Chapter 736: Endhere
Chapter 736: Endhere
The cart made its way around the mountain, resuming its journey to the farthest point on the continent. Arthur was holding the reins and staring at the road while Little Yin stared at him, thinking he didn't notice.
He had the idea of erasing her memories, but Arthur didn't want to feel alienated from the struggles of everyone else. If it harmed in the long run, he would have done it. But, given that this was not his original face, Arthur was safe.
"We should be getting there by sunset," said Arthur, and Little Yin flinched and turned away. It made him sigh that she wasn't even looking at him now and even more confused about how he ended up here. "After that, we are parting ways."
Arthur made sure to bring her attention to that point. He didn't want her to think this was anything more than a job for him. As long as he knows where Gray is, he will tell Lyle to arrest him and smoothen their plans.
"Have you realized that I'm a burden?" she asked, making Arthur frown. If such a thing were said to him by anyone else, Arthur would assume they wanted to manipulate him by their self-hate.
Humans were taught to be compassionate, pleasant, and polite. Anything that goes against that is scrutinized by society. This made anyone who hurts others forced to feel guilt inflicted by them, regardless of how unintentional it is.
Little Yin didn't ask that question because she wanted to entrap him in that guilt or make him stay to prove otherwise. However, the intention of her question was uncertain to Arthur. So she didn't need to ask him if she believed she was a burden.
"Are you hoping I would deny it?" asked Arthur, and she lowered her head further. It seems this girl cared about his opinion of her. Arthur sighed and continued, "You are a burden because you are weak. However, you could have survived that night on your own."
"There is no way that…."
"I had the doubt that you already knew, but this question of yours made me realize that you're unaware of it," interrupted Arthur, making Little Yin turn toward him with confusion. "You are far stronger than those pursuing you. The reason that they pursue you is possibly the potential you have."
"I haven't even awakened," said Little Yin. Arthur realized as much after the two met outside Dark World, where no mana could be wielded. Just the fact that she attacked him with a dagger was enough proof of it.
"Let me tell you a story about someone in a similar condition to yours. He awakened at eighteen years old, exactly your age, after almost dying. However, later he learned that he never awakened because he had more power than anyone."
"Is he a friend of yours?"
"Not exactly, but that's unimportant. There is a great potential within you that needs to be tapped upon. If you master it, then you can stop feeling like a burden."
Arthur didn't seek to reassure her by feeding her lies that she wasn't a burden. As long as someone was weak, he would feel like a burden, even if those protecting him didn't consider him as such.
"Can you teach me how to do that?" she asked with hopeful eyes. Arthur's brow twitched because she asked for more than just to grow stronger but to ensure they didn't part ways.
"I have to go back to Helios once this ends, and you need to stay with your friend," replied Arthur, shooting her hopes down. He couldn't tie her to him just because she had the delusion there was something between them. "You should forget about me and what happened on this trip."
Little Yin pressed her lips against one another and didn't say anything more. The rest of the trip was spent uneventfully, and they were there by sunset. The place that they reached was a small city called Endhere, populated by fishermen and sailors. It was the closest city to the Great Blood Ocean, which separates the two continents.
The route that Arthur took followed a map that Bloodflower Boss drew for him. It used a route commonly used by the Knights of Light, bypassing the city's security.
The horses galloped down the road toward the small checkpoint populated by some sort of knights. However, Arthur didn't slow down and kept riding toward them. As he passed the checkpoint, the guards acted as if he didn't exist.
"Your sister is a scary person," admitted Arthur as he saw the knights, who carried themselves with pride, act like this. It has been prearranged by the Bloodflower Boss, who was acquainted with the Light Commander of this city.
"She suffered a lot just to get here," said Little Yin as she stared at the city walls, which they crossed uninterrupted. "Unlike me, who never changes."
"Quit your self-hate and wallowing in self-pity," reprimanded Arthur. He could feel her flinch at his harsh tone, but he had to admit she was starting to annoy him. "Even if you feel that way about yourself, never let anyone else know. No one is going to respect you if you don't respect yourself. You set an example of how you want to be treated."
Arthur knew he was being too harsh on her, but someone had to tell her as such. He would have preferred her act in the casino, where she was protective of her sister.
Maybe Little Yin was that kind of person, who defends others but not herself, but that was even worse. Arthur hated those types of people because all they did was live in shells of self-pity.
"That is easy for you to say because you can do something about things that bother you," said Little Yin, barking back. Arthur caught a glimpse of the girl he first met, making him smile.
"Even defending your wrongdoings is defending, so I'm glad to see you make some progress," laughed Arthur. "You better present yourself as such to the commander of this city since she'll be your new caretaker."
"I hate Babo," scowled Little Yin as she leaned back in her chair. Arthur assumed Babo was the name of the city's commander, who had the biggest mansion inside the city. "She used to throw me into the ocean every day, thinking it would awaken me."
Arthur smiled as he listened to her ramblings, and the cart cut through the city toward the largest mansion. This road was built exclusively for the use of the Knights Commander, who ruled over this city.
Their cart headed straight toward the mansion with many knights guarding it. Arthur pulled on the horses to make them stop in front of the large closed gates, which started to open after they arrived.
The horses slowly pulled the cart into the mansion's backyard, a training field empty of knights. At the end of their path was a group of people waiting for them, with a small woman standing in the front with a cane.
"Babo!" shouted Little Yin as she waved her hand at the woman, but the woman was silent in response. Her back was hunched forward, and she seemed to rely on her cane for support.
The cart stopped in front of the group of knights and the old lady, whose cheeks sagged down into a frown. Arthur could tell this woman didn't exactly radiate sunshine, but she was powerful.
Little Yin jumped from the cart and rushed to hug the woman, who raised her cane in response and smacked her in the head. Little Yin staggered, but the old woman kept striking her head mercilessly.
"You ungrateful brats! Ten years and you didn't even write me a letter, and now you want me to take you back!" shouted the old woman as Little Yin tried to protect her head. "Do you think I'm some kind of shelter?"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch!"
Little Yin tried to shield herself as she retreated to hide behind Arthur as he descended the cart and calmed the horses down. The old lady and her knights stared at the two.
"Greetings, commander," started Arthur as Little Yin hid behind him. "I assume that we are expected. This completes my mission here, so I will take my leave."
Babo stared at him and at Little Yin holding onto his robes, with unknown thoughts crossing her mind. She then raised her hand and pointed at the horses, to which a knight advanced to take them.
"You crossed a long distance in a single day, so you must be exhausted," said Babo as she turned around and walked into the mansion. "I might be a grumpy old woman, but I know how to be a host. Come inside."
Arthur had the mind to leave now, but he decided to tag along. After all, he had to warn these knights that whoever targeted Little Yin was still alive and should be creating his army at the moment.