Chapter 18

The ride going back to the palace was quiet. Neither Gin nor Catori was talking as the King was inside the carriage looking at his surroundings.

Catori who was closer to the King did not make any unnecessary sound to disturb him.

[This is becoming uncomfortable] she thought, the ride was bumpy and she sat at the far end of the carriage, though it was small enough for her to fit.

[I want to move] she thought again.

"White hair" King Ryu called her

"Yes, your majesty?" Startled, she replied

"That shadow of yours, what's his name?"

"Oh, you mean...Ciar your majesty?"

"Yes,... Could you tell him not to disturb me?"

Catori got up from her seat and peeks at the window behind the carriage and to her surprise, Ciar was sitting in front of the King "Uh, why are you there?" Ciar did not bother to look at her nor even tried to communicate with her. She could not even feel his presence coming out of her

"I'm sorry your majesty but it seems he has no plans on listening to me"

"Hmmm. Strange, both of you are one but he doesn't listen to you?"

Catori looks down embarrassed "Sorry"

King Ryu gave out a huge sigh "Nevermind, let him be"

Catori sat back again leaving Ciar and the King alone to continue looking at each other.

King Ryu remembered the last time he met Ciar back at the palace. He was sneaking around his room in the middle of the night and for what purpose he doesn't even know. He gave him a bored gesture his head on his left hand.

"If only you could tell me more about yourself..." He sighed and continued looking outside "How boring"

---

Back in Corhall Royce was finally inside his room and opened a bottle of wine hidden underneath his bed. He had a grim expression after the Knight's selection. It was because two of the trainees he wanted dead never died, what's even worse they are now working under one person he so deeply despises.

Albert's lies add up as well, he poured a glass and drinks it on one go and starts to fill another one.

"Damn those bastards! Trying to make fun of me!?" He trashes everything he sees on top of his table.

"After all, I did for him!? That Albert bastard! Now I'm a laughing stock for recommending a failure!!! And those two!"

"What about them?"

Shocked, Royce turns his direction to the darkest part of the room and sees glowing red eyes.

"Wh-who's there!?" Royce screamed, "If this is a prank, you choose a wrong time because I'm pissed off right now!"

"Oh? What made you so angry Sir Royce?"

It was a familiar voice that he recognizes immediately "Sir Leon? To what do I owe tonight's visit? I thought the King's carriage already left hours ago!"

"I need to finish something here first" Leon comes out from the dark "You know how his majesty hates backstabbing bastard such as yourself"

"Ha! Me? A backstabbing bastard!? Aren't we all!? I mean who likes that good for nothing King anyway!? He doesn't have my loyalty just like all the people of Etilania! That includes you, Sir Leon..." He drank another cup and poured his third. Leon watched him as he starts to get drunk. "If I were you I would have killed him a long time ago even though he was a childhood friend"

Leon walks behind him when Royce drank from his third cup and puts a sword near his throat.

"W-what!? Did his majesty order you to kill me? For what reasons? Hahaha!" He pours another

"You seem to be full of yourself right now Sir Royce and you are becoming drunk"

"Whatever! Kill me anyway! To hell I care, today just gets worse and worse. This was because of that wretched woman you brought into my camp!"

"What did she even do to you?"

*Grooaaan* Royce drank another "At least I will die drinking this expensive wine that Albert's dad gave" he jokes

Leon was starting to get impatient and let his sword touched Royce's neck

Royce, "Oooooh, Hahahaha. You're becoming serious, aren't we? Why are you here again?"

"The last part of the test, why did you manipulate Gin and Catori's footage?"

Royce's eyes widen "Did that Albert told you!? Shit! When I get my hands on him I swear I'll rip his throat!"

"Enough. It was pretty obvious you did it, I saw your face turned pale when Gin brought out the white ribbon. Albert did not defeat an Orc Shaman, you just simply explained to everyone he did"

Royce became quiet and pours another drink when Leon shoved it off and the glass breaks.

"I'm losing my patience now Sir Royce if you want to live just tell me everything"

"Fine! You want the truth!? Yes! We planned everything from the dummy doll that we embedded with magic so it won't get destroyed and I did manipulate the screen footages so that it will only show them walking until they reached the exit! I never expected Sir Cain, Sir Caleb, and Sir Linden to appear!" Royce explains

Leon, "And the white ribbon?"

Royce expression darkens "There was indeed a white ribbon but I tied it to a monster who I thought was an Orc. When I found out it was an Orc Shaman he summoned hundreds of goblins, hobgoblins, and orcs altogether and I got scared seeing how many of them were"

Leon laughed "and you call yourself a knight"

"Then I realized those monsters could help me kill those two! I knew that when they see five entrance they'll be teaming up according to their pair in the survival test. So all that's left is how to get them to choose the fifth entrance"

"That's Albert's mission then?" Leon asked

"I never told him about the white ribbon instead I gave him a new one - the gold and asked him to tell everybody it came from an Orc Shaman. I also told him if he wants both of them dead he should lead them to the fifth entrance." Royce continued "When I saw the white ribbon, I thought that they defeated the Orc Shaman, I did not believe them at first until Albert's lies were revealed. It was her all along..."

Leon puts his sword closer now that Royce starts to feel pain.

"Hey! You said you'll let me live!"

Leon, "Yes, don't worry, just making sure you're not dozing off on me. What do you mean 'it was her all along'?"

"In the survival test three months ago, I released an Orc to kill her but my men found the monster dead with some sharp object pierced to its neck. Albert said it was his doing but now I'm sure it was hers... It all makes sense that they've got out together... That King's pet... She's a monster and she should be killed! If I were you again, I would kill her by my own hands"

"Is that all you have to tell me, Sir Royce?" Leon asked him.

"What? Do you also want my confession on how I used the palace money for my own be--"

Slaaash!

Aaaasgrrrggrggggh! Royce yelps in pain as his neck was slashed open by Leon.

"Oops. My sword slipped. I was really planning to let you live"

Arghhh! You - Bassstaahaaaaaahaaaahaa-baaaahaaaastaaaard!

Royce fought the pain squabbling like a chicken on the ground gasping for air and held on to Leon's foot.

"You think I'll let you live after all the insult you gave to his majesty? Slashing your neck is already an act of pity. You should have been burned to death alive" Leon said when he looked him with his red eyes and walks back to the darkest part of the room leaving Royce dead on the floor.

---

The travel back to the Capital was not how the King expected. Ciar's presence was intimidating that he feels like the shadow's been reading him.

"Your Majesty, may I ask you something?" He heard Catori's voice behind him

"Well, it's better than being looked at like this one. Yes, you may"

"Why did you vouch for me even if I failed the test, I can understand if it was Sir Gin you choose"

"You did not fail," he said

"The third test, was that Ward boy telling the truth?"

"Yes, your majesty"

"...and that you killed an Orc Shaman?"

"Yes"

"Then we're done talking about the test"

"Okay"

King Ryu was expecting another question but Catori was being silent.

GrruUuuumble.

The ground below them started to shake and the carriage was put to stop. He looks at his window and sees a huge wall barrier appeared on his side.

"Your Majesty! I'm sorry if I suddenly put up the barrier without telling you! We've been ambushed!" Gin goes down and was talking behind the wall.

"Please let us handle this, your majesty"

Catori peeks behind the window

King Ryu did not show any sense of fear in their current situation.

"Go," he said

The two new knights see a group of bandits riding horses rushing towards them. Catori saw a few arrows hit the barrier and start to look at her surroundings.

Gin was already holding his staff ready for attack, she was the total opposite.

[They have only one archer above us and around ten men riding their horses - eleven in total] she analyzed. She walks back to the wall.

"Hey! Where are you going, we must protect the King!"

She gave Gin a hush gesture and he became silent.

[What the hell is she doing at a time like this? This is our first task!]

Catori was looking behind the stones above them and then she heard a slight footstep on the right side.

