Before the Storm
Lucia turned around and shouted at me, “Do you think you were too heartless?”
The loud winds by her ears impacted her hearing. I covered my mouth and didn’t say anything. My horse was rocking a bit, which made me feel somewhat nauseous, since I wasn’t used to it. I didn’t plan to engage in a discussion on the topic, because I somewhat regretted my decision. The further and further I went away from Leah, the more and more worried and regretful I felt. I didn’t want to talk about it. I was truly afraid. If I spoke about it, I really would just run straight back to Leah.
Lucia and I sped out of the town on horseback. I knew that the chapel definitely saw us leave; but nonetheless, I didn’t plan to hide our plans any longer. Angelina already knew what we were planning. As such, there was no point in being concerned about them discovering us. All we needed to worry about was being attacked. However, I was certain that the chapel wouldn’t dare to attack Lucia, for if humans attacked elves, it would create a huge political debacle. Furthermore, the Queen wouldn’t help them when trouble came knocking. She wouldn’t hesitate to throw the chapel, a pawn, to the elves to appease their anger.
I was worried about Leah, though. I didn’t know how much the chapel knew. Nevertheless, they should’ve known that Leah was a succubus. Nobody knew her true identity, after all. Even if the merchant did, I surmised he wouldn’t tell the chapel given that he was a merchant.
Logically speaking, the chapel would want to use Leah as a bargaining chip in negotiations in order to force me to hand over my shares in exchange for Leah. That was why I wasn’t worried about her safety if she was captured. The chapel wouldn’t hurt Leah. Damaging your own goods is as stupid as stupid gets.
In saying that, if it was Leah’s succubus nature that was revealed, the chapel and townsfolk would mercilessly kill her on the spot. The townsfolk would even side with the chapel. In fact, they’d join hands to drive us out. We might not even be able to take Leah back, even if we paid them at that point. They might even force us to hand over the rights to long-term trade between the merchant and elves.
While I knew it was unlikely the chapel knows about Leah’s succubus identity, humans were prone to making very bold assumptions when they weren’t informed. That was what worried me most. I was still scared out of my wits despite knowing that Veirya was protecting Leah. I did my absolute best to maintain my composure so that I could complete the transaction. Sadly, Leah’s image remained in my mind.
Veirya was a soldier who could slay the Demon King. I also witnessed her strength. Logically speaking, I shouldn’t have needed to be too worried about Leah’s safety. Stubborn Veirya promised to protect Leah, so she’d definitely bravely and determinedly protect Leah as a knight would. I felt that I didn’t need to worry, yet couldn’t help myself. After all, the chapel had Angelina.
If there’s only one person in this world who could be a threat to Veirya, it’d be Angelina. Angelina was able to guard against Veirya’s attacks without drawing her sword. Veirya was worried about Leah, true, but I could tell that they were closely matched.
Angelina is a very dutiful knight. If she truly wanted to help us protect Leah and we rejected her, then she’d fight for Leah for the chapel’s sake when the time comes. As a matter of fact, she wouldn’t hold back. She’d come with everything she had to capture Leah.
‘Can Veirya and Anna really protect Leah together?’ It’s hard to say. I must finish this as soon as I can and rush back. The chapel won’t be able to do anything once I return with money. I’ll bring the company with me, and the chapel won’t be able to lay their hands on Leah. I, on the other hand, can extort them under false accusations. However, that’s all for the future. Right now, I just hope that Leah is safe and sound…’
Lucia didn’t speak again, since she noticed that I didn’t. The two of us raced through the forest. Fortunately, our battles steeds were able to discern trees as obstacles and circle around them. If I was driving a car, I wouldn’t be able to weave between so many trees. The forest was densely packed. Not even the sun was visible – courtesy of the tree leaves. It only was almost night time, yet it was already night time in the forest.
The sound of the horse hooves were stifled by the leaves that had been on the ground for ages. We weren’t entering the night from this side of the elven lands. I was probably going to see what a truly pitch black forest meant. My elven name might’ve meant Owl, but I couldn’t see all the schemes in the dark.
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Current time inside the chapel at the Imperial Capital.
*Cough!! Cough!*
“Miss! Miss!! Calm down. Calm down.”
The young girl weakly leaned on the edge of the bed. She coughed up mouthfuls of blood with every cough. She scowled because of the pain. She loudly coughed up more mouthfuls of blood, but it appeared that her coughing frequency couldn’t keep up with the rapid rate that her body wanted to eliminate blood from her body. As a matter of fact, she began to bleed a little from her nose. The bed sheet and tablecloth to the side was, therefore, stained with red blood.
The maid ran up to her in a flustered manner, but she couldn’t do anything to help the young girl. All she could do was shakily hand her a silver cup. She softly said, “Miss, this is for you. This is holy water that your father, personally, blessed. It can definitely defeat the demon inside you… Miss, stay strong… His Excellency will definitely find a way to expel the demon from you when he returns from the North. You must believe in him.”
The young girl gently grabbed the silver cup with her pale fingers. It seemed that the cup as too heavy for the girl, and therefore required the maid to gently help her lift it to her bloody mouth. The girl coughed up red blood again. Her tears coursed down her pretty face. She looked at her maid and in a voice of despair, asked, “Am… am… am I… going to die?”
“You will not! You definitely not die! Your father is the bishop everyone loves. God will definitely remember the sacrifices your family has made. He will not let you die. As long as your father can make enough money this time, he will definitely be able to purchase the best medication. He definitely will be able to, Miss. You must stay strong until your father returns!”
“I don’t want to die… Marian… I don’t want to die…”
“Miss!! You will not die! You will not die!! His Excellency will definitely expel the demon from you at all costs! You must stay strong! Please take this cross and earnestly pray. God will not give up on any of his citizens. Please remember that!”
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