Chapter 14

Of Truth and Power

Eyolian stood on the balcony of the castle library, the highest point. The view of the town illuminated by yellow light under the moonlit night was something beautiful and breathtaking. The reflection of both the silver moonlight and the yellow town light on the three rivers created a strange and otherworldly scene, but still beautiful.

Eyolian couldn't enjoy the view because the reason she was there was Noah, who had been there from the start, sitting with a heavy book in his hands.

Eyolian wanted to talk, but the constant presence of the two knights prevented that. So she had to speak in nuances and hope Noah would understand.

But that proved unnecessary, as Noah spoke first as if he expected her arrival. "There's a saying that goes, everything is free if you take it without permission. I don't think it applies to this case, but it's close enough. Knowledge has always been exclusive to an individual or a group of individuals. This kind of knowledge is called an advantage, and all civilized societies seek any kind of advantage. It's not surprising that wars ignite over a small advantage against another party considered capable enough. In the end, everyone will want the best for themselves."

"For you to share your advantage, I would consider you foolish and disregard any potential partnership with you. But you're not foolish; I've said it before and I'll say it now, value for price. We can still trade, but you must stop looking down on others."

Eyolian remained silent. She really didn't expect such a response—who could? She felt happy that not much had changed between her and Noah, but she also felt cautious of his intelligence and ease in reading her emotions. Still, she was happy nonetheless.

She sat on a chair on the balcony opposite Noah in his light clothing and asked curiously, "Is this your way of saying you have an unfair advantage over others? Besides, you really have a strange way of looking at societies."

Noah smiled lightly and did not respond to her first comment. He answered the second directly. "It's not strange at all; it's just fitting. Advantages can be considered either a fast track to evolution or a quicker journey to the grave."

Eyolian laughed at the strange description. Noah felt insulted and began to explain in a challenge. "Listen before laughing, you ignorant. Take, for example, the last great war. Both the Empire and the Kingdom had different advantages. The first, the strongest army on the continent. The second, the ability to see the future if that were true, and also the advantage of the land, kind of. The Kingdom's advantage had always been coveted by all, and that advantage was their downfall. The Empire's advantage was their success, and that's why they strengthened their advantages after winning the war. - That's the simplified summary for someone with little understanding."

Eyolian contemplated the words, ignoring the last insult. She didn't agree with it, but she acknowledged its truth. Still, she couldn't stop herself from asking. "What about the war heroes who made what you call enhancing the Empire's advantage possible? You can't just ignore them and look at it with your cold transparency."

"The world, at its core, is cold and transparent," Noah commented indifferently. "We are the ones who complicate it as we do with everything. As for the war heroes, they are closer to forgotten bones, incidental, the moment they died, they ceased..."

A loud, angry female voice interrupted Noah's words. "Can you shut your big mouth? I can't stay silent on the words of an ignorant stranger and..."

The person who spoke was one of the knights. The voice alone indicated that the speaker was either a woman or a young girl. She tried to step forward, but the other older knight stopped her by grabbing her hand. "Go inside, we'll talk later," he said in a disappointed voice.

The knightess turned her head to the older knight hesitantly. "I can't stay silent about this. I can't..."

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"I said go inside," the older knight ordered, anger finding its way into his sharp voice.

The knightess looked at Noah, clearly hesitant, but in the end, she adjusted her stance and prepared to leave.

Noah closed his book and stood up from his seat. Eyolian followed suit. "You've lost someone," Noah stated matter-of-factly, his voice as cold as ever.

The knightess froze in place, turning her head to face Noah as he continued. "What were you going to do? Kill me just because I spoke my truth?"

The older knight moved to stand in front of the knightess, but it was too late. She was already on Noah.

He didn't move from his spot, the only thing that changed about him was the smile that formed on his face. The knightess grabbed him by the throat and easily lifted him over the high balcony edge.

