CHAPTER 184
I CHOOSE WHERE I BELONG
A few moments before Delimira met Hans. She was stopped by Reina, the Elven queen who blatantly asked her a question, “Why were you lying? Why are you taking other's side?” However, Delimira stayed silent, there were several things running through her mind. She knew how crafty the formidable woman she was facing so she weighed those thoughts and came to an elaborate answer. “Because I don’t want him to be used by you.” She responded, “You never cared for Kerym or Hans being the killer. No one has the power to implicate him, Arat will see that it never happens. So you probably aimed for compensation, right aunt?”
She was the one who taught Delimira how to gauge people out of pity, and now the pupil was doing it on her master, but a master was a master for a reason. Delimira didn’t get any confirmation through Reina's unchanging expressions, so Delimira concluded what she thought was right. “You must've wanted their mana weapons. I just don’t know why. and frankly, I’m not that interested either. I’m just following your advice.”
Reina raised her brows so Delimira explained, “You said the moment I find a chance to escape Clandor. I should take it and Hans being sent to parv would throw my new life in a whirlpool. I like where I am right now.”
“You mean with them.”
“Yes, you don’t know how caring Lady Sierra is. Even my own mother doesn’t hold a candle against her. I would never ruin this life.”
“You can never be one of them. You don’t belong there—”
“I don’t belong with you too aunt.” Delimira calmly reasoned, “A halfbreed like me has to make a place for myself. And do you know why I like Sierra that much? Once when I was down, remembering the past, I wanted her to barge into Clandor and wreck it all. So I asked her, why is she not attacking them. You know what she told me?” Delimira asked gazing at her indifferent face.
However, Reina had no words for response so she answered herself, “She could’ve done that on impulse, but her son wanted the war, her son threw thousands of lives, he made the choices, he should be responsible for it. That’s what she said. She might sound cold but you know, when she was saying that her eyes never ceased the tears. She was forcing herself to believe her own words. That kind of person she is, she would neither use others nor blame them.”
PRESENT TIME, CONCORDIA CASTLE
Hans and Delimira returned to their castle where unexpectedly the junior team was waiting. On seeing the two enter, the timid one, Lux commented, “See I told you, captain would never get caught.”
Cherrina, the healer of the team supported Lux, “Yeah, if he got caught, he wouldn’t be Hans, right?”
Almost everyone nodded, agreeing, however, Hans retorted, “You punks, you all believe that I killed that guy?”
All remained silent, so Garen, the sole dwarf broke the awkwardness, “Captain, even if you don’t, there is nothing supporting you didn’t. Just look at yourself. I’d even believe if one said you kill someone if they woke you up early.”
“Ugh…” Hans grunted, “Then this psychopath is going to sleep, so whoever disturbs me, considers themselves dead.” Hans bolted out to his room while everyone surrounded Delimira to know the exact details. “I need to change my image. Jeez, they don’t even doubt me anymore.”
THE GUARD POST
“You don’t have any evidence only speculation. And I know for sure that Xandor would never follow someone’s orders, there was no indication of wood magic used. So how in the hell’s name that boy is responsible?” Kansas, the chairman of the Knight association and one of the observers of interrogation asked the elf couple, suggesting, “You should’ve dug into the victim’s past and his connection to Xandor. So, Why are you pointing your finger at the brat.”
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“So did he charm you?” Eleanor asked.
“He called you a moron right at your face, King Eleanor. Name one who can do that and get away. Despite being childish, the boy uses his head quite well. He is fearless for one, but what I thought earlier was him being reckless. No, he is not, he knows what is backing him and he uses it to his advantage. He is clever for his age.” Kansas explained.
“It was a long shot, but we have a war to fight, and that child sure has expedited it,” Reina stated, glancing at Rudolf and Sierra who seemed to pay no mind to her.
But Norwin, interrupted, “You have to pay the price, trying to use him. Look, it cost me 26 elites.” He scoffed and asked, the elven couple, “So, was the brat said, true?”
“Yes” the queen answered her voice calm and calculated.
“Then you let your golden goose fly away, queen Reina.” Norwin scoffed.
