Fool – Part 12
“All right, Aria. We’re ending this!”
Cecily heard a faint “Aye,” and it likely wasn’t a hallucination.
“Go!”
She took position and thrust her rapier forward, unleashing the day’s most powerful gale from its tip. The torrent of wind bared its savage fangs, surging violently in the direction the Infernal Blade pointed.
The wind collided with the bell, producing a loud roar that hammered against Cecily’s eardrums. Her entire body tingled. She bit her lip, fighting to stay conscious. The wind sliced the bell’s rope, and a second blast sent it hurtling from the tower. Cecily watched as it arced gracefully down, disappearing from her sight. Its target was, of course, the demon.
The mass of tentacles noticed the bell, but even it couldn’t withstand the force of such a massive falling object. The bell smashed through the tentacles, striking down directly on the demon’s core—the dark mass.
The ground trembled with the impact. Cecily leaned out to see: the demon’s black, blade-resistant hide had shattered like an eggshell, exposing a soft, mushy interior. It looked like flesh. The bell lay beside the beast, completely intact.
Now, Cecily Campbell. Are you ready?
Reluctantly, she was. She grinned with reckless abandon. She’d just promised not to do this again.
“It can’t be helped. This is just who I am.”
The wind brushed her cheek. Her comrade’s quiet smile showed she shared the sentiment.
“I’m stupid!”
Cecily jumped. No further instructions were needed. As she hung in the air, an explosive gust of wind shot her forward.
An arrow. A cannonball. A shooting star. Any of those comparisons worked.
Shrouded in visible wind, Cecily plunged from the tower toward the ground below. A streak of silver light shot down at tremendous speed, reaching its target in a heartbeat. The silver meteor struck the demon’s main body.
Her rapier buried itself to the hilt. A brief silence followed.
Then came the rapid crumbling. The pink tendrils blackened, as if a layer were being peeled away, then splintered. Each fragment disintegrated into dust, vanishing almost instantly.
Death consumed the tentacle beast. It was over.
The Knight Guard erupted in a cheer. Francisca, unharmed, removed her helmet and let out a long sigh. Patty moved to tend Reginald’s wounds, but he brushed her off with a scowl.
“You went overboard, Cecily.”
“I couldn’t help it.”
Her body, plummeting from the clock tower at breakneck speed, had been cushioned by the demon’s soft core. But Cecily wasn’t unharmed. Unable to stand, she lay her head on Aria’s lap, gazing up at the sky. The terror from the fall had left her knees weak as well, though she’d never admit it.
Beside her lay Aria’s scabbard. She’d tossed it aside earlier, yet it was miraculously intact.
“I’ve been planning to form a Prayer Pact unit, to prepare for the fight against Valbanill,” Hannibal said, standing next to Cecily. “The balance across the continent is hanging by a thread. It’s about to tip again.”
“Yeah,” she replied.
After hearing what Siegfried had to say, it all clicked—the growing unrest in other lands, the increasing encounters with Inhumans and demons, and Siegfried’s own plans.
“That’s why we have to keep protecting this place. Will you help an old man with his duty?”
“Of course. I am, after all, a proud Knight Guard.”
Her gaze shifted upward. Aria was staring in the direction of Blair Volcano.
“Aria,” Cecily called.
“Yes?” Aria turned, meeting her eyes.
“I’m starving.”
“Hehe, me too!”
Aria’s face lit up with a bright smile. For the first time in days, Cecily smiled as well.
The attire for the ball arrived from the tailor.
After everything that had happened, Cecily completely forgot to ask Fio to place the order, but Aria kindly took care of it for her.
“I’d rather you didn’t go, but I know you’ll go no matter what. Isn’t that right?”
Aria was really the most thoughtful partner.
Cecily’s mother, Lucy, however, had fainted at the sight of the outfit. Fio said it would be amusing—or so Cecily heard. Given her mother’s usual criticisms of her behavior, the reaction was hardly a surprise.
Cecily looked at the clothes in question and chuckled softly.
“I guess it’s perfect.”
A thought lingered in her mind. Luke wasn’t coming. She knew, in a crisis, he wouldn’t be there to save her. Not now, and not ever.
