Chapter 33
Chapter 33: The Genuine and Good Intentions
The underground temple passage was a dark place where only a small light reflected on the wall . The air was heavy and only a small breeze circulated through .
「I’ve decided… He is the person who brought me this far . And I was the one who decided to take his hand . That means that I choose to take his side…because we are comrades after all . 」
Only a faint light coming from the torch illuminated the two still figures .
Caria pulled her silver sword from her scabbard and her serious eyes shined in the dim light . Helot looked astonished at her . He immediately pulled out his own sword as well . The atmosphere was tense as if they were ready for an imminent battle .
Caria’s double-edged sword didn’t lose the shining glow even in the dark .
Both of them were facing each other fixedly . There wasn’t any movement, although both swords were pointed towards one another . The silence overruled the darkness .
The fire of the torch moved because of a small wind current passing through . The light bounced back and forth .
Both of their expressions were unreadable . None of them could grasp what was on his/her mind . Yet, the situation was not favorable for the both of them . This was a situation where death was inevitable if anyone of them were to be swayed by trivial emotions .
They tried to hide the uneasiness they felt during, this ordeal . Yet, they couldn’t contain the strong air that crawled out of their lungs . Their heavy breaths expressed their minds and, mostly, their hidden feelings .
Caria’s eyebrows wrinkled and Helot’s hands moved lower .
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*metallic sound*
The sound of the blades vibrated tremendously . The high-pitch was so strong that it probably reached the sky from above the ground . That sound was an obvious sign .
Caria stepped in rapidly and waved her sword . Her silver hair bounced in the air flamboyantly . The movement of her sword was executed at a straight line .
The tip of the sword didn’t even tremble . There wasn’t enough time to feel the reality of the offensive strike . No time for regrets, nor fear . The sword movement was clearly the gift of arduous training combined with natural talent .
On the other side, Helot looked astonishingly bright . He moved his right foot a step to the side from his original position and then moved the tip of his left foot downwards . As opposed to what he felt at the beginning, his eyes didn’t show hesitation or confusion any longer .
His strike was done at the same time as Caria’s attack . The brightness of his counterattack also broke through the air . He used his speed and the weight of his powerful weapon to strike forward . The trajectory was short, but the sharpness was flawless .
The attacks were simultaneous . However, it was not aimed directly at either opponent . Both of the strikes managed to rip the flesh of human beings, hiding among them . Blood spilled everything and sources of life expired on the spot .
The silver talent cut off a neck, while the bright man ripped off the flesh from the upper side of a body .
The sound of falling meat was heard in unison .
「…I guess, you didn’t see this coming . I almost ripped off your neck, you know . 」
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After she spoke, Caria pulled out her silver sword from the headless figure that stood behind Helot . The ripped neck spilled great amounts of blood . It confirmed the hidden figure’s death .
「I should be saying the same thing about you, Miss Caria . You are in a position where you can’t see much of your sideline . Anyways, how long have you been aware of the individual’s presence behind my back?」
Caria responded by bouncing her shoulders .
Likewise, Helot cut the left arm of an unseen figure that lurked behind Caria’s back . It wasn’t possible to see the true appearance of this mysterious figure because it had a black fabric covering his face while his eyes were left uncovered . They looked upset, frustrated and willing to die given his wounded state .
Why did this happen?
They probably tried to attack us because we were intruders . They really wanted to get rid of us . Everything was in turmoil . We were confused and the attacker was desperate .
When Caria realized the magnitude of this situation, she spoke aloud .
「You did great . I rushed and killed the other one . I should’ve kept him alive to extract some useful information . 」
「Aren’t you rushing with your own words? I’m not sure if these attackers had anything to do with Filaret and Mister Lugis’ disappearance . 」
Helot approached the wounded man and tied a cloth on his injured left arm . The man was suffering, but the blood stopped .
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Yet, he felt paralyzed because of the severe pain . He almost lost consciousness . But, his brain remained lucid . He was in a dangerous situation just moments ago . If Helot didn’t stop the constant bleeding coming from his arm, then his life would be at risk . But, Helot covered his injury immediately . The man regained his senses and screamed painfully .
「Of course . We shall consider all options . We don’t know if they had something to do with Lugis’ disappearance . That’s right . But, there’s a high chance that they are involved in all of this . We must extract information from this man, even if we have to resort to torture . 」
Caria shook her silver hair . Her fierce demeanor was seen through the dim light . She wasn’t swayed by unnecessary emotions . She produced a strange sense of intimidation . That made her an incredible person . It was difficult to put it into words, but, summing up, her attitude expressed an authoritarian and cold-hearted demeanor .
The man squealed in front of us . It looked as if he was having convulsions . He was suffering such terrible pain that felt worse than death itself . However, he strengthened his eyes . He started to behave strangely despite his pain . Yes, that behavior was how thugs or assassins were supposed to behave . He was prepared for his own death in case the enemies captured him . Yet, this felt different from lowly men that ended their lives to protect their secrets . This man was an extremist; his religious beliefs told him that his soul would prevail if he chose his own death . Otherwise, his soul could be compromised if he let the enemies torture his humane body .
The man opened his lips slightly and tried to chew the poisonous medicine that was hidden on the corner of his mouth . He closed his lips and began to chew . We knew what was going on . We couldn’t let him swallow that poison . Something had to be done quickly .
「Don’t die . I don’t wish to witness your death . I want you to live . 」
Helot moved immediately and tried to open his mouth forcibly . Helot used his thumb and forefinger, and managed to remove the sachet of poison that was between that man’s teeth .
The man’s face turned pale . It wasn’t because he was about to die by his own volition . It wasn’t also because torture awaited him .
He was surprised because of Helot’s actions to save him . Not for the sake of extracting information through torture . Helot saved his life with genuine and good intentions . Those intentions were unbelievable and surreal for that man .
He realized that the enemy wanted him to live with good intentions .
Terrifying . That man felt a terrifying feeling run throughout his body . It was something he never felt before . Somehow, it felt like several thorns were cutting his mind . The man started to quiver . A sensation that ran from the tip of his toe to the spine on his back .
「Miss Caria . I did what I had to do in order to save this man’s life . 」
「It’s surprising . Your actions confirmed the kind of human being you really are . 」
Helot nodded with a gentle smile .
「Yes, of course . If you weren’t willing to avoid his death, then I had to be the one to do it . There was enough time to rescue him before he died . If I didn’t move forward, then I’ll be responsible for his death . I didn’t want to be a human engulfed with cowardice . 」
Then, Helot bent down on his knees, he put his hands on his chest and told the man .
「I’ll do my very best to help you . Let’s keep your soul flourishing by being alive . 」
No matter how much he begged to end his life and not matter how much he prayed to his God, Helot was not willing to let him die . He would never kill this man . Yes, everything he said was with genuine and good intentions .
Confusion occupied that man’s mind . His heartbeat was accelerated and it didn’t soften . The meaning of that terrifying feeling was real . He couldn’t believe it . He almost collapsed . No enemy treated him like this before . Perhaps, all he knew on his entire life was ill intentions . His God taught him that good intentions always prevailed the ill intentions . Always . Yet, his heart and mind were in turmoil .
His prayer, mixed with fear and confusion, disappeared in the dark .