Chapter 18

When Truth Hurts

The girl said nothing, just looked at Noah strangely. She didn’t seem like she was going to talk, so he did. "Is the statue in the town square of your father? Also, you haven't answered my question yet. Why does someone like you want to become an imperial knight?"

The sadness in the girl's expression deepened. After a moment of silence, she answered his questions. "Yes, that is my father... I want to become an imperial knight because... I want to follow in my father's footsteps."

Noah's expression turned cold as he said, "To your grave?" Tears filled the girl's eyes, and guilt filled Noah's expression as he quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, I won't say I didn't mean that, but I just don't understand your logic."

"Why do you want to understand?" she practically shouted at him, her eyes filled with tears. "Why?.."

Noah took a deep breath, calming himself, and spoke sincerely. "Because I know you're not telling the truth. You say that just to appear dutiful to your parents, and that's okay. I don't see anything wrong with living for your parents, in fact, I appreciate such a sacrifice. But..." He fell silent, saying nothing more, his expression unreadable.

The girl waited for a while, but Noah remained silent, his head down. So she decided to speak. "I didn't lie about what I want. I want to become what my father became..." With red cheeks, she continued in embarrassment. "A hero, that has always been my dream."

Noah lifted his head in surprise, his view of the girl changed. "I didn't expect that. Sorry for doubting you." He paused for a moment and continued with sarcasm. "You really are pure."

The knightess looked away in embarrassment and said nothing in protest. Noah himself remained silent because what he would say next would destroy the relative peace he had built.

After a few moments, Noah reminded the girl. "You still haven't answered my previous questions."

The girl's expression turned sour as she looked back at Noah with deep sadness. "What do you want me to say? I... I..."

"Don't have the answers?" Noah interrupted, finishing her sentence. "Didn't notice? Or did you notice and pretend ignorance? Or is it something else?.."

The girl said nothing, the sourness and sadness in her expression deepened. That alone was enough for Noah to know that the girl was neither stupid nor blind.

He remained silent for a while, hoping she would say something, but she maintained the uncomfortable silence. So Noah took it upon himself to push the conversation forward. "Do you want to hear my opinion?"

The girl seemed really unwilling, but Noah spoke anyway. "I'd say you possess something. I'll take a wild guess and say that what you possess is something that has preserved your ancient bloodline despite losing the traits of your ancestors. And I think this won't go unnoticed by the Empire. They probably don't know what this thing is, but they will want it as something worth having. And being an imperial knight makes their job easier. If you know anything about the Empire, that would be their obsession with control."

The girl said nothing, just looked at Noah sadly, seemingly unwilling to believe his words. But she listened. "Do you want to hear what will happen to you after what you did?" Noah asked with a smile.

For this, the girl smiled with self-sarcasm and nodded with difficulty. Noah felt strange about her response but spoke anyway. "For reference, you are trapped from all directions. I was previously worried that your status would outweigh the advantage of my position as a victim and I would take all the blame, but seeing you and learning about you eased those worries. To think about it, I was even planning countermeasures to protect myself."

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"But enough about me. There are three possibilities in your situation and all of them are equally bad. The first is that being an honorable knight, you will confess your mistake and allow yourself to be disposed of. This would be the ideal situation for the Empire, they will get everything you possess in the easiest way by exploiting your guilt, and you will allow that to happen, of course, because you are an honorable knight as I said."

"The second possibility is that you refuse to cooperate. In this case, your master will be the honorable knight in this version of the story. So your word will be against his, and of course, your word will mean little against his. Your dream of being a hero will mean nothing without any reputation. You might not believe it, but a hero without a reputation is not a hero at all. More like a donor than a hero."

"The third possibility is that none of what I said before happens. Of course, even in this case, no one will stand by your side. They might even believe the word of a commoner like me over yours. And again, everything will be taken from you just because you violated the laws of the imperial knights."

Noah looked at the girl who listened attentively, her expressions changing multiple times throughout Noah's speech. After a moment of silence, Noah asked the most important question. "In all directions, you are trapped. How will you get out?"

The girl remained silent for a long time, a mix of sadness, sarcasm, and nostalgia evident on her face. Suddenly, she looked at Noah with shaky resolve and said in a steady voice, "I don't plan on getting out. If I have to choose, the first option seems most fitting. I don't want to cause my master any more trouble, more disgrace than I've already put him in."

Noah raised an eyebrow at the expected response, but what surprised him was her reason for choosing such an answer. "I expected that. But do you think you are more important to your master than the interests of the Empire?" Noah asked with curiosity.

The girl closed her eyes for a moment and spoke without looking at Noah. "I know he will choose the Empire. It's his honor."

Noah looked at the girl's sad expression, feeling her sorrow but also feeling the responsibility to make her understand. "But is that the right thing to do?"

The girl looked at Noah, her sad expression clearly visible in her eyes. She remained silent, but her gaze begged him to leave her alone. Of course, Noah had no plans to do that and continued his questions. "Being a hero doesn't just mean doing good things, it also means judging the quality of those good actions and ensuring those actions don't only serve one side's interests, but everyone's. Will being an imperial knight really make you a hero as you wished?"

The girl genuinely smiled at Noah, a kind smile that improved the atmosphere of the conversation. "I love the sound of that, but I'm not in a position to judge others, and I never will be. I just wanted to do what I can, like... my father..."

Noah let out a frustrated sigh and stated matter-of-factly, "Doing just what you can isn't enough. Are you a farmer or a baker? To be a hero, you have to do more than just what's enough, you have to do the impossible and make the impossible ordinary."

Noah paused for a moment, catching his breath before continuing. "And who said you're not in a position to judge others? You have a good heart, and that's more than enough."

The girl's smile widened further, she looked genuinely happy with Noah's words, but Noah felt something off about such a smile, which somehow pushed him to speak more quickly than usual. "What if I told you that you still have a chance to go after your dreams? Without consequences for your mistakes."

The girl moved her good hand towards her chest as if checking her heartbeat. After a few moments, she answered with a strange calmness. "I would wish that were possible, but mistakes must be punished. I wronged you and almost killed you just because what you believed didn't suit my taste. I must be punished."

Noah looked at the girl warmly and calmly declared. "If that's what's worrying you, I forgive you. To be honest, I wronged you more than you wronged me. In fact, you did nothing to me, everything that happened was a result of my actions."

The girl's expression turned into a mix of relief and sadness. Noah was sure she wanted to ask about the meaning of his words but just took a deep breath and said nothing about it. "Thank you, I guess, for forgiving me. But still, I have no chance now in my dream."

Noah leaned closer to her and seriously declared. "If the Empire's greed for your possessions is what's worrying you, such a thing can be dealt with. Such an obstacle shouldn't stand between you and your dream."

The girl looked into Noah's eyes, evaluating him. After a moment of silence, she spoke quietly and seriously. "If your speculations are correct, I can protect what's mine... at least what's left and what's important. But what stands between me and my dream is what made me dream in the first place."

Noah didn't understand the girl's words, but he thought about their meaning. In his contemplation, the girl spoke again in a quiet and sad voice. "I've lost the ability to use magic, my core is on the verge of collapse... it doesn't matter... all I wanted was also to apologize to you, and..." She began to cry uncontrollably.