Donju frowned at Delmas’ words, then shook his head. There was no point in arguing.
“Let’s just get this over with,” he muttered.
In the next instant, both of their gazes sharpened as they fixed on the horizon, where a tiny dot was approaching fast.
Delmas’s tone shifted, cold now.
“Get ready,” he said. “They’re here.”
“You heard him!” Donju barked. “Get in position. Now!”
The figures that had been bowing behind them immediately scrambled. In a quick motion, they darted off in different directions, converging on two large, cloth-covered objects perched steadily on wide and sturdier branches.
They yanked the black cloths away, unveiling what was beneath.
Two sleek, cannon-like weapons came into view. Each one was massive, with reinforced plating, glowing core tubes, and a long, wide nozzle shaped like a spout ready to spew destruction.
It looked like something built to fire more than just blasts, built to decimate.
The Vita Lance.
They began setting it up, angling the huge nozzles upward toward the rapidly growing dot in the sky.
Donju glanced sideways. “You’re taking this seriously, Delmas. Sounds like you really want this to succeed. To think you brought the Vita Lance…”
Delmas didn’t look at him. His gaze remained forward.
“Depending on whether or not this works, my clan will shake the entire West to find the one who dared attack their direct descendant. We might as well make sure we succeed.”
Then, sharp and steady, Delmas said,
“Get ready.”
They listened.
The nozzles pointed up.
Waiting.
…
Once again, there was only utter silence inside the carriage.
Malakai sat across from Nyx, who kept stealing glances at him.
‘It’s just like back then.’
Before he had entered the pits, Nyx had acted the exact same way. She wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to.
‘Maybe she’s just too shy,’ Valentine chimed in from the back of his mind, ‘…like me.’
‘If you were as silent as her,’ Malakai replied, ‘I would be so happy.’
‘Damn,’ Valentine said, feeling offended. ‘Sounds like you’re implying I talk too much.’
‘I’m not implying anything. You do talk too much.’
Valentine cleared his throat, ignoring the obvious truth.
‘Besides, I don’t think I can even imagine you smile. You’re a very edgy kid, you know that?’
Malakai ignored him. Instead, he decided to break the silence.
He turned suddenly, meeting Nyx’s gaze.
She flinched and quickly looked away.
“Do you have something to say to me?” Malakai asked.
Nyx bowed her head. Her lips trembled slightly, and her expression turned visibly troubled. She bit her lip, hesitated, then finally replied.
“N-nothing, Ninth Vein.”
But she never could’ve expected what Malakai said next. Not in a million years.
“You’re a spy.”
Nyx’s eyes shot wide. Her head snapped up, meeting his cold, calm gaze. He spoke like he had just commented on the weather.
“W-what?” she stammered, too stunned to mask her reaction.
Malakai’s expression didn’t change. He had never had any problem being blunt.
“I know you’re a spy,” he said. “Who are you working for?”
The words sent another wave of shock through her system.
But she wasn’t surprised that he knew, no. That was a given. No one would willingly serve an unevolved heir with no future.
What she didn’t understand was why he was confronting her now. What was his end goal?
In any other situation, discovering a spy would end with the spy being interrogated. Maybe tortured. And probably death.
But this wasn’t a normal situation.
Everyone knew his maids were spies, even him. It wasn’t a secret. He had no backing in the clan. If he reported one, he would be ignored. If he brought proof, they would just replace her with another.
Even now, even though he was evolved, he was still just at the Genesis stage of evolution at 14, two years later than those who had evolved normally at 12.
He might have escaped being labeled trash, but that didn’t change his place in the family. Not immediately, anyway, especially when he still didn’t have any backing.
Calling out a spy right now wasn’t the smartest decision.
Which is why Nyx just couldn’t understand it.
She knew Malakai wasn’t stupid. Far from it.
So why?
“Are you going to deny it?” Malakai asked again.
Nyx opened her mouth. Closed it. Then, bit her lip.
She didn’t know what to say.
Admitting it would mean failing her mission, and betraying the one who sent her. That wasn’t an option and would end very badly.
But lying… lying to Malakai felt wrong. Like she would regret it for the rest of her life.
Pretending to be his maid was one thing. But blatantly lying to him was another.
After everything Malakai had been through, she wasn’t sure he would ever forgive or trust her again.
Her lips parted again, but before she could speak, her head suddenly snapped to the side.
A violent aura spilled from her body, so fierce that Malakai’s eyes shot up in shock.
‘What the…’
He couldn’t finish the thought.
Varek’s booming voice tore through the silence.
“IT’S A VITA LANCE!”
Those were the only words Malakai heard, before the sound of explosions ripped through the air.
BOOM.
The shockwave slammed into them. The entire carriage shook violently, rattling as deep cracks snaked along the walls and floor.
Wood splintered. Glass shattered. A high pitched ringing filled the air.
Varek’s voice boomed again, even louder than before.
“USE YOUR EQUILADORS TO DISPERSE THE SMOKE! DO IT NOW!”
‘Wait, what… what’s going on?!’
Valentine’s voice was filled with confusion, but Malakai ignored him.
His hand moved on instinct, reaching for his scythe. His grip tightened until his knuckles turned white.
His mind worked fast.
‘We’re under attack… they shot a Vita Lance… it was blocked before it reached the carriage…’
His mind comprehended the situation at a speed that would leave many stunned, already planning his next move.
But then, his eyes narrowed.
Something else had caught his attention.
Nyx.
She was no longer in her seat.
She had moved, now sitting right beside him. But that wasn’t what made his breath stop.
It was her aura.
The sheer force of it hit him like a wall of ice. It was suffocating. Heavy. Paralyzing. It made even his heart freeze.
In their world, it was possible to hide one’s power, though it wasn’t easy. As soon as someone evolved, their body began to passively attract Vita.
The stronger and higher the stage, the more Vita they attracted. Anyone who could sense Vita could estimate your level just by feeling how much you drew in.
But there was a loophole.
If one had precise control over Vita, like Malakai had done in Ironhold while hiding in the ceiling, they could suppress and stop that pull, thereby masking their level and hiding their strength completely.
Plus, if they were strong enough, one might never even know they were evolved.
‘Four years…’
The words hit Malakai like an iron vice.
Nyx had been by his side for four years. Four years, two years before he received the manor. And not once… not once had he suspected…
That she was this powerful.
Varek’s voice roared again, tearing through Malakai’s thoughts.
“ANOTHER LANCE!”