Chapter 141: Calm Before the Storms
Queen had been long gone, however, her whisper still lingered in Seraphina's ear as she walked toward the lake in a quiet manner, her steps steady and her hands already clenched tightly while she moved forward without paying the slightest attention to anyone around her.
'I am the butterfly, huh? In what way do I resemble one in her eyes?'
Seraphina was truly angry, much more than she had expected to be, not because Queen had looked down on her but because her words carried several harsh truths.
Calling her a butterfly that clings to its nature even when circumstances demand a different shape was not entirely wrong. Queen must have understood that nature of hers during the battle against Caelum, when Seraphina refused to use a single lethal spell even though she had countless opportunities to end him within a moment, choosing instead to endure the fight and search for a way to break through his defense without killing him.
Why had she chosen that path? If she wished to kill that man, she could have done it in less than a second. So why had she gone so far to keep him alive? What reason could she possibly have?
Of course, the explanation she had always given herself was simple. She needed information, so sparing him had been logical. What other reason could there be? There should not have been any other, right?
Unfortunately, there had always been another one, and she had known it long before Queen ever pointed it out. Back then, she had held herself back not because she relied on the information he carried but because she never intended to kill him by accident. Almost every technique, spell, and ability she possessed was lethal enough to kill an ordinary human within a single second, which was exactly why she hid them from the public eye and relied more on her pure skill and speed when fighting her own kind. She wanted to avoid killing a person in a single moment of carelessness.
In the case of monsters, however, she always unleashed everything without even the slightest hesitation. There was a difference between ending a monster's life and ending a person's life. No matter how she viewed it, the two were never the same.
That said, she had never truly considered killing a person, nor had she ever taken a human life by her own intention. What happened last night had been different, since those humans had long lost their humanity due to Queen's influence, and fighting them felt no different from killing monsters. Even then, the idea of killing a living person remained an unbearable weight in her heart.
Why should she kill someone when there might be a path to save them? Even if a person committed a wrong, that person could still be brought to justice through the kingdom's law. Killing was not the only form of judgment. It never could be. And above all, she had never taken the oath of a knight to kill people, nor had the duty ever required such a task from her. She had become a knight because she wanted to create a proper sense of justice between nobles and commoners. Killing had never been part of that purpose.
'Excuses… all of these are excuses created by no one other than myself... so I can avoid admitting something far harsher.'
She took a slow and steady breath as she stopped right at the edge of the lake, where the moonlight poured over the surface and pink water lilies surrounded the reflection in a quiet and almost dreamlike scene. A strange, unreadable expression passed across her face as she stared at the water.
'Actually, it is not that I lack the courage to kill someone. I have enough courage. The real truth is that I simply do not want to kill anyone.'
She had realized this some time ago, back when Kael thrust the knife into Emy's stomach without a moment of hesitation. Even though he acted through deception at the time, her attention had not fallen to the blood or the wound, but only to his cold gray eyes.
'The intent to kill anything that stands in his way.'
She had seen that potential in him before, and she had used it as the reason to force him through harsh training.
However, watching her physically weak husband act with such ruthless decisiveness while she, with all her power, had never been able to do something like that made her feel something unfamiliar. It made her understand that she possessed a weakness when facing mortals, a quiet but unshakable unwillingness to kill another person no matter the reason.
That was her will.
And Queen advised Seraphina to change that will and become the dragonfly that hunts its own kind when necessary. If she had not, then there would be no chance of winning against that witch. The statement held more truth than Seraphina wanted to admit since the abilities Queen had revealed today, even when she relied solely on speed, were already far beyond what Seraphina could comfortably respond to. She could hardly keep up with that speed at all, and her movements felt several steps behind no matter how much she tried to adjust.
But who could confidently say that speed and graceful movement were the limits of Queen's strength in a real battle. If that had been everything, then it made little sense for someone capable of granting strange powers to others, which implied she had concealed far more than what she allowed them to see. When they eventually crossed paths again, she would certainly abandon restraint and show everything she kept concealed. Then what could Seraphina possibly accomplish if she still held herself back, when even her full focus had not helped her land a single proper hit during a simple fight?
