to hear Reiyes used that tone. Usually he just got angry for one second and then subsided in the next second, barely showing it. But it was different this time. His heartbeats rose quite significantly. And it stayed that way, even after kicking her. ¡°Why are you so easy in using the Marked Artifact like that!?¡±

    ¡°B-But they are dangerous! I couldn¡¯t defeat them as easily without using it full force!¡±

    ¡°Then just use it without the magic, you fool!¡± Reiyes then let out a sigh. I also joined him. ¡°You do know that you can use the artifact without its magic. This will just make a needless uproar.¡±

    ¡°Uproar? You¡¯re exaggerating, Reiyes. There¡¯s no way something like that will¨C¡°

    ¡°Yes, it did make an uproar.¡±

    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± A stupid voice came from her. ¡°Now, now, Nerva. You¡¯re kidding, right? OWWW! A simple no will be enough!¡± As one might expected, she got a hit again on her feet.

    ¡°What you just did left melted remains that the local militia is concerned about. Thanks to you, the town¡¯s militia is getting anxious and worried. They have increased security in every checkpoint, inside and outside the town.¡±

    ¡°So? Isn¡¯t that just made them able to secure the town better? I mean, isn¡¯t the fact that the town getting more secured we can avoid the worst fate for the Marked Soul?¡±

    ¡°That is na?ve thinking, Cyrielle Natine.¡± Reiyes let out a sigh. ¡°Listen here. The Twin never said that we have to save them. We just have to deal with the situation. It is not impossible that we have to subdue it before it meets its demise, which might affect too many people.¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t see the problem.¡± As usual, Cyrielle is a hard headed one. ¡°It¡¯s not that it will hinder our mission, right?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it will hinder us. But it did force us to use an alternative way. Listen here.¡± I leaned forward before starting the explanation. ¡°In this town, there is an underground movement with unknown objective. They have started killing information broker here and there. They haven¡¯t done that since they were relatively undetected for quite some time. Do you know the reason?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­because I wiped out one of their group?¡± I could sense a slight worry came from her. Her heartbeats told me that she finally understood her mistake and its grave effect.

    ¡°The possibility of that is very high.¡± I could hear a dejected sigh from her. ¡°With that, the militia has not been able to collect useful information. In fact, I have warned them to stopped collecting information in fear of provoking the movement too much that they will launch an all-out attack in fear of being discovered by the royal kingdom. If that hap¨C¡±

    ¡°W-Wow! W-W-Wait a minute!¡± She stopped me. ¡°What does that have to do with the royal kingdom? This is crazy!¡±

    ¡°I agree with her, Nerva.¡± Reiyes added. ¡°If this involves the royal kingdom, we need to move much more carefully than we previously planned.¡±

    ¡°I was going there, you know.¡± I tapped my cane with a rather annoyed feeling inside me for being stopped. ¡°The royal family will visit this town soon. And to add suspicion, they are the one that manufacture fire based Arcane Puppet.¡±

    ¡°Fire based? The one I fought with were all fire based mage and Arcane Puppet. You don¡¯t think that¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°Ugh, this is getting too complicated for me.¡±

    ¡°An underground movement that used fire based Arcane Puppet. A royal family that manufacture the same kind as them. A town in tense condition.¡± Reiyes said that with a rather tired tone. ¡°This is getting out of hand, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± I let out a sigh after hearing that. Don¡¯t you know that I was already dealing with them? ¡°To make matter worse, you provoke the underground movement. This will increase their vigilance, making collecting information much dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Err¡­sorry.¡±

    ¡°Well, apologizing now will not change anything. You¡¯ve already stirred up a hornet nest.¡± I massaged my head as I realized that I will have to work even more after tonight. ¡°Let¡¯s just do this for now. As I already mentioned, we will all collect as many information as we can in our own way. Reiyes will use his Shades, Cyrielle will use the shady district information network, while I will use the militia¡¯s. Don¡¯t do anything rash. That goes especially for you.¡± I said that last statement while pointing my cane at her.

    ¡°I know, I know. Sheesh¡­¡±

    ¡°You never learn, do you? Well that aside, we will make my house as our base for now.¡±

    ¡°And I suppose we shouldn¡¯t contact you carelessly in the open, right?¡± I nodded at Reiyes¡¯ question. ¡°Understood. And Natine¡­you will stay at¨C¡°

    ¡°The brothels. I already found someone that practically begged me to live with her, err, them. There are about three of them.¡± I could sense her heartbeats turned into a cheerful one at the mention of living with her ¡®prey¡¯. Once again, she never changes. ¡°You can contact me by telling them my name. I¡¯m sure most of them know me already.¡±

    ¡°¡­Does the word stealthily ever come into your mind?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that? Is that delicious?¡± She then laughed after giving that answer for Reiyes. Reiyes, on the other hand, let out a tired sigh. I can actually sympathize with him. ¡°So how can I contact you, Reiyes?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± His answer came almost immediately. ¡°I will contact you. But I guess Nerva can contact one of my Shades since he can detect them. You, on the other hand, will not be able to do it.¡±

    ¡°Tch, you and your Shade.¡± She certainly wasn¡¯t please being treated that way. ¡°I guess I will contact Nerva then. Since he is, after all, the leader for this operation.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Reiyes agreed with him. Sheesh¡­I guess I have no choice, right?

    ¡°If everyone is clear, let¡¯s end this discussion. I need to get some sleep. I have to get to work early tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± The sound of Reiyes¡¯ fluttering clothes came into my ears as he stood up. ¡°Then I will take my leave. We¡¯ll keep in contact and I¡¯ll give report as soon as I got something.¡± After saying that, his presence thinned out quickly. After a few second, his presence vanished absolutely without leaving a single trace.

    ¡°I still want to learn his skill.¡± Cyrielle said to me. ¡°I could use that for a lot of thing.¡±

    ¡°Knowing you, you will probably use that to move from girl to girl.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! You got me, Nerva.¡± A rather loud laugh came from her followed by the sound of her getting out of her chair. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be going too. The night is still young and I need to¡­¡¯collect information¡¯.¡± Sheesh. This fellow really is a troublesome one, although her ability is far from weak. Especially when she brandished her favorite weapon, The Igneous Hatchet. ¡°Oh, one more thing, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡±

    ¡°I will apologize for creating havoc in the forest and also involving you and your girlfriend on my brawl.¡± Oh? Is that so? ¡°But I will not apologize for giving my true thought to her.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    ¡°She was lying. And she was lying about her true feeling about you. It hurt you and I can¡¯t forgive her for that.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry for troubling you and¡­it is nice to see you again, Nerva.¡± A brief silence enveloped us and then she left the house, leaving me all alone.

    After being left alone, I let out a heavy and tired sigh. Reiyes and Cyrielle. It has been a while for me to see them. And as usual, she is the more emotional one. I guess that is understandable. Well, I guess I will get to sleep for now.

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    With that, their work start in the town.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 12 - First Lead

    Chapter 12 ¡°First Lead¡±

    ¡°Oh, Lady Constie.¡± I turned my body around to face my superior who just entered my workshop. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± I immediately asked that since I sensed that she brought along a sense of urgency with every step she took.

    ¡°Nerva, I have a task for you.¡±

    ¡°What is that, milady?¡±

    ¡°Do you know that today is the day the royal family will arrive?¡±

    ¡°Ah, it is, right?¡± No wonder I could sense a lot of uneasiness whenever a guard walked by me. I guess all of them were feeling quite nervous. Since the street has been rather quiet for a few past couple of days but report of some suspicious movement has been turned in, it added to everyone¡¯s worry.

    ¡°It is. Your task is related to that. I want you to be our eyes¡­err, ears.¡± Oh, this is quite a surprise. Usually Lady Constie only asked me to hear my opinion or something. This might be the first time she asked me to involve myself right into her force. ¡°At first, I want you to accompany me as my aide.¡±

    ¡°But that might not be viewed kindly by the other party as to employ a blind man.¡±

    ¡°Sadly, you are correct. Then the next thing I could come up with is to let you be our ear from the crowd¡¯s side.¡± Clever. ¡°Blend into the crowd while wearing your casual clothes. Return to me at the end of the day and report to me for any suspicious movement.¡±

    ¡°Right away, milady.¡± I bowed to her as I accepted my task.

    <hr />

    ¡°¡­Too crowded.¡± I muttered under my breath as I stood at the edge of the crowd that filled the street that led to the plaza. Even without seeing it, the sheer noise that entered my ears was more than enough to tell me that the street is packed. It is understandable since the news that someone from the royal family will come is not something the town often hear. And all of them want to take a glimpse of the royalties that will visit the town.

    I then moved myself skillfully onto the slightly front side of the crowd. Although it was not the front most position, it is enough for me. If I positioned myself too close to the main street, it might attract too much attention.

    ¡°They¡¯re coming! They¡¯re coming!¡±

    And it seems like I reached my position just in time as someone shouted the royal family¡¯s arrival. A flurry of commotion immediately erupted in the place. Shouts and cheers came from the crowd. I could sense a lot of happiness and pride from the crowd as they heard that announcement. Although some of them also showed a different kind of emotion, most of the crowd erupted with happiness.

    I could understand their feeling. The current ruler of Kingdom of Astiard, King Tibert XI, is a very magnificent ruler. He is known to be the one that ended The 10 Years Civil War that has resulted in so many casualties that it is feared that it might make the whole kingdom collapsed. Thanks to his effort, the Kingdom of Astiard entered an era of peaceful. The whole kingdom rejoiced for him, although many feared that he will not be able to fully recover the damage the kingdom had sustained during the long civil war. Against everyone¡¯s expectation, he actually did. He appointed many local nobles to govern the numerous territories of Astiard to solve that very problem. Of course, the Reystone is one of them. If not because of his decision, the Reystone family will only be a normal family since their ancestry is too thin to be able to reach a noble status. But King Tibert XI never really cares about that as he saw potential first before ancestry. Just as one expected, this action of his earned him many conflict. But miraculously, he was able to solve them peacefully.

    But a strong king will only be able to do so much. Especially if the king is someone that is not afraid to take drastic measures such as appointing a lower class noble as a governor. He needs to have a backing of some sort of his rule will collapse sooner than anything. The current king, as anyone expected, has a great and strong backer. It was the oldest family in the kingdom, the Greses. Although never taken the rule of the kingdom by themself even once, the Grese is a family that is loyal to the kingdom since its infant age. They are the co-founder of the kingdom, known to be a family that has produced the strongest knight and warrior the whole kingdom has ever seen. If I¡¯m not mistaken, the current captain of the royal guard came from their family. No wonder the people adore the royal family. Although royal family usually means the king¡¯s family and its entire member, in this kingdom the Grese family is considered to be one of them too due to the long history behind it.

    ¡°Look! There they are!¡± Another announcement came as the whole crowd¡¯s attention pointed toward the main street and I could hear the sound of them trying to get closer to get a better view. Since I can¡¯t see, it doesn¡¯t really matter whether I¡¯m near them or not. As long as I can sense them, that is more than enough for my mission.

    The sound of cheers intensified as the sound of horse hoofs hitting the stone paved street got nearer. Shouts like ¡®Long live the king!¡¯ and ¡®Glory to the Astiard Kingdom¡® filled the entire place. I was absolutely amazed at their enthusiasm.

    But I have no time to enjoy the crowd¡¯s enthusiasm. I increased the tapping on my cane to make my ¡®view¡¯ much clearer. It was much more difficult that I thought since the crowd¡¯s loud roar interrupted me. I felt somewhat annoyed but I have no other option. Being in the crowd will make my presence much thinner and that is perfect for this particular task of mine.

    ¡°Hmm¡­interesting¡­¡± As I concentrated, the ¡®view¡¯ of the incoming party came into my mind and it was¡­quite surprising. I sensed about two companies of guard, one in the front and one in the rear. Each of them is composed about ten horse riders, which half of them are knight judging from the heavy armor and cape, and twenty spearman and bowman. The two companies protected a single wagon that has been decorated rather nicely. I could sense about two¡­three...five people inside the wagon. There are two guards near the driver and two on the rear side. That wagon probably contained the guests of honor. But, isn¡¯t the information said that they are riding on the fastest Arcane Puppet? Is that wagon considered to be the one in question? Hmm¡­I can¡¯t focus my ¡®view¡¯ much more due to the crowd¡¯s interference.

    I tapped my cane again, but this time focusing on the crowd. I could sense about fifteen people that carried the same feeling as the guards near the royal wagon. Among them I could also sense some people showed a sense of anxiety. Some of them are probably the militia. But most of the militia personals were positioned to be near the gate and the street. That means some of them are probably member of the underground movement. And¡­oh, a very peculiar one.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? I could find you too easily.¡± I spoke with a rather hushed voice, trying to avoid someone else hearing my words. ¡°Is your skill getting rusty?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I needed to find you, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± I smiled while kept tapping my cane. ¡°So, what is the matter, Reiyes?¡±

    ¡°There are a lot of troop stationed near the forest.¡± I could hear him stepped next to me. ¡°And also a big Arcane Puppet near them.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that is the Arcane Puppet that is rumored to be their fastest ride.¡± I nodded several times as I heard his report. ¡°And the troop?¡±

    ¡°About two hundreds in the field near the town and a hundred hidden inside the forest.¡± Oh? That was interesting indeed. Why the large number of troop?

    ¡°Their equipment?¡±

    ¡°As if they are ready to go to war. The Shades also saw a few Arcane Puppet patrolling.¡± He then tapped his chin. ¡°Too much for just a formal visit, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°If it is just a formal visit.¡± I smirked at him. ¡°Do you think this is just a formal visit?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it even for a single moment. In fact, I think it is much better to say that they already realized the existence of the underground movement inside the town.¡±

    ¡°And your reason for that?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve detected some of their man infiltrated the town a few days ago masquerading as a merchant caravan. They¡¯ve arrived just before the gate closed.¡±

    ¡°To avoid the crowded time, is it? And their equipment?¡±

    ¡°Same as the troop outside. Armed to the teeth.¡± A snort came from him. ¡°Do they think no one will suspect that? A mere merchant caravan guarded by a heavily armed mercenary? Surely they jest.¡±

    ¡°Hard to say this to you, Reiyes, but judging from the report that the militia received, they have come undetected.¡±

    ¡°Then the militia needs to be more attentive.¡± He snorted again.

    ¡°They really need to, right?¡± I let out a wry laugh after hearing his words. ¡°But we are hearing a lot of suspicious movements. Those are probably from the underground movement, right?¡±

    ¡°Surprising. They could detect that but miss the suspicious merchant.¡±

    ¡°So I presumed it is from the underground movement, right?¡± He nodded. ¡°Do you have any information?¡±

    ¡°Plenty, actually, to the extent that I really questioned the mind of their leader and the competence of the member. It is as if they are purposely flaunting around their name.¡±

    ¡°Ho? Isn¡¯t that might be a trap?¡±

    ¡°I thought about that, but then I send some of the Shades to investigate further and¡­it is exactly as they¡¯ve said.¡±

    ¡°¡­How careless.¡± I shook my head. It was for how careless the organization and also to how incompetent the militia informants were about collecting information since we didn¡¯t hear anything. But then again, it might be due to my suggestion to lay low. ¡°Then? Are you going to give me the rest of your report here?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not worried that someone might eavesdrop on us, Nerva?¡±

    ¡°Oh, really now?¡± I grinned at him. Judging from his constant heartbeats, he was testing me. That was not a question. ¡°Do you really think that I failed to notice the ¡®Sound Shield¡¯ you¡¯ve just erected from early on?¡±

    ¡°¡­As expected of you.¡± Somehow his tone showed that he was disappointed. But really now. Does he really think that I will fail to notice that? I¡¯ve been underestimated. ¡°Then let¡¯s start with the name of the movement. It is called The Bears of Saxifell. Does that ring a bell to you, Nerva?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I tapped my chin as I searched in my memory for that particular name. ¡°The whole part, no. But¡­Saxifell¡­Isn¡¯t that the name of the place where the previous king¡¯s clan reside before being annihilated by the current one? King Atbers V, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. History is not my specialty.¡± Hey now, aren¡¯t you supposed to be an informant too? ¡°At least not for this kingdom. This is the first time I¡¯ve been in this kingdom.¡±

    ¡°So it couldn¡¯t be help. So¡­yes, the name Saxifell is the clan¡¯s home of the previous king, King Atbers V. It is supposed to be annihilated by the opposing force that led to the enthronement of the current one.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­if what you said is truth, then it might be an uprising that is led by the remnant of the previous clan out of discontent of the current king¡¯s rule. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t give you any more information about their background since we still wasn¡¯t able to get to their base.¡±

    ¡°And that is what you call plenty? Surely you are joking, Reiyes.¡± I let out a rather challenging tone as I said that. ¡°Tell me more.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, the only thing we lacked is their objective and their background. But everything around them has been collected.¡±

    ¡°Go on, I¡¯m listening. And make it quick.¡± I then tapped the cane while concentrating on the arriving wagon. ¡°We can¡¯t stand too long here since the crowd will disperse any minutes now.¡±

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Agreed. Then I¡¯ll stick to the most pressing part.¡± He took a deep breath before starting. ¡°My Shades has uncovered that the movement is in possession of a very powerful trump card.¡±

    ¡°And unfortunately you don¡¯t know what that trump card is, correct?¡± He nodded. ¡°And? What else?¡±

    ¡°It is rumored that the trump card will be able to decimate the whole kingdom¡¯s army in no time. Besides that, there¡¯s nothing else. That¡¯s all.¡± Hmm, this is quite troubling. ¡°But the fact that almost every one of the member speak of it like it¡¯s their pride really worried me. The only thing that came into my mind when talking about something strong is a Marked Artifact.¡±

    ¡°Marked Artifact? Then that means that they will need to¡­ah, that¡¯s right.¡± I nodded several times as his information seeped into my mind. ¡°They will need to have a Marked Soul to be able to use it, right?¡±

    ¡°If they have it by means of cooperating with the Marked Soul, than it is not of our concern at all.¡± Anyone hearing that might consider him cold and ruthless, not caring a single bit about the safety of others. But that is the fact that we Watcher have to live by. As long as the Marked Soul has decided to do it themselves or their fate is to use that, we shouldn¡¯t interfere. Not that we couldn¡¯t, but we chose not to.

    ¡°But if that is because their line of fate has been altered one way or another, then it is our concern.

    ¡°Correct. Sadly, we still don¡¯t have their exact location. If we have it, then we can collect more information and then decide the next move we will do.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. Then, anything else, Reiyes?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot but¡­¡± He paused for a bit. I then noticed the reason for that. The whole crowd had started to disperse. It seemed that the royal family¡¯s party has left the street. ¡°I will tell you later. You can contact one of my Shades for it. But before you do that, I suggest try contacting that fellow. If no one checks on her periodically, she might forgotten her job here.¡±

    ¡°¡­How sad that I couldn¡¯t help but agreeing with you.¡± I let out a wry laugh as I said that. ¡°Then let us meet again next time, Reiyes.¡±

    ¡°Then I will take my leave now.¡± After he said that, I could hear his footsteps gaining distance from me. Together with that, I could feel the ¡®Sound Shield¡¯ he put around us started to dissolved. It was subtle, but I could still feel it.

    I then tapped my cane and then I could ¡®see¡¯ that almost everyone around me is already moving to do whatever they will do next after watching the arrival of the esteemed guest of the town. But I still could sense the ones that were probably member of the movement. I should keep alert then.

    After that, I loitered around the street for a while before returning, hoping to get something else that I can report to. But it seems that I will get back with just what I already have.

    <hr />

    ¡°Is that all, Nerva?¡± Lady Constie asked me while tapping the edge of her desk. It seemed that she was indeed quite disappointed that I was unable to give more information.

    ¡°It is, milady.¡± I bowed form my seat. ¡°I apologize if that is not enough.¡±

    ¡°Well, I would be lying if I told you that your report is satisfying, but it is a detailed report nonetheless.¡± She then let out a sigh. ¡°I just hope that you can catch something more than that.¡±

    ¡°Once again I apologize, milady.¡± I bowed my head again. ¡°But it seemed that either there were nothing else in the first place or they were extremely careful.¡± Of course, I didn¡¯t say anything about their force hiding inside the forest. If the militia¡¯s ranger didn¡¯t catch on their action, then I have no obligation to tell them. If I did, they might suspect me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be, Nerva.¡± She let out a heavy sigh again. Just from her way of speaking, I could tell that she was tired enough for the day. But she still pushed herself to have this little discussion with me and Eryell. ¡°So, Eryell, any other information?¡±

    ¡°Our rangers inside the forest have reported many strange movements. But we have no other lead except that.¡± She then let out a sigh too. ¡°That¡¯s all. We can¡¯t determine whether those were from the underground movement or from the royal family. ¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡± Lady Constie tapped her desk even harder, truly a sign of how frustrated she was. ¡°Then I suppose I will convey what they told me.¡±

    ¡°If it is all right with you, milady.¡±

    ¡°I have to since the whole people that believe that there might be an underground movement and also the Count might have connection with them, in however way that is, are the people in this room.¡±

    ¡°I have to say, sister. Aren¡¯t the others being rather careless?¡± Eryell said that with disappointment filled her voice. ¡°Just because he is a count from the royal family then they just accepted him like that?¡±

    ¡°Either they are being careless or they are simply scared.¡± I added my opinion. ¡°After all, it is not wrong to say that the Grese family is the one that controlled the kingdom¡¯s military power. From the manufacturing of the military grade Arcane Puppet to the one in charge of the royal guard. They held very important and prestigious position.¡±

    ¡°I know that!¡± She shouted at me. ¡°But¡­they aren¡¯t even suspicious at him? Or even at the whole situation?¡±

    ¡°If they said that openly, it is not difficult to imagine them being marked as traitor. If not openly being marked as traitor, they also fear of being targeted by the assassin sent by the royal family.¡± I shook my head at that thought. ¡°That is not impossible at all.¡±

    ¡°A-Assassin!? They would resort to something like that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But there is chance, you know? But in the end of the day, they will prioritize the safety of their own and their family first above everything else. It is that simple.¡±

    ¡°But then¨C¡°

    ¡°My dear Eryell, you have to understand that the one that held the responsibility for the town is not them, but we, the Reystones.¡± Lady Constie reminded her with a firm tone. ¡°Not those cowards.¡±

    ¡°¡­Understood, sister. ¡° I could hear both of their heartbeats have risen. It seemed that each of them felt the same kind of disappointment and anger at the other ones Lady Constie mentioned. Well, the other officers were, just like she said, looking for the safest way to live.

    ¡°So let me tell you what the Count said at the previous meeting. Just as he mentioned on the letter, he will be here to test his latest invention, the newest Arcane Puppet. Their location will be the forest. But they will wait for the component to be delivered since it seemed that there has been some last minute problem they couldn¡¯t fix just in time. So they brought most of the component except one. Sadly, he didn¡¯t say what that was.¡±

    ¡°Did he tell milady about the reason for choosing this town¡¯s forest?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°He skillfully dodged that question last time and asked to meet again tomorrow. After that meeting, I will ask the two of you to be here again. I will tell you everything again.¡±

    ¡°Understood, milady.¡± I bowed to her. ¡°Then should I stock up the salve again?¡±

    ¡°If you could, that will be better.  And also stock on other medicine and potion.¡± She let out another sigh. She let out a lot of sigh in this short discussion of ours. ¡°We don¡¯t know what might happen. I¡¯ll increase the budget just for this once.¡±

    ¡°Understood, milady.¡±

    ¡°Eryell, report anything new immediately but avoid taking any action. We should avoid contact as beast as possible, just as Nerva suggested. I will also tell the other division to put up their guard more in pretense of securing the royal families.¡±

    ¡°Understood, sister.¡±

    ¡°Then that is all. You are dismissed.¡±

    <hr />

    After leaving my two superiors, I proceeded to my next destination.

    ¡°¡­Couldn¡¯t believe that I will be here again after that incident.¡± I muttered that as I entered the shady district. I was quite worried that the previous commotion will make it much more difficult for me to enter the place. Thankfully my worries were for naught as I couldn¡¯t sense any ounce of fear or anxiety as I stepped onto the place.

    I let out a breath in relief to that. I¡¯m glad that I have no need to deal with the aftermath of the commotion since I have another problem to deal with at the moment. And that is to locate that fellow. I know that she already told me to ask anyone since they are bound to know her. But I frankly don¡¯t know how to start that task.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Suddenly I felt a sudden gaze from somewhere along the alleyway behind me. I tapped my cane faster to ¡®see¡¯ the figure in question. Almost immediately, I realized who that was. ¡°Is there something you need?¡±

    ¡°E-E-Eh!?¡± A startled voice came from behind me. The voice told me that it was from a girl. And not just any girl. It was the girl from the commotion. I could sense she had similar emotion at that time. But her heartbeat was much steadier than that time, which was a good thing since the last thing I need is someone that is scared of me. Hmm, on second thought, her heartbeat told me that she was indeed scared of me. ¡°A-Are you the one c-c-called N-Nerva?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± How did she know that? Oh¡­it must be because of that. ¡°Did Cyrielle send you?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, big sister sends me.¡± Although she talked more clearly, her heartbeat still told me she was a bit scared. ¡°She told me to take you to her when you¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really.¡± I then approached her carefully as not to startle her, which was a task easier to be said than done as she immediately jumped back as I turned around. I only let out a sigh at that. ¡°Well, please lead me there.¡±

    <hr />

    ¡°Ah, took you some time there, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°I have work to do, you know.¡± I then tapped my cane again to ¡®see¡¯ my surrounding. ¡°Unlike someone I know.¡± I said that because I could ¡®see¡¯ a lot of bottles around Cyrielle¡¯s table. I could also sense that someone else was near her, sleeping with her head plopped on top of the table. Chances are, they have been drinking all night.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that supposed to mean? I¡¯ve did my job!¡± A protest came from her but it was such an unconvincing one seeing that she was still holding one of the bottles on her left hand. ¡°Well, no matter. Kiddo, you can take care of your sister, right?¡±

    ¡°E-Eh, yes. I can.¡± The girl from before answered in stutter.

    ¡°Good! Here¡¯s the money.¡± She then threw a pouch at her, which she barely caught. ¡°Ask the barkeeper to help you if you must.¡±

    ¡°O-Okay!¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± I asked that since she already got up and walked toward me.

    ¡°Well, just as I said, I¡¯ve done my work, you know?¡±

    ¡°And that is?¡±

    ¡°Before I give you the report, you can contact Reiyes, right?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I can.¡± I tapped my cane again and found one of his subordinate standing around the district. ¡°Yes, I can.¡±

    ¡°Good. Tell him to meet us here and then we¡¯ll go.¡± She was already going to leave the bar I¡¯ve just entered.

    ¡°Not so fast.¡± I placed my cane in front of her, stopping her from moving. ¡°Tell me what you¡¯ve found.¡± After that, a small laugh escaped her mouth. If I could see, she was probably grinning smugly at me.

    ¡°I¡¯ve found their hiding place.¡±

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    Next chapter we will see the hideout.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 13 - Confrontation

    Chapter 13 ¡°Confrontation¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Cyrielle¡¯s voice came into my ear as soon as her feet stopped. ¡°The place I was talking about is probably near here.¡±

    ¡°¡­Probably?¡± Reiyes¡¯ voice came out to bear the same feeling I had. Disappointment. ¡°Do you mean that you are not entirely sure about it?¡±

    ¡°I only have a lead, but no certain fact.¡± Hearing her rather carefree remark, I shook my head at that. It seemed that I¡¯ve overestimated her.

    ¡°¡­You¡­¡± A loud sigh came from him. As usual, Reiyes¡¯ heartbeats increased slightly, but it immediately returned to normal in a split second. It seemed that he was able to control his anger. Good for him. At least I¡¯ve got one normal person in the group. ¡°Nerva, do you sense anybody nearby?¡±

    ¡°No one.¡± I said to Reiyes. ¡°Not a single soul is nearby.¡± That fact actually made me think.

    If I¡¯m not mistaken, this place is known as the Rundown Quarters. The name, as anyone expected, is a quarter filled with nothing but rubble and collapsed building. Of course, it was not like this in the first place. The place used to be one of the earliest residential area ever built in the town. The majority of the town¡¯s population at that time lived in this very place. But due to a sudden fire outbreak, the place has been destroyed. And since building new ones instead of repairing the broken down building is much faster, safer, and cheaper, the place is abandoned almost immediately.

    What baffled me is that there is absolutely not a single patrol in this place. I know that the militia is shorthanded at the moment, but that doesn¡¯t mean that they can be careless like this. Although almost no one lives there, doesn¡¯t mean that no one is there. It looks like I will have to talk with Eryell in the near future to put a couple or more men in here. But¡­

    Maybe I won¡¯t. If this is the place where the underground movement is based on, then the risk of them getting into full frontal conflict with the militia is almost inevitable. And that also will raised a question on how did I managed to find this place all of a sudden. A lot of trouble will appear from that, right? Hmm¡­I guess I will really put off the idea at the moment. At least until my task as a Watcher is done. Let¡¯s just ask Reiyes to put this place under close watch.

    ¡°Reiyes, do you have some of your Shades nearby?¡±

    ¡°I have a couple of them.¡± A snapping sound then came from his direction. After that, I felt two presences getting near us. ¡°New location. Scout around. Don¡¯t approach anyone. Report to me as usual.¡± Although his voice was relatively quiet and barely audible, for me it was loud enough to tell that he had given order to his Shades. After that, the two presences thinned out and moved away from us. ¡°I assume that is what you want me to do, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± I let out a small satisfied smile.

    ¡°You know, the two of you seem to know each other quite closely.¡± Oh? Her heartbeats showed me a certain interesting emotion. Together with her tone, I could almost tell that it was exactly that very emotion. Envy. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I be like that?¡±

    ¡°If you use your head better, you can do that easily.¡±

    ¡°Sheesh, you and your smart mouth of yours.¡± Ah, there they go again. Although the two refused to admit that they are close, I have to say that their usual bickering is the very sign of how close they are.

    ¡°Really now¡­¡± I shook my head while grinning. But then my stance changed. I also noticed that the two have also ceased their bickering and have oozed out an aura of alertness. ¡°Reiyes, there are about¡­one¡­two¡­four¡­five people altogether.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do now, Nerva?¡± A click sound came from the direction of Cyrielle. ¡°Should we take them out?¡±

    ¡°¡­Why are you so eager to wreak havoc?¡± I shook my head at her rather vicious suggestion. ¡°For now, let¡¯s observe them.¡±

    <hr />

    ¡°¡­Alms for the blind¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± A female voice entered my ears. ¡°There¡¯s someone here?¡±

    Oh, so the two that came from this direction are two women? Sound of fluttering clothes was made each time they step. The two wore rather heavy and thick coat, I suppose. Well, it is rather cold at this time of year.

    ¡°¡­Alms for the blind¡­¡± I kept repeating the same sentence while walking around. My left hand kept tapping my walking cane onto the street from time to time while the right one was left open to the open. ¡°¡­Alms for the blind¡­¡± As I walked pass them, I could sense their heartbeats turned rather fast, a sign of them being wary. But it was just for a few seconds as their heartbeats turned normal.

    ¡°¡­Strange¡­Well, not our concern anyway.¡±

    ¡°¡­You go on ahead.¡± One of the two ran toward me while the other just stood in silence. ¡°Wait!¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡± I turned around toward the direction of the voice while still waving my stick slightly.

    ¡°Here,¡± said the woman as she grabbed my right hand. A few objects were placed at my hand and as I moved my hand around I could felt the smooth surface on it. The cold feeling it gave on my skin told me that it was a coin, several of them. ¡°I know that it is not enough, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Oh, bless you! Bless you for your alms, kindhearted lady! Bless you!¡± I bowed several times at her while showing a rather exaggerated smile. ¡°Bless you!¡±

    ¡°D-Don¡¯t be, it is our honor to help someone in need.¡± She then released my hand and then walked away from me. I kept bowing my head at her direction while saying ¡®bless you¡¯ several times.

    I then walked away from slowly while continuing my usual chant of ¡®Alms for the blind¡¯ along the way.

    ¡°As usual, you can¡¯t turn your eyes against them, can you, Mena?¡±

    ¡°If not us, who else going to help them?¡± A ¡®hmph¡¯ came from the previous woman that gave me money. ¡°Besides, we are doing this to prevent them from suffering more.¡±

    ¡°If you say so.¡± The other woman said that without sign of actually agreeing with her partner. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We don¡¯t want to make the others wait.¡±

    I slowed down my walking pace even further, waiting for them to walk away from me far enough. After confirming that they are far enough, I turned around and then walked the other way. Of course, I¡¯m following them.

    As I expected, they didn¡¯t suspect a single thing. Although the first one felt suspicious, it seemed that the second one, the one called Mena, has fallen for the trick completely. I guess my appearance really do look like a beggar. As Eryell said, a neat beggar. But a beggar nonetheless.

    After following them, which was a task quite easier than I expected, I stopped as the two had also stopped walking. They stood in front of a run-down building. The very building that Cyrielle had showed to Reiyes and I not long ago. I tapped my cane several times to make my ¡®view¡¯ much clearer and noticed that the three people from before had already entered the building. Besides the five in front of me, I noticed a pair of presences around me.

    ¡°Got any information from the three?¡± I asked while keeping my face directed to the building. Thankfully, the many ruin in the area made it a suitable location for hiding myself. Even if the chance of the five found me out is very slim, I will not act careless.

    ¡°Not much. At least, not much in term of usefulness.¡± Reiyes voice came to me as he stepped next to me while Cyrielle followed behind him.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t say anything useful except some idle gossip.¡± Cyrielle let out a sigh at that. ¡°Gossip like the guy named Adart have a crush on the girl name Mena and the story of how the other guy named Andres is going to have a wedding soon. Stuff like that.¡±

    ¡°¡­Impressive how talkative and carefree they are considering that this meeting of theirs is supposed to be a secret.¡± Reiyes then shook his head. Judging from his tone, he probably showed a rather disappointed frown. ¡°But I guess we will have to get closer to learn something else.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. Then I leave it to your skill to maintain our presence.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Please don¡¯t make sudden movement. Especially you.¡±

    ¡°Okaaaay~.¡±

    ¡°Sheesh. I really wish you could be more serious.¡±

    <hr />

    ¡°Everyone is present. I also hope that none of you are tailed, right?¡±

    Hearing the woman¡¯s voice, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a snicker. All of them weren¡¯t only tailed, but the three of us¨CI, Reiyes, and Cyrielle¨C have even stood near the mostly broken windows unnoticed by them. That was not because they were incompetent or anything, but it was simply because Reiyes¡¯ skill to cloak the three of us from them is just too good. He really excelled at this skill, making him a very formidable spy and assassin.

    To explain how powerful his skill is, I could reach onto one of them just from my position. That was how close we are to them. The magnificent part about his skill is that we can hear their voice but they couldn¡¯t hear us at all. It was a specially designed ¡®Sound Shield¡¯ for spying. Sadly, this particular skill is special for him and almost no one could learn it. Or at least, they will need a very long time to be able to learn it and even a longer time to make it efficient.

    Since his shield stopped sound from the inside getting out, I couldn¡¯t ¡®see¡¯ really well. I couldn¡¯t tap my cane since the sound will not reach any of them. I could only rely on their voice and the sound of their heartbeats to locate anything outside. Thankfully, due to the very close distance we are to them, I could hear them very well and that is more than enough for our current task for the night.

    ¡°Yes, we are safe, captain.¡± A gruff voice answered Mena. It seemed that she is the leader of this group. Or at least she holds some rank between them. ¡°Due to the Royal Families arrival, the security in the whole town has been on high alert. But thankfully, the moment we took the road to this place we never saw a single guard patrolling.¡±

    ¡°It is understandable since this place is considered to be empty. No one in their right mind will get to here. Not even the homeless ones.¡± Unlike the previous one, this man have a rather smooth voice, almost female like but still have an edge of masculinity in it.

    ¡°No matter the circumstances, we can¡¯t be careless. Stay alert wherever we can. Do you understand, Adart, Andres?¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± Two men¡¯s voice answered her in unison. So that confirms it. She really is their leader.

    ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s discuss the progress of our team. Gerio, you can go first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡± A different gruff voice replied. ¡°We are having our supply delivered on schedule as we speak and not a single one is detected. Since the Royal Families is coming, we instead have a more believable reason to give at the guard check for our supply.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Andres?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡± Hmm? It was the gruff voice in the start. So the one called Adart is the one that have the rather smooth voice. Interesting. After that last voice, I have already able to differentiate all of them. ¡°Just like the supply, the weapons have been acquired just as expected. Although it has been getting a bit difficult to get more weapons due to the strict check on the gate, we have managed to smuggle a lot and can be considered to reach our initial requested number.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± A satisfied voice came from their captain. ¡°Evet, what about the recruitment progress?¡±

    ¡°At the moment, the rate has decreased from the last week.¡± Oh, the woman from the last time. Somehow her voice seemed to be a bit younger than their captain. ¡°The reason for that is because of the heavy patrol from the militia. They have been watching places where many people gather and becoming much more cautious in the past couple of days.¡± Hmm, so I guess the plan for increasing the frequency of patrol is quite effective. Excellent. ¡°Thankfully, we still managed to hide our existence from them. I have asked some of our men inside the militia for confirmation.¡± Ho, this is a very valuable piece of information. So it seems that they really have infiltrated our rank as expected. Very interesting indeed.

    ¡°That is inevitable. It is quite an unexpected turn of event to have the royal family visited this border town.¡±

    ¡°Captain, is there a possibility that they have realized our existence?¡± Hmm? ¡°Just as you said, it is very unusual that the royal family would venture so far away from the capital.¡±

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°I have the same opinion as Adart, Captain. To add to that, the one that came to visit is none other than Count Ferre Grese, the very man that held a very important position in Astiard¡¯s military.¡±

    ¡°¡­While I can understand both Adart¡¯s and Andres¡¯ concern, at the moment I cannot give any concrete answer.¡± Hmm, this is getting more and more interesting. From her tone, I could determine that she was telling the truth. Or, at most, partial truth. ¡°I would really like to know the real reason they are being here, but we can¡¯t move carelessly. The last thing we need is to have our cover blown after all these months setting up our branch here.¡±

    ¡°Captain is right.¡± The one called Evet entered the conversation again. ¡°The street is not only teeming with militia, but also the royal guard¡¯s agent. We have seen many of them trying to get information.¡±

    Does it mean that the royal family has no connection with the whatsoever? If not, then this task will be a bit easier. Or¡­no, it will not be much easier since we still have to look out for them. Even if they are not connected with the movement, there is still a possibility that have other reason for being here except for a simple experiment.

    ¡°I presumed they are unable to gain any, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct, Captain.¡± This time, it was Adart that gave a reply. ¡°I have sent our men to deal with the informant. Some can be bought rather easily, while others¡­need to be silenced, permanently.¡± Oh, very surprising. The owner of that slightly feminine voice, Adart, is the one that is handing out assassination order, eh? Very interesting bunch of people. I guess one should never judge a person by their voice too.

    ¡°¡­.I have to say that shedding blood in this town left a bad taste in my mouth,¡­but as long as it is the necessary move, we should do it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Captain. It is the only action we can take or they will sell our existence to the open.¡±

    ¡°I understand, Adart.¡± Her tone that was heavy previously had turned somewhat calmer. ¡°It is not your fault. We are in this together.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Captain, is there any further instruction from the Elders?¡± Elders? Is that supposed to be their highest leaders?

    ¡°No. Because of that, our order still remains the same. Adart will control the scout and the information flow in the town. Gerio will organize the supply for our troop here and also the supply to the other branch while Andres will deal with the weaponry. Evet will keep recruiting men into our rank while also training the men. Is everyone clear?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, we can¡¯t meet too often due to the sudden turn of event. We will get by our network. Don¡¯t contact each other if it is not an emergency. Adart, it seems that your work will be a bit harder than before.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s understandable, Captain.¡± A firm and proud answer came from him. ¡°I will not let you down.¡±

    ¡°Good, I have my trust in you, Adart.¡± Judging from her voice, she sounded very close to him. This is very interesting. And if I¡¯m not mistaken, he had a crush on her. Maybe I can use this. ¡°Is there anything else that any of you need to report?¡±

    ¡°¡­There is, Captain.¡± The gruff voice that belonged to the one called Gerio reply with a rather uncertainty in his voice. ¡°It¡¯s about¡­.the incident with the supply team that had been¡­decimated in the forest.¡±

    ¡°¡­Oh that one.¡± I could hear Cyrielle¡¯s voice from near me followed by a loud sigh from Reiyes.

    I guess that confirmed it. The one that Cyrielle wiped out is indeed their men. It also confirmed that the movement has connection with the smuggler that the militia eradicated not long ago. The thread started to connect one by one.

    ¡°The attack decimated all of them. Not a single one of them are alive. Fortunately, their body has been destroyed to ash, making identification from the militia absolutely impossible.¡± Hmm, that is indeed a correct statement. The militia had asked me to identify it since they were at lost at the sight of the place. ¡°But what made me worried is that as if they were attacked by a pack of Lava Drakel from the south. Their body burnt to ashes, even the Arcane Puppets were destroyed to pieces.¡±

    Lava Drakel, eh? I guess you can say that. But comparing the Lava Drakel iconic flame breath to the Igneous Hatchet¡¯s power is somewhat wrong since the Igneous Hatchet¡¯s power is much more powerful than that.

    ¡°¡­Has any other unit has any information regarding that?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, there is none, Captain.¡± Andres gave a reply. ¡°Because of that very incident, our men have been especially alert and worried. Some talk of them getting out of town has also started to circulate.¡±

    ¡°Even with our men scattered around the town, we¡¯ve been unable to get any lead to the culprit.¡± Adart added to Andres¡¯ statement. ¡°There is a possibility that they have already left the town. If that is true, then we fear that our operation have been found out. But since the militia hasn¡¯t ordered something drastic, it seems that our cover is still secure.¡±

    ¡°I see. But from what you said, it seems that the militia has actually done something. Is that right, Adart?¡±

    ¡°Correct, Captain. Even before the militia had increased the security of the town, they have been asking around, searching for something.¡±

    ¡°And when did that start?¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, it was a day after one our supply group has been attacked.¡±

    ¡°¡­Adart, is that true?¡± Ah, it¡¯s the one called Evet that was asking this time.

    ¡°It is. But that was only for a day or two. The next day they ceased entirely as if someone asked them to stop their investigation.¡± I wonder how they will react if they realized that the one ordering the militia to stop their investigation is a blind apothecary? I guess they will not believe it.

    ¡°What is it, Evet? Something in your mind?¡±

    ¡°I guess¡­you can say that, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Well, care to tell all of us?¡±

    ¡°¡­I was wondering¡­do you think the one that attacked us have any connection with the militia at all? Or maybe with the royal family?¡± No, she doesn¡¯t. I can tell you that. I, on the other hand, am with the militia.

    ¡°What are you suggesting, Evet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m suggesting that there is a possibility of another party in play here, Captain.¡±

    For a few seconds, the five went silence. It seemed that the realization of that possibility shocked them slightly. I could totally understand them. At the moment, they are only considering the kingdom¡¯s royal family their main concern. Well, that is what I guess from the name of their movement. But let¡¯s go with that. And the next one they can consider as an opposing party is none other than the security in this town, the local militia. Dealing with those two forces, I imagine, has been more than they expected.

    ¡°¡­Once again, I couldn¡¯t give you any concrete answer.¡± Mena let out a rather frustrated sigh. ¡°All I can tell you is that we can only be more alert and cautious. No matter who they are, we can¡¯t let them ruin our effort.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±

    ¡°Then we should get back or we risk running onto the patrol. Adart, come with me for a while, I need to confirm something else with you¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, Captain.¡± Oh, interesting, interesting. The moment she mentioned that he will be with her, his voice broke apart. His heartbeats also turned slightly faster than before. Ah, so the gossip about him is true.

    ¡°Oh, then I¡¯ll get back alone then, Captain.¡± A snickered followed Evet¡¯s words. ¡°I don¡¯t want to disturb your¡­discussion.¡±

    ¡°E-Evet!¡± Oh, she also gave the same reaction as him. Stuttering and also a rise in heartbeats. Is the feeling mutual? ¡°I¡¯m j-just going to discuss about the scout!¡±

    ¡°Got it, Captain~!¡± A teasing tone came from Evet again. ¡°You guys, let¡¯s quickly move out.¡± A pair of soft laugh came from the other two men, followed by their footsteps leading onto the exit.

