Part 14
After being guided out of the mansion by a lovely Succubus, Knight was greeted by a deep falsetto voice.
“Hmph, took you long enough.”
The voice came from one of two figures leaning against two pillars supporting the shelter. Knight felt like he knew them from somewhere, but with their face obscured by hoods, he could only go off their small statures.
“Come with us, white Knight,” the other figure, draped in a hooded, scarlet robe, gestured for Knight to follow as she pushed off the pillar.
“You what?”
“She told you to come with us, white Knight.”
This came from the one who spoke first, still trying to keep up with his chosen voice. This one draped in a much rougher piece of cloth. The obviously fake voice probed Knight’s memory of who it might be, but the problem wasn’t who they were…
“Care to explain how I’m a white Knight?” He kindly asked with a big smile.
“Heh, a dumb Knight it seems,” the boy shook his head with a smirk.
“You have that right, Shadow’s wind,” the girl agreed but with a strange expression. As if she were holding back her true reaction.
“…I asked a question…” Knight said, his smile dispersed
With a sigh, ‘Shadow’s wind’ brought a paw to his face and said, “Your clothes are white and your name’s Knight, right?”
Unable to retort a sigh escaped Knight as he squeezed his face with his hand. Accepting defeat, he belatedly replied with, “ignore what I just said.” Then, with the preamble of “Anyways,” he moved on to questioning the theatrical pair. “You two are Cerrin and Klavier’s kids, right?”
Instantly, the boy spun around with glowing eyes threatening to carve into Knight, belatedly followed by the girl. Paw’s raised; a deep, falsetto voice boomed out.
“Someone barely worthy dares to call us… someone’s ‘kids’?”
Ignorant to his stabbing glare, a mystified Knight spoke out. “Uh, yeah… You are kids.”
“Yeah, you have a point…”
“SIS-! I mean… Scarlett Scream!”
“Oh…sorry, Shadow’s wind.”
Dropping out of character, the girl admitted Knight was right. But, her brother having none of it, she was forced to attention and refuted Knight’s statement.
“Although appearing like two mere kids, the two siblings, chosen by the wind itself, are too powerful for the title of ‘someone’s kids.’”
“Ah, I see. Sorry about that,” wanting to move on to other things, Knight relented to her nonsense refutation. “Anyways…
Just as he said his preamble, ‘Shadow’s wind’, piped up yet again.
“That would be a no, ignorant Knight.”
“Huh, the hell? I didn’t even say anything!”
“Yeah, what is it, bro?”
“SIS!”
“Sorry…”
Unable to be on the same wavelength as her brother, ‘Scarlett Scream’ dropped her character once again.
Oblivious to slipping out of his own character, ‘Shadow’s Wind’ regained his cool and explained. “We shall not grace you with the answers you seek. Not until you call us by our true titles and not as mere kids.”
Failing to stop a chuckle at his stubbornness, Knight muttered to himself, “whatever the time and whatever the world… kids are the same as always, I guess.”
“What was that?”
“Ah. I was humbly stating my apology. An apology to the Chosen child of the Wind itself, who graces me, an undeserving Knight, with his Godly presence.”
“Ah-Oh…I see.” Flustered by the excessive, yet obviously sarcastic apology, the Child of the Wind averted his gaze. “Th-That is acceptable, white Knight. Now, you were saying?”
“Oh, I was say-”
“Mmmm… Mmmmm,” With a hum of attention accented by the tugging of Knight’s sleeve, the girl’s puppy eye act revealed her full face.
Knight couldn’t ignore her puffed out cheeks and round eyes. The cheek’s red tint and her gleaming purple eyes. Knight couldn’t ignore the cute contrast they created with her tanned face. Not to mention her drooping smile and rabbit-like nose.
Bending his back, Knight patted the girl’s head and gave her what she wanted. “I was saying that I also apologise to you. An extremely cute child, chosen by the wind itself.”
“Hehehe, THA-” Just about stopping herself from dropping character, the cute bunny said her thanks. “Why thank you, kind Knight… Ah, you can just call me Scarlet by the way.”
Ignorant to his increasingly doting attitude to little girls, probably acquired from his companion Rei, he accepted. Then, with the preamble of “So, where was I…ah,” he finally moved on. “I was going to ask why you two were waiting for me outside.”
“To see if you were okay, valiant Knight,” Scarlett giggled.
“Really? Why didn’t you come up with the others then?”
“’Cause we weren’t…” slowing down, Scarlet cleared her throat and returned to character. “We went with Iroha to shop for some things before she shooed us away, so we waited here to make sure we didn’t miss you.”
“…But you wouldn’t have missed me if you…”
Realising Knight didn’t buy it, the boy conspicuously cleared his throat for attention.
Knight could barely see the smug smile plastered over the kid’s face, but with the way he folded his arms, it was clear as day.
“Yes, we did indeed shop with Iroha. However, the real reason why we didn’t go inside is that we aren’t… allowed.”
“…And why was that?”
“Ah, well, just gave a few of the succubi a beating. All to save you of course.”
‘So that’s what the commotion was about…’ Knight realised. “I see, but Cerrin was the one who boomed the door open and he was fine.”
“Hey, hey, hey! That was me!” Scarlett blurted out.
“Then why…”
“Cerrin actually knows that Daughter of Sin. She’s the reason we’re even here. So, he had the best chance. That and we just wanted to have some more fun.” The boy explained.
