The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 113: Daring to trust

Chapter 113: Daring to trust

"Shit. It’s dark here."

"The moonstones have stopped working."

"Hurry. We need to bring all these people away."

Hestia tried to push everyone forward. She might not be the most skilled or powerful Knight but she was a natural-born leader. Her ability to oversee the greater picture helped her dole orders according to the situation.

The weather was turning worse. They knew it was because of the battle raging on but they didn’t look up. It wouldn’t do them any good.

"Damn that butler. He makes a fuss over everything but when we need the lights, it isn’t working. When I see him again..."

She muttered angrily but continued to work with the others. Under her orders, they had managed to gather all unconscious servants and load them on the carts used to transport produce to the town. They hastily put the mountain goats to haul them.

As they were checking the grounds, all moonstones used to illuminate the grounds turned off. She ordered them to use make-shift torches.

"All good? We haven’t left anyone behind? Are you sure?" She looked around at the surviving members of their teams. When everyone nodded, she looked briefly toward the southern tower.

"Maybe I should stay back to help," Althea offered eagerly. She was reluctant to leave. Although saving all these people was important, her heart wished to save one person above all others.

"Good try," Hestia said dryly, giving her an exasperated side-eye. "I need you with us. The path toward the mountains can be treacherous. We will need someone as agile as you to act quickly if there are slip-ups."

Althea’s face showed her discontent but she didn’t argue. She was a soldier. She was trained to follow the chain of command regardless of her feelings.

Hestia knew how she felt because she, too, was reluctant to leave. But she knew they wouldn’t make any difference in a battle of that level. Their efforts were better spent on saving the servants of the castle.

"Don’t worry. Wallen is there. That idiot will lay down his life for his master and his heir."

The carts moved out of the grounds. The Knights hadn’t discovered the two regular people looking at them. One stood behind a window of the main building, waving his parents goodbye and the other beside the southern tower, his shovel stuck in the ground.

...

Hex stared at Wallen’s peaceful face without uttering a word. His breath was stuck inside him.

The sound of battle raged in the sky. The wind blew haphazardly. Lightning rained down the sky, striking the ground around the southern tower. Trees crumbled and walls shattered.

Hex didn’t notice any of these. He kept staring at the butler for a while. Only when a drop of tear reached his mouth, he exhaled deeply.

"Why?" He asked softly, knowing fully that he wouldn’t receive an answer. He felt drained when he stood up.

’Before the sun had set today, I thought killing Clannad would be the toughest part. But it seems misery likes company. It comes in a bundle.’

He looked at the sky. The flashes of gold and silver light against the black hole continued.

’How many more truths will be revealed tonight? How many more people will I lose tonight?’

His emotions had been through a roller coaster tonight. There were moments of extreme confusion, anger, joy, and grief.

’At least I know I am humane enough,’ he chuckled dryly, thinking about everything he went through.

Thud.

Suddenly, something fell from the sky. Once again, Silvera lay on the floor, lifeless. It had happened so many times, he didn’t feel anything.

But his sense of urgency returned. He knew what Silvera’s body signified.

’The baron is once again fighting one on one against the Witch. I hope he can hold on for some time.’

With a thought, he entered his inner space. Having done it a few times now, he was getting proficient at it.

He saw the baroness waiting on him. Having experienced the terror of the Witch and the death of Wallen, was a bit guarded against her.

’Did she know she was ordering Wallen’s death by making that request?’

Hex felt torn by his suspicions. Was he destined to have two mothers, both monsters?

"What happened?" The baroness sensed the change in Hex’s demeanor. Hex noticed that her eyes looked worried. "Didn’t you get the element?"

"I got it," he said, lifting his hand and showing the mark to her. "But Wallen is no more." He did his best to keep his tone as neutral as possible to gauge her reaction.

Seeing her look crestfallen at it, Hex felt a bit happy inwardly. He couldn’t help it. It was already revealed he wasn’t a human like others. If his mothers were evil, he feared he would become like them one day too.

’Maybe I still have some good blood in me,’ he thought gleefully. But he remained in control of his emotions.

"You knew he would die if I did this but you still suggested it. He knew yet he accepted it. I don’t like it but now isn’t the time for all this. The baron is fighting alone. We need to help him."

The baroness nodded weakly. She seemed to know that Hex truly didn’t like doing what he had to do at the cost of other’s lives. But she seemed to know to not push an explanation for now.

"You need to connect with the monolith. Pour your senses into it, using only the spatial element. Once you feel something pull you, you will have found it. I will be with you. Once we find it, leave the rest to me."

Hex nodded and walked to the monolith. The baroness stood beside him. He put his hand on his newly acquired artifact and was about to activate his mark when the baroness spoke.

"I know all this a lot. I know you feel alone and maybe unsure about everything. I can’t explain everything but I ask you to trust us. I will never hurt you."

Hex didn’t know if he could trust her fully but he hoped he could. He didn’t fear death as much as he feared the feeling of being abandoned again. Before he didn’t know how it felt to have a mother. Now he knew.

He didn’t say anything to her. He just nodded. And then his mark lit up. With his mother beside him, he started to search for the door to Heaven’s vault.