Heroine On Strike

It was said that a gentleman is more frightening when angry. Vylun was such a case. He never became angry even toward Dayson, who persistently picked on him and still walked up to the Emperor himself to raise his voice. That was an unforgettable sight.

“If that Vylun volunteered to become a guardian knight, then it must be because of Ella,” said Cladis.

“But that can’t be. He said he would devote his life to the sword. That’s what he promised when he came to our family. There’s no way.” Ethan spoke confidently, but his eyes wandered all around. His awkward yet best effort trying to reassure Cladis made Cladis laugh.

“It’s fine. You don’t need to do that. You know that he’s not the type to do it even if it was the Duke who asked him,” said Cladis.

“What do you want to do?”

“Do what?”

“But you should do something. He’s not like the Tower Master. You can easily…”

Ethan already noticed Cladis was worried to death regarding the Tower Master and Ella’s relationship. He wished to get rid of Vylun. If Cladis agreed, he was willing to send a message to his father right away.

Cladis read Ethan’s mind and called him, “Ethan.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Your family is the only refuge that Vylun found. Leave him be.”

“BUT!” shouted Ethan.

“He knows his place better than anyone. He’ll know what to do.”

Cladis spoke calmly, but Ethan’s mouth blurted, “That’s not how human emotions work! You know that too by now!”

Ethan decided not to trust the human mind after getting in trouble with Clara. But Cladis still seemed naive. Just as Ethan was about to get angry at Cladis for trusting someone so naively, Cladis looked straight at him.

“Reality doesn’t let emotions have their own ways. Vylun knows this. He already once gave up his feelings because of reality, so he’ll make the same choice this time. That’s the only way he’ll stay by Ella.”

The problem was if Cladis would let Vylun’s realistic choice slide or shake it up from the ground. He told Ethan to let Vylun be but became troubled within. Cladis could let Vylun stay as a knight of Constance, but he wasn’t sure if he could look away for the next step.

‘What if Ella wants him?’

This tangled knot that started from his own mistake just seemed to get worse as time went by. To ease his troubled mind, Cladis threw the crumpled ball, which was the apology letter Bazel sent to him, into the trash can. The thick paper ball made a thud as it went into its destination.

Cladis was dumbfounded by Bazel’s naivety for thinking this paper could make all of it just go away. His father’s warning was right.

‘Not anymore. It will have to change. For that, I must change myself first.’ After that decision, Cladis turned to Ethan.

***

After Vylun returned to the estate, he put up a notice for all the knights.

Volunteers wanted for a secret mission. Requirements: Needs to be able to use aura. (When the number of volunteers exceeds, it will be limited to starters.) Requested by Lady Constance. All volunteers must keep confidentiality.

It was short notice, but right after it was put out, there was a crowd of volunteers. The knights that were picked were given a false order to protect the jewelry craftsmen. They headed with 10 craftsmen to the hut where the amethyst jewelry craftsmens were hidden. As soon as they arrived, Vylun’s lieutenant, who was hiding within the group, gave them the real order.

Within that process, four were selected directly from Vylun’s squad, so some knights complained of unfairness. But in the distant future, after the knights who volunteered returned, the complaints turned into praise. But that’s for the future. Vylun’s unfair selection spread fast beyond the knights and was heard by Ella.