The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 137: The strange behavior

Chapter 137: The strange behavior

"I don’t understand her."

Althea stood beside the corpses of the lovers and said. Hex understood at once what she meant.

"You mean she didn’t have to tell us about Clannad and now she divulged too much without worrying whether we truly would let her go or not?"

Althea nodded. Hex had similar doubts. Rose knew about him and yet told him about Clannad and she divulged the information about the Frost Dragon too easily. She even confessed to setting up Hex without any remorse.

"I agree. Something strange is happening. And maybe it was happening ever since we left Grindeston. We need to be careful and make haste," Hex said solemnly.

The experience with the Dawnbringers made them warry against unexpected events. They hid the bodies inside the bushes and left the scene.

Hex wished to find and kill the other Knights of Lasttown before they left for Notrelune. Hex knew that if someone was behind all these, they could be hoping to see exactly that happening but Hex didn’t see any other option. Leaving the Knights alive might bring more trouble.

Hex stood silently, spreading his senses to the surroundings. Suddenly, he sensed a faint fluctuation of energy. He signalled Althea to follow and they hurried in the direction he had sensed the energy.

"They are sharp and wary."

After Hex and Althea left where they had hidden Rose and her lover, two figures clad in wide robes appeared. The older-looking one mumbled as she eyed the outlines of Hex and Althea, going further and further.

Strangely, even with his enhanced senses, Hex had been unable to sense the existence of these two.

"But this proves they are the problems, doesn’t it?" The girl beside the woman asked, examining the corpses in the bushes with interest.

"It does seem so," the woman replied. "Rose’s strings of destiny were short but she was supposed to remain alive and face some hardships with this man before dying in a cheap brothel. But the moment she tangled with these people, the strings of her fate changed. I still don’t know whether for the better or for worse, though."

"But the strings of the people they rescued improved. They were supposed to be dead or disabled. I checked their strings after these people left the town. All, even that old Bart, will have good times ahead," the girl added, scrunching her brows.

The woman grunted at her words. She had inspected those strings too. At first, she believed one or more of these people to be blessed with luck, enhancing the fate of others. But now, after seeing the death of people who were supposed to live, she wasn’t sure anymore. What she knew, though, was that she didn’t like how things were developing.

"We will continue to observe for now. When we reach Notrelune, we will report to the mistress. She will decide what to do."

The girl flinched when the mistress was mentioned. The fear on her pretty face alluded to the fearsome of the person. Both ladies unhurriedly followed in the direction Hex had left.

...

"What is going on?!"

Hearing Grint’s outburst, the others stood silently. Grint was the strongest among them. To use the Knight’s Path comparison of energy drops, Grint had about a hundred drops whereas the others had between twenty to fifty.

Fiend crystals were hard to acquire and extremely expensive. That’s why the greedily had accepted Clannad’s proposal. If the deal had been a success, all of them would have some hope to grow by leaps and bounds.

The death of Clannad and his grandfather had made them sad. Not because they were families. They could care less about the grandfather and grandson duo in that regard but the loss of crystals and the promise of more riches after exploring the ruins had devastated them. But when Rose told them about Hex and his ice soul, they resolved not to let the chance slip. They even hired a notorious duo.

But things didn’t go as they planned. Not only did their scheme to capture Hex fail, but they also lost contact with the duo and their brothers and uncles. Experienced as they were, they didn’t foster hope of seeing them back.

"He is taking us out, one by one. We need to stick together. He will either flee or try to take us on with his partners. I don’t think we will lose to a kid and two women,"

The elderly Grim and Grey stood with Grint. They were the only survivors of Blessed ranks. The Squires and the others hadn’t returned. The regular humans in charge of the carts in front shivered from the stress but couldn’t change anything. They followed their orders and tried to maintain their distance from the Knights.

Just as the Knights discussed their strategy, they heard the grass around them rustle. They hurried into formation. The grass parted, revealing Hex and Althea.

"You guys are pretty brazen to come with one partner missing," Grint sneered at them. The elderly remained alert, lest the third one took them by surprise.

"We two are enough for you guys," Hex replied calmly as he readied his swords. His confidence made Grint furious. But he didn’t start the fight immediately.

"What happened to my daughter?" He asked, hoping that Hex didn’t hurt her. Maybe she hid somewhere. She was crucial to win the governor’s favor.

"Dead." Hex’s cold voice was like a bucket of ice water, dousing his hopes.

"And the others?" Asked Grey. He didn’t believe the kid could take out his experienced brother. But there was a chance if they ganged up against the others.

"I don’t know about everyone but if they aren’t here, they are dead," Hex replied honestly. In his eyes, he was satisfying the last wishes of these people.

Hearing his reply, the others fumed. There was nothing to say anymore.

"Kill them!" Grint shouted. They rushed toward Hex and Althea, maintaining their formation.

"Don’t hurry. Keep them tangled till they can’t move," Hex muttered as he rushed out. Althea moved too. She understood what Hex meant.

"He is smart." Not far, hidden in the bushes, Hestia stood, as her mark flashed.