"TRAITOR…"

Mikhail Denver already expected that to hear from Lady Hayward as soon as he took his mask off. "I don't want to hear that from a member of Her Royal Highness's infamous collection."

"We're different from you," Lady Hayward hissed. "Serving the princess is akin to protecting the empire!"

"Miss me with the b*llshit, Lady Hayward," he said emotionlessly. Now that he already revealed himself to the enemy, there was no use pretending that he didn't know her. "We both know that Her Royal Highness is doing stuff that wouldn't benefit the empire in any way. And one of those selfish agendas of her is stealing the heart for her own good."

Lady Hayward glared at him but she didn't have a retort.

Well, maybe it was hard for her to talk now.

As of this moment, Lady Hayward was being burned alive with his flame. But she remained calm because she couldn't feel any pain. If she did, she would have been screaming and crying by now.

He used his mind control on the lady to make her forget the feeling of physical pain. After all, he promised her a painless death. As a gentleman, he didn't want to take his words back.

"You don't understand Her Royal Highness," Lady Hayward said in a soft voice. "She just wants to be free and change her destiny. Is being selfish really a bad thing?"

"Being selfish is a part of human nature," he admitted. "But when your selfishness drives you to hurt innocent people just to get what you want, then you're nothing but a trash who deserves to be burnt to death."

"It's the first Supreme Fire Mage's fault why Her Royal Highness is tied to His Majesty for the rest of her life!" she said angrily. "What right does the Supreme have to return and make the princess suffer again?! Does she really have to make the princess miserable even in this life time?!"

"I don't know the history between the first Supreme Fire Mage and Her Royal Highness," he said indifferently while putting on a new pair of armbands. "But I know that killing off an entire clan without a valid reason is wrong. What did the Fire Mages do wrong for the royal family to make them as our history's villain?"

"The Fire Mages are traitors. Always have been and always will be," she said with a snarl. "I can't believe that the Denvers are Fire Mages. How did you manage to fool the royal family all this time?"

"I have no intention of sharing our clan's secret with an enemy," Mikhail told her coldly. Then, he bowed to her as a final sign of respect. The woman as an enemy, but taking someone else's life was still something he could never be proud of. "Goodbye, Lady Hayward."

"I'm cursing you, Captain Denver. I'm cursing you to fail saving the life of the one you loved the most in the future," Lady Hayward said bitterly. "My fiancé will certainly avenge me– remember that."

After saying her last words, Lady Hayward turned into ashes.

As soon as she disappeared, the world that she created through her illusions also crumbled. The next thing he knew, he was already back in the dark alley.

"Master!"

Mikhail was relieved to see Flint alive. It pained him to see the bruises and the cuts in that child's small body. But still, he was happy and proud that he was able to survive his first real fight. The ashes on the ground were proof that Flint was able to burn his enemy to death. "Thank you for surviving, Flint."

Flint took his mask off. Then, he looked up at him with furrowed brows. "Master, you don't look like you're happy with my triumph. The enemy was huge and had high Mana. But he was slow and not so smart. Still, he wasn't an easy enemy. You should be congratulating me, you know? Please be proud of me."

"Of course, I'm proud of you," he said, then he ruffled his hair. "But still, congratulating a child for his first kill doesn't sit well with me. I know it's hypocrite of me to feel this way because I brought you along knowing that we would have to kill our enemies. I thought I prepared myself for this way. But in the end, my heart still aches to see a child like you kill another person."

"We're in a war, Master," he reminded him gently. "I'm not a child– I'm a warrior. Please don't feel guilty. I chose this path myself. No one forced me to do this."

"Still…"

"Master, I want to protect Big Sister Tilly," Flint cut him off with a grin. "And I want a safe future for my brother Julian. I don't want him and the other children to grow up being hunted down by the enemies just because they were born as Fire Mages. For that purpose, I'm willing to throw my childhood away, Master."

Mikhail, reminded that the surviving Fire Mages had their hopes on him and the Supreme, managed to suppress his guilt and focus on their purpose again. Involving a child in a war was still unacceptable. But if he wouldn't do this, Flint wouldn't learn how to fight and survive once the royal family started to hunt them down again. It didn't justify his decision. But his guilt lessened. "You're right. We're doing this so the other children in our guild wouldn't have to walk a thorny path." He smiled and patted his head. "Thank you for thinking about the future of your generation, Flint."

