Chapter 278: Can I trust you?
“Me or you?”
Kael questioned as he glanced at Lavinia.
“How many?”
Lavinia questioned back.
“Eleven. Normal thugs, third rate.”
“There is no need then.”
Lavinia shrugged.
Their brief exchange only confused the followers, not that the two of them cared. Kael simply led them to an empty alleyway and just when the followers thought it was a good time to pounce on them and loot the loaded party—
“Do not force me to root you out.”
Lavinia stepped forward as suddenly, seven Magic Circles formed around her hand.
“!!!”
At that sight, the followers widened their eyes in horror.
A Seventh Circle Mage!!
The strongest of them was only a Fourth Stage Warrior, there was no way they could actually take down a Mage capable of shredding them into pieces with a mere flick of her finger.
“Come out on your own.”
Lavinia ordered.
The followers glanced at each other and walked out, their bodies trembling in fear.
“P-Ple—”
One tried to beg for mercy but,
“I need all eleven of you here tomorrow at five in the morning.”
Lavinia ordered.
“W-What…?”
“I have memorized your faces. If I do not see anyone, things will not end well for any of you.
Is that clear?”
Lavinia asked in an authoritative tone and in an instant, the poor thugs reacted.
“Y-Yes, My Lady!”
“Now return and get some sleep. You have work to do tomorrow.”
“Y-Yes!”
In an instant, the followers scrammed.
The matter was solved without any needless work, just like Lavinia had said.
And the best part?
She got the labour as well.
Kael, who saw this performance, nodded with a satisfactory grin.
To think she would know what he was thinking,
Their synergy was indeed quite good.
…
10 minutes later, Kael and Lavinia returned to the inn. Their return itself gave a clear message to others. Some of them knew they were being tailed and since the followers were nowhere to be seen, they realized it was better to leave them alone.
This allowed Kael and Lavinia to eat in silence. After the dinner, Kael told the innkeeper to give them the biggest room in the inn.
The two of them entered a fairly large room,
“The sea doesn’t weaken you, does it? There are many who feel like throwing up when they are on a ship. A seven-day journey won’t be simple.”
Lavinia, who walked into the room behind Kael, muttered as she sat on the bed. She had gotten comfortable around Kael, so small talks like these had become a common occurrence.
“Hm?”
Soon, however, Lavinia noticed that Kael was silent.
Oddly silent.
“What is it?”
She questioned, narrowing her eyes.
“…”
Kael didn’t reply, he just stared at her in silence.
There were two options in front of him right now,
First was to enter the Sanctuary, awaken his fifth child and return.
The second was to do everything here, in front of Lavinia, and reveal his biggest trump card that he had been hiding from everyone to her.
Kael thought about it for a moment and the choice became obvious.
They had already dealt with the followers. Imperia’s Ants were in the inn as well, watching everything. Even if he left Lavinia here, the place was safe. Not to mention Lavinia herself wasn’t weak either, she was one of the strongest mages he had seen, even Elira wasn’t her match when it came to pure magic.
Awakening the Egg and bonding with it would only take a few minutes anyway. Even if something did happen in those few minutes, Kael could return and protect her.
Entering the Sanctuary and awakening was indeed the best option which would also hide his trump card from his enemies, in case Lavinia betrays him in the future.
“Kael, are you okay?”
While Kael was thinking all this, Lavinia removed her hoodie and grabbed Kael’s shoulder in worry.
“Do you want me to cast healin—”
“Can I trust you?”
Kael asked suddenly.
“What…?”
Lavinia frowned.
“Can I trust you?”
Kael repeated his question.
“That is a foolish question, anyone can lie—”
“I need a yes or no answer, Lavinia.
Can I trust you?”
“I…”
Lavinia paused for a moment, words like trust were too heavy for her, but seeing Kael’s gaze, an answer automatically came to her mind.
“As long as you do not betray me, I will not either,
Even if I lose my life for it.”