    ¡°Sheesh, you guys¡­¡± A tired sigh came from their captain as she also started to leave the building. ¡°Adart, come on.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, Captain.¡± The sound of him following could be heard after his reply.

    After a while, all of them left the building. The three of us still remained on our place. Seconds after that, I could feel a slight buzzing on the air. It was the sign of Reiyes putting down his skill.

    ¡°¡­Now what, Nerva?¡± Reiyes¡¯ voice resounded. ¡°Even after that, we still couldn¡¯t tell their objective.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s also no information about their so called trump card, right?¡± Hmm, Cyrielle is right. ¡°Even if we don¡¯t know their objective, as long as we know that and the connection with the Marked Soul, that is all we care, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed that is right.¡± I tapped my cane, making sure that no one is around us. Thankfully, no one is. ¡°But if we just spied on them, it might take a long time.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t do that.¡± Reiyes added. ¡°We need to do it quick since the Marked Soul is prophesized to be in danger soon.¡±

    ¡°Then I guess we should do it directly.¡± I let out a sigh right after that. The reason? I don¡¯t really like the thought of doing this plan of mine.

    <hr />

    I tapped my cane several times while waiting near an empty street. The ¡®view¡¯ came into my mind and I know that my target is getting nearer. Her footsteps were rather quiet, a sign of her trying to be as quiet as she could. And from what I could hear, she is alone. I guess she parted way with him. Thankfully, I let Cyrielle take care of him.

    As the footsteps were nearer again, I came out my hiding place and acted out the plan.

    ¡°W-What?!¡± Her surprised voice resounded as he saw me. ¡°Hang on there! Are you okay?¡± What made her startled and panicked was the fact that I appeared out of nowhere falling onto my knees. It made a rather loud thumping sound and I purposely let my cane slid out of my hand, tumbling out of my reach.

    ¡°O-O-Oh, s-s-someone there?¡±

    ¡°Hang on there!¡± Her footsteps came near and she tried to help me stand up. ¡°Are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°My k-knees, but that¡¯s f-fine. My cane! W-Where¡¯s my cane?¡± I shouted out in panic while searching around me. ¡°My c-cane? W-Where is it?¡±

    ¡°Cane?¡± Swishing sound came into my ear as she apparently looked around. ¡°Oh, there it is?¡±

    ¡°W-Where?¡± I kept searching while asking that.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, blessed you! Blessed you!¡±

    ¡°I-It¡¯s all right.¡± She then stood up and then walked to the direction of my cane. After a while, she came back and crouched down to my height. She grabbed my hand and then pulled it onto my cane. ¡°Here you go.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you! Blessed you!¡± I shook her hand with gratitude. ¡°Blessed you!¡±

    ¡°Please calm down. It¡¯s all¡­E-Eh?¡± Her voice started to turned into a confused one.

    ¡°W-What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°N-No, it¡¯s nothing. But¡­but¡­¡± All of a sudden her body leaned forward. I then caught her body just in time before she hit the street. ¡°..W-What happen¡­I¡­j-just¡­¡± Slowly, her voice turned quieter and quieter until not a single sound came from her. I checked her heartbeats and it showed that she is unconscious.

    ¡°Done already?¡±

    ¡°Done.¡± I answered the newly arrived voice while still holding onto the woman called Mena. ¡°Is she done too?¡±

    ¡°She has. She is going to bring him there.¡± He approached me and then took her from my hand. I tapped my cane and ¡®see¡¯ him lifting her onto his arm. ¡°I¡¯ll bring her back to the place.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± I then stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll follow you soon. I have something else to prepare.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± His footsteps turned quiet and quiet. In a matter of seconds, his presence disappeared completely and I was left alone. I will have to get back to my home and also prepare for it. I hope I have it stocked up. I might need it for my¡­discussion with them.

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    The ''discussion'' will be rather...interesting..

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 14 - Convincing Process

    Chapter 14 ¡°Convincing Process¡±

    ¡°¡­Now what? Wait for him?¡± I let out a long sigh as I sat in one of the room I rent in the district where I lived. Thankfully this inn is not that crowded and I already have been close with the owner of this place. She is a very cute girl. Although still have a rather undeveloped body, her assertiveness and curiosity is quite high. Especially at night time. I really like girl like her. Friendly too.

    I folded my leg as I shifted my sitting posture. As always, I hate waiting. I know that I¡¯m the one that supposed to secure the place for us. But does that really mean that I can¡¯t just lock the room and go out for a bit of fun? I can sneak out, but that damn Reiyes has one of his Shades nearby. Although I can¡¯t see them, I could feel their presence. Well, not much. I¡¯m not as good as Nerva in term of sensing the presence of others around me. I could only rely on my sharpened instinct.

    Talking about instinct, I looked at the other person inside the room. He is still unconscious. Just as Reiyes¡¯ instruction, I tied both his hand and leg after removing any kind of weapon on him. For a person that is said to be in charge of information flow and also silencing informant, this guy has the worst instinct ever! I thought that since he is in charge of that my task will be a bit more difficult. But all I have to do is jumped behind him and landed a clean hit on his neck and done. That¡¯s all! Really? That¡¯s the extent of your ability? Ugh, and the local militia has not even able to catch their tail? I have less and less faith for the security of this town.

    Now that I looked at that guy, he is not that bad. His body is, as expected of a person that worked in this line of work, rather strong yet not bulky at all. It is a characteristic of one that put more importance in one¡¯s speed and agility instead of strength. When I lifted him up to this place, I could feel the firmness in his arm and leg. His copper brown hair is cut short and neat, letting his rather childish face shown free to the world totally uncovered. His slightly tanned skin also told me that he spent quite some time outside.

    And if I¡¯m not mistaken, this guy has a rather soft voice for a man. Unlike the other two¡­what¡¯s their name? Uhm¡­Andres and¡­Gerio? Unlike the other two, this guy is definitely gave a little boy image than a man. Combined with his slightly shorter height, his image is complete. Soft voice, childish face, slight tanned skin, and also haircut that emphasize his youth. Yup, that¡¯s a complete set there.

    If this is the guy that Mena girl is interested in, I have to admit that she has good eyes. If she isn¡¯t going to take him soon, I¡¯ll be happy to have him for myself.

    ¡°¡­Ugh¡­¡±

    Oh, he¡¯s starting to wake up? I guess my hit isn¡¯t that strong. Well, I did try to not kill him. I remember that one time I hit someone too hard, a cracking sound came from their neck. And¡­let¡¯s just say that I will not seeing that unfortunate person ever again.

    He stirred for a while. A few moments later he opened his eyes slightly. Hmm? Orange colored eyes? Quite beautiful ones if you asked me. He keeps getting more and more interesting. I like him. If this is finish, maybe I¡¯ll take him, even before that Mena woman take him.

    After opening his eyes completely, he started looking around. Clearly he is confused. I don¡¯t need Nerva¡¯s ability to know that. He kept looking around with a very shocked face. For a few seconds, he kept doing that without any sign of doing anything else.

    ¡°Hey.¡± I was bored of just looking at him stirring around in confusion. His head jerked a bit. Ah, he heard me. Good. ¡°You awake?¡±

    ¡°¡­Ehm¡­¡± He then turned his head toward me. It is quite an interesting sight for me, still tied up but tried to move his head toward me. If not because of Reiyes¡¯ order, I will unfasten his rope. Even if he tried to kill me, he wouldn¡¯t be able to. Even landing a hit on me will be a challenge for him. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m conceited. It is my instinct that told me so and also my experience when capturing him. ¡°¡­Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± He nodded. ¡°I¡¯m Cyrielle.¡±

    ¡°And¡­where is this?¡± Oh, trying to be calm, eh? Impressive. But your cramped expression gave that away, boy. Yes, I¡¯ll call him boy for now. Much better for me. I¡¯m bad with name too. That is much easier for me.

    ¡°Here?¡± He nodded again. ¡°This is a room in the second floor of The Ruby Tankard, an inn in the fun district of Fouge.¡± He seemed a bit surprised that I told him a very detailed answer. Well, what do you expect, boy? Didn¡¯t you ask me to tell you where this is?

    ¡°Okay¡­and¡­why am I here?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s simple.¡± I gave him a smile. He seemed to be taken aback by that. Hey, hey, if a smile is enough to make you that surprised, how will you do at when we have fun later? ¡°I kidnapped you.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you kid¡­What?¡±

    ¡°Kidnapped.¡± I nodded. ¡°You heard that right.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Surprised again? You are really easy to be surprised, boy. ¡°W-Why¡­Ugh¡­I can¡¯t move!¡± He then looked at his hand and feet. It seems that he finally realized his condition. ¡°Tied up!? What¡¯s the meaning of this!?¡±

    ¡°No need to shout, boy.¡± I kept my smiling face as he tried to loosen himself. Try all you might, I can guarantee that you can never release yourself except if you can dislocate your join. Even if he could, I¡¯m not that worried. ¡°Calm down and we can talk.¡±

    ¡°You!!¡± Even his angry face is good. Ah, what took those guys so long? If they aren¡¯t here soon, I¡¯ll really get this prey in front of me. ¡°Who are you? Why are you doing this? Are you with the royal families?¡±

    ¡°Oh, so many question at once.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but giggled. ¡°Well, I already told you that I¡¯m Cyrielle, Cyrielle Natine if you want my full name.¡±

    ¡°Natine?...No, there¡¯s no noble name like that here¡­¡± Although he was muttering that, I could still hear it clear enough to make each and every word. ¡°Why¡­are you doing this?¡±

    ¡°Reason, eh?¡± I shifted my legs again. ¡°I just want some information.¡±

    ¡°Information? For what?¡±

    ¡°For¨C¡°

    ¡°Natine, don¡¯t say unnecessary word.¡± At the sudden voice, which I know very well the owner is, the two of us shifted our attention toward him. As usual, his feet are always silent. If the boy wants to continue his line of job, he could learn a lot from Reiyes. And I mean a lot, as in being under him for about¡­one or two years? Yeah, that will do. He will not get to be at his level, but he will improve a lot. ¡°You are only to guard him. Don¡¯t do anything that might change the result.¡±

    ¡°Sheesh, you and your whining.¡± He then gave a slight frown. But as usual, his frown turned away instantly. I¡¯m still puzzled by how he could change his emotion and expression, almost instantly. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± I replied while throwing my hands up.

    ¡°W-Who are you?¡± Ah, almost forgot about him. Unlike when he looked at me, the boy looked at Reiyes with a slight fear inside his eyes. Well, not that I¡¯m blaming him or anything. His appearance is rather scary and unnerving, clothing wise. His thick black and brown coat covered his entire body from top to bottom, only leaving a slight view of his dark blue pair of pants and black boots. He always had the cowl of his coat on, making it very difficult to see his face. Although simple, the aura it emanates really made everyone felt more than slightly disturbed. I¡¯m accustomed to that, though. So I¡¯m absolutely okay with that.

    His face, not so much as it is just cold. In fact, I could say that if he could smile a bit, he would be popular with the woman, not that he wants to. Really, Reiyes is a strange guy. But he is a good guy. And he is also talented. That is a very big plus for me.

    ¡°Who am I is not your concern.¡± His voice was rather cold when he answered him. ¡°You have much more to concern than me.¡±

    ¡°What!? How dare y¨CCaptain Mena!¡± His eyes went wide after he looked at the one in Reiyes¡¯ arm. If not for him shouted that, I would have missed her too. ¡°What are you doing to her!?¡±

    ¡°Calm down. She is just unconscious.¡± Reiyes then walked inside after closing the door with his feet and then placed her a bit farther from the boy. ¡°We didn¡¯t hurt her even a single bit.¡±

    ¡°You bastard!¡± He tried to move toward Reiyes but unable to do so since he was still tied up. ¡°If I find that you hurt her! I will kill you!¡± Yeah, good luck doing that, boy. Hearing that, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a soft giggle. Reiyes glanced back at me with a rather annoyed eyes but then turned toward the boy again.

    ¡°Full of spirit aren¡¯t you?¡± Reiyes then walked next to me. ¡°Good. But I advise you keep that for later. You¡¯ll need it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Of course he wouldn¡¯t understand that. Gritting his teeth, he turned toward the woman. ¡°Captain! Captain Mena!¡± He shouted with all his might. ¡°Captain!¡±

    But she didn¡¯t wake up. Not even a bit of stirring came from her. The only sign of life from her came from her breast that moved up and down as she breathes. One could easily mistake her for jut being asleep.

    Now that I¡¯ve look at her, she is¡­hmm¡­cute? Yeah, that¡¯s right. Although the owner if this inn is far cuter than her, she can still be categorized as one too. Short cherry red hair and fine face. Her height is only slightly shorter than me, only a bit taller than the boy. At first glance, her body looked well train. A swordsman, perhaps? A knight? Probably is. And she also chose a rather boyish looking outfit that consisted of a pair of pants and a loose shirt under her coat, similar to the boy¡¯s. Although her breast is not that small, it is still on the undeveloped side. I guess I have to say that her looks really is the opposite of the boy. I mean, while the boy is a boy with a girlish feature, she is a woman with a boyish feature. They are actually a pair I love to see. The contrast of the two really makes it nice. Ah, my imagination has already run wild at the thought. Hahaha!

    ¡°Really? You think that will wake her up?¡± Reiyes said that while leaning onto the wall near me. ¡°Give it up. Your effort is futile.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Really, if Reiyes said that I have the talent to get under someone¡¯s skin, than I can say that he have the same talent as me. ¡°And you! Who are you? Why are you doing this to us? We didn¡¯t do anything to any of you!¡±

    ¡°¡­Ugh, this is giving me a headache.¡± Reiyes let out a heavy sigh. ¡°Where is he anyway? I just want to do this quickly.¡±

    ¡°Huh? I thought you were with him.¡±

    ¡°I was. But then he went back to get something.¡±

    ¡°Something?¡± I raised one of my eyebrows. ¡°He didn¡¯t say anything?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± He shook his head once. ¡°I guess I don¡¯t really know if he is going to bring something or not. He just said that he needs to prepare something. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Well, that tells us absolutely nothing.¡± I let out a ¡®hmph¡¯ as he said that. Really, that Nerva. Will it hurt anyone to tell us what he is going to do?

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t ignore me!¡± Oh, yeah, him. Forgot about him. ¡°I want answer!¡±

    ¡°And answer you will get.¡± A tapping sound accompanied that answer. Why is everyone entered so silently? That somehow made a bit annoyed that I can notice them. ¡°If you really want to, we will give you the answer to your question.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± I said to him with a rather irritated voice.

    ¡°Apology. I need to get the stuff I need.¡± He gave that answer with a smile. ¡°Well, I guess everyone is here. Let¡¯s start.¡± Hearing that, I stood up and took my position next to Reiyes while Nerva closed the door and walked toward the boy.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°S-Start what?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want answer?¡± Nerva who kept walking toward him answered him.  ¡°We will start that. But first.¡± He placed his finger onto his forehead.

    ¡°W-W-What are you going to¨C¡°

    ¡°Relax. It¡¯s going to be okay.¡± If I and Reiyes have the talent to get into someone¡¯s skin, Nerva has a different talent all together. He could easily manipulated people just by his words. And that boy is already under his control.

    A slight glow appeared from the tip of Nerva¡¯s finger and it touched the frightened boy¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°What are you do¨CHOT!!!¡± He screamed as loud as he could. But his scream died down soon after together with the disappearing of the glow. ¡°Y-Y-You! What have you¡­done¡­to me¡­¡± Slightly out of breath, he tried to ask Nerva.

    ¡°A simple spell.¡± He smiled again.

    ¡°W-What spell? Hey! Where¡­are you¨CDon¡¯t touch her!¡± Oh, his eyes showed that same worried looking glint as soon as he saw Nerva walked toward that woman.

    ¡°Quiet. I need to concentrate.¡± He then placed his finger on top of the woman¡¯s forehead. And just like the boy¡¯s case, the same glow came out.

    ¡°¡­A¡­Aaa¡­¡± A slight groan came from her. I guess the sensation from his spell woke her up as she started to open her eyes. ¡°Whe¡­Where am¡­I¡­?¡±

    ¡°Captain!¡± I could see that her eyes opened completely at the shout from the boy. I think this will be interesting. ¡°Captain Mena!¡±

    ¡°A-Adart? H-How¡­You!¡± before she could look at him, I could hear surprised voice from her. The reason? Probably seeing Nerva. ¡°The blind from before!¡±

    ¡°Why thank you for remembering.¡± Nerva once again gave a smile and then he stepped back a bit. ¡±Then shall we start?¡±

    ¡°Start? What do you mean? Where is this? Who are¨CAdart!¡± The moment she laid her eyes on the tied up boy, she immediately moved toward him. ¡°A-Are you all right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Captain.¡± He gave a reassuring answer, which in my opinion is not so reassuring considering his condition. ¡°H-How about you, Captain.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­fine? I think.¡±

    ¡°Please, can we start this?¡± Nerva clapped his hand, earning the two¡¯s attention. ¡°We don¡¯t have all night.¡±

    ¡°You!¡± She stood up and looked at us. No, glare at us. ¡°Who are you and what do you want?¡± Her eyes looked so much angrier than before. I guess seeing her subordinate being tied up like that really made her like that. I couldn¡¯t blame her though.

    ¡°Who we really are is not really important. What you really need to know is that we are not your enemies.¡± He smiled at her.

    ¡°Not our enemies? Are you kidding me!?¡± Once again she shouted. ¡°If you are not enemies, then why do you kidnap us?¡±

    ¡°It is to assure you so that we can exchange information.¡±

    ¡°I will have none of that!¡±

    For a while, silence enveloped the room. What broke the silence is Nerva¡¯s heavy sigh that is accompanied by him shaking his head.

    ¡°¡­This is going nowhere.¡± At Nerva¡¯s statement, I felt a sudden chill ran on my back. I know where this is going and I pitied them. I could see Reiyes shook his head, telling me that he also realized that. Well, let¡¯s just see. ¡°I really hate to do it, but it seems that I have to show you your place in this exchange.¡±

    Right after that, Nerva tapped his cane once onto the floor. At first glance, nothing happened. But that was because the effect of his action is not exactly visible.

    ¡°GUUHH!!!¡±

    ¡°UURGHH!!!¡±

    I directed my gaze at the source of the voice and found the woman has been forced down onto her knees while the boy couldn¡¯t do anything but laid down while gritting his teeth. The fact that the woman was still able to resist that showed that she is quite strong. But I think that she will fell soon as her feet are shaking terribly.

    Yup, not visible. But really there. And effective, if I may so myself. I also felt that invisible wave and felt like something pushed my whole body down. I glanced to my side and saw Reiyes clenching his hand slightly. Very effective indeed. Not even I and Reiyes are spared by that. The effect of his skill called ¡®Enforced Pressure¡¯ is to paralyze everyone in the surrounding area. The more energy he put into his skill, the stronger the pressure is. But it is not that effective against strong people. Or at least that is what he said. All I know is that I don¡¯t really like this skill of his.

    ¡°Do forgive me for that, my guest.¡± Nerva¡¯s calm voice came as a bit unfitting to the situation. I don¡¯t know the truth, but I suspect he somehow enjoy this kind of situation. ¡°I assure you, if you don¡¯t cooperate, this will be just the starter.¡±

    ¡°L-Like hell we w-will cooperate!¡± The woman¡¯s voice resounded very loudly although she was visibly shaking. Yup, not very convincing.

    ¡°¡­What a shame.¡± Nerva tapped his cane again.

    ¡°GUUUARRGH!!!¡±

    ¡°AAARRGGHHH!!!¡±

    Once again, I could feel the force has been added. A lot, if I may say so. The evidence besides the woman has been laid flat on the floor and the boy having trouble to even take a single breath? Reiyes who is beside me is holding his arm with a slight shaking hand. I also felt my back being pushed down that I hunched forward slightly. Really. I hate this skill of his! So much!

    ¡°So¡­change your mind?¡± Nerva, still with his calm voice, asked them. But nothing came from the two since they were already putting all their energy to keep conscious. ¡°Another one then.¡± He tapped his cane again onto the floor.

    ¡°A-AARGGHH!!¡±

    ¡°...guh¡­argh¡­¡±

    Ugh, damn you , Nerva! This is even a bit hard for me. Even Reiyes is starting to hunched his back like me. I was already starting to feel difficult to breathe normally. The woman is a terrible condition and the boy is¡­is that foam on his mouth? This is not going good for any of them.

    ¡°So?¡± Nerva asked again. ¡°Miss Captain, I think you should decide fast. Your subordinate is already on the verge of fainting, if not dying.¡± A slight grumble could be heard from the woman. I guess she was considering the safety of her subordinate. ¡°Another one? I don¡¯t really mind. Though this one,¡± Nerva pointed with his cane toward the boy, ¡°might really die.¡±

    ¡°¡­O¡­kay¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Forgive me, I don¡¯t quite get that.¡± Lies! You are able to hear the boy¡¯s heartbeats so well that you can determine how bad his condition was and you claimed that you can¡¯t hear her voice? Even I could hear that! ¡°Could you say it lou¨C¡°

    ¡°OKAY!¡± She shouted with all her might while still on the floor. ¡°We¡­will¡­cooperate¡­¡± She said that while gritting her teeth and clenching her fist so much that I could somehow see white spot forming on her knuckles. Strong one she is.

    ¡°Ah, is that so difficult?¡± Nerva tapped his cane again. And just like many times before, an invisible wave swept the whole room. This time, it was as if a heavy burden has been lifted from the air and I could breathe normally again. I immediately took a deep breath and tried to regulate my heartbeats that was getting wild and faster. Sheesh, I¡¯ll say it again. I hate his skill!

    ¡°¡­Finally¡­¡± I could hear Reiyes muttered that from beside me. I looked to the front and saw that the two had showed the same relieved expression as ours. Both of them were breathing very roughly, clearly a sign of how difficult and horrible the ordeal from before was for them. I wouldn¡¯t blame then even a bit since both Reiyes and I also felt the same.

    ¡°Ah, to make you believe that we are not your enemies, I think I will introduce ourselves.¡± He then gave a bow to them. ¡°My name is Nerva, a blind man. The man behind me,¡± he pointed his cane toward Reiyes, ¡°is Reiyes, a scout. And the woman next to her,¡± he pointed at me, ¡°is Cyrielle Natine, a wandering brawler.¡± Wait a minute! That¡¯s all? Aren¡¯t you going to say that I¡¯m a great lover too? Or at least a martial artist? Really that Nerva. Why couldn¡¯t he give me a good title?

    ¡°¡­Guh¡­¡± The woman glared at us with clear hatred in her eyes. ¡°And I supposed to believe that?¡±

    ¡°We are telling the truth. Not a single lies from start to now. But then again¡­,¡± he paused and tapped his cane several times, ¡°do you have a choice in that matter?¡±

    ¡°¡­So much for not being our enemies.¡± She then looked at the boy. ¡°If that is true, than is there any necessity to keep him tied up?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you are free to release him.¡± Nerva let a small laugh.

    ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± She then moved onto the boy and proceeded to untie him. It took a while but then she could finally untie the rope. I guess I tied it too tight. ¡°Are you okay, Adart?¡±

    The boy sat up and let out a couple of coughs for a moment. He then looked at her with a slightly troubled expression while massaging his wrist.

    ¡°Yes, Captain. I¡¯m¡­ashamed for being captured so easily.¡± The boy let out a very dejected tone.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± She then gave a reply in a quite gentle manner. Aren¡¯t they sweet? But then the trace of gentleness disappeared in the next sentence of hers. ¡°Those guys¡­are not normal.¡±

    ¡°Why thank you for the praise, Captain Mena.¡± Nerva said with a rather happy voice. ¡°And I hope that the rope is not too tight that time, Adart.¡±

    Hearing their name being called, the boy glared at us with pure hatred inside it. The woman put on a scowl. I guess she was trying to be tough but I could feel a deep fear from her eyes. Understandable.

    ¡°¡­Of course you know our identity.¡± She spoke with a cold tone. ¡°Who are you? Are you with the royal families?¡±

    ¡°My, certainly not. We are not affiliated with the royal families, the local authority, or anyone in that matter.¡± Nerva let out a small chuckle. ¡°You can refer us as¡­free agents.¡±

    ¡°Really? Hard to believe. Especially after what you did to us.¡±

    ¡°Not a strange reaction. But let me tell you this, the fact that we didn¡¯t hurt you is a sign that we don¡¯t want to become your enemy if not necessary.¡±

    ¡°¡­I couldn¡¯t believe you right away.¡± She paused for a bit. ¡°But¡­as you said¡­we don¡¯t have any choice in the matter.¡±

    ¡°Captain!¡±

    ¡°Quiet, Adart.¡± She stopped him before he could any anything else. ¡°I hate to admit it, but we are no match again any of them.¡±

    ¡°But Captain¡­¡±

    ¡°Adart.¡± She called his name while looking at him. For a few moments, no one said a single word.

    ¡°¡­I understand, Captain.¡± He gave a short nod. I guess they had come to an understanding.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± She then looked back at us. ¡°Then we will cooperate with you. For now.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for that.¡± Nerva gave a bow to her. ¡°So let me say that we only want some information from you. In turn, we will give some information that you might be looking for.¡±

    ¡°What kind of information are you looking for?¡±

    ¡°The objective of your organization.¡± The two became alert once Nerva said that. ¡°What do you call it? The Bears of Saxifell?¡±

    I could see the two clenched their hand as they were still in crouching position. They all glared even further onto Nerva. But he just smiled at them.

    ¡°¡­What is your purpose?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already say it? I want information.¡± He shifted his feet and leaned onto his cane slightly. ¡°Just that. No more, no less.¡±

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    The interesting part will be for the next chapter.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 15 - Inflicting Pain

    Chapter 15 ¡°Inflicting Pain¡±

    Mena glared at us while gritting her teeth. Well, at Nerva to be exact, since he was the one that lead the show for quite some time. Reiyes and I were just standing behind him, ready to follow his instruction, if he ever gives us any for that matter.

    ¡°Really? And what are you going to do with that information?¡± She raised her voice as she said that. ¡°Capture us all and give us to the kingdom¡¯s hand? Might as well kill us all right here, right now!¡±

    ¡°Oh, we would never to do that.¡± Hearing that answer, she scowled even further. ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t believe me.¡± He walked toward them, making them trying to take a distance from him. ¡°I can tell. There¡¯s no hiding from me.¡± Nerva took a step back and then faced them again. ¡°Let me tell you this, we are not affiliated with the royal family at all and I could care less what happened to you and your so called organization. But if I find you to be planning for something bad, I will personally eliminated you.¡± A slight fear invaded my mind as he said that. I looked at the two and saw similar response from them, if not worse. Nerva really know how to handle a conversation.

    ¡°I s-still can¡¯t trust you!¡± Although her reply came as a stuttered one, it was clear that she still tried to take a tough front.

    ¡°Understandable, Ms. Captain. Very understandable.¡± Nerva, still with his calm and composed self, answer that while slightly shaking his head. ¡°So let us go first as a sign of our good will toward you. We will tell you a piece of information that you are looking for.¡±

    ¡°¡­And what is that information?¡± Although I couldn¡¯t see his face clearly at the current angle, I could still see the tip of his mouth curved upward to form a small smile.

    ¡°Surely you remember they who are burnt to ashes in the forest?¡± That sudden mentioning of that made the two got up and immediately went into a battle stance. ¡°I think you are still searching for information regarding that, am I right?¡±

    ¡°How did you know that!?¡± A laugh came from his mouth as the boy shouted that. ¡°W-What¡¯s so funny?¡±

    ¡°Ah, forgive me. Well, the reason for me knowing that? That¡¯s simple.¡± A small chuckle came from him. ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯ve heard it from the one that do it.¡±

    ¡°What!? So you guys did it!¡± accused the woman while pointing at us.

    ¡°Oh, no, no. That is incorrect to say that.¡± Nerva let out a small laugh again and then pointed his cane at me. ¡°She is the sole culprit of that incident.¡± They looked at me with widened eyes and slightly gasping mouth. I guess the revelation shocked them.

    ¡°¡­No way¡­You¡¯re lying¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­ A single person?...That can¡¯t be¡­¡± The boy looked at me with disbelief. ¡°N-No way that y-you can defeat so many by y-y-y-y-yourself.¡±

    ¡°Nope, he is right, believe me.¡± I said to them with a calm tone. ¡°And¡­there were not a lot of them. Only¡­err¡­how many was it? Seven mages, ten Arcane Puppets and¡­five? Or maybe ten warriors?¡± I tapped my head as I tried to remember that. ¡°Yeah, something around that.¡±

    Just from their eyes alone I could see that they were trying their best to digest the shocking news they¡¯ve just heard. Usually when someone heard something crazy like that, they will deny it. But I guess the display of power Nerva did previously created all the differences.

    ¡°¡­You¡­¡± The woman looked at me with a clear sign of fear. ¡°¡­Monster¡­¡± Well, she¡¯s not wrong there. It hurt, but she wasn¡¯t wrong.

    ¡°Y-Y-You!¡± A shout came from the boy. ¡°You really are our enemies!¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Nope, not really.¡± I shrugged his accusation away. ¡°I don¡¯t have any reason to make you my enemy.¡±

    ¡°Lies!¡± Once again the boy shouted. ¡°Then why did you destroy them? Why?¡±

    ¡°So noisy.¡± I scratched my head as he said that. ¡°The reason? Well, they seemed to be trying to burn the forest. I just warned them not to since they might get hurt by the very own fire they¡¯ve just made. And, yeah, they attacked me. So, self-defense.¡±

    ¡°¡­Y-You¡­wiped out an entire group¡­just because of self-defense?¡± I nodded at the woman¡¯s word while saying ¡®uh huh¡¯ to her. ¡°That¡¯s absurd!!!¡±

    ¡°They have heavily armed guards! And mages too!¡± After that, it was the boy¡¯s turn. ¡°Wiping them out just for self-defense is crazy! Madness!!¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s what we all¡­no, Nerva and I thought too.¡± I glared at Reiyes who said that. ¡°But this fellow is not one that can control her power.¡±

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s mean!¡± What do you mean by that? ¡°I can control my power just fine!¡±

    ¡°Said the one that burnt a whole group when using it without magic will be just fine.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Damn you, Reiyes! ¡±I¡­uhm¡­I¡­¡±

    ¡°You have no excuse, Cyrielle.¡± At Nerva¡¯s word, I clamped my mouth shut. He was right. I have no excuse. But¡­using the hatchet without magic. That is no fun! I want to see it blazing fire left and right when I use it! ¡°And¡­you don¡¯t reflect on that mistake of yours.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He noticed. I forgot how sharp Nerva is. ¡°¡­Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Sorry!? That¡¯s all you could say!?¡± She glared at me at that time after learning the true culprit of the incident. ¡°Do you know the damage you did!?¡±

    ¡°Uhm¡­they are all wiped out, right?¡± I mean, what else is there except the whole group is destroyed? Hmm¡­I can¡¯t even try to care about it. Oh well.

    ¡°And you want us to exchange information!?¡± The boy shouted at us. ¡°Are you taking us as a fool!?¡±

    A moment of silence wrapped the whole room. I glance from Reiyes and Nerva and then to the pair in front of us that were breathing heavily, trying to control their rage. I saw no movement from any of them. I guess from the direction of the conversation, the negotiation wasn¡¯t so successful. But that is my thought. Nerva, on the other hand, might have another different view of the whole situation.

    ¡°¡­So difficult.¡± A sigh from Nerva broke the whole silence in a second. ¡°I guess from your response, it is impossible to exchange information.¡±

    ¡°Of course it is impossible! It is impossible from the start!¡±

    ¡°You are the only one that still thinks that it is possible to do that! Who in the right mind will exchange information with their enemy so easily? No one!¡±

    I¡¯ve been thinking, aren¡¯t the two of them felt tired for all that shouting? I mean, we can hear them pretty good. The room is not that big, you know? But they all have been shouting from the start. I guess they are still angry at that whole group being wiped out. Not my fault that they are too weak. I just gave them a warning and they attacked me. And I only just gave them a single strike with my hatchet, full power of course. How should I know that they will be destroyed that easily? I thought that since they were fire mages, my fire could be resisted at least a small bit.

    ¡°¡­Really, so difficult.¡± Eh? Why did Nerva¡¯s voice give me another chill? Oh¡­this is not good. I immediately looked toward him and felt a chilling sensation. In front of me stood not the usual Nerva, but the Nerva I don¡¯t really like to remember.

    ¡°W-W-What?¡± At her voice, I turned to look at her and saw a very familiar expression whenever Nerva became like that. The boy next to her also displayed similar expression. And that expression is¡­fear. ¡°W-W-What do you want?¡±

    ¡°All I want is a peaceful information exchange.¡± Nerva stepped forward. The two took a step backward with fear plastered clearly on their face. ¡°But seeing that you insist on branding us as your enemy, we can conclude that this peaceful negotiation is over.¡±

    ¡°P-P-Peaceful? You think kidnaping us and tying us is peaceful!? You are mad!¡±

    ¡°¡­What difficulties you gave us.¡± Nerva then rummaged his pocket and pulled out a small bottle. ¡°I hate to say it, but we have to move on to the next stage.¡± Ugh, I knew it. As I let out a groan, I noticed that the two has backed up even farther from him. Although I couldn¡¯t see his face from my position, I bet he was wearing a rather calm expression on his face. Combined with his calm and cold voice, I could really understand the reason for the two being scared even further.

    ¡°B-B-Back off!¡± The boy stood in front of her, trying to shield her from him. ¡°I said back off!¡± Quite admirable for him to do that. But, boy, you are not very convincing with that trembling feet of yours. Nope, not one bit. ¡°Don¡¯t touch the Captain!¡±

    ¡°Why would I?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°You are my target.¡± The moment he said that, he paled even further than before. ¡°You are the one that will drink this.¡±

    ¡°W-What are y¨CGARGHH!!!¡± Without letting him finish his sentence, Nerva grabbed the boy¡¯s neck and then pushed him toward the ground, making a loud thumping noise. ¡°Guh! L-L-Let me g¨CGAH!!!¡±

    ¡°Quiet.¡± It seemed that he tightened his hold on him since he was gasping for air. ¡°Here you go.¡±

    The boy writhed in agony and tried to shake him off. But, as expected, Nerva hold against him was very effective since Nerva didn¡¯t budge a little bit while he poured the content of the bottle into his mouth and the boy¡¯s movement was so slow and difficult. I glanced at the woman near them and saw that she was too scared to move. For her own safety, I hope she stayed that way.

    After emptying the whole content of it into his mouth, Nerva stood up and took a step back from him, letting him free.

    ¡°A-Adart!¡± The woman ran to her and crouched down to his level. ¡°Adart! Say something!¡±

    ¡°Guah!! W-W-What did you made me drink you, guh!¡± His eyes widened all of a sudden. This made the woman near him worried as she kept calling his name over and over again.

    ¡°Ah, it works fast. I guess the ingredient has a much better quality than I expected.¡± A small chuckle came from Nerva. ¡°Then Cyrielle, hold her down.¡±

    ¡°Got it~!¡± I walked forward rather lazily at his command. Hearing my footsteps, she tried to back away from her position.

    ¡°E-Eh!? B-Back of!¡± She glared at me. ¡°I warn you!¡±

    ¡°Very noisy.¡± I ignored her warning and proceeded to slipped behind her. Without waiting for her to realize what happened, I grabbed her hands and put them behind her back while I used my other hand to get a hold of her neck. I also made her crouched down slightly together with me, preventing her from using her feet completely. In a short moment, I was holding her quite nicely and she couldn¡¯t move even an inch.

    ¡°O-Ow! Let me go!¡± Ha? Of course I won¡¯t!

    ¡°Quiet, you¡¯re noisy. But cute, though.¡±

    ¡°E-Eh?¡± Oh, she heard that last comment? I said that as quiet as I could though. I guess I wasn¡¯t as quiet as I thought. That and also that my statement really didn¡¯t suited the whole situation. So? I¡¯m an honest person. ¡°W-What!?¡± Well, no use hiding it then.

    ¡°I said you¡¯re cute.¡± The moment I said that, she turned her head toward me. And¡­oh, blushing now, are we?

    After looking at her so closely, she is much cuter than I thought. She looked so innocent with her flushed cheeks and confused face. Her eyes are watery, probably from all that shouting from before. I could also smell a bit of sweat from her. But she didn¡¯t smell bad or anything. In fact, her smell is rather on the good side. Call me anything you want, but that is what I thought.

    In short, I like her. If I can¡¯t take the boy, I¡¯ll take her. It would be the best if I could have both. Or maybe see the two of them together and I¡¯m in the middle of it. Oh, not good. I¡¯m drooling a bit.

    ¡°W-W-Why are you d-d-d-drooling? D-D-Don¡¯t look at me like that!¡± Oh, she showed a very different fear than before. I forgot that she is their leader so she is bound to be a sharp person. I let my guard off and seemed to have shown my intention on my face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, cutie.¡± I gave her a smile, which did nothing but scared her more. ¡°Besides, you have more important thing to be concern of at the moment.¡± I said that while gesturing with my head toward the scene in front of her. She followed my sight and I could hear her letting out a voiceless gasp.

    At the direction where I showed her, the boy lied on the floor with pained expression while griping his own throat. I might not be correct, but I kind of could recognize the content of that bottle from Nerva judging by that reaction. And I have to say that I also hate that potion if I¡¯m correct about it.

    ¡°Ah, the effect seems to have entered the second stage.¡± Nerva approached him with Reiyes closely behind soundlessly. ¡°It seems that you are very sensitive to medicine, yes?¡±

    ¡°Y-You¡­ugh¡­w-what¡­argh¡­urgh¡­d-did¡­you¡­¡±

    ¡°What did I give you, right?¡± The boy nodded weakly. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t spoil the surprise. You¡¯ll see it soon anyway. Let¡¯s just wait for¡­one¡­two¡­three¡­four¡­five.¡±

    ¡°GUAAAAAHHH!!!!¡±

    ¡°Adart!!!¡± The cause of her suddenly shouting was none other than the fact that he suddenly arched his back while letting out a hoarse and loud shriek. I instinctively averted my eyes from the scene as I pity him a bit since I know really well the experience. He then fell onto the floor with a loud thumping sound and lied motionlessly. ¡°Adart!!! Adart!!¡±

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°¡­ugh¡­¡± A low groan came from him and she let out a silent sigh, probably relieved that he is still alive. Oh, how na?ve that was. If she know what he will face next, death is a much better option. And knowing Nerva, he wouldn¡¯t let him die easily. ¡°Eh?¡± He immediately opened his eyes and looked around with widened eyes. ¡°I¡¯m¡­all right?¡± Okay, I positively know the potion. Poor guy.

    ¡°Of course you are.¡± Nerva walked closer to him. ¡°Do you think that will kill you?¡±

    ¡°E-Eh?¡± Ah, he noticed the ominous feeling from his voice. ¡°T-Then what?¡±

    ¡°This.¡± I could see Nerva smiled. And then, he did just as I expected him to do.

    ¡°E-Eh? Wh¨CGARGHH!!!¡± He stepped on his hand that was laid unprotected on the floor, which earned him a loud and painful scream from the boy while he grabbed his hand, clearly trying to pulled it away. ¡°ARGHHH!!!!¡±

    ¡°Hmm, not loud enough. A little more then.¡±

    ¡°U-Ugh, a l-l-little m¨CARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!¡± A much louder scream echoed in the room. I couldn¡¯t help but felt slightly uncomfortable at that. This is the Nerva I would never miss. ¡°S-S-S-Stop, it h-h-h-hurts! AAARRGHHH!!¡±

    ¡°Adart! Adart!¡±

    ¡°Woops, stay still, cutie.¡± I tightened my hold on her as she was trying to get to him as soon as she saw Nerva¡¯s method. ¡°I advise you to not go there, cutie.¡± I like calling her that, you know? And since she already know what I thought about her, might as well use that.

    ¡°Let me go!¡± She struggled to loosen my hold on her. But it was a futile effort since my hold is very secure, but I can guarantee that I didn¡¯t hurt her a bit. The reason? I¡¯m quite experienced in doing this, for one way or another. You can use your imagination for that. ¡°Adart!! Adart!!¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t hear you, cutie. Trust me.¡± But that was also a futile effort since she didn¡¯t show any sign of hearing my advice. She kept calling her over and over again.

    ¡°Y-Y-You bast-t-tard! D-Damn y¨CGUAAAHHHH!!!¡±

    ¡°Still able to talk, eh?¡± He didn¡¯t let him finish his sentence and stepped on his other hand, making him screamed loudly again. As I looked at him, I see that he started to foamed a bit from his mouth. Even from my place, it was clear enough that he was suffering.

    While seemingly trying to hold his tear, his eyes looked watery enough that it was evident that he was having a very hard time holding them back. He still gritted his teeth in effort to keep his voice down, which also didn¡¯t really work. Combined with the fact that he had drool spilling from his mouth and foam started to showed up too, he is in great suffering.

    ¡°I¡­.d-don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± What did you not understand? Oh, let me guess. ¡°You don¡¯t understand how can he be in so much pain, right?¡± She didn¡¯t say a thing. But her body language told me that I was right on target. ¡°If you ask me, I can answer you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why?¡± She didn¡¯t turn around but I took that as she was asking me. Might as well answer her.

    ¡°Remember the bottle?¡± She didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°That is a special medicine that increased one¡¯s pain. If I¡¯m not mistaken, by threefold.¡±

    ¡°T-T-T-Threfold?¡± I gave her a nod. ¡°N-No way¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re wrong, Cyrielle.¡± Ugh, he heard me. ¡°That was the old recipe. This, on the other hand, raised it to tenfold.¡±

    ¡°T-Tenfold!?¡± Although I didn¡¯t shout it like her, I was as surprised as she is. Tenfold? That is so crazy! How did he refine that damned recipe of his? What a fearful guy he is.

    ¡°Correct. It is tenfold. If not.¡± He pulled his foot again and then stomped on the poor boy¡¯s open palm.

    ¡°AARRRGGHHH!!!!¡± And, just like before, a loud and painful scream erupted from him. I flinched a bit at that, but I still forced myself to not avert my eyes from them.

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t scream so loud with just a small pain like that, right? I mean.¡± He lifted his foot again and positioned it onto another part, this time at his lower left arm. I could see him breathing roughly in between his pained groan as he lied on the floor. After that, his eyes moved toward his torturer¡¯s foot that is floating above his arm.

    ¡°N-No¡­P-P-Please, I b-beg y¨CAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!¡± As expected, his plea fell on deaf ear as Nerva put down his foot on that very spot mercilessly. He even moved his heel around a bit on that spot, making his scream louder than before.

    I could only imagine the pain he was in with that last one. Usually, one would not feel so much pain with just a simple action like that. Sure, it is painful. I won¡¯t deny that. But as one who is trained, which I expected the boy is judging from his body and job, he should be accustomed to pain somewhat better than regular person. A small hit on the hand would certainly not lead to a loud scream like that from him. But at the moment, he was so pitiful.

    ¡°This way, the injury is very little and it is not life threatening at all.¡± He smiled while facing toward us. ¡°You can inflict pain as much as one could without risking injuring him. Marvelous, isn¡¯t it?¡± He let out a small chuckle after he said that. Not an ounce of malice could be found inside his voice.

    Crazy, mad, and scary. The Nerva in front of me is that kind of Nerva. I know that it is not his usual self, but the sight of it still made me shiver with fear. Speaking of shiver, it seemed that the one I¡¯m holding at the moment also shivered with fear. I guess fear for his subordinate¡¯s safety and also for her own fate.

    ¡°Are you sure it won¡¯t kill him, Nerva?¡± Reiyes who was silent for some times started to talk. ¡°I mean, he is already foaming.¡± Well, he is, right? Isn¡¯t that life threatening?

