The monkey creature has sat up from the ground again while the snake lays still sliced in half. The snake has stopped moving once Laurel has pierced through the human figure. Her vision is turning blurry, and the world is spinning. Her legs are stumbling around as she tries to find balance from her heavy body. The blade of her sword has broken into the size of a dagger.
The air that she breathes in suddenly gets stuck on her windpipes, and she violently coughs, puking out a mouthful of blood. Her body has been throbbing everywhere, and she has no idea where she is injured anymore. Her left side of the upper abdomen has long been numb. She reaches back to her dimensional pouch tied to her waist, and she frowns and shakes when she couldn't find any more potions.
'Why is Kyrie taking such a long time? I-'
Laurel collapses onto her knees, and she falls flat face down to the ground. She watches the monster lifting itself. Her tears are rolling down, blurring her vision.
'I don't think I could hold on…'
She gathers some strength and bends her arms with her palms on the ground. She tries to push up, but her body has given up, stubbornly conserving the last bit of energy from her body.
'I still need to tell Kyrie that this might be the doing of a relic…'
'Those bastards will be trained to death by Kyrie if I am not there…'
At the last moment, before her world turns dark, Laurel watches a figure appear in front of her to shield her from that monkey's attack. The monkey collapses when Kyrie pierces through the creature's throat. Seeing the monkey down, Laurel lets out a few weak chuckles.
'Serve you right…'
Kyrie lifts Laurel from the ground. Laurel is in a terrible mental state that she starts hallucinating. She sees Imogen from Kyrie's figure. She lets out a weak smile while sensing her body slowly heal up with light magic.
"Imogen… You finally came back…"
Kyrie shakes, hearing Laurel's weak whisper before going unconscious with a relaxed expression. He purses his lips into a line while feeling like his body has ignited on fire.
"Let's go home, Laurel," Kyrie lifts her and takes her out of the maze.
Kyrie ends up facing a loss of eight men, with some who are heavily injured to the point they are at death's door. The maze has separated his group of men, leaving them to face those creatures either in small groups or alone. Laurel has been left alone facing two creatures that have absorbed their comrades.
After getting Laurel the medical attention, Kyrie has waited for the creatures to come out of the garden maze. Since Kyrie knows that one of the creatures has absorbed the princess, he expects that creature to come out using the ability. However, the creatures have never found the way until the sun comes up and the labyrinth disappears. Opposite to his belief, the creatures seem only to use the ability when in possession of the victim's skin. Once they take it off, the ability seems to come off as well. Kyrie and Federline corner the last few creatures and manage to subdue them.
The last creature that they face has a mask on the human face. Once defeated, that creature has evaporated into thin air, leaving the mask behind. Kyrie examines the mask, which turns out to be a relic. He also examines the corpses to find that all of them do not have a single bit of essence, contrary to normal corpses with traces of the soul.
The relic might have been on the verge of crumbling from the lack of essence, and with the consciousness that it gained from being in this world for at least hundreds of years, it has decided to use other beings' souls to replenish its reserves.
Unlike the case with Maya, this relic has been killing people to get their souls. The relic's true form is weak, resulting in using its victims' skins to hide and multiply. It has been quiet and hidden before getting to taste a soul that is rich in essence. So, with Princess Fiona's ability, the relic ends up finding Lemuel, who has the same constitution as Princess Fiona. That is why the relic has been trying to get Lemuel.
[Seems like the relic gained human attributes as well… Unable to go back to enjoy the humble things after tasting better things.]
"Kyrie…"
Kyrie looks at the door when he hears the latch click from the door lock. Lemuel has let himself in.
"How is Laurel doing?"
Kyrie turns to look at Laurel sleeping, "She is doing better… She woke up two hours ago and returned to sleep."
Kyrie pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. He squeezes his eyes to feel them stink and opens them again to continue reading the guild reports. Silence returns to the room, but Kyrie expects Lemuel to say what he came for. However, he remains standing without uttering a single word.
