***

"What are you all waiting for? Take this brat down!" shouted the injured man in black.

The remaining five men charged at Tristan simultaneously, weapons drawn. However, Tristan moved effortlessly, dodging their attacks with fluid precision. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a wave of mana that froze the wrists and ankles of each attacker mid-motion. One by one, they collapsed to the ground, immobilized.

Tristan stood tall, his sword aimed directly at the first injured man. "Now," he said coldly, "are you ready to talk?"

From several meters away, someone is watching Tristan fight. "Impressive. A mere child took down the elite squad of the Roussanne family."

Tristan turned his head, his sword shifting to point toward someone that watch from afar "Are you just going to watch while your friends get beaten to a pulp?" he called out.

The man, dressed in the same black attire, stiffened in shock. "How did he notice me? I've perfected the art of concealing my presence."

The man stepped forward, motioning to his group to follow. They approached Sheyla cautiously, their hands raised in a gesture of surrender. As they drew closer, they suddenly knelt, bowing deeply before Sheyla.

"Greetings, young mistress," the man said. "I am Brady Emberlain, younger brother of Commander Rowen Emberlain. I apologize for the delay in rescuing you."

Sheyla's eyes widened in recognition. "Brady? Is that really you?"

The man removed his mask, revealing his face. "Yes it is, young mistress."

Without hesitation, Sheyla dashed toward him, her face lighting up with relief.

"Wait!" Tristan shouted, his voice sharp.

Before Sheyla could get any closer, Eclipse bit down on her sleeve, stopping her in her tracks.

"Do you ever learn?" Tristan said, exasperation clear in his voice.

"But he's the knight who's protected me since I was little!" Sheyla retorted, her voice tinged with frustration.

Tristan's gaze hardened. "Listen, Sheyla Roussanne. The more you trust someone, the deeper the pain when they betray you. Always be prepared for the worst. What if he isn't the knight you know? What if he's someone else, wearing his face to deceive you?"

As if to punctuate his point, Tristan swung the pommel of his sword, striking the black-clad man in front of him hard enough to knock him unconscious.

Tristan approached Sheyla and the knight, his steps deliberate and his sword leveled at Brady. "So, tell me," he said coldly, "how exactly did you find us, Sir Brady?"

Brady's eyes flicked to Sheyla, as if seeking reassurance, but she remained silent, her expression uncertain as she placed her trust in Tristan.

"You should understand why I have to act this way, right?" Tristan added, nodding toward the black-clad men sprawled on the ground.

With a sigh, Brady replied, "Very well. We were dispatched by Marquess Roussanne to carry out a rescue mission. He had already discovered Lady Sheyla's location."

"And?" Tristan pressed.

"I've told you everything," Brady said, irritation creeping into his voice.

"Do you think I'll just believe you based on that flimsy story?" Tristan's voice sharpened. "Tell me everything. How did you pinpoint our location? How exactly did you track us?"

Brady hesitated, his brows furrowing.

"Oh, and one more thing," Tristan continued with a chilling calmness, "you'd best not lie. I have the ability to detect lies, just like I detected your presence earlier, despite your little vanishing trick."

Brady's jaw tightened as his eyes narrowed. Sheyla glanced nervously between them, sensing the growing tension in the air.

Brady thought to himself, "I must admit, this boy has extraordinary abilities and a quick mind." Then, addressing Tristan, he said, "Very well. Marquess Roussanne discovered Lady Sheyla's location with the help of an Archmage from the Celadine family. The Archmage used his magic to locate her in the southeast of Redwatch, inside a cave on the border between Sylvaria Forest and the accursed Netherbane Forest."

"Since I've been to that area before, I quickly recognized the location of the cave. However, when we arrived, we found no one there. Fortunately, one of my men possesses exceptional tracking abilities. By following your trail, we managed to catch up to you here," Brady explained thoroughly.

Tristan narrowed his eyes, digesting the explanation before gesturing toward the men sprawled on the ground. "And what about them?" he asked.

