The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 293: Desert Flower Monarch

Chapter 293: Desert Flower Monarch

Obscured from sight, the waves caressed the shores. All around them, the wind flowed, rustling the dormant sand. And the sound of people’s hearts beating all around him.

His senses picked several things. But only these things. Nothing else.

He could see her but not sense her in any other way. Even as he tried, he couldn’t detect any energy coming off her. She stood close to him, but he couldn’t feel her body’s warmth nor catch a whiff of her scent. And amidst all the heartbeats, he didn’t find hers. She stood there, yet her presence seemed absent.

’I still can sense everything around me. The people are still there. The energy is there. And the world is there. Only she isn’t there. Or she doesn’t seem to be. But I see her!’

Hex tried to reason. He tried to come up with an explanation. His chances against an Enlightened Knight were zero, absolute zero.

He might have survived against one, but it took an army of Hawks, a Duke, and the last attack of an ancient dragon to stand a chance against him. And that too barely. Even with so much help, he nearly died. If Althea hadn’t unlocked her memories and channeled the power of Heaven within her, he would be dead by now.

The Overlord’s calm gaze didn’t waver from his face. The look in her eyes revealed she knew who he was and that she was here for him.

"As people of the same trade, I will allow the Serpents to slither away," the woman spoke. Her eyes didn’t budge from Hex. "But this one will remain with me."

She walked a little closer to him and spoke with a voice laced with sweetness, and caused the people around them heartbeats to flutter.

"Let me introduce myself first. I am Nainwahm Retkamal. But no one knows this name anymore. Most just call me the Desert Flower Monarch."

Hex sensed the pressure of his surroundings decreasing a little. He remained unable to move but noticed others stumble and fall. They hurried away, but no one screamed or cried. It was as if everyone knew not to upset the lady.

"How about a deal?" Sterling countered her offer while remaining out of their sight. His voice seemed haggard. It was clear he needed some time to regulate his breathing.

Eduneons liked deals, haggles, and trades‌. During their travels, Hex listened to many stories from the Serpents. They believed trading and making deals was a core principle of Eduneons’ way of life. Sterling seemed to wish to use their cultural ways to his advantage.

Hex hoped Sterling could occupy her for a while. His heart and inner space worked in tandem, trying to absorb the remnant chaotic energy in the air. His superior body and abilities emboldened him to try something else out.

"Not interested."

Contrary to expectations, she declined. The slack-jawed reaction of the people around didn’t stem from her ’no’. No, most expected her to decline whatever offer the silver-haired serpent would present. They didn’t expect her to decline without listening to the offer. No Eduneon would do such a thing.

Hex’s heart sank. Not only was this Overlord strong, but she also acted as she pleased. People’s opinions didn’t matter to her. She stood there, with the same curious gaze she looked at him with since she arrived.

"A-Are you that desperate to become a lapdog, no lap bitch of the Asterios?"

Hex struggled to speak each word. He tasted blood from biting his tongue with each hiss to utter those words. His neck bulged and he gagged a bit toward the end, but he finished his question.

"A bitch, huh?" The Overlord giggled. "It’s been some time since someone called me that."

She laughed a bit before she turned her gaze back towards him. As soon as her eyes landed on him, he felt the pressure on his shoulders increase. The sudden change nearly buckled his knees. Only last-minute resistance kept him on his feet.

The Eduneons scampered away. Gronke stood close but without moving. He just stood there, eyeing them. Hex didn’t notice any movement from him. It made him wonder whether the big guy gave up or whether he expected some special treatment as a member of the Warlords.

The Overlord stopped giggling and turned serious. She still didn’t move her eyes from him. She seemed oblivious to Gronke’s presence. No one else remained in sight. Hex sensed them though. On both sides. The Eduneons had retreated over a distance they deemed safe. And the Serpents remained on the other side of the Dunes.

"I am not interested in the rewards offered," she said. She gave him a once-over and continued. "I am more interested in the target than the reward."

