Ragnar's eyes blazed as he looked at the quivering man, and the only sound he could hear was the man's terrified screams, echoing as though he truly believed his end was near. Beams of light illuminated Ragnar, each one representing his divine presence.
Ragnar felt confused as he examined his own large hands, finding nothing of the man's pleading and fear. A hint of question appeared to Ragnar; he wondered with confusion and concern, "Why does he fear me?"
He glanced at the man once more, but the man seemed to find even that gaze terrifying. Ragnar spoke, opening his mouth slowly, "Why are you afraid of me?" The man offered no response, only continuing to scream and plead, "I don't want to die yet!"
Ragnar was visibly bewildered, his speech faltering as he addressed the man. With no choice, Ragnar grasped the man's shoulder and urgently asked, "What causes you to fear me so much that you plead for your life?"
The man coughed, blood trickling into Ragnar's hands and down his arms. "It's—" The man struggled to speak through his fear, coughing up more blood. "Who are you?" he finally managed to ask, his voice tinged with dread.
Ragnar was dumbfounded. He locked eyes with the man and offered no response. Slowly, he parted his lips. "Why do you even question who I am?" he replied, his expression wordless.
Tears streamed down the man's face as he spoke with despair, "You are not from here. Where do you even come from?" With those haunting words, the man's lower body collapsed to the ground, blood pooling around him.
"Who are you? Why are you here? I haven't seen you before," a deep and rough voice reverberated in Ragnar's left ear. A hooded figure was perched on the wall, armed with two blades at his waist and a large wooden hammer on his back.
"Did you kill this man?" Ragnar demanded angrily as he hurled the body towards the hooded man. In response, the man unsheathed his blade and swiftly defended himself, slicing the body into two pieces.
"I did, but don't ever answer a question with a question," the man declared as he sheathed his blade and settled back onto the wall. Ragnar lunged forward with a left hook, but the man effortlessly dodged and retaliated with a powerful blow from his wooden hammer.
Ragnar swiftly blocked the oncoming hammer from above and countered with an uppercut, but the agile man dodged it with ease. Stepping back, he issued a warning: "Also, don't respond with violence."
The man closed his eyes, readying his twin blades, and then took a single step forward. But before he could strike, the sound of another step echoed alongside Ragnar—it was Lancelot.
Lancelot was not alone; Gideon, Davi, Adriel, Azariah, Kylor, Matheus, and Garnette also emerged. Gideon and Davi positioned themselves behind the hooded man, blades at their ready. Kylor aimed his bow at the target, while Adriel, Matheus, Azariah, and Garnette stood poised on the staircase.
"Ragnar, let us handle this," Lancelot whispered to Ragnar as he took a step forward, unsheathing his blade and aiming it at the hooded man. "Zephis, it's been a long time. What may be the reason for your appearance today?" Lancelot lunged forward with his blade, his eyes filled with determination and a hint of apprehension.
The man deflected the attack with both of his swords, but Gideon and Davi behind him lunged towards him. With no choice left, he swiftly dodged both attacks, his movements fluid and precise as he took a step away from them.
He smiled and said in a deep, menacing tone, "Lancelot, you are nothing but a coward." He retrieved an injection inside his pocket, and Lancelot screamed, "Kylor!" The arrow aimed at Zephis, but he had already injected it in his neck before disappearing in a split second before the arrow even hit him.
Zephis had vanished without a trace, leaving behind a heavy silence. Lancelot turned to Ragnar with a calm expression and suggested, "Let's attend to your wounds first. Your orders can wait until you're fully healed."
Kylor swiftly descended to the floor, retrieving his medical kit. The kit contained various supplies, including injections, Harabera oil, Regeneron liquid, gauze rolls, bandages, and scissors. He quickly opened the kit and asked Ragnar, "Could you remove your trench coat and shirt, please?"
Without a word, Ragnar complied and removed his clothing as Kylor prepared the injection. Once Ragnar had removed his shirt, Kylor carefully pulled the arrow from his shoulder and cleaned the area with Harabera oil.
Kylor retrieved the injection from his bag and carefully administered it into Ragnar's shoulder. Ragnar remained stoic, despite the pain. After the injection, Kylor wrapped the area with a gauze roll and secured it with scissors. He proceeded to extract cotton and use Harabera oil to meticulously cleanse the blood from Ragnar's arms.
He then cleaned his hands with Harabera oil and packed away all the medical supplies. Wiping the sweat from his face with a towel, he stowed the medicine kit in his pocket. "We're finished," Kylor said wearily as he straightened up. Garnette rushed to Ragnar with concern and worry. "Garnette," Ragnar said in shock.
"Ragnar, it's important to keep our maids safe," Lancelot cautioned as he sheathed his blade. "But for now, you need to rest. We know a place nearby, Ragnar. Adriel, Gideon, and Azariah, please lead them to Arawn's home," Lancelot instructed.
As Adriel, Gideon, and Azariah approached Ragnar, they exchanged greetings. "You recognize me, don't you?" Adriel asked, and Ragnar nodded in response. "I'm Gideon; I saw you last night, haven't I?" Gideon said warmly.
