Chapter 117: Trust
Hearing his confused thought, Serelina answered in a normal tone.
[Nope. You're thinking everything wrong. She was not someone who taught herself or suddenly became capable on her own. Actually, she inherited those techniques, but they did not come from my father.]
Kael frowned, and the question that followed slipped out before he could steady it into anything less impulsive.
[Then... from who? And how?]
She lingered for a moment, then replied evenly.
[Well, it's rather complicated to explain. You can say that when she was little, she had been temporarily adopted into another strong family. And from there, she had inherited those techniques and learned all kinds of things about combat. Also, you might never have known this, but my sister was not always as cold as she is now; in fact, you would not believe me if I told you that she used to be more of a troublemaker than I ever was. Something happened to her in that family, and she returned with cold, ruthless eyes; she made herself distant after that. At least that is how I was told it all happened.]
She grew silent for a moment, giving Kael time to digest everything, then continued in a voice that carried a strange, detached cadence.
[Since I'm already talking, let me tell you something more. After returning from that family, she didn't get the chance to stay in our family much either. She had been sent to the Academy soon and spent a few more years there, barely coming home. When she eventually returned with great achievements and was ready to become a Knight to fulfill her dream, my father forced her into the marriage. I suppose now you understand exactly why she hates him so much. It was not because of you, nor simply because of the marriage, but because of all the things he imposed on her.]
Kael grew more silent. He had no idea what to say anymore to her. As far as he knew, he always thought Seraphina was always cold and distant, someone who kept herself away from the rest of the world. And of course, he even believed she had been cold since childhood. Now, he just couldn't imagine how she was as a kid. A troublemaker? Would anyone ever believe that the cold Knight Captain Seraphina was actually a troublemaker? Even more than Serelina herself?
A smile flickered on his face thinking about her childhood, but soon it grew distant. Although he didn't know how to feel about it, he understood that Seraphina had her reasons for getting angry at her father. Back then in the park, she shouted at her father... he thought it was funny. It surely was, but the reason behind it was much sadder. He didn't know why her father, despite being a seasoned fighter, never taught his daughter himself and instead gave her to another family. Did he think he was incapable of teaching her? Or wasn't he strong enough to teach her? What was the reason behind it?
Kael didn't even need to think much about it. That old man wanted to make his daughter a war machine, and as for why, it was clear enough. To become the person who could inherit the hero's power from the War Goddess. What else could be the reason behind it? He couldn't think of any other.
Suddenly, a question flashed in his mind, something he hadn't paid attention to before. It was back then, sitting in the park, when Seraphina asked—
"Do you love me, Kael?"
Back then, Kael thought she just wanted to know his reasons for becoming wary of her. He didn't think much about it either. He had not known, then, that her question had been something else entirely. But now, he understood... she wasn't asking about his reason for staying with her back then; instead, she was asking if he was going to leave her behind or abandon her the way her father did. If Kael was going to use her the same way her father had done. She was asking about her future by asking if he loved her or not. Maybe she thought if he loved her, then he would never abandon her or leave her alone. Perhaps she was exhausted from trusting people, or perhaps she had been afraid for a very long time.
He didn't know anything, but strangely enough, back then Kael gave her a satisfying answer by saying he thought of her as family.
Wait, wasn't that the exact time when Seraphina began acting rather strange with him? From sleeping close to him, growing jealous of small things, sniffing him to confirm if he slept with another woman or not, and, of course, becoming angry, which was cute. Was Seraphina risking herself to trust someone once more? Had she put her faith in him and allowed herself another chance to change?
She had, had she not?
And what about him? What did he truly think of her? Somewhere along the way, he had come to care for Seraphina more deeply than he ever expected. Perhaps it was because he finally understood what it meant to have something close to a proper family. To have someone waiting up for him when he came home late, someone who would still make him breakfast even when he slept through the morning. Because those small, quiet intimacies had quietly settled into his life, he had let himself fall into them and enjoy their warmth more than he would have believed possible. Could he ever be able to truly put his trust in her the way she did and allow himself to be lost in that trust?
How could he, when he hadn't even been able to protect himself from a mere mind attack? What was he supposed to do when he had almost betrayed her by losing control of himself? He had almost kissed that witch. And in doing so, he had forgotten everything... forgotten who he was, where he stood. Worst of all, he had forgotten that he had a wife. A very sweet, cold, lethal, and breathtakingly beautiful wife.
He let that desire, or whatever it was, awaken inside him for another woman besides Seraphina. It was disgusting. He was weak, both in mind and body. He wasn't worthy of her trust. He didn't even deserve her faith in him. He had failed her.
He was a failure. A pathetic one at that.
So what now? Would he just walk away? Would he give up on her like that?
No, he would not give up on her. He refused to give up. Instead, he would become someone who was worthy of her trust.
[How will you do that, brother-in-law? Huh? You were not thinking about that, were you? That would be too terrible. Is that why you are seeking lost strength and why you are so interested in sword techniques? Is that it?]
Kael clenched his fists until his knuckles ached, then answered with quiet certainty.
[That is right. By correcting my mistakes.]