Hex blinked at her in surprise.

"Me?"

"Yes. You."

"Why?"

"You are an anomaly," the Overlord said. "In the upcoming war, a person who is immune to Fate itself will have its use."

’War?’ Hex showed no emotions upon learning about the war. A part of him expected something like a war since he read about the Ages. On the outside, he remained calm and collected.

Instead of asking about the war, he focused on the other part of her sentence.

"You are interested in me as a secret weapon, a tool of convenience, right?" Hex asked, a bit annoyed that his worth in an Overlord’s eyes was no more than a tool’s.

"Bingo," she said with a smile. "Enough chit-chat. Once you serve me, you will learn a few things. Quite a few things."

She enunciated the last part as if it was supposed to mean something. Hex failed to grasp it though. He racked his brains but nothing came up. Whatever he could do, her servants could too.

"Shall we leave?"

She followed her question by lifting the pressure exerted on him. And that was exactly the chance he had been hoping for.

Blink Step

Second Blessing

The moment he could move, he appeared above her head and unleashed all the chaotic energy his body absorbed so far.

Blink Step

After unleashing all the chaotic energy in her face, he blinked away, appearing a couple of meters away from her. But that wasn’t all.

Flex Step

Without a single pause, he hurried toward the shore. He hoped that the others were ready to depart. And above all, he hoped the person or group coming for them had arrived. A minute had passed since Sterling announced that they were near.

Hex pushed his body to its limits. The distance covered by each of the Flex Step consecutive steps decreased. The decrease depended on the user’s control and ability to release physical strength in bursts. With his near-perfect physical strength, Hex pushed the Technique to its limits.

’I am there.’

With the top of the Dunes below him, he saw the shore. The waves continued to lap gently at them. Most of the Serpents were already in the water. Some waded deep into the sea. Only Sterling and his two female Knights stood at the shore. Their gazes in his direction. Seeing them wait, Hex felt a little warm inside. He waved at them. They were looking in his direction. And they remained still. As if...they didn’t see him.

"Hey!"

He shouted. They still didn’t react.

’What’s happening? Can’t they see me?’ Hex exerted his body. His body moved. At least, he felt like he moved, till he saw something.

’The shore...why am I still afar?’

With his speed, he should be at the shore by now. He looked around.

’The Dune is still below me.’

He looked behind him.

’There is nothing!’

He couldn’t describe it. This wasn’t a feeling of being disoriented. The directions were there. He could see around him. The stretches of sand on one side and the sea on the other. He saw people. He sensed the environment. Yet, he didn’t seem to be able to reach any of those places.

The most disturbing thing was he felt like he was moving. The wind flew in his face, his body seemed to displace, yet nothing changed.

"What’s happening? What did you do?"

He didn’t panic. He realized it was perhaps one of the Overlord’s abilities. He couldn’t fathom how she did it. Nor did he know how to break out of it.

"That surprised me."

The Desert Flower Monarch appeared before him. She stood in the air, looking at him with an amused smile.

’She is toying with me.’

"Correct."

Hex looked shocked at her. Her smile broadened.

"This is my space. Anything and everything is in my control here. I could have taken you away or killed you even before you noticed me. But I wanted to see whether you are worth my time and effort. It seems...you are."

Hex stared at her and then sighed. He just looked toward the shore and cursed.

"It seems no one came in the end. Or did you already kill them?"

The Overlord raised her brow and shrugged.

"I didn’t sense anyone coming –"

Hex saw her eyes widen and her mouth fall open. She slowly turned her gaze toward the shore.

"The Serpents wouldn’t come here without a plan. They are one of the wealthiest factions," she spoke. Hex suspected she murmured more to herself than to him.

"They stand there. Waiting. Yet, I don’t sense anyone for as wide as I can observe. That means either no one came," she paused and Hex watched her gulp her saliva before she continued.

"...or the person is here and I can’t detect them."

Correct!

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