Chapter 6: Ch6 A Lunatics Word
The air hung thick with silence after Mariana’s words.
Every soul in the crowd seemed frozen. The knights exchanged wary glances, unable to decide if their commander had just been mocked or spared. Jobin muttered curses under his breath as he picked up a shattered board from the wreckage. Mari groaned and pressed her palm to her face. Luther, on the other hand, simply shrugged. He had seen this too many times before. His master was reckless, predictable in her madness, and yet always terrifying.
And through his casual dismissal, a chilling truth slipped into light. Mariana was a mage powerful enough to overshadow even the Duke himself.
Liliana stood rigid, her confusion clear as she tried to grasp the weight of Mariana’s declaration.
Mariana tilted her head, observing the knight’s silence. Then, with a snap of her fingers, the air roared to life. A wall of wind surged outward like a tidal wave, sweeping through the ruined tavern. Dust and debris swirled into the air, and for a heartbeat, everything vanished in the storm.
When it cleared, the scene was transformed.
Jobin’s tavern stood whole again, not a scratch or splinter in sight. The shattered windows gleamed as though they had never been broken, the splintered tables stood polished, and the floorboards shone with a warm sheen. Cracks sealed. Glass reformed. The tavern rebuilt itself in a matter of heartbeats.
Luther whistled low in his mind, though his face stayed stony. Oh yes, just another casual miracle. Meanwhile, I stub my toe on the bedpost and it feels like the gods are punishing me. Fair, very fair.
Jobin’s jaw nearly hit the floor. "...By the gods," he breathed, staring at his tavern now gleaming cleaner than it had been in years.
Even Liliana’s battered armor gleamed with an unnatural luster, its dents smoothed away. The faint pain on her stomach from Mariana’s earlier kick had disappeared completely, skin as flawless as before the fight.
Liliana blinked in disbelief, touching her armor. Yet instead of gratitude, her instincts screamed. She stepped back sharply and raised her sword in a defensive stance.
Mariana chuckled, folding her arms. "Oh, come now. I only played with you a little."
But her tone shifted as a chair materialized behind her with a shimmer of air. She sat cross-legged upon it, her expression suddenly stern.
"Listen well, little knight."
The crowd stilled again.
"Envelon Forest," Mariana began, her voice low and deliberate, "is not a place people go to live. It is where they go to die. Beasts prowl thicker than shadows, poisons drip from the very air, and the ground itself plots against your steps. I have seen many enter that cursed maze. proud men, arrogant women, fools who thought themselves untouchable." Her eyes narrowed, and for a fleeting moment, grief flickered in her expression. "None returned. Their corpses were devoured, their pride forgotten."
Mariana continued, her gaze sharp as the wind she commanded. "It is a land where legends were born and swallowed. Entire battalions have disappeared without a scream. The mist that drapes its valleys is not mist but the breath of the fallen. You do not simply wander there... you survive it, or you do not return."
A shiver went down Luther’s spine. He hated it. Hated how convincing she sounded. Yes, yes, very terrifying. We get it. The land eats people. Perhaps I’ll just pack up and go back home. Oh wait... I don’t have one. Wonderful.
But she wasn’t finished. Of course she wasn’t.
"Demons nest in the trees," she said softly, almost reverently, "their laughter a lure for those foolish enough to listen. The rivers run red not from clay but from the blood of forgotten wars. Even the earth itself shifts to swallow trespassers whole."
Luther snorted inwardly. Oh yes, let’s all line up cheerfully for the slaughter. Raise your hands, who’s eager to get eaten by a tree? Anyone? No? Just me, then.
The knights shifted uneasily. Mari glanced at Liliana, her lips pressing thin. The street grew heavier.
Mariana quickly masked the sadness with her usual smirk and pointed directly at Liliana. "And yet... I see you. From the look in your eyes, whether you have a guide or not, you’ll walk into that hell regardless. So I needed to be certain. Could you protect my apprentice?"
Her hand flicked toward Luther, who grimaced at the attention.
"You passed." She leaned back, smirk widening. "At least you have the strength to protect him if it comes to it."
Liliana frowned, her lips twitching as if to speak. Mariana noticed immediately.
"Well?" the mage asked. "Spit it out."
Liliana inhaled deeply. "...Where is your crystal?"
The crowd fell into silence once more.
Then Mariana burst into laughter. Her voice rang out like a madwoman’s cackle, echoing off the tavern walls. "Hah! The little knight cracked a joke! Oh, you’re delightful!"
Still chuckling, she dropped one leg to the ground and lifted her robe’s hem to reveal her knee. Embedded in her flesh, glowing faintly beneath the skin of her calf, was a crystalline shard.
Liliana’s eyes widened. "It’s... in your leg?"
Mariana shrugged as if it were nothing. "During a demon attack back when inwas a teen, there was an explosion. My gem lodged itself here. And yes, before you ask, it’s the only thing keeping me standing."
Liliana’s voice was quiet but certain. "... You’re a noble."
The air turned cold.
Mariana’s eyes snapped toward her with a glare that could cut through steel. She gave no answer, but the silence was louder than words.
Luther, who had been inching toward the tavern door to escape inside, froze as a sudden gust of wind yanked him backward. He yelped as Mariana plucked him from the doorway like a misbehaving child and dropped him right in front of her chair.
"Where do you think you’re going?" she hissed.
The chair dissolved into thin air as she stood. Her robe whipped about her ankles, the wind swirling in response to her temper.
"Bring him back safely," she ordered Liliana, her tone sharp and final.
Liliana opened her mouth to answer, but Mariana wasn’t finished. She turned back at the doorway, her golden eyes glowing with killing intent.
"If even one hair on Luther’s head is harmed..." her voice dropped, cold as a blade, "...I will rip every bone from your body and scatter your flesh to the winds."
The knights shivered at her words. Even the most hardened among them felt the weight of her threat.
Then, just as quickly, Mariana’s expression brightened into a smile. She gave a cheerful wave before Mari yanked her back inside. The door slammed shut behind her with a heavy bang.
Silence returned.
Luther groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Damn lunatic woman...!" he muttered, cursing under his breath.
He faceplamed.
"Gods help me."
A soft voice cut through his misery.
"Emmm..."
"Boy?"
He lowered his hands. Liliana stood in front of him, her face calm as ever, as if Mariana hadn’t just threatened her life.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
Her eyes searched his, not demanding, not pleading. Simply expectant.
Luther stared at her, then at the knights, then at the crowd, then back at her. He wanted to say no. He wanted to scream it, in fact. But the words caught in his throat, swallowed by the heavy weight of reality.
Instead, he laughed once, bitterly.
"Ready as I’ll ever be."