"You're here to find this child's mother. I'm not, so lower that sword before I pierce your chest for real," Silas warned.
Zerath lowered his sword but made no move to let him leave.
"Arzan says that he's sensing a very nauseous mana from here. Eurus feels the same. I don't think it's a coincidence for you to be at this same place. What are you really here for?"
"Why should I tell you anything?"
"Because no matter the differences between us, we work towards the same goal - maintaining peace in the realm. You might've left the soldier behind you, but the soldier hasn't left you. If you have information that'll help us, I'm not letting you go. This is very important to me and to Eurus. Someone's life is on the line."
Silas gave him a hard look, then shifted it to Eurus. A long silence followed.
"Tell your knights to leave."
Zerath raised his palm and signaled them to keep some distance. Only Gressil remained at his side, sharp and alert.
"Now tell me. Why did you come to Nethermoor?"
Silas stepped back and dropped on a nearby rock, leaning back slightly. "Because as a former weapons' expert, I found it very interesting that my spear was unable to break this kid's ice. There's nothing a weapon cannot break, so it deeply puzzled me."
Eurus blinked once and tilted his head.
Zerath said, "But you did it the second time we met."
"That was melting the ice, not shattering it. There's a difference, and I learned that difference when I studied his ice. That's why I came here to learn more about it."
Gressil asked, taken aback. "You figured out what makes this child's magic special?"
Silas stared at the two. "What do you mean, figured out? Haven't you figured it out yet?"
"Sir Draconis has been studying his ice, and he concluded that there's some very natural and pure element to his ice," Zerath relayed what Arzan said a while ago.
"Yes. So isn't that the answer? The natural element to his ice is a spirit's power. Eurus is a hybrid between a demon and nature's spirit."
Their eyes widened slowly. "A demon and a…spirit?"
"Isn't it right?" Silas arched his brow and glanced at Eurus, who showed no signs of recognition.
"It seems you aren't aware of your mother's origin."
He looked back at Zerath and Gressil. "His mother is a guardian spirit. They possess an energy and aura similar to that of the Gods, but they're not Gods themselves."
Zerath blinked. "I've read legends about them. They say the Gods watch over the mortal world's peace and balance through the spirits. They're their eyes and ears."
"Who keeps traveling across the realms. Legends say that they mostly reside in the Realm of Harmony. They're Gods' descendants. Their mana is the purest and undefiled, closely resembling that of the blessed. Because their mana is practically filled with nature's essence in itself, the kid's ice is nearly undefeatable. His elemental magic got infused with his mother's spiritual energy at the moment of conception. None can fight nature."
"But then how were you able to melt it?"
He shrugged. "If you want to fight nature, the only way to cancel it out is with another element of nature. Fire melts ice, but normal fire won't cut it when a nature's spirit energy resides within his ice. That's why I forged my spear's steel using the molten roots found at the base of Mount Lavos."
He raised two fingers.
"There are only two forces that can melt or shatter this kid's ice. Either the immense heat energy of Mount Lavos or the power of the Sun that flows through the Demon Realm's blessed Sovereign."
—
Judith proved to be an even more capable adversary than Vivia had initially imagined. For starters, it was a mystery how a woman drunk to her wits could possibly wield a sword with such perfection. She easily pushed back Vivia's weight back without a sweat. The harder she retaliated with force, the more Judith felt amused.
"Princess is indeed not playing around. You know the way of the blade."
"Lady Judith, please do something!" Priscilla exclaimed with a shrill. "I don't know what's gotten into Clairette that she's fighting to defend this murderer who tried to kill her!"
"Hmm, that's quite interesting. A victim protecting her own attacker? Never thought I'd see this side of yours, my lady."
Vivia twisted the hilt of her sword in an attempt to catch her off-guard, but Judith clobbered her blade aside again, her eyes squinting.
"Shouldn't my lady be offering some explanation rather than pummelling that sword at my face? Why are you protecting a criminal?"
"Because I believe in Audreya's words, but…" Her hurt and pain-stricken gaze fell upon Walterce, trembling under the weight of that piercing stare.