He let the words hang a moment and then added with a smile that had gone cold, a darkness like a spark igniting behind his eyes.
[Vengeance. I will take vengeance for what happened today. I will kill that Queen and tear her to pieces.]
---
Kael glanced at Seraphina, who moved Arwyn's body to sit leaning against the wall behind, while the memory of his earlier conversation with Serelina came back to him in fragments. Locks of Seraphina's silver hair swayed and curled in the air, brushing against her pale face as the soft moonlight traced her features with a quiet glow that made her almost breathtaking despite the long scar that ran across her cheek. In fact, he didn't mind the scar even one bit. That didn't mean he liked it either. The scar didn't ruin her beauty; it simply didn't deserve to be there, on such a beautiful face that should have been untouched by pain.
He had noticed it from the very beginning—the scar, the blood, everything that marked her body with its cruel reminder—but he couldn't find a way to approach her or heal the wound himself. He had thought about it several times, but every attempt dissolved the moment he tried. He was struggling to keep himself calm and composed; maybe he was being foolish, maybe he was overreacting to what had happened earlier. The rage that had overtaken him when he chose to kill that woman out of pure wrath now felt heavier than before. Was he wrong? Were his reasons ever enough?
It was true that he always needed a reason for everything he did. He never acted without one, whether it was to save someone or to kill someone. Both of these things required hatred to push him forward, and now, once again, he was feeling that same hatred burning inside him. Not just because of that strange mental attack he had suffered earlier, but because he was weak... utterly weak before her. He couldn't accept that truth, not even a little. He hated being weak, he hated being looked down upon, and perhaps that alone was enough of a reason to kill someone. He didn't need anything else. Whether he was bloodthirsty or not, it didn't matter anymore.
Nothing did, actually.
Seraphina turned to him with that same unreadable expression on her face, perhaps trying to understand why he had gone silent all of a sudden. But in truth, maybe she was suspecting him... suspecting that he might be the masked man. Kael could almost see that thought flickering behind her cold blue eyes. He had expected it from the very beginning, ever since he fought here, so he had already decided to stay cautious from now on.
Just as she was about to stand up, a strange tension rippled through the air. Kael's instincts were whispering that something was wrong. He didn't know what it was yet, but he could feel it... the subtle shift in the wind around him.
Then he heard it, or rather, he felt it. The sharp, almost invisible sound of something slicing through the air. Before he could even guess what was happening, a gleam of light flashed beside him, fast enough to leave a trail in his vision.
It was an arrow.
A long one, almost the length of a man's arm, thicker than the usual kind, carved from something that looked like obsidian mixed with a greenish hue. The tip shimmered faintly, sharp enough to pierce through stone. The arrow was aimed directly at Seraphina.
A sneak attack like that would never be able to pass through her defenses easily. In fact, she had already noticed it before it could even reach her. But her body hadn't yet regained its full posture after tending to Arwyn. With her speed, she could still dodge in time, and even if she didn't, at worst, she would take a deep wound... not a fatal one.
But she didn't move. She wasn't going to dodge it. Because if she did, the arrow would pierce through Arwyn's neck and kill her instantly.
Seraphina could have dashed away, but with her best friend lying helpless beside her, she couldn't abandon her. She couldn't draw her sword fast enough to deflect it either. She was already preparing to shift her body so the arrow would miss her vital points. Her eyes stayed steady, calm even, though Kael could see the faint flicker of resolve in them. And then, in that same instant, his eyes followed the arrow's path as it sped through the air... so fast that everything else seemed to slow down.
"What to do…"
The arrow flashed closer, cutting through the air with deadly precision, and pierced through Seraphina's thigh—or rather it would have, if not for the sudden shadow that appeared between her and the long arrow.
Kael had moved before even realizing it. At the last second, something strange happened to him; it was hard to explain, but he felt like for a split second his point of view had changed completely. It was as though he was watching from Seraphina's eyes instead of his own. The world seemed to freeze for an instant, and his body moved on its own and jumped forward faster than the arrow itself. His reflexes, which he learned against the Hollow-Tongue, had worked on their own because the arrow was slower than the creature.
Seraphina's eyes widened slightly, the unreadable calm replaced by something else—a flash of confusion and disbelief—as Kael appeared right in front of her. He looked back at her with a faint, strained smile.
The arrow pierced through the flesh of his back on one side, making his body tremble violently. It might have torn straight through him if not for the sudden burst of two wind-like wings swirling behind him, spiraling outward in a storm-like whirl that slowed the arrow with immense pressure and twisted its direction slightly.
The air screamed as the wind roared around them. Seraphina might not have noticed those wings made out of wind magic because, at that exact moment, a cold gust swept over both of them, masking the distortion in the air. He was lucky today.
Kael forced his hand against the ground to stay upright, his breathing heavy, blood spilling from his lips and dripping to the earth where the arrow had struck.
