Chapter 115: Clumsy Intentions
After binding Caelum's hands with the black handcuffs, an artifact known for disrupting the wearer's mana flow which made them unable to use any form of magic, Seraphina stood motionless for a moment, taking a brief time to steady her breath. The battle had taken more out of her than she wanted to admit. She was nearly ready to go toward where Arwyn was, to see if she needed any help, but she could not bring herself to move just yet. She had decided to trust Arwyn. That woman was strong enough to hold her ground.
But soon, those creatures appeared again. The same monsters from before, wrapped in dark cloaks with claws sharp enough to tear through steel, came rushing toward her, only this time their numbers had multiplied beyond what she had faced earlier. Seraphina raised her sword once again, her silver armor catching the faint glimmer of moonlight, and though she managed to obliterate every single one of them, the price she paid was heavier than before. Her movements had slowed, her breath had grown uneven, and even her strikes were not as precise as before. She was exhausted, drained from her previous battle, and this time there were simply too many of them to avoid every blow.
A long, crimson line stretched across her pale face as blood fell down her cheek, staining the silver edge of her armor which now bore several deep scratches and dents. Her once-neat hair had turned slightly disheveled, the silver strands clinging to her temples, yet she paid them little mind. Soon, a few knights arrived after hearing the violent clash that had echoed through the streets. She gave them a simple order, handing Caelum over to their custody, before she turned and sprinted toward the direction where Arwyn was supposed to be.
It took her only a few more moments to reach the place. When she arrived, she found herself standing in a wide, open road bordered by the riverbank on one side and a line of houses on the other. The area was not crowded; it looked almost eerily empty, yet what drew her attention immediately was the strange state of everything around her. The ground was soaked as though a sudden flood had passed through. The trees shimmered faintly under the moonlight, their branches clutched by a thin crust of ice. Even the river was behaving strangely, its water roaring and surging as if it had been forcefully restrained and then released all at once.
Seraphina frowned faintly and murmured, "What happened here…"
She walked further down the road, her boots splashing through shallow puddles, her eyes scanning every shadow and corner. There was no one in sight. Eventually, she reached a stone bridge that connected the two sides of the river, but the bridge itself was far from stable. Part of the side wall had crumbled, and cracks ran through its surface as if an intense battle had taken place there. It was only when she stepped closer that she noticed a figure standing quietly near the edge.
Leaning against the side of the bridge, with the moon's reflection flickering across the rippling water below, stood a woman with long black hair. Her posture was weary, her eyes half-closed as she gazed into the river's reflection. Seraphina recognized her instantly.
Walking closer, she called out softly, "Eska…"
Eska turned her head, her expression calm but distant, and said quietly, "It's you… Captain."
Seraphina stopped beside her and asked, "Can you tell me what happened here exactly? Did someone attack you?"
Eska remained silent for a long moment before she began to speak. Her tone was steady, but behind it was a tremor that betrayed the exhaustion she was hiding. She told Seraphina everything she could remember... or at least what she claimed to remember. As she listened, Seraphina realized her earlier assumption about the knight Rowen had been partly right. The only thing she was wrong about was that Rowen had not been acting of his own will; he had been brainwashed. Which meant that someone else was the true mastermind behind everything that had happened... from Caelum's false arrest to Eska's suffering, from the hiring of bandits meant to kill her to the incident involving the stolen relic.
It became clearer that Caelum himself might never have been part of the plan at all. After returning from prison, he too must have fallen under the same influence. But what shocked Seraphina the most was learning that the person orchestrating everything from the shadows had been none other than her old friend, Effie.
Seraphina reached out and placed a hand on Eska's shoulder, though she wasn't sure what she was trying to offer. Comfort? Reassurance? Perhaps both, though neither seemed enough. The girl before her had suffered far too much, and all of it was the consequence of the order's negligence. Seraphina's chest felt heavy with guilt. She had failed her once already, and now she could not even find the words to ask for forgiveness. Wouldn't such words only deepen her wounds? No, she thought, what Eska needed was not sympathy, but proof that Seraphina was still capable of protecting those who relied on her.
