Chapter 29: Heresy [STAR]

Lily and I were escorted to the castle. Numerous torches and braziers were lit throughout the castle. If you’re in search for a creepy looking castle in the middle of the night, you got one right here. But why would the Queen want to see me right now? It just doesn't make much sense. There was only one reason I could think of and I really hope that’s not the case.

The castle gate opened as we approached closer. I guess they were really expecting me. Should I send Lily away before it’s too late? But knowing her, she will follow me to the depths of hell even if I try to shoo her away. I am certain Rose will do the same in this situation. In the event the worst scenario occurs, I will ensure at the very least Lily is able to escape unharmed. Rose should be safe in my house for now and I’m sure the Light guild will do everything they can to protect and keep her safe. Rose is certainly smart enough to know what to do in this situation.

As we headed in, I sensed that the soldiers around me were tense. It’s like they are prepared to act at a moment's notice. Lily sensed it too and gripped my hand tighter. She will have difficulty running while wearing that dress and shoes of hers. I might have to carry her later should the need to run arise.

We came upon a giant door. The soldiers opened it and revealed a large throne room inside. As expected, the Queen was seated at her throne. Good thing that chair was not made of iron swords instead. I only been here once as I didn’t want to see her face as she always looked disgusted at me. No idea what I did that made her hate me this way.

Both Lily and I kneeled to her. Silence engulfed us which made things even more awkward now that we are here. I decided to focus all my attention on the little details as I continued to stare downwards. The soldier's shoe on my right is untied, the soldier on my left is shaking ever so slightly as he held onto his spear, the smell of sweats permeated the entire room. Tension is brewing here and it doesn’t look good for me at all.

"Do you know why you’re called here?" asked the Queen with her evil voice.

"No, your Majesty. I know not the reason as to why I’m called here." I answered.

"Really? And here you are hailed as the genius of our era. Even capable of creating new alchemical recipes where others could not. You think you can keep it a secret but the Queen always finds out. There is no secret that I cannot uncover, Mister Zen," she explained.

"And what secret are you referring to exactly, your Majesty?" I spat those last words out.

"Don’t play the fool, Zen Hawthorn! Spitting your name is heresy on it's own!" she shouted as she spat my last name from her venomous lips.

What’s with the sudden enragement? As I suspected, someone leaked my last name to the Queen. But who exactly? There is only one person I can think of that might betray me. Pietro Sorrel.

"I’m sorry, your Majesty, but my last name is actually Bing. Zen Bing is my full name to be exact. I did not wish to reveal it as people would laugh at my last name," I tried to lie my way out of this situation.

"Do you take me for a fool? I have evidence that you are indeed a Hawthorn. And also, I can recognise your father's signature feature anywhere. That lazy hair of yours was the first dead giveaway," said the Queen.

What?! So that was the face feature that everyone was talking about when they said that I looked like my father? It was all because of this lazy hair of mine that refuses to go down no matter what I did? O bloody hell.

“So what is the Queen planning to do with the son of a war hero? Lock him up in a prison? Or perhaps you will grant him a quick death?” I raised my gaze to meet hers as I had given enough pleasantries by now.

"Oh Mister Zen, you are definitely going to prison until the end of time. You can kiss goodbye to sunlight where you are going. Perhaps if you're lucky, you might be able to see me every once in a while," said the Queen as she licked her lips.

Ugh, what in the world is she planning to do to me in prison? I can sense the soldiers around me were waiting for a signal from the Queen. All of a sudden, I can hear some loud tearing sound at my side.

Huh? What is Lily doing? She was tearing her dress all the way up to her thigh. Is she planning to make a run for it? What a waste of a beautiful dress. I would had willingly carried her to keep that dress intact.

"Will you be willing to let my partner go free? She’s innocent and just happened to be with me tonight. If you noticed her ears, you will know full well that there is no way she’s a Hawthorn," I explained to the Queen.

