Chapitre 14: 14: Porteur’s Decision
"Tsk! What a beast! Who would have thought that this brat would be this powerful!" Scipione lamented as he stretched his aching body. There were deep cuts and wounds all over, but he did not care one bit.
He stared at the unconscious boy in front of him. "If not for this mission, you would have been my ideal combat partner and companion. Too bad you became my prey."
Scipione was sure that the boy would grow even stronger as he got older. "Level four at such an age. Damn! Life really was not fair!" At that age, he was merely a fragile child. Looking at the young boy, he was sure that he would grow up to become the strongest emperor in the future.
After a tiring battle, Scipione decided that it was time to finish this mission. With just a swing of his hands, a messenger eagle suddenly came out.
"Go. Relay my message to Her Highness. Tell her, I finally caught the lamb." Being an animal made of magic, the eagle gained a sentience on its own and flew with its master's orders.
"It is time." With a contented grin on his face, Scipione finally dragged the boy towards the secret meeting place.
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On the other side, Kalliste could not help but check over her shoulder a few times. Something was definitely amiss; however, she just could not pinpoint it. Her gut told her so. At first, she tried to ignore it, but as she continued to walk further away, the more her heart pounded like the loud bang of drums that she used to play as a child. It does not help that Rowan was not by her side.
"What if the kid got into trouble? Or worse, danger?" A multitude of hypothetical scenarios raced through her mind. A part of her screamed that he was indeed in danger; however, her brain shouted that he was not her responsibility anymore. At that moment, her mind and heart battled for dominance.
"Ah! Enough is enough! I should no longer involve myself in any of the characters. I have already done so much more than I thought. I better back down before I totally ruin everything." Kalliste pulled out her hair, not minding the painful stretching of her scalp.
"I needed to focus on my own goals now." To relax her mind, she took a few deep breaths.
"To a new lif... Gah!" She couldn't even finish her sentence when Porteur suddenly appeared.
"What the hell! At least give me a warning before you pop out of nowhere! I'm going to have a heart attack because of you!" Kalliste dramatically took a few steps back as she gripped her chest while pointing fingers at Porteur.
On the other hand, the man had a huge question mark on his face. "I have never heard of the word hell? And heart attack? At your age? Really?"
Kalliste narrowed her eyes at him. Though he tried to compose himself, he could not hide anything before her.
"What happened to you? You looked like you literally entered hell and returned."
The man in front of her was huffing so hard. His hair was a complete mess. The stench of burnt flesh didn't alleviate the situation. His once neat clothes were now ruined with dirt, fresh and dried blood, as well as holes all over. There were also some visible wounds and cuts all over his body.
"Not good! My old group discovered that I was still alive and betrayed them. I barely managed to escape Rique's wrath when I ran into Scipione. He now had the prince in his grasp, and if he adhered to the original plan, the boy would face instant death upon the queen's arrival! We need to do something, My Lady!"
The unexpected news made her eyes widen in shock. Her expressions immediately darkened. However, before she could say anything, realisation hit her like a ton of rocks.
'What was I thinking? I have already made a promise to myself.' With that in mind, her shoulders dropped, and she hung her head low.
"My Lady? What's wrong? We do not have much time. It would be better to rescue him now before the queen arrives."
Kalliste clenched her fists tightly as she bit her lip hard. Droplets of blood instantly flew out of her mouth, but she did not care. She did not know how to react or what to think at the moment.
Seeing the red liquid that suddenly stained her porcelain face, Porteur gasped as he quickly closed their distance.
"My Lady? Are you alright? Why was there blood on…"
"Mr. Aim."
Porteur's heart almost skipped a beat when he heard the cold voice. He immediately stopped on his track. A cold chill ran down his spine when their eyes met. She had an emotionless look on her face as she stared at him. As though she could see through his soul. The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
"What's thi… Urgh!" With a loud bang, Porteur fell on his knees as he gasped for some air. He could not even begin to comprehend just how much mana she had, as he was easily overwhelmed.
His guts screamed at him that she would kill him with a simple snap of her fingers, even though she was just standing there.
"You seemed to be forgetting something. Though I acted mature, I am also only a child myself. I would only say this once, so listen carefully. That boy was not my responsibility anymore. From today onwards, whatever happened to him would be the result of his own written destiny. If he wanted to achieve greatness, then he must walk and experience all kinds of paths on his own. Whether his life was on the line or not, he must bear through it. This experience would serve as his strongest and greatest foundation, paving the way for his eventual rise to become a great Emperor." As the words escaped her lips, Kalliste closed her eyes and turned her back on him with a heavy heart.
She finally lets out a deep sigh as she finds the strength to walk away, leaving Porteur with mixed emotions.
'Did those words really come out of the mouth of a little girl who was barely seven years old?' The sight of her walking away left Porteur speechless, but he quickly composed himself. He had never seen a child who talked, moved, and thought like an old person. He felt like he was with an old sage every time she opened her mouth.
"Maybe you are right. I became excited when I saw the fact you are powerful, godlike even, forgetting that you were also a child. However, I saw in you the qualities that I have never seen in other people. That was why I chose to betray my comrades and follow you as my new master." Porteur's face turned grim and serious as he clenched his fists and turned around.
"Following a child like you seemed to be a mistake on my part. I apologise for disturbing your precious time." Porteur had already made up his mind. He would rescue the prince, even at the cost of his life. It would be his compensation for everything that he has done in his life.
"May you have a peaceful and content life, my lady. Goodbye."
When the words hit her ears, Kalliste stopped in her tracks. She quickly turned around, fists clenched and a huge tick mark on her face, only to find Porteur nowhere in sight. Kalliste facepalmed as she let out a loud and irritated sigh. At that moment, her resolve slowly crumbled.
