Chapter 503 - Two Choices
In the southern region of the capital Rathna, a secret meeting was held in a castle inside of Rukon District. And this castle was owned by the side branch of the Seven Deadly Sins organization that still functioned in the capital.
A heavily guarded envoy arrived and a figure under a black veil appeared on the terrace of this castle that was isolated by various magic formations and illusion barriers.
Under the serene moonlight and mildly cold breeze, two figures appeared in front of each other.
[Ronin and Ceril, make sure no one is spying on us or knows what"s happening inside the barriers.] ordered a young man in black and gray longcoat.
And finally, this newly arrived figure removed the veil and a face of a raven-haired woman appeared.
"You!... What did you write in that letter!
"Take care of my woman"? Who the h.e.l.l is your woman?!" shouted Ka.s.sandra as she started with a complaint as soon as Kahn appeared in front of her eyes.
Kahn rolled off his eyes to her complaint.
"Then what was I supposed to do? I needed to stall for time and get leverage over your clan and faction.
Otherwise, there was no guarantee that you"d still be living properly and not get sold off to someone else because your family wanted some benefits.
That was the only way I could save you." he said.
"So you didn"t mean a single word of it?" asked Ka.s.sandra in a dispirited voice as she averted her eyes.
"No… I mean yes... No! I didn"t mean it like that." said Kahn with a fl.u.s.tered expression.
"I see…"
For some reason, he felt like Ka.s.sandra was feeling more dejected instead of being furious.
It had been close to a month since he sent her off back to the Mikealson clan after they spent a night together sharing each other"s lives, their fears, sadness, traumas, and reasons that made them who they were after Ka.s.sandra was forced to offer herself to Kahn because she could no longer use magic and had any use for her family or the faction.
"Ka.s.sandra, we have a problem." said Kahn.
"What problem? And how come you"re back so early? Did the mission fail?" she queried.
As they both sat across two luxurious chairs… Kahn told her everything about what happened with the mission.
Other than his real ident.i.ty as Hero of Darkness, he told her how he got the tablet and how Ezekiel and Celine tried to kill him.
And now that he had no choice but to leave the Rakos Empire… he came to meet her. He even told her his final plan and what was going to happen soon.
"Those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!! They planned to kill us even before the Emperor"s Chosen compet.i.tion?
How can my parents try to send me to get the Tablet of Arcana while they knew that I"d be killed even if I somehow got it?..." spoke Ka.s.sandra who was shaken to her core.
[A direct descendent of the Lezron Mikealson"s bloodline who can"t use magic or has a fighting cla.s.s… that"s the biggest taboo of their clan.
No wonder they abandoned her.] said Rathnaar in Kahn"s mind.
[System, put this old fogey in the back of the pedestal.] commanded Kahn as he didn"t want to get interrupted.
And the very next second… Kahn spoke with a serious expression.
"Come with me. If you stay here, I can no longer protect you.
And after I"m gone… there"s no guarantee that they won"t sell you off again to someone.
Although it might seem impossible, I promise you that I"ll find a way to help you get back your ability to use magic again." said Kahn as he arched forwards and held her hands in both his palms.
"I know that it may seem very dangerous at the moment because I"m not even strong enough to protect myself… but I can promise that you will never face any harm because of me.
But if you decide to stay here… no excuse would secure your future. Not in the capital and neither in my fiefdom." he elaborated.
This was the main reason why Kahn came to visit Ka.s.sandra here today. First, it was the life debt, and then it was a sense of pity he felt for her.
But now… after spending that night together with her in a similar environment like this one, when Ka.s.sandra had tried to commit suicide; there was an unexplainable bond between them.
As friends or due to a sense of inkling because of their similar lives… Kahn hadn"t put a word on it. But he knew one thing for sure that he wanted to protect Ka.s.sandra out of his free will.
Which was why he couldn"t just leave her at the mercy of her family, clan and the Neutral Faction again.
Hence, he came to take her with him even if it meant taking some risks because after his departure… she was only going to have a miserable life because of her current situation.
But to his words full of worry… Ka.s.sandra closed her eyes and asked in a saddened voice.
"Why?... Why do you want to go that far for me?" she asked and opened her eyes again.
"If I also disappear… it would raise too many questions and your true plan might get exposed to everyone.
And after that, the three factions will hunt you down with all their power and resources." she said in a resolute voice.
She understood what kind of risk Kahn was taking here. If she tagged along, his final plan will be seen through in the future because not all the people in the world were brainless idiots.
Soon, someone would be able to connect the dots and all of Kahn"s efforts would turn useless.
From what he told her… the success of his plan would not only affect him but also the fate of the 220 million common citizens of the Verla.s.sen fiefdom.
But he was still willing to risk it for her sake.
"Is it… is it because you feel pity towards me? Or is it because you still blame yourself for my condition?" asked Ka.s.sandra in a serious tone and shook away her hands from Kahn"s grasp.
"It"s… it"s not like that." said Kahn as he was suddenly caught off guard.
For some reason… he couldn"t find a way to explain why he wanted to do that for her. Neither to Ka.s.sandra nor himself.
"It"s just… that I want to see you safe. That"s all." said Kahn with a conflicted expression, failing to convince both of them at the same time.
"I see… if that"s the case. Then I have my answer ready." said Ka.s.sandra as she looked Kahn straight in the eyes.
"So will you come with me?" asked Kahn in a worried tone.
To his question, Ka.s.sandra clenched her fists and a voice full of warmth and care towards the man in front of her appeared on her face and she finally declared her decision…
"No."