I stared at Eravon.
"Weird ones. Yeah. I realized that. Painfully", was my response.
Eravon gave me a sympathetic smile, "I am sorry for the suffering you experienced."
Oh yeah. This guy is why I am in this world and this current situation.
I should be quite mad at him but I can't muster the animosity against him.
He has a certain air to him that doesn't elicit hatred or any sort of animosity, only an eternal melancholy from a man cursed to live forever.
Even expressing hatred toward him seems futile; he might have experienced all kinds of suffering in his long life.
And even if I found a way to kill him, he would welcome Death like an old friend.
You just can't hate this guy.
"So. Any ideas about Abnormals?", I inquired.
Eravon shrugged, "Not a lot. If you need more info, I believe Minerva keeps a record of Abnormals in her database or you could browse through the library."
"I mentioned a certain unwritten rule that daemons follow. Abnormals chuck those rules out of the bloody window."
"They are wilder, more vicious, insanely sadistic, and more disorganized than monkeys in a supermarket."
"They unleash huge devastation and decimate everything before them. Friend or foe, it doesn't matter to them."
He made a face, "They even look different from your standard daemon. Most are humanoid and are more solid than their monotonous cousins."
"Some even look like they crawled out of a Lovecraftian novel.", Eravon stated with a shudder.
I just stared at him in utter confusion, "A what?"
"Nightmare fuel. But they are entertaining."
He bit into his apple and looked at me, "The one you encountered on the battlefield, Asphodel, is the strongest Abnormal ever seen in Blood Valley."
"That creepy smiling sucker is such a menace.", he grumbled.
"He appears suddenly on a random fine day and wreaks absolute carnage, wiping out whole units along with daemons."
"Huh. I guess today was one of those random days.", I mused.
"Your misfortune is just amazing.", Eravon remarked.
"Anyway. The only person in the Shield who can defeat him is Sir Kay, your uncle."
I scoffed, "If the commander is capable of destroying Asphodel, why is that catastrophe still kicking around?"
"That's the thing!", Eravon snapped his fingers and walked over to the next tree with the ladder.
"Whenever Sir Kay faces Asphodel in battle, the Abnormal would turn tail and run mid-battle."
"It would cleverly find a way to escape the attacks of your uncle and flee, only to return after a few months to cause more havoc and face Sir Kay, and repeat."
He shook his head, "Sometimes I wonder if that Abnormal is a masochist because even after it suffers major injuries, it still returns to face Kay."
"What a weirdo.", I said.
Eravon plucked two more succulent apples that looked better than the one I just had.
He jumped off the ladder and gave me one of the apples.
"Anyway. Congrats on surviving your seventh battle. I will be the first to congratulate you."
I smiled, and a feeling of achievement welled up in my chest. I reached out and accepted the apple.
Except it wasn't an apple now, but a clear flute glass of a sparkling golden drink.
"This is...", I brought the glass to my nose and took in the aroma. It smelled of apples but concentrated.
"The finest apple wine ever made.", Eravon said, holding a similar glass of the golden-colored beverage.
He raised the glass, "To you, Sir Mordred."
We clinked our glasses and drank.
I was mindblown by the taste. It was the most exquisite wine that had ever blessed my tongue.
"This is amazing!", I exclaimed.
Eravon observed his empty glass with a calm smile and chuckled, "No wonder Seventeen is obsessed with this."
I caught the name uttered by him, "Who?"
"A friend of mine. He is quite addicted to apple wine even though he doesn't have a stomach."
I was getting more confused, "What?"
"He's an interesting fellow. I would be delighted to introduce you to him.", Eravon replied.
"Okay?", I glanced back at the glass, not quite getting what the warlock was talking about.
"I must thank you. If it weren't for the codes and ardor control methods you taught me, I would be a dead kid by now.", I said.
Eravon smiled, "I'm glad my teachings have helped you greatly."
He threw his glass in the air and it disappeared into sparkling particles. The glass in my hand disappeared in the same way.
"So. We have some time left before you wake up. You up for some mental training?"
I grinned and nodded, "I was about to ask."
*******
My eyes flickered open and I eased myself upright with a groan.