"I see that the situation has turned quite unfavorably against her, by the very person she trusted the most."
Was he coerced to frame Audreya? Vivia wanted that to be the truth rather than him having fallen prey to greed the way Raffert had.
Judith tilted her head. "Isn't it unfavorable because there is evidence against her? Yet you seem to hold a soft corner for this woman."
Vivia had no interest in defending her stance to either Judith, Priscilla or to anyone else in this room. Her mind raced to find a way to help Audreya escape. If she was caught now and thrown back into prison, death was the only grim future waiting for her. The problem was Judith, standing unflinching in her way without the faintest lapse in her grip.
Judith lunged first - but with her leg, not her blade. Holding no reservations, her foot arched upward, aimed squarely at Vivia's stomach to make her stumble off her balance.
Having not seen that abrupt kick coming at all, Vivia barely managed to dodge her lethal kick purely based on her instinct and reflexes. She caught a glint of thrill in her eyes as she swung her blade towards her neck, but she arched backward, watching the blade slice clean through the air above her.
This woman is not normal! Who kicks their opponent in the middle of a swordfight!?
The ladies shrieked and scrambled back in pure fright and terror. The sudden onset of a battle between the royal princess and a Great Three had left everyone beyond aghast. Claudia, too, could barely intervene any further. The only woman enjoying this battle was Priscilla, wishing for Vivia to get hurt in the worst way possible.
But Vivia's plan was to not get hurt by a madwoman who fell beyond normal sense and logic. With her back still arched and her palms pressed to the floor, she launched her heels upward, performing the most graceful somersault one had ever witnessed. Her long kirtle swayed, and a gust of wind spawned with the fluid arc. She landed with such finesse that even Judith was momentarily left in awe.
Her footwork is so beautiful. It's like she's fighting and dancing at the same time…She tilted her head.
Then a silver of silver flashed past her eyes, and the tip of Vivia's blade was deadly inches away from Judith's throat. Her foot spun to the right, the sharp edge narrowly missing her - nevertheless it still sliced off a few strands of her hair. Before Judith could regain her momentum, Vivia flew to Audreya's side and yanked her upright.
"Quick! Escape through that window. I'll block the way here."
Audreya stirred, flabbergasted by her stance to protect her. She forced herself to shed her hesitation and bolted straight for the window. Looking back, her teeth clenched.
Why should I escape like a coward when it was you who betrayed us!
But truth was a bitter pill to swallow. She couldn't afford to be thrown back into prison while the real culprit enjoyed a life of freedom and luxury.
"Oh no, you don't," Judith's eyes narrowed dangerously, and she dashed to stop Audreya at once.
Her pursuit got foiled when Vivia flung a barrage of strikes, almost invisible to the naked eye. Her relentless swings pushed Judith back, buying enough time for Audreya to escape.
"This is enough," Sierra said, "I don't know what Clairette is trying to do, but I command the knights to catch that woman. An enemy of the royal family will not be allowed to escape."
"Everyone will stay where they are," Vivia cut through her command, stopping the knights in their tracks.
"For a royal princess to go this far in aiding a criminal's escape, I wonder what your intentions truly are," Judith hurled another strike at Vivia that sent a deafening roar across the room.
Gripping the hilt and flexing every muscle in her fingers, her blade clashed against hers, sparks flying everywhere.
"My intentions are clear, Lady Judith. I want to find the truth behind Audreya's friend's murder and who exactly impersonated me to be framed as her killer."
Priscilla burst out, panicked. "That's nonsense! It's clear now that that red-haired witch killed her own friend out of jealousy and ambition!"
Vivia swung clear of Judith's way, her icy gaze cutting to her. "Then where do I come in the picture, Lady Priscilla? Would Audreya be so foolish that in the whole wide world, she'd choose to pin the blame of her friend's murder upon me - a royal princess?"
"I agree," Priscilla snickered. "A commoner wouldn't even dare to do so unless…the royal family had some involvement to speak of. Isn't that precisely why she blamed you the first time - because you frequently visited Stras in secret?"