The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 297: Kindest and Wisest (2)

Chapter 297: Kindest and Wisest (2)

"Kindest...Wisest..."

The Diary almost dropped out of his hand as Hex whispered the words. His blank stare enhanced the disbelief on his face. Those were not words he associated with the one he believed the Saint referred to.

"Are you talking about...?"

The Witch?

The Saint completed the sentence before Hex could. Hex realized that he never paid attention to the Witch’s real identity. Her name, her real name, never came up during conversations. She was known as the Witch – a name that terrified friend and foe alike.

She is, no was, known as the Witch to the world. Over the years I have heard her being called by many names. But to me, she will always be the little girl, called Medina.

"Medina?" Hex whispered. The name seemed different from the type of names he was familiar with. Then again, Hex hadn’t seen much of the world yet. His experiences in Edune opened his eyes to the differences between people across borders.

Hex had planned to read the Diary, but he put it away. He could always read but the chance to converse with a Saint wasn’t an everyday occurrence. Even better, the Saint seemed to be willing to talk about the Witch. Hex believed he might learn more by listening to the Saint.

At the same time, he used this chance to observe the Saint. He hadn’t dared to act brazen around Him. Contrary to what many believed, Hex didn’t like to court his death.

The body of the Saint resembled the pictures he saw in his childhood books. The wrinkled skin, the hard shell on the back, and the four legs moving slowly. He was fairly certain that the ones in the book lacked the blue glow in their eyes and the swirling golden light along their bodies. But he could be mistaken. It had been years since he saw a turtle, drawn or otherwise.

Hex confessed silently that it felt odd to see the Saint in a bestial shape. From the Devil Stage onward, beasts and non-humanoid creatures gained the ability to shapeshift. From what he gathered, they all liked to take a human form.

You wonder why I don’t take a humanoid form as many others who gain such abilities?

The Saint guessed his thoughts and asked him directly. Hex felt a cold sweat but realized quickly that He wasn’t angered.

It isn’t that I can’t. I simply don’t wish to do so. To me, the appearance I am born with is the most suited for me.

"Of course," Hex nodded, "your presence in this form is quite intimidating."

Hex meant what he said. Anyone with discerning eyes could tell that the body oozed power. The wrinkled skin did little to hide the jade-like luster of it.

She said the exact same thing when we met the first time.

’Did she now?’ Hex wasn’t sure whether he liked the comparison to her or not. Luckily, the Saint continued without needing a reply from him.

I still remember that day. The old one of Wrixia sent his troops to capture me. As did the Ancestor of that silver-haired brat. Their mighty ships cornered and wounded me. In order to escape, I adjusted my size and appearance and snuck onto one of the ships.

The Saint droned on. He seemed lost in his memories, reminiscing. Hex didn’t interrupt. The story enraptured him too.

I would have gotten away too but the injuries I suffered flared up at a bad time. I lay in the middle of a corridor, unable to move. The only silver lining was the storm raging at the sea. All hands were on deck. No one came through the corridor, thus keeping me from being discovered.

In my heart, I wished for the storm to continue for as long as I lay there, if not longer. What I didn’t know, what no one knew, was that there was someone else sneaking around.

And that person caught me.

Hex heard the Saint chortle while looking at him. Hex wasn’t an expert in reading expressions on a turtle’s face, but he dared to bet that the Saint seemed to be smiling.

Can you understand how I felt? Can you?

The Saint’s voice reverberated inside his mind. Hex grimaced. The shouts caused him to almost go dizzy. But he stayed seated. He knew the Saint was lost in the moment.

I, the one everyone feared, who had been alive from the dawn of the Third Age, was captured by a human who looked too young to be even called a girl. She even had that baby fat that you humans tend to have before the so-called teenage.

The mention of the Ages and knowing that the Saint lived through a couple of them, surprised Hex greatly. The scrolls spoke about increase in lifespans and near-immortals, but they were vague concepts. The exact increase and the implications of it only started to become clear to him now. The ability to outlive the majority of the world and even survive world-changing events, couldn’t be explained in mere words. It took a while for him to calm his heart down and refocus on the conversation with the Saint.

"I can understand how difficult that might have been for You," Hex spoke slowly. He wasn’t willing to leave gaps in his understanding.

"...But I have trouble believing she succeeded. I mean, even in an injured state, you should be more than capable of killing her. At least, knocking her out. She had no Blessing or energy to defend herself with."

She didn’t have any. True. But the damn Enlightened Knights from the merchants had tools that could detect Energy and Laws being used. They had used it to ambush me.

"So, if you retaliated, you would be discovered," Hex nodded in understanding.

Exactly.

The Saint had lost His saintly bearing as the story progressed. He reminded Hex of the old men in the town who spoke with nostalgia about their youth.

Then, I didn’t know she was hiding too. Yet, I waited. To see whether she could link me to the ’monster’ they had been searching for. I guess, I hoped she wouldn’t realize, and I could get away. How mistaken I was. She recognized me at once.

But...

...she didn’t tell anyone.

The Saint fell silent. He stared before him. It wasn’t like he was looking at anything or anyone. Hex surmised that the Saint just lost himself in that moment.

"Then what happened?" Hex prodded, being cautious not to sour His mood.

Then...she took care of me. We spent days on the ship, weeks in her house, and nearly a year, alone with the two of us. As time passed, I...I got attached to her. She to me. But I knew, sooner or later it would end. As did she.

She convinced me to surrender, saying her sister would plead for me. Her sister, the Saintess, could help me survive the wrath of the old one.

It took her some time to convince me, but I agreed in the end. I never trusted humans. But I trusted her. I...I hoped that by surrendering, I would stay for some time with her.

"Did she betray you?" Hex asked with his heart in his throat. It would be hard to believe. He had no doubts that the Witch would use anyone and anything for her gain. But...she wasn’t a Witch then. The story, supported by what he read in her Diary, spoke of a girl who was as different from the Witch as one could be. A sweet, caring, and wise girl who wouldn’t harm a fly.

No. She pleaded to her sister. And her sister agreed. They decided to let the sister bring me to the old one and speak on my behalf.

"And the old one agreed, I think?" Hex suppressed the urge to inquire about the old one. He wished to complete this story, less they went off tangent. The Saint was out and about, so it should have concluded on a happy note.

He did.

"Alright then," Hex cheered, feeling relieved. He dreaded being misled by the Diary. There was nothing of the sort it seemed. The girl, Medina, was not evil. She wasn’t born evil. Mere words couldn’t express the importance that little bit of trivia held for Hex.

Hex didn’t know what his path would lead to but he didn’t wish to realize one day that he chose it because of what he inherited from the Witch. It had nothing to do with evil or good. The same applied to acting good because of the baroness. He had vowed to carve his own path. And it seemed he would be able to do so. Some day.

"And then?" Hex asked with a smile plastered on his face.

Then? Nothing. That was the last time I saw her. I never saw her again.

"What?" Hex frowned. "Why?"

Her sister told me that their father overheard their conversation. He locked Medina and forced the eldest one to claim my surrender as her achievement.

"NO!" Hex stared at the Saint, his eyes so wide they could pop out. His voice almost squeaked at the end of his shout.

Before the old one, I couldn’t do anything. From that day, the elder sister officially wore the title of the Saintess, celebrated for achieving the impossible. And the younger sister...she remained forgotten and hidden away. No one mentioned her. Not once.

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