Chapter 2: Chapter 2

“Sure. When is the wedding?”

Olivia's quick response sounded like music to Rinaldo's ears. It was equivalent to a composer's magnum opus: the culmination of a lifetime's dedication. Rinaldo knew little about music or other art forms, but he at least knew the value of one's hard work.

Speaking of hard work, he knew Olivia had to train twice harder to keep up with the rest of the Luminous Knights. He hoped this proposal and what would come later wouldn't impede her training. Nothing should have changed much.

“As soon as possible.”

A ghost of a smile appeared on Olivia's face. “That's great! I always wanted to start a family.”

The smile didn't stay long, but it lasted long enough for Rinaldo to engrave it into his memories for the rest of his life. That, without a doubt, was the smile of someone who had received good news. Rinaldo soon mirrored her expression.

“Thank you, Olivia. You are a lifesaver.”

Rinaldo stepped forward and hugged her, breathing in her sweet metallic scent. A laugh was a smile with arms and a firmer grip. According to a book Rinaldo had read, the simple gesture never failed to express what words couldn't.

It was his way of ensuring Olivia knew he cared and appreciated her decision. Rinaldo didn't consider himself a sentimental man, but he could not deny the emotional power of a hug and the warm feel of Olivia's skin underneath his.

They stood there, holding each other for a moment. After the relaxing and calming effect of the hug wore off, Rinaldo felt his heart constrict as it was the first time he had held someone so close. He always stayed distant from other people.

As time passed, he discovered the best way to deal with them was not to look them in the eye. Rinaldo soon pulled away from her, and they both met each other's eyes. His stare was as sharp and piercing as ever, but it seemed not to affect Olivia.

Unlike most people, she remained calm and collected when facing that stare—not flustered or intimidated. During that moment, Rinaldo knew he had chosen the right person as a wife.

She didn't look away from him, and neither did he. They had been staring each other down for a few seconds now. The silence that followed didn't feel awkward, like he had expected it to. Instead, it was comfortable. Olivia was facing him, lost in her own thoughts, until she felt the need to say something.

“I guess this means you'll start interrogating the prisoner now?”

“That's right.”

As soon as Rinaldo said that, he turned around and headed for the prisoner's cell. Rinaldo decided that there was no reason to hurry. He took his time, and was more than glad to glimpse outside the palace from the window.

The skies were clear, and the sun shone brightly on the lake. Everything seemed right with the world.

“I wish the sky would stay clear forever.”

He had to admit that, on days like this, the sky was a fantastic sight to behold. Rinaldo stretched his arms wide, feeling the warm, dry, spring air hit his face. He wasn't sure how long he had been standing there, but it seemed like he had been standing there for quite a while.

“You've been standing here for a while, you know?” Astoria eyed him.

“Ah… Yes, but that's all right. I like to take my time.”

As Rinaldo resumed moving, Astoria followed him. She didn't know what happened after she left Rinaldo and Olivia together, but she still knew their destination. Where else could they be heading to other than the dungeon? There was nothing else in that direction.

When they reached the dungeon, they soon met up with Olivia, who was already waiting for him there. She was waiting just outside the entrance with a fresh change of clothes. Rinaldo approached Olivia and greeted her.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Always.”

“Alright, then. Let's go.”

The woman led them through the dark corridors, until they came to a door. Olivia had to remove a tiny key from her pocket and open the door before they could start interrogating the prisoner. The doors swung open with a creak, and they walked in.

It was a small, dark room. In the room, there was a small table and a chair. The only light came from a candle that was lit on the table. Their footsteps reverberated off the walls, sending chills down the prisoner's spines. The prisoner sat in the chair, his arms behind his back.

“Alright, let's begin.” Rinaldo slowly took a step toward the prisoner and inspected him.

The prisoner was a man of average height and build, with average features. There was nothing special about him other than the pair of animal ears resting on the top of his head, identifying him as a member of the once-proud beast folk race.

The beast folk were native to the Western Continent. Before the first humans set foot there, the sentient beast-like humanoid races had established a civilisation whose brilliance was comparable to that of other cultures on other continents.

In the beginning, the continents lived in harmony. They each respected each other and never had a reason to cause conflict. But that all changed when humans fleeing a civil war on the Northern Continent arrived.

The beast folk welcomed them with open arms as refugees. However, instead of returning the beast folk's hospitality, the humans used their superior technology, weapons, and tactics to take over their lands, enslaving the inhabitants in the vicinity.

How the mighty had fallen, Rinaldo thought. Centuries later, the race was still in decline. Those who escaped enslavement dispersed across the world. He could see this one was not as fortunate, what with the presence of a slave collar on his neck.

“I have a few questions for you.”

He saw the prisoner's eyes shift towards him. Rinaldo started by asking the man what his name was. The prisoner didn't answer the question.

“I'm not going to talk or tell you anything.”

“So you're not going to talk? Why is that?”

The man didn't budge. “Because I have nothing to tell you.”

“There is no need to be stubborn. I'm here to help.”

The prisoner glared at Rinaldo, doubting his intention. That Rinaldo was not using his usual interrogation methods against the prisoner was proof of his sincerity. Yet the man remained unmoved.

“I can remove that thing from you.” Rinaldo pointed to a device that prevented the prisoner from ever tasting true freedom.

He didn't want to use the “power” of his “cursed eyes” to compel the prisoner to spill everything. This person didn't deserve it—he was following orders he couldn't defy.

The collar on the prisoner's neck wasn't a decoration. Its true purpose was to inflict severe pain on its wearer whenever they disobeyed their master.