Weirdly enough, the lights were not as bright as the last time I woke up in the general ward.
Did someone finally lower the intensity?
I could feel super soft sheets touching my legs and rubbed my eyes with both my hands.
Thank the Incarni! They were able to reattach my lost limbs.
I was worried that it would be very difficult considering the intensive damage dealt to my body by the Abnormal.
And it feels so quiet as if I am the only one in the ward.
Huh? Wait.
I shook the sleep and fatigue from my eyes and looked at my surroundings.
"This is new."
I found myself in a comfortable room with soft lights and cozy furniture.
Even the medical bed I was on was more advanced than the ones in the general ward.
"A private room in Althea? How?", I mused aloud.
Althea rarely allocated private rooms, usually reserved for high-ranking Deathwalkers or unique cases like Iris Karsus.
These rooms came at a high cost and were seldom occupied due to the rapid healing in the general wards.
So most Deathwalkers prefer to stay in the general wards. Plus the beds are free.
But if one wishes to stay in a private room, one should pay and the quality of the rooms depends on the number of draigos spent.
And judging by how my room looked, it must cost a lot.
I frowned. Could it be because I am a High Prince?
So why, after three weeks of being treated like a disposable soldier, was I now enjoying this luxury?
Weird. Very weird.
While pondering this, the door opened, and a familiar cyan-haired young man entered with his signature infectious smile.
"You're awake!", Felix beamed and walked over to me while carrying a fruit basket.
I smiled, "Good to see you, man."
"I almost spilled coffee on my pants when I heard you encountered Asphodel.", He set the fruit basket down beside me and drew a chair.
"Yeah. It was nasty. Lost an arm and both legs.", I recounted with a nod.
Felix winced, "Ouch! But it's great you got fixed up. The commander himself made sure you got the best treatment and a comfortable private room."
"The commander did?", I raised a brow, taken aback.
"Did Asphodel whack him in the head or something?", I asked with concern.
I mean, why would Kay even bother to help me out?
Felix looked offended, "Heck no! Asphodel put up a tough fight but that thing didn't do any serious damage to the commander."
He grinned, "I bet he was surprised that you survived this far in Blood Valley. You exceeded his expectations. Frankly, I think he was even impressed."
I scoffed at the notion of Kay being impressed by me, the failure of the Pendragons.
But then again, his words on the battlefield echoed from the depths of my memories.
"You did well, Mordred."
Was he genuinely impressed back then? Was he secretly proud of me for reaching this far?
He was the one who introduced Mordred to the art of the blade after all.
I shook my head. That's a thought for later.
There's something else I need to know.
"Asphodel. What happened to it?", I asked Felix, recalling the fear and despair I felt when faced with that overpowered abomination.
The scene of absolute carnage and the death of the young man was seared into my mind.
Felix's smile faded and his expression darkened "Asphodel fled after clashing briefly with the commander."
"Unfortunately, instead of going back to the Tear, it went straight up the mountain on the left of the valley."
I was surprised, "It was able to climb up the valley?"
Felix nodded grimly, "Yep. Asphodel could cause devastation in the nearby villages and the local ecosystem."
"It could even rile the powerful ardimals that rule Les Anciennes and cause a hell of a lot of trouble."
"So the commander is leading a hunting party to hunt Asphodel down."
He picked up a pear from the fruit basket and began to slice it with a knife that came out of nowhere.
"That Abnormal is a slippery customer. If it is not possible to kill it, the commander aims to chase it back into the Tear."
"Needless to say, it is going to be the most dangerous hunt ever undertaken in the Shield. He is rounding up the best hunters and trackers along with a few powerhouses."
"The entire facility is on high alert, with Minerva scanning the surrounding mountains trying to track the slimy bastard."
Felix chuckled, "It's getting quite heated up in Necropolis."
He handed me a slice of the pear.
"But you don't need to be worried. The commander and his elite squad of hunters will take care of it."
"You just rest now.", His smile returned.
I looked at Felix. I can feel something troubling him but he is hiding it quite well behind his bright smile.
Even if I asked him, he would not give me an answer.
Very well, my friend. I will not prod further.
I smiled and accepted the slice from him.
"Whatever you say, boss."