Reina didn’t give in to the taunt, but her gaze shifted to Aredhel, “Those two know each other quite well.” she commented.
“That’s a given.” Aredhel replied, her tone the same as Reina's, as she continued, “She knows how to be a good friend. The one thing you can never be or understand, Queen Reina.”
Aredhel stood up, understanding well that her daughter was the piece her sister-in-law was going to use for the war. Turning to her brother she retorted, “You, how much more pathetic you can be. If you can’t be a good uncle, then at least be a good person…my apologies. I forget that our kind can’t ever be that.” She stormed off and Rudolf and Sierra followed.
It didn’t take them long to reach back. Hans and Delimira just had ariived too. Rudolf entered, storming into the castle as he shouted out loud, “Where is that brat?” All pointed at his rooms direction and their dean of knights charged at their captain’s room. While Lux murmured, “Should we prepare for our dean’s funeral or our captain’s?”
After a while, Rudolf brought out Hans, beaten blue. He put Hans like a sack of potatoes before Sierra and asked, “Dean Sierra, please heal your mage.”
“Aren’t you going to say something to him?” Hans whispered to Sierra as his whining continued, “ Aah! Aah! I can’t even open one eye.”
“You should be glad it was not me, or you’d not even have a mouth to speak, Squeaky.” She then asked everyone to leave the hall and started healing Hans as he whined looking at his grandpa, “I’m gonna report you to the education board.”
“With what evidence?” Rudolf retorted, “I can play that game too, you know.”
“Ha.. petty geezer.” Hans taunted and welcomed another bump in his head which also healed quickly shrouded by the sixth circle spell ‘Grace’.
“Hans,” Sierra spoke, sounding serious, “I’m gonna ask you and you should be truthful—”
“If you don’t want me to lie, please don’t ask,” Hans interjected, his tone apologetic.
“Then why are you in this mess, at least tell me about it.”
Hans opened his waist bag, smaller than his fist and brought out the book, the same size as his first one. The words depicted on it were read - Book of the Day - The Solar mage. “That's the only thing I can tell you, grandma. Don’t ask me more.”
“Is this the second book?” Rudolf asked in surprise and Hans nodded in return, opening it, he asked, “Can you read this?”
The weird pattern and unknown language were intriguing to both elders, but not understandable. “How much can you read?” Sierra asked him.
“Nothing,” Hans answered, “but there might be a hint in the Limitless.”
“So where did you put the first book and where the heck did you get the space bag? Did you ask for more money from Hodges… wait a minute… did you take a loan under my name—”
“Xandor gave it to me with the book.” Hans interrupted before Rudolf could reach the conclusion and including Xandor's name was quite the page-turner in Rudolf’s mood. He added, “That’s all I can tell you right now.”
“You are acting like your father. Remember Hans you are not alone, you have us.” Sierra almost pleaded.
“I know, that’s why I can do this grandma. I know you’ll catch me if I fall and trust me, I won’t go like my father.”
She responded embracing Hans, “You have to promise it Hans, don’t do something dangerous.”
“I promise I’ll be safe,” Hans remarked
“Ha… for all things why did you inherit all the bad traits of your father?” Sierra complained hugging him tight. Looking past her husband she found someone, she called out, “Vanessa talk some sense into him, will you?” And they left the two to talk.
She began caressing his head, tousling his hair. “Stop it, sis, I’m not a kid anymore.”
“Yeah, how can you be, when you are on a warpath? I wanted you to not be naive, not a psycho on a killing spree, was the 26 people not enough to satisfy you.” She scolded.
“There are a lot of bad people out there sis,” Hans explained, serious, “And frankly, I don’t care what god-forsaken deeds they do. But no one gets to talk with me like that or to you. You are my sister.” He paused glancing at her face, still worried so he explained, “I saw an opportunity and took it. It backfired, but nonetheless, I got out without a scratch.”
"Why won’t you stop taking risks? Just grow up nice and healthy—”
“Sis, No matter how much I deny it, I’m Hans Parv. There is no nice and healthy in my future. But I’ll try if you want it that much.”
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