Chapter 24: Retrieve the Corpses
Corvin had faced such questions multiple times, and every time he answered, he always suffered.
A year ago, he had foolishly boasted that he would surpass Halden the very moment he stepped into the Epic Knight Rank. Elara, in her innocent honesty, had gone and told Halden about it.
The result? Several duels later, he hadn’t won a single one, and only Duke Cassian’s intervention had stopped Halden from humiliating him further.
A few months before that, during a banquet at another ducal house, Elara had once again innocently dragged him into trouble. She had asked who would win if he fought two people of the same rank from the Dreystone Family as she assumed that would be easy since her father could do it effortlessly.
Confidently, Corvin had declared that he could handle such a challenge. After all, he thought Elara wouldn’t bring it up again, especially not in someone else’s territory.
However, he was wrong!
Elara immediately bragged to another little girl around her age, who just so happened to be the daughter of Duke Hector of the Dreystone Family. Naturally, Duke Hector was furious when he heard about Corvin’s "challenge" and publicly demanded that Corvin take responsibility for his arrogant words.
Corvin couldn’t deny it because if he did, it would make it seem as though Elara had lied. And that was something he couldn’t even imagine doing. The consequences would’ve been far worse than any duel.
Needless to say, he lost since both opponents from the Dreystone Family were among their strongest.
Just as Corvin was lost in those unpleasant memories, Elara’s voice snapped him back to his senses.
"Uncle Corvin, why are you spacing out?"
"Ugh, nothing." Corvin smiled and feigned for a few seconds before answering the question with a thoughtful expression.
"I don’t really know who’s stronger between Nyxrael and Sir Gareth when it comes to overall strength, but I’m pretty sure Nyxrael wins in explosive power. His ultimate skill is ridiculously strong." Corvin glanced at Nyxrael, who sat beside James as he crossed his arms leisurely and closed his eyes.
"As for me and Halden..." Corvin pinched his fingers together to show a sliver of distance. "He’s stronger, but only by this much."
Elara had been listening attentively, but when she heard the last sentence, she showed a disappointed expression and jumped down.
"Uncle Corvin, why are you still the weakest after all this time?" She said with a snort, before walking over to Nyxrael out of curiosity.
James feigned ignorance and looked at the outside carriage, apologizing to Corvin in his heart for this.
"Uncle Nyx, why do you always wear that scary mask?" Elara tugged Nyxrael’s tattered robe softly.
Nyxrael opened his eyes slowly, his purple eyes looked at the little girl’s curious expression.
"Why? I’ve long forgotten," He replied with a calm voice.
"Don’t you feel uncomfortable wearing it?" Elara asked as she climbed and sat on Nyxrael’s lap.
"Not at all." Nyxrael shook his head and chuckled lightly. "In fact, I’d feel uncomfortable without it because it’s already part of me."
Elara’s eyes lit up, and she placed her fingers on her chin, tilting her head up. "Then... can Elara see your face?"
"Pleaseee?" Elara showed a cute expression as if she would cry if he rejected it.
She had actually been curious about Nyxrael’s look, but when they were eating, Nyxrael didn’t eat and opened his mask. So, she had been holding back her curiosity, and now that she had the chance to ask, she just asked without thinking too much.
"Alright, if that’s what the Little Miss wants." Nyxrael chuckled and took his mask off slowly, revealing his handsome face with blue eyes.
"Wow! Even though you’re not as handsome as Brother James, you can still be in the top three!" Elara blinked her eyes and stood up.
She immediately reached out and began poking his cheeks like soft dough.
Cough!
Corvin’s deliberate cough brought James back to reality. He had been deep in thought, but the sight of Elara shamelessly pinching Nyxrael’s face made him pause in disbelief.
He then smiled bitterly and shook his head helplessly for a moment before sliding himself to the left and then knocking Elara’s head lightly.
"Elara, you can’t just do that to people," James said, lifting her into his arms. "That’s rude, especially when you didn’t ask for permission first."
Elara pouted cutely for a moment and asked her brother when she realized something from his words. "So, I can do it if I ask for permission?"
"..."
James was speechless. Teaching a child like her was truly a challenge.
"That’s not how it works, Elara." James said with a bitter smile as he petted her hair affectionately. "You can’t do that to older people or someone with a higher status or strength, as it’s considered disrespectful."
"Oh?" Elara nodded her small head in understanding, then remembered something and asked again. "But why doesn’t Dad say that when I do it to him?"
"That’s because he’s your family," James replied.
"So it’s fine to do that to our family, then?" she asked again, blinking up at him.
"Well, yeah, but it depends on the situa—"
Before James could finish his sentence, Nyxrael interrupted him. "Pardon the interruption, My Lord, but we’ve arrived at the scene."
’I’m saved...’ James thought to himself.
He nodded. "Good. Tell them where you buried the corpses."
Nyxrael put his mask back on, gave a short bow, and stepped out of the carriage.
A minute later, he returned and reported to James that they had started to retrieve the corpses of James’s previous bodyguards who had died protecting him when he got ambushed and died.