    ¡°Worry not, my friend.¡± He pulled his feet again, leaving the poor boy get a weak hold on his recently tortured limb while groaning in pain and breathing roughly. ¡°If anyone else does it, they will risk the victim dying fairly quick since the body will not be able to cope with the amount of pain being dealt with. But for someone like me.¡± He crouched down and then took the boy¡¯s hand. Noticing that, the boy shook his head, probably begging him to stop whatever devious action he has in mind. But he only gave him a smile and then proceeded to hold his hand, which probably in a very tight hold.

    ¡°AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!¡± Judging from the scream, it was probably like having his hand being crushed by a blacksmith hammer on an anvil. But from Nerva¡¯s explanation, the amount of force he applied might be no more than just like a tight handshake. ¡°IT H-H-H-HURTSSS!!!¡± Suddenly the scream got louder. ¡°S-S-STOP IT!!!¡± The boy let out a lot of foam from his mouth and his whole body convulsed and shook wildly. I could also see his eyes started to turn white.

    ¡°And¡­there¡­¡± Nerva then released his hand, leaving him on the floor gasping for breath while also convulsing like crazy. Nerva then stood up and faced the two of us. ¡°You see? If I did it even for a second more, he would die from the shock. Or became insane. I don¡¯t really know.¡± He shrugged like it was not important. ¡°But I could determine that much better than anyone. That way, he can suffer longer and longer and longer without killing him.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, impressive.¡± Reiyes gave an honest opinion at that.

    ¡°Scary and brutal, yet impressive.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but also added my opinion to that. After I said that, the woman I¡¯m holding trembled greatly. It seems that his explanation combined with the sight of his subordinate writhing in pain on the floor frightened her too much. ¡°You hear that, cutie?¡± I said that close to her ear and saw that she was crying. ¡°Oh, poor you. Did that frightened you? Or are you worried about him? This wouldn¡¯t happen if you just cooperate, you know?¡±

    ¡°I¡­.I¡­would¡­never¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t hear her clearly since she was almost whispering that. While sobbing slightly, she continued. ¡°Sorry¡­sorry¡­Adart¡­Sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Sheesh, you are one stubborn woman, you know?¡± I started to get irritated. ¡°Your subordinate is clearly dying there. In fact, it is better for him to die that getting through another second of that, you know? But you still don¡¯t want to talk?¡± I was honestly worried about the two of them. Sure I have no connection to them whatsoever, but seeing them like that somehow didn¡¯t feel right for me. Of course, I also know that this is our mission and we are not killing them or anything. Well, I guess killing them is much better than this. At least they are not suffering.

    The woman didn¡¯t give a single answer at my question. She just sobbed silently and nodded once. Ugh, this is getting us nowhere.

    ¡°Hmm, this is not looking good.¡± Nerva said that as he tapped his cane. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything at him at the moment or he will die. And I don¡¯t want him to die.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you move on to her?¡± Reiyes said that with his usual calm and cold tone. That startled both of us. ¡°That woman or him, as long as we have the information, it is fine, right?¡±

    ¡°True.¡± For a few moments, Nerva kept tapping his cane in silent. I guess he was weighting his choice. ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re right, Reiyes.¡± He then approached the boy and then just stood next to him. ¡°Fainted, eh?¡± Really? I didn¡¯t notice that. I guess he was exhausted after all of that. After saying that, he mercilessly planted his cane onto his hand.

    ¡°AARRGGHHH!!!¡± Just like many times before, scream of agony erupted from him. Then he started to breath roughly again while his eyes opened only slightly.

    ¡°Reiyes, hold him.¡± Reiyes nodded and then picked up the boy rather roughly into a tight hold similar to mine. ¡°Don¡¯t let him asleep. Just pinch him slightly if he is losing consciousness. Keep his head toward his captain.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Nerva then walked toward us.

    ¡°N-N-No! Get a-a-away from me!¡± She started to trash around wildly after seeing him walking toward us, clearly frightened at what she will face. ¡°Help!! Somebody! Help!!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s futile. Do you really think that someone will help you if you scream? No one, and I mean not a single soul, can hear you as long as you are here.¡±

    ¡°N-No way¡­¡± Slowly, I could feel him losing her energy. ¡°P-P-Please¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, that will not do, my dear.¡± Nerva waved his finger at him. He then pulled out a similar bottle. ¡°If you are not going to tell us what we need, than I¡¯m afraid you know what will happen.¡±

    ¡°B-B-But¡­¡±

    ¡°And it seems that you are not going to talk any time soon, right?¡± She became silent. I guess she really has no intention to talk. ¡°Then I¡¯m afraid that this is your fate.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± I immediately let out a shout, startling not only Nerva, but everyone in the room.

    ¡°What is it, Cyrielle?¡± Nerva, although he used a calm and composed tone, I¡¯m dead sure that he is very irritated at the moment.

    ¡°Uhm, can I take care of this one?¡± For a few moments, the whole room became silent and I could feel the attention directed toward me.

    ¡°What are you suggesting?¡±

    ¡°I mean, can I take care of¡­convincing her? Through my own method?¡± I just can¡¯t see her being the subject of Nerva¡¯s method of interrogation. Seeing the boy was enough for me and I hope to not see the same happened to her.

    ¡°Your own method? As in¡­¡± Nerva faced me and I just nodded at him. ¡°¡­Are you sure?¡± Ah, he approved? Hahaha!

    ¡°Yes, I am!¡± I could feel my voice came out as excited. That made the woman glanced at me with a rather worried expression while the boy looked at me with confusion clearly in his eyes. ¡°Then¡­can I do it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay, I don¡¯t mind. But¡­¡± He then faced the woman and let out a sigh, startling her. ¡°You¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°E-Eh?¡± Hearing him apologizing like that made her even more worried than before. I could also hear Reiyes let out a sigh too. Who cares! Hahaha! I¡¯m really excited for this!

    ¡°Reiyes, keep him awake and also make sure he keeps his eyes on her.¡±

    ¡°¡­Understood.¡±

    ¡°Cyrielle, you can start any time you want,¡± said Nerva while walking to the chair and pulled it nearer Reiyes and the boy. He then sat near them, joining them as the audience. ¡°Just¡­don¡¯t get carried away. Unlike mine, your method might¡­have a much worse consequences for her future.¡±

    ¡°You got it!¡± His words didn¡¯t enter my mind a single bit. I then looked at the trembling woman in my hold. ¡°So, I hope you are ready, cutie. Because I am.¡±

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    A bit cruel, but necessary. Next chapter we''ll see Cyrielle in action.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 16 - Inflicting Pleasure *

    *WARNING*

    This chapter contains a slightly EXPLICIT SEXUAL scenes.

    You have been warned.

    *WARNING END*

    Chapter 16 ¡°Inflicting Pleasure¡±

    ¡°W-W-What are you¨C¡°

    ¡°Shush, cutie.¡± I said that as I cut her word right away. ¡°All I need you to do is just relax.¡±

    ¡°R-R-Relax!? In this situation!?¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah. On second thought. You¡¯re right. This might be better.¡± I released my hold on her. She then immediately tried to get away from me and ran to the boy. Unfortunately for her, I caught her hand right away and pulled her into my embrace. ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t. Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Let go of me, yo¨CUmph!!¡± She couldn¡¯t finish her words. The reason? I shut her mouth with my own. Yup, I kissed her. I looked at her and saw that her eyes widened with shock evident in there. Together with that, I could also see her cheeks flushed much more than before. She pushed me away and I released my mouth from hers. ¡°W-W-W-What d-d-d-d-did you just¨C¡°

    ¡°A kiss.¡± I stated that as calmly as I could be. ¡°What else?¡± As I grin toward her, her whole face was dyed red completely. I glanced at the boy and I could see his mouth was left open while his eyes looked at us as wide as they could. These two really are interesting. I like them.

    ¡°K-K-K-Kiss!?¡±

    ¡°Yup. Oh, don¡¯t tell me, that was your first one?¡±

    ¡°OF COURSE IT IS!!!¡± Ah, how wonderful! How wonderful! I stole her first one! Hahahaha! Wonderful! ¡°I HAVE NEVER DONE IT, YOU IDIOT! DAMN WOMAN!!!¡± Oh, she is letting out her rage quite a lot. I then placed my sight on the boy. I could see him shuddered all of a sudden. Hehehe, he could feel how I saw him as a prey. I recognized that look anytime. ¡°Y-Y-You!? W-W-What are you p-p-planning?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing~¡± I then jumped toward the boy who looked stupefied at what just happened. I crouched down and looked him straight in the eyes. ¡°So you never kiss her?¡±

    ¡°M-M-M-M-Me? K-K-K-Kiss? W-W-W-With t-t-t-t-the C-C-C-C-Captain?¡± Sheesh, too many stutter, boy. Too many. A single no would suffice.

    ¡°Guess not.¡± I then reached for his face and then pushed my face toward his. As I snatched his lips, his eyes went wide again. I could hear the woman behind me gasped. I played with him for a while and then released the long kiss. He was gasping for air after that. Cute, aren¡¯t you? ¡°There. Consider that as an indirect first kiss between the two of you.¡±

    ¡°W-W-W-W-What!?¡±

    ¡°H-H-H-H-Huh!?¡±

    The two shouted as loud as they could. I could see both Nerva and Reiyes shook their head at me. I guess they are already accustomed to my antic. Well, good for them since I have no intention of changing them.

    ¡°You really are a cute one, aren¡¯t you?¡± I traced my finger on his face. Just like her, his whole face reddened. It seems that my action has caught them by surprise. They have never thought that I will treat them like that. That¡¯s good. ¡°Should I give you another one?¡±

    ¡°GET AWAY FROM HIM!!!¡±

    ¡°Woops.¡± I step aside as she was going to hit me from behind. After that I took a hold of her again like before. The reason for that is to secure her and also to avoid her hitting the boy since the line of her fist will hit him right on the face. ¡°Miss me so soon, cutie?¡±

    ¡°ARGH!!! DAMN YOU! LET ME GO!! LET ME¨CUmph!!!¡± Once again I silenced her as I pulled her face toward mine. But unlike before, I played more with her mouth. I let my tongue explored her mouth, sliding between her own tongue and also her teeth. I guess the stimulation was too much as she kept pushing me away. But due to my strength, she was no match and I didn¡¯t budge an inch.

    As continue to tease out her tongue and caressed it with my own, I could feel the strength of her arms against me weakening. I didn¡¯t let go of this chance and went into a deeper kiss, exploring her mouth again and again. I could feel more of our saliva mixed together inside her mouth as I put her head in a lower position than my head, making it as if I¡¯m staring down at her.

    ¡°Uwah!¡± I pulled out my mouth from hers and finished the long session of kissing. I licked my own lips as I savor the leftover taste of her on my mouth. As I look at her, I could see that her eyes were starting to get cloudy, vacant even. But traces of defiance still linger there. I was very excited. If she gives up right away, then it will be no fun. ¡°I guess you¡¯re ready.¡±

    ¡°E-Eh?¡± Her attention returned as she heard my voice. As if noticing the danger that will come, she backed away. But her feet gave up and she fell backward on to her bottom. ¡°S-S-Stay away!¡±

    ¡°Nope~¡± I then grabbed her head and then positioned my eyes in line with hers. I focus on her eyes and then chanted slowly. ¡°Listen to my voice. To the sparks that linger in the depth of the mind. I call you and command you. Turn into blazing inferno.¡± I could see the reflection of my eyes showed inside hers and they were glowing slightly with the ever familiar symbol started to appear inside my eyes. Then they glowed slightly until a similar glow started to appear inside her eyes. I released my hold on her head and then gave her a smile.

    ¡°W-W-W-What did¨Cguh!¡± She hugged her own body and then started to trembled. She gritted her teeth while her breath quickened. Her skin flushed a deeper red than before. After a few seconds, the glow in her eyes disappeared and her eyes returned to normal. ¡°¡­W-W-What¡­did¡­ugh¡­¡± Her eyes looked unfocused. It was a sign that I did that correctly. I couldn¡¯t help but let out a rather mischievous grin at that.

    ¡°C-Captain!¡± A loud shout from near me reminded me that I was not alone with her. It also reminded me that I was not here to merely fool around. I have a task, unfortunately. ¡°What did you do to her!?¡±

    ¡°Oh, relax. I didn¡¯t hurt her. In fact, I¡¯ll bet she will enjoy it very much.¡± I licked my lips after saying that. I really couldn¡¯t help but want to do it fast. I then moved behind her and then positioned her so that she was facing the boy and I was behind her. It didn¡¯t take long and since she was still in the after effect of the spell, she was still confused and didn¡¯t resist a single bit.

    ¡°¡­Huh?....E-Eh?!¡±

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re with us again, cutie.¡± I gave her a smile as I kept my hug on her whole body. I could feel the temperature of her body seeped into me. I leaned forward and then moved her chin so I could kiss her. I could feel she struggled to get away from me but it was a much weaker attempt than before. It was as if her mind somehow wanted that. I let her go and looked at her cloudy eyes. ¡°Aw, where¡¯s your vigilant from before? Giving up already?¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­n-no way in hell!¡±

    ¡°Then why are you not resisting as hard as before?¡± I grinned. ¡°Perhaps you actually enjoy it?¡±

    ¡°N-N-No way! There¡¯s no w¨CUmphh!!¡± I silenced her again with the same method as before. As I kept my tongue invaded her mouth, I played more and more with her mouth. I pulled back slightly, letting her gasping for breath, but only for a moment. I kiss her deeply again, overwhelming her senses, swapping quite a bit of saliva in the process. And then she suddenly let out a soft moan from between our kiss. I pulled back and looked at her showing a surprised look. ¡°N-N-No! I d-d-d-didn¡¯t¨C¡°

    ¡°Didn¡¯t what, cutie?¡± I stroked her face softly, making her shivered slightly. ¡°Hey, boy. You heard that, right?¡± I shifted my attention toward the boy in Reiyes¡¯ hold. He just looked at us with shocked expression and also trembling shoulders. ¡°Oh, yes. He heard that, all right.¡±

    ¡°N-N-No! A-Adart! D-D-Don¡¯t believe her!¡± Ah, this is fun! Very fun indeed! She is panicking and the boy is slightly getting confused. It¡¯s been a while since I experienced this kind of thrill. It¡¯s good to have variety.

    ¡°Aw, just admit it, cutie. You like it~¡± I smiled at her. ¡°There¡¯s no denying it.¡±

    ¡°N-No! T-There¡¯s no way I like that!?¡±

    ¡°So stubborn.¡± I then licked her ear, earning a startled yelp from her. ¡°But I like it~¡±

    ¡°S-S-Stop it!¡±

    ¡°Nope~, hehehe.¡± Ignoring her, I proceeded to move my hand toward her arms. I caress them while slightly infusing my flame magic onto it. The effect came in the form of her breathing turning much rougher than before and her effort to free herself became much weaker.

    Usually, if one infuses flame magic into one¡¯s limb, everything that comes in contact with the mentioned limb will get burn, or disintegrate at worst. But I have found another use that is far from destruction. By imbuing the flame into my hand, I can transmit my feeling into the one that I touched. It is like minor level hypnotism, but far better than that in my opinion. While hypnotism is like straight tempering with the mind of the victim, mine use a much more subtle approach. The downside is, as expected, the effectiveness is far lower than a straight hypnotism or mind control. I can only give the target a slight nudge instead of forcing the target to feel what I wanted them to feel.

    Oh, and it is very different from the spell I used for her earlier too. The spell is called¡­hmm¡­what was it? I think I¡¯ve never really name it. But I use it a lot. Just like the incantation, it is to call the sleeping burning emotion in one¡¯s deep mind and turned it into a burning desire. It is a spell that I use quite often with whomever I spend the night with. The effectiveness of the spell depends on the amount of energy I put into it, in her case, not so much since I don¡¯t want to break her mind.

    Unlike Nerva who is skilled in manipulating pain, I am specialized in manipulating pleasure, if I may say so myself. And at the moment, the woman in front of me is experiencing it in full force. Hmm¡­maybe not full force, but quite a bit. With the combination of my ¡®burning touch¡¯ and my ¡®awakening suggestion¡¯, I guarantee that her pleasure has increase at least threefold. And, yes, I will not stop there. Since the goal of this is to make her submit to our demand, I will keep doing that. But what¡¯s the fun in just doing it in one go, right? I want to have some more fun. Especially since the boy she has a crush is right in front of her. Hahahaha!

    ¡°¡­ple¡­ase¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I continued my task of caressing her arms, ignoring her voice again. I could feel the firmness of her arms in my hand. It is a firmness that still holds a degree of femininity and softness in it. Even by doing it over her sleeve, I could feel the smoothness of her skin. It really made me wonder what her background is. Maybe I¡¯ll take a look at it later myself.

    ¡°¡­please¡­.stop¡­¡± Ha? Begging now? Hehehe¡­This is getting much more fun every second. ¡°¡­not¡­in front of¨CAhn!¡± Her eyes widened as she realized she let out a very loud moan all of a sudden.

    ¡°Not in front of who, cutie?¡± I let out a mischievous smile. I can¡¯t believe it that she let out such a cute moan as I ¡®accidently¡¯ brushed the tip of my finger at her breast. Since it was just a small touch, usually it wouldn¡¯t give that much of an effect. But since she is under the influence of my flame magic, she could feel even the slightest tiny poke at her. ¡°And thanks for the cute moan.¡±

    ¡°I..ugh¡­d-d-didn¡¯t m¨CAaaa!?¡±

    ¡°You said something?¡± While her face reddened again, her arms that were trying to push me away lost their power. The effect of the spell combined with my hand movement probably too much for her. She probably realized by now that trying to get away from me while holding her own composure is an impossible feat to be done at her current condition. But she still didn¡¯t give up. I could see tears started to gathered on the edge of her cloudy and watery eyes while she kept her mouth clenched, trying to stifled her voice as  best as she could. The extent of her will still showed even at this stage. Impressive. But not good enough. ¡°How about this then?¡±

    ¡°H-Huh? E-Eh!?¡± She widened her eyes as she finally realized the destination of my hand. She kept shaking her head as she looked at my hand that traveled toward her closed legs. She tried to pushed them away but it lacked any force. ¡°P-Please¡­I beg you¡­please¡­¡± Her voice, hoarse and slightly pained, was anything but convincing.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Then tell us what we want to know.¡±

    ¡°¡­A-Anything¡­but that¡­¡± Oh, still playing tough, are we? Then you have no mercy from me. ¡°P-Please¡­l-let me¨CHNGHHH!!!¡± She immediately clamped her mouth shut as soon as I move my hand along her thigh. She really possessed a trained body. Just like her arms, her thighs showed a sign of being trained very hard yet it did not lose the soft characteristic that I like from a girl. ¡°S-Stop, ple¨CAAHH!!¡± Her voice became louder as I tightened my hold on her thigh. ¡°Ahn, aaa,¡­HMNGH!!!¡± Another voice came out as I traced the line of her legs slowly while applying the usual flame magic along the way.

    I looked at her and saw that her eyes had become much more clouded then before and she kept shivering from time to time. He breathing that had turned rough and also the sultry voice that accompanied them combined with her rising temperature told enough for me that she is near. Then I guess I have to keep it a bit longer for her before she could get there.

    ¡°Cutie,¡± I whispered with a low voice into her ear, making her shivered slightly, ¡°you might want to take a look at your boy there.¡± After I said that, I noticed she widened her eyes. It seems like while she is under the influence of her own desire, she has forgotten the existence of her subordinate.

    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a smile seeing her locking eyes with the boy. Although the two didn¡¯t say a single thing, I¡¯m sure a million things were conveyed in that moment.

    ¡°¡­No¡­please¡­¡± While previously she was only tearing up, after that moment between them tears really streamed down her face. ¡°D-Don¡¯t look¡­please¡­don¡¯t¡­¡± She averted her eyes from him, but I quickly caught her chin and turned it toward him.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t be like that, cutie~¡± I then licked her tears, making her let out a startled yelp yet again. Salty, as expected. But somehow it tasted good for me. ¡°Hey, boy.¡± I called to the boy. He was looking at us ¨C mostly at her¨C with a gaping mouth and a serious look in her eyes. The moment I called him, he jerked his head and looked at me. ¡°You love her, right?¡±

    ¡°E-E-Eh!?¡± Sheesh, too late for denying it, boy. Far too late. ¡°Uhm..I j-just¡­uhm¡­¡± While you are cute doing that, you have a much pressing matter at the moment than being hesitant and stuttering like a fool, right?

    ¡°Well, do you want to see more?¡± His eyes widened again while flapping his mouth without making any meaningful word. ¡°I take that as a yes, okay~¡± I tilted my head as I let out a smile. But it seems that the two didn¡¯t share the same sentiment as I since the two seemed to have a¡­horrified look? I guess that¡¯s it.

    ¡°N-No! P-Please stop! I beg you!¡± She struggled greatly again, but I am not worried even a bit. ¡°AHNN!!¡± A single lick on her ear made her ceased her struggle almost entirely. ¡°AAAHH!!¡± And then another one accompanied with much more intense caressing, one on the arm and one on the leg. I could feel her heartbeats became faster and her skin have become flush red. ¡°A-Adart, d-don¡¯t loo¨C HMNGH!!!!¡± Before she could finish her sentence I silenced her with a deep kiss once again, playing with her mouth.

    I started roughly to silence her and gradually increasing the pressure I put and cycled my movement from aggressive play to a soft and romantic one. It didn¡¯t take much until she whimpered softly into my mouth while trying to pushed me away, in which was done very pathetically. Not much later, I noticed her body tensing up. I immediately pulled away from her and I was welcome with the sight of her flushed deep red and panting for breath.

    ¡°Last chance, cutie.¡± I licked my lips, savoring her saliva in my mouth. ¡°Tell us what we want to know or I will show him more than this.¡±

    ¡°¡­hah¡­no¡­i¡­c-can¡¯t¡­¡± Stubborn woman. I am beginning to lose my patient with her. A wish to break her right here right now in front of him really came into my mind. Thankfully, I still remembered Nerva¡¯s order. ¡°¡­p-please¡­I b-beg y-you¡­¡±

    ¡°Suits yourself.¡± I then continued to fiddle with her. I start by once again locking her mouth with mine and furiously conquer the inside of her mouth. My hands also move around her body while avoiding the area around her breast and her lower region. I will leave that for later. ¡°While we¡¯re at it, don¡¯t forget to show all you can to the boy, cutie~¡±

    ¡°N-No!¡± She continued shaking their head. Ah, but I have no intention of stopping any time soon, you know? I kept moving my hand on her leg and arm, caressing and massaging her over and over. ¡°AHN!!!¡± It seems the cycling between soft touch and hard massage I¡¯ve been doing is really effective against her judging from her moan that somehow become much louder than before. ¡°HMNGH!!¡± Oh? Her neck is also sensitive, eh? I just licked her neck for a bit and she gave such a cute reaction. If not for her quick thinking of shutting her mouth, she would probably let out a scream of pleasure.

    And then I stopped. I looked at her and found her panting a lot. Her skin looked much more flushed than before. Combined with her hazy eyes, her appearance really is quite amazing. I couldn¡¯t help but let out another smile as I noticed that. I then moved my mouth toward her ear as I found it is quite a sensitive spot for her. As she realized that, she also realized what I have in mind for her.

    ¡°N-No¡­p-please¡­a-at least¡­not¡­in f-f-front of¨C¡°

    ¡°Boy, this is your chance to avoid shaming her in front of you.¡± I said that while glancing a bit at him. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t really get what I have in mind. Either that or he was too engrossed looking at her. Not that I blame him or anything. Her appearance at the moment really is a sight to behold. Adding the fact that he loved her, the impact of her appearance for him is probably much more than for anyone. Well, no matter. After all, I will do it no matter what. ¡°See, cutie? He wants to see you at your best~¡±

    ¡°N-No! A-Adart, d-don¡¯t look!¡± But he was still looking at her. In fact, I think that made him look at her with a much more intense stare. Nice. Then time for the finale. I nibbled her ear lobe while increasing my effort in pleasuring her. ¡°D-Don¡¯t look! P-Ple¨CAAAHH!!¡± Her body tensed up. She looked at me with a pleading look and crying eyes while trembling wildly. I ignored that and then put the finishing touch as I suck her earlobe gently and played my hand much intense than before. ¡°N-No, t-t-this isn¡¯t ha¨CAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!¡± With that high pitched moan, her back arched and shuddered. After that, she went limp so suddenly. I thought she passed out. But she seemed fine, although she looked quite exhausted and twitching occasionally. I could see her breathing became quite hard and shallow. I guess she reached the peak quite hard that time.

    I glanced at the boy and I could see him looking at her with very intense eyes. I smiled at that and he realized what had happened. He immediately averted his face, only to be positioned back bythe  cold and composed Reiyes. I then gave her a peck on the cheek, awaking her from her trance.

    ¡°What a wonderful voice you let out there. You have impressed everyone here.¡± After I said that, she tensed up again and her eyes showed a shock expression. ¡°And of course, the boy included~¡± Hearing my last remark, she fearfully moved her eyesight toward her subordinate. The moment her eyes locked onto his, she let out a sobbing voice accompanied with a trail of tears from her eyes.

    ¡°T-This¡­uuuu¡­s-shoudn¡¯t *hick* h-h-happened¡­no *hick*¡­d-don¡¯t¡­¡± Her voice continued to be littered with a slight sobbing and also hiccup along the way. Sorry there, cutie. But I have a mission to complete. And that also means doing the things you hate. I then placed one hand on her hand and one on her legs. ¡°E-Eh!? P-Please*hick*¡­I b-beg you¡­s-stop.¡±

    ¡°No can do, cutie.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to tell us anything, I will have to continue this. Until you talk.¡± I put my grip on her pants stronger. She then tried to push me away. If her previous attempts could only be called as weak, that last one practically contains no power whatsoever. She really is exhausted. ¡°And I mean to go all the way. And in front of that boy too.¡±

    ¡°*hick*, n-no! A-Anything b-but *hick* that!¡±

    ¡°Sorry, cutie.¡± I pushed her to the ground and made her lie on her back while I grabbed both her hand with one of mine. I put it near her head, making her looking more vulnerable than before. I then moved my hand toward her pants. ¡°I hope you are ready.¡± I then started to pull down her pants.

    ¡°WAIT!!!¡± I ceased my hand as I looked toward the one that gave that shout.

    ¡°What is it, boy?¡± I could feel my voice turned rather cold as I was stopped in the middle of my fu¨CI mean task, yeah task. ¡°Make it quick.¡±

    ¡°I¡­I¡¯ll t-talk.¡± Hmm? Really? ¡°So please¡­don¡¯t do anything to the captain.¡± After saying that, he hung down his head.

    ¡°Okay!¡± A clapping sound filled the room. ¡°Reiyes, Cyrielle. Stand back and let¡¯s give our guest some space.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Reiyes released the boy and walked toward Nerva. He stood there with his usual calm look.

    ¡°¡­Sheesh.¡± I also released my hold on her and then stood up. I then walked toward my two partners. The boy then ran passed me toward the woman that was lying on the floor who was crying while covering her face with her hand. I let out a ¡®tch¡¯ sound as I was near Nerva. I felt more irritated as I found Nerva let out a snicker at me.

    I then stood to the opposite side of Reiyes. I could see that the boy is trying his best to comfort her but she kept crying. I guess that is understandable considering the thing she had gone through. Ugh, now I feel guilty. Hmm¡­no, I guess not. I guess that was not guilt I felt. Dissatisfaction? Probably. Yeah. That¡¯s it. I don¡¯t like leaving things unfinished like that. Especially something like that.

    ¡°I know that you want to have a long talk, but I assure you, now is not the best time for that.¡±

    The two looked at each other and they nodded weakly. I guess they have understood their position.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but please let me do the talking.¡± The boy stood in front of her. ¡°I hope that is fine with you.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Nerva gave a nod. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. But before we start, let me do one thing.¡± He then flicked his finger.

    ¡°W-What!?¡±

    ¡°E-Eh?!¡±

    The moment he did that, a symbol appeared on their forehead. It glowed with a bright purple light.

    ¡°Hear me and listen well. You will tell me the truth. You will not kill yourself for anything. You will do as I say.¡± He then finished his word with a loud clap. The moment he did that, the glowing disappeared instantaneously. My view shifted from the two that were wearing surprised expressions to Reiyes who showed me a very rare shocked expression. That means that I am not alone on that.

    ¡°N-Nerva, d-did you just¨C¡°

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t cast mind control spell.¡± Ugh, I hate it when he read my mind. ¡°What I just do is just a simple mind suggestion. A safety seal, you might say. You two, listen to me.¡± He tapped his cane to dissolve their confused moment. ¡°I repeat, I have no intention of controlling your mind at all. All I have done is give you a slight mind suggestion. All I have done is placing two absolute commands. One, is to not kill yourself and two, is to not tell me any lies. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°¡­Understood.¡± The boy nodded weakly to his command. Hmm, why did he look relieved? I have no idea. ¡°Well, what do you want to ask?¡±

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    I hope that I managed to convey the scene well.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 17 - Fatigued Visitor

    Chapter 17 ¡°Fatigued Visitor¡±

    ¡°¡­Done.¡± I put down the pestle as I finished making the compound that Lady Constie ordered. Of course, the main purpose for the compound is to treat burn and to relieve pain. Even after I¡¯ve stocked a lot of them in the militia storage, she insisted that I make a little more for emergency. She also asked me to stock up on the ingredient more than usual.

    I can understand her concern, especially after we received the information that the royal family will bring more soldier into the vicinity. When asked about the reason, they said that it is because Count Ferre Grese considers the area around the town a very suitable place to conduct a short drill for soldier that is not accustomed to fighting in the forest. It is a strange reason for me since the cost of getting soldier from the capital is anything but small. Moreover, the effort to prepare the equipment and supply for them will be very enormous. I couldn¡¯t even imagine the paperwork for that. It will certainly be a hellish time for the one that have to prepare those papers.

    Hearing that, Lady Constie felt suspicious about his real reason. Unable to say anything to them, she can only ask her trusted sister, Eryell, and me for a proper counter measure. After a long discussion, we came to the conclusion that we can¡¯t do anything at all. Absolutely nothing. That is the unfortunate fact we have to swallow, how bitter and painful that is. All we can do is prepare for the worst without making them suspicious about us in the process because making them suspect us of anything will bring a heap of trouble that will lead to a very terrible end for this town and its inhabitant. Not to say that the Grese Family is cruel and ruthless, but the possibility is there. We can¡¯t take that risk.

    While I¡¯m preparing a lot of medicine and potion for the militia, Eryell is also busy with her own job to ensure we can survive the worst of it. She has instructed several more troop for surveillance with reason of increasing the security of the whole town since the royal family is here. But that is just the front. The real reason she did that is because we need to be aware of any strange move the royal family might make all of a sudden. The last thing we need at the moment is getting an unwanted surprise because of their plot.

    Ah, that also reminds me. Another reason for that is also to keep the underground movement from getting out of hand. As the three of us agreed, we will not employ more informants than we already have in fear of making them hostile all of a sudden and endanger the whole town. Thankfully, the militia has not detected any strange or dangerous movement from them. In fact, they have become silent for some times. It is as if they have disappeared all of a sudden.

    Of course, there is a reason for that. Both Lady Constie and Eryell know that. But they don¡¯t know what. I, on the other hand, know that very well. It is not because I¡¯m smarter than them or anything. The reason for that is very simple. That is because I¡¯m the one behind it. After our short¡­¡¯discussion¡¯ with the movement captain, Mena, and the one in charge of information gathering, Adart, the fact that I can control them slightly is anything but strange.

    So here¡¯s the story. Their name is indeed The Bears of Saxifell. And it seemed that our guess is indeed correct. They are the remnant of the previous king¡¯s clan with the objective of overthrowing the current rule and their supporter. They are carefully planning everything. They really need to do that if they want to have even a speck of chance in achieving their goal. That is because the goal they aim at is a very difficult task. I even think that it is nearly impossible to be done at the moment.

    There are many reasons for that, but I can at least give two of the most obvious ones. The first and foremost reason that makes their task difficult is that the king has a very strong rule at the moment. The ones that support the current king has a very firm grasp of the whole kingdom, both in term of economy and military.

    In the military matter, there is his greatest supporter, the Grese family, which controls the whole army. They manufacture the weapon and also contribute most of the kingdom¡¯s greatest general and warrior. In fact, if someone can topple the current king, it would be them.

    Economic wise, the current king have a great support from the many merchant guilds in the kingdom. Usually, the merchant guilds will stay neutral in the kingdom¡¯s political matter. But the king himself has decided to make the merchant guild to have a say in the kingdom¡¯s economy matter. He has done that by founding a special council that has member of all the kingdom¡¯s merchant guilds. This has made the economic condition of the kingdom grew exponentially.

    If that is not difficult enough, the second reason that make the task is very difficult is that the previous clan¡¯s reputation. To put it simply, they are deeply hated. Although they are not to the extent of tyrannical, they are still viewed as one of the most hated ones. At their rule, the kingdom fall into civil war that almost destroys the whole kingdom. The one that caused that is none other than the noble families that fight for their own greed and pride. Due to that, the whole country is thrown into the kingdom¡¯s most terrible war. To make matter worse, at that time many disaster happen. Although it was not the king¡¯s fault for that to happen, the people saw that a curse that fell on the kingdom due to the king¡¯s and his clan¡¯s arrogant attitude.

    The moment I heard their goal, I couldn¡¯t help but pity them. They are doing an impossible work. I know that not everyone is content at the way the current king¡¯s way rule the kingdom, but most of them are happy enough. If the royal family and the king¡¯s army will not foil their plot, the people will. But I didn¡¯t say that to them as it is not my concern at all if they succeeded or failed. All I¡¯m concern with is whether they are connected to the Marked Soul¡¯s demise or not.

    I also asked them about their so called trump card, but sadly they only know the rumor of it. In fact, I think that they are bluffing. Not the two of them, but their superior. Let¡¯s think about it this way. If they really have a trump card that said to be able to decimate the whole kingdom¡¯s army, then why don¡¯t they use it? Or how about this way. If you really have that, why did they lose the war? Why did they lose the crown? Why did they become the almost exiled noble clan? Many questions will pop one after another if one thinks about it carefully. Well, once again I¡¯m not really concern with that. As long as they aren¡¯t endangering this town, I¡¯m content enough.

    Hearing their explanation, the three of us feels that the likelihood of them being the one that cause the Marked Soul demise is quite small. Although they have a lot of branch all over the kingdom and managed to gather substantial force over the time, they are still a weak movement that the kingdom will not view to be a dangerous threat any time soon. They will need a lot more time to grow before they become a threat worthy of the kingdom¡¯s attention.

    And that led us to think to the other force inside the town. The royal family, the Grese Family to be exact. Their sudden visitation timed too perfectly with the mission we got. To add to that suspicion, they also brought along a large number of soldier, which will be increased in the near future due to the Count¡¯s plan, which is also a sudden news for all of us.

    Switching our attention toward them, I have instructed both Reiyes and Cyrielle to get their information about them as soon as possible. And, as usual, Reiyes came across a lot of them in record breaking time. Really, he is sometimes too scary in that aspect. A master spy and assassin really is not someone you can take light of. Cyrielle, on the other hand, have reported nothing useful at the moment. But I guess it is only a matter of time until she reported back since she already said to me that the shady district has an influx of customer after the royal family visit the town. Most of the customer is, as one would expected, is the kingdom¡¯s soldier. But I think I will have to check on her again sometime soon. Not that I don¡¯t believe he. This might sound weird, but I have a hunch that she is fooling around too much with those two, Mena and Adart. The reason for that is because of her emotion she gave out when those two left the three of us that night. Even without looking at her face, I know that she have something planned for them. I¡¯ll make sure that she is not hurting or anything since I considered the two of them to be my informant too at the moment since I already casted the spell on them.

    Getting to Reiyes¡¯ report, I have to give him a compliment. He managed to get the real reason behind the royal family visitation. Surprisingly, it is not because of the underground movement. Well, not surprising after we realized how weak they are. The royal family¡¯s real goal is to intimidate the neighboring kingdom. When talking about neighboring kingdom, what¡¯s come in mind is the kingdom of Meze, the kingdom¡¯s oldest ally. But apparently, that is not their main target.

    Their main target is the many merchants that come across this town. Yes, they are trying to show to them that the kingdom¡¯s power is not one that can be underestimated, even after the long year of damaging civil war. That is their message. They want the merchant that came from many neighboring kingdom to report back to their homeland exactly that. The reason they brought along the kingdom¡¯s state of the art Arcane Puppet is also because of that. And, of course, the statement that they want to use the forest around this town as place for experiment is just a cover up. They are literally displaying the might of the army for everyone in the town.

    Once again, we are at lost to that we should do. If the underground movement is not the culprit, then the next possibility is the royal family. But for some reason, I don¡¯t think that they are the one that will bring demise to the Marked Soul. It is just a hunch, but I just can¡¯t see it that way at the moment. I was hoping for the underground movement to be the one after hearing their trump card and all, but I guess that is very unlikely of them. At least, not with their current strength.

    Investigating the royal family will be a very difficult task. Especially since they have no lead whatsoever. The most we can do is to just stay cautious and be prepared for any sudden change. Although, that is not a very good plan. We really need something that can give the investigation go into a proper direction.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± I stopped my pondering and straightened my sitting posture as the sound of footsteps entered my ears. Since I¡¯m all alone in the office, the possibility of those being Rago or Gire is quite high, but the steps are foreign to me. The thumping sound also told me that whoever that is, they wore a rather thick boots. It could be Eryell, but I know her footsteps well enough that I can tell that the current footsteps don¡¯t belong to her. Maybe it¡¯s Lady Constie? But the gap between steps told me that it came from a male. Whoever that is, they are getting closer.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± A male voice, as expected. I have never heard his voice before. A new recruit? Or maybe a guest? ¡°Is someone here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, wait a moment.¡± I got up from my seat and took my walking cane. As I came closer to the source of the voice, I tapped my cane to let me ¡®see¡¯ the guest. He is a bit taller than me and possessed a relatively lean build. From the sound, his outfit seemed to be made of leather and clothes, probably a leather vest on top of his clothes. I could also ¡®see¡¯ a sword hung from his belt. Hmm, this is interesting. I¡¯ve never meet him before. ¡°How can I help you?¡±

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°E-Eh?¡± A surprised voice came from him. ¡°A-Are you the only one here?¡±

    ¡°My two assistants are currently out. So, yes, I¡¯m the only here at the moment.¡± His heartbeats told me that he is a slightly conflicted. I guess it is because I¡¯m blind. Very understandable.

    ¡°O-Oh, is that so? Ehem! I guess I¡¯ll come back later then.¡± Why did his voice came out as a happy one? Strange. ¡°Sorry to disturb you.¡± I could sense him turning his back on me. The moment he did that, a familiar scent came from him.

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± I said to him in a slightly loud voice, stopping him from walking away. ¡°You¡¯re injured, right?¡±

    ¡°E-Eh!?¡± He sounded surprised. ¡°N-No, I¡¯m no¨C¡°

    ¡°Your left forearm. Not much but a scratch.¡± A gasp came from him. ¡°And your right hand, your thumb to be exact.¡±

    The sound of him taking a stance against me accompanied with a slight clink that came from his sword entered my ears. He immediately turned hostile the moment I managed to reveal his injury. Really, it was not such a difficult thing for me. While I can¡¯t see, my hearing has been pretty much become my most used sense. The next one is touch and after that is smell. While my smelling sense is not that sensitive, that particular scene is too familiar to me. Yes, the scent of blood is too familiar with me.

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Unlike before, his voice contained a hint of suspicion. Not that I blame him or anything.

    ¡°You came here, which mean there are several possibilities. You might want to get some medicine for the soldier, or you might want to get treated yourself, or you just want to chat. I don¡¯t know which one is the right one. But the fact that you have a slight scent of blood tells me that you might be injured.¡± He stayed silent after hearing my answer. Of course, my explanation did not really give the reason why I can pinpointed his injury and I have no intention to tell him how I did that. I let out a sigh after that. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but whoever it is, I will treat them equally here and will tend to their injury the same.¡± I then turned around. ¡°If you want to be treated, come inside.¡±

    ¡°¡­Very well.¡± I could hear him releasing his stance and his heartbeats that were slightly high slowed down a bit, a sign that he has relaxed slightly. He then followed me into my office.

    <hr />

    ¡°There, you¡¯re done.¡± I said to him as I finished treating his wound. All I¡¯ve done is putting some ointment and bandaged up the wound with clean clothes. Since the wounds were not serious, there was no need to use strong medicine. But I don¡¯t want to be lazy and risk the wound turned into something dangerous. ¡°I hope that is not too restricting.¡±

    ¡°Oh, not at all!¡± He exclaimed while moving his arm and fingers. ¡°In fact this is quite nice. You are really talented.¡±

    ¡°You flatter me too much. I¡¯m just doing my job.¡±

    ¡°A great job, if I may so. Ah, pardon my rudeness before.¡± He bowed to me as he apologized for his remark from before. ¡°I judged you just from your appearance alone.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about it. It is a very understandable action. Almost everyone here did the same thing the first time they meet me.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a small snicker at the many memories of the militia member that was confused seeing a blind being the one in charge of treating injury.

    ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± His voice turned slightly depressed.

    ¡°Of course they would be worried if someone that can¡¯t see will treat their wound. Moreover, to mix medicine. Their worry is understandable.¡± I once again let out another snicker. ¡°So please don¡¯t feel bad or anything.¡± I tried to calm him down but somehow he was still depressed.

    ¡°If you say so.¡± He let out a silent sigh.

    ¡°Thank you for being considerate. Uhm¡­may I know your name?¡±

    ¡°A-Ah, how rude of me. I¡¯m Ingolf Lange, a knight from the capital.¡±

    ¡°O-Oh, then please forgive my rudeness for before, Sir Lange. I didn¡¯t¡¯ know that.¡± I lowered my head as soon as I realized that he is a knight. I failed to notice that since his way of speaking was similar to commoner. It was a bit rough and uncivilized.

    ¡°N-No, please don¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Actually¡­uhm¡­could you just talk with me like before?¡±

    ¡°Is that fine with you, Sir Lange?¡±

    A slight pause came from him. I tapped my cane as I waited for his reply. I could sense confusion and¡­fatigue from him. Interesting.

    ¡°¡­May I give my reason?¡± His question came out in a very low voice. I then nodded at his question. ¡°I¡¯m actually¡­a newly promoted knight. So I¡¯m not too accustomed in the way of talking like a nobleman. I guess¡­I just want to relax a bit. It¡¯s a bit too stiff for me and¡­simply uncomfortable.¡± Hmm, quite a sincere fellow he is. I can slightly understand his reason for that.

    ¡°Very well, if that is what you want, Sir Lange.¡±

    ¡°Call me Ingolf.¡± His tone softened a bit after hearing my reply. ¡°I¡¯m not used to be called that.¡±

    ¡°Then please call me Nerva. I¡¯m the one in charge of treating everyone¡¯s wound here. Usually there are two assistants with me, but they are on an errand at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°The pleasure is all mine, Ingolf. Please wait a minute.¡± I stood up from my seat and then moved onto the nearby shelf and took a small bottle. I could sense confusion coming from Ingolf as I did that. I then sat back to my seat and then put forward the bottle to him. ¡°Please have this.¡±

    ¡°And¡­this is?¡± He took the bottle yet not knowing the content of it? Aren¡¯t you a bit too trusting there?

    ¡°This is for fatigue. It will refresh your body and soothed the mind slightly. The taste is quite good too.¡±

    ¡°You even know my body condition?¡±

    ¡°Just a guess.¡± I shrugged my shoulder at his question. But yes, I know that. His heartbeats and also his voice. That was enough for me. I might not know his usual condition, so saying that it was a guess is not exactly a lie. ¡°The journey from the capital is a long one, right? And to add that you are a guarding knight. Your job is very physically demanding. So with those reasons, I just guess your condition.¡±

    ¡°O-Oh¡­is that so?¡±

    ¡°It is fine if you don¡¯t want to drink it right away. The content will be fine about a week or so.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­Then you have my gratitude for this.¡± I heard the sound of him pocketing the bottle. The moment he did that, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a small snicker again. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little too trusting? What if the bottle that I give is nothing but poison?¡± Of course, the fact that he didn¡¯t drink it right away might mean that he is still being cautious of me, which is a good thing.