"There!" She gets an arrow and immediately throws to that side.

"There's an archer there, use your magic, Sir Gin!"

"Huh? Uh, right!" With a few chants, a spike made of dirt came out of the ground following the arrow that Catori threw and suddenly behind a huge stone a scream can be heard followed by flowing blood...

[There was really someone there!?] Gin was surprised

"Now that we don't have to worry if we're going to be attacked blindly, there are ten of them and it seems they will be going to each side to reach the King's carriage. Which side do you want to take?" Catori asked

Gin was looking at her amazed [How can she tell that by just looking at them?] He shakes his head trying to focus "I'll get the ones on the left!" And the two separate ways, there was merit that Gin got by staying at Catori's side for the past months. He got to learn new ways on how to win in a battle, Catori has been teaching him and although the way she teaches were not perfect and sometimes a bit odd. He found himself relax while battling and as long as Catori was on his side he felt secured at some point.

As Catori foresaw the bandits split into two and runs to each side where Gin and Catori meet them. Gin bangs his staff on the ground and series of rock formations pops out prisoning the five bandits inside.

"What is this!? There are knights!?" One bandit yells and Gin goes near to them.

"Who are you? Do you plan to kill the King?" Gin asked

"They never said that there would be a knight with magic this good!"

"They?"

"They said his loyal knight was not with him but instead with two amateur knights"

Gin got pissed and made the prison tighter.

"Hey!"

"Answer my question or I will flatten you all" he said

"And why would we do that? There are ten of us! I'm sure the others already killed that arrogant king of yours"

"I'm not so sure about that" Gin outs down the solid wall and they can see Catori from the western side of the carriage standing alone with five dead men on the ground.

"W-w-ha, h-how did she!?" The five prisoners gasped

[Wow. She really followed Sir Leon's orders] Gin notion

Catori noticed them and went to their direction when she arrived the five bandits were in a state of shock.

"You killed my men!? You!? Your so sicklyy! Hahahahaha!" They all laughed but Gin continued interrogating them "Tell us who sent you..."

"Not telling yah, tell you what, release us and we will not kill your precious King. Good enough?"

Gin sighed but Catori was looking at them carefully "You seem to be prepared, just like those guys back there you were waiting for this carriage to come, you knew the King will go this way - on how you communicated with whoever you served, I want to know but if your not planning to tell us then we have no choice but kill you here on the spot. Gin.." She looks to him

"Ha!? I'm the leader here, those guys you defeated were the weaker ones and I will never tell you who ---"

Kassssuuuk.

A sharp stone pierced his entire body below him. The four who were laughing together with him began to cower in fear.

"You know what to do" Catori continued and without hesitation, Gin killed the remaining four.

King Ryu watched his two new knights inside his carriage battle. He was quite impressed with Gin's control of his element and Catori - he was surprised when he sees how she killed those five men. She did not use any magic nor any trick she was only using her sheer strength, how she learned to fight despite being known as a sickly servant was a mystery he wanted to unfold. He watched her walk back to her seat at the back and Gin as well, besides the coachman.

"We will proceed traveling your majesty," Gin said

"Very well" he answered

King Ryu looked at Ciar who was just sitting in front of him when Catori was fighting.

[Guess this proved, her strength was hers and hers alone, not from him] he thought.

"White hair"

"Yes, your majesty?"

"I know this might startle you but I have a request," he said

"What is it, your majesty?"

"Can you pledge loyalty to me at this moment?"

"Uhm.."

"I am a greedy and ambitious man, everyone hates me - you- on the other hand, is special" he stared at Ciar's electric blue eyes.

Catori was quiet for some time, she was surprised, there was sadness in her eyes as she stared into the setting sun. She felt nostalgic by the King's words as if she had heard it before.

Then those words came.

"You have my loyalty, your majesty - I will never betray you" she gave her answer

"Good, I only have one rule for you white hair - follow it well"

"What is it?"

"You must not die," he said

"I- I must not die?"

--- end.