***

"CAPTAIN Sherwood, I don't want to be rude but please leave," Kiho said frankly. "I have an urgent matter to attend to. My wife needs me."

Captain Sherwood was about to talk but someone else beat him to it.

"Duke Nystrom, please listen to me first," Luna pleaded. "Lady Nystrom is safe. Trust me. I'd know if she's in danger."

His brows furrowed. To be honest, the ominous feeling that he had a while ago disappeared. Come to think of it… "What happened to me, Lady Luna? Did I pass out?"

"I made you sleep, Your Grace," the witch answered honestly. "You needed to calm down and so I had to knock you out. I'll accept any punishment that you will bestow upon me."

As a captain, he was used to giving punishments to his men.

He knew that a leader should know when to use an iron hand. But in this case, he knew that Luna only did that out of her concern for his safety. And she wouldn't have stopped him if Tilly was really in danger.

"Miss Luna, are you sure that my wife isn't in danger?" he asked.

"Yes," Luna answered firmly. "I know that you're worried about Lady Nystrom. I care about her as well. But we also have to trust her. If she needs help, she has a means to let us know."

Those words comforted him. Yes, Tilly is smart. She wouldn't put her life at risk just to satisfy her curiosity. I should trust her more.

"I can check up on Lady Nystrom if you want, Your Grace," Captain Sherwood offered, causing him and Luna to turn to the captain at the same time.

"Why would you do that?" Kiho asked curiously. "We're not even friends, Captain Sherwood."

"Ouch," the captain said while laughing softly. "I just want to be useful to you, Duke Nystrom."

Okay, that made him feel uncomfortable.

And one more thing…

"I can't trust you, Captain Sherwood," Kiho said frankly. "I know that you're working for Her Royal Highness."

"Oh, I already betrayed the princess to get valuable information from His Majesty"

The revelation shocked him.

But the casual way Captain Sherwood announced it shocked him even more.

I know that he's carefree. But I can't believe that he is this carefree to the point that I want to question his sanity.

"I don't mind betraying the emperor to follow you, Duke Nystrom," Captain Sherwood continued in his usual cheerful voice. "And I don't think he'd trust me anymore after I left the palace to follow you here."

"If you can betray the most powerful man in the empire, I'm certain you���d betray me as well," Kiho said when he got over his shock. "I won't a trust a man who doesn't know what loyalty means."

For some reason, the captain looked like he suddenly got serious even though he was still lying. "I know you'd find it hard to believe but I know what loyalty is, Duke Nystrom. The Sherwoods' loyalty lies on the true ruler of the empire. We never believed that the Moonchesters deserve the throne. But we stick with them all this time because we want the knowledge that they have been keeping. That's how we view the royal family. To simply say, turning our backs on His Majesty couldn't be considered betrayal when they never had our loyalty in the first place. So please let me serve you, Duke Nystrom."

He wanted to reject Captain Sherwood's "offer."

But for some reason, he wanted to give it another thought.

He needed as much strong ally as he could find. While he couldn't fully trust Captain Sherwood's words, he had faith in his strength.

I don't have to trust him 100%. We can work together as colleagues. And if I don't need him anymore, I can simply cut my ties with him. After all, I don't have a deep bond with him. If I can turn my back on His Majesty whom I consider as a father figure, I can drop anyone else.

Except for Tilly and Winter, of course.

"I understand why you can't trust me, Duke Nystrom," Captain Sherwood said seriously. Then, much to his shock, he got down on one knee and held his hand. Before he could even react, he leaned down and touched the back of his hand with his forehead. "Duke Kiho Nystrom, I, Duke Noel Sherwood, vow my life and loyalty to you for the rest of my life."

To say that Captain Sherwood's vow of life and loyalty shocked him would be an understatement.

Kiho was speechless.

Now what?

***

"NYSTROM?"

Tilly stepped back when the Red Phoenix's face suddenly turned grim. He looked angry but she knew that anger wasn't directed at her. Still, the celestial being suddenly looked intimidating. "What's wrong with my husband's surname?"

The Red Phoenix glared at her. "You don't know the person you've married, do you? Foolish little girl."

***

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