"Hmm, very well. Seeing as I’m in a good mood now, at the very least I will grant you one wish. Your partner is free to go. You should say goodbye to him missy, for today will be the very last time you will ever see him," answered the Queen as she shooed Lily away.

Lily stood up and pulled my arm to make me stand. She stared into my eyes and I can see conviction in them. I am certain I know very well what she wants to do next. Good thing I brought along my bag with me. However, I will still need a bit of time to wear my gauntlets and cloak. She turned her gaze towards the Queen, bowed a little and smiled. Then she spoke words that I would never thought she would ever say in her life.

"Fuck you, bitch!!” shouted Lily as she pointed her middle finger at her. I won't lie, I was certainly taken aback when she said that.

Lily grabbed my hand and rushed towards the exit. The soldiers were already preventing us from leaving. In a moment’s notice, they had already surrounded us with their spears. Damn it, I can wear my cloak quickly but I am still unarmed. Lily might be able to use her spells but there is no way she is punching against solid armour with just her fist. No wait, is she really going to? Lightning was starting to streak along her fist now.

"That was— some poor choice of words. Arrest them!" shouted the Queen as she gestured her soldiers.

The soldiers tried to apprehend us. They got closer to us with their sharp spears pointing at us. I thought of swiping away some of the spears to take out some of the soldiers but a loud shattering of glasses can be heard from above us. I quickly turned my gaze upwards and saw two dark figures leaping down. Both of them were wearing some mask. Is Anbu trying to save us? They landed in front of me and Lily which made the soldiers backed off a little. Who are these hooded figures? Are they here to help or kidnap us?

They tossed a small bag towards Lily and whispered something extremely softly. I am certain her sensitive elven ears caught what was being said. Lily immediately grabbed my hand and turned her gaze at me. She deliberately closed her eyes and puffed out her cheeks. That was— the most adorable thing I had ever seen, but I doubt she is acting this way on purpose. I have to hold myself back from pinching her cheeks as I knew she was asking me to follow her actions without speaking to me.

A couple of objects dropped from above. Oh boy, I know what those are. Flash and stink bombs were being thrown in batches. I better get a breath of fresh air while I still can!

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Boom boom boom!!

Loud explosions erupted around us as the bombs detonated. The soldiers who were caught off guard were either blinded or ran away, desperate for fresh air. There is no way they can react properly under such conditions.

My eyes flung opened when I was suddenly dragged along by Lily. We followed after those two hooded figures who seems to know where they were going. Who are these people? Why are they helping us and how did they know that I was about to be captured? Their timing was impeccable which made me suspicious of them.

We ran along the corridors of the castle. I felt lost as I never had the chance to explore inside this castle much. I hated the Queen so there was not much reason for me to explore this castle in the first place. Glad these hooded figures knew where they were going. Hang on, do they really? It looked like a dead-end up ahead. There is nothing but a window at the end. Are they expecting us to jump out of the castle when we are a few storeys high?!

One of the hooded figure threw something heavy that smashed the window apart. Ever tried running and slamming yourself onto a glass thinking that you can break it with your weight? Yeah, that doesn't really work.

"Jump out and grab on!" shouted one of the hooded figure.

Footsteps can be heard behind us. The soldiers sure acted quickly despite the distractions that the hooded figures caused. Lily leapt out of the window first and I followed behind. Everything seems to slow down for me as I leapt out the window after Lily. My brain processor must be running on full load currently as I process what the hooded figure told me. It turns out there was a white rope prepared for us to slide down from above. The people who threw the bombs must had prepared the rope in advance.

The rope burn hurts like hell as I slid down to ground level but I shook it off. Now, where to? The hooded figures continued to lead us further away from the castle. That was surprisingly easy. We managed to leave the castle without so much as a scratch. Who are these people and how did they planned all of these so quickly?

***

We continued towards the Southern entrance where we stopped by a safehouse. Some of the hooded figures scouted ahead to ensure there were no surprises awaiting for us at the Southern entrance. Although I am pretty certain that soldiers had already blocked all the major entrances by now.

