Chapter 224
“Icarus?” Cain was surprised to find the tactician sitting outside his room after a long day of training, staring vacantly at the candlesticks. Cain glanced around quickly, but, yes, this was his room.
“No way…”
A lovely visitor late in the night. The light the candles were giving off felt romantic as well, and Icarus’ blue eyes sparkled strangely in the light,
Cain stood unmoving and stared at her blankly. He was about to open his mouth, but Icarus was the first one to shatter the ice.
“I’m sorry, Sir Cain! I thought you’ll soon be done with your training, so I thought I’d wait here.”
“I mean…” Cain trailed off. His mind quickly came up with words like ‘give me a moment,’ ‘let me freshen up,’ and ‘I’ll be back soon’.
In the end, Cain could only mutter, “I-I’m not ready yet…”
He then quickly adjusted his clothes so that they would look tidy and neat, but Icarus was quick to shatter his fantasy as well.
“An Imperial Edict arrived at Peril Castle.”
“...!” Cain was stupefied.
“An Imperial Edict? Is it for the Pontier Family?”
“No, I can’t open it because it’s for a specific someone, so I don’t know what it says.”
Icarus brandished an envelope stamped with the Avalon Imperial Family’s seal.
“It’s for Baron Joshua Sanders, our master.”
“So…”
“Right. It seems everything is going as we expected.”
There was a long, long silence. Icarus was busy planning for the future, and Cain was trying to figure out what to do now. But no matter how much they worried over it, there was really only one thing for them to do…
“Let’s open it.”
“Shall we take a peek?”
Cain and Icarus spoke almost at the same time. They stared at each other with wide eyes, seemingly astonished at the idea that came to their minds. In the end, they blinked at each other and laughed.
“Aren’t we a little too casual about saying things that could our family?”
“I don’t have a family, Sir Cain.”
“Ah,?you mean that? Yes, I’m single and childless.”
“I'm single as well, you know?”
“What do you think about me?” Cain boldly asked.
Icarus smiled softly. “You sure know how to jest, Sir Cain?”
“What? I mean, everyone already knows that you’re a woman.”
“Unfortunately, Sir Cain isn’t my type,” replied Icarus.
Cain was about to retort, but he didn’t say anything because Icarus continued.
“And the truth is… you’re better off flying solo. You’ll probably be forever alone.”
“How could you say something so mean while looking so casual about it?!” Cain burst into tears.
“That aside, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to open it.” Icarus nervously reached for the envelope.
“Stop right there!” Cain grabbed Icarus’ wrist. He blinked at Icarus and added, “Let me do it for you.”
“Sir Cain?”
“I can see your hands shaking. Have you always been a pathological liar?”
“...!” Icarus’ eyes widened.
The laws of the empire held few things as sacrosanct as an Imperial Edict. Since they were both born in the Avalon Empire, violating a law concerning an Imperial Edict made them feel like they were criminals. In addition, Icarus was afraid because it would be her first time breaking the law.
“I will shoulder this burden.”
“But what about your family?!”
“It’s all the same. And aren’t you the one who is the stricter between us when it comes to this?”
“Sir Cain…” Icarus didn’t know what to say.
“What’s up with that look? Did I make you fall for me?” Cain cheekily said before smiling bitterly. “All right, let’s open it up.”
Cain unceremoniously broke the seal on the envelope. He skimmed through the contents of the letter inside the envelope and grimaced.
“What does it say?” Icarus asked anxiously.
Cain silently handed her the letter inside the envelope.
“We have to give this to him, right?”
“Tripia is a long way from Arcadia…” Icarus’ expression crumpled as well. “There are no stops midway as well. I don’t know what to do.”
“Damn it,” Cain growled, “We have to handle this immediately.”
“It seems that I will have to accelerate my plans. We have to leave for Arcadia tomorrow morning.”
“But the Pontier Family—”
“It’s done,” said Icarus.
Cain looked at her, puzzled.
At the sight, Icarus smiled and explained, “I’ve hired someone we can trust—someone with certain skills. I used the Magic Tower’s communication system, so we’ll get a reply by tomorrow at the latest.”
Cain could put two and two together, and he deduced that Icarus had hired someone from a very special organization.
“All right, it’s great that you hired someone you can trust, but it would be pointless if they ended up backing out.”
“Don’t worry. You two know each other.”
Cain cocked his head. “They’re someone I know?”
“Even without money, they will accept it because this is a chance for them to regain their honor. After all, the fires have already been extinguished.”
