If somebody else said this to him, he would remain more cautious. Ever since he became Lillian's mage, countless people have tried to sabotage their relationship. They would do anything to tear them away from one another, resulting in many pointless stories.
For a moment, Lucas thought it was another one of those scenarios, but that appears not to be the case here. This man would gain nothing from lying.
"Yes, as a strong devotion to god. I thought she was a noble person and the way she took care of the children too."
"If you met her, then why didn't she recognize you?"
"At that time, I had just suffered from an accident; for a while, the other side of my face was disfigured."
So that would explain it. But even then, he found it odd; normally, Lillian does not need appearance to identify someone. She trusts her magic more than her eyes. Moreover, with strong eyes like hers, the eyes of the Empress, something like this shouldn't have passed by her.
The only thing he could think of was she did this deliberately, but why would she do something like that?
"Then one day I received word from back home. They said the fire which was in town and had plans to cause destruction somewhere. Despite my condition, they gave me strict instructions to confront her if I see her."
The fire witch, right there was a time where people gave Lillian that name.
"On the day I received the report, that was when the accident happened. Somebody set the church in flames, and the children went missing. Fortunately, none of the children died; the only casualties were the priests and mages. In the center of all these flames, I saw Miss Lillian. At first, I thought she got caught up in the mess, but then I saw the sparks from her fingertips and noticed how she was the only one not affected by the fire."
"So, what did you say?" At those words, Lucas' friendly tone vanished, and a dark aura surrounded him.
"I told her I was wrong to have trusted her so much. She is the epitome of evil and people's misfortune."
Lucas dropped the burnt fish he had been eating and was soon in front of Orion. He extended his hand out and grabbed hold of the man's neck. A dangerous look flashed through his eyes.
"You said such things to her?"
"At that time, I thought the children were dead and that she hid them somewhere. I knew all the rumors regarding the fire witch. It was because of an accident in another town that my face ended up this way. That is why I didn't think much of it."
Lucas increased his grip, and the man's face color gradually turned paler. But Orion continued to speak.
"My head was all muddled. I thought if she really was the fire witch from the rumors, then it is possible."
'How much did those words hurt her? How much did she have to endure? I should join her next time she goes on her outings. I can't let her be.'
He recalled that time very well since Lillian unexpectedly slumped in his arms and did not leave his embrace for a few minutes. She looked weaker and drained. But he couldn't say anything until she spoke up.
'My resolve has not wavered even with this incident. If I have to become the villain to save the Empire, then I shall. But Lucas, you are the only one who I will not allow to have such a misunderstanding. No matter what I do, remain as you have by my side.'
It was the first time she had said such honest-sounding words. The next time was a few years later when she admitted that stuff about her family.
When he first met her, Lucas already knew that she was just a normal girl.
A normal girl who looked at the state of the Empire saw her cursed powers and decided to play the villain. Deep down, what is the real her? She probably has no idea how to act normal anymore. But that was fine with him; he would accept everything about her regardless.
That stupid girl, she didn't have to say such things. He did not intend to leave her anymore. At first, he only went along with things to see how far she could go. But at some point, his feelings changed.
Lucas wanted nothing more than to kill the man in front of him. It would be easy for him to do that. He could snap his neck in seconds, and his pity excuse of a life would end. But Lucas understood something.
Lillian knew who this man was and yet still asked him for help. If she is going to go that far regardless of what happened between them, then he cannot destroy her resolve.
He loosened his grip and eventually let go. Orion kneels to the side, coughing. "Be grateful that you still have value."
The moment Lillian loses interest in this guy, though, he can't guarantee that he won't kill him.
"When did you find out the fire witch and Lillian were the same people?"
"The moment I returned to the city. People were talking about it. They said the so-called fire witch that went around burning cities was actually the second daughter of the Ageha family. When I heard that, I hesitated a little."
"Why?" Lucas asked. He may as well listen to his excuses, although it won't change his opinion.
'This man will die by my hands in the future.' For causing Lillian to end up in that weak state, he does not deserve to live.
"Despite the rumors about her. She treats the soldiers under her unit well enough, they fear her, but they respect her. All of them told me the same thing 'The general will never do such a thing. If she truly burned those cities, then it was for a reason.' None of those soldiers had any reason to suck up to her wealth since they belonged to prestigious families themselves. Moreover, I have seen her casually disrupt her father from causing further chaos before. She is subtle, but any veteran soldier can see it."
Hah, so from this, he had doubts? How laughable.
"What you should have trusted was the Lillian you got to know in those three weeks. Lillian is not the type of person to drop her guard like that, even for a casual visit to another city. She has many enemies who are after her life every day. For her to let her guard down the way she did and expose herself must mean that place was special."