"That guy! What does he expect from a six-year-old frail lady like me to do?" Kalliste stomped on her foot a few times.
"This is driving me nuts! Fine. This would be the last time!" With that, she swiftly followed Porteur's trail, all while spewing curses on her terrible luck.
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The night was already deep when Porteur finally reached the secret hideout. An abandoned mansion. He was now on top of a tall tree, quietly observing the whole area.
"It seemed that the Queen was not here yet," he muttered as he began to move swiftly from branches to branches for a closer inspection. He positioned himself on a tall tree, which was only a few meters away from the entrance.
"Wow! Look at that mansion. Its huge!"
When he suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind him, Porteur almost screamed in surprise. Fortunately, he managed to balance himself; otherwise, he would have fallen off the tree. He quickly backed to a corner out of instinct.
"Surprise?"
Porteur narrowed his eyes on the little girl in front of him.
"You? What are you doing here?" Though he acted tough and angry, he was actually pleased inside. Her presence meant that he would get out of here alive. He might look like an idiot for relying on a small child to survive, but he did not care one bit. 'I know what I saw! I am a living witness to how this fragile-looking little girl butchered thousands of monsters that day. Especially the gargoyle. Something that would take four or five six-circled mages and above could only hope to trap, let alone kill. But she easily killed it with her own hands, using an ability that I have never seen before!'
"You asked why I'm here?"
Porteur gulped as he suddenly felt an overwhelming mana coming from her. She now wore a menacing grin on her face.
"You… you don't have to…"
"As I followed you here, I also asked myself similar questions. Every time I gazed upon young children like you, it brought memories of a distant past. A past in which I only lived by the dogma of my own creed that I, Kalliste Vespera, should never involve myself with others. At one point, I had an insatiable thirst for surpreme power and knowledge. Upon satisfying that thirst, I finally came to understand the true purpose of my existence. However, after living for more than a century, I eventually became bored. There was nothing that could give me thrills any longer, and the passion I once had died out after a while. I mean, the romance of discovery had faded away." Kalliste suddenly paused for a moment when she saw the looks on Porteur's face.
"Hmm? Sir Aim?"
"Uh, yes?"
"Are you listening to my story?"
"Y-yeah."
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"How bad was the situation?" Kalliste's face turned serious as she observed the area.
"Not good. Though the front gate only had four knights, the inside of the mansion was another story. We couldn't enter the mansion without drawing attention." Even Porteur now had a serious face, as he explained in detail.
"Is there another exit? Or a secret tunnel?"
"As far as I knew, there were four exits to this mansion. There would undoubtedly be heavy guards at the first three exits, day and night, but the fourth one remained undiscovered. Only the former lord of this mansion knew about it, but he now lives in the kingdom of Angevin. Rumours say that when his family faced a tragic end at the hands of the monsters, he used the fourth exit to leave this place alone, leaving them to die in the attack."
"Any alternatives on how to get in?"
"The mysterious tower on the west wing of this mansion would be our only choice. Given its reputation as a haunted place, we should expect fewer knights. That is, of course, if you are not afraid of ghosts."
A cold chill suddenly ran down her spine. Her body trembled slightly as she gulped in what she heard. The only one that gave her chills were all the things invisible to the naked eye.
"So you are afraid of ghosts." Porteur's face now had a mischievous grin. Seeing her terrified expression, he felt like he had won a tournament. 'Got you.'
"Just shut up and lead the way!" Kalliste almost screamed in embarrassment. She quickly jumped down the tree to conceal the tinge of red that flushed on her face.
Meanwhile, Porteur held his chin. The mischievous grin was still on his face as he watched her disappear in the distance.
'Who would have thought that this little demon would be afraid of ghosts, of all things?'
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"Wow! It's really high!" Kalliste stated with so much sarcasm as she gazed at the seemingly endless staircase with wide eyes. They were now inside the tower. Despite her best efforts, she was unable to see the end of the stairs.
"We should not waste any more time, my lady. We have to hurry." Porteur said as he started to climb.
"Damn it! Just how high was this tower? I could not see the end of this staircase!" The pregnant silence was shattered when Kalliste finally lamented after a while. Sweat rushed down her face like a waterfall. Her breath was already hot and rapid, and her body was starting to sway from exhaustion.
"The former lord was a mana fanatic, so he had this whole mansion protected by a barrier. Even after abandonment, the mana on this place seemed to remain strong."
"So you are saying we could only reach the top if we resisted that magic?"
"I'm afraid, yes."
"You have got to be kidding me!"
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It took awhile before she could overcome the barrier due to her small body. Her consciousness almost left her when they finally reached the top. If not for Porteur helping her every once in awhile, her young body might have given up along the way.
"Are you alright, my lady?"
Instead of answering, she slumped to the hard floor. "Five minutes! Please give me a five-minute break! I think I'm going to die. I could not even feel my body!"
Instead of answering, Porteur just stared at her. 'It was already amazing that she managed to reach the top of this tower without much of a fuss.'
"It can't be helped then. Forgive me for being rude, my lady." Without any further ado, he quickly carried her on his arms.
The sudden action startled the hell out of her. In all her years of being alive, she had never experienced something like this.
"Hey! What are you doing? Put me down now!" She yelled as she struggled to go down, but the man in front of him just laughed it off.
"Please relax and just enjoy the ride, little lady."
Seeing the determined look on his face, she gave in.
"Whatever. Let's just go." A flash of embarrassment crossed her face before focussing her attention on the dark hallway.
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone