Chapter 39: A Moment of Pity

Nia, her eyes tightly shut, felt a hand gently caress her head. A flicker of confusion prompted her to slightly part her right eyelid.Upon realizing Ketia was merely stroking her hair, a bewildered expression settled upon her face.

‘What was happening?’

“You bastard, what do you intend to do to Nia?” Ailin, bound by ropes to the railing and rendered immobile, bellowed at Ketia.

“Release Nia immediately! If you’ve got the courage, come face me instead!”

From where she stood, her shackles gleaming with intricate inscriptions, Qi Lin cried out to Ketia.

Unmoved, Ketia’s gaze locked with Nia’s slightly reddened eyes.

A momentary pause in his heart, Ketia quietly rose to his feet.

‘She truly… she truly resembles her…’

With a heavy sigh, Ketia clenched his fist.

Despite the striking resemblance, she was, after all, not his sister.

Tears tracing paths down his cheeks, Ketia turned and departed the prison cart, securing the door behind him.

As the rope tethering his neck to the railing vanished, Ailin scrambled to Nia’s side.

“Nia, are you alright?” Ailin clutched her shoulders, his voice laced with urgency. “Did that man do anything to you? Are you feeling unwell anywhere? If you are, you absolutely must tell me!”

Having stared blankly at Ketia’s retreating figure for a prolonged moment, Nia finally turned to Ailin, her eyes holding a complex emotion. “Ailin, I’m fine… it’s just, the man just now… he seemed to be crying…”

“What?” Ailin had exhaled a breath of relief at Nia’s initial words, but her subsequent statement left him utterly perplexed.

‘What did she mean? Crying? Why would he cry?’

“I don’t know either, but he truly was shedding tears just now.” Nia shook her head faintly before rising to her feet.

“At any rate, it’s a relief he didn’t harm you,” Qi Lin remarked, approaching Nia.

Ailin readily nodded in agreement with Qi Lin’s sentiment.

Nia merely pressed her lips together, offering no definitive reply.

The prison cart continued its journey, and just as they were about to traverse the vast grasslands, Ketia’s voice cut through the air.

“Up ahead, we will officially be entering the territory of the Candillac Empire. If you are sensitive to the cold, I suggest you dress warmly.”

Clinging to the bars and gazing down at the rapidly receding grasslands, the three prisoners heard Ketia’s instruction. Their eyes, which had been fixed on the ground below, now shifted to the pile of clothes stacked within the prison cart.

After a silent exchange of glances with his companions, Ailin nodded, his voice hushed. “He’s not wrong. Candillac’s territory is perpetually blanketed in snow, located in the frigid north. The weather there is bitterly cold, and if we wish to avoid freezing to death, we must prioritize staying warm. While the potion we concocted yesterday might prevent us from succumbing to the winter’s chill, its effects will only last a few days. Therefore, it is far better to layer up than to remain exposed.”

Nia and Qi Lin fell into a brief silence upon hearing Ailin’s words, then promptly followed him towards the mound of clothes.

Each selecting several suitable garments, the three then settled onto the floor, clutching their new clothes, their eyes keenly fixed on Ketia, who rode his horse ahead.

“Do you wish to leave?”

Suddenly, Ketia’s voice broke the silence.

At his words, the three prisoners exchanged bewildered glances. ‘What could he mean by that? Was he offering them freedom?’

“I have a sister… she bears an uncanny resemblance to you.”

Turning slightly, he extended a finger to point at Nia, then rotated back to face forward.

“Several months ago, my sister succumbed to illness. Seeing you is almost like having her back…” He paused for a moment before continuing, “Though I know you are not her.”

“His Majesty’s orders were to apprehend the white-haired girl. The two of you are merely incidental. I believe… if I were to release you two, who are ultimately expendable beastkin, and retain only the white-haired girl, His Majesty would likely not be greatly displeased.”

Qi Lin, hearing this, fell into a profound silence.

After a moment of contemplation, Qi Lin furrowed her brows and addressed the knight ahead. “Are you speaking truthfully?”

“Of course.”

Ketia nodded, even though his gaze remained fixed forward, not on the three behind him. Nevertheless, Qi Lin discerned the sincerity in his voice.