"Ugh… not another shirt again. How many more shirts can I even buy? I'm… poor. Please, someone believe me," he thought bitterly, his jaw tightening as pain bloomed through his body like fire. "I swear I didn't do anything wrong with the pain's family, or whatever it has… so why the hell am I getting so much of it these days…"
Noticing him, Seraphina rushed forward quickly and leaned on her knee, supporting him by gripping his shoulder tightly. He might have quite enjoyed the feeling if not for the fact that he felt utterly exhausted; his body could hardly move anymore, his legs trembling as if the ground itself was pulling him down. The strength he had left was completely spent, drained to the very last drop with that one reckless jump, and even his mana reserves were almost gone, though he still had a faint flicker remaining somewhere deep within him.
He didn't know he would be able to cast so many spells with just a C-Ranked mana core, yet it had been possible only because of the immense pressure of his winds, which demanded less mana while yielding far stronger results. Even so, he could feel how fragile his body had become under that strain, as though a single breath might shatter it apart.
Regardless, he slowly raised his head and looked at Seraphina, who was staring back at him with a strange emotion hidden beneath her cold exterior, her blue eyes faintly trembling, while his gaze was distant and hazy, barely holding onto focus.
"You... fool. Why would you do something like that?"
Her voice carried a mixture of anger and disbelief, but it was soft in a way that almost made him smile. Instead of replying, he moved his hand with effort and lightly touched her cheek.
The instant his fingers brushed against her skin, a faint shiver ran through his spine. Her skin was pale and cold, but soft beyond words, almost glowing under the moonlight. It was smooth and flawless just as he had imagined it would be, though the coldness of it suited her nature better than warmth ever could. Although, he doubted she would ever allow him to do something like this under normal circumstances, but since he wasn't going to die, he thought he might as well enjoy the moment a little before sleep claimed him.
His fingers curled one side and lingered gently on her face as a pale green light began to glow from his palm, spreading warmth over her skin. The light shimmered, and before long, the scar that had marred her beauty disappeared completely, leaving her skin untouched, though the traces of dried blood still remained.
Quickly, he pulled his hand away and let out a chuckle as he replied.
"You know what... scars don't suit your face at all. You're far too beautiful to have one."
Seraphina's expression shifted slightly, though he couldn't tell whether it was irritation or wariness.
"Idiot... why would you waste your mana on me? You should be worried about yourself."
Kael stayed silent for a few moments before replying in a calm tone.
"Ah, well, you see... I'm not actually going to die today, that's precisely why. And truth be told, the arrow barely managed to cut into my flesh. It might just heal on its own. I don't need healing anyway since I don't have any beauty to protect."
Seraphina looked at him quietly for a moment, then her gaze moved toward his back.
She blinked a couple of times, and then her eyes returned to his face, narrowing as if trying to make sure he wasn't lying.
For a fleeting moment, he thought he saw her ears twitch, though he quickly dismissed the thought since it was Seraphina after all.
"So... why are you acting like you might actually die?" she asked, her tone even.
Kael shook his head slowly.
"I'm just way too exhausted, that's all. Oh, and I really want to sleep a little. Would you mind giving me a pillow to rest?"
Her brows twitched, and before he could react, one of her hands moved swiftly behind his back and pulled the arrow out with terrifying speed, making him shout in pain as the sharp sting spread through his body.
She threw the arrow away carelessly while he groaned from the lingering ache.
"Argh! Damn it! You could have been a little more gentle with someone who just saved your life."
She tilted her head slightly, her tone cold but oddly calm.
"Why would I? You said yourself that you wouldn't die. Besides, the faster I pull it out, the less pain you'll have to endure. You should at least be thankful for that."
He didn't respond this time, not because he wanted to ignore her, but because his vision was already turning blurry. It was getting difficult to keep his eyes open or even stay awake, but he still managed to notice something out of the corner of his eyes.
Arwyn was awake.
Her eyes were open now, watching him quietly, a somber look resting on her face. It seemed he had been right after all. The sleeping effect of the healing magic hadn't worked on her as much as he thought it would.
His vision faded soon after, and he drifted away.
---
Somewhere far away, a woman was sitting at the edge of a tall, flat-roofed building, her bare legs dangling lazily as the night wind played with her short chestnut hair.
The wind carried a chill, brushing against her smooth skin, while the moonlight outlined her slender figure in silver.
She wasn't wearing much, only a green and black top with intricate patterns that covered just enough of her chest and a short belt-fitted bottom that reached her lower thighs.
Beside her rested a long bow that looked almost alive, its body black and green with serpentine patterns coiling around its smooth wooden frame. A few arrows lay nearby, their fletchings shifting slightly under the breeze. At a glance, one could mistake the bow for a creature rather than a weapon, its design so fluid it seemed to breathe.
Two short, curved blades were strapped to either side of her waist, their handles gleaming faintly under the moonlight.
But what drew attention the most wasn't her attire, her weapons, or even her figure, but her eyes. Those soft hazel eyes glowed faintly in the dark, and within them, her pupils were narrow and vertical like a serpent's. They seemed to gleam with a cold, dangerous intelligence that didn't belong to a mere human.
She tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a faint, dark smile as she muttered to herself, her voice carried away by the wind.
"Tsk. Just a little mistake... I guess. Maybe next time."
---
(Chapter Ended)