----Page 24----
I barely had time to breathe before everything went wrong. The swamp, the corruption, everything that happened in this village.
Was it all tied to the Codex?
And now this man in front of us suddenly accuses us of things we didn't do. It doesn't make sense.
I glanced down at the Codex in my hand. It vibrated faintly.
Really? Can't we get even a moment of rest? I gritted my teeth.
"Don't make a fool out of me, kid. I'm Agrath, one of Seldene's most powerful warriors."
The golden-armored man boasted, chest puffed, voice full of authority.
"He's totally mad now, isn't he?"
Tauren muttered sarcastically, hovering mid-air with both arms draped casually behind his head.
Lysera stepped forward, hands raised in a gesture of peace.
"We mean no harm. We tried to save the village. When we arrived, there was no one here except the already burned houses."
She explained, voice calm but firm.
"Enough of your lies, peasants!"
A small man stepped forward, also wearing golden armor, his white inner garments marking him as noble-born.
"Great... There's another one."
Tauren smirked.
"Do you think we will believe your pathetic lies?"
The man in gold armor sneered, eyes narrowing.
This isn't going anywhere at all. We have to save Kraust and Rubal first.
I reminded myself, glancing at Kraust's unconscious body sprawled across the ground and Rubal being held firmly by Agrath's himself.
Wait.. did he say Seldene? I repeated under my breath. Was Lord Elmhein a prince of that place?
My thoughts barely had time to form before Agrath snapped.
"Now answer!! Or I'll cut this man's throat!"
He yanked Rubal by the hair, forcing his head back, a gleaming blade pressing against his neck.
Rubal choked, struggling for breath.
"G-Go… a-ahead… leave us here… Ki-non… it's alright," his voice trembled, desperate and cracking under the pain.
"Damn it. This idiot was ready to die for nothing."
Agrath's patience snapped.
"You're wasting my time!!!" he roared.
"Confess now, or I'll kill each one of you! Starting with him!"
I glanced sideways. Lysera's hand was trembling. Clenched so tight her knuckles were white. Her silver aura rippled wildly around her, barely held back, barely contained.
She wanted to tear him apart. She could do it in a blink, faster than any of them could react. But she didn't. She held herself back. For me.
Tauren's tail flicked, irritated.
"So noisy… these humans love screaming empty threats." He muttered under his breath.
My chest tightened.
No. We can't let this turn into violence. Not here. Not now...
I held the codex in my hand tightly.
We're dealing with a powerful empire. If things go wrong, if word reaches Seldene that we killed their warriors, we wouldn't be dealing with adventurers or scout officers next. We'd be dealing with an army.
I inhaled sharply and heavy.
We need to fix this. Fast. Without bloodshed.
Before Lysera snaps. Before Tauren gets bored and decides to accidentally break someone. Before Rubal really loses his life. Before everything spirals.
If Nivara was only here, She will definitely knows what to do. But no, I need to do this on myself. I need to show everyone that I can do it on my own.
"Time's up! I'll end it here now!"
Agrath's blade grazed closer toward Rubal's throat.
My eyes widened.
I... I can't stand idle anymore.
The world dulled to gray, every sound muffled except my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
I grabbed the sword at my side and crouched, ready to leap.
But then.... Something unexpected happened.
°°°°
KRAAANG!!!
The ground trembled under us as a massive black shield slammed into the earth with such force that dirt and dust sprayed outward in a violent shockwave. The sound cracked and reverberated, echoing like a cannon blast across the ruins.
A woman in black armor stood there, her arrival as sudden as lightning. Her helm obscured her face, and her silhouette radiated authority and danger in equal measure.
A long sword hung in her other hand, still vibrating from the impact of her shield strike. The metallic tang of her weapon mixed with the smell of burnt wood in the air.
She stamped the shield again, planting it deeply into the ground as if claiming the entire battlefield.
"Enough of this foolishness, Argath! Withdraw your sword!"
The command cracked through the ruins like a hammer blow.
Even Tauren flinched, his tail bristling.
Lysera's breath hitched, hand tightening around her rapier.