Brady glanced at the unconscious figures and clarified, "I'm not sure what misunderstanding occurred, but they're from Squad Two, assigned to the same mission as us. We got separated during the journey."

After a moment of consideration, Tristan lowered his sword.

"Do you trust me now?" Brady asked, his tone measured.

"A little," Tristan replied curtly.

Seeing this, Eclipse released its grip on Sheyla's clothes. Freed, Sheyla ran toward Brady, throwing her arms around him. "See? I told you Brady isn't a traitor!" she exclaimed with relief.

"There's no harm in being extra cautious," Tristan countered calmly.

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Brady turned his attention to Sheyla, asking her a flurry of questions about her well-being and everything that had happened.

Satisfied that Brady wasn't a threat, Tristan felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He approached one of the black-clad men who had been injured earlier. With a flick of his hand, Tristan froze the man's wrists and ankles, immobilizing him, before splashing him with a conjured burst of water to rouse him.

The man groaned in pain as he awakened, only to find Tristan standing over him with a steely gaze.

"You're awake? Good," Tristan said coldly, his tone sharp as a blade. "Let's start our little chat. From now on, I'll break one bone in your body every minute if you don't answer my questions. First question. who are you?"

"Arrogant brat! You'll regret this, I swear! Aarghh!" the man screamed as Tristan mercilessly snapped one of his toes.

Brady, hearing the commotion, rushed over with alarm. "What are you doing to a Roussanne knight?!" he demanded.

Tristan turned his calm yet piercing eyes toward Brady. "Listen, Knight Brady. This isn't just a misunderstanding, they tried to kill Sheyla."

"That's impossible! There's no way they would do such a thing!" Brady protested, his disbelief evident.

"Why don't you ask the victim yourself?" Tristan replied, stepping back slightly and gesturing toward Sheyla.

Brady turned toward Sheyla, who hesitated before nodding in fear. The truth in her expression struck Brady like a thunderbolt. His face twisted with anger as he rounded on the injured man, his voice trembling with fury. "Why?! Why would you do that?!" he shouted, landing a brutal punch on the man's face.

Tristan placed a steadying hand on Brady's shoulder. "It's obvious, they're part of the same group that abducted Sheyla." His voice was calm, yet laced with the kind of authority that made even Brady pause.

"Let me handle this," Tristan continued, his tone unwavering. "You need to protect Sheyla. Who knows if any more of your men are traitors?"

Brady turned toward his remaining squad members, a flicker of doubt clouding his mind. His instinct was to defend his comrades, but the truth lay bare before him, the wounded man's actions, Sheyla's trembling nod, and Tristan's words all pointed to a grim reality he couldn't ignore.

With a reluctant nod, Brady stepped back, his expression conflicted but resolute. "Fine," he said, his voice tight. "I'll keep an eye on Sheyla. But if this man talks, I want to hear everything."

"Of course," Tristan replied firmly. "I'll set up a barrier here, so Sheyla won't have to witness anything gruesome." He turned to Eclipse and added, "Ecy, do your job well."

"Kyuu!" Eclipse chirped confidently, its eyes gleaming with determination.

"Very well. Leave it to me," Brady responded as Tristan began conjuring the barrier. The air shimmered for a moment before the surroundings seemed to fold seamlessly into the environment, effectively hiding the scene from view.

Brady's eyes widened in amazement as he walked back to Sheyla. "Who is that boy, Lady Sheyla?" he asked.

"His name is Tristan," Sheyla answered plainly.

"Is he always like this?" Brady pressed.

"He's been like that ever since the massacre at Allrose village. His family was slaughtered by a dark mage just two days ago," Sheyla said, her tone soft yet heavy.

Brady's expression shifted, his admiration tinged with disbelief. "Truly? But how is he so strong? That barrier he cast, only a skilled mage could set up something of such high leveled."

