Valerian, The Legendary

317 Haista.

The knights waited for a bit before they tied up all the bandits and took them away with the help of their beasts. Valerian and Valerie were left alone. The young man kept holding the sleeping child in his arms as he moved out of the forest with the thirty captives he rescued.

The ladies were all of varying ages, from sixteen to late thirties. They all showed signs of malnutrition and were exposed to torture. Valerian had cast some healing spells but could only help them with the physical aspect of it. Society was crooked, and it was hard for these ladies to find a normal life again until they moved away from those who knew about them.

Despite being aware of it all, Valerian did not mention anything to them. But then, the wildcat from before appeared before him, and the young man sent it back to the settlement to hunt and eat all she could find.

The cat nodded and left quickly. Valerian exited the forest and took the ladies to the city entrance. As they arrived at the gates, the priest from the dragon temple was shocked. He was on guard duty, and when this young man left, he thought this guy was dead, but later he saw the beacon of fire in the sky, and he started praying for the safety of this child.

Yet, not only did this young man return, but he also came back with survivors. This was a shocking thing for him. He stepped forward, but his sudden action scared the ladies to flinch. Valerian said, “You need to be calm. They are scared.”

The priest nodded, and Valerian turned to the ladies and said, “You all do not have to worry. This sir is a priest in the dragon temple. They can care for you and provide food and shelter until you decide to move on. It might be hard to deal with all this, but you ought to try, or you will never be able to move forward.”

The ladies heard him and calmed down a lot. They did not know what it was, but Valerian was kind to them, like the moon peeking through the dark clouds. Then, Valerie suddenly woke up and looked at the ladies in her groggy manner.

Valerian used the sleeve of his habit to clean some of the drool left on the corner of the little ones, saying, “Vali, you drooled again.”

Valerie immediately became alert, and then looking at the ladies, she buried her head in Valerian’s chest. The young man smiled and said, “It is bad manners not to say hello.”

.....

Valerie raised her head and said in a small voice, “Hello.”

Then she snuggled with Valerian again. She was feeling embarrassed. Her adorable antics bought a few smiles to the people’s faces. The mood eased up, and Valerian took the people inside the settlement.

This place was called the Peri Valley settlement. Valerian and Valerie spent a night in a small room at the Temple of Mercy. Then, the little one could not sit still and explored the place with another nun.

Meanwhile, Valerian took out the soul communication bead and decided to connect with his people on the Western continent. So he channeled his mana and silently chanted the connection spell.

The other side responded quickly, ‘Val.’

Valerian smiled and replied, ‘How are you, Mother?’

‘You uncaring, forgetful brat, you finally have the heart to seek me.’, Fragrantia scolded him hard, but the joy in her tone was also evident.

Valerian smiled and replied, ‘I never forgot you. I just got busy with things.’

The two chatted briefly, and Valerian told her about the changes in his life and introduced Valerie. Fragrantia was happy for him to have found someone to get along with in a place so far apart.

Valerian then approached the critical topic, ‘Mother, you need to bury all the news that I am involved with the dragons. Things have changed.’

Fragrantia asked, ‘Why?”

Valerian replied, ‘The Tyrant of the East is searching for me. I killed a person who was closely related to him. He might try to do the same, and thus he activated his spies. He knows I am in touch with the dragons, so he might send his dogs after you all.’

Fragrantia thought about it and responded, ‘Fine, I will have the shadows track the people looking for your news. Do not worry.’

After another brief chat, the communication ended, and Valerie returned to the room with a bowl of porridge. She carefully held it before Valerian and said, “Dinner.”

The young man smiled and asked, “Did you eat?”

Valerie nodded forcefully, and Valerian took the bowl from her. He did not proceed to eat but fed her a few spoonfuls first. The girl rolled her eyes and said, “No more. Nun Verti said girls must look graceful and gentle. If they eat more, they will get fat, and people will not like them.”

Valerian chuckled and said, “Vali is the most beautiful lady. How can someone dislike her? Come eat.”

After coaxing the little one, Valerian fed her the porridge. Then, he carefully put her to bed before he went to sleep too.

...

On the other hand, in a desolate valley stood a building. A few flying beasts landed around the place, tearing the shroud of silence. The people jumped off the beasts, and Calor said, “I will go and make the report. Will you be able to handle it here?”

The people nodded, and Calor rushed to enter the building. The man climbed three floors before standing before a door and knocking at it. A calm voice sided from the inside, “Come in.”

Calor pushed the door and entered the room. On the right of the room was a fireplace; now, an older man was sitting in front of this fireplace. Calor bowed and said, “Commander, we found a spy of the Tyrant.”

The older man opened his eyes and stood up calmly. He turned to look at Calor and asked, “Where is this person?”

Calor led the old man to the basement, where all the prisoners were kept. Then, after asking the person responsible for the sorting, they came to the cell where Akra was tied to the wall with shackles around his neck, wrist, and ankles.

The person looked nothing like his previous self. Calor said, “The acolyte who encountered him dealt a heavy hand.”

Shaking his head, the Commander asked, “It is fine. These monsters should look like one too. But, after all the things they do and commit, how can they even spend time grooming themselves? Anyway, open the cell. I want to talk to this guy.”

Calor nodded, and the cell door was opened. The Commander of the knights entered the place and said, “Have you given up so quickly?”

Akra lost his spirit and dignity when he was stripped of his clothes and changed into rags. His appearance was ruined, and his heart was broken. These shackles sealed his magic. The Commander did not stop and said, “I am Commander Hiatas, leader of the Knights Of Mercy. I hear that you are a pawn sent by the Tyrant?”

Akra did not reply, and Haista kept asking, but after a few questions, Haista began to torture the person in front of him with gruesome methods. Akra’s wails echoed in the containment cell, making every prisoner understand the cruel reality.

After an hour, Akra broke down and spewed out all the details. Haista let him go and walked out of the cell. He said to Colar, “You will communicate with that acolyte. Ask him to apprehend the remaining spies. He will receive higher merit.”

Colar was surprised, but then he nodded. Finally, he asked, “Sire, is it really alright for us to torture these people?”

Haista replied calmly, “If they cooperate, no need to hurt them. But if they try to play tough, show them that Mercy is not all about kindness but also preventing bad things from happening. The red in our habits is the color of blood and sacrifice.”

Colar nodded and said, “I will leave right away.”

Haista nodded, and then the two left the holding area. Colar recalled something and said, “That Acolyte is a talent, Commander.”

The old man asked, “Why do you say so? Is it because he captured all these people?”

Colar shook his head and said, “That young man could cast a wide-range controlling spell. Most of these men were captured with one spell.”

Haista realized the reason behind this compliment and wanted to nod, but Colar said, “This child is in his mid-teens, but he is already a Magnus Magister.”

This sentence made Haista show some change in his expression. Colar thought, ‘See, old man, you are also a man, not a stone.’

He wanted to ask the commander if the young man was to be invited. However, Haista regained his composure and said, “No, you only need to inform him about what I said earlier.”

This person was a stone, and he had some ideas about Valerian.