The older knight approached the two calmly, saying something, perhaps to calm the angry knightess. But Eyolian didn't care; all her focus was on Noah, who placed one hand on the knightess's armored hand and began to do that thing with his soul, his smile never fading.

"You're not doing your job well. It's your first time, isn't it?" Noah said through clenched teeth, unfazed.

The knightess didn't seem aware of what Noah was doing with his soul, even the older knight seemed in the dark. Eyolian moved closer; she wasn't going to allow her to throw him off the edge. The knightess had given her every reason to act, but Eyolian waited to see what Noah was trying to do and the results of his actions.

"Don't come any closer, you with the strange eyes," the knightess said without looking at Eyolian. "Do you want to see this bony chicken shatter?"

Eyolian said nothing about the insult she just received, but Noah stood up for her. "That's not very nice of you. And I thought you were the nice knight."

"Don't do this, girl," the older knight said cautiously. "What's happening with you, this isn't you, why are you angry over the words of a nobody? Let the specimen down and let's see what's wrong with you. You're better than this."

Eyolian looked at the older knight. 'Specimen? That's intriguing and suspicious.' She looked back at Noah, whose smile had vanished as he looked at the older knight. He turned his expression to her and smiled again.

'Damn it,' Eyolian cursed under her breath as she rushed at full speed towards Noah. The older knight did the same.

On the opposite side, Noah lifted the book in his free hand and threw it at the older knight's helmet. At the same moment, he grabbed the knightess's armored hand with his empty hand and kicked her with all his might in the helmet.

Eyolian reached the knightess, who had released Noah, the steps she took back from Noah's kick putting her between Eyolian and him, who was falling with a smile. Without much thought, Eyolian kicked the knightess with all her strength, feeling the armor bend under her force, but Eyolian didn't care. She jumped beside the balcony edge and fell parallel to it.

In a second, Eyolian grabbed Noah by the wrist and easily and directly embedded her hand into the solid stone that formed the castle walls. She did the same with her foot, stopping their sharp descent.

Noah looked up at her from below, his smile wide. Eyolian was angry, she even wanted to kick him with her free leg, but thought better of it, as it would just throw her off balance. But words were free. "What the hell are you doing?"

Noah laughed freely as he said, "Do you remember when I told you I could differentiate between truth and nonsense in books? Well, I suspected the idea of awakening between the ages of 19 and 22 was pure nonsense, but I had to be sure. And the beautiful Lady Elara was kind enough to enlighten me. You heard him call me 'specimen' over there, isn't that interesting?"

Eyolian didn't understand half of Noah's words, but she knew he wasn't foolish enough to act without a clear goal. Before Eyolian could say anything, Noah continued in a cheerful voice. "If that wasn't enough, I got my full answer from the knightess you killed, by the way."

Eyolian looked at the unmoving body of the knightess below. She was far enough away for her form to stop being clear or perhaps had turned into a meat paste. Regardless, this was very bad for Eyolian and Noah, who seemed unconcerned about anything, even his own fall—did he really rely on her that much to save him?

"Aren't you afraid of falling? What would you have done if I didn't intervene?" Eyolian asked an inappropriate question instead of thinking of a way to solve their current situation. 'I can always blame Noah, he's the cause of all this, even the older knight didn't see anything because of the book this fool threw...'

Before she could finish her thoughts, Noah stated matter-of-factly, "I wouldn't die from this height, not fully at least."

Eyolian frowned at Noah's crazy words. Before she could comment again, she watched his smile widen greatly. "None of this matters now. I believe this is enough for you to be at ease."

Eyolian lifted Noah slightly because he was practically shouting to be heard over the strong winds, and she didn't want the older knight above to hear, if he was still there. "What should I be at ease about in our current situation?"

Eyolian tensed at the serious expression Noah showed. He took a deep breath and declared, "I've fulfilled my side of the deal, and from now on, I'll rely on your help."

Eyolian seriously considered letting Noah meet his end, but upon reflecting on his words from different angles, they made sense.

She was on the brink of freedom - an advantage indeed!?