章 30: Chapter 28: The Knights’ Hesitation
A week had passed since Ellize had been confined.
Rex, one of the members of the saint's guard, stood in front of her door, deep in thought. Had they really made the right choice? He asked himself that question every single day, and he wasn't the only one—all of the knights spent hours in a vicious cycle of self-loathing and attempted justification day after day.
After defeating the witch, the saint would die... They still didn't know why, but they knew that much was true. Never had a saint survived after slaying the witch in the past. That was what had motivated them to work with King Aiz—surely he was right, they'd convinced themselves—and betray Ellize.
They'd convinced themselves that dirtying their honor was a small price to pay if it meant Ellize would live. However, they couldn't help but wonder if they were simply fooling themselves. Perhaps they hadn't betrayed Ellize for her sake... Perhaps they'd betrayed her for theirown sakes. They told themselves that they were ready to do anything to avoid losing her, even if it meant turning into a traitor...but those were only petty excuses. At the end of the day, weren't they just living in a lie?
Ever since she'd been trapped, Ellize hadn't blamed Rex a single time. However, this was much harder for him to handle than her ire. He'd expected to hear Ellize call him a traitor, to be on the receiving end of curses, but he hadn't prepared himself for the very opposite.
In fact, Ellize hadn't said a word of reproach to any of them. She simply gazed at the outside world through the window with a sad face. Every time he and the other knights saw her do that, they suffered terrible pangs to their conscience.
He knew that sometimes, in the quiet of her room, she prayed. She must have been praying for the souls of the innocent people who were bound to suffer. Now that she couldn't save them with her own two hands, she could only resort to prayers. Even in such a situation, Ellize's thoughts were still of the people.
Ellize's purity forced Rex to reflect on his actions. He couldn't help but think what he'd done was immoral—that he'd sinned.
"Rex, tell me, have people been hurt by the witch or her monsters today?" Ellize asked through the door.
"No, Lady Ellize. The witch has yet to show herself... As for the monsters, the soldiers and vigilantes are taking care of them without issue. We haven't received any worrisome reports."
"I see. That's good to hear."
Ellize was truly always thinking of the people. She didn't spend any of her time on self-pity. Instead, she only cared about others. No matter the circumstances, she was the perfect saint.
What in the world am I doing? Rex wondered. He felt tears well up in his eyes. He'd betrayed his master, forced her into confinement to protect some makeshift peace... How could he call himself a knight?
"Emergency! Intruders have entered the castle!" a runner yelled at Rex.
Intruders?
Even though he'd betrayed her, Rex was still determined to protect the saint with everything he had. He and the other guard member that had been stationed in front of Ellize's door exchanged a look, their expressions grave.
"The intruders appear to be students of the Training Institute for Magic Knights! Their goal might be to help the saint escape! They're skilled—the guards haven't been able to subdue them yet!"
"Got it. I'll head there myself immediately," Rex said.
As it turned out, the intruders weren't monsters. They were simply students that wanted to rescue Ellize.
How childish...and yet, how courageous. At the very least, they deserve to be knights much more than I do, Rex thought, letting out a sigh in despair.
◇
Verner and Eterna were spotted five minutes after they'd broken into the castle. They didn't know the first thing about infiltration, but even if they had been trained assassins, they would've had a hard time sneaking into such a heavily protected facility.
The royal family of the Bilberry Kingdom had moved into the saint's castle to monitor Ellize. On top of the ten members of her guard and several knights, they'd brought along plenty of soldiers. Although their main goal was to ensure Ellize wouldn't escape—not to fend off outside threats—they were all on edge.
Verner and Eterna were talented students, but they were students nonetheless. There was no way they could've entered the castle undetected. And so, the two were currently on the run, dashing through the castle's corridors and trying their hardest to avoid capture by the soldiers.
"You're such an idiot! Why don't you ever use your brain, Verner?!" Eterna's voice echoed through the castle.
Her indignation was very justified. She'd thought that Verner had a plan since he'd approached the castle so confidently. As it turned out, though, his idea of discretion had been beating up the first guards he'd seen with the sword he'd received from Ellize and barging in through the front door.
Needless to say, their approach hadn't cut it. They'd been immediately surrounded by soldiers just like that.
The word "musclehead" must've been invented for him, Eterna thought. He'd worked out so much that even his useless cerebellum subscribed to the idea of brawn over brain.
"Damn..." Verner uttered, looking for a gap between the soldiers.
He wanted to rescue Ellize. His plan hadn't been to fight soldiers, much less wound or kill them. Although the soldiers couldn't compare to knights, they were still much stronger than the average conscript—Verner couldn't just ignore them. There was a reason they'd been entrusted with the security of the castle.
Just as Verner wondered what to do, two blasts of magic flew in—one ice, one fire—and forced the soldiers to scatter. The quick shift in temperature shattered their weapons into pieces, and everyone's attention shifted toward the point of origin of the attacks.
A most incongruous team—Aina and Marie—had arrived to save the day.
"We'll hold them off so you can go ahead! Hurry!"
"Sorry... We're late."
"Why are you two here?!" Verner exclaimed. He was astonished—he never would've thought they'd come after their earlier reaction.
"Isn't it obvious? We're here to take our saint back! I spent a long time thinking about what I ought to be doing, but screw it! The right answer doesn't matter! For now, the only thing that does matter is paying back my debt to Lady Ellize! The rest can wait!" Aina declared.
"I...agree. I'll focus on...helping my friends...for now."
They'd both decided to discard any anxiety they held for the future and focus on the present instead.
Aina's benefactor had been thrown in jail. For the time being, her only priority was to get her out of there. As for Marie, her friends were ready to give up everything to save Ellize. She'd do everything she could to help them. That was all there was to it.