“Ah!” Cain exclaimed. He knew the person Icarus was talking about, and he was sure that they could be trusted as well. “There are no issues, then. All right, let’s go and start preparing. I’ll go outside to prepare some things.”
After saying that, Cain walked right out of the door.
“...”
Icarus was left alone, holding the letter. In the dimly flickering candlelight, a few short lines could just barely be made out on the luxurious parchment.
[Baron Joshua Sanders, subject of the Sun of the Empire, Marcus ben Britten, and commander of the Imperial Reserve Battalion, is hereby ordered to present himself at the Imperial Palace on the 25th of February, Year 457 of the Imperial Calendar. Duke Aden von Agnus will also be present.]
According to the Imperial Calender, it was currently the 20th of February, Year 457.
The deadline for the meeting was close; they only had five days left.
***
“There.” Ash shot a hooded glance to the side. His fidgeting hands stilled long enough to offer up a fern-like vial of golden liquid. “Well, I’ve finished the elixir.”
“Good job.”
Joshua and Ash stood up.
“I wanted to ask you something…” Ash started.
.
Joshua stared at him indifferently.
Ash seemed to have understood Joshua’s gaze as permission to speak because he asked, “Why are you doing this to me? The elixir is done, so can I go back now?”
“No.” Joshua smothered Ash’s confidence immediately. “You’re practically singing about dying. I can’t be bothered—”
“Hey, that’s not what I meant.” The elf’s ears drooped. Ash was truly too cute to resist. The little dimples on his perfect skin—every cherubic feature were tailor-made to trigger maternal instincts.
Unfortunately, he chose the wrong target.
“I’m feeling lonely because I don’t have a servant to serve me. Well, technically, I do have a servant, but he’s a knight, so it doesn’t really count.”
“S-Servant?”
“I’ll keep you around for the next ten years. After all, elves can live for over a thousand years, so it’s not that long, right?”
“But a servant…” Ash had been trapped in this place his entire life, but he was hardly ignorant. Honestly, he was knowledgeable about many things. After all, his lair was filled with books, many of which discussed various histories and cultures.
“I…” Ash clenched his fists. “I am the direct descendant of the high elves! To think that you’d offer me a position as lowly as a servant—”
“So, no?”
“No, I mean… I didn’t mean it like that… sir…” The elf cowered. He had no choice. As long as Ash’s life wasn’t in his control, the only thing he could do was go along with Joshua, no matter how awful it felt for him.
Ash thought of an idea, and he quickly shook his head to resolve himself.
“Let’s make a deal as well!” he said.
“Deal?” Joshua crossed his arms and coolly stared at Ash, signaling the latter to continue.
“I know where another Primordial Stone can be found! In exchange for the information, you have to trade me something of equal value!”
“...!” Joshua's eyes widened. Ash’s words were definitely a bolt out of blue.
“If you’re looking for something more destructive than even magic, it can only be the Primordial Stones, no?”
“You…”
“You can already use two primordial stones. I can’t believe it, but there’s clearly something different about you. Maybe ‘different’ isn’t the right term…”
“...”
Joshua peered silently into Ash’s eyes.
However, Ash misunderstood his silence, and he quickly said, “I don’t want much! You did free me, but I don’t want to spend my new life working for someone else! Ten years is too long. Three years—No, five years! Take it or leave it!”
After saying that, Ash looked worried as he stared at Joshua, waiting for his reaction.
Joshua had to suppress a laugh. Ash had surprised him in spite of how well he knew the elf. The little boy was rather soft-hearted behind all that bluster. To put it nicely, Ash was kind, but to put it badly, he was a pushover.
“Fine…”
“...!” Ash’s eyes sparkled like the sun.
“So, what’s the name of the Primordial Stone you’re talking about?”
“Tempest!” Afraid that Joshua would change his mind, Ash quickly spoke, “The fragment of the God of Wind, Tempest!”
***
Once their conversation was over, Joshua and Ash went down the cliff where the blooming Sanders could be found. A handsome man with waist-length black hair was waiting for them.
“Are you all done?” The handsome man’s obsidian eyes blinked at them.
Joshua and Ash looked at the man before they nodded.
“You can go directly to the Imperial Palace. If you can, you should circle around the Imperial Palace once,” Joshua advised.
“You better keep your word,” said the handsome man dryly. ”A promise to a dragon is a bit different from a normal promise.”
With that being said, the man became enveloped in light, and a black dragon manifested from where the man was standing. The black dragon took flight with an angry roar, and it was carrying a human and the elf who used to be working for it.
It was truly a strange sight. After all, the black dragon in question—Evil Dragon Crevasse—had always been infamous for his ruthlessness.
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