Chapter 815 Enchantress
815 Enchantress
Lyle could not ask how Rain knew because ever since he decided to trust her, he had to turn a blind eye to her real identity. However, he could still remember that hot summer day, with the sun scorching his skin as he almost met his death and the end of his dream.
If not for a shadow of a woman appearing above him, Lyle would have given up on his revenge. But instead, she was intrigued by him and sat beside him as he healed and fed him when needed. And when he told him about the end of his dream, the woman left and returned with his officer’s corpse.
His gratitude made him unable to ask her questions or investigate her, but he never questioned her motives. After all, she had more than one chance to end his rebellion and kill him, but she never did. Instead, that occasional vulnerability, like the one he had shown earlier, made him trust her without reason.
“Ayaz is close to Superbia, one of the Sins Dungeons. If the events unfolding there had to do something with Arthur and the emperor, then we can assume that the emperor has taken down the path we feared,” said Lyle as their wagon made its way toward the Holy Post.
“Very few men trust a calamity, and those who can negotiate with it are either madmen or calamities themselves. Therefore, if Cassius joined the emperor, it might be better to end your revenge here.”
“…who is Cassius?” asked Lyle with confusion. Rain was still looking out of the window, acting as if she didn’t hear his question. Then, she pointed at the window with surprise.
“Is that Arthur?” she asked with shock, and Lyle jumped from his seat to open the curtains. However, there was nothing outside their window but green trees that merged into one thick line. Their wagon was still making its way toward their post, and no Arthur Silvera was in the distance.
“What are you…?” Lyle was confused as he turned toward Rain, but she was gone. He stood from his spot and looked around, almost pinching himself to ensure he wasn’t hallucinating.
The lustful woman was gone, and there was not even a hint of mana being used. He suspected she might have jumped out of the wagon, but there were no signs of open doors. In the end, he sighed and sat back down, waiting for his wagon to arrive at its destination.
The Holy Post was a military checkpoint separating Wailing City from Helios, and it was a gathering of knights led by different divisions. This has been erected in preparation for the executions and due to Arthur Silvera’s appearance.
His wagon had the Light Emblem, a sun overlapping with a spear. Thus, he was allowed entry without questions and soon found himself beside his tent.
“Welcome back, commander,” said his right hand, Ishmael Rainquil, as he bowed. His mannerism was still far from being suited for a knight, but Gray has never been a knight. Furthermore, he had to adjust to his new body. “I have cleaned your tent for you.”
“Let a steward do that,” frowned Lyle as he walked into the tent, followed by Ishmael. “You should act more like a knight and spend most of your time leading patrols.”
“I am not a knight, and you know it. Even the previous Ishmael was not a knight. I think he was a prostitute because he has a big…” began Gray complaining, but Lyle stopped walking, and the forger bumped into him, interrupting his words. “What are you doing, commander?”
“How did you get here?” asked Lyle with an annoyed voice. Rain was sitting atop his war table, playing with the figures of the various forces in the area. “Do you think escaping would make me forget the slip-up?”
“It should deter you from asking,” said Rain as she threw the miniature wooden horse behind her and jumped to examine Ishmael. “How is your new body, Gray? You look healthier than before.”
“Hehe, I inherited his stats and my ability, after all,” said Gray with a satisfied smile. “It feels like waking up after a long sickness, full of health and vigor!”
“Is that so?” asked Rain while licking her lips and wrapping her arm around the knight’s wrist. “How about we put this body to the test, then?”
Lyle saw Ishmael gulp as his eye followed the enchanting sights of Rain, and he remembered a time he saw a spider entrap its victims. Rain was a master at captivating people, and she was a demoness for someone as naïve as Gray. Thus, Lyle pulled her by the arm and took her toward his chambers.
“Not so rough, commander~,” said Rain in a seductive voice that left Gray frozen with shock. There was both envy and betrayal as he stared at Lyle, who took the enchantress into his private quarters.
“First, don’t eat our strength. Second, I won’t ask about how you knew the name of a calamity, so there is no need to disappear anymore.”
“And the third is your desire to undress me?” asked Rain while revealing her shoulder, and Lyle sighed at her bratty behavior. He walked toward his chair and sat down, making the woman humph and pull up her clothes. “Are you a eunuch?”
“As if. You never tried to seduce me as you do with other men. Otherwise, I would have been a goner. I always wonder why you made real attempts against everyone, even the outsider, but not me.”
“I did attempt Arthur once, but it was ineffective. It seems my enchantment does not work against broken hearts,” Rain said with a smile. “Since I always knew your story, I never wanted to be the one to ruin it.”
“…many thanks,” said Lyle with gratitude. “I have to rely on you to smuggle the three women into Helios and make them go unnoticed by the tens of patrols. I will let Ishmael on command of the west barricade, and you can go with him to smuggle the three inside.”
“Are you sure you’ll let your sister into this city? This is the best chance you have to keep her out of danger,” worried Rain.
“I have done everything I can to keep her out of my revenge, but the moment I arrested grandfather, I doomed our family to be a part of this war. It seems I will take this regret with me to the grave.”
Rain was silent, and then she walked over toward the seated Lyle and hugged him. His head was over her stomach, and the warm gesture surprised him.
“I will stand beside you until the day you die,” whispered Rain as she kissed his head. “This is the debt that I owe her. And while it’s not what I promised Anna, I am protecting you in a way.”
Lyle closed his eyes as time seemed to stop moving for a bit. Then, after a few moments of quietness, a cough came from outside the chambers before Ishmael came rushing into the room.
“Lyle!” called Ishmael, making Rain let go of Lyle and walk to sit on the bed. “Many apologized for interrupting. This is far from being the gentlemen’s code! However, we have a problem!”
“Whatever problem it may be, you should be able to solve it,” Lyle sighed before rising. “Are we being raided by bandits?”
“Far from it! The Royal Fleet is approaching!” said Ishmael, making Lyle and Rain frown. “Scouts say it should arrive at the Holy Post any minute now.”
“The Royal Fleet?” muttered Rain with a frown. “Can it be the emperor? But what brings him to an outside Holy Post?”
“The emperor would not travel throughout Ilios without mobilizing the entire army,” said Lyle as he walked toward Rain and pulled her to her feet. “You need to leave. This can only be the brattiest girl in the empire coming over here.”
“Are you talking about that tomboy princess?” Rain asked. “Even if she has a thing for you, she wouldn’t come over here during these troubling times. So let me stay and hide here in case things go south.”
“I can handle whatever comes, so let Ishmael guide you to the west barricades. We will meet again inside Helios,” said Lyle before walking out of the tent and staring into the distance. He could see the tip of an Origin Pillar from here. In the sky above were countless flying vessels painted white.
A horn was blown to announce the arrival of royalty to their camp. As befitting its name, the Royal Fleet cut through a hundred kilometers in less than thirty minutes. Luckily, it was enough time for Rain to leave their camp.
The countless vessels floated in the sky while one descended to the ground. As Lyle expected, the person standing atop the ship’s railings was the tomboyish princess carrying a charming smile.
“Commander Lyle!” shouted the princess before jumping toward him. Lyle sighed and raised his arms, bringing great winds to carry her down. He could already foresee the coming headache.