novellhall Chapter 359: Matsumoto reject you
Chapter 359: Matsumoto reject you
Is it actually possible for her not to guess that he might be Vale Athrimir?
In the whole of the Hinterlands, there is only one person whose disappearance had caused such a shockwave that it made many of the acting powers pause and stall. What made it worse was that there isn’t even a single news of where he is.
It could be said that that singular act had made Vale more famous than ever.
Kinkiller, they call him. Coward—why else would he run when enemies eat into his land? He is famous for this and more. Oh, different descriptions of him have gone around the Hinterlands, carried like wildfire in a dry forest.
They said he was only a Knight, a mere Knight, when he went to the borderlands and unified it. Why, isn’t he only a Knight when he entered the Rift and closed it? Then he made war with his kin, killed his brother, and sat on a hallowed throne.
Then... when war came to his doorstep, he ran.
In all of it, there are some consistencies. Like the fact that he’s a young man, not yet a Master Knight, and that he has some kind of wild look to him, probably from his hair.
Isolde put this all together and made a guess. That he was going to Akatsuki only made her lean more toward that guess. Of course, there was also the probability that she could be wrong, and that’s why she went with the "High Clan" story. But who knows what he might do if she should guess right?
Now they looked at each other—Vale smiling and Isolde, her image warping and twisting as she reinforced herself with her illusions, taking some steps back and looking at him wearily.
"If I had said I wasn’t coming to Matsumoto, what would you have done?" Vale was curious to know.
She paused and seemed to be weighing her words. To Vale, she appeared as if she was weighing the amount of truth she was going to speak. "Well... I would follow you. And send news back here. To Kaelthorn."
Vale raised his brows. "You said you are not part of Kaelthorn anymore? Going to join Tachibana?"
She flashed a smile. "I’ll tell you one truth, Vale Athrimir. Butterflies are fickle things. They tell no lies, but you’ll seldom see them dance to the truth either."
Vale’s smile widened even more. "Oh? I bet they’ll dance one way or the other when the ground is lined with sharp blades. Isolde, all creatures dance."
She did not have the chance to reply as they were now standing in front of an iron door that swung open with a groan, sending them a silent invitation to enter.
Vale entered first, and Isolde followed, removing herself from her illusions to show herself.
Vale entered into a throne room with six thrones. Six grim Master Knights faced him, the strongest of their kind in Matsumoto.
The six thrones were placed facing the door, raised on a dais.
Large stone pillars held up the ceiling, the walls adorned with bloody drawings. Some tables and chairs were around the room, and the large windows set in different walls caused sunlight to spill in, lighting the place up.
Vale looked around, walking on the blue carpet that ran from the door to the dais.
He wore his cheap, stolen clothes—brown and dull. But he was anything but. His face was set in a small, warm smile, his red eyes low in intensity, making him appear as gentle as a moon. A red moon... but still a moon. His movements carried a grace that wasn’t there before he disappeared. He seemed unaware of the subtle regal aura that now followed him.
He spoke first. "This place is bigger than mine. The Matsumoto are quite rich."
Silence met his words.
The six Master Knights watched him with different expressions. Some were expressionless, some were quite free with the greedy look they gave him, and some didn’t hide their calculations.
Either way, they were making him know his place by not standing to greet him, who outranked them as a Clan leader. A Lord.
Vale smiled even more. He wasn’t annoyed by that. They were Master Knights—Knights—and this was the Hinterlands. Respect must be taken by might.
And from their perspective, Vale Athrimir had no power.
Ah, how the Athrimir had fallen.
He walked to the very edge of the dais, then raised his head and looked at them—the six. And as if planned, their terrible aura bore down on him.
It was terrible indeed—a crushing pressure that made the very air gain weight. If the Master Knights outside were just dangerous, these ones were incredibly dangerous.
Isolde gasped, and her back bent against her will.
And yet, Vale looked up at them with a slight smile. "I must say, the welcome of Matsumoto is very lacking."
Instantly, the aura pressure was cut off, and although they didn’t quite look at each other, Vale could almost see the surprise that passed among them.
Then one of them spoke—a man with a hard face and blue eyes like fishhooks. "I am Kaelthorn."
Vale wasn’t surprised by the introduction. In many cultures, it is very much acceptable to announce oneself by their title, especially if it’s a title of power. In fact, among Knights who occupy positions, they do it a lot.
"I think you know who I am already. I am Athrimir."
Instantly, something settled in the room—a tension that wasn’t quite dangerous. Like a storm brewing when one doesn’t know if it is a thunderstorm coming or just rain.
One of them snorted—a woman. "You! You are Athrimir? There is no Athrimir here, boy. Only Akatsuki and Ito! Athrimir is not history."
Vale turned to the woman and raised his brow. "You..."
"I am Vaelros. Boy, you do not belong here. Matsumoto rejects you!"
Eh? Isn’t that just too fast? Vale looked at the six, trying to keep his heart from racing. "Is this Matsumoto’s decision? Or Vaelros?"