She would accomplish nothing unless she pushed herself to the edge and released everything she had. No, she had to go all out, there was no other conclusion left to draw. That conclusion led to a single disturbing possibility: Seraphina would have to harden herself enough to strike a mortal with the intention to kill and direct every attack toward a lethal outcome. Would she be able to do that? Could she kill Queen?
Even if Queen was worse than a monster, especially when she turned humans into monsters, she deserved something far harsher than death. To grant that outcome, Seraphina would have to become brutal in ways she had always avoided, because there appeared to be no other path waiting for her.
'But isn't that exactly what it means to twist someone's will? It is, isn't it? I see it now. This is how she bends another person's will. She searches for the softest part of it first then strikes that point with her words and manipulates it until the will weakens enough for her ability to take over the person's mind. I almost fell for it without even noticing.'
Seraphina took a slow breath while tilting her head slightly, her fingers brushing against the scar on her neck as her expression cooled even further.
'Even if she deserves something worse than death, I will not be the one who ends her life, the law exists to deliver that punishment. And even if she calls herself the Queen of Dragonflies now, if she was born in Lenior then she had once been a gentle butterfly. All I need to do is strike that forgotten weakness and use it against her. That will allow me to defeat her without killing her.'
...During all of this, Kael had been sitting silently, watching without moving a muscle or speaking even a single word. He could not make sense of the metaphor they had been discussing or the deeper meaning behind their strange conversation, and none of it held his attention until Queen mentioned the War of Culture.
It was the same war described by the elderly woman who had once explained the story behind the Love Blossom. After discovering that the woman who sold him the hairclip had died almost three and a half months ago, Kael had begun to doubt her words, wondering if the entire tale had been nothing more than an elaborate lie.
However, the thoughtful look on Seraphina's face made it clear that such a war had indeed taken place, and the involvement of the great noble families seemed far more complicated than he had expected even when he had no idea how they were responsible.
'Then wouldn't that make me one of her targets as well? Does she already know what I am? Maybe she doesn't. If she did, why would she want me to join her side. Then again, she also asked Seraphina to stay out of her way when Seraphina should have been the first person she needed to deal with. But why? Could it be because of the old man's strange relationship with the great family, the one only he seems connected to while his own family has no involvement at all? That might be the reason, but why does everything keep becoming more confusing.'
Soon, his calm thoughts shattered without warning and his expression darkened instantly when he learned that Arienne had been kidnapped with the intention of being turned into a monster. He had never imagined such an ability could exist, and he refused to believe anything so absurd was possible, but Queen had confirmed it herself, which left no room to deny it and made his blood burn with fury. He could not imagine his little student suffering such a fate. It was something she would never deserve.
For a brief moment Kael wanted to strike the woman without hesitation, but he forced himself to remain still and unaffected as if none of this held any importance to him, because if he allowed himself to lose control over something so trivial in others' eyes he would not be walking freely right now, he would be sitting behind the cold bars of a prison cell.
So, all he could do at that moment was place his trust in his enemy even though she insisted she had no intention of doing anything of that sort. Trusting an enemy he hardly knew was one of the greatest mistakes an assassin could ever commit, and he understood that perfectly well, yet he still pushed himself to hold even the smallest amount of faith in her. Maybe it was because of the things she had done earlier or something else entirely that he could not quite understand.
However, none of this mattered to him as much as the single question that refused to leave his mind. Why had Queen appeared in front of them today?
Was it simply because she wanted to ask Seraphina to stay away from her plan even though she must have known such a request would be rejected without hesitation? Or was it because she wanted something from him specifically? Although that possibility seemed far too convenient to sit right with someone who was always this calculating. So what additional intention lay beneath her visit?
'What? What could it be? Think... think... think harder, damn it. There has to be something.'
And indeed, there was something that troubled him in a very unsettling way. It felt extremely strange that she revealed her true objective when she needed them to avoid it. If anything, sharing that information should have made the chances of her plan succeeding much lower, so why had she done something so reckless in appearance?
'Why else? To make us her pawn, of course.'
