Drayce squeezed Seren’s cold hand and let out a sigh when he saw warmth returning to her body. Only after he made sure that there was absolutely no trace of black magic inside her did he feel relief.
Aureus who had watched the entire thing happen also relaxed upon seeing his friend’s relieved expression. Now, he didn’t care what Drayce would do to him, aware that no matter the initial misunderstanding Drayce wasn’t unreasonable enough to be completely hostile to him.
Unfortunately, Drayce had no idea that the winged intruder–the young man with golden eyes– was the same person as his eagle ‘Dusk’ who had stayed by his side for more than twenty years.
Drayce let go of Seren’s hand as now he had another important business to do–to punish the one who had hurt his wife. He would start with this winged man now.
Drayce stood up and turned to look at the intruder who was tied to the wall. The gentle look that he had in his eyes while looking at his wife had changed to a fierce one with growing fury, causing the red in his eyes to look like fire.
Aureus calmly gazed back at him, and under Drayce’s glowering scowl, he broke the energy binding around him and stepped away from the wall. It shocked Drayce to see the intruder could break it with such ease.
“If I want to harm her or if I want to run away, I could have accomplished both while you were busy healing her–no, even before you enter this chamber,” Aureus said as he looked at the furious man in front of him.
“Who are you?” Drayce asked again. If he could break such a strong energy binding, that meant he was not any average supernatural being.
“I told you I am a friend but you won’t trust me. All I can hope is that you remain sane enough until I explain my side of the story. First, listen to what exactly happened, then you can judge whether you want to believe me or not. I am willing to tell you everything. You don’t need to bind me and torture me to get things out. Once she wakes up, you can hear her side of the story as well and you’ll know I am not lying.”
Hearing the young man who looked even younger than him speak in such a strangely composed fashion, Drayce managed to control his impulse to attack him. He knew when it came to Seren and his mother, that he always lost his calm, but strangely, he was more sober than he expected. Perhaps it was because he didn’t feel any hostility from him.
However, if this winged man tried to pull any stunt, Drayce would kill him right away.
Aureus himself was struggling with the injuries and the small traces of black magic inside him, but he faced Drayce with perfect dignity and composure. He stood straight in front of the devil without showing any weakness on his face.
“I discovered an unidentified group of black-robed people taking your wife away from the Crystal palace, heading north-bound deep within the forest outside the city. When I realized that she was in danger, I decided to go and rescue her before they successfully escaped. The leader of those mysterious people was a witch, a Black Witch, who possesses the destructive-type black magic you found inside your wife’s body. Though I intervened, I could not defeat her and nearly got captured as well. Someone came to our rescue and that is how we were saved and able to return here to the Crystal Palace. We had barely arrived when you came in through the door.”
Drayce listened to his explanation without a single change in his expression. He dryly asked, “Who saved you?”
This winged man managed to easily break his binding, speaking volumes about his strength. According to his story, a Black Witch more powerful than him was in charge of this scheme. Drayce couldn’t think of anyone in the vicinity who wielded that much power.
“A High Elf appeared and created an opportunity for us to escape. That elf also gave us a healing elixir and helped drive out most of the black magic that entered our injuries, but it seems like it was not enough. We underestimated the effect of that witch’s black magic.”
“That witch, where is she now?”
Drayce was wondering if he should try looking for traces of black magic to verify this man’s claim, but at the same time, he was hesitant to leave his wife’s side.
Aureus shook his head. “Perhaps she’s still looking for us, who knows? She is a powerful being. From what I sensed, it seems like only your mother could defeat her and….another one is you who inherited her powers.”
Drayce suddenly stiffened.
“How do you know my mother?”
Drayce felt suspicious as earlier this winged man also knew what his mother taught him when he was a child. Rather than pure wariness, a little hope also blossomed within his heart. What if this man had met his mother during the past few years? What if this man was someone his mother’s person? Didn’t he already find out that his mother had met Seren when she was an infant? Maybe…
It was not like Drayce trusted this winged man, but he could not help himself. He needed to know. He needed to know everything that concerned his mother.
As someone who watched Drayce grow up, Aureus felt the change in the man’s attitude towards him. He could only internally sigh. “I owe Queen Esther, your mother, for saving my life when I was a child. You can say she was my benefactor–she took me in, and she hid me from my enemies. She was like a mother to me, and in return to the second life she gave me, I would do anything to protect the people dear to her.”
His words seemed genuine to Drayce.
The winged man continued, “I suppose you are wary but I am no stranger. You might have never seen me before but I have been in this royal palace for a long time. I had witnessed your childhood. Before your mother left, she asked me to look after you like a brother. I saved your wife as an extension of her request since she’s part of your family as well.”
“How can I trust your words?” Drayce asked.
