Chapter 11: Sagacious Assumptions and Speculations (2)

At such speed, only a cry of raw squelch spewed towards the swordsman's ears.

Dmitri's pupils dilated once he realized he was already thrown off from his feet, hitting the ground hardly while his eyes caught drops of crimson fluid burst on the air, followed by a hot throbbing pain on his left arm.

"Dmitri!"

Without hesitation, Ziro blazed towards the swordsman.

But...

Shhhk!!!

...the minute beast had already flashed in front of her, seemingly having an ominous sentiment towards her as it ragingly gripped the hilt of its dagger, forwardly thrusting perfectly aimed on her bared chest.

"So, it is you..."

...the sigbin that brought her to a tremendous pain. If it wasn't for it, she wouldn't be here, scurrying for her freaking survival, she could've go back to her father safely and just enjoy her new carefree living, she wouldn't be stuck inside this cave full of soul beasts. That that disgusting face it got, if it just hadn't appeared in her life!

At instant dark glare almost comparable to demon shot her eyes.

"I had enough...of you!"

Her foot swiftly took a step back, gracefully evaded the surprise attack and with a cracking grunt, lashed her arm on her front.

PAAKKKK!!!!

...delivering a spanking slap perfectly fitted on sigbins face twistedly blasted towards the spirit stones.

"..."

Dmitri firmly pressed his lips together trying to follow how the hell this crippled prince managed to expertly spot that stealthy monster. Was this prince just feigning weak?

Not a later or two...

Ting!!!

Tremendous brilliance shot everybodys movements, and then an awful shriek wailed inside the cave followed by a huge explosion snapping sigbin out of its existence.

Dust clouds danced back up on air leaving only murky, indistinct jade lights gleaming from afar, and a single greenish orb floating above both of them.

Once cleared, only pieces of broken stones that almost looked like coals laid around the ground. It was the spirit stones that have completely drained its energy cores.

"Hey, you okay? Told you, on your right."

With her haggard breathing still expunging out her nostrils, she stretched her hands towards Dmitri, lifting him up.

Wells that's what shed expected but Dmitri ignored it as he rather pushed himself up, and immediately rip a piece of cloth, securely wrap his arm.

After which, both of them felt silent. If hadn't for the orb ceaselessly firing its hyper beams keeping the rest of the beast far from reach, the whole area would definitely be under deafening silence.

Until, Dmitri raised his eyebrows.

"You sure you're a cripple?"

"Even if I detest it, yeah. Why?"

Dmitri wasn't convinced.

"Your Highness..."

This time, composure immediately overshadowed his welled annoyance.

"...I know, sigbins are weak in defenses, but they stand their game on their enormous speed. Even high tiers find it really hard to draw near with their silent movements."

"Well, I Uh have a way myself though."

Ziro lifted her chin up, boasting her enthusiasm.

Dmitri crossed his eyebrows.

"A way? Much of a skill?"

"I wouldn't call that a skill, if I were to consider."

Ziro quickly pointed her sight towards the sapped crystal stones.

"Then, if it wasn't much of a burden, may I ask what it is, Your Highness?"

With that, Ziro's eyes immediately twitched. Is it okay for her to explain the scientific concepts? Telling it would merely mean she's revealing her identity though.

"I-it... no. You can't, I....I mean... it's hard to understand, even if tell you."

Dmitri couldn't help but to scoff with such words coming from the young prince.

"Ha. Here we go again, a belittling royalty attitude. I am really amazed what kind of tutelage every palace had, that yields wonderful decrying demeanors."

Cold streak flashed Ziro's eyes in a sudden demurral.

"I just saved your life."

Bushing around the corners, Dmitri cupped his face as if he could not take what the prince had just said.

"Y-your Highness, I want to clarify things when were still here you saved no one. You demanded me to move, I took a hit. Was it you call saving?"

"Well, it is, if you were a little more obsequious yourself."

Ziro said in a great call.

Dmitri held his temple. Earlier, he was really upbeat to build a good relation with this young man despite of his painful disappointment, but now...

Fair second, he raised his pointing finger as though telling her 'A moment'.

"Ventus, Fiure."

He murmured then two more light orbs scarlet and silver suddenly popped out above Dmitri.

"Would you mind helping Lucere for a moment, I really need to win this conversation. Make sure you blast everyone out."

Ziro couldn't stop herself from scoffing too. 'What? Win this conversation? So, it suddenly became a competition.'

Her irritation was burning her even more. Never in her expectation would this new guy be like her vainglorious stepbrother. If so, she would've shut him off from the very first conversation they had.