They were only able to choose such a path because of their naive youthfulness, but their strategy—or lack thereof—was as valid a choice as any. If you were too focused on finding the right answer before acting, you'd risk being unable to take a step forward when it mattered most. And so, Aina and Marie had decided to act first and worry about the consequences later.
"Verner, Eterna, go!" Aina exclaimed, creating a tunnel of fire to open up a path for her friends.
Verner and Eterna did as they were told, dashing through the tunnel. As soon as they'd reached the other side, Aina closed off the tunnel and created a wall of flames in its stead. The soldiers couldn't follow them.
Although Aina and Marie had helped them out of one sticky situation, Verner and Eterna found their path blocked again once they reached the stairs. The man standing in front of them was on another level altogether; they could feel it.
"You kids sure are courageous," he commended, drawing his sword. "If you turn back right now, I'll pretend I haven't seen anything."
There wasn't a single weak point in his stance.
A knight. No, he's not any knight—he's like Miss Layla... Verner understood immediately. "Are you a member of Lady Ellize's guard?"
The man was the cream of the crop—an elite knight who was allowed to serve at the saint's side. Verner was a mere student—a first-year, at that. He couldn't hope to compare. Still, he wasn't willing to back down. If he did, he knew that he would never be able to become the sort of knight he aspired toward.
Instead, Verner drew his sword and took a step forward, ready to fight it out. Suddenly, an arrow cut through the air right next to him and flew straight at the knight.
The man easily blocked it with his sword before looking past Verner. John and Fiora were standing there. They walked up to Verner, weapons in hand.
"John, Fiora... You guys came too..."
"You go ahead, Verner. We'll handle things here," John said, looking at the knight fiercely. For some reason, he knew deep inside that Verner had to be the one to get to Ellize. His job was to open up a path for him.
Verner stared at them, looking incredibly confused.
"I lost my way," John explained with a faint self-depreciatory smile. "I was scared of facing the entire country and I froze. I'm so ashamed, you have no idea... Lady Ellize, she...she never hesitated to dive into danger for the sake of her people."
He closed his eyes and images flowed through his mind. Ellize had saved him. She'd taken on an army of monsters all by herself to protect him and his comrades. She hadn't given up because her opponent was too strong, too big, or too numerous. She'd simply given it her all and protected everyone—protected him. And yet, when the time to repay his debt had come, he'd gotten cold feet. What a joke. He was the worst.
Fiora spoke up next. "I'm the same. I started pondering over trivial matters, wondering if saving her was the right thing to do... I started thinking that maybe the world would be better off with her locked up...and that maybe she would be happier too. It's stupid, isn't it? Lady Ellize is nothing like that. She saved me without stopping to wonder whether she should or shouldn't, so why did I end up freezing and overanalyzing everything when she needed me?"
After Ellize had saved Fiora, she'd told her something. She'd said she wanted to help the people she could reach. Ellize never worried about what she could gain from helping people—she simply did it.
Fiora had made a vow back then. She'd sworn that she'd stop wasting her time, and above all, she'd dedicate her life to her savior. And yet, she hadn't been able to make up her mind immediately like Verner had. That was why she was certain of one thing—that Verner, the only one who hadn't wavered, had to be the one who rescued Ellize.
"Go!" Fiora and John screamed at the same time.
John dashed forward, crossing swords with the knight. As for Fiora, she supported him from behind with her arrows. The knight was distracted for a second as he cut down one of her arrows. John made use of the opportunity to kick him in the chest, sending him flying.
Thanks to them, the stairway was free. Verner immediately started running up the stairs, followed by Eterna, who'd needed a few seconds to react.
John smiled, watching them disappear, before turning to face the knight.
"I remember your face. John, isn't it?" the knight asked. "As I recall, you quit your position as a soldier to enter the academy."
"I'm honored, Lord Rex. To think a member of the saint's guard would remember a lowly soldier..."
"Of course I remember you. I wouldn't forget the face of a man destined to join our ranks."
The two of them crossed swords a few times before retreating, creating some distance. Before long, they both jumped forward and their swords clashed again, sending sparks scattering in the air at the impact. They looked into each other's eyes.
"I always thought we'd find ourselves fighting side by side, yet, here we are," Rex, the knight, said with a sigh. "How regrettable..."
"What's truly regrettable is what you've become," John replied. "You look like you have no idea why you're fighting anymore. I can see it in your eyes."
Rex let out another sigh. "You sure know how to hit where it hurts..."
John and Rex continued to trade blows. It wasn't so much a fight as a conversation, and they were letting their swords do the talking for them. They seemed to be trying to convey their thoughts to the other and convince themselves that they were in the right at the same time... Or at least, that was the feeling Fiora got as she watched them.
Verner and Eterna could hear the clashing noise of their blades, but they continued to make their way up regardless.
Ellize's room was on the fifth floor—the highest location in the castle. However, Verner and Eterna had barely reached the second floor when they ran into the one person they'd least wanted to see.
The figure in front of them stood at 167 centimeters—a whopping two centimeters taller than the average man. Her imposing figure didn't seem to have any vulnerable points. Her black, glossy hair was tightly bound in a neat ponytail. She donned a full set of silver armor—proof of her status as a member of the saint's guard—and clutched her treasured sword, which she'd received when she'd stepped up as the new head of the guard.
Even though she was a woman, she'd defeated Fox and had taken his position. At barely twenty years of age, she stood at the very top of the echelon and was the closest confidant of the saint. However, while she usually carried herself with the utmost dignity and confidence, she currently looked like a puppy scared of being scolded by her master.
"Miss Layla..." Verner called the name of the pitiful traitor quietly.
(2.3k word count)
A/n: I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, I'm currently editing the chapters. Q__Q
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