Then, Eska broke the silence. Her voice was quiet, almost too calm, and she forced a small, tired smile as she said, "Captain… you should know. The person who defeated Effie wasn't Lieutenant Arwyn."
Seraphina turned her gaze sharply toward her. "Then who was it?"
There was a long silence before Eska spoke again, her eyes drifting back toward the river as if recalling something distant. "A man wearing a long black coat and a mask. I couldn't see his face clearly… it was hidden. I'm sorry, Captain, I don't know who he was."
Seraphina's eyes narrowed slightly. "I see. Did he kill your friend?"
Eska slowly shook her head. "No. He looked furious with her and seemed ready to strike her down, but something... or someone... appeared out of nowhere, threw him aside with overwhelming strength, and then took Effie away. It happened so fast I could hardly tell what I was seeing, but I'm certain that's what happened."
Seraphina took a deep breath and nodded faintly. "Alright. Do you know where Lieutenant Arwyn is? Or have you seen a short man with messy brown hair anywhere nearby?"
Eska tilted her head and pointed behind her. "There."
Seraphina followed her gaze and saw a half-ruined house that leaned dangerously toward the river, almost hanging over it. She turned back to Eska and said gently, "Would you mind waiting here for me? I'll be quick."
Eska nodded quietly, and with that, Seraphina started toward the house. As she moved, her thoughts wandered restlessly toward the masked man. She was almost certain he was the one who had killed the knight before, yet the same man had now appeared again and saved the very woman tied to that crime. It was strange... too strange.
Did Eska know more about him than she was admitting? Could she be hiding something? Perhaps. But what caught her attention even more was what Eska had said earlier... someone else had taken Effie away. Who was that person? What connection did they have to Effie? And for what reason had they taken her?
Seraphina had no answers, only a growing number of questions. Still, she was sure of one thing. The masked man had no direct connection with Effie's plan or that mysterious person who had appeared. He was a separate player, acting on his own accord, almost as if he stood between justice and vengeance, untouched by either side. Perhaps he had saved Eska out of some sense of righteousness, or perhaps for reasons even darker than that.
Whatever the reason, murder was still murder. No act of supposed justice could erase that truth. She would find him, no matter how long it took, and she would bring him before the order to face his judgment. But the real problem was that she had no clue who he was. No trace, no name, no direction. The man was like a shadow that appeared and vanished whenever he pleased, leaving only chaos behind.
She could only wonder if there was any possible way to uncover who he truly was.
She landed lightly on the side wall of the roof and raised her gaze forward. In front of her, a young man with messy brown hair was sitting down and seemed to be doing something to the unmoving figure lying before him. He appeared far too absorbed in whatever he was doing to even notice her presence. Watching him sitting there, alive and in one piece, her lips almost formed a faint smile, but it soon twisted into mild irritation as she realized that the person he was busy with was none other than her friend.
What in the world was he doing in that position?
To confirm, she asked coldly, "What are you doing with her?"
Kael turned his head slightly, his gray eyes catching the moonlight in a faint shimmer, and a dark grin curved along his lips. He gave a short laugh before replying, "Why, you ask? Can you see this woman lying in front of me? Yes, this beautiful woman... you wouldn't believe what I've discovered about her. She's... she's unbelievably heavy."
Seraphina raised an eyebrow, her expression flat but puzzled. "What? How do you even know that?"
Kael sighed deeply, then turned his gaze forward again. "It sounds strange, right? But it's true. I was trying to climb down with her. I can't abandon her here, can I? So I thought I would carry her on my back and climb down somehow. But the moment I tried to lift her..." He moved his hand around his waist and continued in a helpless tone, "...my bones nearly cracked and I fell flat on the rooftop. I tried a few more times, but now I can barely walk. So I finally decided on something. I took her cloak from her shoulder guard and tied it around her waist."