    ¡°Oh, I get that a lot.¡± A small laugh escaped his mouth. ¡°You might not believe it, but I have a feeling that I can trust you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Interesting.¡± I leaned forward while supporting my hand on the cane. ¡°What made you think that way?¡±

    ¡°I guess¡­just a hunch. My instinct told me that I can trust you and also the fact that you treated me as equal the first time we met.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t that because I don¡¯t know who you are?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s right. Hahaha!¡± He let out a laugh the moment I said that. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean that I trust you completely. But on the other hand, I don¡¯t doubt you or anything too. So¡­uhm¡­¡± He began to mumble. ¡°Let¡¯s just stop at that I trust my instinct. How¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°If you say so. Just a word of advice from me, though. Be more cautious. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Another laugh came from him. One might say that his laugh was a carefree one. But for me, something is hidden beneath that laugh of his. Something important.

    After that, we just chatted idly. He is a talkative fellow. I don¡¯t really mind the company. And since my work is already done for the day, it is quite good to have him with me. Not long after that, he excused himself, saying that he needed to get back to his job. It seems that I will meet him often. Just like he said, I have no concrete reason to believe that except that I have a hunch about it.

    I then faced my working desk and realized that really have done everything. All that is left is to store the compound I¡¯ve just made and then everything is done.

    ¡°Nerva, are you there?¡± Just before I could start that, a voice entered my office. This time, I know the identity of the voice.

    ¡°What is it, Eryell?¡±

    ¡°Oh, there you are.¡± She then walked toward me. The sound of her boot against the floor really is different from Ingolf. It is a bit more¡­elegant? I guess you could say that. ¡°Are you in the middle of something?¡±

    ¡°No, just finishing up today¡¯s work. After this the only thing left is to wait for Rago and Gire.¡± I then wrapped the compound using the prepared paper and then put it aside. ¡°So, what can I do for you, my dear Eryell?¡±

    ¡°I am looking for someone and one of the soldiers told me that he saw him here.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Someone?¡± Is it him? ¡°Is the one you¡¯re looking for is the knight, Ingolf Lange?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s him.¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°He really did come here then.¡±

    ¡°If he is the one you¡¯re looking for, he just left a few minutes ago.¡± Hmm, this is interesting. Ah, that reminds me. ¡°By the way, are you in hurry, my dear Eryell?¡±

    ¡°Not quite. What is it?¡±

    ¡°Can you tell me what is your impression of him?¡±

    ¡°Huh? My impression?¡± Her tone told me that she was slightly confused at my question. ¡°What made you want to know?¡±

    ¡°I have a bit of chat with Sir Lange. He is¡­quite a pleasant and interesting fellow. But¡­something about him is bothering me.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you too?¡± Eh? What do you mean by that? ¡°I thought I was the only one that felt that.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Can you tell me what do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°I saw him fought with a number of soldiers for training purpose, about twenty of them if I¡¯m not wrong.¡± Twenty? Impressive number. If he fought them all at the same time, that would make it much more impressive. ¡°He beat all of them. But¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I somehow noticed that he showed a rather disappointed expression. At first, I thought that he was disappointed at his opponent. But¡­¡±

    ¡°His eyes showed that the one he disappointed at is his own, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± I could hear her nodding her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but that is what it looked like to me.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, interesting.¡± That fellow really is an interesting one.

    ¡°But I have to admit. He is really strong. As expected of the royal family¡¯s private knight.¡±

    ¡°¡­Private knight?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, private knight. As in a knight chosen personally by the royal family, not just by the general. And also in charge of the royal family¡¯s safety.¡±

    ¡°Hoo, is that so?¡± this is getting more and more interesting. Perhaps¡­I can use him. Perhaps that might be possible. ¡°So you are looking for him, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right! Do you know where he went to?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know. But I guess he isn¡¯t going to be too far if you catch up to him.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then see you, Nerva!¡± She immediately stomped out of the office, leaving me alone.

    I guess I have to call Reiyes again soon. I have a new target for him.

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    The knight appeared.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 18 - A Knightâ€™s Story

    Chapter 18 ¡°A Knight¡¯s Story¡±

    The sound of sword clashed with each other resounded in the air. They let out a crisp metallic ring each time the blade meet another blade. When they didn¡¯t meet each other, the moving air that was made because of them still resounded quite loudly. But the shouts and groans of them who held the swords were much louder than the sound their weapon made. That was the common variety of ¡®music¡¯ one could find regularly in the militia¡¯s training field. And it was no different when I stayed there to ¡®watch¡¯ the usual training the militia¡¯s troop is doing.

    As I stood at the entrance to the field, away from anyone¡¯s sight, I quickened the tapping on my cane. With each tapping, a ¡®view¡¯ is ¡®shown¡¯ to me. I could sense that the place is a bit more crowded than usual. The reason? The cause of it is none other than the royal family¡¯s private knight, Ingolf Lange. Even from my place, the sound of their cheering for his practice match could be heard very clearly.

    I tapped my cane further and the scene of their fighting could be ¡®seen¡¯ by me. Just from their heartbeats alone, the fact that he has overpowered the other opponent is very clear. On the middle field, two sign of heartbeats were in close proximity. One has a very rugged pattern and also heightened pace, while the other sounded very calm and compose. The first one is probably the militia soldier¡¯s while the later one is Ingolf¡¯s. With each passing second, the first heartbeats beats faster and faster while the later one kept its regular pattern. Well, I guess it is understandable. A militia soldier went against a royal family¡¯s private knight. It really doesn¡¯t take a genius to predict the result. Although the result itself is not absolute, the odds are really clear for anyone to see.

    ¡°Enjoying the show?¡± Hearing a familiar voice near me made me let out a thin smile.

    ¡°In fact, I am.¡± Out came a small chuckle from my own mouth after that short reply of mine. ¡°They feel of being near an excited crowd around a fight is not exactly bad. It is good from time to time.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­Although I don¡¯t quite agree with that, I could somehow understand that.¡±

    ¡°The fact that you are here meaning that you have some information, if not a lot, regarding that particular knight, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°I have.¡± Reiyes then stepped behind me and I could ¡®see¡¯ him leaning onto the wall. ¡°But not his background information. Or at least not all of it, or even a detailed one for that matter. The reason is because he is not entirely famous in here. If we are in the capital, it will be possible to have that quickly.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see, I see.¡± It is a bit disappointing, but what can he do? To have any kind of information is already a great thing to have at this point. ¡°Well, I¡¯m waiting.¡±

    ¡°Ingolf Lange, the royal family¡¯s private knight. A commoner that has been alleviated into the status of lower nobles due to his achievements. He received a personal recommendation by Count Grese. It seems that he left his family to join the knight corps in the capital.¡± That explanation is not what he considered to be a not detailed piece of information? Reiyes sure have a strange way of thinking. I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head at that fact. ¡°What is it, Nerva?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Tell me of his achievement.¡±

    ¡°Bandits subjugation. Robbers¡¯ den raid. Monster subjugation. Wanted criminal subjugation. Black market merchant subjugation. The list goes on.¡±

    ¡°What is he? The Count¡¯s blood hound?¡± I let out a chuckle at the list of achievement that Reiyes mentioned. It was as if he is a bounty hunter. Yes, he is more like a bounty hunter than a knight. ¡°No achievement like assassination prevention or any escort mission?¡±

    ¡°Only a few. But most of them are unknown. He is more like the attack squad personnel then a guard personnel.¡±

    ¡°Ho, he is an interesting fellow.¡± I tapped my cane several times and it seemed that he has changed opponent. The last one was left unconscious on the other side of the field. Must be a tough fight for the poor fellow. ¡°But is that what caught the Count¡¯s interest? That was from after he had joined the knight corps, I presumed?¡±

    ¡°Correct. Indeed those are his achievement after he has been assigned to a knight corps. But as to what made him being personally recommended by the Count, I am unfortunately unable to collect a reliable reason.¡±

    ¡°Is it because the information is not available or is it because the information is just absurdly circulated into crazy rumors?¡±

    ¡°The later one.¡± Ugh, I expected that. I guess that might be one of the reasons that made him uncomfortable with being treated as a noble.

    ¡°I guess that is the price of being promoted into a nobleman status, eh?¡±

    ¡°Probably. I don¡¯t know. Combining all of those achievement of his with the personal recommendation from the Count, he is then assigned to be the royal family¡¯s private knight soon after. In fact, he has just been assigned to that position right before this visitation.¡±

    ¡°I see. So that is what he meant by he has just been newly promoted. I thought that he meant as to the status of a knight, but it seems to be for his current status.¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    ¡°Any other information?¡±

    ¡°He is known to have the skill and talent close to a master swordsman. Excel in variety of swordsmanship styles but not exclusive to any particular swordsmanship style. Expert rider and also archer, but mediocre in using magic.¡±

    ¡°Mediocre as in?¡±

    ¡°Basic healing spells, basic elemental manipulation of the basic elements, and also body strengthening spell.¡±

    ¡°That is more than enough for one assuming the job as a knight.¡±

    ¡°But might not be enough for one have the respective role as a royal family¡¯s private knight.¡± He then let out a sigh. ¡°Although, that is just the common public opinion.¡±

    ¡°Common public opinion, is it?¡± I tapped my chin as he said that. It is true that the public opinion of a royal family¡¯s private knight is someone that is almost close to a perfect knight, able to protect the royal family even at the most dangerous and impossible situation. But that is the ideal, not the real fact. ¡°Do you think that is enough?¡±

    ¡°I have no opinion since the position itself is rarely talked about.¡±

    ¡°True, that is true. But again, do you think that guarding someone¡¯s life, whatever the situation is, will be enough to just have master swordsmanship skill and mediocre magic?¡±

    ¡°Why are you asking the obvious, Nerva?¡± Hmm? Is it that obvious? ¡°Even the mighty ones who can mark soul still ask us, the Watchers, to guard someone¡¯s life from an absolute demise.¡±

    ¡°So the answer is that no matter how strong and powerful you are you can never guard someone¡¯s life perfectly, right?¡±

    ¡°If it is, we will not be in this much trouble.¡± He then let out a small groan. I guess he is right. ¡°But if you think that he is capable enough, I think he is. For now, at least. In the future, no one could ever know.¡±

    ¡°I see, I see. Then? Any more information?¡±

    ¡°If you want to hear rumors about him, I have plenty.¡±

    ¡°Are they useful?¡±

    ¡°Probably not.¡± Then a sigh escaped from him. ¡°This is why it is much more difficult to collect information about that knight. Only rumors circulated. I spend most of my time sorting out rumors from reliable information.¡±

    ¡°Well, it is as expected. But this is already quite fast, you know?¡± I then let out another chuckle. ¡°So I guess keep your eyes and ears for any useful information and also rumors too. Rumors can sometime be useful for us too.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± A quiet fluttering sound came from behind me. ¡°Then I will take my leave.¡± A few silent footsteps resounded until not a single thump could be hear, a sign that he has left the vicinity.

    I tapped my cane quickly several times and confirmed that he has indeed left. Together with that, I also ¡®see¡¯ that the training battle that involved Ingolf has just ended. The victim, I say about six? Yeah, I could ¡®see¡¯ six unconscious soldiers on the edge of the field. And once again, the one in the center of the field, Ingolf Lange, stood among the cheering soldiers while oozing disappointed and uncomfortable emotion.

    As I stood there, I heard a familiar step came toward my direction. As the sound of footsteps came near my back, I decided to greet the approaching figure.

    ¡°Finished your daily patrol, Eryell?¡±

    ¡°¡­To be noticed even after I¡¯ve tried my best to cover my presence.¡± A small chuckle came from behind me. ¡°It seemed that my sister is indeed correct. You have the ever seeing ¡®eyes¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Lady Constie over exaggerated too much about my ability.¡± As I said that, she stepped next to me. ¡°All I¡¯ve done is remembering people¡¯s pattern of footsteps.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a difficult thing to do?¡±

    ¡°Not that difficult if you focus all your sense in your hearing,¡± I said as I tapped my ear with one of my hand. ¡°Just like you who can see remember people¡¯s face to recognize them, I remember people¡¯s footsteps to recognize them.¡±

    ¡°And you also seem to be able to know someone¡¯s feeling. What¡¯s your explanation on that?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I guess, it is the overall sense they emitted? It is difficult to explain. But for one like me that rely on everything around but sight has made me rather sensitive to people¡¯s emotion and the feel they gave out, no matter how little that is. You know, like how you can smile near a happy person just by standing near them. Something like that.¡± And also the fact that I can recognize their heartbeats helps a lot, but I¡¯ll leave that for later explanation.

    ¡°I see, I see.¡± I could hear her nodding as she listened to my explanation. ¡°So you can feel the disappointment of Sir Lange just from standing here?¡±

    ¡°I suppose¡­yes. But I guess the correct statement would be that I felt a slightly out of place emotion amidst the excitement that all of the soldiers giving out.¡±

    ¡°Those guys really are too excited sometimes.¡± A small chuckle came from her. ¡°But I can agree with what you said, Nerva. His expression even seems too tired or something. I guess¡­yeah, out of place. Just like you said.¡±

    ¡°Indeed he is. Strange.¡± I tapped my cane several times and the figure of him standing with disappointment and other negative emotion emitted from out of his figure came into my ¡®view¡¯. ¡°Very strange indeed. Tell me, my dear Eryell. Have you ever heard of his name before?¡±

    ¡°Not much, actually. The most I heard is that he could beat a legion of assassin in one clean sweep.¡± She shook her head at that. ¡°I don¡¯t quite believe that. Maybe he could beat them, but not that fast.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it would be quite a feat for anyone to do that.¡± I also laughed a little at that.  I guess that is one of the crazy rumor Reiyes mentioned not long ago. It is quite understandable for me though. A new face that occupied a very prestigious position all of a sudden will make the public speculate about the deeds that makes it possible.

    ¡°¡­You, on the other hand, will probably able to do it, right?¡± Ho? I didn¡¯t expect Eryell to ask that all of a sudden.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°¡­Perhaps.¡± Can I? If not using my magic, then maybe it will take much more time than expected. But with my magic, I guess¡­yeah, that is possible. Maybe not only beat them, I could even manipulate them to work for me. ¡°It is possible, I suppose.¡± I grinned while simulating that situation in my mind.

    ¡°Sheesh, you are just too powerful.¡±  I could sense her shook her head at my answer. Her tone showed that she believed me but at the same time felt that it was an unbelievable story. ¡°The more we talked about it, the more I think that I have to train myself more.¡± Hearing that, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a laugh. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±

    ¡°No, no. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m happy you want to train yourself before hearing the story about myself.¡± I turned my head toward Eryell¡¯s direction. ¡°For that, I am very grateful, my dear Eryell.¡± I wore a smile as I said that. ¡°And please take your time to prepare yourself. I might tell you about myself little by little in the near future. After all, it will be better for you to hear it bit by bit than hearing all of it in just one sitting.¡±

    ¡°Uhm¡­I¡­thank you, I guess.¡± The rising of her heartbeats showed that she is happy but also a bit embarrassed at what I said. ¡°I will try my best to be able to hear it properly.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, my dear Eryell.¡± I gave her a slight bow. ¡°For trying to accept me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that.¡± She hit me on my back gently. ¡°As I said before, don¡¯t belittle yourself. I hate hearing that.¡±

    ¡°Understood, my dear Eryell.¡±

    <hr />

    As I opened the wooden door of the establishment, it creaked slightly. And what came after that creak is the chorus of happiness and merriness that is certainly the trademark of this kind of establishment. Together with that, the scent of alcohol and also freshly made food that lingered on the air greeted my nose at the same time. I couldn¡¯t help but let out a smile. I guess the merriness is quite contagious.

    I stepped inside the tavern. I tapped my cane several times and then located a nice secluded place on the back of the tavern. It was near the door that probably led to the kitchen. It is situated quite near the bar counter. I walked toward it and then quickly took the spot.

    After getting a seat, I tapped the table and then ¡®surveyed¡¯ my surrounding. The tables around me were occupied while the counter near me was also half-filled with customer. Male, female, old, young. They all filled the tavern while giving out the same happy and merry feeling. The sound of them drinking, eating, and laughing their tiredness out from their daily day job filled the air accompanied by some music played by some bard in the back of the tavern.

    But unlike them, my purpose here is not to have fun. If I was trying to have some fun, I rather be alone than in this hectic situation. Not that I don¡¯t like it, but I just prefer the quietness of the night alone. Maybe a drink or two with just a few companies.

    ¡°Ah, Sir Lange, drink some more!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you deserve some. Drink yourself out or you might get stressed out by you job, Sir Lange!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, how about more of this snack, Sir Lange! It will go well with the ale!¡±

    Yes, my purpose is to assess the knight once again. My instinct told me that he has something that will help us get into the marked soul path of fate. I don¡¯t know why, but the more things I heard about him, the more I am certain that he will really lead us to something. But for now, I will only hope that my instinct is right.

    ¡°What can I get¨CGeh!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I was too busy concentrating on my target that I apparently didn¡¯t notice someone getting near me. Well, I noticed, but I didn¡¯t pay too much attention. I guess I was too careless, right? That won¡¯t do. As I thought about that, I then shifted my attention to the one near me. From the heartbeats, the person is female. But¡­there¡¯s something awfully familiar with her¡­.Oh, right¡­¡±So¡­you are a waitress here, Mena?¡±

    ¡°What are you doing here!?¡± Even though she raised her voice, she was still able to keep it down as to not attract too much attention. I have to give her credit for that.

    ¡°I was just in the mood for a drink or two.¡± I saw no need to her the truth, so I went with the most common response.

    ¡°I doubt that.¡± Ho? She didn¡¯t believe me? ¡°But I am not foolish enough to be in your way.¡± Ah, a tinge of fear in her tone. It seems that our small ¡®discussion¡¯ not long ago still retained in her memory. Well, I¡¯m not the only one to blame. Both my comrades have hand in that, especially that fellow Cyrielle. In fact, I think that the most of the damage this particular woman received is due to her work, right? I just hope that her relationship with that boy is not too damaged. Oh, I can ask her right away, right? I mean, the spell is still in effect, after all.

    ¡°I have a mug of ale, if you please.¡± I placed my order without ordering any food. A mug is enough for me while I assessed the man I¡¯m tailing at the moment.

    ¡°¡­Coming right up.¡±

    ¡°And tell me, how is your relationship with that boy?¡± She froze on the spot. I could also sense her heartbeats raised for a single second. Was it that surprising for her? ¡°What¡¯s his name? Adart, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Uhm¡­we¡¯re¡­uhm¡­¡± Oh? Was it so difficult to explain? ¡°W-We¡¯re¡­g-g-going good with each other.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Good as in, the two of you is going out with each other?¡±

    ¡°W-W-We are!¡± Ah, she was embarrassed to say that? Her heartbeats raised up even higher and she emitted the feeling of a girl in love. How adorable. I bet her face was flushed red by now. I couldn¡¯t help but let out a chuckle. ¡°W-What¡¯s so funny!?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just happy to hear that your relationship with him is good. That¡¯s all.¡± I smiled at her.

    ¡°¡­Ugh¡­I¡¯m¡­going to get your drink.¡± She immediately left with hurried steps. I guess I teased her too much. It is actually a load off my mind that her relationship with the boy is in good term. But¡­somehow I sensed that that fellow Cyrielle had a hand in this. I¡¯ll confirm it with her later on. Just to make sure.

    As I wait for my drink, I noticed that the knight in question is still drinking with a party of four. From the ¡®view¡¯, I think they are the one that he had defeated previously on the training field. Or maybe they are the friends of the one he defeated? I didn¡¯t really recognize any of them actually. It is just a guess from the direction of their conversation. The content of it was something along the line of how strong he is while fighting them, his achievement from he was just a knight, and also their good impression of his work. I also picked up several flattering praise from them. For how honest those were, I could not know. Some of them sounded like a really honest adoration while most sounded very much like a bogus and empty praises.

    I also picked up sign of Ingolf felt quite bothered by the torrent of praises he received. I guess he also detected that most of them are just plain lip service. From our conversation the other day, I think that was one of the sources of his fatigue. I actually pitied him a bit.

    ¡°Here you go.¡± A voice accompanied the thumping sound of the mug. A slushing sound could be heard the moment the mug hit the table and a slight scent of alcohol immediately came into my nose. ¡°Anything else?¡± Mena¡¯s voice sounded a bit more annoyed than before. I guess I really did teased her a bit too much. Knowing full well that she couldn¡¯t do a thing to me, she could only endure that. But as she was already asking, might as well ask her for assistance.

    ¡°Yeah, there is one thing. See that guy over there?¡± I pointed at Ingolf.

    ¡°The knight? What about him?¡±

    ¡°Tell me what you know about him.¡±

    ¡°Am I your informant here?¡± I nodded. Did she forget about the spell I placed on her and Adart? ¡°¡­Ugh, you¡¯re right. The name is Ingolf Lange. A private knight of the royal family. That is all.¡± Useless information. Well, not that I expect much from her.

    ¡°And? Who are those with him?¡±

    ¡°I saw them a lot. They are the militia soldier.¡± Oh, I was right then. ¡°They are frequent customer here. The knight, not so much.¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°If it is, the tavern will be more packed. It¡¯s good for business to have someone famous. Or at least someone that the public is interested in.¡± I agree with that. I know that I haven¡¯t known him for long, but he didn¡¯t seem to me to be the type that likes to get drunk for fun. I don¡¯t know. He just somewhat¡­too serious and uptight? Maybe.

    ¡°When you said that he is not so much as a customer, do you mean that as in you never seen him here before or he comes but not too often?¡±

    ¡°A sharp one, as usual.¡± She then let out a snort. Is that really a surprise for her? I guess not since her tone showed nothing of that sort. ¡°He has come a few times here. Alone.¡± Ho? Alone? This is interesting. ¡°He just picked a secluded spot and then drinks by himself. Just one mug for the whole night. Like you, I guess.¡± Ah, that last sentence was delivered with a rather irritated tone. It is understandable that if all the customers in this establishment is just like me, ordering only one mug for the whole night, it will not bring much profit for them. Sorry, but this strictly for a job. I have no intention of getting myself drunk. On second thought, it will take me quite a lot to drink before I could get into that state. I¡¯m not a heavy drinker myself but I can hold my liquor pretty good, if I may say so myself.

    ¡°All night long and alone? Hmm¡­And I presume that he looked anything but happy, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you got it.¡± She then let out a sigh. ¡°Kind of a strange man he is. Well, that¡¯s all you get from me. I have more customers to serve or my pay will get cut.¡± After that, she left my table. I only waved at her slightly.

    As I gulped my drink slowly, I noticed that the group that surrounded Ingolf left one by one. After a while, he was finally alone. As I tapped the table to get a better ¡®view¡¯, I could sense that he stood up, carrying his mug with him, and then walked to the other side of the tavern. It was a much quieter place, just like mine. I could hear a sigh escaped his mouth as he sat on that seat.

    I stayed on my seat, waiting for him to do anything. But just as Mena said, he just stayed there, drinking his mug slowly while letting out a sigh ever so often. I picked up the sign of his heartbeats and it closed to someone that is depressed. I guess the contagious merry atmosphere will only do so much.

    I guess it is time for me to make a move. Watching him for too long will not give me anything, right. Let¡¯s just try to make a conversation first. I then walked toward his seat.

    ¡°Ah, are you Sir Lange?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I could sense him shifting his attention to me. ¡°Nerva?¡± Ah, surprised, just as expected. Good. That is a very good start for me.

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    Next is the conversation int he tavern.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 19 - A Knightâ€™s Tavern Conversation

    Chapter 19 ¡°A Knight¡¯s Tavern Conversation¡±

    ¡°Nerva?¡± The sound of him standing up reached my ear. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Drinking. Like everyone else is.¡± I said to him as I raised my mug.

    ¡°O-Oh, r-right. What else, right?¡± He stuttered his response. Is something like that such a rare and unbelievable occurrence for him? I suppose that is understandable. Maybe for him, a blind man like me will never be able to drink in a tavern like a regular people. Or maybe it is just that he never considered that a blind like me would be able to live normally. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind it.¡± I smiled at him. ¡°Ah, may I sit with you? Or perhaps you are waiting for someone?¡±

    ¡°O-Oh, please do.¡± His heartbeats are still in the level of a confused person. It seems that I have to make him calm first before trying to get anything from him.

    ¡°Thank you, Sir Lange. Or would you prefer to be call as Ingolf?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Ingolf then.¡± He let out a small chuckle. ¡°That will fit the drink better. The last thing I need here is formality.¡±

    ¡°Very well then, Ingolf.¡± I then took my seat in front of him. I took a sip from my mug and then tapped my mug, renewing the ¡®view¡¯. It seemed that no one noticed that he is the private knight of the royal family. The tavern is the best place to blend in after all. Since the ones inside the tavern are usually too busy with having fun, they will ignore a lot of things. ¡°So, it is a surprise to meet you here.¡±

    ¡°Well, I am more surprise to see you.¡± Right after he said that, his heartbeats rose for a second. Is he surprised? By his own words? ¡°N-No, I d-didn¡¯t¨C¡°

    ¡°Hmm? Why?¡± I purposely didn¡¯t give him any time to apologize.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. I¡­didn¡¯t mean to offend you or anything¡­it¡¯s just¡­¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t expect a blind like me to visit a tavern, is it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°No, no, no. That¡¯s fine.¡± I waved my hand at him to sign to him that it is fine with me. ¡°I get that all the time.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t think so much about it, Ingolf.¡± I then took a sip from my mug again. I might have to order another one if this keep up. Not that I like to drink, but this is to keep up an appearance while gathering information. But so far the start is good. He didn¡¯t expect me to be here and he even somehow made a blunder to touch about me being blind and able to be in here. ¡°I might not be here all the time but I come here from time to time.¡±

    ¡°I guess that is¡­understandable.¡± He then let out a sigh. ¡°Sorry for that though. It¡¯s just that I have never seen someone like you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s perfectly fine, Ingolf.¡± I nodded. ¡°So enough about me. I thought that someone of yours position will not be in this kind of establishment.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Oh, another raise in his heartbeats. A few moments ago his heartbeats has become stable. I guess the moment I mention about his position he raised his guard again. ¡°I prefer here than being in one of those high-class tavern. It¡¯s just¡­doesn¡¯t really suit me.¡± The sound of him sipping his mug reached my ear. ¡°Besides, some of the militia¡¯s personnel invited me here for a drink. They¡¯ve left though.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Hmm, the conversation is going nowhere at the moment. Should I get straight to the point? No¡­Let¡¯s wait for a bit. ¡°So how is your body feeling? Does the medicine help?¡± Let¡¯s start with that.

    ¡°Feeling pretty good, actually. And, yes, the medicine works wonder. I¡¯ve never seen it before. And it tasted quite good, just as you said.¡±

    ¡°Good to hear, good to hear.¡± I nodded several times while hearing that. I don¡¯t know whether he really drink that medicine or not. Especially since he still gave out that fatigue feeling. That made me doubts him more. I guess he was just trying to be polite. ¡°It will not be good for a knight such as yourself to not be in their best condition. Ah, I have also heard that you have been having practice fight with many member of the militia. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Indeed I have.¡± A quiet sigh came from his mouth. And once again he emitted the same disappointed that I noticed when he was finished fighting his match. He probably remembered the match and then felt the same disappointment again.

    ¡°And you have been winning every single match.¡± I let out a laugh. ¡°Is that true, Ingolf?¡±

    ¡°¡­It is.¡±

    ¡°So the story is indeed true. Then you really are the rumored private knight of the royal family.¡± I sipped my drink again while assessing his reaction. Hmm¡­no significance change from his heartbeats or from the aura he emitted. I guess he expected me to know that from the moment I mention about his fight. ¡°Fighting in consecutive match over and over again. Winning every match effortlessly. And yet¡­you didn¡¯t give out the feel of a victorious champion.¡± Ah, there it is. The change I was waiting for. Although his heartbeats did not show a significance change, but the overall feel has already changed. For a second, he let out an aura of being on guard, but then it dissipated and turned into a slightly more relaxed one. Quite a strange character this knight is. Then suddenly a laugh came from him. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It is very amusing that the fact that the first one to notice that is not the soldier who fought me or my colleague who has been with me for so long, but a man I¡¯ve just met not long ago.¡± Another laugh came from him again. ¡°And he is blind to add for that matter. What an interesting fellow you are.¡± He then kept laughing again and again. I just smiled at him since his laugh was a genuine laugh that seemingly came from the bottom of his heart. It also seemed that the feel he gave out changed yet again. ¡°Please forgive me for that, Nerva. Please believe me that I did not mean to offend you with that.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it, Ingolf. I am actually honored to be the one that can see that for the first time. And since I don¡¯t have any eyes that makes it an achievement, don¡¯t you really think so, Ingolf?¡± I let out an amused smile.

    ¡°You got that right, Nerva.¡± And then another laugh came from him. ¡°Then a toast for that achievement of yours, shall we? Lift your mug, Nerva.¡± I could feel the aura of him getting better. Might as well ride the flow for the moment. If I could get to befriend him, I might get more information than I expected. I then lifted my mug and then I felt him hitting it with his own mug. ¡°Cheers!¡±

    ¡°Cheers!¡± I then joined him in emptying our own mug. The usual burning sensation went down my throat and I felt my body heated up slightly. It felt good to have this kind of drink in this cold night. And then at the same time, the sound of our mug hitting the table resounded.

    ¡°Care to have another, Nerva? My treat.¡±

    ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll take that offer of yours.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Good! Waiter! Two mug for me and my friend here!¡± He shouted to the direction of the bar. ¡°I guess¡­I¡¯ll try asking him¡­about the prophecy.¡± Hmm? What¡¯s that? I could hear him muttering slightly under his  breath. Prophecy?  The sound of him taking a breath reached my ear. An aura of seriousness mixed with the relaxed aura from before. ¡°Nerva, you said that I was not happy even after winning all of those fights, right?¡± I nodded right away. ¡°Well, you are right there, my friend. I felt quite disappointed, actually.¡±

    ¡°Disappointed?¡± I tapped my chin as he said that. ¡°May I know the reason? Maybe I can be of some help.¡±

    ¡°For you to understand the reason, I will have to start from the start. This might take some time.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± I leaned forward. ¡°Actually, after you¡¯ve treated me with some drink, this is the least I can do.¡± Another chuckle came out of my mouth.

    ¡°Thanks a lot there, Nerva.¡± He let out a chuckle. ¡°Okay, so let me start with my history first.¡± Wow, that back? This indeed might take some time. ¡°As you might know, I am not of noble birth. I am just a simple peasant living out the easy life in one of the village near the capital back then. My usual job there was to hunt for game and also to collect wood.¡±

    ¡°Oh, a woodsmen. Go on.¡±

    ¡°It was peaceful for quite some time. But then the civil war started, everything changed.¡± His tone got dark and gloomy. ¡°Bandit started to appear here and there. My village is also affected.¡±

    ¡°Your village got attacked, am I right?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± He let out a sigh. ¡°Thankfully, the damage is not that severe. But we felt that it might be bad if we let them do anything they want for long. And since they controlled the road that lead to the capital, our trade will be affected sooner or later. Before they are able to control the whole road, we have to take some action.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so your village attacked the bandit?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we did.¡± I see. No wonder his achievement is always related to something like bandit subjugation or thief raid. He started from that even from before being a knight. ¡°We contacted the neighboring villages and then gather a good number of people willing to help us.¡±

    ¡°Impressive.¡± Indeed impressive. This man really has the guts to do it. Usually people will just stay in their own village and tried their best to defend what they could. But by gathering the neighboring village, he could organize a better way of protecting themselves. It has a greater risk, true. But it has a bigger chance of getting the threat of bandit away from them. Risky, but it is better than to just lie down and submit to heir threat.

    ¡°It¡¯s not an easy task, but it works. We armed ourselves with anything we can get, trained ourselves for a bit, and then made some patrol group to make the area around us safe. After a while, we heard that the royal family is trying to eradicate the bandit. We then decided that it might be the chance to get rid of the bandit once and for all.¡± His tone contained a hint of pride in it.

    ¡°And then you attack them?¡±

    ¡°Uhm¡­not exactly.¡± And awkward laugh escaped his mouth. ¡°We know that we will not be able to do it by ourselves. We contacted the royal family¡¯s army when they are near and then offer them our assistance. Since we know the terrain like the back of our hand, it helped them tremendously. We also offer them to stay in our village and use it as their base.¡± Oh, not just brave, but he is also a man that knows his limit. His strategy is good too. If they risked everything in their attempt to attack the bandit and lost the battle, then they put the fate of their village into the hand of the bandits, sealing their death. I am beginning to realize why The Count has taken a liking to him and decided to take him to be a knight. ¡°With their assistance¡­err, no. I mean, as we become their guide and assisted, they managed to exterminate the bandit thoroughly. We did lose a few of our comrade there.¡± That sentence was delivered with a rather saddened tone. ¡°But it is a price we pay for the safety of our family and the whole community. May their soul rest in peace knowing that their sacrifice is not in vain.¡±

    ¡°My condolence.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Ah, here¡¯s the drink.¡± Just as he said that, I could noticed a person came near us bringing our drink. It was not Mena, so I didn¡¯t call out to her. Ingolf sipped his drink immediately and then put down the mug with a slight thump. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s good! Where was I?¡±

    ¡°After the last battle.¡± I reminded him after I took a sip of mine.

    ¡°Oh, yes, yes. After that, it seemed that one of the general that command the force noticed me and taken a liking to me. Well, since I was one of the leaders of our group, we often speak with one another. He then offered me to be a soldier of his troop after seeing me fight the bandit.¡±

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Was that The Count?¡±

    ¡°No, it was one of his subordinates.¡± Ah, yes. The Count was probably fighting together with the current king against the other noble¡¯s army. ¡°Long story short, I was drafted into his army. Raised a few ranks after participating in the civil war and finally managed to get a noble right. Heh, even after all that year, I am still unable to believe that.¡±

    ¡°Believe that. You deserve that after surviving the horrible war.¡±

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. Well, not long ago, I was still a knight but then suddenly The Count offered me to be their private knight. Unbelievable!¡± He then let out a small chuckle. ¡°I was unable to believe my ear when I heard that. Of course I was happy to be able to become a private knight.¡±

    ¡°But then something happened, right?¡± The moment I said that, he became silent. But then a soft laugh came.

    ¡°You really are a sharp one, eh?¡± Then a sound of him drinking could be heard. ¡°Well, you¡¯re right. But before I continued, do you believe in prophecy, Nerva?¡±

    ¡°Prophecy?¡± I would be lying if I said no since we, The Watcher, move quite often due to prophecy and such. And most of the time, the prophecy is right on target. Especially if the prophecy came from The Twin. ¡°Depends, I guess. I will not believe all of them. But I will believe some of them.¡±

    ¡°Ho, what made you believe then?¡±

    ¡°Instinct, I guess.¡± I shrugged my shoulder as I said that. ¡°I don¡¯t have any other explanation.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­then you might be the correct one to hear this.¡± He then let out a sigh before continuing. ¡°You see, right before I depart with the royal family¡¯s convoy here, I met a fortune teller.¡±

    ¡°Okay, a fortune teller, is it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. And she told me that I will have a dangerous encounter in my next journey.¡±  Once again his tone turned dark. ¡°At first, I shrugged that off as a useless story. But then¡­I have a dream.¡±

    ¡°A dream?¡± This is getting more and more interesting.

    ¡°Yes. It is a dream where I am facing a dangerous and mighty beast. Strangely, the beast in my dream is just a big smoke. I¡­always dies in the end of my dream. But¡­that is not the worst part.¡± He then took a sip. It seemed that the memory is quite hard for him since he took a bit more sip than usual. ¡°I¡­saw my teammates, my comrades, and the whole royal family¡­decimated. They are not eaten¡­.but just¡­killed.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see¡­¡±

    ¡°You know, I kept seeing that dream over and over again. And the dream kept becoming more and more vivid each time. Even after arriving here, I kept seeing it. I¡­.don¡¯t know. But¡­my instinct screamed that this might not just be an ordinary dream.¡±

    ¡°And connecting that with the previous fortune teller¡¯s story, you think that it might be a prophecy or some sort?¡±

    ¡°¡­.I know that this might sound crazy¡­but, yes.¡± He then let out a very heavy sigh together with the sound of him ruffling his own hair in frustration. ¡°I shared this with my comrade and friends¡­but they just shrugged it off as just me being worried about the trip. After a few tries, I stopped. I was at lost. But then one of my comrades said something to me.¡±

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°If you are that worried about it, then why don¡¯t you try to get stronger? If you are strong, then whatever may come, you can just slash it away with your sword.¡± He paused for a while. And then continued with a tired tone. ¡°I guess he was right. It might mean that I am just not strong enough. And then I decided to train myself. But¡­¡±

    ¡°You never feel the training you¡¯ve done is enough. And then you tried to find a strong opponent in the militia but found no one. The time goes on and you still felt weak.¡±

    ¡°¡­Heh, you are one sharp man, Nerva.¡± A mocking laugh came from his mouth. ¡°That¡¯s right. I worried that when time comes, I will not be strong enough.¡±

    After that, a short silence came over us. His story was more than I expected. I know when regular people heard his story they will probably dismissed it as just a man¡¯s excessive worries. But for me that have a prophecy being told to me, I couldn¡¯t just shrugged it away. His story is just too much of a coincidence. I felt that the story he told me might connect more with the demise of the marked soul more than I expected. The more I heard his story, the more convince I am that this man in front of me is someone that will lead us to our target. I really have to get him onto my side, one way or another.

    ¡°¡­Tell me, Ingolf. Do you really want to get stronger?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± An immediate answer. ¡°I want to protect my teammate, my comrades. I also want to protect the royal family who I am indebted so much. They are my benefactor and they have taken care of me so much in the past.¡± I tried to digest his statement. I tried to find any hint of lies in it. I couldn¡¯t find one. I guess there is only one way. Let¡¯s get to it before the day is over.

    ¡°I will tell you this. You will not find anyone strong if you try to fight the militia soldier. But, I can introduce you to a strong opponent.¡±  A sense of excitement leaked from his figure the moment I said those. ¡°Are you willing to meet that person?¡±

    ¡°Of course I will!¡± His voice was calm, but he couldn¡¯t hide the excitement that his heart told me. ¡°I will do anything for that!¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± I chugged my drink and emptied the mug in one completely. ¡°Meet me in the training field. I will introduce you to that person.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    ¡°Good. Bring your sword.¡± I then left my seat and then exited the tavern.

    <hr />

    ¡°Nerva!¡± A shout came from the direction of the entrance of the training field. Since no one is here at this time of the night, his voice resounded very clearly. I kept sitting on the bench at the edge of the field, waving toward his direction.

    ¡°You¡¯re fast.¡±

    ¡°Of course! I don¡¯t want to make the person wait for me.¡± The sound of him walking near me is accompanied by the clinking sound of his sword that was hanging from his waist. ¡°By the way, who is this person you¡¯re talking about?¡±

    ¡°Patience. It will not be long. Just wait for¨C¡° Then a sudden sound entered my ear. Ah, good. The actors are all here. ¡°Well, you¡¯re lucky. The guest arrived.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± His voice became as excited as a kid. I guess he really wish to become strong with all of his might. ¡°Where?...Oh!¡±

    ¡°Ah, Nerva, there you are.¡± A very familiar voice greeted me. I then stood up and moved toward the newly arrived person. ¡°This better be an important match.¡±

    ¡°It is, Eryell. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I grinned at her.

    ¡°Oh, Ms. Eryell Reystone!¡± A rather loud voice came from behind me. I then picked up the sound of him walking toward her.

    ¡°Hmm? Sir Lange?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am Ingolf Lange.¡± I could ¡®see¡¯ him bowed to her slightly. ¡°I have heard of your accomplishment.¡±

    ¡°Accomplishment?¡±

    ¡°Being able to lead a hunt so skillfully. Taking down a mighty beast with your spear. Marvelous spearmanship and dangerous huntress, the one known as ¡®Silent Spear¡¯.¡± I could sense Eryell became a bit embarrassed hearing those praises. Well, i guess that is understandable. I heard similar remarks all the time from the soldiers. In fact, her nickname ¡®Silent Spear¡¯ is only the better one. There are such as ¡®Mad Huntress¡¯, ¡®Death Whirlwind¡¯, and also ¡®Mad Tigress¡¯. I, of course, never discussed that nickname with her. It might not be the best conversation topic with her.

    ¡°R-Really? I¡¯m flattered.¡± She said that with a very mixed feeling, eh?

    ¡°I am very sorry for taking you out of your busy schedule, Ms. Reystone.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I was just finishing my patrol. So are you the one that will be in the match, Sir Lange?¡±

    ¡°Indeed I am. I know that I am not strong enough, and that¡¯s why I am trying to get better while I can. As you know, my job requirement for strength is very high.¡±

    ¡°I understand. Although you are strong enough to hold a battle against many of our soldiers quite effortlessly, you still think yourself not strong enough?¡±

    ¡°Sadly, it is the truth, Ms. Reystone.¡± I could hear him clenching the hilt of his sword. ¡°I need to get stronger. Or I will not be qualified to protect the royal family.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I guess I can understand that. That is some dedication, Sir Lange.¡± Eryell then let out a soft sigh. ¡°Very well, to honor that dedication, I will allow this match. Usually we don¡¯t allow the use of this field without supervision. Well, even with supervision, almost no one will use it at this late of night.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much! I don¡¯t know how to thank you for that, Ms. Reystone. I am very grateful for your understanding.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. It is a service to the kingdom too. Okay, so who¡¯s your opponent, Sir Lange?¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Ah, I¡¯ve been waiting for this. I¡¯ve just been standing in silence waiting for them to realize it. ¡°What do you mean by that, Sir Lange?¡±

    ¡°F-Forgive me, Ms. Reystone. But¡­aren¡¯t you the one that will fight me?¡±

    ¡°Me? I never heard anything about that.¡± Yup, no one said anything about that. ¡°The only thing that I was informed of is that I will be the referee of a practice match. Nerva called me here for that.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I then could feel both of them shifted their attention toward me. I couldn¡¯t only chuckle slightly. ¡°Nerva, what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± I could hear Ingolf¡¯s tone started to contain anger. I guess he will get angry.

    ¡°Now, now, Ingolf. Calm down.¡± I then walked toward Eryell. ¡°Eryell, may I borrow your sword?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I then put forward my hand toward her. ¡°I¡­suppose.¡± Then the sound of her pulling out the sword from the scabbard entered my ear. ¡°Here.¡± She gave me the sword and then I gripped the hilt.

    As I swing it around, I felt the quality of the sword. It is made quite wonderfully. The hilt is strong and the blade is stable. As expected of a sword given to one of the militia¡¯s leader.

    ¡°Nerva!¡± Ingolf shouted at me again. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this!?¡±

    ¡°I said calm down.¡± I ignored him and then gave my cane to Eryell. She took it and then I pointed the sword onto the ground. ¡°Eryell, this will be one of the times that I will reveal my real self to you.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Nerva, what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°I will say this first. The strength you see when I fight with your grandfather is far from my real strength. But now¡­¡± I then faced toward Ingolf. Once again, the feel of someone getting angry came out of him. He didn¡¯t even try to hide his anger against me. Good. That might make him stronger. ¡°I will show a bit more than before.¡± I then walked toward Ingolf. ¡°Ingolf Lange. You are trying to become stronger. You will never be able to do that by fighting the normal soldier. But I will show you someone who can. And you will fight that someone this night.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about!?¡± Hearing his shout full of anger, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a loud laugh. This might become more interesting than I thought. Let¡¯s see the strength of the one that has received a prophecy.

    ¡°I am talking about myself. This night, your opponent is none other than the man stood in front of you. The blind man, Nerva.¡± I then pointed my sword at him. ¡°Let¡¯s see how strong you really are, Ingolf Lange.¡±

 Chapter 20 - A Knightâ€™s Friendly Battle

    Chapter 20 ¡°A Knight¡¯s Friendly Battle¡±

    Nerva is going to fight him? I never heard about that! I thought it was about Sir Lange that wanted to have a match with someone from the militia. The only reason that came into my mind at that time was that some of the soldiers were feeling quite upset that they were beat up so easily and challenged him to another match or so. I¡¯ve known them to be quite a prideful bunch since they have done to same when I¡¯ve beat them in training. They even asked me for that twice. Of course I¡¯ve beat them thoroughly so that they won¡¯t ask about it again. That¡¯s why the moment I heard that Sir Lange wanted to borrow the training field, I thought of that reason immediately.

