The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 332: A new request

Chapter 332: A new request

"A shadow serpent," Hex murmured as he inspected the puddle of black blood with chunks of flesh and bones in it. "Though there was something strange about it. It didn’t look like the ones in the nest."

The Shadow Serpents left a deep impression on him. The way these creatures fed and procreated, by entering and living inside other creatures, both, fascinated and creeped him out. That’s why he recognized it at once and was able to notice some differences between the one that came out of the Witchkin and the one he remembered seeing in the nest.

The foul odor still lingered inside the room but the vapor had almost disappeared, as the window was open. Luckily, the window opened to an uninhabited spot behind the hotel, preventing others from noticing it.

Another advantage of having the window open was the influx of air filled with nature elements in it. He pried the dagger somehow and the wound was closing up but not as fast as it should have. His body’s innate, enhanced with his Glyph, should have closed the wound as soon as the dagger was out. That wasn’t the case.

Hex discovered the cause of the reduced regenerative powers by studying the dagger. The tool itself wasn’t anything special. In fact, this one was taken from the cabinet in his room, in which the hotel staff stored a few extra cutleries and dishes for their guests to use if they ate in their rooms.

No, the root cause was the blood smeared on it. It had mixed with his blood but his enhanced olfactory senses and vision revealed the remnant traces of the blood on the sharp edge of the knife.

’Should I tell Elize?’

It was a simple question but he considered the advantages and, more importantly, the disadvantages of doing so.

’If I tell her, she might be able to inspect the others for traces of parasitization, preventing more victims from perishing.’

It seemed like a proper course of action. After all, saving others, while not risking anything at all, didn’t sound bad. Normally, he would have done so without any hesitation. But now, he hesitated. For two reasons.

’I am sure that this isn’t a normal or not the same creature as the one we encountered.’

The problem lay in proving it. It could be just another variant he didn’t know about. If he discussed it with Elize, he might get an answer. But somehow, it was a feeling he couldn’t shake off, he felt like something else was hidden behind the presence of this creature.

And that feeling gave rise to the second reason he hesitated.

’This was an assassination attempt.’

It wasn’t as far-fetched as it sounded. Hex knew none of the women they captured had the ability to injure him. Even when the woman was attacking him, his danger senses tingled only when she used the dark elements. The woman herself wasn’t stronger than a Knight. A weak Knight at that.

Taking all his doubts and feelings into consideration, he suspected foul play. He knew it could be a false alarm too. But he would rather be cautious.

’That woman is part of Wrixia’s upper level. She is most likely to be influenced by Wrixia or a deity,’ Hex surmised. No matter how strong the Old One was, it didn’t make sense to allow a powerhouse to serve him if He couldn’t ensure she wasn’t loyal.

Plus, Hex hadn’t forgotten, Elize had tried to use him. She could argue how much she wanted, in Hex’s books, she didn’t discuss her target or plan of action beforehand, and left him to figure out the details. He didn’t like that. It would make sense if she was his teacher or elder, and she was neither.

"I will investigate myself. The challenge will be tough to detect other infected women without alerting anyone. But I will manage. Plus," he smirked as he glanced at the back of his hand where scratch marks ran across the glyph, "I have this to Veil myself in."

...

"Jade!"

Early next morning, as Hex descended the stairs, he heard a shout filled with excitement down below. As he was almost on the ground floor, he peeked from behind the wooden wall between the stairs and the reception desk.

A pot-bellied man with a neat moustache and well-maintained head of hair rushed through the doors and stood before the petite girl.

The dark circles around her eyes and her unkempt hair revealed the way she might have felt through the night, dealing with her emotions on her own. Cyantha’s mother was in bed, too sick to even move, and Cyantha had fainted by the end of everything.

Inhuman as it might seem, Marve had decided to leave Jade at the desk in the front. Hex and Elize hadn’t protested either. It was the best way to prevent panic and maintain secrecy around their operation.

If the pot-bellied man, who Hex suspected to be the owner of the hotel, arrived in the morning and didn’t find Jade, or worse, found someone else, he would panic and be filled with distrust. By keeping Jade out and registering everyone else as guests, they could satisfy the owner and keep the attention away.

"Mister Lamore, what happened? You seem...so happy."

Despite her experience, the joyful entree of her boss caused her to smile. Mister Lamore chortled and grabbed her hand. Jade didn’t flinch which indicated that she was comfortable in his presence.

"Come," he pulled her to the door and pointed at the sky. "Look. The sun. And there is no gray!"

Through the opened door, Hex heard the cheers on the outside. Phrases like "the leaves are gaining color", "praise Wrixia", and "we are finally free from her curse" could be heard, some far, others near.

Although Hex wished nothing more than to correct the Wrixians, he knew it wouldn’t do anything to change their opinion and their beliefs.

He sighed and was about to ascend the stairs again, unwilling to be part of a cheering crowd cursing the Witch, when he sensed energy fluctuations far stronger than what this city had. He turned and looked at the entrance.

"Welcome. All of you, please come. Jade, take their names. Oh Lord Wrixia, what an auspicious day. The sun shines, the leaves are coming to life, and we have...wait, the hotel is almost full?"

Lamore’s smile nearly split his head into two.

A group of eight people entered the hotel, out of which Hex sensed seven. That meant one thing, an Enlightened Knight.

At the same moment he realized that they had an Enlightened Knight among them, he discovered who it was. Not because he sensed the others and eliminated them one by one from his list. No, because the Enlightened Knight was staring right at him.

Seeing his grin, Hex felt a little unsettled. He wasn’t hiding. But the ease with which the person detected him, worried him. A little. But still.

’Am I not meeting a lot of these powerhouses lately?’

The thought struck him out of nowhere. Or perhaps, it lingered in his mind and the presence of yet another powerhouse brought it out in the open.

There was little he could do about it. As his strength increased, so did his challenges. Considering he was looking for traces of some of the strongest and most famous and infamous characters, he was bound to run into such powers.

He returned the smile and gave a nod. He had inkling about their identities. Sure enough, soon he heard two people descend.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Marve and two of his men, arriving at the ground floor and walked past him. Only one of them acknowledged his presence. Hex preferred if none bothered with him.

"Marve, I came as soon as I received the message. Is it true? The Wi–"

"Jonathan," Marve interrupted, "Be mindful of the audience. We will discuss everything once everyone has settled in their rooms."

Jonathan smiled sheepishly. His group behind him looked bored and too accustomed to his antics. They just grabbed their bags and walked to the stairs, some greeting their colleagues with a high-five.

"This is the guy?" Jonathan whispered, but so close to Hex that he might not have tried. Marve sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I am the...guy," Hex said, shaking the hand before him. "Now that you guys are here, I think it will be time for us to leave."

"Not so fast, little guy," Jonathan said, with a smile on his face. "I have a request. Actually an order. For you and Lady Elize."