Kyrie rests his wrist on his lap, "What is it, Lemuel?"
"The grand duchess has asked me to inherit the duchy since I can summon my ability properly. She also started to prepare tutors and additional servants," Lemuel grabs onto the fabric of his pants as he informs Kyrie.
"Well… Isn't that good news?" Kyrie smiles despite feeling a bit bitter.
"I don't know… I always thought sister Fiona would inherit and guide the duchy. I was also the selfish one who never thought beyond my own sorrows. I only know how to feel hurt, and I am starting to notice that I know nothing. Just like my second sister always called me, Prince Nobody."
Kyrie puts the documents down to the bedside table and walks to Lemuel.
"Let's go," Kyrie leads Lemuel through the hallways of the palace building.
After a while of walking through the corridors, Lemuel curiously stares at Kyrie, wondering why Kyrie has brought him to this side of the palace. Then, they bump into a scholar that is coming out of a room.
"Greetings to your highness and the holy paladin."
The scholar looks at Lemuel weirdly but decides to get back to her own duties.
"Why are we in the royal library?"
"You will know once you get to see it."
Lemuel silently follows Kyrie, entering into the deepest part of the royal library.
Kyrie stops behind a bookshelf, and Lemuel looks at the books, "Are we looking for a book?"
Kyrie shakes his head and points towards a table with towers of books on top. Lemuel widens his eyes, looking at the amounts of books surrounding that desk, but becomes more astounded when he sees who is sitting at the desk surrounded by that many books.
His second sister, Princess Diane Halinas.
Her eyes are glued to the books. Lemuel looks at the book and recognizes the cover since it is a book about the Grand Duchy of Kelmeth, his birthplace.
Lemuel frowns, and his eyes show some hurt. He turns around to walk away.
When he is in the hallways, Lemuel asks Kyrie, "Are you telling me that I am not qualified because she is putting more effort?"
Kyrie shakes his head, "I am showing you someone who is living a life with the purpose of becoming a governor. That is how it looks."
Lemuel pinches his brows while feeling lost, "But I have nothing alike… I have nothing to work hard for."
"Lemuel, sometimes, when you are constantly getting hurt, your body will react a certain way. Your mind will learn to seal you from getting hurt by other people, but you are sealed away from the world at a cost. There will be a time when you are no longer under that threat, and you will have to stop staying in that survival mode. You will need to learn to live, catch up, and grow. Or else, you will never experience life."
Lemuel resonates with those words, and his eyes water, "How do I learn that?"
"Didn't you already choose a path?" Kyrie smiles.
"What if it is wro… ng…" Lemuel realizes that he is asking the same question as yesterday.
Although he knows, Lemuel feels the emptiness and powerlessness of starting.
Kyrie pats on Lemuel's shoulder, "Courage is all you need, and before you know it, you have gone past the limits you thought you would never reach."
After that day, the grand duchess summoned Diane and Lemuel into her study. When Diane comes out of the study, she looks at Lemuel suspiciously.
"What are you trying to do? Why did you give you up so easily on the opportunity to become the head?" Diane follows Lemuel after the meeting they had.
"Are you always showing off at the library?"
"What did you say?"
"I just think you are more suitable."
Diane stops walking and stares at Lemuel's back, "Don't think that I would say thank you for stepping down!"
"I won't…"
Diane softens her expression and murmurs, "Are you really leaving with the paladin?"
Lemuel smiles for the first time at the second princess, "Yeah."
---
Laurel gazes toward Kyrie, helping her pack her belongings while sitting on the couch.
"What trick did you pull to convince Lemuel to join us?"
"Trick?" Kyrie pauses, showing that he is being misunderstood, "I don't do those underhanded moves."
"Do you need me to pull out a list? Seeing you all happy and jolly… You must have done something… Plus, we need him desperately."
"Lemuel made a choice himself. Plus… I don't think I am the only one happy, though!" Kyrie smirks.