After which, Ventus immediately lit up, and in no time, fibers of hissing winds swirled around the two of them curving a whirlwind veil. The orb named Fieure breathed an amorphous lava plume reducing all beasts it touches into ashes.

Once assured with their safety, Dmitri turned his head towards the awaiting prince.

"...well, I seriously don't know how you put your egoistic idealism in your small brain, Your Highness."

Ziro raised an eyebrow.

"So sure that from us two, youd be more likely to be the prey of what you'd just said."

Sheathing his sword back on its scabbard, Dmitri let out a wry sigh.

"Ha. Who? Are you sure with that? Then, who could be that person who can't even cut a portion of his knowledge and spill on his loyal subject?"

Feeling all the welling hate inside her chest, Ziro crossed his arm on to her chest.

"Was it too improper for that to happen a cripple to a well-built warrior? You'd already said yourself, I needed saving."

"If for a greater cause, why would it be? Besides with it with you, youd be as useless as you are."

Ziro immediately scoffed.

"Finally you beat out your true nature. I was thinking being too deferent doesnt suit you at all. Might be better if just you stay being acquisitive."

"Well, just returning bad favor or could be my new avocation though."

"You're overstepping your boundary. You're the one who started this. If you'd just listen..."

She tried to blurt of her welling emotions, but no words followed.

All this time she was holding her protest against his hardhanded remarks, but wasn't he going overboard just by his abhorring sentiment?

"Request for another clarification, Your Highness. Me? Were you blaming me this time, right here, right now, with what just happened? With my greatest respect, you made me try to save you, Your Highness."

'Greatest respect? How ironic. Your words doesn't suit with your tone.'

"Well you demanded that first why did it sound like I forced you?"

"Because you're a cripple, Your Highness. And I have no idea who could be a cripple that unthinkingly leap out from the defenses vulnerably taking on a stealthy mid-tier beast unless youre deceiving me all this time. Now, tell me was my judgment really that undue?"

At instant, Ziro's chest hitched heavily as her eyes slowly bitten by beads of salts. Was she being wronged? Oh no. She must stand her ground. There's no way shed let a man trampled her dignity.

"...does it really matter? If so, then it was. Just because you had a trail of resentment towards the royalties, it doesn't mean it gives you the right to spat wrongful words against us."

Couldn't be more affected by this development, she already forgotten her uncovered body being licked by the cold. Right now, the only perceptible reason she could forage as to why she was really ticked by those words was her feminine pride. She's a guy right now, but even so, her former bearing as a woman never left her heart.

Seemed to be carried by the spur of Ziro's words, the wave of the swordsman's acrimonious standpoint had slowly calmed to its insentience. His creased forehead was flattened, and his lips clamped together.

Ziro felt her throat was already dried out and her chest seemed to be squeeze by her emotion, but she continued;

"You're the one who said it first that I'd supposed to know that helpless feeling and yes. I know it. And I definitely felt it! I had it the hard way too! My mother died in front of me and theres nothing I could do but just bawl scraps of tears and just live with it. But there are people who would look at me as if Im the one who killed her treated like criminal... labeled as something I am not actually is. Scowling like I never had feelings that I could be hurt too. Didn't even think that I should be the one who'd suffered the most..."

Right now, she really had no idea the flow of what shes talking or even realized her speech was already about her former life, the golden hair girls tragedy.

"And yet..."

She could no longer hold her tears. Crashing down on her cheeks, she clenched her fist pinned beside her waist.

'I cant stop.'

"I'd just buried it all!"

She trembled.

"Every day I'd turned my head away as if I couldn't hear anything. Foolishly telling myself that I'm okay even even I wasn't. Because there's nothing I could do I was just simply too weak I was simply couldn't bring myself to do it".

Gulping a fist of breath, the back of her hand brushed her face washed by her tears.

'I just cant stop.'

"B-but you... I don't know what painful past you had and I don't even know what kind of place you grew up but taking out your hate to those who're good enough makes you clearly one of those people you detest. Avenge isn't something you must do to all people akin to royalties but to those who cost you that disdain. So now let me bring back your question wasn't your judgment that undue?"

At that moment, while her vision almost covered by stinging sweat-eyes, her earlobes only waited for an earnest reply.

But the swordsman couldn't lift his lips. He just stared at Ziro's face already beaten by reddish pigment. Once averted, he threw his gaze straight on the ground as though he went into a slow rumination.

With that kind of tongue-tied response, Ziro clenched her fist altogether with her clamped lips. The heavy thumping of her chest made her annoyance even crispier than it was before.

However, just before she could do another round of speech...

~Thats enough!~

...both of them flinched and were pulled out from the heavy atmosphere when a maiden's voice broke off inside their heads.