"That's not all," Sheyla added with pride. "When I was abducted by two demons, he killed them both. Not just them, but also dozens of orcs and ogres at the place where they held me captive."

Brady looked stunned. "Is that so? Even a single low-tier demon would give me trouble in a fight," he admitted.

"I know, right? I was shocked too. But he managed it without even breaking a sweat. Then again his parents is..." Sheyla trailed off, catching herself before mentioning Tristan's parents. Her face tensed with regret.

Brady picked up on her hesitation. "His parents...? Who are they?"

"Umm..." Sheyla quickly sought a diversion. "Did you know he's been living in that cave you saw earlier? All this time?"

Brady thought in his mind "You're clearly changing the subject, Lady Sheyla." and then Brady realize something, "Wait a moment. Those orcs we found dead near the cave a few months ago—was that his doing?"

"Did he ever mention how he dealt with an orc army, Lady Sheyla?" Brady asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.

"He told me earlier. He took out half of them using traps or something similar," Sheyla replied, her tone a mix of awe and concern.

Brady stared back at the shimmering barrier, his thoughts racing. "A boy surviving alone, mastering such skills, and achieving feats that even seasoned warriors struggle with... Who is Tristan, really?"

"Wait… could it be?" Brady murmured internally. Then, leaning closer to Sheyla, he whispered, "Lady Sheyla, does Tristan's last name happen to be Ciyane?"

Sheyla's eyes widened in shock. "Eh… ah… um…" she stammered, clearly caught off guard.

"I see," Brady said, his suspicion confirmed. "Don't worry, Lady Sheyla. I didn't deduce this from you. When I first discovered that cave months ago, I noticed a sword with a 'C' emblem. I recognized it as the mark of the Ciyane family. I also found two graves belonging to adults. From there, it wasn't hard to deduce that Tristan must be the son of the legendary King of Swords Gran Ciyane and our Grand Mage, Lady Alinda Roussanne." His voice was calm, assuring her of his discretion. "I'll keep this information to myself, at least until I've reported it directly to Lord Lucien."

Sheyla hesitated, then nodded. "Alright then. Thank you, Brady."

Moments later, the shimmering barrier dissipated, and Tristan emerged, walking towards them. Brady straightened himself and asked, "So, how did it go, kid?"

Tristan's face remained serious as he began his report. "They didn't know much. What I gathered is that Sheyla was kidnapped as part of some plan involving Redwatch. They stumbled upon me and sheyla while checking on their comrades stationed at a nearby cave. They're nothing more than foot soldiers, they completely useless, they don't even know the organization's name."

His voice grew darker as he continued, "But one thing's clear: this is the same group responsible for Sheyla's abduction, the burning of Allrose, and…" His voice faltered briefly, but his eyes burned with fury as he clenched his fists. "The ones who killed my family."

Brady watched the boy silently, a newfound respect mixing with pity. "Whoever you are… you've made enemies with the wrong person," Brady thought to himself.

"Alright then," Brady spoke after a brief pause. "I've already informed Lord Lucien of our success in locating Lady Sheyla. He has requested to meet you personally. Would you be willing to accompany us to Redwatch, kid?"

Tristan glanced at Sheyla. Her expression radiated a pleading look, silently begging him to agree. He sighed and replied, "Alright. Lead the way."

"Excellent," Brady said, relieved. "First, we'll head to Wyrmford to arrange a carriage for Lady Sheyla and… perhaps find her some more suitable attire." His eyes lingered momentarily on Sheyla's tattered clothes, his expression betraying mild discomfort.

Tristan followed Brady's gaze and smirked. "You're right, she looks awful."

"What?!" Sheyla exclaimed, glaring at him. "You're one to talk, Tristan. You're just as filthy!"

Tristan simply shrugged, raising his hands dismissively while chuckling. "Sure, sure," he teased, much to Sheyla's irritation.

With that, the group continued their journey towards Wyrmford, enjoying a rare moment of calm after the tense confrontation.