Chapter 737: A Broken Promise
The mansion of the Knights Commander, Babo, was not as extravagant as Arthur antic.i.p.ated. It was clean without a speck of dust, but it was otherwise modest. The old woman led them herself toward a guest room, where tea and other refreshments were prepared.
Babo sat on a rocking chair before her knight stepped forward to pour her tea. As for Arthur and Little Yin, they sat opposite her on a couch.
"You must be the man Li Xue hired for this job," said Babo, placing her cane to the side and taking her tea. "I expected a brute from her gang, but you seem far from it. How did you meet her?"
"I arrived at Helios a day before, and she entrusted me with this job," replied Arthur while glancing at Yin, who was stuffing her mouth with cookies. "The mission was to escort her to this place, and I have accomplished that."
"Are you looking for your payment now?" asked Babo after placing down her cup of tea. Arthur didn"t reply, but his answer was obvious. "Even though you say Yin seems to fancy you and even trust you."
"That means I did an excellent job."
"You have, and the reward will be hefty," replied Babo and waved her hand. A knight stepped forward and threw a bag in front of Arthur, which spilled out to reveal gold coins. "Take this and leave."
"This is not the agreed-upon payment," Arthur said without glancing at the gold. "I shook hands with the Bloodflower Boss, Li Xue, over the terms: I bring her here, and I get to know where the forger is."
"I know of the terms, child," said Babo as she grabbed her cane and leaned on it, resting her chin on the back of her hands. "However, Li Xue agreed to them in a moment of weakness, fearing her sister. Since nothing happened, it is only right to receive less than promised."
"Babo!" objected Little Yin, but the old lady shot her a glare that made her flinch. However, even so, she refused to back down. "I refuse to back down on my word. He protected me from harm, so it"s only right to…."
"You foolish girl!" shouted the Light Commander as she slammed her cane on the wooden floor, creating a suffocating aura. "What this man asks for will crumble the power balance in Ilios!"
Arthur could tell that Little Yin wanted to say more, but she was shaking under this woman"s aura. Ultimately, he felt sorry for her and turned to face her with a smile.
"Don"t worry about me. I will get paid as promised," he said with a slight smile, using his confidence to calm her down. As he finished his words, a sword rested on Arthur"s neck, held by the knight from earlier.
"Are you a deaf mercenary?" the young man accompanying the woman scowled. Arthur could tell he was at the demi-rank and carried himself with pride over it. His blond hair was thrown over his left side to cover his eye, with his right having an undercut. "Take the money and leave."
"You seem unafraid of breaking a promise, Light Commander," Arthur addressed Babo while ignoring the knight. "Since you are so old and wise, you should know better than to do that. The consequences can be quite dearly."
"There are things that must be done, no matter how ugly," replied the old woman while closing her eyes. "Take the money and leave before Elnardo forces you to obey."
"I would like to see him try," said Arthur before the sword on his neck fell to the ground, clinging. Babo opened her eyes with surprise to see her blond knight holding his neck, trying to breathe. "I want to see if he lives."
"A… g…" the knight let out breathless sounds as he grasped for air but couldn"t have any of it. The Light Commander"s aura exploded in full force as her face was dyed with rage.
"Are you picking a fight against me, idiotic man?" asked the commander, her aura almost crushing the furniture. "Release him, or you will lose your head in the next instant."
"You are the one who wants to pick a fight with me," Arthur said without fear, his eyes glaring at her with equal ferocity. "Do you think being an Astra-ranker makes you a lord over others?"
The knight fell to the ground, shaking while holding his breath. At that moment, the cane Babo had moved, and a radiating arch crossed the moment in an instant to slash him down. Arthur raised his arm to diffuse the attack, but a figure suddenly blocked his path.
"Foolish girl!" shouted Babo with shock.
Little Yin stood before Arthur, closing her eyes as she tried to block the attack with her body. Arthur and Babo panicked because the light arch was about to slash her body. There was no time for them to intervene, and the overwhelming attack struck her.
The arch of light and its destructive force dissolved into Little Yin"s body, like cotton candy dissolving into water. Her body absorbed the light and its overbearing heat, leaving nothing behind. A curtain of silence descended on the room, making Little Yin open her eyes a bit with confusion.
"You should"ve calmed down since the beginning, grandma," said Little Yin as she sighed in relief. "There is no need to fight. If you are the person who goes back on her promises just because she can, then I have misjudged you and would leave with him."
Arthur and Babo were shocked beyond words, staring at her with speechlessness. The fact that Little Yin absorbed that attack with no mana or a blessing left the two without words, and they exchanged a glance.
In that single glance, both of them reached an understanding to let this go. The knight on the ground gasped for air, breaking the pin-drop silence in the room. After that, Babo sighed and nodded.
"My conduct has been unreasonable indeed. You have my sincere apologies, young man. How about we let bygones be bygones and start anew?"
"Really?" muttered Little Yin with a shocked face. "I"m glad that you saw reason in this. I knew you weren"t a bad person, grandma!"
Little Yin turned toward him with a beaming smile as if she was glad things didn"t dissolve into chaos. Arthur was silent as she stared at her for a few moments before smiling. Earlier, she threw herself before him just to protect him, which made his impression of her change.
"We started on the wrong foot. You have the right to fear the power balance breaking, but a promise is a promise. I wouldn"t hold a grudge if I received what I was promised. I almost suffocated your knight, too."
"Cough, cough," the knight in question rose while coughing, his red eyes staring daggers at Arthur. He reached to grab his sword, but Babo knocked on the wooden tile with her cane.
"Enough, Elnardo," said the Light Commander. "We have been the ones who threatened him, and he had the right to strike back. Leave and clear your head. Take Little Yin with you, and let us two have a chat."
Although Elnardo seemed reluctant and begrudging, he still nodded while rubbing his neck. Little Yin turned toward Arthur with a questioning gaze, but he simply nodded at her. The two exited the room, leaving only Arthur and the Light Commander behind.
"You did not seem surprised by what happened but had a look of realization," began the Light Commander as her smile disappeared. "Who are you, exactly?"
"My ident.i.ty does not hold relevance here," said Arthur as he shared the same serious expression she had. "The pursuers that Li Xue feared managed to find us along the way, and that was when "she" came out instead of Yin."
"That makes sense since you have met her. You staying alive means she did not see you as a threat to her ident.i.ty." The Light Commander then sighed with heavy emotions. "This is the second time I see her do such a thing, but Little Yin seems unaware of it."
Arthur guessed as much, but he didn"t say anything more. Babo seemed to be aging with worry before she bowed her head toward him.
"The fact that I mistreated you even after you protected her makes me a dishonorable person. Forgive me, outlander."
"I understand your reasoning behind it, but I still have plans of my own," replied Arthur. "I need the forger more than the gangs. Li Xue agreed to my demands knowing the risks."
"The gangs will not sit idle if the forger disappears. It can endanger Li Xue herself since the three bosses are the ones who know where the forger is held. Therefore, I wanted to protect her and the people of Ilios from the ensuing chaos," said Babo, looking nothing more than a worried grandma.
"With the forger or without him," said Arthur, "chaos is inevitable."