Chapter 297: Leaving the Thorn Palace
"DON'T be reckless."
"I'm being reckless?" Soleil complained at what Kalel Moonchester said about her. "Lord Kalel, may I remind you that you're the one who asked me to burn this tower down?"
"I was just trying to scare you," Kalel said, then he touched the ball of flame in her hand with his finger. Like expected, he was able to put out the fire with his water Mana. "After all, I know that you have reservations in killing humans– especially the innocent ones."
For some reason, that sounded like an insult.
"Did I offend you?" he asked. Ah, he probably noticed the little scowl that she made when she heard his remark a while ago. "It's true though. You can't kill humans– even those that tried to kill you in the past. So even if you act tough right now, you don't convince me."
Now she was seriously pissed.
"I guess reincarnation can change a person," she said bitterly. "The Lord Nystrom I know is quiet."
"But do you hate it?" he asked, then the corner of his mouth curved into a smirk. "You don't hate hearing me talk, do you?"
She couldn't believe what she just heard. The Nystrom that she knew wasn't this arrogant. Having said, she still found it amusing that he could talk this way now. But of course, she wouldn't simply accept his snide remarks towards her. "If it's your intention to hurt my feelings to shoo me away, I'm sorry but it's not working. How can I take you seriously when you allow a lowlife to lock you up like this?"
He looked at her with amusement in his eyes. "It seems like I'm not the only one who changed here. I think this is the first time I heard you insult a human you just met. You're usually patient and kind to them."
Well, she knew the answer but she wouldn't admit it in front of him.
She could never let Kalel know that when it comes to him, she was willing to break her personal rules. Even she didn't know why she could go to such lengths just for him.
"I don't want to be kind to people like the fake king."
"'Fake king?'"
"You know what I'm talking about," she said. "Kale Kingdom is supposed to be yours, Kalel Moonchester. The Moon God obviously named you after the kingdom that he entrusted to Aleo Moonchester. If you just add 'L' to the kingdom's name, it will be Kalel."
He looked shocked by what she said. "How did you know all of that?"
"The new Moon Priestess came to see me a while ago," she explained to him. "She told me about your rebirth."
"But I haven't met the new Moon Priestess yet."
"Well, a Moon Priestess is someone who can hear the voice of gods," she said. "She told me that Lord Kyro, your father, personally watched over your rebirth. He chose the previous Moon Priestess to carry you in her womb."
It didn't mean that Kyro got the previous Moon Priestess pregnant.
Rebirths of gods didn't work that way.
Kalel retained his physical appearance from his past life as Nystrom (except for the color of his eyes) because his soul and "vessel" (aka human body) were "molded" after his appearance in his god form.
I just don't understand why Lord Kalel's eye color changed…
"Then, he chose Aleo Moonchester to be your father and helped him build this kingdom. But he did that with the condition that Aleo will marry the previous Moon Priestess and make you his heir. Aleo Moonchester kept his promise at first," she continued. "But when you were born, that fake king got afraid when he realized what you are. He killed the Moon Priestess who gave birth to you, then married a new wife. That was how your younger brother, the second prince, was born. Did I get the story correct?"
"You forgot one thing," he said. "Auro has a younger sister locked up in this tower as well. That's why no matter how short-tempered you are, don't think about burning this down."
"You can just go save your sister while I burn the tower down, you know?"
He let out a deep sigh. "I'm still not going with you."
"Give me a valid reason for turning me down, Lord Kalel."
"The king is trying to get rid of Auro," he said. "He sent my brother into a war because he's hoping that Auro would die in the battlefield. If I leave the tower, he will order my brother's death."
"Don't you trust your brother?" she asked curiously. "I heard that the first prince is a strong Mana-user. I don't think a person like that could be easily killed by assassins hired by the fake king."
"It's not like that," he denied. "Auro and I made a promise to each other. If he senses that his life is in danger, he would send me a message. Then, I'll kill the king. And until he returns, I'll protect the throne in his place. That's the reason why I can't leave the tower."
She nodded while humming, her brain already working on finding a loophole to the promise that Kalel made with Auro Moonchester.
Of course, she hasn't given up yet.
This was shameful to admit but she was born from love and grew up with love. That meant she was used to getting what she wanted. And that was probably the reason why she was this stubborn when it comes to Kalel.
"Lord Kalel, how old is Prince Auro now?"
"Sixteen."
"Oh," she said, a little surprised. She didn't know that because she didn't care about the first prince. "We're the same age."
She didn't know why but for some reason, she felt an ominous feeling from that fact.
But she set that aside for now.
"And where was your brother sent to?"
"I forgot the exact name but apparently, it's called the blue sea kingdom."
"Perfect!" she said with a bright smile. "The Azure Kingdom, also known as the blue sea kingdom, isn't that far from the Redsun Dessert."
He suddenly turned serious. "That's your destination? It's the lair of ancient Crades, Soleil Rosenberg."