"Yes, I remember you," Ragnar replied, extending a handshake, which Gideon accepted. Ragnar then turned to Azariah, a man with tousled black hair. "I haven't met you before. But I am Azariah, a royal knight." Azariah introduced himself with a bow to Ragnar.
While examining, Lancelot noticed the gruesome scene of the sliced body and the pool of blood on the floor. "Let's get this cleaned up, Davi; call some guards to take care of this," Lancelot ordered as he surveyed the disturbing sight.
Garnette quickly covered her eyes with her small hands and exclaimed, "Ew!" in disgust. Azariah promptly shielded Garnette's gaze from the scene. "Ragnar, we'll need to discuss what happened here later, but for now, we have other matters to attend to," Lancelot said, casting a suspicious glance at Ragnar.
As he turned away and began to walk, the two royal knights followed closely behind. "Take care," Lancelot said with a neutral tone. Ragnar and the others waved with warm smiles on their faces as they slowly walked away.
As they walked in the opposite direction, Gideon suggested, "Now, let's go." Walking straight forward, Ragnar inquired, "Where are they headed?" Azariah replied with a warm smile, "We were tasked with eliminating a Grimoire, but I think they can handle it themselves."
"Lancelot and Mattheus are two of the strongest men among the royal knights, so never underestimate them. However, I believe Apollo and Otto are the overall best among the royal knights," Azariah continued.
"Well, it's hard to believe that Apollo won't be a royal knight tonight. Time really does fly by," remarked Adriel as they continued walking down the path, exchanging laughter. "But where is Damian?" Ragnar inquired, bringing a somber tone to the conversation.
The group fell silent, but Adriel spoke up in a deep, serious tone: "He mentioned that his brother had been killed, so he needed to take some time to rest at home. Let's not dwell on it for now; I'm sure he'll return when he's ready."
Ragnar nodded in understanding as the silence lingered before they changed course. Gideon, leading the way, turned to the right, and the rest of the group, including Garnette, followed suit. As they continued walking, Gideon lightened the mood, teasing Ragnar, "Ragnar, are you dating one of our maids now?"
Garnette, her cheeks tinged with a rosy blush, shook her head. "No, that's not it at all. I only went with him so we could have a conversation." The men chuckled as Ragnar looked on, perplexed and uncertain.
"We understand. But Ragnar, is she telling the truth?" Azariah asked, a mischievous glint in his eye. After a moment of contemplation, Ragnar replied in a bewildered tone, "Yes, she's telling the truth."
"Really? In that case, we'll need to perform a ritual for both of you to uncover the truth," Azariah continued, teasing them both. The group erupted in laughter, with Garnette's ferocity evident as Gideon made a subtle move to the right, prompting the others to follow suit.
Gideon dramatically slowed down his pace, glancing at the structures on their sides. "Well, well, well, this all looks very familiar. We must be getting close," he alarmed the group, still moving at a snail's pace. As they continued forward, Gideon suddenly picked up speed, practically sprinting ahead.
He then dramatically shifted to the right as the group followed suit. "That building looks familiar," he whispered to himself, now practically power walking with the group in tow before shifting direction to the right.
Suddenly, he spotted a large wooden house that went up to two stories. "We're almost there now," he declared confidently. As they continued walking, Azariah couldn't help but question Gideon.
"Hey, isn't that the house we just passed?" Gideon's shock was evident as he realized that they had indeed walked past the very house they were supposed to be heading to. "Seriously? Let's go back!" Gideon exclaimed, racing back with absolute disbelief written all over his face.
As they arrived at the house, Gideon quickly knocked on the wooden door. The door creaked open, revealing an old woman with pure white hair. "Gideon? Why are the royal knights here?" the old woman asked in surprise.
"I'm in a hurry, Grandma Ethel. But we have an injured man here, and we're hoping you can let him stay for a while. His wounds should heal in a couple of hours," Gideon pleaded.
"Of course, I will," Grandma Ethel replied, looking at Ragnar. "Come in; you need to rest," she said kindly. Ragnar and Garnette approached the old woman, and Garnette added with a warm smile, "I'm here to help him, and I'll also assist with cleaning your house while I'm here."
"Thank you for your warm welcome, Garnette and Ragnar," Grandma Ethel expressed with a kind voice. "Feel free to call me Grandma Ethel anytime. Both of you are welcome here." She gestured for them to enter her home, and they followed with curiosity.
Inside, the house was beautifully constructed, adorned with wooden furniture that was meticulously maintained. A young man with blonde hair sat on a wooden chair, enjoying a well-prepared salad.
Garnette settled into a wooden chair, and Ragnar joined her. "I'll prepare a cup of tea for both of you and a salad; please wait here," Grandma Ethel offered as she waved at the royal knights, who then left. She then made her way to the kitchen counter to attend to her guests.
"Hey, Bane! Could you do me a huge favor and pick up a box of fresh Mongo Tea?" Grandma Ethel called out eagerly to a man named Bane. Ragnar's heart raced with excitement at the thought of Bane's arrival. Suddenly, the door burst open, and in walked a young man with a rugged mustache and tousled black hair.
Ragnar couldn't believe his eyes as he exclaimed, "Bane?"