Just then, everyone heard a snort from below. It wasn’t hard to tell it was from Bruzuryano.
Entos lifted his brow and stroked his chin. He blinked a few times, as if thinking, then nodded slowly.
"It seems like Lord Bruzuryano is upset," Anfey said slowly.
"It’s not hard to understand why. Druids are related to elves. I want to be related to elves too, but it seems that they do not like me," Entos said with a smirk. "Lord Bruzuryano, are you telling me that Hotchbini isn’t an easy opponent?"
Bruzuryano did not say anything. Instead, he slammed his window shut.
Entos sighed and shook his head. "The great druid, the Guardian of the Goddess of Nature, seems to think we aren’t worth his time." Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he turned to Anfey and said, "By the way, you should go check on that girl. I heard her crying when I was coming up."
"Really?" Anfey asked, frowning. Suzanna had always been strong, not only physically, but also emotionally. He had never seen Suzanna cry. She did not even cry after she had received severe injuries after killing the manticore. Why would she cry now?
"You better go talk to her," Entos said quietly. "Communication is the key to a healthy relationship. Or else you would…" Entos’s voice trailed off. He closed his eyes and shook his head.
Anfey did not understand Entos’s words, but Ernest did. He let out a long sigh and shook his head like Entos.
"Go ahead," Entos said, nudging Anfey on the shoulder. "I have to go. I have a new discovery."
"New discovery? What is it?" Anfey asked. Entos had already disappeared, however, and Anfey did not know if he had heard him.
"Go," Ernest said. "I need some rest as well."
Anfey hesitated when he saw the light peeking through the gap under the door. He took a deep breath, pushed open the door and walked inside. Usually, this was extremely rude, since the common courtesy was to knock and receive permission before entering. However, neither Anfey nor Suzanna cared much about common courtesy. They were close enough to consider themselves a single unit, so Anfey knew Suzanna wouldn’t mind.
Maybe it was because Suzanna was too preoccupied, or maybe it was because Anfey hadn’t announced himself, he went into the room just in time to see Suzanna wiping her eyes.
"Why don’t we go and explore the city?" Anfey asked as he walked over. He pretended not to see Suzanna wiping her face and focused his attention on a candle on the table.
"I’m a bit tired," Suzanna said. "I don’t want to move. Why aren’t you resting?"
"Can’t sleep," Anfey said. He snuffed out the candle and plunged the room into darkness. The only light source became the pale moonlight. "Suzanna, are you homesick?"
"Just a bit."
"Just a bit?" Anfey asked, moving closer to her.
Suzanna nodded but did not say anything else.
"Come here," Anfey said, reaching over. He touched her cheeks gently and found his fingers wet. "Were you crying?"
"No," Suzanna said, turning her face away. "Anfey, what happened on the way? Why don’t I have any recollection of it? You were all looking at me weird, too. What happened?"
"Slanbrea tried to control you," Anfey said. "He let an angel possess you." Anfey decided to tell Suzanna the truth. Entos was right. He could not keep the secret away from her forever. Sooner or later he would slip. It was better to tell Suzanna now than to hide it from her.
"What?" Suzanna frowned and asked.
"Don’t worry," Anfey said. "It’s all over." Anfey caressed Suzanna’s tear-stained cheeks gently and smiled. "Did you just say you weren’t crying?"
"No, tell me," Suzanna said, backing away from Anfey’s hand. "Tell me exactly what happened." She lost her memory of that time, which meant that the memories were traumatic and she had already suppressed them. Did she attack anyone during that time? She felt the question weighing down on her like a boulder.
"Slanbrea wanted to control you. Master Saul severely injured him. He was already dying anyway, so I took the opportunity and killed him."
"What about me? What was I doing?"
"You were kept away by Ernest."
"Did I hurt anyone?"
"Look around," Anfey said with a smile. "Everyone’s safe."
Suzanna sighed with relief. "I can’t believe it," she whispered, shaking her head.
"Don’t worry. I won’t let it happen again," Anfey said as he sat down on the bed.
"What are you doing?" Suzanna asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"I’m talking to you. It’s been so long."
"What do you want to talk about, then?"
"About you. Your childhood. I want to know more about you," Anfey said, grinning.
"It’s nothing interesting," Suzanna said, shaking her head. Thankfully, the room was dark enough to hide her blushing. She was a terrible liar.
"Do you not trust me?" Anfey asked. Here in Sacred City, the only person he could tease was Suzanna. Everyone else was so much better than he was and they could all see through his lies easily.
"Fine," Suzanna said with a sigh. "But you have to tell me about you, as well."
"Me? My story is boring."
"It seems like you don’t trust me, either."
Anfey smiled and shook his head. "Alright. Well, I’m an orphan and this weird old man adopted me when I was young. I still don’t know what his name was. He never told me and I never asked. He told me that I had potential and that I should become a swordsman."
"Then?" Suzanna asked, curious. They all knew that Anfey’s teacher was a man who had entered the sacred state. For Suzanna, nothing was more interesting than that man.
"I was a lazy child. I didn’t like swords. It’s too much work, you see, so I always found excuses to go and play. He’s good, though. No matter where I went, he could always find me."
Suzanna shook her head at his stupidity. "You are a fool," she said. She would give everything to study under a man that had entered the sacred state. If Anfey had studied then, he would be so much stronger now.
"Then Yagor came to my village one day and he took me to his island," Anfey continued. "I lived on that island for a few years with Yagor and his other charges. Yagor died in an accident. I met Master Saul after that and left the island."
"That’s it?"
"Yes," Anfey said with a smile. He reached for her and draped his arm around her shoulder. "Then I met you." Suzanna frowned. She grabbed his hand and yanked it off of her shoulder.
Anfey grunted. His fingers were already injured, and Suzanna’s grip was too strong. Of course, he wasn’t in that much pain. It was mostly an act.
"What? Are you alright?" Suzanna asked hurriedly.
"You don’t know? I hurt my fingers."
"No," Suzanna gasped. "Did it hurt?"
"What do you think?" Anfey asked. He stood up and walked towards Suzanna. Suzanna thought he was angry and was going to leave, so she was surprised when he pulled her up from the chair and wrapped his arm around her waist. He walked back to the bed and sat down, his arm still around her waist.
He did not tease her any longer, however, and let her go after a few moments.
"You should go rest," Suzanna said. "I don’t want anyone to see us."
"I’m not leaving until you tell me more," Anfey said stubbornly.
"Fine," Suzanna said, shaking her head. Suzanna knew that Anfey was teasing her, but she didn’t care. Anfey grinned.
Suzanna took a deep breath and said, "I’m not like you. I love the sword more than anything, and I can endure anything as long as I can become a swordsman. It’s been like this since I was a young girl."