Argath's arm froze, the blade trembling at Rubal's neck. His eyes widened behind his helm. Recognition mixed with dread.
That shield strike had not only stopped him. It had overruled him.
And for a moment, all of us stared at the black-armored woman, the air thick with shock and the promise of violence.
"I… it was the First Princess. What is she doing here!?"
The fat noble stumbled backward, trembling so hard his armor clattered.
"P-Princess Verline… what are you doing out here?"
Even Argath's voice cracked, the fearless warrior suddenly reduced to a shaking child.
The woman in black armor reached for her helm.
With a soft clink, she lifted it off. Long blonde hair, braided down her back, fell free as she tilted her head slightly. Her expression was cold, composed, and sharp enough to cut steel.
"This," she began, stepping forward with the confidence of someone who owned every inch of ground she walked on. As the sound of metal coming from her armors echoes on each of her footsteps.
"It is not what I expected from one of Seldene's supposedly powerful warriors, Agrath."
Her helm rested casually at her hip, but the pressure radiating from her was anything but casual.
"No… no, Your Highness, it's not what you think, I can explain…"
Agrath's voice faltered, his breath hitching as her gaze locked onto him.
"Oh? Then tell me. Agrath!! Tell me everything."
Her tone sharpened, slicing through him like a blade.
"Explain to me, what exactly should I think, after witnessing your foolish actions?"
"I… I…" Agrath's words died in his throat, crushed under the suffocating pressure she radiated simply by looking at him.
"Y-Your Highness! Princess Verline, if you will allow me—"
The fat nobleman, tried to interject, stepping forward with desperate eagerness.
Her eyes snapped toward him.
"Did I ask you to speak, Pierro?"
His face drained of color.
"N-No, Your Highness. I beg your pardon."
"Then don't interrupt me while I'm talking."
Her voice wasn't loud. It didn't need to be. The sheer pressure behind it rolled through the ruined village like a stormfront.
Even we, standing several meters away, felt our bodies tense, our breath caught, our instincts screaming don't provoke her.
Princess Verline wasn't just a noble. She was a force. A blade in human form. And every person present, even Lysera and Tauren, knew it instantly.
"I asked you to rush in here as soon as we received the information about the Tyrant Hand's operations. Didn't I, Agrath?.."
Princess Verline's voice cut through the smoke like a blade.
"But how… how did it come to this?"
Her gaze swept over the burned village. Charred rooftops, splintered walls, and the lingering stench of death filled the air.
"Our people expected our help."
She continued, voice rising, eyes blazing.
"They expected someone to save them! And here you are… accusing others for your own incompetence?"
"B-But, Your Majesty… they were the ones who attacked this village! Here, here's the proof! This man attacked us first!"
Agrath stammered, pointing at Rubal's battered, nearly unconscious body.
Princess Verline's eyes narrowed, ice-cold.
"How dare you show him off like that? Agrath… have you no shame? No honor as a knight?"
"Drop him at once, Agrath!" she shouted, her fist clenched, trembling with barely restrained fury.
"B-But—"
"I said drop him!" Her voice thundered, sharp enough to make the rubble tremble.
Argath's fingers released Rubal, and the man collapsed onto the scorched ground, groaning.
Princess Verline's eyes lingered on him, burning with judgment. She saw Agrath's disrespectful behaviour, one last time and it was enough.
°°°°
And then...
CHRAANG!
Her iron fist crashed into the armored plate, the metal-on-metal scream ripping across the village.
The deafening ring of metal on stone echoed across the village. The force threw Argath backward like a ragdoll.
KRRRRRMMM…
He smashed through the charred walls of one of the ruined houses, splinters and dust flying in every direction. Even from a distance, the sheer violence of the impact made my stomach lurch.
Princess Verline didn't flinch. Her gaze, cold and unyielding, remained fixed on him, every inch the embodiment of authority and wrath.
Princess Verline straightened fully, her black armor glinting faintly in the dim light of the burned village. Her eyes swept over me, then Lysera, and finally Tauren hovering lazily behind us.
"I see…" she said slowly, her voice calm but carrying weight.
"You are far from ordinary adventurers.