"It's very dangerous, isn't it?" she asked with excitement in her voice. "Although I'm strong, I'm not on your level. After all, the ancient Crades are said to be as powerful as the gods."
"Does your clan want you to die?"
"It's not like that," she said, defending her clan. "I just have to do it because I was chosen to be the Beast Priestess. And now that my brother is gone, it's my duty to protect them."
"Are you still going to head to the Redsun Dessert even if I refuse to come with you?"
She smiled and tilted her head at one side. "What do you think, my lord?"
He let out a deep sigh while shaking his head. "The Plane should have gotten rid of your reckless personality before they sent you back to earth."
She just laughed it off, then she stood up and extended her hand to him. "Shall we run away?"
"I will only help you until you meet the other Ancient Beasts," he said before he took her hand, then he stood up. "I will return to this kingdom as soon as it's over."
"Well, if you still want to leave by then, I won't stop you."
He looked confused by her words.
And they didn't have the chance to discuss that matter more because they felt the presence of other people coming near them.
In just a few seconds, King Aleo Moonchester came.
The king was escorted by several knights that were all above average Mana-users. If those knights weren't facing her or Kalel, they could be considered strong.
"You monster, get a hold of that woman!" King Aleo ordered Kalel. "If we take her as a hostage, then the Fire Mage clan would give me all the riches that they're hiding in their little nation!"
She rolled her eyes, already expecting that to happen.
He's really a greedy person through and through.
"Your Majesty, I think you got one thing wrong."
She turned to Kalel and was a little surprised when she saw that his face and his body were starting to be covered by black scales. Ah, now she knew why the fake king called Kalel a "monster."
"I've only followed your orders until now because it benefits Auro," Kalel said in a cold voice, then he raised his hand, and with just a burst of his ice Mana, the knights behind the fake king were frozen instantly. "But now that my brother isn't here, I have no reason to act as your servant."
King Aleo, now shaking in fear, fell on the ground and looked up at Kalel while trying to act tough. "I-If you d-disobey me, I will ask my people to k-kill Auro!"
"I dare you to do that," Kalel said indifferently. "The moment your people try to hurt my brother, I will kill you right here, right now."
It wasn't an empty threat and the fake king knew that.
Thus, the silence.
Soleil suddenly felt bad for the poor king. He looks like he's about to faint anytime.
"It's your turn to act like my puppet," the second prince said, then he snapped his fingers.
King Aleo screamed in fear when he suddenly floated in the air. Then, all of a sudden, he was trapped inside the Water Sphere– one of the Black Serpent's water techniques. Since the sphere was filled with water, she wasn't surprised when the fake king began to drown.
She pitied the man because despite what she said earlier, it was still hard for her to watch humans suffer.
"Forget about what happened today," Kalel told the king, his red eyes glowing menacingly. "Forget about meeting Soleil Rosenberg. Forget about the Fire Mage clan. Forget about hurting or trying to kill Auro. And most of all, forget about me while I'm gone."
When he closed his hand, the Water Sphere burst and the fake king fell on the ground.
King Aleo was already unconscious by then.
She felt relieved that Kalel didn't kill the fake king. After all, despite her tough words a while ago, the fact that she didn't want to see humans get hurt or die was still a fact.
"Why didn't you use mind manipulation on the fake king earlier?" she asked, then she turned to Kale. "Your problem could have been resolved…" She trailed-off when she saw blood trickle down the side of his mouth. "Oh."
"I wasn't supposed to use mind manipulation on the king. It was a curse that he put on me when I was a child," he explained while wiping the blood off his mouth with the back of his hand. "But now that I'm a grown-up and can control my divine power, using my mind manipulation ability won't kill me anymore. But since the curse is still in effect, my insides would rot the more I use it."
"Then, we just need to completely get rid of the curse, right?"
He just nodded as a response.
"I know someone who can do the job," Solei said with a smile. "Aren't you glad that I came to save you, Lord Kalel?"
"Who's saving whom?" Kalel scoffed, then he gently flicked her forehead. "Let's go."
***
"DO we really have to ride on the same horse?"
"Of course," Soleil, seated comfortably in front of Kalel (that controlled their horse), said. Right now, they were travelling to the Redsun Dessert. She already asked Mola to return to their nation, and now she was on her way to meet her allies with Kalel. "We're getting closer to the Redsun Dessert so it's getting hotter. Your body is cool so I need to be close to you."
"You're a Fire Mage," Kalel said bluntly. "You're not bothered by the heat."
"That's a misconception," she complained, then she looked up at him. "Do you hate being this close to me?"
He just looked at her for a few seconds, then he averted his gaze.
That made her smile.
"Lord Kalel, you're still a shy person," she teased him. "Can I lean on your chest?"
Kalel fell silent for a while before he responded. "Do what you want."
Soleil smiled, then she leaned against Kalel's chest and smiled. "Thank you, Lord Kalel."
***
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