The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 234: This is mine

Chapter 234: This is mine

’Should I enter or not?’

Hex looked at the entrance, torn between the two options. Any other time he would have entered. But this time he hesitated. Not for long. But still.

Hearing the howls of the turbulent winds, the wrecking of roofs, and the destruction of buildings, he glanced at the sky. The battle raged on.

The night sky wasn’t dark anymore. Fiery dark red clashed against the colors of the rainbow. All types of blue flashed in between them. Surges of water extinguished rains of fire. Between the howls, one could hear the loud hollering of a beast.

Hex couldn’t tell which powerhouse or group of powers swayed the battle in his or their favor. It was pure chaos. And literally so. He could sense it as he believed others could too. The clash of energies caused the refined or so-called Blessed energy in the air to turn berserk. The energy reverted to its chaotic state.

’Fuck it.’ He swore and made his mind up. ’I will just check and if it’s nothing major, I will leave them alone.’

He didn’t think the people who destroyed the wall had good intentions. But at times a choice between bad and worse was required. He could waste time on a bunch of infiltrators or try to tilt the battle in the sky in his favor.

After making sure the entrance was unguarded, he entered the building. The colors of the sky stayed on the outside. The corridor and the stairs were dark. Hex sensed one person at the end of the corridor.

As a scavenger, he knew to blend in the darkness and move undetected. The Knight at the end of the corridor didn’t notice him, not even when he stood within reach. Careful not to let his breath betray his presence, Hex chopped at the Knight’s neck.

Hex put his arms around the man as soon as he went limp. Hex dragged the man under the stairs and studied his general features. A quick application of the morphuse potions helped him adjust his appearance. It wasn’t perfect. But it would work in the dark. At least, that was what he hoped.

He quickly found a few more of his group. Hex didn’t recognize any of the Knights. Neither did he discover any clues. But Hex noticed they were searching for something. What, he didn’t know.

’Are they here for the crystal? Or do they hope to find some other valuables in here? Or are they here for the documents?’

It wasn’t far-fetched. Every room he entered on the ground floor, shelved documents on top of documents. No matter how he looked at the rooms, it seemed less like an office, and more like an archive.

"I found it!"

Hex turned at once. The shout came from above. ’What the hell are you guys searching for?’

Hex hurried along the stairs. The stairs spiraled upward. As soon as he passed the bend he sensed the people on the second floor.

’Three Knights and two Refined Knights.’

Hex almost stopped in his tracks. He didn’t fear Refined Knights. They were almost impossible to win against but he believed he could survive against them. However, was he willing to waste his energy on them?

Just as he considered retreating, another person, a female one, asked something that made him freeze.

"You found the Witch’s grimoire?"

The high pitch and naked joy in her tone spoke volumes of her happiness. But her words echoed in Hex’s mind.

’The. Witch...Grimoire?’

He turned and faced upward. It didn’t matter who the other party was. The roars on the outside seemed to come closer. The waves crashed onto the building. The tremors spread up the stairs. But Hex didn’t notice them. Or rather...he couldn’t care about it. Not at this moment.

’I can’t let them have it.’

It was hard to explain. For some reason, his focus heightened. He couldn’t let someone else find and keep the grimoire.

’It’s too dangerous. She was the only one able to create Heartless. Who knows what other horrors dwell in the pages of that book? I can’t let the words become reality. I can’t.’

Hex took the steps. When he learned about his mother’s, one of his mother’s identity, his heart ached. The feeling worsened when he witnessed the carnage she caused in a city that once bustled with life and happiness.

These things happened in the past. There was nothing he could do about it. But if someone misused his mother’s research now, especially when he knew about it, it would be on him.

There was another reason behind his reaction. He realized it but wasn’t willing to acknowledge it. It was the feeling in his heart. A longing to see the only memento of his mother. She was evil. She was willing to kill him. But he hoped to see traces of her hidden in her words. Perhaps she jotted some of her hopes, dreams, or even desires down on the pages.

"Why are you here?"

Hex recognized Ella at once. He didn’t react nor did reply. Ella turned toward the Refined Knights after questioning him. She didn’t even check if he stayed or left.

"...see? I knew we would find her grimoire here. I had to find the old officials and bribe them enough to get this information. Apparently, just before she cursed the city, the governor discovered her research.

They wanted to capture her. But she escaped. They ransacked her cottage and confiscated all her belongings. But before things could be delivered to the court in the capital, she unleashed her curse and turned the city into a ruin. No one even bothered with the documents after that.’

Ella spoke with a broad smile plastered on her face. Hex shuffled toward her. No one paid him attention. He recognized the bored-looking Refined Knight. He attacked the castle. And the other one, the one with a serene expression on his face, was the Templar.

It took some control on his part to ignore those two. Ella drummed on and on about her ability to fulfill the Divine Lord’s task. According to her, the Divine Lord’s purpose behind coming to the ruin was to find the grimoire and create a superior heart.

It made sense to Hex. After all, he witnessed the heart created by the Divine Lord being destroyed by his master. The baron offered it to Heaven.

But Hex ignored all of it.

"What are you doing?"

Elron snapped toward him. Hex stood close to Ella. Alerted by Elron, she tried to turn. But while talking, she kept her arms outstretched. When she tried to turn, she forgot to retract her arms.

Before she realized what happened, Hex snatched the grimoire and moved toward the window.

Elron jumped into action. Wooden spikes shot at him. The Templar acted too. A shield appeared in front of the window. Hex grinned and pulled the small tool from his belt.

"NO! WHY?"

Ella screamed as the shield shattered and Hex pushed against the floor, shattering it. He turned in the air as his back hit the window. He broke through. The spikes followed. But he was out.

Flex Step.

"Sorry, but I believe this is mine."

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