As she said those words, for some reason, the vision of him holding Lavinia’s dead body appeared in Kael’s mind, instantly jolting him awake,
“That won’t happen.”
He spoke as he clenched his fists in determination.
“Nothing will happen to you, I will make sure of that.”
“That is reassuring to hear.”
Lavinia nodded back.
It was an awkward conversation, any third person seeing it would instantly move away from the two in disgust. The two, however, did not seem to realize it.
“But why did you suddenly ask that?”
Lavinia questioned curiously.
Kael paused for a moment and then,
He took out the football-sized gemstone that he had bought before.
“What’s that?”
Lavinia frowned.
“I was wondering why you wanted it so desperately, you even paid 1 silver for it. I have seen gemstones like these before, but they aren’t very expensive. The material loses its lustre in a few da—”
“It’s an Egg.”
Kael decided to go against his own logic and reveal the truth.
Why?
He did not know.
He still didn’t know if he could 100% trust this woman but… he wanted to.
He needed someone he could trust completely, someone he could rely on without having to hide anything and… that someone…
He wanted it to be her.
“An Egg…?”
Lavinia frowned.
“I do not sense any life from it.”
“Because it is not awakened yet.”
“Awakened?”
Lavinia’s frown only deepened. She had no clue what Kael was talking about.
“There was a time when Beasts much stronger than the current ones roamed in this world.”
“The Ancient Era.”
Lavinia nodded.
“You know about it?”
Kael blinked, somewhat taken aback. He got this from Igni’s Dragon knowledge, but Lavinia…
“It is mentioned in some of the history books. There is no definite evidence related to it but historians believe it to be true.
It is said that the beasts of the Ancient Era were different, mythical creatures like Dragons and Phoenixes were a common sight. There is also a theory stating that the current beasts are weakened versions of the ones in the Ancient Era, creatures with a far weaker and impure blood compared to the Beasts of the Ancient Era.
Again, it is just a theory with no definite evidence, but it is something I like to believe.
I am actually surprised you know about this.”
“You will be surprised at how much I actually know.”
Kael chuckled.
“The Hero should be well read.”
Lavinia laughed lightly.
“Anyways, that theory you mentioned is correct. The current Beasts we know of, even the Dragons, are nothing more than weakened versions of what they once were.
Their bloodlines have become impure, so much that tracing it back to its original ancestry has become difficult as well. Some had even fallen to the point where not even the impure, weakened version of their descendants are left.”
Kael then glanced at Lavinia and pointed at the gemstone in his hand,
“Their Eggs have turned into Gemstones that need to be awakened before they could be brought back.”
“What…?”
Lavinia’s eyes widened,
“Did you just say… brought back…?”
She questioned, her spine straightened at the mere thought of this being true.
And Kael didn’t disappoint.
“Yes.”
He nodded.
“My Talent allows me to purify the impure and weakened bloodlines of the current beasts and bring back the Ancients.”
The truth was revealed and Lavinia…
She stared at the man in front of her in absolute disbelief.
“Igni, Cirri, Vita, and Ria, all of them are beings from the Ancient Era. This is also the reason why they are absurdly stronger than anything you have seen or known.”
Kael explained it as calmly as he could, but Lavinia…
She had already lost her mind.
She stood there, frozen like a statue, her mind still processing the absurdity she just heard. Kael waited for her to calm down and only after about three minutes passed did the Princess finally react,
“S-So this…”
“It is not a stone, it’s an Egg of a creature that was once known as Lord of the Sea, and I am going to awaken it.”
“I-Is that really possible?”
“Why not see it for yourself?”
Kael laughed as he placed the Egg on the bed and placed his hand over it. He had already told the innkeeper to keep people away from his room and because they felt intimidated, no one came.
Lavinia also cast a barrier that made sure no outsider could know what is happening here through any means.
Once he made sure everything was perfect,
Kael finally activated his ability,
[Ancient Awakening.]