He looked back at Seraphina with that same grin. "Now I'm going to lower her slowly using the cloak as a rope. What's the worst that can happen? Maybe a few broken bones at most. I broke some already, so it's only fair, don't you think? And after that, my next plan is to throw her into the water. The current will carry her away, and I won't have to worry about her anymore. So, now you understand, right?"
Seraphina pressed her palm to her temple and exhaled sharply. "Oh, gods. Just how stupid can one person possibly be?"
Kael tilted his head slightly, frowning. "Who's stupid? I have a perfect plan. Can't you see it?"
Seraphina sighed, her voice cold but calm. "I'm not talking about your plan. I'm talking about what you said... that Arwyn is heavy. You're wrong."
Kael looked at her, confused. "I'm not lying. You can check for yourself. Here..."
Seraphina's voice turned icier as she pointed at Arwyn. "She's not heavy. What's making her heavy is her armor, you idiot. If you try to lift her like that, you'll break your back. Do you really lack such basic knowledge?"
Kael stared at her in silence for a few seconds, then blinked several times before scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "Oh, right... I didn't think about that. So you're saying if I just remove her armor, then I can carry her with me?"
Seraphina jumped down onto the rooftop, crossing her arms slightly as she replied, "Yes. That's correct."
He smiled faintly and said, "Thank you."
Before she could even interpret what he meant by that, his hands moved through the air, and his fingers began to reach toward Arwyn's sides.
Her eyes narrowed immediately.
Before he could lay a finger on her unconscious friend, Seraphina appeared right in front of him, catching his wrists tightly in her gloved hands. Her cold gaze met his startled one as she asked, "What do you think you're doing?"
Kael met her eyes and chuckled softly. "What else? I'm removing her armor so I can carry her."
Seraphina truly wanted to punch him across the face, but she restrained herself and spoke in an icy tone, "Don't you know that undressing a woman without her permission is a crime? If you do that without her consent, it's considered force by the laws of this kingdom. Should I throw you into prison right now?"
Kael shook his head quickly. "No, no, no. I don't want to go to your prison. And why would that be called something like that... I was only trying to help her."
Seraphina's expression didn't soften. She looked straight into his eyes and asked slowly, "So, you just wanted to see her body? Should I tell her that when she wakes up?"
Kael groaned and frowned, his tone frustrated. "No need for that. I have no interest in seeing a psycho girl's body. There's only one person in the entire world whose body I'd ever want to..." His voice trailed off suddenly.
Seraphina tilted her head slightly, "See? But whose?"
She could have sworn his face turned red at that moment, completely red from ear to ear. Was he sick or feverish? Why else would his face look like that?
Kael looked away awkwardly. "No one. I just misspoke... I think. Sorry about that."
Seraphina wasn't convinced in the slightest. She was certain he hadn't misspoken. He simply didn't want her to know about whoever it was he had in mind. That sudden blush, that hesitation... it gave him away. But who could he possibly mean? Was it that guild receptionist again?
"Why is he always hinting about her... what's so special about that woman anyway? I don't like it when he talks about other women in front of me. I don't like it at all," she thought.
Still, her expression revealed nothing, her face remaining calm and unreadable as ever. She exhaled softly and said, "Whatever. Tell me, was she sleeping? Why didn't you wake her up?"
Kael replied, "She's suffering from severe mana exhaustion. She won't wake up anytime soon."
Seraphina looked at Arwyn for a moment and nodded faintly. "Alright. You did well enough. You don't need to do any more of your stupid things. Now, move."
Kael stayed silent for a short while, then smiled faintly. "Of course, I will. But can you please let go of my hand first, you know... so I can actually move?"
Seraphina blinked, then glanced at her own hand. Her gloved fingers were still tightly curled around his wrist, and even in the moonlight, the shadow of her grip was visible. She had held on too tightly without even realizing it. Had she clenched so hard while thinking about those things? She must have.
