Chapter 117: 117 — Knight’s Oath

The next morning, the soldiers had all gathered around the grand duke and grand duchess who explained to them what happened.

Some still had trouble believing but they were convinced once the grand duke expressed his support for the grand duchess. They knew if a man who disliked someone so much believed that person’s words, they wouldn’t be empty words.

To verify, Cynthia asked to gather all the corpses they could find so that she could identify that strange energy once again.

As the knights were following the orders, Cynthia could not help but wonder if the sense she developed was related to her divine powers— the powers she had inherited from her late mother, Queen Irina, who was a saintess.

Does that mean I am truly a saintess?

She wondered, clenching her fist.

Feeling a gentle caress on her forehead, she flinched and stepped back promptly, ready to attack the person who dared to touch her.

"I apologize for scaring you... However, you should not worry to the extent you must frown, Your Highness. Everything is under control," Lucian smiled softly, confusing Cynthia.

She could not understand why that man was suddenly so kind to her. He wasn’t disrespectful before however, now... It seemed had was a completely different man from her past life.

Was it due to her actions? Because she changed, along with the past events everything began changing.

But the pain I suffered... I will never forget it. It does not matter how much of a better man you turn into, Grand Duke Lucian. You must pay for your sins. So does your father, King Valerian.

"Your Highness! We have gathered the bodies," Glain bowed before the couple, announcing the accomplishment of his teammates’ task.

"Thank you. You can rest now," Cynthia smiled, giving the young man a reassuring nod.

Glain, surprised by the grand duchess’ unexpected kind gesture, promptly bowed lower.

"The pleasure is mine, Your Highness," he replied as quickly as he could. He did not know what he had done, but the grand duchess had been gentle toward him ever since he had seen her cry. Or perhaps, Glain has begun noticing her human side after seeing her shed tears.

"Because surely, everyone else is still having a hard time trusting her," Glain grumbled. It was hard to convince them to stop talking nonsense behind the grand duchess while they searched for the bodies. Some even called her crazy for it.

Once Cynthia arrived before the bodies lying on the ground, she felt the same energy as she had felt the two times she had encountered those strange men. They looked human, but they seemed no less than puppets with string which were controlled by someone else.

Gulping nervously, her heart racing, she bent down to examine the woman’s corpse. She placed a finger on its neck, feeling the cold, lifeless skin. She could not sense the strange energy coming from her. Standing up, she moved to the next body.

The sun reached high above, but Cynthia was still examining every single one of the corpses. She had taken a break to eat something but she refused as soon as she finished.

"Last one..." She sighed. It was her last chance to prove her words.

Having examined it as well, the energy remained unfindable.

Letting out a sigh of despair, she stood up abruptly and walked towards the group of men who had been watching her for the past few hours. Some suggested helping, but there was nothing they truly helped her with.

"I apologize. I can’t sense any of that energy anymore..." She spoke in a low voice, disappointed in herself. She was certain of her senses but they seemed to have failed her this time.

"It is alright. You should rest now. You have worked hard." Lucian said with a soft smile.

Cynthia nodded and headed to her tent.

"I told you she was lying!" Dylan shouted as soon as Cynthia had entered her camp.

"Dylan! Keep your voice in check!" Adrian pulled Dylan’s arm, glaring at him.

"But it’s true! She didn’t find anything even after searching for so long! She was surely pretending to search so that she could waste our time and we would not be able to go kill those demons as the king instructed! Remember, he said it was urgent! And she is delaying on purpose! It had already been two days since we were here and we fought no demons yet!"

"Right," Lucian mumbled, hearing Dylan’s words. "You are right, Dylan. Why has this thought not crossed my mind before?! Glain, call the grand duchess right now!"

***

Once Cynthia arrived, the knight had formed a circle, surrounding Lucian.

"Please take a seat," the dark-haired man said, extending his hand to the chair next to him.

Once seated, Cynthia stared at the knights who stood before her, making her uncomfortable with their gazes glued on her and Lucian.

She was used to piercing gazes, but soft ones like those right, she never learned how to handle them.

Then, she glanced at Lucian, who seemed to be waiting for something to speak. His silence only picked her curiosity but she could not bring herself to ask him anything more.

Inhaling deeply, Lucian coughed, clearing his throat before parting his lips.

"So, I have realized something. The king said demons had been attacking this place. And from the looks of it, it must be true. The village has been destroyed and there is no survivor. Yet, the grand duchess said she felt as if the man we met who was still alive was possessed by a demon. She verified all the corpses but she did not feel any demon inside their bodies. The way I can interpret is that she is right," Lucian paused to catch his breath before continuing.

"Demons must possess them because it would not explain the massacre that occurred here without even a footprint of their paws on the muddy soil. What we need to think about is why did the grand duchess not feel the energy inside their body when she examined them."

Hearing the grand duke’s statement, the knights glanced at each other in horror. They trusted everything their commander told them so far however, this was beyond everything they would have imagined.

"Does that mean... we could also die?" They wondered, trembling in fear.

"I believe... they abandoned the body once it died?" Cynthia mumbled. "Maybe it can’t possess dead bodied," she said in a louder tone.

Lucian glanced at her, giving her a nod of agreement.

"However... does it not mean that our lives are in danger?" A knight’s trembling voice asked.

"When was a knight’s life safe?" Cynthia rose from her seat, glaring at the man who asked such a question.

"Have you not vowed to sacrifice your life for the greater good when you took the knight’s oath? Or is this ritual non-existent in Selvarys? Matters not. I believe I, alone, am enough to exterminate those monsters," Cynthia said, walking back to her tent, leaving the crowd confused by her words.

It seemed as if she knew the duties of a knight despite not being one.

"Did King Alistair educate her about everything?" Lucian mumbled, a soft amused chuckle escaping his lips. She knew almost everything, making it seem as if she were not a mere twenty-year-old young woman.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read