It was foolish to expect otherwise. She was the one meant to help others, not the other way around. Cecily Campbell, Knight Guard of the Independent Trade City’s Third District, wouldn’t seek help.
She would always have to rely on herself. If that meant sacrificing the “woman” within her, then so be it.
Hugging the dress, Cecily silently steeled herself.
The heart of the Third District was marked by two intersecting main streets. A few minutes’ walk from this crossroad stood the city-owned public theater, often rented out to both local and visiting troupes.
As night fell, jewel steel lights illuminated the theater. Amid its grandeur, the Knight Guard kept vigilant watch.
Tonight, the theater was hosting a ball organized by the Continental Law Commission.
Military officials, nobles, and influential merchants from across the continent had gathered under the pretext of aligning regional interests. Given their importance, many guards had been deployed to ensure their safety. The Knight Guard, though weary from recent incident, had been mobilized to provide protection.
Among them was Reginald Drummond, stationed at the main entrance. Other members of the Guard were posted nearby, all bearing fresh signs of injury.
“Ouch.”
A warm night breeze brushed against a cut on his cheek, making Reginald wince. Under his armor, he was wrapped in bandages. His injuries were worse than most. After the battle, Patty Baldwin, a non-combatant, had tried to tend to him, but he’d stubbornly refused. Now he was paying for it. Still, he was the type to endure it all.
I can’t stand women.
He hated how they were oddly fierce despite their lack of strength. Their arrogance grated on him. So fragile that the slightest challenges rattled them. Such inexplicable frailty made it hard to see them as fellow humans.
From the shadows just beyond the jewel steel lights, a figure emerged, and Reginald’s eyes widened.
“Cecily?!”
She wasn’t supposed to be on duty tonight. What was she doing here? And more importantly…
“What’s with that outfit?”
“Just as you’re here to do your job as watchman, I’m here to fulfill my duty,” Cecily answered without missing a beat.
“What duty?”
“Oh, that reminds me. I forgot to thank you for giving me a push the other day. I really appreciate it.” Cecily bowed.
She was referring to his words during their battle with the demons.
Reginald grimaced. “Go on, then. That duty of yours awaits, doesn’t it?”
Cecily slipped past Reginald with a nod. Just as her hand reached the door’s handle, Reginald threw a question.
“What’s this duty you’re talking about?”
Cecily looked over her shoulder, a smile on her face. “A rematch.”
She glided into the entrance, closing the door behind her.
It was hard to believe she was a human just like him. Why couldn’t they just stay quiet and let others protect them?
Staring at the closed door, Reginald muttered, “This is why I hate them.”
Cecily passed through the front entrance, hurried through the hall, and entered the inner chamber where the gathering was underway. She waved at the attendant waiting by the door and pushed it open herself. The noise and cool air rushed to greet her.
The venue was lavishly decorated. Glass fixtures inlaid with jewel steel adorned the ceiling. Compared to the humid air outside, the atmosphere here was refreshingly dry and cool, thanks to the jewel steel embedded in the walls. A buffet table showcased a fusion of dishes from across many nations, and a band was setting up in one corner, preparing for the upcoming dance event.
She scanned the room, searching for someone. There were nobles in formal attire and their spouses, knights clad in ceremonial armor, military officers in crisp uniforms, portly merchants draped in jewels, and servants catering to the distinguished guests—all fewer in number than she had expected. Perhaps only a handful of important figures knew about Valbanill. The relatively calm atmosphere suggested that the main discussions had already concluded.
Her eyes quickly found him. Even in this grand setting—no, it was precisely because of this setting—the man stood by the window, dressed in his usual unembellished black attire.
It was a sort of performance to show that he was a key figure in the Empire. If this ball was meant to raise funds for the fight against Valbanill, such a display was indeed necessary. Not that it mattered to him in the least.
Cecily strode confidently across the room, drawing the attention of several wide-eyed onlookers.
Next to the man in black stood a lady—Evadne—but she couldn’t spot Francisca. Perhaps she was outside, keeping watch.
The man’s eyes widened upon seeing her. Cecily’s heart raced. She had not forgotten the fear from back then. She’d probably remember it for the rest of her life.
But she had to overcome it to move forward.
Comment (0)