    My confusion aside, I felt quite happy that he asked me to become their referee. Although it is quite an honor to become the referee of such a strong knight¡¯s fight, that is not what made me the happiest. The fact that Nerva said honestly that he will show his strength is the reason that made the happiest.

    But it is still quite strange for him to suddenly want to fight him. And judging by Sir Lange¡¯s response, he wasn¡¯t aware of that fact either. He was so confused that it seemed that he has forgotten to close his mouth and left it opened like that. Really, if I don¡¯t know Nerva, I will be like that too. To be able to cope with any sudden surprise is a must if you want to be near him. Well¡­sorry, I am still training myself to be able to do just that. It is quite challenge for me.

    ¡°W-W-What are you talking about?!¡± A sudden shout from near me snapped me from my own pondering. Of course, that came from the knight. ¡°Are you telling me to fight you?¡± Nerva just nodded at him. ¡°Are you taking me for a joke!?¡± Quite an expected reaction, I suppose.

    ¡°Hmm, so you think I was joking, Ingolf?¡± Huh? Is it all right for him to call him that? As I glanced toward the one being called, there¡¯s no change in his expression. I guess he was too angry to even bother with that. ¡°I see, I see.¡± Nerva nodded several times as he lowered his sword. Hmm? The scene looked somewhat familiar for me¡­.Oh no¡­¡± Well, I could talk you to about accepting my challenge, but I have an even faster method for that.¡± As I realized what he was going to do, I steeled myself and let my fists tightened.

    Then he tapped the sword onto the ground once. Just like that time, an invisible wave of power swept the area with him as the center of that great wave. The moment the wave hit me, I could feel a tremendous pressure slam into me. It was quite strong, but since I expected that, I wasn¡¯t that surprised. Although I wasn¡¯t that surprised, just to be able to stand straight is already an effort for me. At least I didn¡¯t fall down like last time. That is still an accomplishment for me.

    ¡°¡­guh¡­¡± A slight groan reached my ear, making me turned my attention toward the source. There I could see Sir Lange struggled to maintain a composed expression. Even he was unable to endure it? Or was that probably because he didn¡¯t expected Nerva to be able to do that? He put his hand onto his sword and then unsheathed it immediately. With a frustrated expression, he pointed his sword toward Nerva. ¡°You! Who are you!?¡±

    ¡°Calm down now, Ingolf.¡± Nerva tapped the sword again. I let out a relieved breath as soon as another wave hit me. It lifted the pressure almost instantly. I moved around my body and felt very glad that I was able to withstand that, unlike last time. ¡°I am still Nerva, the Chief Apothecary of the Fouge¡¯s Militia. If you are not convinced and don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Eryell there.¡± He gestured toward me with his head. Hearing that, Sir Lange looked at me while still brandishing his weapon toward Nerva.

    ¡°Is that true, Ms. Reystone?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡± I nodded. ¡°He is as he says. Don¡¯t worry, Sir Lange. You are not the only one being surprised by his ability.¡± I then looked toward Nerva. ¡°Even until now, I still don¡¯t know his real ability.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why I¡¯m showing it to you right at this moment, Eryell.¡± He smiled at me and then turned his attention toward the sword wielding knight. ¡°Hear me first, Ingolf. You just said to me that you want to protect your comrade, your friend, the royal family. Just as you, I also have something I want to protect. This town and the many people live in it. My friend.¡± He then turned toward me. ¡°My precious person.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but felt my face got hotter the moment he said that. ¡°Just like you that have something to protect, I also have something that I want to protect. And if what you said is true, that something bad will happen in this town at the time of the royal family visitation, I will gladly lend you my help.¡± H-Huh? Something bad will happen? I know that everything is not fine and the situation is rather tense at the moment, but I never heard anything like that.

    ¡°Nerva! What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Uhm, let¡¯s just say that Ingolf has been seeing some kind of prophecy about some kind of danger that will fall onto the royal family and the whole knight corps.¡± He then let out a sigh. ¡°I know that it might sound crazy, but I believe him since I also have a rather bad premonition of my own at the moment. I¡¯ll tell you the detail later on.¡±

    W-Wait a minute! This is getting stranger and stranger, not to mention confusing. I looked at Sir Lange and he still looked rather tense, making it impossible for me to confirm his words. I tried to rack my mind for something to say, but failed to find any argument to give. I let out a sigh, feeling rather frustrated at my own stupidity and lacked of any wisdom to use in this kind of situation. With nothing good to say, I then arrived at one question toward Nerva.

    ¡°¡­You believe him?¡± He firmly nodded at my question. ¡°Then I¡¯ll believe him too.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Reystone?¡±

    ¡°As weird as you might think, I believe Nerva¡¯s decision.¡± I let out a small smile. ¡°He is, after all, much more than just a blind man.¡± I almost blurted out ¡®and the man I love¡¯ to the open. Because of that, I felt once again my face getting slightly hotter. I then heard a small chuckle from Nerva¡­.Ah¡­he knew.

    ¡°¡­I see¡­¡± Sir Lange looked at him and then retracted his sword and pointed them downward. ¡°Forgive me, Nerva. I was¡­kind of¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± He then let out a small laugh. ¡°It is expected for someone to feel offended if a blind and weak looking man challenged them.¡± After he said that, I noticed a wry smile appeared on Sir Lange¡¯s face. This guy really knows how to make someone feel guilty.

    ¡°And to think that the first thing they taught me is not to judge a person by their appearance.¡± Sir Lange then joined his laugh. ¡°¡­Really¡­I still need a lot of training.¡±

    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that what we came here for?¡± Nerva then took a distance from him and then stood there while facing his direction. ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any time, shall we?¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± He then walked toward the opposite side of him. After he reached his position, he looked at Nerva. ¡°So what¡¯s the rule? The usual one?¡±

    The ¡®usual one¡¯ Sir Lange mentioned is the rule commonly used in a practice match in the militia between the soldiers. The combatant fights with their chosen weapon and then tries to land a solid attack until either side gives up. No killing blow is allowed. Usually to prevent that, the use of wooden sword is a must. In the event of no one surrendering, the referee has the right to stop the match and declare the one that landed the most hit as the winner.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­that might take some time.¡± He¡¯s right. And if the combatants have a high stamina, then the match tends to strech for a long time. ¡°What do you think, Eryell?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­How about the one that can disarm their opponent win?¡± I looked at the two of them, waiting for their reaction.

    ¡°Not bad. Let¡¯s do that.¡± Sir Lange replied while looking at Nerva. ¡°What do you think, Nerva?¡±

    ¡°That is certainly a good idea. But¡­¡± A small grin appeared on his face. I have a bad feeling about that. ¡°Let¡¯s spice it up a bit.¡±

    ¡°¡­What do you have in mind, Nerva?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s start with a set of five blows. You can start first, and then I will go next. How¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Sir Lange nodded his head several times as he touched his chin. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do that. Am I to go first?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Then, Ms. Reystone, if you please?¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s take their position.¡± I said to them.

    I could see Nerva taken his stance. It is a strange stance that seemingly too relaxed and at glance is full of holes. His sword hung low and pointed downward with the tip almost touching the ground while his other hand was left free. He stood straight with his feet positioned at the same position as his shoulders. That is a strange stance. Actually, can I even call that a stance?

    Although I¡¯m not quite sure whether I can call that a stance or not, I¡¯m sure about something. His stance really displayed a powerful feeling. It¡¯s strange, I know. But the way he carried out his stance is like a very seasoned warrior that has shown more than a human should have seen in the battlefield. His expression was as the same as ever. Calm and composed.

    As I moved my attention toward the other party, I saw that Sir Lange had opted to use a very aggressive stance. He had his long sword pointed forward toward Nerva while holding it above his shoulder. His feet were planted firmly on the ground with the right on the front. I could really sense that he was very excited to fight. It is a very different feel compared to the one he always show whenever fighting the other soldier. I guess that is very understandable.

    ¡°Begin!¡±

    Second after I shout the signal, Sir Lange launched himself toward Nerva with an overwhelming speed. His sword was aimed directly at him. Even from this distance, I could feel the pure battle lust from him. I quickly looked over to Nerva, but he didn¡¯t move an inch. He still stood there with his sword positioned just like before. I know that I shouldn¡¯t worry about him since I already saw a glimpse of his power, but I just couldn¡¯t help but feel that he will immediately be slashed to half if he didn¡¯t do anything. But¡­is that a smile on his face?

    Just when I was still wondering the meaning behind his rather misplaced smile, a loud metallic sound rang in the air. Apparently the two swords collided with each other. The positioned of the blade was very precise, as expected of one chosen as a private knight. Combined with the momentum of his speed, it is supposed to be a sure kill technique. But Sir Lange¡¯s sword was inches away from touching Nerva¡¯s shoulder and he blocked it easily. In fact, if my eyes weren¡¯t deceiving me, it was Sir Lange¡¯s hand that trembled while the two swords locked against each other.

    ¡°Tch!¡± I could hear Sir Lange¡¯s letting out a groan as he leaped backward from him. What followed after that is a short slash toward him. Another loud sound came as his sword was parried aside by Nerva, leaving him slightly opened.

    Using that momentum, Sir Lange turned his body and delivered a side kick toward his head. If I wasn¡¯t trained as a warrior, I doubt I can pick out his movement since it was done in such a short moment as if his body moved by instinct alone. A loud impact sound was made and I looked at Sir Lange that somehow showed a satisfied expression.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    But his expression soon turned into one of shocked. I moved my sight slightly and found that his boot stopped in mid-air, unable to land on its destination, which was Nerva¡¯s head. The reason for that is because of the existence of Nerva¡¯s left hand that made it stopped in mid-air.

    ¡°Three strikes, Ingolf. Two more to go.¡± A small chuckle came from him, as if mocking the knight that had failed to delivered his strikes thrice.

    ¡°Guh! Damn you!¡± He then pulled back his sword and then performed a slash from above his head. Usually one would not be able to pulled a sword that heavy in such a short time and then continued with a downward slash so fast. But he managed to execute that feat magnificently.

    ¡°Too slow, Ingolf.¡± After I heard Nerva¡¯s voice, I noticed that he has deflected the sword out of its trajectory, making it fall slightly away from him.

    But the sword didn¡¯t touch the ground as Sir Lange turned it sideways and then made a side slash with his sword, targeting Nerva¡¯s side. But that was also blocked by him.

    ¡°Ah, that was the last strike, Ingolf?¡± A mischievous grin spread on Nerva¡¯s face as he kept his sword blocking Sir Lange¡¯s. Once again, I could see that Sir Lange¡¯s grip has been trembling for quite some time as he kept pushing forward. Is Nerva¡¯s block really that heavy that he was unable to make it budge even a bit? This is getting crazy!

    ¡°Why you!?¡± With bloodshot eyes and also rugged breath, Sir Lange released his sword from the lock. I could see him letting out a breath as he was preparing for something. ¡°Take this!!¡±

    What followed after that was a flurry of attack that I was unable to follow. What I could see was only the silvery white flash it made and also the loud clank each time it moved. He kept moving his sword each time the attack was finished, making the attack flowed endlessly. Metallic rings resounded in the whole field as the sight of Sir Lange kept delivering blow after blow, slash after slash.

    At first glance, it seemed that Sir Lange has the upper hand since he kept his attack and it was only a matter of time until Nerva is defeated. But reality was far from that. If I was unable to follow its movement by my eyes, Nerva seemed to be able to do that just fine without the need of any kind of sight. With splendid accuracy and speed, he deflected each blows, making a small spark as the cold blade clashed against each other. Just like Sir Lange, he kept moving his sword too. Each time an attack came toward him, he raised his sword and let it meet his opponent¡¯s sword, creating the loud metallic rings.

    I know that he is strong, but never this strong. When he was fighting with grandfather, the fight was concluded with one strike. He managed to overpowered grandfather¡¯s blow and made his sword flew out his hand in a second. I remember both I and my sister looked at him with shocked expression. Grandfather is considered to be the best swordsman in our family. His blow was powerful and fast. But he managed to deflect his blow with ease, even to the point that he managed to disarm him completely. At that time, I only thought that Nerva had managed to get lucky at that time. I was truly wrong.

    Then a sudden change in the air could be felt. It was not the invisible wave like before, but it was enough for me to notice that the turn of the battle in front of me has changed. Just as I noticed that, Sir Lange jumped away from him. From his expression, I¡¯m sure that he felt that too. He kept his sword at the ready. But instead of an offensive stance like before, he opted for a defense stance with his sword ready to block incoming attack.

    ¡°Really now, Ingolf.¡± A calm and slightly amused voice came from the other side of the field. ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to a limit of five attacks each?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, sorry, Nerva.¡± Although he let out a laugh, not a trace of amusement is in his voice. He still put up his best guard. ¡°You know that when I fight, I tend to lose myself. Especially against unexpected opponent.¡±

    ¡°Why thank you for that Ingolf. For our friendship, let¡¯s consider that attacks of yours nullified, shall we? You don¡¯t mind that, do you?¡±

    ¡°I would be very grateful for that, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°Well, Eryell, please don¡¯t consider that as a breach of rule, okay?¡±

    ¡°E-Eh?¡± I didn¡¯t expect him to ask me all of a sudden. I was too busy assessing the battle in front of me. ¡°O-Okay.¡± Ugh, I stuttered my reply. Just great.

    ¡°I really appreciate it, Ms. Reystone.¡± Sir Lange gave me a slight bow. ¡°Now, let¡¯s continue, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. Oh, one more thing. Eryell.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Do try your best to follow my move, okay?¡± He smiled after saying that, making me slightly confused.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll try.¡± Is there any other way I can answer him? Guess not.

    ¡°Good.¡± He then turned his head toward Ingolf. ¡°Ingolf, ready yourself, my friend.¡±

    ¡°Got it, my friend.¡±

    Nerva then moved his leg. W-Wait! Moved his leg? So all these times while defending against Sir Lange¡¯s attack, he didn¡¯t move an inch? He was able to counter those attacks without moving from his previous position even a bit? That¡¯s crazy! Is he that strong or is Sir Lange the one that is weak? No¡­Sir Lange has defeated many soldiers with ease. He is also a private knight. It is not a position that someone weak can get into. So that means that Nerva really is that strong. I have no idea. It seems that I really have to train myself better.

    As Nerva get into his position, I could see Sir Lange tightened his defense stance. Then a small smile appeared on Nerva¡¯s face. The next second after that he dashed toward his opponent with the same speed as...Eh? No, he is faster! I almost missed him just then.

    While I was still astounded by his speed, a very loud metallic ring boomed in the training field. Did that come from their sword? Is that even possible? That is the loudest sound I have ever heard from a sword fight. I followed the sound and found that instead of sword locking with each other, Sir Lange¡¯s sword was hit aside. It seemed that the blow from Nerva¡¯s sword was enough to break his stance completely, making him opened for any incoming attack.

    Realizing that, he immediately pulled back his sword. But it seemed that he just barely made it, evident from the way he blocked the next attack in which was performed rather badly. Thankfully it was just a kick. It is a good kick since it landed right on the middle of Sir Lange¡¯s sword. But¡­did he manage to push Sir Lange just from a single kick?

    Sir Lange then jumped backward to regain his footing. But it seems Nerva has no plan letting him do that. He used the pommel of his sword to hit him on his side. It hit him just before he could dodge it.

    ¡°G-GUH!!!¡± Judging from the voice he let out, it seemed that last attack contained more force than he expected. I saw Sir Lange stumbled side way. But he instantly stood up with his sword ready in front of his chest.

    I looked at the two combatants and felt that the match is really on Nerva¡¯s side. Sir Lange, although started with strong offensive moves, it was not enough to break Nerva¡¯s parries and block. Not a single one of them has managed to land on him. Even after Sir Lange broke the rule and launched a flurry of slash and thrust, all of them were perfectly countered by Nerva who kept his footing perfectly still.

    When it is Nerva¡¯s turn to attack, Sir Lange managed to block two out of three attacks. The first one was due to the distance between them, but even that was enough to knock his sword away from his previous stance. The next one he barely managed to block it. The third one was the one that landed perfectly on him, even to the extent of him tumbling sideway from the force. Just by his voice alone was enough to tell me the damage from Nerva¡¯s attack.

    At the moment, the two combatants¡¯ condition really is a great contrast. While Nerva stood with a relaxed stance without any sign of fatigue, Sir Lange seemed to have difficulty to stand straight. While he winching slightly probably due to the pain, I could also see his breathing was very rugged, a clear sign of fatigue. Really, this match has become very strange.

    Once again, I expected Nerva to be strong, but not that strong. Even now I still find it unbelievable that he said that he never shown his real strength. But at least I felt relieved seeing his expression at the moment. Unlike the cold and ruthless expression he showed when dealing with those thugs at the shady district, the Nerva in front of me right now showed the same expression he usually showed me. Calm and composed with a bit of seriousness. Really, I am very relieved to see that.

    ¡°Hey, Ingolf.¡± Nerva suddenly called him. ¡°Tell me, do you want to make this a long match?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I also showed the same confused expression as Sir Lange. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I mean that you were holding back, didn¡¯t you?¡± H-Holding back? Sir Lange? That was holding back? ¡°I mean, is that the full force you use when you protect the royal family? It¡¯s not, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­.How did you¡­No matter.¡± I could barely hear the first part of his word since he shook his head away before completing the sentence. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡± A loud sigh came from him. ¡°I actually just want to fight you with only my swordsmanship.¡± A loud laugh then came from Nerva, surprising both Sir Lange and I. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± I noticed a tinge of irritation in his voice.

    ¡°Forgive me, Ingolf. I didn¡¯t mean to offend you or anything but, do you think that is enough against someone like me?¡± A fearless smile appeared on his face. I immediately glanced toward the private knight, expecting him to be angry. But I was surprised to see that he only let out a small sigh. Then a small smile crept onto his face.

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. Forgive me, Nerva, for underestimating you.¡± Not a trace of anger or irritation could be felt from his voice. He even apologized to him. This private knight is very different from what I first expected. Just as he said, I shouldn¡¯t judge an opponent by their looks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Nerva then took a stance similar to the one Sir Lange used when it was his turn to attack. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you to use that skill of yours, my friend.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± Sir Lange then resumed a position with his sword held close toward his chest while letting it pointed upward. He let out a breath and then looked at Nerva. ¡°The next round will be the last, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure it will.¡± Once again, a fearless grin appeared on his face. ¡°I¡¯m sure. Don¡¯t worry. After all, you will go all out, right?¡±

    ¡°I will. Count on it.¡±

    ¡°Good, good! Now let me see. The combined power of swordsmanship and magic a knight could display!¡±

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    Next we will see the knight''s magic.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 21 - A Knightâ€™s Magic

    Chapter 21 ¡°A Knight¡¯s Magic¡±

    ¡°Very well then, Nerva.¡± I could see a slight smile appeared on Sir Lange¡¯s face. ¡°Let¡¯s see how well you will fare against this.¡±

    After saying that, I could feel a surge of energy started to gather around Sir Lange. The amount is not as much as what I usually feel when I observe the mage division practice their magic spell. That is understandable since according to what I know, Sir Lange is not actually specialized in magic, unlike the mages. But even so, the feel he gave off wasn¡¯t all that different. Maybe less, but only by a small bit. Maybe. It is hard to exactly measure it since I can only rely on my feeling.

    I said feel since I can¡¯t really see magic energy. Only a few people can literally see magic energy without any use of magic apparatus. They who can see it are they who possessed something called ¡°True Sight¡±. For them, they can literally see magic power anywhere and anytime easily.

    As I said before, although I can¡¯t really see it, I can feel it. For someone like me who often hunt for dangerous game, the ability to feel magical energy is a must and it is no doubt will be a lifesaver in many situations. It is very useful because many dangerous beasts that roamed the forest are able to manipulate magic power while they hunt. And unlike ¡°True Sight¡±, this is a skill that can be learned by almost anybody. It is especially easy to learn if you are often thrown into a situation where you have to be able to sense the magic power in the air for your survival.

    ¡°Try your best, Ingolf.¡±

    ¡°Heh, no need to tell me that.¡± After that, Sir Lange opened his mouth while still keeping his posture. His sword is held close to his chest with a firm grip as the blade pointed upward. ¡°Give me strength, give might. Let me grab victory in every fight.¡± After saying his incantation, the magic energy that I could feel from him started to somehow vibrated.

    ¡°Ho, body strengthening.¡±

    ¡°Body strengthening?¡± This is body strengthening? The body strengthening spell I know would never make the magic energy around the one using it vibrated like that. This is different. The incantation is similar, but¡­the feel it gave off is totally different.

    ¡°It is body strengthening technique, but it is not common body strengthening technique.¡± As if knowing my confusion, Nerva gave an answer. Well, I suppose it is not strange for him to know my confusion. Yeah, he is always like that.

    ¡°What do you mean not common?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­let¡¯s talk about it later.¡± He snickered. ¡°I advise you to keep your attention to him. It will be very interesting.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I once again shifted my attention to the knight. ¡°W-What!?¡± I was unable to hide my surprise.

    When at first I was only able to feel the magic energy from him, after I look at him again I can literally see the magic energy gathered around him. A reddish blue aura has completely enveloped his whole body, making him looking somewhat like being consumed by raging flame. After a short while, the raging flame also started to consume his sword, making the sword emitting a bright fiery red glow.

    Sir Lange opened his eyes and I could see a different light from him. It showed a very strong determination and confidence. I could not see a single trace of fatigue from his eyes. He then pointed his sword at Nerva. He also assumed the same stance as Nerva with his sword positioned above his head and his feet is ready to kick the ground to resume the fight.

    I who stood as the referee looked at two combatants who assumed the same stance. The air stood still as they also ceased their movement. I could literally hear my own heartbeats as I anticipate the first one that make a move. Although I¡¯m not the one in combat, I really feel a very great sense of excitement as I stand watching the battle between these two great fighters.

    ¡°I will win this!¡±

    ¡°Try on, Ingolf.¡±

    Only seconds after Nerva¡¯s response, Sir Lange kicked his body off forward and straight onto Nerva, leaving a cloud of dust behind him. With his appearance that looked like to be engulfed in a raging flame, I could only see it as a large flaming ball heading straight to Nerva. He was coming at him in an incredible speed that is certainly very different from his previous speed. Is this the effect of his body strengthening technique?

    But to my surprise, Nerva also launched himself toward Sir Lange. At first I thought he will stand still just like in the first stage and try to receive his attack defensively. I was so wrong. He charged at him with the same speed as him, if not faster.

    The moment they meet each other, a loud impact sound filled the whole field. Together with that I could also feel a very powerful shock wave. It moved the air around us with them as the center of it. I unconsciously raised my arm to protect myself from the powerful wind and cloud of dust that hit me. As I opened my eyes I saw the sight of the two of them locking each other¡¯s blade in their place with their own blade.

    After that, a loud metallic ring resounded and then they released their locked blade and began exchanging attack. Slashes after slashes were delivered. Upward slashes, downward slashes, sideward slashes, and thrusts were executed times after times without any sign of stopping. They were executed with speed I have never seen before that I could only recognized the first five strikes or so. With each passing time, the speed increased more and more to the point where I can only hear the metallic sound it made when it clashed.

    This is very high level fight. The most exciting fight I have ever seen here is probably the fight between the commanders of the squad. But even that is truly failed in comparison after seeing Nerva and Sir Lange fight with each other. You could not really call it a simple practice fight any longer. It might be more correct to call it the battle for one¡¯s life.

    I squinted both of my eyes and concentrated on the battle as best as I could since I really wanted to know Nerva¡¯s real battle capability. Although I couldn¡¯t really see too well, I could at least realize that the battle is in a stand still. Both Nerva and Sir Lange kept delivering attack after attack without any sign of stopping any time soon. But¡­it seemed that Nerva is able to parried and blocked most of the attack. He really hid his ability too much.

    ¡°HAH!!!¡±

    ¡°GUH!!!¡±

    Suddenly a shout came from them. I could see Sir Lange¡¯s body was pushed backward with his sword held closed near his chest. It seemed that he managed to block Nerva¡¯s attack just then. With his body still engulf in flame-like magic energy, he stood still without making any movement. Nerva, on the other hand, had his sword rested on his shoulder as he looked at him. A very relaxed expression is shown on his face without a single trace of fatigue or anything from him. Is that even possible?

    ¡°Well, I guess I won, eh Ingolf?¡± Huh? I quickly shifted my sight toward the knight and he certainly didn¡¯t show any sign of being defeated. In fact, he still looked quite strong and ready to fight another stage or two at any moment.

    ¡°Wait, what do you mean by that?¡± Isn¡¯t saying it like that is an insult? ¡°The match is not over, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°¡­No¡­¡± Huh? Sir Lange? Once again I looked toward the other side. ¡°Nerva¡­is¡­correct.¡± Then right after he said that, the flame died down almost immediately. ¡°Guh!¡± After letting out a groan, his sword left his hand and fell onto the ground, embedding itself onto the training ground¡¯s soil. The owner itself also started to fell backward onto his back, making a loud impact sound the moment his body hit the soil.

    Nerva beat him? Just like that? Even after he used such a terrifying body strengthening technique, he still lost his fight against Nerva who didn¡¯t use any kind of spell. This is just unbelievable!

    ¡°So Eryell, can you declare the match, if you please?¡±

    ¡°H-Huh?¡± I who was still unable to believe the result of the match and left in a slight state of shock was brought back to his voice. Well, I guess it is much more precise to say that the thing that shocked me is not only the result, but the whole match altogether. From the start and the reason behind the match and the way the match unfold over times. Everything about this match really left me in a shock.

    ¡°Eryell?¡±

    ¡°O-Oh, yes. Winner, Nerva!¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± He bowed to me slightly. It felt a little anti-climactic for me. I know that it is absurd of me, but I really wanted to hear some sort of loud cheer as he win. Not that I favored him or anything. But a fight that intense really deserved a good cheer or two, don¡¯t you think? I guess I can clap my hand to congratulate him. But¡­on second thought, let¡¯s not. It just felt awkward. ¡°Eryell, I think we should check on Ingolf.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, yes.¡± I almost forgot all about him since I was still slightly shocked by the whole match. As I ran toward the fallen knight, I didn¡¯t see any kind of injuries on his body. The only thing that caught my attention is his rugged breathing. He also continued to sweat profusely without any sign of stopping. This might be bad. ¡°Uhm, are you okay, Sir Lange?¡±

    ¡°O-Oh¡­ugh¡­f-fine.¡± He forced himself to smile at me to assure me he was fine. Forgive me, Sir Lange, but you are far from convincing. Especially with how much sweat you¡¯re letting out and how difficult it looked like for you to take a breath. Furthermore, you are still lying down there. You really were anything but fine. But I just gave him a nod. I might offend his feeling if I say something wrong. Might just as well stay silence. ¡°W-Where¡¯s Nerva?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s behind me¡­or not.¡± I failed to see him anywhere. I thought he was behind me not long ago. Where did he go?

    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± As if answering the question I uttered inside my mind, Nerva¡¯s voice came from the direction of the field¡¯s entrance. ¡°Just want to get this for him,¡± said Nerva as he raised a small bottle.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Sir Lange who has pulled his body upward into a sitting position looked at him.

    ¡°This is a stamina boost potion.¡± He then threw it toward him. Hey! That¡¯s impolite! Aren¡¯t you supposed to show him more courtesy? ¡°Drink it. It¡¯s good for your body. The taste is quite bad though.¡±

    ¡°Bad tasting medicine is a good medicine.¡± He then took off the cork and then emptied the content in one gulp. ¡°Guah! It¡¯s really bad!¡±

    ¡°Told you.¡± Yeah, I have drunk some of that potion before. It is pretty bad. It somehow tasted quite pungent and slightly spicy, and not in a good way, I assure you. ¡°But it is effective. How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°Uhm¡­slightly better, I think?¡± He then tried to move his arm around. ¡°Uhm, let me rest for a while. I¡¯ll need it.¡±

    ¡°Take your time.¡± Nerva let out a laugh.

    <hr />

    After Sir Lange feels well enough, we moved onto the nearby bench and took a seat there. Although I said until he feels well enough, I doubt that is the real case since his complexion still looked quite bad. Only his breathing has been stabilized.

    ¡°Well, Ingolf, how do you feel now?¡±

    ¡°Fine, thank you. But still a bit tired.¡± He then let out a carefree laugh. ¡°Well, a bit bitter too since I lost to you.¡±

    ¡°You gave a good fight, you know? But there are still rooms for improvement.¡± As I heard Nerva said that, I felt slightly curious at the direction this conversation, so I stayed quiet and try to be a good listener. I might be able to use that advice to improve myself.

    ¡°And what are those, if I may know?¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s start from the basic. Your movement is good. But you forced your body to do too much too often. Pushing yourself is good, but pushing it too much will not do you any good. You¡¯ll waste more energy than needed.¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°Really? I pushed my own body too much?¡± I could hear his tone contained a pure confusion. ¡°I have never heard anyone gave me that before.¡±

    ¡°In a short battle where the winner is determined by the one that can deliver the deadliest blow the fastest you will definitely win that two out three times.¡±

    ¡°But when fighting a prolonged battle or against something or someone that has a ridiculous amount of endurance or stamina, you will lose three out of three times. Is that what you mean, Nerva?¡±

    ¡°Correct, Eryell.¡± He nodded at my words. ¡°You remember my words.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah, of course.¡± There¡¯s no way I could forgot that. It is the first advice he gave to me and even until now I still struggle to actually put that advice in my real battle. Just like Sir Lange, I often have the mindset of whoever deal the first killing strike is the winner.

    ¡°Just like what Eryell said, with your style of fighting you will be defeated when fighting in a prolonged one since you pushed your body to the limit right at the start. It is good to surprise someone and end a fight quickly, but that is not case when fighting with a stronger opponent. You¡¯ll tire out yourself much faster than your opponent.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I see, I see.¡± Sir Lange nodded several times. ¡°I will have to reorganize my training menu next time.¡± Ho? I am very curious at what training menu the knight corps have. But I think asking him right away will not be appropriate.

    ¡°Then there is your magic.¡± A wry smile suddenly appeared on Nerva¡¯s face. ¡°Pardon me for asking, but¡­is magic not your expertise, Ingolf?¡±

    ¡°¡­I see that you¡¯ve realized my weakness.¡± A mocking laugh came from him while he scratched the back of his head. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m quite bad at it.¡±

    ¡°But you have a lot of magic energy inside you.¡± He widened his eyes. Well, I am also surprised to see that he was able to discern it to that extend. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m right.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Another mocking laugh came from him.

    ¡°No wonder your magic drained your energy too much. It is performed in a sloppy way that might endanger oneself.¡± He shook his head while letting out a disappointed groan. ¡°Ingolf, you should really know your limit. If I didn¡¯t kick you back then, you will use your magic energy to the point where you will exhaust your life energy too.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right. Sorry, sorry.¡± A laugh came from him. Really. Isn¡¯t Sir Lange a much too careless person? I never realized that. At first, I thought he is a careful and calm person. But he turned out to be such a careless person when in a fight. He is strong, I admit that. But it seemed that he still need to be more careful next time. Ah, all these talk about magic reminded me something.

    ¡°By the way, Nerva. You said that Sir Lange used a body strengthening technique, right?¡± Nerva nodded. ¡°But you also said that it is not a common one. What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you noticed too, Nerva? Impressive. I thought you will not notice that since the incantation is mostly the same.¡±

    ¡°Well, incantation is up to the user. But the feel it gave off is very different. Especially since your body strengthening includes your weapon as your own body.¡± His weapon as his own body? What does he mean by¨COh!

    ¡°Is that why Sir Lange¡¯s sword also gave off magical energy?¡± Nerva smiled the moment I said that.

    ¡°Correct.¡± He said while giving me a single nod. ¡°Common body strengthening technique only covers the body of the user, not the armor or the weapon. Ingolf magic energy, on the other hand, covered the whole area. Armor and weapon included.¡± So that¡¯s why it gave off a different feeling. ¡°And I presumed that you can see a flame like energy from his body, right?¡± I nodded. ¡°Well, that is the sign of it being done in a sloppy way.¡± Sloppy way?

    ¡°Nerva, since you said that my way of doing it is sloppy, can you show me how to do it the correct way?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I would really like to see that too.¡± Most of the time I see people using body strengthening technique, a similar phenomenon occurred on the user¡¯s body, although not as grandiose as Sir Lange¡¯s though. I thought that was the correct way.

    ¡°Hmm¡­I suppose I can do that.¡± He got up and then went to the weapon rack nearby and picked up a sword and shield. He then placed it onto the ground. ¡°Ah, you can have your sword back, Eryell.¡± He then approached me to give my sword back and took back is cane. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the difference just by using this normal wooden cane.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? Interesting.¡± Said Sir Lange while leaning his body forward.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start then.¡± Nerva took his usual relaxed stance and then let out a breath. ¡°Break, shatter, and reform my soul. Filled it with power, might, and strength that no one has ever seen before.¡± W-Wow, even the incantation is very different. It sounded¡­ominous. But is this even the same spell?

    Just like Sir Lange, his body is enveloped by magical energy. But unlike him, the color is very different. The color of the magic energy that enveloped his body is scarlet red. And like the incantation, it also gave off a very ominous feeling. Another difference from the one Sir Lange used before is the fact that the magic energy that enveloped him did not looked like a flaming fire. It looked very calm and very still. In fact, after a few seconds I find it quite difficult to recognize the magic energy as if it merged with his own body.

    He then approached the shield and then quickly threw it onto the air. When it fell down, he slashed it in mid-air using his cane. When it hit the ground, the shield shattered into eight similar pieces. I couldn¡¯t help but let my mouth left open by the movement he has shown. Didn¡¯t he just slash it once? How come it broke into eight pieces like that?

    ¡°¡­Magnificent.¡± I could hear Sir Lange¡¯s voice beside me. ¡°To be able to move that fast.¡±

    ¡°Now the sword. Let¡¯s try it.¡± He once again threw the sword onto the air. He then slashed it while it is still in mid-air, dividing it by half. But without letting it touched the ground, he thrust his cane onto the first half and it shattered into thousands of pieces while the other half too was struck by his cane and also shared the same fate as the one before. He then planted his cane on to the ground and the vague trace of magic energy from his body dissipated completely.

    A short silence came over the field as I was struck by what he has done. That is crazy!

    ¡°W-W-What the hell is that!?¡± I unconsciously shouted at him. ¡°That¡¯s not body strengthening technique!¡±

    ¡°I agree with Ms. Reystone here, Nerva. That¡¯s not body strengthening technique. That is much too powerful.¡± Hearing both my and Sir Lange¡¯s argument, Nerva scratched the back of his head while wearing a wry smile.

    ¡°Hmm, I guess you will doubt me. That is understandable. But trust me, it is a body strengthening technique albeit it is a very high level technique.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­I¡­no, I have nothing to say.¡±

    ¡°Tell me, what is it called?¡± Sir Lange is much calmer than me. I have to give him that. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone using that before.¡±

    ¡°It is called ¡®Soul Reform¡¯. It is a body strengthening technique that uses the core of your soul as its source of strength.¡±

    ¡°Can you teach me that?¡±

    ¡°It is faster for you to refine the current technique you have already learn than to learn an entirely new one. Although the effect is the same, the concept is entirely different, making it much more difficult for you to learn it.¡± He then walked toward us. ¡°Trust me, you will be better with what you¡¯ve already learn.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I guess you¡¯re right.¡± Sir Lange let out a small snicker. ¡°If I can¡¯t master the current one, how can I learn a new one?¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Nerva nodded. ¡°Okay, for now, I have a few things that I can tell so that you can improve yourself.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I appreciated it.¡± A wide smile could be seen in his face. I guess Sir Lange really wanted to get stronger that much, eh?

    <hr />

    After finishing his short lecture with Sir Lange, the two of us parted way with him as Nerva walked with me toward my mansion. Along the way, he told me the story he heard from Sir Lange and all of his circumstances. Honestly, I felt nothing but anxiety when hearing it.

    ¡°So, there you have it, my dear Eryell.¡± He finally finished his whole story. ¡°It is quite a lot to digest, but I believe the circumstances are too much for me to call it just a mere coincidence right now.¡±

    ¡°Although I hate to believe that, I can¡¯t simply ignore it now after hearing your story.¡± I let out a heavy sigh. ¡°So that¡¯s why Sir Lange wanted to get stronger so much.¡±

    ¡°Yes. It is understandable though. Being in his position, he really needs to be able to prepare himself well.¡± I stopped my feet and he also stopped his. ¡°What is it, my dear Eryell?¡±

    ¡°¡­Tell me, Nerva.¡± I looked at him. ¡°Do you think everything will be all right? Are we¡­this town going to be okay?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, are you that concerned?¡±

    ¡°Very...Very concerned.¡± I nodded. ¡°If what Sir Lange¡¯s said will come true, then a disaster will fall onto this town. I mean, we are already trying our best to solve the case of that strange substance in the forest, not to mention that the sudden disappearance of the many informants in this town. This is getting scary by the minutes.¡±

    We have deployed all our resource as best as we could, but we still couldn¡¯t discover the real identity of the strange substance we found in the forest. While we are still struggling with that, we have to be careful with our way of collecting information due to the fact that several informants in this town have been silenced for good. Once again, we do not know the real culprit who did that. To make matter worse, we have to keep the security of this town to be much higher than usual due to the royal family visitation. It is as if problems keep piling up one after another. And now this? The possibility that something dangerous will come to annihilate the whole knight corps together with the royal family? I already feel sick and tired just thinking about it. I even could feel my body trembling with fear.

    ¡°Well, I guess¡­everything will be all right.¡± Huh?

    ¡°What make you so sure? How can you be so confident about it?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I guess if you asked¡­it is my instinct.¡± Huh? Instinct? ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s just say that I have my instinct telling me that everything will be fine in the end. There will be a rough time, but in the end it will be fine.¡±

    Hearing his statement that is free from any kind of worry or negative feeling, I felt quite astounded. He is really a strange man. To be able to stay calm in the midst of a crazy situation like this. Either he is a fool or a strong person. Or maybe a foolishly strong person. I don¡¯t know. But all I know is that his words calm me down at the moment. Even my trembling is gone. I shook my head and let out a heavy sigh. But this time it was not filled with worry unlike the one before.

    ¡°¡­You are too carefree.¡± I smiled at him. ¡°But I guess I¡¯ll try to believe you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for that, my dear Eryell.¡± Yeah, that is for the best for now.

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    Well, no comment at the moment.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 22 - The Disaster Approaching

    Chapter 22 ¡°The Disaster Approaching¡±

    ¡°Rago, Gire.¡± I called my two assistants. The sound of them running toward me reached my ears. ¡°How is the preparation?¡±

    ¡°Everything is ready, Master!¡±

    ¡°We have packed extra raw ingredients too just like you told us, Master.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, good, good.¡± I nodded several times as I heard their report. ¡°Then why are you still here? Isn¡¯t the troop going to depart soon?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, Master. This is the last bundle and then we will go with them soon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Rago, Gire.¡± I called their name once again. ¡°Be ready for anything. I will not be with you so the whole responsibility for treating them will be all yours, do you understand that?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ¡°We will not disappoint you!¡±

    ¡°Very good,¡± I said to them as I nodded. They have matured much more than I expected. ¡°Then you can all go now. I¡¯ll be here waiting for good news from the two of you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± A unison reply came from them.

    <hr />

    It has been several days from the night of my battle with Ingolf. After that day, he has been training diligently to prepare himself for the awaited day as I pointed his mistake from time to time. And it is finally the time for the royal family to execute their ¡®experiment¡¯ in the nearby forest. It seems that they are doing it on the days where the number of merchant is a lot more than usual. With that, it is safe to say that they really want to show off their military might. Their action is proof enough for us that our prediction is true. If it is truly an experiment for their newest weapon, then they would probably choose where the number of spectator will be as few as possible or even none at all since they will want to keep it a secret until needed. But by doing this instead, they are truly going all out in their show of might.

    With the pretense of guarding the royal family, most of the militia¡¯s personnel have been stationed near the forest. Eryell is also included since her unit is the one responsible for patrolling of the inner forest. The whole base is busy and bustling with sound as they prepare themselves for the upcoming job. It is also one of the reasons why I send out both of my assistants, Rago and Gire, to them.

    Just as Lady Constie instructed, I have prepared a lot of medicine, especially for burn wound, since the experiment they are doing is involving an Arcane Puppet that is specialized in using fire as its primary weapon. Together with the fact they are doing it in the forest, the chance of them starting a fire is quite high. Although I heard that the royal family will also bring with them a group of water mage, we can never be so sure.

    If you are asking why I am staying behind, it is because I have a direct instruction from Lady Constie. She ordered me to stay behind and just let my two assistants follow the militia. The reason behind that is because it might be seen as an insult if a blind man like me follows their group. Of course, the militia is already accustomed to me and they already know my real skill. But we don¡¯t know what the royal family and their soldiers might think about it.

    Actually, it is not fair for me to not say that I am actually the one that keeps asking her to do that. Yes, it is my idea. She felt that my skill will be crucial in the time of emergency. But I keep pushing her to not include me with the guarding group and instead just left me in the base by myself. I said to her that I will be available to help from the base and even bring extra medicine while moving the reserve group that is stationed in the base in case of something happened. She finally approved my idea, although not without some doubt and hesitation.

    Well, to be honest, I have another intention in mind for asking her to let me stay in the base. And that is because I have another urgent job to do. And that job cannot be done when I¡¯m with the field. I need to do it in the base. Well, it doesn¡¯t have to be the base. But at least not in an open place.

    I then moved into one of the room inside the base. Since the whole personnel are on a mission, almost no one is here. The reserve troop is stationed all over the town and only a handful of them are left and even they are not inside the base. They are either training or getting ready to move when the needs arise. That is actually a good thing for me since it left me without the need of dealing with them. I said ¡®dealing¡¯ not in the sense of killing them or something along that line. I mean ¡®dealing¡¯ as in trying to be stealthy or anything.

    I opened the room and the door let out a soft creak. I guess it is expected since this room is one of those rooms that is almost no one using it. Apart from the condition that has been rather neglected, it is located too far away from the entrance and could be called almost abandon. From what I¡¯ve heard, Lady Constie is thinking of repairing this particular room and using it as an added storage. But the plan has been postponed due to various things that came up all of a sudden.

    ¡°You¡¯re late, Nerva.¡± Immediately after I¡¯ve opened the door, a voice greeted me. That didn¡¯t surprise me since I also expected that.

    ¡°Well, I need to prepare a lot of stuff for my assistants to bring onto the forest,¡± I said as I closed the door. ¡°And I need to make sure that I have some more stuff prepared in case something really happened.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, understood.¡±

    ¡°By the way, Reiyes.¡± I turned around and faced the direction of my comrade. ¡°Your presence is well hidden, as usual. But he,¡± I pointed toward another direction with my cane, ¡°still needs a lot of practice.¡±

    ¡°Uhm,¡­I¡¯m sorry, Master Nerva.¡± A familiar voice reached my ear. The moment he added ¡®master¡¯ to my name, I unconsciously frowned. It just didn¡¯t sound right for me.

    ¡°Stop adding ¡®master¡¯ to my name.¡± I let out a sigh after I said that. ¡°I¡¯m not your master or anything.¡±

    ¡°But you are Master Reiyes¡¯ friend.¡± Ugh, there he goes again. ¡°There¡¯s no way I could address you so impolitely, Master Nerva.¡±

    This guy¡­is rather too much for me. I never expected him to become like this. So a little explanation is in needed, right? As I mentioned, after our brief¡­meeting, I have both Mena, the captain of the underground movement, and Adart, the underground movement¡¯s officer in charge of information circulation, under my command. Literally. Due to the spell I implemented into their soul, they can¡¯t lie to me and I have been using them to collect extra information besides the information I have from Reiyes and his Shades. I have also asked Reiyes to train him since the two of them are working in the same field. Along the way, he had deemed Reiyes as his teacher, his master. That, as one who knows Reiyes, clearly annoyed him. But since the boy didn¡¯t show a single intention of stopping that and it is done without a single ounce of malicious intention, Reiyes seemingly have given up on asking him to stop doing that. And¡­it seems that I have to do the same too.