The safehouse was small. Only a few of the hooded figures stayed with us inside this building. We were hiding inside a small room when Lily approached one of the hooded figure and whispered something. The hooded figure nodded to her and proceeded to head out of the room. What did she tell that person?

"Close your eyes, Zen," ordered Lily.

“H— huh?" I uttered. I was caught off guard by her sudden choice of words.

"Close your eyes unless you want to see me change," she sighed.

She started stripping without waiting for me. I quickly closed my eyes and turn my back towards her as I sat on the floor with my arms folded. I had already worn my gauntlets and cloak by now. I started thinking about the situation that I’m in currently. If it was really Pietro who leaked my name, why did he took this long to reveal it? Our secret quest was months ago and I’m certain the Queen would not had taken this long to arrest me. Something must have happened for the Queen to find out. It might not even be Pietro that exposed my name. But I don’t have any other suspects thus far. Hmm—

Lily hugged me from behind which made me opened my eyes. Is she hurt or something?

"What's wrong, Lily? You ok?" I asked her without turning my head to look.

It seems like she had changed to her adventurer outfit along with her gauntlets. Yes, the outfit that showed her belly area. What ridiculously unprotective gear that she’s wearing. I should get her a more proper clothing to protect all the parts of her body.

"Sorry that your name got exposed, Zen. Now you can’t even live in this city anymore," whispered Lily.

‘What're you sorry about? It’s not your fault anyway. You didn't expose my name, right?" I asked her.

"Of course! I would never. To think that you would even suspect me for exposing your name," she felt dejected.

"Hey hey— I did not. You said you were sorry which caught me off guard. I never suspected you in the first place. I had other people in mind that I’m suspicious of. Really," I explained to her.

We kept quiet as we tried to hear the things that were happening around us. Even with my normal human ears, I can hear plenty of commotions happening outside. Soldiers were shouting and running about; innocent people can be heard screaming and seeking cover or hiding in their houses; soldiers banging on doors ordering them to open so they can inspect inside. It was only a matter of time before I’m found inside the city.

"Where can I even go?" I uttered out loud without even realising it.

"I'm bringing you to the elven forest. You can seek shelter there until you decide where to go," answered Lily.

“E— Elven forest? Am I even allowed to go there?" I asked while being surprised by her suggestion. That was the last place in my mind that I was considering to seek shelter in.

"Perhaps. You alone should be fine. But if you're thinking about—“ she was cut short as we heard someone knocking on the main door. That’s odd. Soldiers should be banging on the door instead of knocking so softly. Who is on the opposite side?

I put all my focus into hearing what’s the commotion about. I think I heard something like "go in" and "she can be trusted" or something. Our room door opened and standing there was Rose with her hugging Inazuma and Tengu-kaze.

Wait a minute, she can carry them?! I thought legendary items were damnable objects that doesn’t simply allow other people to touch them? No wait, that’s not even the most important question, how did Rose even find me here in the first place yet alone bring my weapons to me?

She rushed in and handed my weapons to me quickly. I wanted to ask her on how she found us but she shushed me and told me her side story immediately.

"We don't have much time. Soldiers are spreading throughout the city looking for you, Onii-chan. The guilds are doing whatever they can to stall them while not exposing themselves. You need to get out of the city before it’s too late," she explained.

“How— did you know about all of the things that are happening? It was not long ago that my name was exposed," I asked her.

"The guilds had already caught wind of this before they even brought you to the castle. They already have a plan in place should your name ever got exposed. This plan was just waiting to happen on a moment’s notice, Onii-chan," she explained.

Wait what? I turned my gaze towards Lily and she sort of nodded. Why am I the only one who didn't know about this?!

"Where will you be going, Onii-chan? The Eastern continent?" Rose asked.

"I was thinking the same but Lily suggested to bring me elsewhere," I explained.

"I’ll be bringing Zen to the Elven Forest which is south of here. It’s going to be some journey there but if we get a head start and use the cover of the forest, the soldiers should not be able to outrun us or escape our traps emplacements," said Lily.