‘Ah, they definitely didn’t stop when Lavri ordered her girls off.’
“Well, enough of that. A child of the wind does not boast. Let us meet your girlfriend.”
‘…Brat.’
Just as Knight began to follow with chagrin, the boy stopped and turned to Knight.
“Oh yeah, watch your back, Knight. As soon as we got here it was as if someone was watching out for every move.” The boy said, shifting his gaze about town.
“Oh…?”
Knight was surprised. The kid was serious. The attitude he was wearing was completely different from his 8th-grade syndrome act.
“No, wait… Watching isn’t the right word.”
Muttering the last part to himself, ‘Shadow’s wind’ started back down the road, with Scarlet.
Tucking away the uneasy feeling that the kid’s words gave him, Knight followed.
***
Ding!
“Money-cough-customers! What brings you to this fine…”
“Added a bell and fixed the roof. Good job pussy cat.”
“Store…”
The reveal of a smirking Knight blew Malemi’s pure joy into smithereens. The feeling of his hope being so cruelly destroyed narrowed his vision. Only Knight, bringer of despair, burned into his eyes. Not his two most precious customers.
“What the freak do you want?” Malemi purred.
“Your top hat…ha,” Knight let slip a giggle but…
“Not funny punk. Just get lost.”
…But Malemi didn’t retaliate. He was in a foul mood and Knight knew there was only one reason why.
Wiping the smirk off his face, Knight told him the real reason. “Sorry… The real reason I came was to see Iroha. These two told me she should be here.
Malemi’s purring was quenched as he turned around to see his two hooded customers.
“Scarlett? Chirop? *sigh*”
“Yeah, it’s us again, Malemi!” Scarlet bounced around the store.
“SIS- I mean… Enough of that Scarlet Scream. Good sir Malemi, we promise to buy more world-destroying artefacts if you converse with our white Knight.”
“Really?” Malemi’s eyes lit up. “Ya got a deal, kid. Get ya dracos ready ‘cause I’ll be finding you even better items than last time.”
Leaving a hopping Scarlet, exuding excitement, and a restless Chirop, disguising his, Malemi walked over to Knight.
“So?” Knight asked a solemn Malemi.
“So?”
“So, where is she?”
“Not here.”
“…What a pain,” Knight muttered at Malemi’s reply. He wasn’t on good terms with Malemi, so how was he supposed to coax him for answers whilst he’s in this foul mood? “Look, what’s she done? I know she was here and I know you know where she is.”
A sigh escaped Malemi as he shifted his gaze to his feet and placed a hand on his head.
“She’s gone.”
“Gone?”
“Yep. She’s well on her way to the king.”
“HUUUUUUUUUUUUH!” Knight’s mouth fell open and his eyebrows raised. “After all this, she fucking left me?!”
“It ain’t as simple as that, punk,” Malemi said, his voice empty. Not even a purr at Knight’s harsh conclusion.
“Sure sounds like it.”
“Just shut up a minute,” Malemi told Knight, still lacking his usual fiery tone.
“…Right”
After a couple of deep breaths, Malemi returned his gaze to Knight and spoke. “First off, she didn’t just buy stuff for herself. She bought a little something for the kid and a whole bunch of clothes and light armour for yourself.”
Knight wanted to laugh it off as a waste of money. He figured she’d finally had enough of him and gave up on whatever she was planning. But deep down, Knight knew that wasn’t the case.
“Secondly, after buying everything, she lingered in the store for about an hour – waiting for you.”
All knight wondered was that if this was true, why did she leave at all? It made no sense to him.
“Thirdly, she’s with you to bring you to the king, right? Two reasons why that’s so important: the king’s daughters will mess her up if she ignores it; she’s also been gone for like, a year. She needs the king's approval again. She needs hope.”
“That-”
“No, that might sound like an ulterior motive, but don’t twist it. You mean a lot to her. I’ve known her for some time and she ain’t had any friends. Well, apart from me and Meimi of course.”
“…”
Knight hated it. No way was he going to pity her. Not someone who messes with him as much as she does. He didn’t want to feel a tinge of sadness… but he did. Deep down, he wanted to see her again. Not because Rei would shout for not apologising, but because… he didn’t know. All he knew was that he was arguing with himself. It was his brain against something else inside him. It wasn’t his heart, he knew that for sure. But then why, despite everything she’s done to him, did he want to travel with her and meet the king?
“I just…don’t know…”
“I don’t know what you don’t know, but give me an answer. Go after her, will ya?”
“But... she’s long gone by now, right?”
“Nah, punk. It’ll take her quite a bit to get to reverse mountain. She’ll be camping on the way.”
“Still…”
“Nah, there ain’t no ‘still’ punk. Especially considering she won’t get past the new border patrol. If I knew before she left, I could have told her at least” Malemi pressed on with new information that made no sense to Knight.
“What?”
“Never mind about that. All you need to know is that she’s in danger, AND you can save her. Even your weak-ass.”
Knight wanted to. He didn’t want to. He truly wanted to. He truly did not want to. But…
“Whatever, I’m off.”
He didn’t answer but Malemi knew.
“Idiot punk. I didn't tell you which way she went!”
"..."
"Punk... The fastest path to the king is down the left crevice. She probably went there.
"Probably..."