    Really, this guy is getting a bit too uptight for his own good. Or is it his way of trying to get stronger? I know that when I have our meeting that time, even without him saying it, I could feel that he is lamenting a bit on his weak self that allow not only him, but also his superior and object of love being caught and¡­uhm¡­¡¯convinced¡¯ a bit too much. That reminds me, I never heard their story after we part way. But it seems that the two is in a steady relationship. I¡¯m happy for them.

    ¡°Nerva, enough talking about useless stuff.¡± Oh, it is clear as day that he is irritated with the current topic. Not that I don¡¯t understand it though. I guess even the stoic and usually calm Reiyes will feel that if being faced with the kind of uptight person as Adart for a long time. ¡°We should get straight to topic.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a small chuckle after hearing him said that. And for that, I earned myself an annoyed groan from him. ¡°Actually, where is that fellow?¡± I just realized that the room is missing one more person.

    ¡°That fellow,¡± ugh, Reiyes¡¯ voice is clearly sounded more annoyed the moment he mentioned her, ¡°is still busy with her own stuff and she said she will come here when she likes it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Goodness.¡± I let out a heavy sigh after hearing it. As usual, Cyrielle is not someone that could be counted for due to her lack of discipline. Not that she is incompetent or anything, but she is just a person that prefers to do everything in her own pace. I suppose there is nothing I can do about it. ¡°Well, let¡¯s just start right away.¡±

    ¡°Good. Adart.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    ¡°¡­Tell us what you¡¯ve gathered.¡± Reiyes surely have it tough. I guess that is in a sense a way for him to train himself to be more patient. Not that he needed to be more patient.

    ¡°Very well. From what I¡¯ve gathered, there is a single rumor that might be useful at the moment after hearing Master¡¯s explanation about the knight¡¯s prophetic dream.¡±

    ¡°And that is?¡±

    ¡°There is a sighting of a strange beast from the village in the west of Fouge. The village location is quite far from us and since the number of merchant that came through that particular village is not much, the rumor is not widely circulated.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I see, I see.¡±

    ¡°I can confirm what he said is true.¡± Reiyes added. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard from the Shades, it is exactly as he stated.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately the information is clearly lacking as the story stopped at the point where the witness was unable to recognize the beast. With that in mind, the rumor stopped circulating since the public view it uninteresting and boring. They just dismissed it away as the one seeing it is making a mistake.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, this is interesting. But the fact that the information is lacking is truly regrettable.¡± I said to Adart as I tapped my chin. I know that the fact he picked that rumor is due to Reiyes¡¯ teaching that stated every piece of information is useful in its own way. From rumor to news to idle chatting. There is a need to collect them and we can filter those out later. ¡°Is there similar rumor?¡±

    ¡°There is, Master Nerva.¡± I felt the corner of my eyes twitched as I heard that. Really, he has to stop doing that. ¡°But the content is the same. Strange beast without anyone having a good look at its feature. And there is no significant damage. Only a few remains of dead animal that is seemingly eaten normally.¡±

    ¡°So the only thing that can be considered strange from those stories is the fact that the beast is not normal or strange, although no one has been able to take a good look at said beast.¡±

    ¡°Correct, Master Reiyes.¡±

    ¡°No wonder the rumor is not circulated. It is clearly boring and uninteresting.¡±

    ¡°Ah, but there is one version that has a slightly different detail.¡±

    ¡°And that is?¡± I quickly asked him to explain in detail.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, the story is from the farthest village in the west of Fouge. Very, very far away. The story came from a merchant that is just passing said village by chance due to him in need of getting some more water for his journey. The story, just like the other version, stated that a strange beast is being seen in the forest near the village. But the difference is that the beast had a small knife embedded onto its back.¡±

    ¡°A knife embedded on its back?¡± This is clearly different from the other ones and it is much more interesting. ¡°And?¡±

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    ¡°That¡¯s it. Nothing more. The rest continued out the same. Remains of dead animal being eaten normally and such and the sighting of a beast that no one has ever seen before.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­Reiyes?¡± I shifted my head toward him. ¡°Do you have anything else to add?¡±

    ¡°Since the rumor is not widely circulated, it is easy to trace the sighting. And from the small number of similar rumors we have collected, the beast is travelling straight to here.¡± This is getting more and more interesting and worrying at the same time. ¡°And it is getting closer judging from the latest rumor.¡±

    ¡°How close?¡± I ask them.

    ¡°It is from the village about a week journey from here.¡± Adart gave his report. ¡°And the merchant came into the town just two days.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡­this is troubling.¡± I know that I shouldn¡¯t move just on rumor only. Let¡¯s confirm it again. ¡°Adart, Reiyes, is there no other rumor that is a match with the prophetic dream I told you?¡±

    ¡°No, Nerva.¡± Reiyes immediately replied. ¡°The only thing that is suitable for that is that very rumor. Since the other rumor tend to move around the fact about the royal family and their so called ¡®experiment¡¯, nothing else is suitable.¡±

    ¡°I see, I see.¡± I guess the only thing I need to do is confirm it. But should I use it, I wonder? I just don¡¯t really like to rely on ¡®that¡¯ too much.

    ¡°What are you thinking, Nerva?¡± Reiyes who noticed I became quiet asked. ¡°We have to move fast in the case the prophecy is true.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know.¡± I let out a heavy sigh after that. ¡°Reiyes, you have put one of your Shades near the experiment site, I presumed?¡±

    ¡°I have. But so far there is no¨Cwait¡­¡± Huh? Why did he become silent all of a sudden? I then noticed that his heartbeats turned higher slightly. It is a sign that something has happened.

    ¡°What is it, Master Reiyes?¡±

    ¡°There¡­is a report from one of my Shades through my magic line.¡±

    Oh, no wonder I didn¡¯t notice that. His magic line is so subtle that the amount of energy from it is very hard to be detected. It is one of his skills. That very skill of his is very useful in maintaining so many of his subordinates efficiently. He can get real time information without the risk of the information leaking along the way. Very impressive. Is he going to teach Adart that too? If he is, Adart might become a very powerful spy in the near future.

    ¡°From your reaction, the news is anything but pleasant.¡± The sound of his groan reached my ear. Figures. ¡°Well, tell us.¡±

    ¡°They have picked up a moving magic energy signature not far from the town¡¯s border. And the destination is¡­the royal family experiment site.¡± I could hear Adart let out a gasp of worry. Okay, that last news has decided my next action.

    ¡°Adart, go outside and be sure to warn us when someone is getting near. Wait for us out there. Don¡¯t let anyone get near us.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Master Nerva.¡± After I heard him making a bow, I then heard the sound of him moving outside and closing the door. Without saying anything else, I could feel the magic energy in the room vibrated a bit and then it stopped to a very silent still. I let out a smile toward Reiyes.

    ¡°I suppose that is what you might want me to do.¡± I nodded at Reiyes. Yes, he just erected a ¡®Sound Shield¡¯ without me asking. As expected of him. He understood what I was going to ask before I even say it. ¡°Then are we going to use that spell?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we are.¡± I said as I nodded to him. ¡°I will have you use one of your wide range spell to search the whole town and its vicinity, including the surrounding forest. I will also use mine to search for a particular sign.¡±

    ¡°This is getting a bit too much than I expected.¡± He let out a groan again. ¡°I hope that it is worth the trouble.¡±

    ¡°If in the end we didn¡¯t managed to find anything, doesn¡¯t it mean that the prophecy of that knight is just a false alarm? Then it is good, you know?¡±

    ¡°If it is a false alarm, then we have to search again for another lead. But if it is not a false alarm, then we have to deal with it.¡± Oh, his voice is clearly filled with irritation. ¡°How is that a good thing to you? No matter the result, we have a lot of things to do.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, true, true.¡± I let out a small chuckle. I guess Reiyes is right. ¡°But that is our responsibility as a Watcher, you know? There is nothing we can do about it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I asked you what¡¯s so good about it?¡± He then let out a sigh. I have to say, after taking Adart as his apprentice, Reiyes mood is often on the bad side. I didn¡¯t really expect him to be like that. Well, let¡¯s just say that it is for his training again. ¡°Let¡¯s do it then.  You go first.¡±

    ¡°Very well then.¡± I then took a relaxed stance with my cane planted firmly on the ground. I removed my blindfold and stored it inside my pocket. After taking a deep breath, I started to open my mouth. ¡°Remember thy form. Remember thy might. Remember thy purpose. I call thee to answer without fail. Let thy form come back and thy purpose fulfilled.¡±

    After I finished my incantation, I could feel the magic energy in the room swirled around me as its center. Then surge of power filled my whole body. It continued to fill my body to the extent that I could feel my blood boiling with excitement. I then hit my cane onto the ground as I feel a certain degree of power has accumulated inside me. ¡°Give me power to see the unseen. Let me be the one to give the proper judgment.¡±

    And then the swirling of magic energy ceased and the surge of power stopped. I opened my eyelid and I can see the whole room with its dilapidated condition clearly. Yes, I have regained my vision. I can also see Reiyes stood not far from me looking at me with a slight frown on his face. But not only that. I can see the form of his soul completely.

    I did mentioned some time ago that I could portray the whole world using several ways. The simplest way is the one way I used in my daily life. That is using the sound around me. If there is no sound, then I make the sound by either tapping my cane or clicking my tongue softly. Then there is the other way. Using magic. In this case, not only I have regained my vision, but I also have the ability to see the form of the soul a person have inside them. I don¡¯t use this method often since the amount of magic energy it consumed is quite high and it is quite tiring for me to do. Even after training my own body and skill, the spell still took a quite an amount of energy that I refrain from using it too often.

    If Lady Constie and Eryell often teased me with the nickname ¡®The All Seeing Eyes of Nerva¡¯, than this is the real deal. At the moment, that nickname suited me perfectly. The eyes I have right now really have the attribute of able to see absolutely everything, even to the core soul of a person.

    ¡°Ah, you haven¡¯t really change, Reiyes.¡± I said as I look at his appearance. As usual, even his choice of clothing is the same as the last time I see him. I have guessed that just by the sound he made near me, but seeing it now really confirmed it.

    ¡°And you still haven¡¯t changed. The fact that your eyes glowed still remained, Nerva.¡± Yes, it is also another reason that I don¡¯t really like using this skill. That is the fact that my eyes glowed with a reddish glow, making them very menacing.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything with that.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Well, your turn, Reiyes.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± He nodded and spread his arms. ¡°Above the soil. Over the sky. From the highest mountain to the deepest ocean. Everything in between. None shall escape my sight.¡± The moment Reiyes finished his incantation, the floor glowed with a dim bluish light. Then a yellow line started to appear from under his feet and moved to encircle him. Many letter started to dance along the moving line. His eyes then started to glow too. But instead of the reddish glow like mine, it has the similar blue glow like the magic circle under him.  ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± I nodded and approached the magic circle near him. I tapped my cane onto the circle and put my own magic power into it.

    ¡°I asked thee to let me grab what is not mine. I asked thee and thou will comply without fail.¡± Then the circle started to vibrate slightly. The glow also turned slightly reddish. Together with that, the line that has turned into a complete circle started to branch slightly toward me and formed another different circle altogether. Just like before, many letters started to dance around the circle around me.

    I closed my eyes and a different view entered my vision. I concentrated as I stayed in silence. After a while, I could finally see what I wanted to see. Not wanting to waste unneeded magic energy, I tapped my cane onto the circle. Immediately after that, the sound of something shattered came to fill the whole room. What followed is the sight of the magic circle shattered and disappeared into the floor. I could also see Reiyes¡¯ eyes stopped glowing and returned to their usual appearance. And that is the last thing I saw before my vision darkened again. Once again, I became blind.

    ¡°I would really appreciate it if you just asked me to stop the spell.¡± I could hear Reiyes¡¯ annoyed voice as he complained.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to do that.¡± I said to him as I pulled out my blindfold from my pocket and proceeded to put it on like before. ¡°We need to move fast.¡±

    ¡°I suppose what we feared is true?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, it is.¡± I nodded and then shifted my attention toward him. ¡°We need to call Cyrielle as soon as possible and head toward the forest as quiet as possible. Move your Shades from the forest to avoid casualty. Use them to get the militia forces and also the royal family away from the forest. The last thing we need is them disturbing our job and becoming useless corpses in the process.¡±

    ¡°And then we can finish this troublesome task?¡±

    ¡°And then we can finish this troublesome task. Once and for all.¡± I let out a heavy sigh. ¡°Really. The situation is far more dangerous than I expected. How worrying.¡± I shook my head several times. I then heard the sound of him letting out a groan again. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t really look like to be worried or concerned.¡± Hmm? ¡°Your smile.¡± Oh¡­that¡¯s right.  I was smiling. He¡¯s right. My current expression really didn¡¯t suite what I just said.

    ¡°I see. Well, there is a reason behind that.¡± This time, I let out not only a smile, but also a rather lough laugh.

    ¡°And that is?¡±

    ¡°I am quite excited to see one person that have his soul marked and be either stupid enough or weak enough to be in need of being rescued.¡± Once again a laugh came out my mouth. ¡°Really. To be that stupid and weak is an insult to Marked Soul everywhere.¡±

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    Next chapter we will see the experiment site and see the real identity of the so called disaster.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

    And do visit the site  TheNovelPage </a> for my novel too. See you!

 Chapter 23 - The Knight and The Huntress

    Chapter 23 ¡°The Knight and Huntress¡±

    The sound of someone¡¯s footsteps closing near me reached my ears. But I didn¡¯t turn around and opted to keep my eyes toward the sight of the royal family and their soldier that were busy doing their so called ¡®experiment¡¯. The reason for that? Well, simple, actually.

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± I replied without moving my sight.

    ¡°Everyone has moved to their position,¡± said the figure behind me with a firm voice. Yes, he is one of the rangers under my command. ¡°We have scattered everyone all over the forest. They will be ready to move according to your command, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Good work.¡± I said to him once again without facing him. ¡°You can get to your position too. Wait for my signal before doing anything. Keep your eyes open for anything.¡±

    ¡°We will not let a single thing touch the royal family on our watch.¡±

    ¡°We will not. Dismissed.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡± Right after that short reply, the sound of leaves rustling came from behind me. It is a sign that he has left the premises to go into his own position.

    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a soft sigh as I remembered the discussion I had with them the other day. It was such a difficult discussion. The reason for that is because I asked them to tighten the security for today¡¯s event. The reason I¡¯ve used while convincing them is that since the royal family is going into a dangerous forest that is in our jurisdiction, we need to be as careful as possible. But they all said that the forest is relatively safe for the past couple of days. They also said that it will be all right with the usual amount of security since it will just be a waste to deploy more rangers than usual due to our current situation.

    I actually have to agree with them if I have the same information as them. But I have another piece of information that none of them know. And that is the prophetic dream of Sir Lange, the private knight of the royal family. He said that he had dream that the royal family and the whole knight corps were decimated when they are in this town. Honestly, even if I heard that story directly from him, I might just put it aside as a simple man¡¯s worry that has gone too much. That¡¯s because I have never known Sir Lange before. But I have a confirmation from Nerva who said that it might be true. Since I have known him much longer and since we are very close to each other, I trust him on that.

    Besides, there is another reason for me to believe that. If I can¡¯t believe the word from Sir Lange that is practically a stranger for me until we meet in the town a few days ago and I also can¡¯t believe the words from Nerva that has been really close to me and have never betray me, then the last thing that I can trust is my own instinct. Yes, the instinct that has saved me from countless deadly encounters whenever I¡¯m doing my job or while simply hunting inside the forest around the town I grew up in. For the past couple of days, just as my subordinates said so, the forest has been peaceful. But it has been too peaceful. I have rarely seen dangerous beast inside the forest even once in the past couple of days. The number of other wildlife has also dwindled, but not a single corps can be found. It was as if they have run and hide themselves in fear of something. And, yes, I have found some of them hiding. But it is still not their usual time for hibernation this season.

    Due to that, I have ordered my subordinates to be on extra caution. Some of them argued that it is a waste of manpower since the militia is already having a shortage of power due to some of them being reassigned to the patrol group inside the city. But I argued that in the case that even a single danger came toward the royal family, it will not be strange for them to blame it on us and force all of us to take responsibility for it. Having our head separated from our neck might be our fate if that is to happen. Thankfully, that is enough to convince them. I guess threat is much more useful in this kind of situation. I¡­have to polish my conversation skill some more. I don¡¯t want to rely on threat too much.

    After hearing that my rangers have taken their position, I felt a bit relief. But as long as I don¡¯t know the real identity of the so called danger, I can never really calm down. The most dangerous stuff in the forest is a hidden danger. Without any kind of knowledge about it, only a rumor of it, this will be such a troublesome situation.

    ¡°Fire!!!¡±

    Hearing a sudden shout from the area in front of me, I snapped away from my own pondering about the whole situation. What followed after that shout is a booming sound. Although it was not to the extent of deafening, it was still very loud. The explosion that apparently came from the biggest Arcane Puppet there was able to shook the surrounding leaves, making a loud rustling sound that came after that sound.

    I moved my gaze and saw a small crater on the other side of the forest near the place where the royal family is conducting their testing. I could see smoke arise from the crater. It also seemed that the soil is somehow still burning judging from the glow it gave out.

    ¡°Fire!!!¡±

    Another shout came. This time I was able to witness the whole process. The Arcane Puppet that looked like a large armored humanoid creature pointed its left arm toward the inner forest. I was about to shout as I realized that the direction where it aimed its hand was filled with a lot of tree. If they let out such a strong fire based spell, the tree will catch fire for sure and it might turn into a deadly forest fire. But I was too late. The arm started to glow while a magic formation appeared on its feet. Soon after that, a bolt of light flew from its hand toward its target.

    The scene that happened in front of me made me gasp in surprise. The moment it hit the ground, it made the same explosion sound. The explosion is as loud as before and the same crater was made too. But those are not the one that surprised me. It was the fact that the bolt was able to avoid hitting any tree and the explosion avoided the many tree around it. Even though the crater is still burning, I couldn¡¯t see a single tree is burnt. I might not know the real condition since my location is quite far from the crater, but I couldn¡¯t see a single evident of them burning the surrounding tree from my location.

    As I shifted my eyes toward the other side of the forest, I could see some knight were using a strange piece of equipment that covered their shoulder. From what I could see, the object has the appearance of a small cylindrical glass that has an eye on its side. They might look strange when wearing them, but I think in the battlefield, appearance is the least thing we should concern of. If it is functional, then everything is all right with me.

    The knight that wore the strange equipment then stood with his sword held close to his chest. After that, I could see several soldier carrying bow and arrow took a position a few steps away from him. The group of soldier then nocked their arrow and aimed at him. After a while, he nodded and then they fire their arrow straight at him. At first I thought that the knight will be hit by arrow. Usually I would be worry. But since a lot of the royal family¡¯s healer has been stationed nearby, even in the worst possible situation, his life can be saved. After all, I could also see that the arrows were aimed slightly away from his vital part.

    But once again I was caught by a surprise. Not a single arrow touched his body. Apparently all of the arrows were stopped by an invisible layer of magic. The source of that magic is probably from the equipment he wore on his shoulders. Due to the fact that the equipment¡¯s eye glowed slightly, I think my prediction is not far from the truth.

    The knight then assumed a running stance. The arches then lined up behind him. The moment the knight ran with all his might, the archer started to rain their arrow toward him. Just like before, the arrows failed to hit him even once. Not because of their terrible aim since I saw some of them were flying toward him. But because of the thin layer of shield that enveloped his body. That is very convenient. I thought it will only be useable when the wearer is standing still. But it can still be used when they move. That is very interesting.

    Seeing that something that useful is being tested on, I couldn¡¯t help but imagine how wonderful that will be if our side can use the same equipment. That will ensure the safety of our troop even in the most dangerous situation. They can move around without worrying about being hit by a hidden attack from the enemy. But, alas, that is just a wishful dream of mine that will probably never be realized.

    ¡°Ms. Reystone.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± A familiar voice reached my ear. I turned around to look at the one that called me. ¡°Ah, Sir Lange.¡± Yes, it is the very private knight of the royal family that had told both Nerva and I about his prophetic dream. The very prophetic dream that made me worried for everyone¡¯s safety.

    ¡°I thank you for your hard work, Ms. Reystone.¡± He bowed slightly toward me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. It is after all, my duty as the one in charge of the forest¡¯s safety.¡± As I said that, I noticed that Sir Lange didn¡¯t come alone.

    He was with two other people that, judging from their equipment, are probably his fellow knight in the same corps. The three wore similar looking plate armor that covered the entirety of their body from head to chest. The only difference is that they two wore their helmet on while leaving the visor off, unlike Sir Lange that opted to do without his helmet. From their face, I could see that the two are probably his subordinates since they looked much younger than him.

    ¡°So how is everything, Ms. Reystone?¡± He asked me. ¡°Is there anything out of the ordinary?¡±

    ¡°So far there is nothing wrong. I¡¯ve told my troop to keep their eyes open for anything that might endanger us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡± He let out a breath of relief. ¡°We, the ones in charge of to patrol the surrounding, also didn¡¯t found anything strange.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± I nodded. ¡°But we can¡¯t be sure that it will be the same for long. We need to still watch out. Being careless for even a second is not an option.¡± Then suddenly I heard a soft laugh from the other two. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Ah, please forgive me, Ms. Reystone.¡± One of them said that while waving his hand. ¡°It¡¯s just I didn¡¯t expect to see someone that share the captain¡¯s mindset.¡± Huh?

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked him since I don¡¯t really understand what he really meant.

    ¡°For the past couple of days, the captain has been telling us to stay on our toe, day in day out. He said that we shouldn¡¯t let off guard off even for a moment.¡± Isn¡¯t that common sense for soldier like us? I mean, what¡¯s so strange about that? ¡°But you know, we have a lot of troop with us.  I doubt someone will be foolish enough to attack us.¡± The moment he said that, a hand landed on his helmet, making a loud clanking noise. ¡°O-Ouch! C-Captain?¡±

    ¡°Fools! Being negligence and overestimating yourself in any situation is a deadly mistake!¡± I nodded at his comment.

    I couldn¡¯t agree more. I don¡¯t know how many of the militia soldier has been wounded just because they believed that their job is easy and no one will be foolish enough to launch a direct attack. Because of that, I always drilled that mindset into my troop¡¯s head over and over again. As long as I¡¯m their leader, I wouldn¡¯t let them die because of them being too conceited and overestimated themselves.

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    ¡°B-But Captain, you¡¯ve been worrying too much.¡± The man that got hit on his head tried to argue. ¡°The whole knight corps has been deployed and we even enlisted more soldier than usual around the forest. We even asked the town¡¯s militia to patrol the surrounding area too, Captain. Surely that is enough.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as being careful enough. The moment you thought you felt that, you have already opened a gap to your enemy to attack!¡±

    ¡°But Captain, don¡¯t¨C¡°

    ¡°Stop.¡± His comrade put his hand on the arguing knight¡¯s shoulder, stopping him. ¡°Stop that. You¡¯ll waste your breath.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The knight in question then stopped arguing. I looked at them and noticed that they looked at Sir Lange with a slightly disappointed look. ¡°Ms. Reystone, what do you think?¡± Huh? Suddenly they looked at me. Are you asking me to give my opinion? Well, I¡¯m sorry, but if you were hoping that I will deny Sir Lange¡¯s word you will surely be disappointed.

    ¡°I think being careful is not a bad thing.¡± The moment I said that, I could see the two¡¯s expression under their helmet turned sour. Once again, you will be disappointed if you were hoping for me to convinced Sir Lange to change his way of thinking. Trust me. ¡°Especially since the forest has been strange for the past couple of days.¡± The moment I said that, their expression changed. The two showed a slightly worried expression. Well, only slightly. I guess they still feel that it will be fine for them.

    ¡°Strange?¡± Sir Lange asked after a few seconds of silence. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Uhm¡­forgive me, Sir Lange. But I can¡¯t really explain it. Please consider it as a hunter¡¯s instinct.¡± Once again, silence came as no one want to give their opinion.

    ¡°¡­Very well.¡± He nodded and then looked toward the two knights with him. ¡°You two, go near the tent where the Count is. Keep a watchful eye on your surrounding.¡±

    ¡°Sir, yes, Sir!¡± The two gave a salute to him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be here with Ms. Reystone to keep a lookout in the higher ground. I¡¯ll signal you if something happened.¡± Then I saw a grin appeared on their face. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s to keep a lookout, Captain?¡± The tone of the knight

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I mean, aren¡¯t you just going to¨CUgh!¡±

    ¡°Enough.¡± The other knight struck the other knight¡¯s side with his elbow, stopping his words. ¡°We don¡¯t want to disturb Captain¡¯s time with Ms. Reystone.¡± H-Hah!? Although I¡¯m quite shocked to hear them saying that, I tried to remain calm and fought the urge to snap my eyes toward the man in question. Instead, I just glanced at him. Ah. He looked shocked too.

    ¡°Y-Y-You!! N-No, Ms. Reystone, t-this is not what you think!¡± Seeing me staying calm might have him misunderstood me. And that has apparently made him more nervous. ¡°Y-You!! Stop saying foolish things!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Sorry, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Signal us when something happened, okay?¡±

    After the two said that, they dashed away from their position, leaving a very flushed and clearly fuming Sir Lange. I then let out a soft giggle since the thought of him being teased by his two subordinates amused me slightly. Hearing that, he looked at me and let out a cough to regain his composure. But since he was still slightly blushing, I think that he might need more time than he expected.

    ¡°You are close with you fellow knight, Sir Lange.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­uhm¡­yes, I suppose.¡± He said that while scratching the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for them, Ms. Reystone. But b-believe me, I have no ulterior motive or anything.¡± Oh, he¡¯s stuttering? Is the great private knight actually bad dealing with woman, I wonder? Better not push it any further. I will not gain anything by angering him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sir Lange.¡± I gave him a smile. ¡°I know that being tense will not do anyone good at this time. We should be cautious, but not tense. That might even lead us to become careless too.¡±

    ¡°I honestly agree with you, Ms. Reystone.¡± He nodded as he showed me a relief expression. But then his expression turned serious. ¡°I¡¯m really worried, Ms. Reystone.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is it because of the prophetic dreams you were having, Sir Lange?¡± He nodded. ¡°I guess¡­I am worried about the same thing too.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thank you for believing me. It means so much that someone believe me.¡± A small smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°Since Nerva believes you, I will also believe you. Besides¡­¡± I threw my gaze toward the forest behind me. ¡°I too feel something bad might happen today.¡±

    Once again, silence came over us. The two of us kept our eyes toward the royal family experiment.

    ¡°¡­Tell me, Ms. Reystone.¡± He finally opened his mouth and looked at me. ¡°Has the forest somewhat¡­ changed?¡±

    ¡°Changed?¡± Oh, I didn¡¯t expect that. ¡°Have you noticed too, Sir Lange?¡± He shook his head.

    ¡°¡­Unfortunately, or fortunately, no. But I have this¡­ bad feeling.. No ominous feeling. It is as if we will face something dangerous soon.¡± Then it is the same as my hunter¡¯s instinct. But maybe it is just because he saw the prophetic dream over and over again. Or it might be that he has hidden talent. Who knows? All I know is that we had the same terrible premonition.

    ¡°The forest is¡­,¡± I paused as I looked at our surrounding, ¡°strange. Too quiet and too peaceful. Like a peace before a great battle.¡± Although the worst battle I have participated in is the battle between the militia and the heavily armed smugglers, the feeling is similar. It is the same feeling when we know we will face a great force soon.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± he just nodded and then put his hand onto the hilt of the sword that is placed on his waist. ¡°I could only hope that our premonition is wrong.¡±

    ¡°I also hope the same, Sir Lange. It will be the best if nothing¨CHuh!?¡± But suddenly I felt a strong presence coming near us. It was feint and almost unnoticeable, but I could still feel it. I could feel the chilling sensation of a strong and strange presence on the back of my neck. I don¡¯t know what kind of creature could give out that kind of feeling. All I know is that it is coming near. I quickly looked toward the direction where I could feel the presence. It is coming near us.

    ¡°What is it, Ms. Reystone?¡± I couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Ms. Reystone, what¡¯s the¨CThis force!¡± I glanced back at Sir Lange and a similar worried expression appeared on his face. It seemed that he noticed that too. ¡°It¡¯s from there?¡± I nodded as I pointed my spear toward the direction of the forest.

    ¡°This is¡­the first time I feel such a strong presence.¡±

    ¡°This is definitely not good.¡± A clanking sound was made as Sir Lange pulled out his sword.

    ¡°We should warn the other!¡± I immediately turned around, ¡°H-Huh? Sir Lange?¡± I unconsciously shouted as he blocked my way with his sword.

    ¡°You won¡¯t make it.¡± He shook his head after he said that. ¡°It¡¯s too late.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Are you going to give up!? ¡°What do you mean by that!?¡±

    ¡°Calm down. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to give up without a fight.¡± He then pointed toward the source of the presence. ¡°It is getting nearer fast.¡± W-W-What!? I then focus on the overwhelming presence. I then felt my face paled as I realized that he was right. ¡°Let me handle it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Don¡¯t tell me. He wants to hold it by himself? That¡¯s crazy!

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t try to be a hero and hold it by myself. That¡¯s crazy.¡± As if reading my mind, he gave me a short answer. ¡°I will contact them using this.¡± He pulled out a small orb and then put it close to his head. ¡°Go to where I ordered you. Do what I told you. Say what is in my mind.¡± At the end of his chant, the orb glow and then it floated from his hand. It then flew in a very fast speed toward the direction of the forest where the royal family is conducting their experiment. ¡°That will be enough to warn them what happened.¡±

    ¡°Then let me do the same.¡± I then whistled as loud as I could. That is the signal for them to be ready for a fight. I called them to gather near me but not to attack before I signal them to. Ability-wise, my troop is not that suitable for a close combat fight. They will fare better while still hidden on top of the tree and provide support fire from there. In the worst case scenario, I will tell them to fall back and help everyone evacuate to minimalize the casualty. ¡°So what now?¡±

    ¡°This!¡± He took stance and readied his blade. ¡°We wait and see the true terror that will greet us.¡±

    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s a simple plan.¡± It then took my own stance and also readied my own weapon. I might not be that strong, but I can use my experience in hunting and guarding the town to my advantages. Or at least slow it down. ¡°Let¡¯s see what it is then, shall we?¡±

    ¡°Glad to not do it alone, Ms. Reystone.¡± He let out a small laugh. I¡¯m impressed he could still laugh in this kind of situation. I could see a small trace of fear, but overall Sir Lange looked quite calm and composed.

    ¡°Likewise, Sir Lange.¡± After that short conversation, we went quiet and concentrated on the upcoming battle with the owner of the dangerous presence.

    As the time went on, I felt the presence got stronger and stronger. It is a sign that whatever it is, it is not far from us and only a little time left until we could finally see the real identity of it.

    Suddenly the trees in front of us shook. Together with that, the sound of growling and also heavy footsteps came to my ear. I looked slightly up and noticed that some of the tree on the farther area in front of us shook much harder. I could also see some birds started to flew away. Clearly a sign that something dangerous is coming. The shaking didn¡¯t stop. I could hear clanking sound from near me. I glanced to my side and saw that Sir Lange tightened his grip on his sword. I unconsciously did the same with my spear.

    Then after a while, the shaking stopped. At first, I thought that it will be a good thing. But I was wrong. Very wrong indeed.

    The tree in front of us fell toward us. Luckily, both Sir Lange and I managed to dodge it just in time. As the tree hit the ground, dust and soil were thrown onto the air, hindering my visibility as a cloud of dust formed. But since the presence is stronger than before, even without having a clear vision of whatever that is, I could determine the direction of our enemy. I pointed my spar toward it while controlling my breath, trying my best to not inhale the dust. Since I couldn¡¯t see anything, I just hope that Sir Lange was doing the same.

    As the dust cloud finally dispersed, I could see my surrounding. Between Sir Lange and I laid the fallen tree. Judging from one end of the tree, it was broken by a very strong force.

    ¡°¡­It can¡¯t be¡­¡± I could hear Sir Lange¡¯s voice. I glanced at him and noticed that his calm and composed expression was gone completely. Fear and dread replaced them.

    I then moved my eyes onto the direction of his sight. I couldn¡¯t do anything but gasp at the figure in front of us. My mouth was left open as I was truly surprised and shocked to see the owner of the string and dangerous presence. Unfortunately, I know what that is.

    ¡°¡­A¡­corrupted beast¡­¡±

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    How will they handle the deadly beast in front of them?

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

    And do visit the site TheNovelPage for my novel too. See you!

 Chapter 24 - The Disaster Appeared

    Chapter 24 ¡°The Disaster Appeared¡±

    ¡°¡­This is bad¡­¡± I muttered under my breath as I saw what stood in front of me. I kept my spear pointed at the hideous looking creature, ready to strike or parried its attack. Just one look at is enough to convince me that this opponent is a very dangerous one, maybe even the most dangerous I have ever encounter in this forest.

    The creature in front of me looked like something hell would spawn daily. Its height is probably twice than mine with an overall appearance resembling a large bear that stand on its four large feet. Dark colored fur with occasional spot of scarlet red covers its whole body from head to toe, while greenish scale-like material covered the lower part of its muscular legs. I could see on its large head a pair of sharp and deadly looking pair of tusk sprouted with pride on each side. The head itself contains a pair of eye socket that housed a multitude of eyeballs, making me felt rather sick when looking at it. To make matter worse, it eyes moved around, as if looking at everything and nothing at the same time.

    If its hideous and nightmare inducing appearance is not enough to make me realized how dangerous this creature might be, then there is one more thing from it that make me more wary for fighting it. It¡¯s the greenish liquid that keeps dripping from its mouth. How disgusting it looks like is the least of my worry. But it is the fact that every time the liquid touched the soil it produced a sizzling sound accompanied by a small amount of smoke. Just the thought of my skin get in contact with that saliva of it makes me shiver with fear. Chances are the creature¡¯s saliva is able to damage my weapon, armor, and my own body, if not destroying them altogether.

    ¡°Ms. Reystone.¡± I heard Sir Lange¡¯s voice. ¡°Be careful of its saliva. Just by touching it might be dangerous.¡± A small smile appeared on my face as I heard that. I¡¯m honestly glad that he was able to realize that. I often noticed that my troop is unable to pick up small detail that might really make the difference in their chance of keeping themselves alive.

    ¡°I noticed.¡± I said to him without moving my attention from the beast in front of me. Fortunately, the beast just stood in front of us without moving its large body even an inch. It might be sizing us for how strong we are.

    I tried to concentrate to pick any trace of magic in case it tried to prepare a spell or anything, but thankfully I found nothing of that sort. No, let me correct that. I found nothing that resembles a spell, but felt an abundance of magic energy swirling around the creature. The swirl of magic energy gave me a chaotic feeling and made me slightly nauseous, forcing me to stop trying to detect any more magic from the creature in fear of being affected by its corrupted magic force.

    Then suddenly a growl escaped from the creature. Immediately after is let out a growl, I could hear a clanking sound not far from me. Since I couldn¡¯t really see Sir Lange that clearly from my position due to being obstructed by the fallen tree, I could only guess that it came from him tightening his stance. Even without knowing whether he did that or not, I have already done the same as I gripped my spear and readied my stance.

    Luckily, the beast just glared at us with its hideous looking eyes. I could feel my heartbeat quickened with each passing second. The muscles all over my body tensed up as I looked at its eyes. Although I want to avoid looking at its fear inducing eyes, I have to look at it and also its whole body, in case it tries to make any sudden movement. I might not have any time to react if I miss its movement even for a fraction of a second.

    This is the real scary truth of the hunt. I have to be ready to move in case of any sudden movement and the failure in detecting that small changes might lead me to my own death. And sadly, when that happens ¨Cin which I hope will not happen any time soon¨C, I have no one to blame but my own self.

    ¡°Captain!!¡± Just when the atmosphere reached its tensest point, a voice came from behind me. I recognized that voice immediately as one of Sir Lange¡¯s subordinates, the one that tried to make me give an argument about his over-cautious mindset. Then, as if realizing the newly arrived voice, the beast turned its head toward the source of the voice accompanied with another growl.

    ¡°Now!!!¡± The voice of Sir Lange reached my ear and the sound of him kicking the ground resounded in the whole area. Then the figure of him jumping toward the beast with his weapon pointed forward could be seen.

    A bit late to realize what he meant by that sudden shout and also failed to realize that the beast had shown a gap we can use, I was unable to react in time and was only able to launch my own attack after seeing him jumped. As I kicked the ground and also launched my own attack, I felt quite disappointed at how foolish I was as I failed to see the gap. But I prided myself in my speed and therefore I am sure that I will reach the beast probably the same time as Sir Lange¡¯s sword reach it.

    Just as I expected, my spear reached the beast¡¯s body relatively the same time as Sir Lange¡¯s sword. He aimed at its neck while I aimed toward its front leg. Of course, we could aim at its head. But since the size of it is relatively small compared to the other body part, it is probably safer for aiming at the other body part. Since I was closer to its leg and while Sir Lange was closer to the head, I think we both picked the target with the most chance of hitting.

    ¡°W-What!?¡±

    ¡°No way!!¡±

    What happened after our weapon reached the beast¡¯s body shocked both of us. Both of our weapons indeed make contact with each of our target and landed perfectly, but not a single sign of damage could be seen. The blades failed to pierce its thick fur even for an inch. In fact, another troubling thing happened as I saw my weapon.

    ¡°F-Fall back!!¡± At Sir Lange¡¯s command, I jumped back immediately to my previous location while Sir Lange landed besides me. I glanced toward his blade and noticed the same thing happened to his blade. ¡°Tch! Even his fur can damage our weapon!? This is insane!¡± Sir Lange¡¯s right. Both of our weapon, although was not sharpened perfectly, was far from dull. But just after hitting the beast¡¯s body once, both of the blades has lost a significant amount of its sharpness. The edge looked to be dulled somehow and it even started to show a sign of being chipped away. Either its body is far too hard or it has other strange ability.

    Then suddenly my eyes widened at the scene in front of me. The beast lowered its body and then jumped, leaving a cloud of dust on its previous location. But that sight alone which is enough to make me scared was not the one that shocked me. Rather, it is the direction the beast jumped into.

    ¡°Get away, you guys!¡± Yes, the beast jumped onto the pair of knights that came toward us. I shouted to warn them, but it seemed I was too late as the beast reached their location fast faster than I expected.

    ¡°E-Eh? W-What is th¨CGUAARRGGHHH!!!¡± Just as I feared, the pair of knight was not able to react in time. The first knight was slammed away into the nearest tree by its strong limb. The tree shook furiously as the knight hit the tree. The sound of impact he made when his back meet the tree was so loud that I instinctively winched my eyes. Judging by the fact that he didn¡¯t move after that, I fear that he might broke his back and died due to the tremendous force the beast use when tackling him.

    ¡°D-Damn beast!!¡± The other knight, seeing his comrade has been attacked and left unconscious ¨Cif not dead¨C, pulled out his sword and swung it toward the beast. ¡°GUUHH!!¡± But the beast swatted away his weapon together with his body with ease as if swatting away a weak fly. Just like his comrade, he also met the same fate as his body was thrown onto the tree.

    But as I looked toward the second knight, I realized that he might be in a more dangerous situation. The reason for that is because there is a large scratch mark that runs from his shoulder onto his chest. Blood started to leak out of the gash on the armor and I could also see some started to drip from his mouth, evidence of how deadly a single attack from the beast is.

    ¡°Elold! Brecto!¡± Sir Lange shouted names that seem to be theirs. But the two didn¡¯t give a single response to being called, making me fear the worse for them. ¡°You!!¡± A single shout of anger came from Sir Lange. But instead of being blinded by anger and rushed to avenge his subordinates, Sir Lange took a very aggressive stance with his sword placed a bit higher than his head while pointed forward. ¡°Give me strength, give might. Let me grab victory in every fight.¡±

    Just like before, Sir Lange¡¯s whole body is enveloped by a reddish blue aura. The aura also reached onto his long sword. But unlike the last time I saw him using that body strengthening spell, the aura only flickered like a raging flame for a few seconds before it turned still. The visible magic energy around his body started to become somewhat solid and concentrated on his sword, making the blade radiated a brighter light than before.

    ¡°DIE!!!¡± While I was still awed by the different sight his spell made, Sir Lange shouted and propelled himself forward and ran toward the beast. I don¡¯t know whether his action was brave or just plain foolish since we realized that the beast is immune to our weapon. ¡°HAAAA!!!!¡±

    The beast swiped at the incoming attack, probably thinking of deflecting it. But even with that coming straight at him, Sir Lange didn¡¯t move from his direction and just ran straight at the beast¡¯s large paw. The moment its hand was inches away from hitting Sir Lange, he pointed his sword at it without any trace of hesitation on his eyes.

    ¡°W-What!?¡± He hit it? I mean, really hit as in he managed to drove his sword into the beast¡¯s paw. The loud growl from it as it retracted its hand was the evidence that his attack landed perfectly. I couldn¡¯t believe it! How did he do that? ¡°¡­The magic? The magic!!¡±

    Yes! That¡¯s the only explanation! The magic will cancel its defense! Then let¡¯s try it! There¡¯s no way I¡¯m missing my chance to defeat such a great beast! ¡°Enforce my bone! Strengthen my muscle! Deliver me to my victory!¡±

    The moment I finished my chant, I felt a hot sensation travel from my chest toward my whole boy, filling me with power and strength. I felt my body could fly like a bird and I felt my grip on the spear much more confident. I looked at the beast in front and lowered my stance and put strength into my feet. While Sir Lange has the beast¡¯s full attention, this is my chance.

    ¡°HIYAAAHHH!!!¡± A loud shout came from my mouth as I ran toward the beast that kept swiping at the constantly dodging Sir Lange, missing every single strike it gave. Due to that, the beast has its back exposed toward me. I kept pushing the soil under me to increase the momentum of my attack. At the last minute, I kicked the ground and then jumped toward the beast. I then pointed the tip of my spear toward the beast¡¯s exposed back and then put my whole strength and weight into it.

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    The beast let out a loud growl as my spear managed to penetrate its exposed back. Although it was not that deep, the wound will not be something that can be shrug away just like that. As I landed on the beast¡¯s back, I turned the embedded spear, increasing the size of the wound together with the sound of its roar.

    ¡°Watch out!!¡± Even without Sir Lange¡¯s warning, my body would have reacted first to the sudden danger that came from the beast that shook its body, trying to get me off of its back. I thought I could hold on and drive the spear further, but the shaking was too much. I jumped from its back and landed near Sir Lange. ¡°Y-Your spear!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I looked at it and I was unable to keep my mouth from opening due to the sight of my spear. Half of its blade has accumulated rust in such a short time. ¡°T-This is insane!¡± I looked at Sir Lange¡¯s sword and the condition was not much better from mine. Although a slight rust could be seen on the tip, but at least it was still usable. With my current weapon rendered effectively useless, I pulled out my sword after putting my spear on my back. Unfortunately, this means that I have lost the advantage that my spear could have given me. To make matter worse, I doubt that my sword would be able to do any damage since even Sir Lange¡¯s heavier long sword could only do so much. ¡°What now, Sir Lange?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know, Ms. Reystone.¡± Sir Lange kept his sword pointed at the growling beast that glared at the two of us. Or at least that what I could understand since inside its eye sockets the eyes kept moving around and twitching ever so often. ¡°We should regroup with the other since I doubt we can take care of this beast just by the two of us.¡±

    ¡°I doubt that it will let us out of its sight.¡±

    ¡°¡­What a situation this is.¡± A clank sound came from his sword as he lifted the sword, ready to launch another attack. ¡°Then our only option is hoping that the reinforcement will come before we will be overpowered by this damn creature.¡±

    ¡°What a wonderful plan that is.¡± I let out a mocking laugh at the reality of our very disadvantageous situation. To add matter worse, I am forced to use my sword, in which I am exactly expert in using compared to my spear. ¡°Just to let you know, I can¡¯t really attack that beast with my current weapon, Sir Lange. The most I can do is being a decoy and distraction.¡±

    ¡°Well, Ms. Reystone, although I¡¯m not that happy to hear that, I¡¯m appreciate that you were honest with me.¡± A wry smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°Being pretentious and prideful at this situation will not bring any good to any of us.¡± I then went into a stance I know best when using my sword. If I make it out alive, I have to remember to train myself in using my sword better. Ugh¡­why does the thought of dying crossed my mind just now? Not good! Not good! I shook my head several times to dispel the bad thought away.