"Should he wish to head to the Eastern continent after, that’s up to him. But he will need to use our ships to sneak across safely. Our ship can submerge and sail across without being detected," she continued.

I certainly remembered the elven ship that brought me to the City of Underwater Marrydia. Who could forget such a crazy experience?

"Can I— come along? I wish to follow him," asked Rose.

"I’m sorry, Rose. I’m sure I can bring one person into the Elven forest but I cannot be certain they would be willing to accept two humans seeking shelter there. We elves are quite— secretive about our forest’s secrets," said Lily.

The both of them stared at each other for a couple of minutes. Rose walked towards Lily and held both her hands.

"Please take good care of my older brother. He might be a bit useless at a couple of things, but he’s a good person," Rose bowed to her.

"I will, Rose. Leave your brother to me. I promise that I'll keep him safe," answered Lily.

Why does it seems as though a mother handing over her child to someone else for marriage? I’m not being given away right now, am I?

Rose whispered something to Lily to which she flustered and said "No, no, NO!" out loudly. Lily proceeded to whisper back to Rose in turn to which she gave a loud "Ehh?!" and squinted at my direction. What the hell are these two even talking about.

"I can't believe you, Onii-chan. Is there someone else that we don't know about?" asked Rose.

"Huh? What are you saying?" I was confused with her question.

As she wanted to reply, we heard another knocking outside. Lily put her ears against the door to hear. I dragged Rose to the opposite side and gave her a hug.

"Rose, this is where we part ways for now. I will come back for you. Please— stay with your guild as much as possible and don't get caught by the soldiers. I shudder to think what they’ll do to you since they know you’re my little sister. You must stay safe," I hugged her tighter as I’m so worried to leave her alone.

"Don't worry, Onii-chan. I know what I need to do. I will find Pietro and interrogate him. He’s the only one that I do not trust. Leave it to me, onii-chan. And farewell," she whispered back.

The door opened and the hooded figures gestured for us to go. I nodded to them and whispered to Rose.

"Here is some money, take it. Should you need more, you know where to find it. I love you, Rose. Take care and— sayonara,” I whispered and rushed out the door.

The last thing I heard from Rose was an "Eh?" before I left the room with Lily behind. The hooded figures gave a quick check and ushered us out the main door. They immediately started running with us following behind their tails. There were a couple of hooded figures located strategically at some key locations above the rooftops that pointed the way for us or telling us when to stop. It was not long until we reached the Southern entrance. Unfortunately and as expected, it was fully barricaded. Seems like the soldiers won’t be letting anyone out of the city any longer. How do we escape now?

The hooded figures led us to another area that was quite some distance away from the entrance. We were facing a part of the wall that surrounds the city. Are they expecting me to climb up this wall? How am I going to get down even if I managed to climb? I am not as nimble as Lily to be able to climb a wall vertically with such height. The hooded figures started pushing at the bottom part of the wall. A chunk of a rectangular shaped rock was pushed outwards. It was not tall enough for us to crouch through so we will have to get through by crawling. Lily went first while I followed behind after her. I didn’t even realised that I was looking directly at Lily's butt. I slapped myself to force myself to focus on the more important things right now. Now is not the time, Mister Zen.

Once we were on the other side of the wall, the hooded figures asked us to push back the carved rock. He told us that the bushes near the entrance are the only thing preventing us from being spotted. When that’s over, we will have to leg it to the forbidden forest. Once we head over there, they will be some people waiting for us. I told them not to worry as the forbidden forest is my turf. I survived there for so long without even realising that it was forbidden.

Lily and I sneaked as best as we could using the cover of the bushes until we reached the end of the trail. From here on out, we will have to run all with all our might. The soldiers will definitely see us running and will be calling for reinforcements to follow after us. I turn my gaze back to the city one last time and whispered to myself "Goodbye, Rose" and started running after Lily who had already dashed ahead. Little did I know that I won't be seeing Rose for a very long time.