Chapter 199 - The Green Knight
Chapter 199 – The Green Knight
A few days later…..
Just before the sun could rise up, Reve woke up and left the Academy District.
It was time for his appointment with Lord Gawyne. The Domain of Drateel was a long distance from Starhold. Hence, he woke up early to arrive on time.
Prior to the start of his journey, Reve had checked his map. It was almost impossible to travel by foot.
It would be wiser to book a carriage, but he reckoned that it would also be foolish to do that.
This was a matter of identity.
While he reckoned he could call the service of a carriage while hiding his identity, it would still be easier to find him…or at least, the scope of where he lived.
To prevent that, he could try switching regions, but that would be too stressful for him. So, he decided to simply run through the forests surrounding Starhold. He could then access the Neverbell forests.
'Civilized humans would take all sorts of turns just to arrive at their neighbor territories. I am not civilized nor am I a human.'
Reve quite liked journeys like this. It reminded him of when he was still a white arcadian cat. Back then, he would travel miles to get to his destination and if it was still too far, he would simply just into the closest river and hoped that it went down his path.
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Five hours later.
In the Red Oath Mansion, three figures talked in one of the rooms.
One of them was a hooded figure and the main receiver of his words was a middle-aged man that aged like a fine wine. He sat on a chair opposite the hooded man.
The third person was a knight, who stood dashingly beside the middle-aged man.
Of course, the trio was Kimon, Lord Gawyne, and Knight Villiame, respectively.
Ten minutes ago, Kimon had arrived at the home of the Drateel. A lot of events occurred, but it finally led to this moment.
With his mask hiding his expression, Kimon greeted, "The Red-Oath Mansion, such a grand building. I can perceive the deep history made here. Can I assume that this is the place where you grew up?"
Lord Gawyne nodded, "Yes. My parents quite loved this mansion. As a young boy, I always beamed whenever my mother took me here."
His hands traced the arms of the chair as his mind relived his younger days.
Kimon crossed his legs as he spoke, "I had expected some form of resistance from your guards when I showed up at your doorsteps. It turns out it didn't play out as I expected, fortunately."
How many times had Kimon been harassed by guards of influential figures?
He had lost count.
Kimon was so unlucky in this aspect that he would be surprised if he was gently welcomed by a group of guards.
"My guards were informed of your eventual arrival. Surely, I wouldn't want them to die due to misinformation," quipped Lord Gawyne.
Kimon glanced past Lord Gawyne. His gaze seemed to be aimed at the large portrait of a man and his wife hanging on the wall.
He looked at it for a while before moving on, "Hmmmm…..so where are the wonder twins? I have a tight schedule. They might as well show up now."
"Patience, they will soon be ready," smiled Lord Gawyne.
Just after he spoke, the two twins entered the room. Ciaran dressed informally in a brown shirt and pants, while Lyra wore a loose gown that went straight to her feet.
Just as Lord Gawyne had said, they seemed to be ready for whatever was going to take place next.
Immediately they entered, they kept a keen eye on Kimon, the hooded man. Their father had briefed them on the deal he had struck with Kimon. He had also revealed to them their full family history and the curse they had wrongfully borne.
"Kimon, here they are. So, can I ask what is next?" asked Lord Gawyne.
Kimon flexed his fingers in response, "I would need a room….a dark room…a silent space. Hmmm….perhaps a basement or something more natural, like a cave or an underground ritual ground, filled with violent yet natural energies."
"…And what would you need that for?" queried Lyra.
"Well, my dear Lyra, that would be our operating ground. Lord Gawyne, can you provide me a room like that?"
"Yes, my mother has a ritual ground. Those it's not quite closed off as you wanted, I expect you can work with that," told Lord Gawyne.
"Hmmm…..I can only give you a reply once I see it myself," responded Kimon.
Thus, Lord Gawyne stood up from his seat and led the group across the mansion. Beside him was the Knight Villiame.
His creaky footsteps and pallid skin, which was revealed a few times beneath the gaps in his armor, made Kimon question, "You are still suffering from the after-effects of the battle?"
Knight Villiame raised his eyebrows as this was the first time Kimon spoke to him. He had always thought of Kimon as a threat to his lord, and his expressions did well to express his inner thoughts.
So, when Kimon disregarded his hostile face and spoke up, he didn't know how to feel.
"Of course. I over-exerted myself. I went beyond forbidden limits. I would be surprised if I got off easy. You, on the other hand…."
"Don't think too much. I heal faster than normal humans. This much is normal. But if it does give you a smile, I will have you know I stayed in bed for days after that battle."
"Just that? My lord fetched a healer just to secure my life."
"That is the aristocratic lifestyle for you. I don't have the luxury of that. I must admit, I'm a bit jealous."
Sighing, he continued, "I had to wait till my natural healing factor activate while you were helped by some tender hands."
"What do you mean? I suffered more. You couldn't begin to imagine the pain I went through for days after that battle," argued Knight Villiame.
"I could. But let's say I couldn't. You were knocked out pretty quickly and carried by the twins. Did you walk yourself home?"
"No…"
"Did you have to prepare your meals?"
"No….."
"Did you tender to your injuries?"
By now, a red hue had already creased all over the knight's face. He squealed, "No…."
"Yet, you came to have suffered. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.. Still too green."