The way you subdued the miasma and safeguarded this survivor was exceptionally precise. I struggle to find the right words… but you have my utmost gratitude for your deeds here."
I felt my heart beat a little faster.
Great… she's sizing us up.
Lysera stepped slightly closer to my side, her hand resting lightly on her rapier. Even she looked cautious, aware of the presence of someone who clearly commanded authority.
"I am Kinon," I said, bowing slightly out of respect.
"We just happened to pass by. And then, just like what Lysera says a while ago. We were already too late when we arrived at this village."
Her eyes flicked to the faint glow at my side, curiosity sharpening her gaze.
"That Codex in your hand?" she asked curiously.
"Does that book guided you here?"
She added.
"Yes, it was". I answered politely.
"Uhmm.. so you wield something beyond ordinary knowledge."
I nodded, feeling a mixture of pride and unease.
Just don't overexpose yourself, Kinon. She's not the type to tolerate lies or mistakes.
Princess Verline turned to Lysera, her expression unreadable.
"And you, the one who wields the blade. Your skill is not just talent—it is trained, disciplined. You follow this boy's lead?"
Lysera bowed deeply.
"Yes, your highness. I pledge my loyalty to the Lord of the Codex."
Verline's silver eyes softened just a fraction as she regarded us both. Then she glanced toward the villagers' ruined homes and the swamp.
"This disaster could have been far worse. I underestimated the corruption spreading here, and my carelessness cost lives."
I swallowed, unsure whether to speak. Should I say something comforting, or let her speak her guilt?
"Your highness."
I finally said, careful with my words.
"You did everything you could. It's just… the Tyrant's Hands planned this far too well. What happened before we arrived isn't your fault."
Her gaze softened slightly, but she remained steadfast. "Very well. Were you also the ones who destroyed the miasma I sensed here?"
"Yes," I replied.
"We did. And this man."
I gestured to the barely conscious survivor,
"He is a living proof and one the sole survivor of what happened in this village"
I added.
Princess Verline nodded, relief flickering in her eyes.
"I am glad it is contained. But you mentioned a survivor… someone else escaped?"
"Yes, though we don't know where she is. Someone took her to safety."
She exhaled sharply but nodded.
"That is some small comfort. Good. You did well."
°°°°
I turned my attention to Argath and Pierro. Both were now tied up, restrained by glowing shackles that hummed with suppressive magic.
They had been silenced, but their expressions still radiated anger and fear.
Argath's chest heaved as he tried to speak, faint traces of purple veins flickering beneath his skin, a subtle tremor of unnatural energy that had gone unnoticed until now.
"We… we can tell you who is behind all this… the one controlling the operations…"
Argath stammered, eyes darting nervously.
Pierro nodded quickly, sweat running down his face.
"Yes… you must know the truth… it is not what it seems…"
The restrained knights glared at the gathered forces, struggling against their bindings. The glowing runes on the shackles pulsed, and the air around them shimmered slightly, a warning of the energy trying to escape.
Before they could finish, a dark energy pulsed from Argath's body. His restraints strained and glowed violently, shaking the ground beneath him. Faint whispers of an otherworldly growl threaded through the village, making the nearby rubble vibrate.
"No… impossible…" I muttered, stepping back as a deep, guttural roar reverberated through the ruins.
Argath's body twisted, contorting unnaturally. His skin darkened to a deep, glossy purple, veins glowing faintly with chaotic energy that crawled along his muscles like living lightning.
His eyes flared bright violet as a monstrous form began to emerge, bones cracking and expanding with unnatural force.
Pierro's face went pale.
"Argath… what… what are you doing?!"
Tauren's golden aura flickered sharply, tail lashing.
"I knew there was something off about him. He's hiding more than we realized!"
Lysera's hand tightened around her rapier, silver light glinting as she stepped slightly in front of me, ready to intercept.
The Codex at my side pulsed violently, sensing the spike of corrupted energy. The air itself seemed to scream, thick with the smell of ozone and burnt magic. The village, already charred and ruined, trembled under the pressure.
I swallowed hard.
"This isn't going to be easy," I whispered to myself.
"And now… it's about to get even worse."