Reeva’s eyes locked with the approaching knight. A flicker of doubt crossed his mind, but he reminded himself he had nothing to fear. If worse ca to worst, he could always transform into a demi. Now that he was out of the prison’s confines, that option was open to him. But the priest didn’t seem to realize this; after all, even a heretic wouldn’t casually transform into a demon.
The art of demonic transformation was shrouded in enough mystery for Reeva’s potential to remain unknown to them.
"Why are you here?" the knight growled.
"We are here because—"
"Shut up! I’m talking to the priest!" The knight snapped, his eyes flicking to Reeva with pure disdain. To him, heretics were lower than vermin. Reeva, recognizing the knight’s loathing, decided to let it slide. A confrontation wouldn’t serve his purpose.
"Um... the heretic is here to et Lady Lena," the priest explained hesitantly.
"What?" The knight’s disbelief was evident. What kind of madness was unfolding here?
"The heretic has vital information about the church," the priest added.
"Then why hasn’t he told your people?"
"That’s what I’ve been saying, but he won’t tell us."
"Have you used divination on him?" the knight asked, clearly baffled as to why the priest hadn’t already handled the situation. It made no sense for the priest to bow to a heretic’s demands.
"I’ve already perford the divination. Everything he said was true. He’s not even delusional, but he still won’t tell us what this is all about. We couldn’t take the risk of ignoring him." The priest’s voice faltered, his sheepish deanor avoiding the knight’s sharp gaze.
The knight’s eyes narrowed. In one swift motion, he drew his sword, the cold steel pressing against Reeva’s neck.
"Tell what you know, or you’ll die right here."
Unlike the priests, knights had more freedom in their judgnt, and this one had already concluded that Reeva wasn’t worth the trouble of eting with Lady Lena.
Reeva didn’t flinch. Not because he was fearless, but because he hadn’t even seen the blade move. Despite his mystic abilities, Reeva wasn’t a warrior. He was still just an ordinary man with a bit of mystic power, not soone trained to track or anticipate the movents of a skilled knight.
In a way, he was almost used to this. If he had a coin for every ti soone had held a blade to his neck, he could probably count two, maybe three tis. Still, the knight’s threat didn’t seem to be having much of an effect.
"I don’t have to tell you anything," Reeva said calmly. "If I die, your church loses a valuable asset. The pope might even sentence you to death for making such a mistake."
"Stop bluffing! Spill it, or you won’t live to see the next second!" The knight’s voice was sharp, his grip on the sword steady. He didn’t believe a word Reeva was saying.
Reeva t his gaze, unfazed. "Look, if the church loses sothing important, that’ll be on your head. Right now, my life is more valuable than anyone’s here. The priest already brought , and he can vouch for the truth of my words. Are you undermining the church? Doubting that their priest can tell truth from lies?"
"Don’t twist my words!"
"I’m not. It’s just what I’m hearing. You’re the one being unprofessional. Let et Lady Lena, and this will all be resolved."
The knight’s stare didn’t waver, but there was a flicker of uncertainty now. Reeva’s calm and confident words were starting to gnaw at his resolve. Was he being manipulated by mystic forces? But that couldn’t be—Reeva had been imprisoned too long for his powers to have any strength left.
"Hopes you don’t make regret this decision."
"I will not disappoint. What’s your na, by the way?" Reeva asked.
"Gurang," the knight replied gruffly.
With that brief exchange, Reeva was finally allowed to move forward. As he passed the other knights, they eyed him suspiciously, but Gurang’s presence ensured they didn’t interfere. For a mont, it almost felt like Reeva was a VIP, with both a priest and a knight escorting him.
They ascended to the second floor, where the rooms were located. The hallway stretched before them, doors lining both sides.
"This way," Gurang said, leading him toward room 203—Lady Lena’s quarters. Unlike the other knights, who shared rooms, Lady Lena had one to herself. Gurang squared his shoulders, preparing to announce their presence. He knocked three tis on the door.
There was no response.
He frowned, then knocked again, louder this ti.
KNOCK.
KNOCK.
Just as Gurang was about to knock a third ti, sothing shot out of the door at blinding speed. Reeva barely registered what had happened before Gurang staggered backward, eyes wide with shock as blood blossod from his chest.
A knife.
Reeva’s heart pounded in disbelief. Was this how knights greeted each other?
No. This wasn’t a greeting—soone had just tried to kill Gurang.
Gurang collapsed, his body twisting in agony on the floor. His knight training had been rigorous, but nothing prepared him for this. The knife had been aid directly at his heart, but his reflexes had saved him by re inches. His hand had caught the blade just in ti to stop it from striking ho, though the wound was still severe.
The priest rushed to Gurang’s side, dragging him away from the door as Reeva stood frozen for a mont, eyes wide.
"Help!" the priest shouted as he worked frantically to stabilize the injured knight. Blood gushed from the wound, soaking Gurang’s armor. The knife was lodged deep in his hand and chest, too close to the heart for comfort. The priest’s hands glowed with divine energy as he began to heal, but it was clear they were in trouble.
Reeva didn’t hesitate. He activated [Expirint] and surged his mystic force to transform into his demi form, his body tensing in preparation for a fight. Whoever had thrown that knife wasn’t friendly—and they were still behind that door.
The priest groaned as he tried to keep Gurang alive. The knight’s face was contorted in pain, and the priest wasn’t sure whether pulling the knife out would cause him to bleed out entirely.
Reeva’s senses heightened in his demi form, his eyes locked on the door that had just spat death. Soone in that room didn’t want visitors.
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