In the study (2)

"What?!"

This time it wasn't only Hex who made his turbulent emotions known. 

Even men like Adgar and Orvyn, who rarely looked flustered, were staring wide-eyed at the baron.

'I thought the southern tower stored valuables and equipment?' Hex tried to recollect the things he had been told the one time he had visited the tower.

'I didn't see it on the ground floor. Is it maybe somewhere to the top?' 

According to Wallen the floors above stored things of higher grade. The Witch, being a Sinner, could perhaps be considered a high-stage good?

"Is…her body there?" He asked carefully. He still remembered Ivran saying the baron's wife died because of the witch. 

'It must have scarred him greatly. Even now, the mere thought of the Witch seems to make him lose his calmness.' 

"The tower is her tomb," the baron said, seemingly back to his usual self. Only Hex, who sat close to him, noticed the coldness he was radiating.

"But," the baron continued, "when a person reaches a high stage in their cultivation, having a complete body or soul doesn't matter. With but a fragment of either a person could be revived."

It was unknown whether the baron didn't realize or chose to ignore the effect his words had on the team.

Even experienced Knights like Hestia and Ivran had trouble remaining calm. 

With one look at the table, Hex knew that none of the people listening to the baron knew about these things. 

'A month ago I thought being a Knight was already being god-like,' Hex couldn't help but mock himself. 

How many times has it been now? Somehow he was confronted time after time with the fact that the world he lived in was filled with mysteries. And somehow he found himself in the midst of them often.

"Would interrogating the traitors we have caught point us in the right direction?" It was the first time Althea spoke.

'I can see the information revealed by the baron has upset her,' Hex took a close look at the beautiful girl. 

Her cheeks seemed flushed, making her look even more alluring. But that wasn't what he focused on. It was the pressure with which she clenched her fists, turning them almost white, that interested him.

'It looks like she wants to hit them right now. Which made her angrier? Monolith control or the Witch's resurrection?'

"Interrogation should proceed but focus on the who more than the what and why," the baron said. "Knowing the Dawnbringers, they wouldn't have told their true objectives to everyone. Like I said, aside from the Herald, no one might truly know their purpose."

"Then shouldn't we focus on finding the Herald?" Hex suggested. If they could catch the main guy, many problems could be prevented.

"You can. If you can find him or her." The baron didn't dismiss him but he didn't believe it would help. The reason was simple. "Even the identity of the Herald is only known to the Herald."

'What the hell?' Hex slumped further down his chair. They knew so much yet nothing at the same time. There were leads and paths but very little to get started with.

The room was silent. No one asked or said anything. It was clear no one knew what to do next. Luckily, they had the baron.

"Don't stress about things yet to happen. We will proceed as the Commander and I agreed." Hearing the baron, everyone perked up. They were eager to receive instruction.

"The people who made it through to the next round will proceed with the tournament. I believe the Dawnbringers are involved with it too."

At this point Hex interjected. "Master, my gut tells me the Glaciaborn family wants to win this at any cost. I don't think they need the rewards, do they? Could they be involved with the Dawnbringers?"

"I suspect them too," Hex was elated when he heard the baron say that. He was afraid people would think his opinion was clouded due to his messed up relationship with the Glaciaborns.

"But it could also be the reputation they are after. As the oldest family they might just be interested in paving the path for Clannad to be the next in line to become the head of the council."

Hex couldn't deny that it could be as simple as that. He didn't know a lot but he knew enough to know that well-known families could go to any length for reputation or to put it in their words, for the family's honor.

"But you can try to investigate them," he heard the baron say. Hex nodded immediately. He didn't say that he would have done it even if the baron hadn't told him to.

"The Knights that haven't gone through are in charge of guarding the temple and the castle," the baron continued. "But make sure you do it covertly."

Without enough clues, it was best to keep these things a secret. 

"Sir Orvyn and I will take care of the temple," Adgar said. "Sir Ivran and Hestia can stay here. There are other Blessed in the castle…and you are also here, sire."

Four Knights from their two teams hadn't made it to the second round. But Hex doubted it was due to ability.

As a former champion, Adgar had acted really uninterested. He seemed to have joined so he could help others.

And the other three had done nothing on the third day. Oron and Briella were the only ones still participating. 

The division of the Knights seemed the best one to Hex. Orvyn and Adgar were both calm and silent types, with almost no presence of their own. They were easy to overlook.

And the castle might be the safest place in the town. It had several Squires and Knights, not to mention the baron. With him here, nothing bad could happen.

"Don't forget that the enemy also knows about them and me," the baron said, pouring cold water on everyone.

'He means the enemy has more information on us than we have on them. If their target was the southern tower, they should have accounted for the baron's presence.' Hex understood the meaning behind the baron's words. It was indeed something they should be prepared for.

After going through some more details, they fine-tuned their plan. The Knights would do most of the defending. Althea and Hex were tasked with investigating possible leads.

As it was getting late they greeted the baron and left the study one by one. Hex stood for the last person to leave. He wished to speak with the baron alone.

"Master," Hex said as he met the baron's gaze, "I have advanced to the Second Blessing."

He told the baron everything he had seen and experienced. Even the things in the alternate space. The baron was the only person he didn't hide his secrets from, ironically. 

"Your heart space is indeed special. It was not the way I hoped for you to advance but maybe this way is better."

The baron looked pensive. 

"Ideally, you would strengthen your body more and hope for a second glyph. This would give you a greater arsenal of skills but wouldn't necessarily make you stronger."

It calmed Hex to know he didn't mess things up by pushing his advance. 

"Your Second Blessing seems to have strengthened your glyph. That might be even better. It also spares you the time to learn your second glyph."

'That's true. It wouldn't be an issue if I had time but with how things are going I doubt I will have a lot of time to learn new things.' 

Hex realized he hadn't considered that with the Dawnbringers close to causing chaos, he would have less time. He needed major boosts in power.

"Use the little peaceful times we have left to train more. It seems you have a problem of fainting at the end of each troublesome fight." 

The baron spoke without showing any emotions but to Hex it sounded like mockery. His face reddened as he thought about it.

'Whether it was against Vitor or the guy in the cave, when I push my limit, I just faint. If there had been a secret helper of the guy around, I would have died.'

"I will work on it." He said with a resolved gaze in his eyes. 

"Spar with the girl. It will help you." The baron instructed, referring to Althea. 

"I will," Hex said. He saw the baron get up. It was time to end this. There was still one thing he wished to say to his master.

He hesitated but when he touched the door handle, he turned around. The baron was gazing out of the window, with his back towards him.

"Master," he called, "the Witch will remain dead. I will make sure of it."

The baron did a half turn towards him. 

"Do you think I need you for that?"

Hex just smiled. "It doesn't matter if you need me or not. I meant what I said."

With that he left the study, closing the door behind him. 

'The fact that he got angry shows that the Witch has left a deep impact on him. No matter how strong he is, he needs to be told that he isn't alone.'

Hex had spent a long time alone. It didn't bother him but he knew it would have been easier knowing someone cared when he got upset. 

…

Back in the study, the baron remained standing at the window for a long time. Only when the moonstones dimmed did he pull a holder out of his pocket.

Looking at the picture he spoke softly.

"I hate it when he acts like you."