Due to her ability or whatever strange influence she possessed, she could spy on him whenever she desired and turn him into her puppet at any given moment. Unfortunately for her, she had clearly been unable to do so because of the two weird sisters. Serelina could directly counter the latter but required some time to do it properly, while Seraphina could sense the former, which made everything more complicated and inconvenient for Queen. This meant the first thing Queen needed was to remove Seraphina entirely, but she did not take that step. Why?
Why allow Seraphina to leave unharmed?
Why let go of the perfect opportunity?
'Ah, I get it now. It's because she wants to defeat Seraphina directly but without sacrificing anything of her own. She's not prepared to lose any of her pawns yet, not until she finds replacements she considers better. And it actually makes sense when I think about it… considering she intends to kill those noble families, she needs every ounce of strength she can gather. As such, meeting Seraphina today must have been her way to test whether her mind attacks would affect her even slightly or simply observe her closely for whatever she plans next. Meaning, this is nothing but the calm before the storms.'
"Ahem!"
The odd sound pulled him away from the rapid swirl of his thoughts, and he looked straight at Arwyn where she was giving him a look he could not quite decipher, which made him tilt his head slightly.
"Ahem! Ahem!"
'Why is she coughing like that? Is she feeling cold? I mean, the air is a bit chilly so it is possible that she is. What am I supposed to do then? Should I give her something warmer like those men in books do? But I have nothing to offer her. I'm only wearing my shirt… and there is absolutely no way I'm giving her that.'
Arwyn drew in a slow breath and lowered her gaze as she covered part of her face with her hand in a confused and embarrassed way.
Kael frowned slightly, "What?"
Arwyn stayed silent for a few moments, and when she finally spoke, her voice sounded strangely hesitant. "Your hand? When are you going to move it away? It's kind of… tickling down there because of the cold."
Kael blinked several times before realizing his palm was still resting on her torso even though the healing had ended quite a while ago.
'What in the world am I doing? I hope she is not angry about this.'
He pulled his hand back quickly and scratched the back of his neck, "Uh, I got so lost in thought that I didn't even notice what I was doing. I hope you didn't mind."
Before he could say anything else, Arwyn sighed again and looked at him with a mixture of disbelief and resignation. "It's fine. I'm not angry. That doesn't mean you are allowed to touch me though. So keep that in mind."
Kael tilted his head slightly and managed an awkward smile, "I will."
At that moment, he felt a hand settle on his shoulder, which made him flinch before he could stop himself because for a brief second he thought Queen was still around. When he turned his head, he was surprised to see Seraphina sitting quietly behind him. There was something strange in her expression, something he had never seen on her face before, which made him straighten slowly.
'What is she thinking now?'
He turned toward her with a frown, "What's wrong, Captain?"
She did not answer him.
For a while, nothing stirred around them except the low hum of the wind and the soft sound of willow leaves brushing together near the silent surface of the lake.
Then Seraphina finally met his gaze, and a sorrowful expression shaped her beautiful face while her voice grew distant as she whispered, "I'm... sorry."
Kael's lips parted as his eyes widened slightly, the single word slipping out before he could stop it. "Why?"
Seraphina spoke again, although her voice carried a strange heaviness that did not belong to her usual tone. "Because I failed you. Even though you placed your trust in me to save Arienne I did not choose to do exactly that and instead allowed the kidnappers to leave without punishment. But do not think even for a moment that any of you were responsible for the choice I made. You are not… I am the only one to blame."
Kael remained quiet for a few lingering moments, his jaw tightening, and then he suddenly clenched his teeth and shouted with a frustration he could not hold back any longer. "That's not what I am asking, dammit."
Seraphina flinched slightly from his sudden outburst, her brows lifting just a little. "What then?"
Kael took a long breath that trembled slightly before he spoke in a more even tone. "You do not need to explain yourself, Captain. I might look like a complete idiot to you, but I do understand a few things, you know. And why would I not blame myself for this, huh? I am the useless bastard here who could not do anything other than talk big. Because you were concerned for my life you were forced to choose such a decision. So I deserve whatever comes from it."
