Chapter 55: Crimson Scales (II)
Slap!
The scroll slipped from Alje’s trembling hands.
That Crimson Seal—so vivid, so unmistakable.
Outside Giant’s Maw Cavern, the wind still howled with icy fury, snow falling in relentless sheets. His Follower companions shivered violently, their breaths bursting into white mist. But inside the cave, warmth clung like a furnace.
Yet Alje felt as though he’d plunged into an endless winter.
He collapsed to the ground, his body hollow, his soul shattered.
His oaths. His faith. The years of relentless training, the doctrines he’d lived by—the very purpose of his existence—had all crumbled in an instant.
He’d trained without rest, forged his bond with the Giant Eagle, all to become a weapon of sacrifice.
He’d sworn fealty to Duke Brad… only to realize the man before him was the one he’d sworn to destroy.
He’d been taught by his family’s instructors—only to discover he’d become a mindless hound, a tool for others to wield.
All his suffering, all his bloodshed… had been poured into the hands of his greatest enemy.
It was the ultimate tragedy—straight out of a tragic opera.
And it was the most brutal mockery of his entire life.
Once, Alje had buried his mind in hatred—so he could carry out his missions without hesitation, without questioning right or wrong.
But now, that final veil had been torn away.
All that remained was a raw, bleeding wound… and a crushing tide of regret.
He knelt on the cold stone floor.
Before him, the memory returned—clear as fire.
The burning construction, the cheering crowds waving torches, shouting “Drive out the Devil!” “Protect the citizens!”
And the Tiefling mother—unarmed, defenseless—kneeling before him, clutching her child tightly, tears streaming down her face as she begged.
And her last words—“Please… let my child live.”
He had ignored them.
With a single, sharp motion, he brought down the Eagle Cry Silver Sword.
The iconic, crystalline cry of the eagle echoed through the air—then silence.
He had killed her.
He had killed the child.
He had set the entire settlement ablaze.
His actions—what he had done—were no different from the monsters he’d sworn to destroy.
He wasn’t a avenger.
Not a champion of justice.
He was just a fool, manipulated by his enemy.
A butcher of innocents.
A lost soul, blind to who he truly was.
“I’m sorry…”
His voice trembled.
Was it for Meizhuolashi?
Or for the dead Tieflings?
Meizhuolashi stood motionless, arms folded, his pure black eyes unblinking. Cold. Unmoved.
“Alje,” he said, voice like ice, “it’s too late.”
“Everything has already happened.”
“And your apology? Worthless. It only disgusts me.”
Alje didn’t raise his head. Only trembled.
“Kill me.”
A cold smirk curled Meizhuolashi’s lips.
“If I had the power to decide your fate, you’d have already been slowly tortured to death in the Dungeon.”
He paused, studying the broken man before him.
“But look at you now—just a stray dog, whimpering in the dirt. Letting you suffer… is far more satisfying.”
To the one he once considered his sworn enemy, the former Paladin had no mercy—only cruelty, sharp and precise.
Alje slammed his forehead into the stone again and again.
Blood trickled from his scalp, mingling with tears.
His vision blurred.
Still, he whispered, voice raw and broken:
“Please… kill me.”
Meizhuolashi watched, unmoved.
“You think dying by my hand will redeem you?” he said softly. “A murderer killed by a avenger? How predictable. How cliché.”
“You always assume so much.”
“Like how you assumed that noble duke was a man of mercy—how you pinned the murder of your parents on us, without proof, without thought. How you slaughtered our people without hesitation.”
He stepped forward, seized Alje by the hair, and yanked his head up.
Leaning close, he whispered into his ear:
“Alje… your life is no longer in your hands.”
“You live only because you still serve a purpose—utilitarian value—to Master Kai Xiusu.”
He threw Alje down like a discarded rag.
Then stood back, arms folded, watching in silence.
The Tiefling Holy Knight was no longer consumed by hatred.
He cared only for the survival of his people.
Alje’s fate meant nothing.
Above him, Kai Xiusu looked down—his golden eyes devoid of pity.
“I told you from the beginning: no need to lie. You’ve only witnessed the truth.”
“You should have known.”
Alje knelt, blood pooling beneath him.
“I should have… known…”
The warm trickle of blood on his skin brought a strange clarity.
Slowly, the storm within him calmed.
His mind cleared.
His eyes sharpened.
He couldn’t die yet.
Not until the true architect of his suffering was dead.
Not until he had avenged his parents.
Not until he had found redemption.
If he died now, there would be no second chance.
His mind flashed to the face of Duke Brad Lakanman.
A man in his fifties, pale as marble, with a perfectly trimmed beard, silver-rimmed glasses, and black hair and eyes—except for the rare flicker of crimson red deep within his pupils.
He spoke slowly, with the grace of a nobleman, yet never forced, never theatrical.
Once, Alje had looked upon that face with reverence and gratitude.
Now, all he felt was hatred—pure, endless, burning.
Alje spoke, voice low, resolute:
“I will live. I will kill him.”
“Who?” Kai Xiusu’s golden eyes gleamed with amusement—knowing, deliberate.
“Brad Lakanman.”
The name left his lips—familiar, yes—but this time, it carried the weight of destiny.
“You can’t do it alone.”
Silence.
Long, heavy silence.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, Alje lowered his forehead to the ground.
He didn’t care about the dust, the grime, the filth beneath him.
His eyes were fixed, unwavering.
“Master Kai Xiusu,” he said, voice trembling but firm, “I swear my loyalty to you.”
“I will give my life. I will be your most faithful servant. I will serve you without fail, at your side—your Dagger in the Shadows, your Hidden Blade. I will cut down every obstacle in your path.”
“Just… let me kill him.”
Kai Xiusu gave a slow, almost imperceptible nod.
“I don’t need a suicidal devotee. That serves no purpose.”
“I need you for an experiment.”
(End of Chapter)
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