"Aaaaa~aah look how terrified he is."
With his whole body trembling, he slowly opened his eyes and looked up.
Because since moments ago, he had already fallen on his butt out of fear.
"And look how messy you look right now."
He hiccup upon seeing who it was.
She was wiping the blood on Hunter's cheek.
"This room is dirty, shall we leave it now? I just looked away for a bit and look at what you get yourself into."
"I- I'm sorry," the knight that was spared cried out.
He even placed his head on the floor as he repeatedly apologized.
Saphira looked down at him, "What's your name?"
He looked up full of fear, "Garvin, your highness."
He chose using your highness, addressing her as the crown princess.
Saphira nodded her head but her nose couldn't help but scrunch up when she was called that way.
She was not used to it.
"Garvin, the only way to survive in this world is to be strong. If you are too weak whether in physical or in mind and most of all in heart. You would be defeated by anyone. And you won't be able to protect those you want to protect."
Garvin was twenty, two years older than them but right now he looks like a child far younger than them.
He hiccup as he listened.
"You are not suited to be a knight, why don't you go to a different kingdom and start anew there with your family?" she suggested.
The reason she didn't hit him a while ago was because from the get go she could see hesitation in him.
From the bullying to attacking.
He was simply being pulled around by those people.
He bowed down seemingly hesitating.
"Hmmmm, then how about being a knight on another kingdom under this Empire? You are not suited here in the Imperial City. This place is truly filled with arrogant harsh people."
If she can save even just one person from succumbing then she will do it.
She does not know him personally but she was now in front of him.
His emotions are clearly written on his face that she can somehow tell what he needs to know.
"You love your life right?" she asked.
Garvin slowly nodded his head.
"Then this is your best choice. Outside this room you would be ostracized, you do understand news travels fast. If you and your family were to leave tonight then we can do something about your name in the list."
Garvin couldn't help but to slowly glance at Hunter.
After Saphira stopped his attack on him, he remained silent on the side and continued wiping the blood on his face and arms.
His clothes can no longer be wiped off the blood.
"Don't bother with him, this is a talk between the two of us," Saphira called his attention.
"Then..."
*****
Saphira stretched out as she and Hunter stood at the top of the wall after some cleaning up downstairs.
"You're still angry," she commented glancing at him.
"Why wouldn't I?"
She smiled, "It is not that I am being kind or anything. But with how the world works, I wanted to focus on the darkness instead."
Hunter sighed but didn't reply, he was still clearly not convinced that she let them go so easily.
"This doesn't mean I will give them another chance though. Those people if you didn't kill them then they would remain as banished knights," she followed.
"I can only give one final chance. That's what I have decided for myself. No sane human could just keep on forgiving and forgiving the same person over and over again."
She looked at him, "And that is just how we all are. An ugliness we can never escape from. Tell me Hunter..."
Hunter looked at her.
"Have you ever accepted it in yourself that you are weak? That you wanted to be someone else? That you can lie and simply forget about it?"
He simply stared at her, he can barely understand what she was suddenly pointing out.
"I'm just saying no one is perfect. I gave them a chance but that doesn't mean I wasn't mad nor was I angry. Or the fact that I didn't hate them. But simply because I wanted to give them a chance to see that they made some mistakes."
"Still..." he argued.
Saphira shook her head, "This is a decision I made for myself all these years."
He finally sighed, "Fine, but what about that person?"
Then she looked at him with accusation, "Be grateful I was on time to stop you."
He frowned.
"That person was bullied by those people, he barely did anything when they tried to attack me. He just acted as if he was trying to attack but in reality he wasn't."
"How would I know?" he replied with a shrug.
"This prince of ours," she clicked her tongue and hit him in the shoulder.
"You really should be careful on your punishments from now on."
Hunter just looked away and sighed heavily.
"How did you know about it anyway, that I was going to punish them? Did those other knights tell you?" he asked instead.
Both of them are now on their way back to the City.
The others were told that they could return once they are done because the two of them still have things they need to do in the walls.
Not suspecting anything, their friends left without them.
Saphira scoffed, "Of course not, I am not that weak for them to tell me what is going on at such a close range. Your anger was just too much."
Hunter looked at her but didn't point out her words.
If one were to say they felt it, then they would point out the aura or the mana being exuded by the person.
But Saphira pointed out his anger.
The emotion he was feeling.
"Hmmm, that was sudden wasn't it?" Carmilla commented.
As they were returning, her family was just a bit ahead of them as well.
Asherton nodded his head, "We did feel the aura coming from the crown prince but she felt it way before we did."
"That's right father, we have more experience regarding these matters but she was still ahead of us. Isn't that amazing? Isn't our daughter just amazing?"