And if he noticed that tightness around his wrist... did that mean he understood what she had been thinking all this time?
Although she neither knew nor was able to know that either. Then she noticed his other hand moving in front of her face, waving slightly as if to draw her attention back.
"Where are you wandering off to? I mean, I wouldn't mind if you held me like that all day, but I can't really move that way though," he said in his usual careless tone, almost teasing her.
Seraphina immediately let go of his hand, her expression cold and unreadable as he awkwardly crawled a little back, rubbing the spot where her grip had been. Only then she noticed there was a thin layer of water covering parts of the roof, not enough to soak it completely but just enough to shimmer faintly under the dim light. She paid no mind to it. Instead, she knelt in front of Arwyn's sleeping body, placed a hand on her shoulder, and gently lifted her up until her back rested against the nearby wall. Then, she turned her head slightly toward Kael, who was now sitting a few steps away, legs crossed, watching her with mild curiosity.
Keeping her hand on Arwyn's shoulder, she asked him, "Have you seen the fight below?"
That was the question she had been meaning to ask him all along. She knew him quite well by now... an adventurer like him who was always forced to risk his life in every battle, who was known as the weakest among them, and yet never seemed to run from a fight. She wanted to hear his answer, not because she doubted him but because she wanted to know what kind of things his eyes had witnessed from above.
Kael's expression changed at once, his eyes lighting up like a child eager to share a secret he could barely hold in. "You mean that fight between that cool masked man and the ice lady? Of course I saw it! They were amazing. Both of them were so strong… but I don't think as strong as you, though still pretty close. It was like watching two shadows, one made of darkness and the other made of ice, clashing together. The ice lady wasn't that cool, honestly. She was a cheater. She froze everything that man tried to hit her with. But in the end, the cool guy still managed to defeat her, and when he was just about to finish her off, something strange happened..."
Seraphina raised an eyebrow slightly, her voice calm yet sharp. "But what?"
Kael went silent for a moment, his body stiffening a little as if recalling the memory made him uneasy. "A strange woman appeared out of nowhere right before he could kill her," he said finally, lowering his voice. "She was… powerful. I could feel it. She wore a black cloak or something like that and took the ice lady away like it was nothing. You sometimes vanish into thin air, right? She did that too, but hers felt different. Oh, and before disappearing, I heard her say something. She called herself… Queen."
Seraphina tilted her head thoughtfully. "Queen, huh? So that strange figure Eska mentioned was actually a woman who goes around calling herself by that title. Well, it's only a matter of time before our paths cross. Then I'll see for myself what kind of Queen she truly is to leave such an impression on my husband."
Her eyes blinked, the thought slowly sinking in.
Huh?
What?
Another woman?
There was another woman in his mind?
Just how many women could exist in that small, foolish skull of his?
"I mean, he did tell me once that his next encounter would be with a woman… I should have believed him. He really can't help himself with that kind of luck, can he? He and his stupidity…"
She almost smiled at that, though she quickly stopped herself as another thought crossed her mind, something she had forgotten until now. Eska had told her before that Effie shouldn't even know how to fight, yet somehow she did, and fought well enough to hold her own. And Seraphina was certain that Caelum must have been the same, judging from the way he moved and struck during the battle.
She didn't like where this was going at all.
No one knew what that masked man truly looked like, but she was sure of one thing... he was a man.
Arwyn was asleep, Eska was a woman, and among them there was only one man present now.
The thought crossed her mind slowly, reluctant and unwanted. If that masked man had been hiding his true strength, if he had chosen to live quietly behind that reputation of being the weakest adventurer, then perhaps there was more to him than anyone ever thought.
When people called someone weak, was there ever a better proof to deny them than a mask that hid the truth all along?
So what if… Kael was that masked man?
The idea made her pause for a brief moment before she shook her head almost immediately, brushing it aside. "No, no. That would be far too ridiculous. He's far too lean, far too small for that. I'm just overthinking this again."
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(Chapter Ended)
To be continued...