Chapter 58: The Black Knight

It's been hours since the incident in his bedroom, and the sun already has woken up from the east, intruding the palace through every whole it could reach. The freezing temperature of the night was finally replaced by its warmth, but that doesn't mean he will appreciate it.

What happened still stuck in his mind, as his interests in the knight in full armor and also to the one who sent him, was piling like the golden sand in an hourglass. He was supposed to enjoy his morning, like what he used to do, but seeing another threat that he didn't plan out to beat it made him uneasy.

"So you finally found him," Faliha said with her sweet voice, as she held her cup of tea with grace and elegance that could be seen from a true queen. She took a sip in silence and put it back on the saucer without making any big noises.

She was sitting on a chair fit for the ruler of the kingdom as a long table was in front of her. Beside him sat the one and only prince of their competitor, who immediately made a truce with her.

The latter never touched his tea or the food, as he was still in deep thoughts, desperate to find answers to his questions. He nodded at her in confirmation, but he was looking down on the table.

"He showed up after being impatient." He said, still not looking at the queen as he crossed his arms on his chest. He was serious after encountering that kind of assault. All his life, he had never experienced that before. "But…"

He paused, which made Faliha turned his eyes to him as she sipped her tea for the second time.

"There's one man I was suspicious of." He added, his eyes turned into slits. He never touched his food as his mind was occupied by what he was thinking.

"You mean the black night?" The queen said it for him, as he wasn't unsure to tell her or not. Indeed, he had suspicions over the black knight ever since he met him, but he never thought that it would go higher than before.

Danico nodded as a confirmation of what she said but never bothered to look at her directly in the eye. He had his own business in his head, which brought him to deeper thoughts.

"He was named Striker." He started explaining. After asking several of his men, he was being informed that his name was Striker. It was an alias. "He's the one who injured Louis."

After revealing that information, the whole table was silent. They paused for a few seconds as they tried to absorb the words.

"How can you deal with it?" Faliha asked with furrowed eyebrows. She too felt danger on the black knight since the day she saw him, and not just on the knight named Louis.

"You'll be leaving tomorrow towards Miran Port. You won't need me." She added, now worried about her friend. They won't be staying at Erimia for too long, as they had their primary mission which is to catch the cursed human.

"As long as he won't do anything wrong next time, I won't accuse him." He answered with a wide smirk. This might slow his plan down, but it's better to be aware than continue to be blind. He knew he must be careful. "Are you actually worried?"

"No, that's not it." She denied, and yet, Danico's smile became wider than before. But as soon as she saw his face with glaring eyes like she was dead serious to deny what he said, he stared at her quietly. He knew that she wouldn't just worry about them if it isn't that risky.

"I felt something in that black knight." She explained, her face resting at the back of her palms. Her eyes turned into slits and stared at the table. He can see her cold sweat slowly dripping from her forehead. "Something that wasn't human."

"It was an entity… so evil and dark." She added.

This made him flinch. Encantors had the ability to detect dangers, but on rare occasions, humans who had been around with magic could also adapt to this trait. And Faliha, who was once the best warrior princess, had achieved this ability. So he knew that what she said wasn't just a joke.

"You mean the–?" He tried to finish up his own sentence, but he couldn't find the right words to describe what he thought.

He heard some news of dark entities lurking and starting an army at the west and destroyed surpassing villages, but he never thought that they already made it to his kingdom.

"There's no doubt." The queen said with the same face.

Danico couldn't help but widen his grin up to his ears, as cold sweat poured from his head. If the black knight will accompany them on their journey, he must have motives, and it might include destroying him as well.

It looks like his chase wasn't that easy after all.

***

MERIA ARCSON

The two days full of training and preparation is finally over. It was supposed to be Dalary and Pholly's but Kandani and I were desperate to become stronger and braver. After facing numerous enemies and my past, I couldn't help but have the desire to improve more. If my friends will be going on a journey with me, then I must prepare to protect them.

Before going out of the shop, Cainne bought us weapons from Vison, which he obtained through negotiations. The two sisters chose spears of a different kind, as it was the blade that they grew up knowing in Zentra.

Kandani decided to use longswords since it was almost the same as the wooden swords we were using during the training. Cainne requested a magic sword for me to control my power and to keep me on a low profile.

"Wait," Dalary spoke as we were about to leave, her eyebrow raised at the encantor. I stepped forward in case they might start a fight. "You're already giving us real weapons? Isn't that dangerous?"

This made Cainne's eyes twitch. It seems like he was already annoyed, but he kept his cool. I'm worried that they wouldn't help but to start it and the other two weren't interested in stopping them with me.

"If you will participate without it, then you'll be defeated easily." He answered as his brows furrowed.

"Hah!" She said as her arms crossed in her chest and eyes averted from him. This made him more irritated, raising his hand forming into fists when there's a chance she wasn't looking. "As if I'm really into that kind of stuff!"

I couldn't help but sigh as I kept seeing their fights every single time I see them together. I hope they will change in the future and don't quarrel like this too much.

"Let's go," I said and marched in front.

They followed my steps towards the back gate and finally, we were outside which was different from the streets we walked on the first day in the kingdom.

In front of us was Dino, still carrying the wooden wagon that we didn't touch for days. We couldn't be able to let him through the main road, so we had to travel in circles just to let him in the backyard, where the back gate was.

"Thank you for the help, Vison," Cainne said as the man he was talking to was standing behind us with his apprentices that we met the past two days. His face was uninterested as ever, but maybe he appreciated our thanks.

As I smiled at the conversation between the two, I saw a glimpse of Nilo with a slightly lowered head and a straight mouth. His shoulders were slump and his eyes were looking away, displeased about our departure. I wonder why.

Before I even knew about it, we were already gone back to the middle of the kingdom, where the Astrid Arena was standing and it was filled with more people than before.

Barbaric people carrying weapons on their backs, and adventurers were lining up to a stall. As far as I know, they were the registered participants, Dalary and Pholly included, who were getting their room keys for the event. Meanwhile, the residents entered the gigantic entrance in front, where everything will be held. It is indeed the Greenleaf Tournament.

We finally executed our plan. Kandani was left with Dino and the wagon outside, guarding and being a lookout for us. He will send a message through a magic orb to Cainne's mind if the chasers will come.

The tendrins already lined up to claim their keys as we entered the dome, blending in with the audiences everywhere. The people were as many as the whole population of Coira, so we were being squished in between them that we almost couldn't be able to see the tournament.

"Welcome to the 240th Greenleaf Tournament, harvesters!" The announcer said using a megaphone, which was invented by the Astraen crafters themselves.

Usually, the city of Macropolis, partnered with Deravon, were always acknowledged with these electronic inventions that I never thought that Astraen could keep up with it. They were indeed the kingdom of craftsmanship.

The stage was on the top of the gate that was on the other side of the one we just entered through, but even with that distance, he could still be heard. That didn't stop us from continuing to search.

Now, this is the start of the search.