He paused, waving a hand in front of him before offering a smile that did not hold even a touch of sincerity. It felt like something stretched awkwardly across his face, forced and fragile. "And you don't need to worry about me. I'm perfectly fine… I swear. Have you forgotten who I am? I'm your swe—"
Before he could even complete the word, something pressed firmly against his lips, stopping every syllable.
He glanced downward and saw Seraphina's slender finger resting against his mouth with a soft but unyielding pressure.
"Do not speak further."
Moonlight washed over them quietly while dragonflies drifted lazily in the air, and the gentle wind brushed against their skin as the lake at their side rippled faintly. They sat there without moving so much as an inch, wrapped in a silence that neither dared disturb.
Feeling the coolness of her fingertip against his lips, he did not utter a sound and honestly did not even know what he should be saying next anyway.
'Well, that's awkward.'
He shifted his gaze toward Seraphina, who kept staring at him with an unbroken focus that moved not to his eyes but directly to his lips, as if she were contemplating something he could not even begin to understand.
'But what?'
Her expression changed several times in only a few moments, shifting from slight anger to something strangely gentle to a faint blush that vanished almost instantly.
'Just what the hell are you thinking, Seraphina?'
Kael's lips parted. "C-Captain?"
Seraphina snapped back to herself, blinking rapidly before withdrawing her finger and standing up quickly. She crossed her arms with a practiced steadiness, acting as if absolutely nothing unusual had happened.
Kael stared at her with a blank expression. 'What does she think she is, huh?'
At that moment Arwyn let out a small yawn before speaking with mild annoyance. "If your little drama is finally over can we leave this place? I'm getting hungry."
Seraphina gave her a cool look. "Not yet. We still have this house to check. There might be something inside that could help us later."
Arwyn shrugged indifferently. "Don't bother. There is nothing inside that house except clean beds, neat furniture, and a few unusual things used for accessory making. There are no hidden rooms either."
Seraphina raised an eyebrow. "When did you do that?"
Arwyn chuckled. "While you two were chatting with that witch I was secretly searching every corner of the house with my tendrils and also keeping an eye on the silhouette woman on the roof at the same time."
Kael felt like his head might burst. 'That's a bit confusing.'
Seraphina thought for a noticeable moment before replying calmly. "Alright. Since you already checked everything, there's no point in doing it again. Let's head out."
Kael stood up and stretched both arms above his head, while Arwyn glanced around lazily before asking, "Should we head somewhere to eat?"
Seraphina walked ahead and answered without hesitation. "Sure, why not? If you're willing to pay for everything on your own, then I'm all for it."
Arwyn groaned. "Why me, though?"
Seraphina replied immediately. "Because I forgot to bring my money with me. Besides, I'm not even hungry."
Arwyn shifted her gaze to Kael. "What about you?"
Kael smiled lightly. "I'm broke."
Arwyn exhaled softly. "Fine. Everything's on me today."
'Tsk... both of them are so stingy.'
---
Some time later the three of them were walking through the middle of the jungle. Kael, as usual, trailed behind the other two, letting his thoughts drift while the quiet of the forest wrapped around them. That was when a voice echoed gently inside his mind.
[Hey, brother-in-law.]
He lifted his head slightly and answered.
[What?]
The voice stayed silent for a few moments before speaking again.
[I have something I've been wanting to ask.]
Kael felt his brow twitch.
[What is it?]
Serelina remained quiet for another moment and then spoke with a mischievous tone.
[Why did you give my sister permission to become a knight? I mean why did you allow her to stand as your enemy when you could have refused so easily and avoided everything. So why did you accept it?]
Kael froze in place and glanced at Seraphina before shaking his head slightly.
[Because I'm no one to step in her way. She has her own choices, and she has every right to do what she wants.]
Serelina's voice returned with irritation.
[You think I'm going to believe such a simple excuse? You are not the type to care about someone else's right. You were way too selfish for that. Tell me the truth, will you?]
Kael hesitated for a few moments then asked and scratched the back of his neck as his cheeks heated with a deep pink.
[Uh, well, she tried to seduce me.]
---
(Chapter Ended)