    ¡°Are you all right, Ms. Reystone?¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± I have no time being scared or worried! All I need to do is concentrate how to stall this damn creature. That¡¯s all. Easier said than done, I noticed.

    Just like before, the two of us stared at the creature. I kept my stance secured and ready to react in case it jumped toward us.

    ¡°FIRE!!!¡±

    Huh? I tried to looked to the source of the voice but found myself unable to do just that. The reason for that is because Sir Lange pulled my hand as we retreated from our previous location. I was too shocked to realize what just happened.

    While I was still confused, sounds of explosion reached my ear. I glanced toward my back and saw the beast being barraged by an attack that hit its back. Bright light hit its back as it kept roaring in agony.

    ¡°Tch, they¡¯re too showy.¡± I turned my head toward the voice and found Sir Lange looked at them with a rather annoyed expression. ¡°That was the knight corps¡¯ mage squad,¡± said Sir Lange as he pointed at the group of people not far from the beast.

    They all have the same knight outfit as Sir Lange and his two subordinates. Each and every one of them had their hand pointed at the beast while their mouth kept moving, probably chanting their next spell. Magic circle spread from under their feet and flashes of light came from their hand and flew toward the beast.

    Just like before, explosions erupted from the back of the beast as the magic bolts make contact. The beast struggled to stand but managed to turn around to face the newly arrived enemies. It tried to attack the group as it prepared to leap onto their location. But for some reason, it just stood there while enduring the attack. What just happened?

    ¡°Movement seal,¡± said Sir Lange. Apparently, my face showed the content of my mind far too often than I thought. I really have to fix that habit of mine. ¡°It is very effective when dealing with large target such as that beast. With that, we can maneuver much easily.¡± A sense of pride could be sense from his voice. I guess that is understandable. The fact that the beast was rendered unable to move was the sign of how skillful they are in using it. As expected of a mage in the knight corps.

    While the beast is being barraged by the spell and also has its movement seal, we ran toward the back of the mages corps that was busy chanting their words. Each and every one of them have sweat pouring out of their forehead, a sign of how focused they are at their current task. As we walked by them, only one of them nodded toward Sir Lange. Maybe he is the leader.

    ¡°Onward, men!¡± Another shout came from in front of us. I looked at them as they passed by us and noticed several tall knights carrying tower shield marched onto the front of the mages. Although they wore similar looking armor and equipment, I somehow convinced that their outfit seemed to be a bit heavier than the other. Their armor looked quite bulky and the shield they carried could cover their whole height. The fact that each time they marched forward the ground shook a bit convinced me that I was not that far from the truth.

    ¡°Shield forward!¡± Together with that shout, sound of impact reached me ear as they pulled out their shield and then planted them onto the ground. Since I can¡¯t see them that clearly anymore due to my location of standing behind the mage knights, I don¡¯t know what else they were doing there. But judging from my experience in using a shield, they probably put their whole weight onto it to make it secure.

    ¡°Chant spell!!¡± Huh? Spell? What spell?

    ¡°Deflect the arrow. Stop the sword. Let not anything come through.¡± Their words were new to me. Judging from the content of the incantation, the spell is some kind of a barrier related spell.

    ¡°The Firm Shield.¡± Sir Lange said while he stood next to me. ¡°It is a spell that is considered to be the strongest barrier spell a knight could use. Combined with their body strengthening spell, it will be able to provide a strong defense against anything.¡± So they are protecting the mages, eh?

    ¡°Impressive.¡± I said as I continued to look at the spectacle in front of me. At the moment, both Sir Lange and I stood not far from the scene, maybe only a few steps away from the lined up mage knights. For some reason, I, who should be happy seeing them able to control the situation like that, felt rather worried and uneasy. It seems¡­too easy. There¡¯s no way the owner of such a strong presence could be defeated like that. Due to that, I gripped my sword even tighter, making a slight clanking sound.

    ¡°What is it, Ms. Reystone?¡± Probably noticing my uneasy expression, Sir Lange looked at me with a worried expression of his own.

    ¡°¡­Nothing.¡± I shook my head. Although I was in doubt, the fact that they were able to deal with the beast remained. Telling him about my own worry might not be the best action now. Due to that, I opted to keep quiet in the mean times while remain vigilance. As long as the beast it not subdued entirely, there is still chance that it will attack anyone. ¡°What is our next plan, Sir Lange?¡± I looked at him since the battle seemed to be nearing its end. I hope.

    ¡°We wait for them to finish it.¡± He said to me while looking very attentively at the group of knights that were busy with subduing the creature. I also saw some knights were carrying the two fallen knights that were attacked by the beast not long ago. The fact that they were still breathing, although in a very shallow way, means that they can be healed. Once again, I hope.

    ¡°Mages! Attack!¡± The sudden shout in front of me brought me back from my own pondering and forced me to look forward once again. The mage knights released their magic spell and then a much larger and brighter than before. They all gave out a very strong magic energy. I don¡¯t even need to concentrate much to realize that. ¡°FIRE!!!¡±

    Bolt after bolt hit the beast straight on. Explosion and flame covered the ground where the beast stood. The flame kept getting bigger and bigger. At first, I was afraid that it might consume us too as is got bigger. But my worried was misplaced as the row of shield in front of the mage stopped the flame completely from even reaching the mage knights. It seemed that they expected that when they used such a strong spell in such a close proximity.

    The flame kept engulfing the beast and I couldn¡¯t even see the glimpse of it any more. I could start to hear cheers and sigh of relief in front of me. But even while doing that, they still kept their vigilance.

    I, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t even do any of that. The more the fire become hotter and fiercer, my worry somewhat worsened. I just couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that the beast will not be subdued so easily like that. But on the other part of my mind, I also want to believe that the strong magic they use will be more than enough to deal with it. I really hope that is enough.

    ¡°¡­No way¡­¡± When the worried filled word reached my ear, I glanced toward the one that said that. I looked at Sir Lange¡¯s face and I could see his face distorted. Fear and shocked was painted on his face. I followed his sight and then I too realized the reason for that.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s¡­still alive?¡± I just couldn¡¯t believe it. My worry became true.

    The beast stood inside the raging fire as its ever moving multiple eyes twitched. It showed rows of sharp looking teeth as it released a growl. I might not understand the way the beast think. But all I know that it is angered. Furious even. And from my own experience, the most dangerous beast is a furious beast. It seems our fight is far from over.

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    The beast is angered. It has become much more dangerous than before. How will they fare?

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

    And do visit the site TheNovelPage for my novel too. See you!

 Chapter 25 - Terrible Battle

    Chapter 25 ¡°Terrible Battle¡±

    As I saw the scene in front of me, I felt my whole body became cold. Combined that with the fact that my previous spell has wear off, my whole body has become even colder than usual. But despite the cold feeling that covered my whole body, I could feel sweat coming out of my forehead. My heartbeats has quickened to the point that it feel quite uncomfortable for me. The reason for my current condition is because I failed to really comprehend the unbelievable scene in front of me.

    The beast stood there without any sign of being hurt. Blood curdling wrath could be seen from its ever moving and ever twitching eyeballs. Even while the flame from the previous spell was still burning furiously, the beast kept glaring toward us. A low growl kept coming out its mouth. Although I don¡¯t really know the full power of the spell that was thrown moments ago, the kind of spell that required multiple caster usually contained more than enough power to destroy a large beast. But apparently, this beast is far from just a regular large beast.

    ¡°S-Shield up!¡± The shout came from the shield wielding knights on the front. Although I could see some of them were still shocked by the scene in front of them, the majority of them were able to do just as they were ordered. They kept their shield up and kept reciting the same spell.

    ¡°Prepare spell!!¡± Seeing that they were cover by their comrade, the mage knights prepare yet another spell to destroy the opponent standing tall in front of them. Magic circle started to appear under their feet and the sound of them chanting mixed with the sound of chanting that came from the shield bearing knights.

    Looking at them, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that even though they are wielding such a strong magic and strong defense, they wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat the beast. I don¡¯t know why. But my hunter instinct kept telling me that the current opponent is not a mere mortal should mess with.

    Thanks to that, I kept feeling more and more worried with each passing second. I can¡¯t just run away from here since that will mean that it will bring the danger into our town. Honestly, I could care less about the royal family. I¡¯m really sorry, but that is the truth. However wonderful their achievement is, I care more about the wellbeing of the townspeople and their town. After all, that is the real reason I take this job. I want to defend the town and its entire inhabitant.

    Then suddenly my own pondering stopped. The reason for that is the loud and deafening roar that came from the beast¡¯s mouth. It was so deafening, I immediately cover my ear with both hand. I was even forced to crouch down due to the pain I received. While gritting my teeth as I endure the ear-splitting roar, I tried my best to look at the other¡¯s condition. They were not in good condition.

    Although the chanting continued, the expression on their face was enough to tell me that they were trying their best to endure it. I even saw some of them started to let out some blood from the edge of their mouth. Thankfully, the shield bearer knights were able to stand on their position with their shield still stand proudly.

    But then disaster happened. Shattering sound resounded in the whole place. At first I was unable to believe that I could hear another sound in the midst of that loud roar. But no matter what, I did really hear that shattering sound.

    ¡°W-What h-happened!?¡±

    I looked toward the one that said that. I couldn¡¯t keep my mouth closed due to what I just saw. The magic circle that was under their feet was gone completely. They all have shattered and disappeared into thin air. That was the source of the shattering sound from before. It was the shattering of their magic energy and their magic formation from before. I couldn¡¯t really believe it. Was that due to the roar? The roar has magic disruption ability? I¡¯ve never heard anything about a beast able to do that!?

    ¡°Calm down! Stand your ground!¡± I glanced toward Sir Lange that shouted beside me. Thankfully, the roar has stopped, making me able to concentrate again. ¡°Don¡¯t lose your focus!¡±

    W-Wait! Stand your ground? O-Oh no! I quickly shifted my view toward the shield barricade on the front of the battlefield and fear the worst. Unfortunately, my fear came true. When the shattering sound reached my ear, it was not only the magic circle of the mage knights that disappeared. The magic that bind the beast and the magic the shield bearer knight used has also disappeared. With that, their barricade is far from their best condition and the beast in front of them has been freed. They were in the worst condition.

    ¡°G-GGUUUAARRGHH!!!¡±

    ¡°AAARRGGHHH!!!¡±

    Scream of pain and agony came from the front line as the beast attacked the shield barricade. More than a half of the knight has been thrown back quite far. Some of them have even collided with the mage knights, breaking their formation while taking some of them down with them.

    ¡°G-Get your weapon!!¡± The commander of the shield bearing knights shouted the instruction. Although some of them have been injured by the beast, they were still able to react quite fast. As expected of the knight corps.

    They then charged toward the beast. But before I could warn them of its thick fur, they were already a step away from it. They slashed and stabbed their weapon as best as they could. Sadly, just as I expected, none of their attack were able to make any damage to the beast. In fact, I think the beast looked somewhat healthier than before. Wait! D-Don¡¯t tell me. It was not magic disruption, but magic absorption? That is crazy!!

    ¡°GUUUHHH!!!¡±

    The beast swiped the attacking knight away as if they are just mere weak ants. They were blown away so easily. As I looked at them, I noticed that they were injured. Their armors were dirtied by the soil and I could even see some of them has crack on them due to the beast¡¯s strong attack.

    ¡°GET BACK!!!¡± A silhouette passed by me after a shout reached my ear. I followed the figure and found it has already reached the feet of the beast. ¡°HYAAAH!!!¡±

    A clanking sound was made and the beast back away slightly after defending itself from the attack. The beast glared at the new attacker and it let out a menacing growl.

    ¡°C-Captain?¡± Yes, it was Sir Lange. He jumped onto the beast before it could attack the other knight.

    ¡°Use magic! Coat your weapon with magic! Hold it to make time for the mage to launch another spell!¡± His voice, filled with strength and pride, made the other knight¡¯s expression changed. Before, they were looking so desperate and panic. But after hearing Sir Lange¡¯s word, they nodded and stood up with vigor in their eyes.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    As they stood up, chanting of body strengthening magic filled the air while the mage chant a multitude of attack spell. Sir Lange kept attacking the beast, diverting its attention from the others.

    Soon after that, the knight that has finished their spell started to join him in attacking the beast. They encircle the beast and attacked from various directions while maintaining a safe distance from it when it attacks. The beast, face with a lot of opponent from all over the direction, seemed to be overwhelmed.

    Or at least, that was what supposed to be like. But I could see the real situation. The beast, with its tremendous power, could easily overcome all of them. The only reason that it seemed to be overwhelmed is because they all attack from different position. They might look like to be confusing their opponent, but in reality, it was just stalling for time. The beast itself managed to attack multiple of them for each strike it gave. Sir Lange is the only one that is able to dodge in time each time the beast attack. The other knight, on the other hand, had received more than they could handle.

    I felt my hand trembled as I saw them fighting. For all these times, I was still stuck onto my place, not moving even an inch. I tried and tried to find the best move that will help everyone, but I couldn¡¯t find it. Usually I was the first one to jump into the action without thinking much, relying only on my instinct and skill. But this time, I¡­just couldn¡¯t do that. My mind stopped. My heart and stomach felt heavy. I know. I know very well that this is an enemy that I couldn¡¯t defeat. I am¡­scared. Pathetic, aren¡¯t I?

    ¡°UWAAAHHH!!!¡± Suddenly a shout came near me. Together with that, I saw a figure flying onto my direction. Fortunately, I managed to dodge just in time. Unfortunately, that means the figure, whoever that was, kept flying toward whatever behind me. And, once again, unfortunately for him, the thing behind me is a big tree. The moment the sound of impact and the shaking of leaves reached my ear, I winched as I realized how hard the figure hit the tree.

    ¡°A-Are you okay?¡± I ran toward the figure. When I could see clearly, I cover my mouth as I realized who that was. It was the shield bearer knights¡¯ commander. His armor, which is a bit thicker than the others, was terribly damaged. A big and deep gash ran along from his shoulder onto his waist. The attack from the beast had managed to penetrate deep into his armor and wounded him severely. Blood started to leak from his wound and also from his mouth. ¡°How¡­terrible¡­¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    ¡°S-Stay down! You¡¯re injured!¡±  I crouched down and tried to keep him down or he might risk killing himself with that kind of injury.

    ¡°N¡­No¡­I¡­have to keep figh¡­fighting¡­¡± I was taken aback by his words. What was I doing? Just standing and looking for the best move? That isn¡¯t like me at all. I gritted my teeth as I realized how dumb I have been. I slapped my cheeks to wake myself up. After that, I stood up and looked onto the sky. I put my finger onto my mouth and let out a whistle.

    ¡°Get the injured away from here!¡± I shouted my instruction. ¡°Don¡¯t get near the beast! Focus on evacuating everyone!¡±

    Shortly after that, the leaves all around me shook and many figures appeared. They all landed around me and started to evacuate the injured knights. They are all the ranger under my command. If I can¡¯t fight the beast, I can support them. That¡¯s the only thing I can do right now.

    ¡°There is another thing you can do.¡±

    ¡°W-What!?¡± I looked around as I heard a whisper came onto me. But I found no one talking. All I could find were the rangers that were busy carrying the fallen knights all around me. None of them look at me or even near me. Was that just my imagination?

    ¡°Throw the knife into the eye. Lure the beast into the deep forest. We¡¯ll take care of it.¡±

    ¡°Knife? What kni-Woah!!¡± All of a sudden, a knife landed on the ground near me. Although it was far from injuring me, the sudden appearance really surprised me. I looked at the knife and noticed that it was not the usual knife any of the militia soldiers used. In fact, it looked very nicely crafted. The handle is simple, but the there is a single large gem embedded in the middle of it. The blade looks very sharp and deadly. At first, I don¡¯t want to touch it since the whole things sounded suspicious for me.

    ¡°WUAAAHH!!!¡±

    ¡°H-H-HOT!!!¡±

    A sudden scream forced me to move my attention from the suspicious knife into the source of the scream. At first, I thought it was from the front line knights. But apparently it came from the mage knights. The reason for that scream was the fact that the beast has spitted onto them. And, just as we feared, it indeed contained something that can melt anything. Some of the unlucky victim has its whole face melted and died instantly while leaving a twitching corpse. While the other has part of their armor melted or some of their limb. It was so gruesome that I instinctively cringed when my eyes saw them.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    W-Wait! If the mage knights have been attacked, did that mean the remaining knights that fought in the front has been defeated? And true, it was indeed just as I feared. They have been decimated. I could see some corpses lying around the beast. Some was still moving while bleeding profusely. Some has lost a limb or two.

    I could see that among the fallen ones, stood a single person. Sir Lange. He stood there with irregular breathing, a sign of fatigue. His sword has been chipped here and there. His armor was also not in the best shape judging from the visible damages. It seemed that it will be a matter of time before everyone is killed.

    ¡°You will decide their fate.¡±

    Ugh! The whisper came back. But it¡¯s right, whoever or whatever that was. It seemed there is only one way of minimizing the casualty. Sadly, I don¡¯t know whether I will be included in the living one or the dead one. But if I want to protect the town, this is the only thing I can do!

    I then pulled out the embedded knife and ran toward the beast. With the beast has its whole attention toward Sir Lange, I could do this.

    ¡°Enforce my bone! Strengthen my muscle! Deliver me to my victory!¡± I chanted my spell as fast as I could and felt my whole body lightened. I kicked the ground harder and pushed myself to the limit. With each step, I became faster and faster. And at a certain point, I jumped forward. My target will be the beast¡¯s eyes. ¡°EAT THIS!!!¡±

    Thanks to Sir Lange diversion, I was able to get onto its head quite easily. The blade embedded deeply in on its right eyes socket. Green blood oozed out of the wound as a few of its eye balls popped open thanks to the blade. The beast then growl in pain and then tried to swat me away. But even before it reacted, I jumped away from its head, leaving the blade on its eye socket. It moved violently as it tries to pull out the blade. But I have planted the whole blade into its eyes. It will be a difficult task if it wants to pull it out.

    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m over here!!¡± I shouted at it as I landed not far from it. It growled and then looked at me. That is my cue to run deeper into the forest, away from everyone. And that is exactly what I do.

    <hr />

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I stopped near a tree after running with all my might. I leaned onto the tree as I tried to catch my breath.

    After the effect of my spell wear off, I finally feel my whole body being assaulted by a stream of fatigue. But I kept pushing my feet to carry me as far as I can without even looking back. I don¡¯t know whether the beast is following me or not. But my instinct told me that it will be since I¡¯ve deal the most damage to it.

    Then suddenly, the tree behind me started to fall down one after another. I guess that answered my question. I could also hear the beast¡¯s roar among the sound of tree hitting the ground.

    I then took another breath and readied myself to run again. But¡­how long should I run? I was running for quite some time but nothing happened. No¡­there is something. I looked around and realized that the forest is eerily quiet. The air is still and I didn¡¯t found a single living thing as I run. Of course, I might miss them since I put my whole mind into running away. But even so, it is strange to not encounter a single living thing around me.

    ¡°W-What?!¡± I felt a strong killing intent coming from in front of me as the sound of tree falling down stopped. I pulled out my sword to ready myself since it seems I will be unable to outrun the beast any longer due to me using my precious time to ponder about something useless. ¡°Above!!!¡±

    I jumped away from my previous location as I felt a strong presence from above me. As soon as I did that, a big shadow came from above me and the sound of crashing came from in front of me. Cloud of dust filled my vision, blinding me.

    ¡°UGH!!!¡± Then just as I tried to get a better view, a big shadow came from inside of the dust cloud. I put my sword in front of me to shield myself. But whatever that is, it was truly too powerful for me to handle as it pushed me backward with such force that I was literally flying. ¡°GUARHHH!!!¡± I let out a shout as my back hit the tree behind me and pushed the air out of my chest. I didn¡¯t expect myself to share the same fate as the other knight.

    ¡°Ugh¡­d-damn¡­¡± While letting my body crumbled onto the ground, I cursed and I tried to see what¡¯s in front of me. Then it showed itself. The beast showed itself. With knife still embedded on its right eye socket and green blood still dripping from the wound, it glared at me with its other eyes. And unlike before, the eyes all focused their sight on me. It made me feel a chill ran from my back as I saw that. It has fully accepted me as its enemy.

    I tried to stand up, but the pain in my back prevented me from doing just that. Although I felt no wound or bleeding, but I¡¯m sure my back is broken. In fact, it is quite a miracle for me to even be able to stay conscious since the pain is quite unbearable.

    ¡°GET AWAY FROM HER!!!¡± A shout came from behind the beast. I looked at it and found a flashing came toward the beast. The figure landed on the beast¡¯s back and it roared. It shook its body violently and then someone landed near me. ¡°Ms. Reystone! Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Hehe¡­not¡­exactly¡­¡± Ugh, even talking is a painful task for me at the moment. ¡°Y-You¡­should get away¡­Sir Lange¡­¡± I forced myself to speak. I know real well that I can¡¯t really move at this rate. If I die here, it will be due to my own foolishness. To trust a strange voice just like that. I should know better.

    ¡°Never!¡± He shouted. Although he tried to remain calm, I know really well that he is far from his best condition. He was wounded all over and his equipment is far from enough to fight the beast. ¡°I will stall time till reinforcement come!¡±

    Before I could even say ¡®what reinforcement¡¯, he already propelled himself toward the beast. With his broken sword, he rushed and tried to attack the beast head on. I tried to shout to warn him, but my mouth opened up without letting out any voice.

    ¡°ARGHH!!!¡± The beast then hit him with its large limb, making him lost his balance since the hit landed square on him. But Sir Lange managed to land. ¡°Guh!!!¡± Unfortunately, the force seems to be strong enough to hurt him even though he was able to block the hit using his sword.

    The beast, not allowing him to rest even for a second, attacked him again. Unable to react in time, Sir Lange was thrown sideway.

    ¡°D-Damn you!!! GUARGHH!!!¡± I averted my eyes as I saw the beast landed near him. No¡­That was wrong. The beast landed on him. His hand to be exact. It then bit Sir Lange¡¯s body and threw it the tree near me.

    ¡°S-Sir Lange!!¡± I screamed with my remaining strength as I saw the once proud knight landed battered and terribly injured near me. All I could hear from him was his moan of pain as he tried to get up. But I think that he will be unable to do any of that.

    His condition really is terrible. His already injured body has been injured more due to the bite of the beast. His armor showed cracks and damages here and there. Of course, blood leaked out of the armor¡¯s crevices. But that was not the worst damage. The worst is his hand. His right hand has been destroyed entirely, leaving only a stump on the shoulder. Blood kept flowing out of it, risking him bleed to death.

    While I was worrying over Sir Lange¡¯s condition, I heard a roar came near me. I shifted my attention and finally saw the beast towered over me. The ground sizzled each time the dripping spit hit the soil. It let out a nauseating stench each time the smoke came near me. I also saw that the beast looked at me, clearly willing to kill me.

    I guess¡­this is my end, huh? Oh, how stupid I am to believe that voice. But then again¡­if I didn¡¯t, this damned creature will kill everyone. At least I was able to buy them some more needed time. Still¡­I really regretted the fact that I was too weak to defeat this monstrosity and let it attack the town. I don¡¯t really think the town will be able to defeat it too. All I hope is that my sister will be able to evacuate the whole town in time.

    Well¡­I guess I will leave this world early. As huntress, to be killed by the beast of the forest is¡­rather shameful. If only¡­if only¡­if only Nerva is here¡­

    ¡°Quite a sorry sight you are in, milady.¡±

    ¡°H-Huh?¡± I looked to the sudden voice that entered my ear. But before I can even move my head, the sound of impact reached my ear. I looked in front of me and saw an incredible scene. The beast had its whole body thrown sideway and it collapsed to the ground with its side hitting the ground first. I looked at the beast¡¯s head and noticed that a part of its cheek has sunk.

    ¡°Ouch! That is one hard skin!¡± A clear and feminine voice rang in the area. I looked toward the source of the voice and found a woman with a long amber colored hair. On her long hair, I noticed a few strands of silver hair. ¡°I almost ruined my shoe with that one.¡± I then realized who that was.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, I thought milady has fainted.¡± A small smile stretched on her face. ¡°It seems that milady is stronger than it looks.¡± W-What!? The first thing she said was something like that? But I put that thought away since I have at least one question at the moment.

    ¡°D-Did you just¨C¡°

    ¡°Kick it.¡± She looked at me with a grin. ¡°Yes, I did, milady. And it seems not strong enough since it is still breathing,¡± said the woman while looking at the fallen beast.

    ¡°Cyrielle, did you try to kill it?¡± Huh? ¡°Even though I already said not to?¡±

    ¡°N-No, no, no.¡± Her haughty attitude was gone the moment a new voice entered the conversation. ¡°Of course not!¡± She tried to deny it without moving her sight.

    ¡°Hmm, very well. Since it is still alive, I think it¡¯s all right.¡± That voice! ¡°After all, it is quite a strong one.¡±

    ¡°I-It is, right?¡± She nodded with a visible expression of worry. ¡°So I¡¯m not wrong there.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push it, Cyrielle.¡± Then a figure came from behind her. I couldn¡¯t help but feel my heart beat a bit faster than before. ¡°But I think you deserve some thanks for saving her. Isn¡¯t that right, my dear Eryell?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes.¡± I nodded as I felt tears spilled from my eyes. I couldn¡¯t feel happier seeing the one in front of me. ¡°You¡¯re right, Nerva.¡±

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    The Watchers will now deal with the corrupted beast.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

    And do visit the site TheNovelPage </a>for my novel too. See you!

 Chapter 26 - The Watchers Observe

    Chapter 26 ¡°The Watchers Observe¡±

    I walked toward Eryell and noticed that her heartbeats had become much steadier than before. It seems that she has calmed down the moment she saw me. I can¡¯t say that I don¡¯t feel the same as her. I¡¯m really sorry that I have to put you through all of these, my dear. I¡¯ll try to compensate you for that in the near future.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± I tapped my cane and noticed that she was injured. Since the scent of blood that comes from her is not that strong, I think she might just have been bruised. Ah, the impact she had might injured her back. If that is the case, then that¡¯s quite dangerous. I shoved my hand into my pocket and pulled out a small bottle. I crouched down near her and then opened the cork that sealed the bottle after placing my cane next to me.

    ¡°What¡¯s¡­that?¡±

    ¡°Potion.¡±

    ¡°A-Ah, good.¡± She then tried to move her hand, but I put mine on top of hers, stopping her. ¡°Nerva?¡±

    ¡°Let me help you.¡± I then put my free hand behind her head while positioning the bottle near her mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t rush, okay? Take it easy.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes¡­¡± Hmm? Her heartbeats rose all of a sudden? She is embarrassed? Really, Eryell. This is no time to be embarrassed. But as expected of her, she did follow my instruction and start drinking the liquid inside the bottle. After emptying the content, I smiled at her and wait for a while. ¡°E-Eh?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move yet.¡± I said to her as I placed my hand on her shoulder. I know that she was eager to stand up and help, but I have different plan for her. ¡°Wait for the potion to work. After that, I have a request for you.¡±

    ¡°Request?¡± I gave her a slight nod. After that, I pulled out yet another potion. ¡°Another one?¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°Not for you. For Ingolf.¡±  I said to her as I gestured my head toward the fallen knight before handing her the bottle. Fortunately, I could still hear his heartbeats. Shallow and slow, but it was still beating. As long as he still clings to his life, no matter the condition, I could help him. But at the moment, I have my hand full and I also need the two of them to get away from the dangerous field. ¡°Help him drink this and then drag him to safety.¡±

    ¡°¡­What about you?¡± You are still able to worry about me even at your current condition? Aren¡¯t you a sweet one, my dear Eryell. ¡°D-Don¡¯t laugh!¡± Oh, she noticed. Forgive me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I gave her a smile. ¡°You can leave the rest to me. I¡¯ll promise you it will not be long.¡±

    ¡°¡­Get back safely.¡±

    ¡°I promise you.¡± I nod again and then offered her my hand. She took my hand and then I help her stand. Judging from her steady heartbeats, I think her condition has improved. Although my potion works well, her strong body constitution helps with her recovery too. With those two combined, her recovery has been quite fast. ¡°Now help him.¡± I said as I once again gestured her to help him.

    ¡°¡­Be careful, Nerva.¡± She then hugged me for a split second. After that, the sound of her running toward Ingolf entered my ear.

    At first, I was at lost. I didn¡¯t expect her to hug me all of a sudden like that. It was pleasant, I confess. But it is still unexpected. I could feel a small smile appeared on my face as I relive the pleasant experience.

    ¡°Hey, wake up, you.¡± My side was nudged and I immediately turned toward the one that did that. ¡°Don¡¯t lose your focus just because she did that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it? Say so¨COWW!!!¡± A yelp came from her mouth as I hit her shin with my cane. ¡°What was that for!?¡±

    ¡°Being told like that by you made me slightly irritated.¡± And that you ruined my good mood by that. I know that you meant well, but still¡­Yeah, let¡¯s leave it like that.

    ¡°What!?¡± She shouted. ¡°And you think that¡¯s okay!? To hit me like that!?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerated. And be quiet for a while.¡± After I said that, she did become quiet. But her heartbeats had increased tremendously, a sign of her still angry at what I¡¯ve done. Sorry, but I don¡¯t regret doing that. As I clear my mind and ignored her frustration, I readied myself. ¡°Give me power to see the unseen. Let me be the one to give the proper judgment.¡±

    Just like many times before, I felt energy started to gather inside my empty eye sockets. They turned and swirled, producing a slight warm feeling. After a while, I could feel the swirling energy stabilize and the heat has subsided a bit to a comfortable level. I then removed my blindfold. As I opened my eyelids, the scene in front of me entered my vision.

    ¡°Ho? You¡¯re using that? The ¡®Soul Eyes¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to take any chances right now.¡± I said shortly to her.

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t¡¯ use your other spell, what was it called?¡± I glanced at Cyrielle and saw her tapping her forehead as she kept her eyes closed. ¡°Ah! ¡®Magic Pool¡¯!¡± Oh, she remembered the name? That was a surprise. A pleasant surprise. ¡°Hey! You just thought that it is a surprise that I can remember the name, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°¡­No comment.¡± She let out a loud ¡®hmph¡¯ sound as she heard my answer. Well, I guess my glowing eyes gave out my emotion much easier than I thought. I better remember to train myself better next time. ¡°In normal situation, I will use that first. But I fear that my magic will affect the beast since the beast is highly sensitive to any kind of magic energy. I might make it stronger.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I see what you mean.¡± Cyrielle then looked at the lying beast while nodding. ¡°True, that creature really gave out a lot of magic energy. That reminds me, is there any reason for you to avoid using ¡®Soul Eyes¡¯? And is there also a reason for you to always combine that with ¡®Magic Pool¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a little bit too relax there, Cyrielle?¡± I let out a sigh after looking at her rather carefree attitude even while we¡¯re facing a strong corrupted beast.

    ¡°That¡¯s just how I am,¡± said Cyrielle with a wide grin on her face as she puffed up her chest with pride. ¡°Enough about me. Aren¡¯t you going to give me an answer?¡±

    ¡°Sheesh¡­well, to make it easier for you to understand¨C¡°

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean!?¡±

    ¡°¨Cit is due to the fact that the magic consumption is quite high.¡± I continued my explanation while ignoring her shout. ¡°It¡¯s just as simple as that.¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡± She looked at me weirdly. And then she burst into a loud laugh to the extent that she bent her body forward while holding her stomach. Is it that funny? Really now. ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± She asked me while wiping the tears from her eyes. ¡°Someone like you, choose to not use some technique just because of its magic consumption rate?¡± She then laughed again. ¡°That is hilarious!!¡±

    ¡°Really now?¡± I looked at her with one of my eyebrows raised. ¡°I seem to fail to see how hilarious that was.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± She stopped her laughing and then looked at me with a slight grin. ¡°You, Nerva, possessed a very high amount of magic energy. Even among the Watchers yours can be considered to be one of the higher ones, if not the highest one. Well, maybe the twin, but they are a different story, you know?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, the twin does have a tremendous amount of magic energy pool.¡±

    ¡°But they can¡¯t use it as freely as yours.¡± She waved her finger at me. Somehow her gesture irritated me. But I will let it slide this time. ¡°It¡¯s not a good comparison.¡± Sometimes it makes me wonder why Cyrielle rarely shows her smart side of her just like previously. And yes, she is far from stupid. I guess she just loves to act stupid like that. It is her choice to act like that. ¡°Besides, even without considering the high amount of magic energy you already possessed, your magic recovery rate is stupidly high.¡±

    ¡°I felt rather conflicted to hear you use the word ¡®stupid¡¯ with me although it is a part of a compliment,¡± I said to her as I wore a wry smile.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s the best I can come up with in a short amount of time. Don¡¯t mind the small detail.¡±

    And that is one of her bad habit. She always left out the small details. In contrast to her, her partner, Reiyes, is one of those that always pay extra attention to the small detail. So I have to say that I don¡¯t know whether making them work in the same team is the best decision ever. But all I know is that they make an interesting combination. Certainly not the worst, but I¡¯m afraid also not the best, most of the time. There are time when they work wonderfully together. Well, as long as their difference will not hinder their mission, it is good for me.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I¡¯m one of those that prefer to have a backup plan in case something goes wrong.¡± I said as I looked at Cyrielle that tilted her head to the side as if saying ¡®I don¡¯t understand¡¯ to me. ¡°So let¡¯s forget about it. Besides,¡± I then moved my sight to the beast, ¡°we have a more pressing matter at hand, don¡¯t you think?¡± After I said that, Cyrielle followed my sight and found what I was talking about.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right.¡±

    And just as she replied, a loud growl came from the beast. It seemed that it has recovered from Cyrielle¡¯s previous kick. I also noticed that the sunken part of its mouth has turned normal, a sign of its fast recovery ability.

    The amount of damage that came from Cyrielle¡¯s kick is anything but trivial. The evident that came in form of its sunken cheeks is strong enough to indicate how powerful that was. But it has recovered to the point where it seems that the previous attack it received was a lie. Although I never saw or feel the beast using any recovery spell, it has indeed recovered. Does it really have a fast natural recovery rate? I really doubted that. Even for a corrupted beast, it is still impossible. So what made it able to recover so fast?

    ¡°What troublesome task this has become.¡± While I was still wondering about the strange phenomenon in front of me, a grumbling voice came near me as the figure of Reiyes appeared out of thin air. He had a very annoyed expression under his cowl. And unlike the usual, his expression didn¡¯t change immediately. The same could be say about his heartbeats. It really tells how annoyed he really is at the moment.

    ¡°Seeing you here, I suppose you have finished your task.¡±

    ¡°I have finished it. I have finished the annoying task.¡± He let out a grumble after he said that.

    The task Reiyes was talking about is a part of our plan. He is the one that instructed Eryell to throw the knife onto the beast¡¯s eye and act as a decoy to lure it away. Although I oppose his suggestion, the fact that she is the best choice remains and that force me to eventually agree with his suggestion. He then organize his Shades to control the whole commotion so that no one will follow us since the first reason we instructed Eryell to lure the beast is so that we can deal with it personally and away from any intervention that may come from anyone, be it from the royal knights corps or the town militia. Apparently that particular task is the one that he deemed as annoying. How annoying that is? Only he knows.

    ¡°What¡¯s so annoying about that?¡± Cyrielle¡¯s honest question earned her a scowl from Reiyes. But as usual, that didn¡¯t affect her at all.

    ¡°It is the fact that the knight corps wants to storm into the forest and deal with the beast personally, saying that they need to avenge their brothers in arm.¡± He then let out a tired sigh. ¡°If that wasn¡¯t annoying enough, the militia also want to go catch the beast, saying that it is their duty as the one in charge of guarding the forest and also to help their superior.¡± Another sigh escaped his mouth. ¡°Is it so hard to understand that they are far too weak to deal with it? I just can¡¯t comprehend their suicidal tendency.¡±

    ¡°Well, it just shows how close they are with each other and also they are probably worried since their leaders stormed into the forest by themselves.¡± I said as I remembered the feel I could sense from the knights that were left behind as Ingolf decided to follow Eryell into the forest.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    As one might know, Eryell is never in any danger. I always followed Eryell when she was running into the forest. I kept some distance from her as I also observe the beast¡¯s movement. It was hard for me to hold myself back from helping her since I need her to lure the beast deep enough into the forest, away from anyone¡¯s intervention. But I was planning to rescue her when the situation goes dire and her life is an immediate danger.

    To that extension, I could also say the same for Ingolf. Although we barely know each other, I can see him as a friend and I don¡¯t want to let him die that easily. The fact that he was beaten to his current condition, even to the extent of losing one of his arms, is one of my miscalculations. I thought the beast will not be that furious after being stabbed by Reiyes¡¯ knife. But it seems that it has entered into a frenzied state, making it much dangerous. And for that, I¡¯m willing to help him recover as best to my ability.

    ¡°Nerva, look.¡± Cyrielle called my name, stopping me from my own pondering. She pointed at the beast. ¡°It stands up again.¡± I then followed her finger and noticed that.

    ¡°It¡¯s a strong one.¡± Reiyes commented. ¡°Even after receiving your attack.¡±

    ¡°And here I thought that my kick is strong enough. But¡­¡± She looked at her own shoe. ¡°If I use more strength, my shoes will be ruined.¡±

    ¡°You are in the middle of a battle and you are still able to care for your footwear?¡± Reiyes raised his voice as he heard Cyrielle¡¯s carefree reason.

    ¡°Hey! Battle or not, I still care about my own looks. It is a very important aspect that one should always take care of!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Reiyes let out an annoyed voice. ¡°What a strange things to remember.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it will attack.¡± I said that as I saw the beast lowered its body. Seconds after that it pushed its large body toward the three of us with clear intention of killing us in one strike.

    But it was a futile effort as we jumped away from its attack effortlessly. Maybe it thought that since we didn¡¯t really pay attention to it, it can take us by a surprise. Sadly for that beast, that is not the case. We were able to dodge in time before we became part of the crater the beast has just made by attacking us. I have to say that the previous attack is quite strong since the crater that was left on the location where the three of us just stood moments ago is quite deep and large.

    ¡°Oh, almost forgot.¡± I heard Reiyes¡¯ voice as we landed not far from the crater. Before I could say anything, he already jumped toward the beast and landed on its head perfectly.

    The beast, clearly surprised to see that its target was able to reached its head quite fast, was unable to react in time. Before it can even swipe at Reiyes, he had already grabbed the embedded knife and then pulled it out in one swift motion, producing a disgusting sound together with the beast¡¯s roar full of pain. Without waiting for it to react, Reiyes then landed besides me.

    ¡°Hmm, the blade is still good.¡± He muttered as he pulled out a cloth to wipe out the blood from the blade of the knife. ¡°It seems that the blood doesn¡¯t have the same effect as its saliva.¡± After that, he proceeded to clean his weapon with a calm expression.

    I then moved my sight from him toward the beast. Due to Reiyes¡¯ action, it was currently thrashing around while letting out a pained growl from time to time. Blood kept pouring out of its wound and fell onto the forest¡¯s soil with a splattering sound. And just as Reiyes¡¯ mentioned, nothing happened when the blood make contact with the soil, unlike its saliva. As I concentrated, the beast¡¯s heartbeats sounded very wild and irregular, the sign that the beast is enraged, confused, and hurt.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the plan now, Nerva?¡± While I was trying to gauge the beast¡¯s condition, I heard Cyrielle¡¯s voice. ¡°Can I take it down?¡±

    ¡°Although I hate to agree with her, I think she is right, Nerva.¡± And that comment of Reiyes made Cyrielle pouted. But since he ignored it, I will do the same. Actually, even if he didn¡¯t ignore it, I will still ignore her reaction. ¡°The faster we kill it, the faster we can save the Marked Soul.¡±

    The moment he said that, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a soft laugh. As expected, I could see the two of them looked at me as if I have gone crazy.

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Cyrielle asked me while still looking at me.

    ¡°Well, the both of you suggested that we should kill it to save the Marked Soul, right?¡± They gave a nod. ¡°But that¡¯s the funny part. We can¡¯t save the Marked Soul if we kill it.¡± Hearing that, the two of them gave a different reaction. Reiyes showed an expression that tells me that he understood where I was going with at the moment. Cyrielle, on the other hand, just tilted her head while looking at me with a confused expression. Is she really a stupid one? That made me wonder. But after that thought ran by me, Cyrielle¡¯s expression changed.

    ¡°Wait? Don¡¯t tell me!¡± She then shifted her sight toward the beast. ¡°That beast is the Marked Soul?¡± Oh, she understood. Impressive.

    ¡°Nerva, is that true?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that is¡­not far from the truth. But from what I can see, that is not exactly right.¡± I tapped my chin as I tried to find the best word to explain it to them. ¡°It is true that if we kill the beast, we will also kill the Marked Soul. But that is not because the beast¡¯s soul is the Marked Soul in question. It is simply because the soul in question is contained within the beast together with the beast¡¯s soul.¡±

    ¡°What? Is that even possible?¡±

    ¡°In a regular condition, it is not.¡± I replied to Cyrielle¡¯s question. ¡°Look closely at the beast¡¯s back.¡± The two then followed my pointing finger. ¡°You can see a blade embedded on it, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I can see it,¡± said Cyrielle while nodding. Reiyes just gave me a short nod to tell me that he has also seen it.

    ¡°For some reason I don¡¯t know, that is the cause. And¨Cah, wait a bit.¡± I then lifted my cane and then positioned it above me. Then an impact sound was made as the beast¡¯s large limb landed on my cane. In regular situation, my cane will shatter in pieces. But since I put my magic energy in the last minute, it can withstand its full force easily. Combined with my own strength, the beast¡¯s limb was unable to hit me at all, making it growl in frustration.

    I then parried away the beast¡¯s limb. It is quite strange to see that a large beast like that is rendered useless by someone small like me. Due to my action, it has become disoriented and clearly losing its balance fast.

    ¡°You¡¯re so annoying!!¡± A shout reached my ear, followed by a strong impact sound. I then saw the beast in front of me was thrown back quite a distance.

    I managed to take a quick glance and noticed the reason for that. It was due to Cyrielle giving the beast a string punch on its jaw. Since the beast was too focused on me and still disoriented, it failed to dodge and the attack landed right on target, making it flew back and landed on it back.

    ¡°Hahaha! Take that you¨COWW!!!¡± A yelp of pain came from her. ¡°Why did you hit me!?¡±

    ¡°I never said that you can hurt it!¡± I raised my voice after I land a hit on her shin.

    ¡°B-But it was attacking you!¡±

    ¡°And it failed to do any kind of damage.¡± I shook my head. I moved my sight toward the beast and saw that it was still breathing. The sound of its heartbeats also told me that it was still alive. I¡¯m glad to know that. ¡°And didn¡¯t I say that we shouldn¡¯t kill it? Did you not hear that?¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She took a step back after realizing what she had done. ¡°S-So, what should we do? Should we let it live just like that?¡±

    ¡°No, we can¡¯t.¡± I let out a sigh. ¡°At the moment, it is draining the Marked Soul¡¯s life force to strengthen itself and also to recover itself.¡±

    ¡°Ah, so by hurting it, the beast will use the life force of the Marked Soul, endangering it in the process.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± I nodded to Reiyes¡¯ words.

    ¡°Wait a minute! Then why didn¡¯t you scold him?¡± She shouted to me while pointing at Reiyes. ¡°He used the knife!¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s different.¡± I said to her. And she is clearly not happy with that. ¡°Reiyes¡¯ knife, the ¡®Everlasting Wound¡¯, can make any injury it inflicted becomes unable to be healed even after using the best recovery spell and potion. That¡¯s just its effect.¡± I once again reminded of how terrifying his weapon is. Just like Cyrielle ¡®Igneous Hatcher, the ¡®Everlasting Wound¡¯ is Reiyes Marked Artifact. It is a very strong weapon that is capable of dealing such terrifying injury.