The prisoner's eyes widened both in disbelief and surprise. “You can do that?”

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“There is nothing Rinaldo can't do when he is motivated, you know?”

Rinaldo wouldn't put it that way, but Astoria's words seemed to put the prisoner at ease. The removal process should have proceeded smoother now that everyone agreed.

“Sorry, I can't let that happen.” A distorted voice announced a cloaked figure's arrival.

Before anyone could react, the figure plunged a dagger into Rinaldo's chest. It didn't have the desired effect. Instead of burying itself deep in the place where his heart should be, it bent like it used tin as the material, to the assailant's confusion.

“Why don't you die?!”

“Dragon hides. They harden in response to physical trauma.”

“Impossible! Dragons are extinct! Our supreme king hunted the last of them down decades ago!”

Unable to believe what they heard, the figure tried to do the same thing again with another dagger. The outcome remained the same: the dagger bent on contact.

“Do you want to try again?” Rinaldo's voice remained calm even as the figure stabbed him.

Astoria and Olivia gave him an odd gaze, but Rinaldo told them not to interfere in the Knights' sign language. The assailant's next action convinced Rinaldo that they were insane. After all, repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results was the textbook definition of insanity.

After the third dagger met the same fate, the figure tried the fourth one, but it, too, didn't fulfil its purpose. They then tried a fifth, sixth, and seventh dagger. All attempts met with the same result.

“It can't be! There must be a flaw in these daggers!” The figure shouted, showing more than enough frustration.

“You're right.”

“What?!”

“These daggers are not made of materials that can penetrate the skin of a dragon.”

The upper-echelons of the Luminous Knights were equipped with state-of-the-art equipment from the Great Sage's era. One of them was a dragon hide vest. A simple steel dagger wouldn't be able to do the job.

Rinaldo's words gave the figure an idea. He could swear he saw a lightbulb appearing above the figure's head.

“How… I didn't think of that. If that's the case….”

The assailant threw down their remaining dagger and unsheathed their sword. They swung their sword at Rinaldo's neck, but he moved just enough that they missed. Rinaldo ducked under their next attack and stepped forward to deliver a backhand right. The assailant stumbled away, clutching at their neck.

Rinaldo stepped forward and grabbed the assailant by the neck. He lifted them by the neck, and with his right hand, began delivering a series of high, hard punches to the jaw before smashing their head onto the wall with sufficient force to knock them out cold.

He stepped over to the unconscious assailant and checked their pulse, looking to make sure he didn't kill them—or her. Now that the cloak no longer obscured the figure's features from view, he could distinguish her as a human female, albeit one with an unflattering figure.

He had never seen someone so plain before. What was she? A clone? “She will live. Take her to the next cell.”

Astoria knew the cell was currently still in use. “The same cell with the infected maid?”

“The very same. She is a human. The disease won't spread to her.”

The Oeste Kingdom occupying the Western Continent wasn't the only danger to the beast folks. In recent times, the emergence of a malignant disease had also caused their number to drop. The disease only infected beast folks, and most patients would die soon after exposure.

Those who survived would turn feral, like the maid they held in the next cell. Keeping her sedated and restrained was a temporary solution. It was like putting a bandage over an open wound. Rinaldo hoped someone could find a cure soon.

“What are you waiting for? Lock her up before she regains her consciousness.”

Astoria did so, dragging the soon-to-be prisoner's prone form on the cold floor like a sack of potatoes. She was glad the assailant they faced wasn't skilled in combat, and Rinaldo knew it.

In theory, focusing on the most dangerous opponent first to pick on weaker enemies later was a sound strategy. If Rinaldo went down, it would be easier for the assailant to eliminate everyone else in the room.

Assuming she ever had a chance of winning against Rinaldo, of course. She had the confidence but not the skills to back it up.

The risk the assailant took was calculated. Unfortunately, or fortunately for Rinaldo, she was bad at math.

Rinaldo's action confused the prisoner. “Why are you letting her stab you? You could have died.”

“But I didn't. That's what's important.”

“Fair enough.”

Even now, lady luck continued to smile upon him. Thinking back, Rinaldo realised what he did was reckless. He couldn't die yet—not before his mother. His mother had promised to give birth to him again if he died. He never wanted to know if she could fulfil that promise.

There were just things in this world better to be left unknown.

It didn't take long for the prisoner to regain control of his destiny. All Rinaldo had to do was cut the collar with an ornate knife sporting a cluster of golden swirls. The knife's capacity as a weapon was non-existent. Its only purpose was to dispel any form of magecraft.

Unlike his mother, Rinaldo had no talents for magecraft and was susceptible to them, especially curses and illusions. By giving him the dagger, the woman all but told him to stab himself whenever someone used magecraft against him.

“Thanks for freeing me. You can call me Hugo.”

“You'll have to be recorded before you're officially released. We can do this in a few ways, and the choice is yours. You can start by telling us what you know about your latest mission and employer.”

Hugo gave them a curious look, as if trying to think of what to say. This was a far cry from the usual method of interrogation often used, which usually relied on torture to get information out of their prisoners. He seemed content with that.

“My latest mission is to sabotage the diplomatic meeting. My employer is Prince Osas.”

It turned out the person who ordered the attack on the Southern dignitaries was the son of the same king who sent them. Rinaldo couldn't quite understand the motivation behind such a risky scheme. He must've had a good reason for doing this, but was it really worth the risk?

“Prince Osas, huh? I have heard of him.”

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