“Perhaps… you two should listen to him and leave?” Qi Lin pursed her lips, her gaze intensely fixed on Ailin and Nia.

“It would be far better for you to escape than to be taken along with me. Besides, he explicitly stated that his Emperor’s target is me.”

‘Though, why they want to capture me, I still don’t understand.’

“How could we possibly do that, we…”

‘But we made a promise,’ Nia had barely begun her protest before Ailin gripped her arm.

Nia turned her head, baffled, to face Ailin, whose expression was a turbulent mix of emotions.

“Ailin, what are you…”

“Nia… I believe Qi Lin is correct…” After much deliberation, Ailin interrupted Nia once more, articulating his perspective with a reasoned calm.

“Nia, you and Ailin must leave!” Qi Lin gripped Nia’s hands, her gaze resolute. “Sacrificing one of us is preferable to sacrificing us all. Besides, the one who ordered my capture might not even do anything to me, don’t you agree?”

Nia’s heart trembled as she witnessed Qi Lin offer a reassuring smile.

“No, absolutely not! If we’re leaving, we’re leaving together!”

Seizing Qi Lin’s shoulders in return, Nia’s tail and ears bristled, betraying her agitated state.

Observing Nia’s flustered, almost bristling form, Qi Lin found herself at a loss for words.

Astride his white horse, Ketia, his gaze serene, listened to the voices emanating from behind him and subtly lowered his head.

‘Have they fallen into disagreement? My apologies, but if you didn’t resemble my sister so strongly, I would never have considered releasing you.’

‘I hope you make the right choice; this is your sole opportunity to escape.’

“Enough!”

The reassuring voices within the prison cart, directed at Nia, fell silent.

“Nia…” Ailin’s brow furrowed as he looked at Nia, who had just cried out.

“There’s no need to persuade me further. I’ve made up my mind; I will not be leaving.”

“But, Nia…”

“Qi Lin, we are friends, aren’t we? And you saved my life. If I were to simply flee now, how could I ever repay that debt?”

Interrupting Qi Lin, Nia rubbed her eyes, then fixed her slightly reddened gaze upon her friend.

“So, this is your final answer?”

Ketia’s eyes remained on the clouds ahead, his voice a soft murmur directed at those behind him.

“No, we haven’t…” Ailin’s brow furrowed tightly as he addressed the figure ahead in a low, strained voice.

“Ailin, there’s no need to say anything further. I’ve made my decision!” Nia declared, her gaze unwavering, effectively cutting off Ailin’s words.

“But Nia, it’s only if we escape that we’ll have any hope of saving Qi Lin!”

“Do you truly believe that?”

Nia’s keen gaze met Ailin’s.

Ailin fell silent.

Nia was correct; even he found it hard to believe his own words.

Should they escape and then attempt to rescue Qi Lin, they would undoubtedly face utter defeat. Even elders far more potent than themselves had fallen before the might of the imperial army; individuals like them would likely not endure for more than a few rounds.

Furthermore, the empire possessed more than just its army; they also commanded War Fiends, devastating weapons of war.

Yet, to not escape meant certain annihilation for them all!

Fleeing offered a slim, almost negligible, chance of eventually rescuing Qi Lin.

The more he pondered these grim realities, the more agitated Ailin became. He found himself trapped in an agonizing dilemma: neither escape nor remaining seemed a viable path.

A profound sigh escaped him.

Ultimately, all his tumultuous thoughts converged into a single, weary sigh from Ailin.

“Damn this imperial army, and those blasted War Fiends that fell from the heavens!” Gritting his teeth, Ailin clenched his fists tightly.

“So, this is your ultimate decision?”

Casting a fleeting glance at Ailin’s clenched fists, Ketia’s voice was low and ethereal.

As he finished speaking, the flicker of pity that had stirred within Ketia’s heart, born from Nia’s resemblance to his sister, slowly began to wane.

‘Alas, you… you are not her, after all!’

Closing his eyes and then reopening them, Ketia appeared utterly transformed.

Within his heart now resided only unwavering loyalty to the empire and to his Emperor.

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