    ¡°Ugh¡­that¡¯s unfair!¡±

    ¡°Even if the beast tried to use the Marked Soul¡¯s life force, it will not be able to and it also pushed back the energy, making it unable to waste any on said injury.¡±

    ¡°Then what now, Nerva?¡± Reiyes asked me. ¡°We can¡¯t kill it since we will kill the Marked Soul. But we also can¡¯t let it live or it will kill the Marked Soul eventually.¡±

    ¡°This is crazy!¡± Clearly frustrated at the complicated situation, Cyrielle let out a shout.

    I won¡¯t blame her though. This is a very troubling situation. But at least I have one possible plan.

    ¡°There is one thing we can try.¡± I then tapped my cane as I tried to gauge the beast¡¯s condition. It is still trying to recover. Good. I can explain this shortly. ¡°We need to immobilize it. And since we can¡¯t use any movement seal magic, we need to improvise.¡±

    ¡°How about cutting all of its limbs? And to prevent it from recovery, I will burn the wound with my Igneous Hatchet.¡±  That is a great plan, but there is one flaw.

    ¡°No, we can¡®t do that.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Unlike Reiyes¡¯ knife, the beast can try to put its power to recover the wound even though there is no chance of it recovering. It will still drain the Marked Soul.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡± She raised her voice. While throwing her arms to the air, once again showing her frustration at the situation. ¡°Burry it?¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡± Hmm? ¡°¡­is not a bad plan.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is good.¡± I gave a nod. ¡°Let¡¯s go with that. Cyrielle, you will use your hatcher at full force.¡±

    ¡°Really!?¡±

    ¡°But not at the beast.¡± Her happy expression disappeared right away after I said that. ¡°You aimed at the ground under the beast while Reiyes is luring it around. Try to make a crater as deep as possible, at least to the point where it is deep enough to reach bury half of its body. After that, use your flame to melt the stone under the soil to trap it without burning the beast in the process. Can you do it?¡±

    ¡°I guess¡­I can try.¡± What an unconvincing answer.

    ¡°Reiyes, how about you?¡±

    ¡°I can.¡± Now that¡¯s a more likely answer. ¡°How about you? I suppose you will do the continuation of the plan?¡±

    ¡°I will try to separate the soul so that we can deal with the beast after rescuing the Marked Soul. But since they are bonded, I need to minimalize the risk by immobilizing it. I might try to remove the sword stuck on its back first since it might be the key of saving the Marked Soul. Do you understand?¡± After that I looked at the two of them. The both of them gave me a nod. ¡°I take that as a yes.¡±

    ¡°Give us the cue, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°We will move as soon as you signal us to.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± I looked at the beast in front of me. It already started to move again. ¡°Let¡¯s move then.¡±

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    How exactly will they save the Marked Soul?.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

    And do visit the site TheNovelPage </a>for my novel too. See you!

 Chapter 27 - The Watchers Move

    Chapter 27 ¡°The Watchers Move¡±

    As I shouted toward my two comrades, I could see the two of them run toward different direction. While Reiyes jumped right onto the beast¡¯s face, Cyrielle positioned herself on the back. Although I couldn¡¯t really get to see their face perfectly, both of their heartbeats showed that they have the same state of mind. They felt excited. Their heartbeats¡¯ rate may differ slightly, but I could feel the same feeling of excitement from them. It might be strange for regular people to understand the fact that they are really excited instead of being scared when facing such an impossible monstrosity like the beast. But for me, I could understand them.

    The reason for that is quite simple really. We, The Watchers, are very strong. We are quite strong to the extent that it is quite difficult to find an opponent or a situation where it is challenging. It might sound very arrogant to say that, but sadly that is the truth. It is especially true for Cyrielle who is a natural fighter. Her love for fighting is clearly more than your average person. Reiyes, although far from being a battle addict, actually crave for some challenge once in a while. Trust me, I know them long enough to understand that.

    As the beast finally realized the existence of Reiyes in front of it, a menacing growl resounded in the air. It seemed that seeing Reiyes¡¯ figure clearly reminded it of its still bleeding eye socket. Even without checking its heartbeats, I could tell straight away that it has become enraged. Thankfully, that made Cyrielle¡¯s movement behind the beast gone unnoticed.

    Reiyes then jumped from one side to another while dodging the beast¡¯s desperate attack. From my position, I could see Cyrielle is also doing her best. She was checking the ground while looking for a good time to use her weapon. Although, I felt slightly worried that she will become reckless or impatient judging from the looks on her face and also her heartbeats that became faster with each passing second that is telling me that she couldn¡¯t wait to use her weapon.

    ¡°Remember, don¡¯t hurt the beast!¡±

    ¡°We know!¡± The two gave their reply with a shout after I said that.

    While the two is busy, I stood and concentrate my magic sense on to the soul inside the beast. No. Make that I concentrated onto the souls inside the beast since I can detect multiple soul inside it. I need to make sure that the Marked Soul is still alive inside the beast. So far, it is still alive. Not that well and stable, but alive nonetheless. I could still feel the life force pulsing from it weakly. It seems we really need to finish this sooner than we expected.

    It is frustrating, but I can¡¯t do anything more at the moment.  If I enter the battle between them, I will risk the beast getting too agitated and do something unpredicted. Furthermore, I could see that Reiyes is really getting a good control of the whole situation. The beast is really following him without being able to land a single hit to him. On its back, I could see that Cyrielle is clearly gathering her strength for one precise blow that will make a crater big enough to bury the beast. But¡­is she going to be all right? I mean, while Reiyes¡¯ heartbeats sounded quite calm, she sounded excited. A bit too excited in my opinion. I fear that she will execute the plan faster than expected.

    ¡°Cyrielle Natine! Now!¡±

    ¡°Got it!!¡± A loud shout came from her as Reiyes gave out the instruction. ¡°And just Cyrielle is fine!¡± She then jumped toward the beast with her hand raised. ¡°HYAAHHH!!!¡±

    A loud sound of explosion came from under the beast. It was too late to notice that and could only manage to turn its large body toward Cyrielle since it immediately fell toward the crater that was created by the powerful blow from Cyrielle¡¯s hand.

    The plan is executed as intended, but I am quite concern at the current situation. What¡¯s the matter, you ask? The crater is made as plan, true. And it has also trapped the beast as planned, also true. But the thing that made it quite unexpected is that the beast managed to grab the edge of the crater. It is made possible due to the crater that is not wide enough although already deep enough. A slight miscalculation. And, I hope that I¡¯m wrong, it is a slight miscalculation that might jeopardize the plan if not taken care of immediately.

    ¡°Reiyes! Cyrielle!¡±

    ¡°We know!¡± Once again the two gave a shout at the same time.

    It seems that even before I call them, the two have already notice the problem. They have moved onto opposing sides and then put power in their hand and then executed a strong blow on the soil near the beast. The already unstable ground immediately started to move and then covered the beast on its side, putting weight on its body and also immobilizing it completely. I have to say that I am quite pleased at how fast they react to the situation.

    After the soil stabilized, the beast was left with its head poking out of the ground while it is clearly trying to set itself free. But the sheer amount of debris and soil that was put on top of its body will surely keep the corrupted beast for quite some time. Unfortunately for me, that ¡®some time¡¯ is anything but long, forcing me to act fast.

    ¡°Nerva, your turn,¡± said Reiyes as he looked at me. ¡°We¡¯ll stay in our position in case the beast managed to get out sooner than I expected. But you have to¨C¡±

    ¡°Just go already!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know.¡± Ignoring the frown on Reiyes¡¯ face, I wasted no time and jumped toward the area around its back. Thankfully, the soil around its back is not that thick, making me able to dig my way onto its back quite easily.

    Not long after that digging, the hilt of the sword embedded onto the beast appeared in front of my eyes. Although I have my sight with me, the first thing I did is not examining its appearance, but activating my magic sense. And just as expected, the object in question possesses a very strong magic energy. Appearance wise, it is quite simple looking. There is no strange design on it and it certainly looks like any other sword hilt you might find on the market.

    As I dig further, the complete appearance of the sword came to my view. Since part of the blade is embedded securely in to the beast¡¯s back, I couldn¡¯t really determine the full length of the sword. Fortunately, I have no need to do that since I know real well the most important part of the weapon in question.

    ¡°¡­A magic diamond, eh?¡± Yes. The most important part of the weapon in front of me is not the blade, but the stone that is encrusted into the base of the blade. It is a diamond that is not any larger than an adult¡¯s thumb. The color it gave out is unusual, as like the feeling it gave when I feel it using my magic sense for the first time. Even without touching it or knowing its true identity, I have a very strong hunch that the diamond is the culprit of the whole situation. But that is just my hunch. To  know the real story, I need to look closer.

    ¡°Nerva, you better hurry.¡± Reiyes¡¯ voice reached my ear. ¡°It is struggling harder by the second.¡±

    ¡°Well, if it does escape, we just have to bury it again, right?¡± And¡­I heard Cyrielle¡¯s carefree voice in reply. She is right and I don¡¯t have any word to correct her with. But for the sake of the Marked Soul, I don¡¯t want to risk doing the previous plan again. We were able to do that since the beast didn¡¯t realize that we will bury it on the soil. But doing it the second time will be much more difficult than the first and it might even lead to something unexpected. With the Marked Soul¡¯ safety in the balance, I will not permit them to do the same thing again. I will not even let a condition where the two has to do that again appeared. I will have to do this correctly in the first try.

    Not wanting to waste any more time, I ignored Cyrielle¡¯s word and then touched the hilt of the sword. The moment the tip of my finger reached the hilt, I was immediately attacked by a surge of feeling. A lot of feeling is mixed in it. How¡­can I explain it? Disgusting? Unnerving? Nauseating?  I guess¡­ a bit of them. All that matter is that the feeling is very far from pleasant. They are enough to break one¡¯s mind if not careful. I, on the other hand, am quite immune to that. Well¡­not to the extent of immune. I guess the more appropriate word for that is ¡®quite accustomed¡¯.

    After that initial surge of unpleasant feeling, one might think that I will turned back and then try to look for another way. Sadly, I do not have the luxury to do that, thus leading me to continue the plan no matter what.

    I gripped the handle firmly and closed my glowing eyes. Immediately after I closed my eyes, my vision changed.

    <hr />

    This is another ability of mine as on that can see soul. I could ¡®enter¡¯ an object or a person to see the soul that dwells inside it, entering into a domain called ¡®soul plain¡¯. In that place my body became a transparent looking ethereal body since it is not my real blood and flesh body, but the essence of my soul that came in contact with the plain. In the plain, a different law is in order here. And as one that can see and manipulate soul, I have understood the rule in this strange looking place.

    As I looked around the place where my ethereal looking body is at the moment, I noticed that it resembles a vast and empty plain. Judging from how vast it is, I think that I have not only entered the sword, but also the corrupted beast that it has embedded onto. And¡­yes, I can positively confirm that as I saw some kind of invisible border around me. Although it is not that visible, I noticed that the area outside of the edge has a distinct darkish color to it, probably due to the corrupted state the beast is. As one might know after hearing my explanation, the state of the object or the person I enter determine the soul plain¡¯s appearance. In this case, the area inside the border is the sword¡¯s since the plain is relatively empty and barren looking, while the area outside of the border with its darkish color ground and atmosphere belongs to the corrupted beast. Even without stepping onto it, I could tell that doing that might endanger me in one way or another.

    My gaze then moved onto the next important objects around me. The souls themselves. In the soul plain, they manifested in many form. The usual form is a floating orb of fire. I have seen some stronger and more unique soul taken a humanoid form or maybe even animal form. It all depends on the characteristics of the soul itself. They all differs one from another. But one single characteristic can be recognized for all Marked Soul. That is the existence of an insignia at one part of the soul¡¯s ethereal body. The insignia is a sign that a soul is marked by a greater being and the insignia in question is the symbol of the being that marked that particular soul. Even without hearing the full story, just knowing the insignia present in the soul¡¯s ethereal body, I could know the identity of the one that marked that soul.

    And, just as expected, one of the souls in front of me has that particular insignia. The soul in question has the appearance of a floating boy. But¡­the appearance is quite hard to discern due to its rather hazy appearance. And¡­is it going to disappear? The appearance of the soul is so vague that I have to concentrate hard to be able to see it. This is not good.

    As I concentrated, I noticed that there is a rather thin thread attached to it. I went closer to the thread and touched it. Immediately I felt some surge of energy travelled on the thread. I fear that it is the process of the soul¡¯s life force being drain by the corrupted beast¡¯s soul.

    And to confirm my fear, the other soul attached to the other end of the string is getting bigger and emitting a stronger feeling. It has the appearance of a cracked fang. It is so badly discolor that the only thing that still resembles a fang is just its shape. Darkish red and green spots could be seen here and there. There are also some cracks that run on the surface. I instinctively distanced myself from it as I felt such an unpleasant feeling just from gazing at it. The effect of being corrupted truly is horrible. It affects the soul¡¯s appearance so much.

    Should I cut it? I mean, if the connection between those two souls is severed, the marked soul can be saved. But, of course, that action alone is not without risk. And how dangerous the risk is? Sadly, I wouldn¡¯t know. That forced me to be as careful as I could. With that, my next action is set.

    I put my own energy onto the string. The reason I did that is so that I can determine how strong the connection between the two souls. This is not exactly a safe decision as the moment I put my strength into the link between the two it means that I have expose myself to the danger of being in contact with the corrupted soul. Although I have a lot of experience in dealing in these kinds of situation, the danger still remains. I still have to remain vigilance and be ready to react in case of anything.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°¡­Ho?¡± I unconsciously let out a sound as I felt my energy travelled along the thin connecting thread. Even without doing it for long, I can confirm that the marked soul is getting drained faster than expected. This really forced me to push the plan much faster. ¡°W-What the!?¡±

    While still pouring energy into the thread, I felt a great vibration all around me. I look around me and noticed that the fang-shaped soul of the corrupted beast has turned darker than before. I could also start to hear a loud howl all around me. It seems that the soul is clearly rejecting me and has marked me as a dangerous existence. It tried to tell me to get away from its source of energy, eh? It seems that it is smarter than I thought. I guess the moment it became corrupted and have the marked soul as its energy source it also gains a bit more intelligence.

    Now¡­with the state of the marked soul is getting more and more dangerous with each passing minute, should I attempt to cut its link right away? The link between them is strong, but it is not that strong that I can¡¯t sever its connection. It will be difficult, but not impossible. With that in mind, I manipulated the energy that came out of my hand. It will not be strong enough to cut the whole thread, but will be enough to disturb the flow for a while. I then will isolate the marked soul and then destroy the other soul.

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± As I tried to isolate the marked soul, I find some sort of barrier that prevented me from doing just that. This is strange. I have definitely not noticed something like that from before. Is it the corrupted soul¡¯s doing? I looked toward the corrupted soul and it didn¡¯t show any change. So¡­what just made that?

    I tried doing the same thing again. But instead of the barrier, I felt something else. My instinct told me that something dangerous is going to happen. I immediately pulled back my ethereal hand from the thread and surveyed the soul plain. To my surprise, a drastic change happened. The ground around me cracked open and I saw some flames started to arise onto the air. Although I couldn¡¯t feel any heat due being in the soul plain, I felt some pain assaulted me. As I tried my best to strengthen my ethereal body to avoid any damage, I saw some of the flame column moved toward me. In fear of being killed, I immediately stepped away. But as I stepped away, another one was already getting closer to me. In a short moment, I realized that I was trapped and had no way out. In the last minute before I was consumed by the terrible fire, I focused my mind and jumped out of the soul plan completely, returning to my real body.

    <hr />

    ¡°Nerva! Get out of there!¡± The moment my sense came back to my real body, I heard Cyrielle¡¯s shout toward me. Without being able to accustom myself to my own body again after exiting the soul plain, I forced my legs to jump out of the way. The moment I landed near a tree I noticed that the area where I was on moments ago has turned into a crater courtesy of the beast¡¯s large limb that has apparently come free. Seeing that it has regained its freedom, I ran to the direction of my two comrades.

    ¡°You fail, huh?¡±

    ¡°It met some unexpected trouble there.¡± I said to Reiyes that has his attention glued toward the moving creature. ¡°And¡­I can¡¯t seem to do it as easily as I thought.¡±

    ¡°Great¡­Just great¡­¡± As expected, Cyrielle who stood next to Reiyes grumbled. ¡°Now what? Any bright idea?¡±

    ¡°¡­Give me a minute.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t promise you that, Nerva.¡± Reiyes glanced back at me. ¡°The one in front of me is not going to wait that long.¡±

    ¡°¡­Just stall it or anything.¡±

    ¡°¡­Got it.¡± Reiyes then launched himself toward the beast. Seeing that, the beast started to attack him. But, just like before, he evaded all of the attack wonderfully.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going to.¡± Cyrielle went into a stance where she can immediately launched herself toward the beast.

    ¡°Just to remind you, don¡¯t hurt it.¡±

    ¡°Sheesh¡­got it.¡± After that short grumbling, she joined Reiyes in creating a distraction.

    With those two, I raked my brain for something else. I analyzed the situation and tried to remember the all I can about the soul plain. Then something important came to my mind. I finally realized why I can¡¯t sever the connection between the souls. The key is the source of thing that attacked me while I was in the soul plain.

    ¡°Tch! Troublesome!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a shout as I just realized that. I then switched my mindset. If I can¡¯t sever the connection, then the next thing that I can do to save the marked soul is to destroy the thing that endanger it. In short, I have to destroy the corrupted beast¡¯s soul completely. That is the only way to do it. And the way to do it?...Ah¡­so troublesome¡­I hate to do this.

    I then lowered my body and then jumped toward the beast. Clearly didn¡¯t expect me, the beast was only able to spot me in the last second. The next second, it was left flying backward thanks to me hitting its head square between the eyes. It flew backward magnificently and landed with a loud thud on the ground, making a small crater.

    ¡°W-What the!?¡±

    ¡°Nerva, what is the meaning of your action?¡±

    ¡°Cyrielle, Reiyes.¡± I called their name as I looked back at my confused companions. ¡°A change of plan. Listen closely.¡± I then quickly gave out the explanation of my plan. As I said each part in detail, I could see Cyrielle¡¯s mouth was left open while her eyes widened. Reiyes, although didn¡¯t show his surprise to that extent, raised one of his eyebrows and looked at me with a strange looks. I guess that is as expected.

    ¡°Y-Y-You¡¯re crazy!!!¡± Cyrielle was the one that gave a response. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll do that!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s right, Nerva.¡± Reiyes added. ¡°It is too reckless. Is there any other possible plan besides that?¡±

    ¡°For now, I don¡¯t see any other possible plan except that.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Sadly, I think that is the only possible plan we can use at the moment.¡±

    ¡°No! Absolutely not!¡± Cyrielle shouted again, clearly against the idea. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m doing something that risky! And you!¡± She pointed at me. ¡°Do you really think you can get away from it unscathed? Ha?¡±

    ¡°Unscathed? That will be impossible.¡± I said as I shake my head. ¡°But alive, I can assure you. Don¡¯t underestimate me, Cyrielle.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I could see her clenching her fist. Combined that with the fact that her heartbeats has risen significantly, it is pretty much clear for all how agitated she is. I know that she is just worried about me, but we have to make sacrifice to complete the mission. ¡°¡­I¡­can¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Cyrielle Natine.¡± Reiyes¡¯ voice was colder than usual. But I could sense a bit of warmth in his eyes as he looked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t let your emotion control you. Think about it clearly.¡±

    ¡°Easy for you!¡± She shouted again as she glared at him. ¡°You¡¯re not¡­not the one that might k¨Ckill him! Ugh! Damn it!¡± She shook her head. ¡°Is there no other way? Anything?¡±

    ¡°Not at the moment.¡± I answered her desperate question firmly. ¡°And we have to act fast or we will risk the marked soul dying.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ugh¡­T-Then I ra¨C¡°

    ¡°If you are going to abandon the marked soul, I will cut my ties with you.¡± She flinched when she heard that from me. I know that is mean of me. But as a Watcher, leaving a mission is a forbidden act.

    As she cast her eyes down, the sound of her gritting her teeth reached my ear. I then grabbed her tightly clenched fist.

    ¡°Trust me. I will come out alive.¡±

    ¡°¡­Damn you¡­¡± She then released my hand. She then pulled out her weapon and it immediately illuminated the area around her with bright red light. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t break your promise.¡± Hearing that, I let out a small smile. Really, she is such a difficult person. But that is her characteristic that made up the person named Cyrielle Natine.

    ¡°Of course. As long as you followed my instruction, everything will be fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­I hope.¡± She glanced at me for a second and then casted her sight toward her target. ¡°Buy me some time.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Reiyes.¡± I looked toward my comrade.

    ¡°This is so troublesome.¡± He then jumped toward the beast after letting out a mutter under his breath. I am really pleased that my teammate could understand my instruction completely.

    I then also jumped toward the beast, but I landed on the opposite location of him. Since the beast has managed to stand again, it let out a menacing growl. But for some reason, I felt that the growl didn¡¯t carry the same proud feeling as before. Instead, it told me of how desperate the beast is. I guess being beaten several times by us really agitated the beast. Well, that is just as I like, you know? The more agitated the beast is, the easier the two of us could buy some time for Cyrielle.

    For some reason, the beast¡¯s movement has turned rather uncoordinated. I guess I can point out two reasons. The first is that the beast probably noticed that it is outpowered, confusing it further. Well, being hit by barehanded and then thrown backward so easily for a few times will make any stupid beast able to tell the difference in power. The second reason is that it realized that its power source is quickly depleting. Yes, the life force from the marked soul that it used continuously has been depleted dangerously that I fear that we will only be able to barely save the soul in question.

    ¡°Done!¡± A shout from Cyrielle reached my ear. And judging from Reiyes¡¯ movement, he also realized that. Without reminding him again, he already moved on to his position while brandishing his weapon. Seeing that, I also moved on to my own position, which is on the back of the beast.

    The moment the beast realized that I have climbed onto its back, it tried to shake me off. But before it could do more, the beast felled down onto the ground with a loud impact sound and also an agonized wail. I held onto its fur and kept my position. Then I could see Reiyes from the edge of my eyes running and jumping onto a tree nearby. That is also according to the plan. Following the plan, I put power onto my own soul and fortified my own body to its max after gripping onto the sword attached to the beast¡¯s back. The reason? Well¡­

    ¡°Let out your mightiest roar! Igneous Hatchet!¡±

    What followed after that shout from Cyrielle is a wave of fire that is big enough to cover the beast¡¯s whole body. The wave moved closer in tremendous speed and finally swallowed the beast completely, myself included. I gritted my teeth as I felt the horrendous heat penetrated my whole body. Although I already applied chantless fortification spell onto my whole body, I could still feel the rising temperature around my body just like a terrifying thousands of ants biting onto my skin, ready to devour my whole being if they are able to.

    The beast let out a mighty roar of agony and pain as its entire body is covered by the fire wave, scorching and roasting it alive. Smell of burnt flesh and fur invaded my nose as the fire kept doing its job. I also realized that it seemed that I could feel the tip of my clothes has also caught fire judging from the smell of burning fabric.

    After a while, the roar quieted down. It kept getting less and less audible to the point that the roar subsided completely. The moment I noticed that, I pulled out the sword with all my might and jumped away from the scorching wave of flame. I landed not far from the beast and I immediately fell forward. But my body stopped just before my head hit the ground.

    ¡°The result?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a small smile as I heard Reiyes¡¯ voice entered my ear as he stopped me from falling. I then weakly lifted up the sword that is on my hand. The sword glowed slightly.

    ¡°We¡­barely did it.¡± Yes, we finally managed to rescue the marked soul just in time. Cutting it close, but we really did save the troublesome soul.

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    What really happened back then? Let''s see it in the next one.

    I''m sorry for disappearing for a month. Let''s just say that I have some issues at the moment. I hope I can at least finish this arc in the next month and move onto the next one shortly.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 28 â€œThe Knightâ€™s Resolutionâ€

    Chapter 28 ¡°The Knight¡¯s Resolution¡±

    While still leaning on to Reiyes¡¯ shoulder, I looked at the burnt remain of the corrupted beast. The amount of smoke that came from the charred remain is quite a lot. The smell of burnt flesh and fur filled the air, making it unpleasant to breath. To think that I was on that beast¡¯s body not long ago. Really. That was such a stupid plan. It works, but it is still a stupid one nonetheless.

    But¡­I guess we really have no choice but to do just that. The Marked Soul is already weakened to a dangerous state while the corrupted beast is clearly desperate and willing to suck the Marked Soul¡¯s life force to the very last drop. If we try another method, the Marked Soul might have already been destroyed. Yes, you¡¯re right. The moment a soul loses its entire life force, it will be destroyed. Very logical, right?

    But a strong soul can sometimes defy that logic. Such as the Marked Soul. Due to its strong life force, it can be move into something else. Or it might just wander around as a wandering soul and latch itself onto something else, be it an object or a living being. That is why sometimes we heard that an object that is used by someone powerful becomes a mighty artifact. Although not always the case, most of the time it is due to that phenomenon. The soul of that powerful owner has latched itself onto the object, giving it a strange power.

    In the case with the current Marked Soul, I suspect that it is the same. The sword that is in my hand probably belongs to the one that carried the Marked Soul. For one reason or another, the body of the Marked Soul died, leaving its soul latched onto the sword. And, once again, due to one reason or another, it also left embedded onto the beast. I also don¡¯t really know whether the beast has already been corrupted at that moment or not. It might actually be the trigger that made the beast turned into a corrupted one. If that is the case, then the beast has been corrupted due to being exposed to such a powerful source of life force.

    And that¡¯s why the corrupted beast¡¯s soul reacted so violently when I tried to sever the connecting thread between the two of them. It has deemed the Marked Soul as one of its own, thus making any attempt to separate them as a hostile action. With that in mind, I can¡¯t just sever their connection so easily. Sure, I can forcefully do it. But that might damage the Marked Soul in the process.

    That led me to my decision. If I want to prioritize the Marked Soul¡¯s safety, the only thing I can do is to destroy the one that is endangering it. The corrupted beast¡¯s soul. And, yes, I can destroy the beast¡¯s soul directly. But that might also led to the event where the Marked Soul moved from the sword onto the beast¡¯s body, using it as its own vessel. I want to avoid that at all cost. Transferring an unstable soul into an unstable vessel is just a bad idea. Then I decided to destroy the corrupted beast¡¯s soul naturally. And that is to destroy the vessel. Its body.

    But destroying it little by little will still risk the beast tapping onto the Marked Soul¡¯s life force, endangering it. What we need is to destroy it completely without any single chance of it recovering. Not just by cutting its head or stabbing its heart. We need to destroy it to the extent that not a speck of its flesh remains.

    That is where Cyrielle and her powerful Marked Artifact come in place. Her artifact, the Igneous Hatchet, is a powerful artifact that can let out a terrifying wave of fire at the user¡¯s command. Add that to her magnificent affinity with the Fire element, it has become such a terrifying weapon of mass destruction. And that is just what we need. She can burn the beast¡¯s body completely without leaving a single piece of flesh left untouched.

    There is only one down side to this plan. Her spell will not only destroy the beast¡¯s body, but also the sword that is struck inside the body. Just as one might expected, her spell is crazy powerful, that it is enough to melt stone. The fact that she was able to destroy The Bears of Saxifell¡¯s Arcane Puppets effortlessly is evident enough. Although their body isn¡¯t made from the strongest material available, they are still considered to be a strong and durable material. Furthermore, they are tempered and enchanted with various spell to be able to withstand fire based magic. Even those aren¡¯t enough to repel Cyrielle¡¯s attack. And what will a simple sword that is not enchanted with any fire defensive magic will be able to do in front of that power? None. The sword will melt completely.

    To avoid that, we have to extract the sword just at the right moment. We can¡¯t do that after the beast¡¯s body is destroyed since the sword will already be destroyed. We also can¡¯t do that before we destroy the beast¡¯s body since that will only damage the Marked Soul. The only time we can do that is right after the body has been destroyed enough that it is unable to contain the soul. Unfortunately, no one can determine that condition from afar.

    And thus that task fell to me. I fulfilled the two most important criteria for that task. First, I can withstand Cyrielle¡¯s magic by enveloping myself with shield made from pure magic energy while also strengthening my whole body. It will not be enough to make me get away unscathed, but still enough to let me walk away with my life and all of my limbs intact. And secondly, I have the ability to see the exact point when a body is unable to contain any soul.

    In the end, we managed to extract the sword that contained the Marked Soul without damaging the soul any further. We also managed to destroy the corrupted beast completely. That is a big plus for me since if left alone the beast might endanger the town. That is the last thing I want.

    But¡­

    ¡°What is it, Nerva?¡± Reiyes¡¯ voice entered my ear. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with the sword?¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not the sword.¡± If it is the sword, then I wouldn¡¯t have to worry at all. ¡°But¡­the soul inside it.¡±

    ¡°¡­What about it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s weak.¡± I frown as I said that. ¡°Its existence is getting to small. I¡¯m afraid that it might die out soon if we don¡¯t do anything.¡±

    ¡°Argh! Even after all that, we aren¡¯t finished rescuing this stupid soul? I hate this!¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­it is a troubling situation.¡±

    Hearing both of my comrade¡¯s voice of disappointment, I couldn¡¯t help but also agree with them. This particular mission has been such a troubling even one after another. I¡¯m even tempted to agreeing with the fact that the soul we have to rescue is stupid. But let¡¯s not do that since I haven¡¯t really heard the real story behind it.

    ¡°So what are we going to now, Nerva?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­I¡­actually don¡¯t know.¡± I shook my head after that. ¡°I really don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°How long till the soul disappear?¡± Reiyes¡¯ questioned me.

    ¡°¡­A day at most.¡± I looked at the sword as to sense the soul inside it. I think it might even be less than that. Maybe the shock of being pulled away from the corrupted beast affected it much more than I anticipated. Or maybe Cyrielle¡¯s powerful magic affects it too? Ugh¡­whatever the reason, the fact that this soul will withered out if left alone remains.

    ¡°¡­Let me rest for a while.¡± I said to them as I put down the sword. ¡°Maybe I can think of something then.¡±

    ¡°Very well then.¡±

    <hr />

    ¡°Nerva!¡±

    ¡°A-Ah, my dear Eryell.¡± The moment I heard her voice, I felt my fatigue healed. It¡¯s just really soothed my soul to her voice. Call me sentimental. I don¡¯t mind. ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve recovered.¡± The fact that her heartbeats has settled down to her usual one is the only evident that I need to know that. And also that she could run toward me without any sign of her previous injury affecting her.

    ¡°Y-Yes, I have. Thanks to th¨CWhat happened to you!?¡± She screamed out as soon as she realized my condition. Her eyes widened as she said that and her expression grimaced. ¡°Y-Your eyes!? What happened!?¡±

    ¡­Wait¡­My eyes? Oh¡­right¡­I forgot that I still have my Soul Eyes activated. It is too late to deactivate the spell as to not surprise her. Might as well explain it to her. And also I can finally see her beauty. That is an added bonus for me. A very welcomed added bonus for me.

    ¡°This is uhm¡­my magic. It is not permanent, unfortunately.¡± I smiled at her. Yes, it is unfortunate for me that I can¡¯t always see your beautiful face. But that is the fate I have to walk as one that have no eyes.

    ¡°I s-see. A-Are you injured?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Although my clothes are not, but that¡¯s fine.¡± I then gestured toward Reiyes who is still helping me standing up to let me go.

    ¡°Don¡¯t act tough, Nerva.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± After that, he let me go and I tried to stand by my own. ¡°O-Oh!¡±

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    The moment I was leaning forward a bit much, Eryell grabbed my shoulder. Her heartbeats have turned faster, as expected. It seems that I have surprised her again. Please forgive me for that, Eryell. A quiet ¡®I told you so¡¯ from Reiyes reached my ear but I ignored that.

    ¡°Are you really okay? There are¡­burn marks on¡­ your clothes¡­everywhere ¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. Just a little tired for using too much magic.¡± I tried to separate myself as to not worry her, but her grip on my shoulder kept me from doing that. ¡°Really, I¡¯m fine. I just need a moment to recover.¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t push yourself too much.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my dear Eryell. Moreover, how¡¯s Ingolf?¡±

    ¡°Ingolf? Oh, y-yes, Sir Lange. He¡¯s fine but¡­¡± Hmm? Why the pause? That sounded ominous for me.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°He is¡­uhm...¡± Why did she hesitate to say anything? ¡°¡­Let me take you to him.¡±

    ¡°Okay. ¡­Uhm¡­, you can let me go, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­Just let me do it.¡± Hmm? I can¡¯t say no to her when she said that with such a depressed voice and also similarly depressed looks. I guess¡­that¡¯s fine for now.

    <hr />

    ¡°Ah¡­Nerva¡­¡±

    ¡°Ingolf, my friend.¡± Immediately after hearing his tired voice, I tried to inspect his heartbeats. It sounded quite calm and in order. Except from his missing limb, I think he will be all right. He is, of course, in need of a proper medical treatment later on in the town. My potion, although very effective and potent, is still far from being able to heal him properly. The most it can do it stabilize his condition and also to give him extra stamina. ¡°You look fine.¡±

    He then looked at me and I could sense his sight landed onto my glowing eyes. I guess that is understandable. His eyes widened for a split second, but then returned to his usual one. But somehow¡­I couldn¡¯t feel his usual vigor there. I know that he has been in a terrible battle, but¡­this is a bit unexpected. I can see why Eryell hesitated to tell me.

    ¡°¡­I see that you have somehow gained sight, Nerva.¡± He then let out a mocking laugh while still lying down near a tree. ¡°But you are still blind if you can call my condition as fine.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Oh, I understand. His body is not the only thing. It is his spirit that is mostly damaged at this point. No potion can heal that kind of wound. ¡°My dear Eryell, let me sit near him.¡±

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Standing is still difficult for me. Sitting is fine.¡± I said that as I swallowed my pride. Yeah, I can¡¯t fool her after that show of weakness. Might as well be honest. That reminds me. She didn¡¯t scold me or anything even after I¡¯ve been playing tough and didn¡¯t admit to being weak. I guess that¡¯s her way of being considerate. ¡°And¡­I need to have a talk with him.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be right near you if you need anything.¡± She then helped me sit down. I also used the sword together with my cane to support my body to avoid another mishap like before. After that, she really stood near me, as in only a few steps away. I kept feeling her sharp gaze was pointed at me. Let¡¯s just ignore that for now.

    ¡°So Ingolf, my friend. You are indeed not in the best of shape, but certainly not in the worst, right? You¡¯re still alive, after all.¡±

    ¡°Then how about my subordinates?¡± A sharp glare was pointed at me. ¡°How about them? They¡¯re dead! Killed so easily like a fly! That¡­that damn beast! We probably couldn¡¯t bury their body properly either! They¡¯re mangled! And after I said to them that I will lead them. Now look at me!¡± His frown worsened. ¡°What a weakling I am. Not only that I led them to their death, I¡¯ve lost my arm. Is that what you called fine, Nerva!?¡± I could say that his frustration is justified.

    We just looked at each other in silence. I could sense that his heartbeats have turned higher, sign of him becoming angrier and angrier. But then it lowered down. Combined that with the heavy sigh he let out and also his expression, it seemed that he felt worse by the minute.

    ¡°And here I thought that I have gotten stronger.¡± Then a loud laugh came out of his mouth. It was not a laugh of joy, but a laugh of self-deprecation. ¡°I trained hard every single day. I meditated to increase my magic. I followed your every advises. I even have a damn warning in my dream! Every single damn day! And¡­look what I¡¯ve reached. Nothing¡­Only death¡­and death¡­and death¡­¡± He grimaced as he said that. His vision was thrown onto the far, as if he might find an answer on the horizon.

    I could feel my chest tightened as I heard his every self-mocking word. I didn¡¯t really predict him to be that mortified at the way the event has unfolded. I know that he is a serious person, but to feel it to that extent.

    The man in front of me really lost his spirit. There is not a single trace of his gallant attitude that he displayed when he fought against me. Not a single bit left. His spirit is wounded more than his body. I guess what burdened him the most might be the thought that since he has received prophetic dreams over and over again, he felt responsible to be the one that can prevent the worst from happening. In reality, he did prevent the worst. But a lot of damage was inflicted upon his unit. From what I¡¯ve heard from Reiyes¡¯ report, the beast has managed to decimate a lot of the knights. Even those that were pulled away from the battlefield have mostly died, unable to recover in time. The casualty is quite a lot. It is not the worst result, but still very bad.

    But¡­this might be the answer to my problem. I know that I might sound heartless when I said this. What befall on those knights is anything but my responsibilities. The only life I am concern with at the moment it people close to me, myself, and the one stated in my mission, the Marked Soul. At the moment, my life and the people close to me is quite safe. We are exhausted, but safe. The Marked Soul however, is in danger of vanishing out of existence. The situation at the moment is actually good for me. I can use Ingolf¡¯s current condition to my advantage. I can save the soul easily. The price¡­will be paid by him.

    ¡°Ingolf, my friend.¡± He didn¡¯t react even after I called him. ¡°You are weak.¡± Oh, a twitch from his eyes. ¡°Just as you said. There¡¯s nothing to argue about that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± He remained silent. But that twitch was enough to tell me that he heard me.

    ¡°Nerva, don¡¯t you think th¨C¡° I raised my hand before Eryell could finish her words, stopping her. I know that I seemed cruel, but please bear with it.

    ¡°But realizing that is a good thing. It is much better than to claim yourself strong without knowing your true worth. With knowing your weakness, you can improve yourself.¡±

    ¡°Huh! As if improving myself will do me any good. Do you think I just sat there without doing anything?¡±

    ¡°Let me tell you something. What you¡¯ve done in term of ¡®improving yourself¡¯ is training and more training, right?¡± I then looked at him. ¡°You¡¯ve done all you could. And that is the limit mere training could bring you too.¡±

    ¡°Are you¡­suggesting that there is something else?¡± A smile crept on my face. I then put forward the sword. He then scowled at me. ¡°Is that your suggestion? A better weapon?¡±

    ¡°Better weapon is another solution. It will make you stronger. But then your own self is still weak. Nothing¡¯s change. This, my friend, is just a medium to gain that strength.¡±

    ¡°Are you taking me for a fool?¡± Oh, he is angered. Not the best reaction, but still a reaction.

    ¡°No, no, no. Hear me first.¡± I let out a cough before starting. ¡°For starter, you are weak. You even admit that. But now that you¡¯ve lost one of your arms, you are much weaker than before. Combined that with the guilt you are carrying in your heart, not only your body is weak, your spirit is also weak. Much weaker than before. In fact, in your current condition, you can¡¯t really fulfill your duty as a knight.¡±

    ¡°Nerva!¡±

    ¡°No, Ms. Reystone.¡± Ingolf lifted his hand to stopped Eryell from rebuking me. ¡°He is right. I¡¯m far from strong. Much less now with one of my arm missing. And¡­he¡¯s right. I¡­couldn¡¯t fill my duty anymore¡­not in this wretched condition.¡± Actually, he could. It¡¯s not his body that kept him from doing that. It is his heavily weighed mind. But I kept silent.

    ¡°In this weapon, there is a¡­hmm¡­Curse? Blessing? Well¡­something along that line. Whether it is a curse or a blessing, you have to decide. But one thing is certain. You can gain strength from this sword. You can even recover your missing limb again.¡± A glint of hope appeared in his hopeless gaze. ¡°It has similar strength as to what gave me this soul eyes,¡± I said while pointing at my glowing eyes. ¡°So what do you say, my friend?¡±

    ¡°¡­Is there any catch?¡± I expected that. ¡°It is a deal too good to be true wasted on someone like me. What¡¯s the catch, Nerva?¡±

    ¡°Sharp. Even in your condition you still retain your sharp mind. Impressive.¡± I clapped my hand several times, earning a glare from him. And probably from Eryell too since I felt an unpleasant sensation from behind me. ¡°In exchange for a new limb and also strength you have never imagined, your life will change.¡±

    ¡°Change? In a good way or a bad way?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I shook my head lightly. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know. You might be chosen as the kingdom¡¯s greatest warrior. Or you might be framed by someone due to jealousy and forced to live as a wanted men, fleeing onto another country. You might get plunge straight into the middle of a struggle of power between two noble clans.¡± I looked at him. ¡°The possibility is endless. The only certain thing is that your life will never be a dull one. Is that a good thing? Is that a bad thing? You decide.¡±

    ¡°¡­Can I have some ti¨C¡°

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but no.¡± I stopped his sentence. ¡°This thing will lose its power soon. If you want it, you have to get it now.¡± I looked at his expression and also tried to hear his heartbeats. All the sign led me to think that all he need is one little push. ¡°Personally, I want you to have it since you have the potential to use the power reside in this sword. I can feel it. Trust the one that has trained you for the last few days.¡±

    After that, no one speak a single word. Just by looking at his expression, I could know that Ingolf is weighing his choice carefully. He should be. The one in the line is his own future after all.

    A few moments passed without any sign of him saying anything. Then he stood up and looked at me. His eyes showed not a single sign of hesitation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no turning back after that. Just a friendly last warning.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m sure of it.¡± He nodded. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m coming back without a good set of arm.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± I clapped my hand once and then stood. I then grabbed the sword by the hilt and walked near him. ¡°Take it,¡± I said to him as I put forward the weapon. He immediately grabbed it without a sign of hesitation with his remaining hand. That is good. That will make the whole process much faster.

    ¡°¡­Now what?¡± A confused expression appeared on his face as nothing happened. Did he just think that some kind of strength will enter his body just like that? Well, there are some magic artifacts that can do that, but that sword is not one of that.

    ¡°It will not do anything. It needs a catalyst to work.¡±

    ¡°And the catalyst is w¨CGUH!!!¡± Ingolf couldn¡¯t finish his words. The reason? Because I planted my hand inside his chest. But not a single drop of blood could be seen. ¡°W-What is this!?¡±

    ¡°Nerva! What are you do¨CWhat!?  Let me through!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, milady.¡± I could hear Cyrielle¡¯s voice from behind me. It seemed that she stopped Eryell from interfering with my ¡®work¡¯. ¡°I advise you to stand back for your safety and also your friend¡¯s safety.¡± Although what she said is not wrong, the way she phrased it made it somewhat unnerving and worrying.

    I wanted to give an explanation, but doing so might break my concentration. With that in my mind, I continued my plan. I glanced at Ingolf and saw his face was shocked. There might not be blood or anything, but that doesn¡¯t mean that what I did to him was painless. It might¡­sting a bit.

    ¡°Close your eyes and concentrate.¡± I said to him. ¡°Forget everything around you and focus your mind.¡±

    ¡°H-Huh?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask. Do it.¡± Although I could sense some hesitation from his eyes, he followed my instruction. I am thankful that he trusted me to that extent.

    As he did that, I felt a sudden change inside him. I can feel his soul pulsing. Without wasting any time, I quickly pour power into that the direction of his soul and then onto the soul inside the sword. The moment my power connected with those two, I pulled out my hand and then took a step back. Together with that, I felt my sight started to dim out.

    ¡°N-Nerva, your eyes¡­¡±

    Yes, the glow of my Soul Eyes has faded out slightly that it has turned into a dim glow. I will soon return to being blind once again. That last act of connecting those two souls has taken quite a bit of my magic energy, making it impossible for me to continue using soul eyes for long.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ingolf. You have a much more important thing to be concern of.¡± I smiled at him. ¡°Oh, do bite your teeth.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What do you¨CGUUUAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!¡± The sound of him falling onto his knees reached my ears after his painful shout.

    Then his arm that has been bitten off by the beast started to glow. The glowing limb got brighter as Ingolf¡¯s shout got louder. It seems that the amount of pain has increased with each passing time.

    After a few seconds ¨Cwhich I presumed might feel like a lot longer for him¨C the glow stopped. Then the stump that was there is replaced by a muscular looking arm that has not a single trace of wound on it. I let out a breath of relief as I see that. That means that the soul has been connected and has strengthened each other. The Marked Soul is finally saved for good.

    <hr />

    Author Note:

    The next is the epilogue.

    Once again, I''m sorry for updating this after a month.

    Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!