Everything happened so fast, Nox was confused. Even Aina and Eve were equally perplexed. What was this man saying?
Arthur? Servant... why did he emit such demonic energy?
There was a moment of silence, and everyone seemed to absorb everything that had been said. They were contemplating if they should trust what the man said or if he was just bluffing.
But then, they thought about it. Why would he do this? If only they knew about the scuffle that had happened in the royal capital, they might have had an idea of who this man was.
Aina was the one who eventually spoke and shattered the silence:
"Why should we believe anything you say?"
When she heard Arthur's name, her heart skipped a beat. It had been so long since she had heard someone mention that name. When the silver-haired man said he was a servant of her beloved husband, a brief hope flashed through her eyes.
Aina touched her chest, feeling it tighten with a mixture of longing and disbelief. Perhaps... perhaps if this man was her husband's servant, did this mean Arthur was still alive? The thought was almost too much to bear, yet it sparked something deep within her—a flicker of hope she hadn't allowed herself to feel in years.
Aina allowed herself to be delusional for some time, but then she quickly pushed all these emotions away. Her biggest weakness was Arthur. This person could be someone who knew about this weakness and decided to exploit her.
Zarek stood up from his kneeling position, and as he did, a silver light passed through the eyes of everyone, and their arms shot toward the hilt of their various weapons.
Harbinger's cold blue eyes were locked on the silver-haired man. With a glance, it was quite easy to tell that the skeleton warrior wouldn't hesitate to cut Zarek into two if he tried anything funny.
But the question that loomed was: could the Harbinger really deal with Zarek that easily? Not even Eve and Aina had sensed this man's presence, after all.
And if they had witnessed the shocking sight outside the cave, they would have realized that they didn't stand a chance against the silver-haired man.
Fortunately for them, Zarek's intentions were pure. Straightening up, he held Aina's gaze and said in a firm voice:
"I was sent by the head of the Silver household, Lucas Silver, to get rid of little Nox," Zarek explained.
"What?" Aina and Eve's expressions turned dark when they heard this.
"Yes, why?" Nox furrowed his brows. Who was the Silver household? What had he done for them to send an assassin to eliminate him?
Zarek explained further: "From a report by a certain boy known as Brandon Chai, it seems you killed a kid named Ren Silver in Snowhelm."
'Ren Silver?' Nox pondered with a thoughtful expression. 'Isn't he the one Wendy told me about? The leader of the Vermilion Royal Academy team!'
Nox vaguely remembered when Wendy had told him something along the lines of how despicable her team leader was.
'So he later died? If I remember correctly, he wasn't part of the final battle, so how exactly did he die?'
"From the lost expression on your face, I can tell you know nothing about his death as well?" Zarek inquired.
"I'm only hearing about it now." Nox nodded, then his gaze turned chillingly cold. "So if I heard you correctly, someone killed the kid and is trying to pin the blame on me, and thus you were sent?"
"That's accurate." Zarek merely nodded, admiration glinting in his eyes at how easily Nox pieced the puzzle together.
'Master, it seems my existence is unnecessary. Your family already has a protector,' he thought with a subtle smile.
"That Brandon boy," Nox suddenly said. "Where can I find him?"
"He attends the Vermilion Kingdom Academy," Zarek responded.
From the sides, Aina soon chimed in. "If I understand everything you've been saying to this point, you were sent to kill Nox, but because you are a servant of Arthur, you decided not to carry out the mission, right? Or am I missing anything?"
"You're right, Mistress."
"So what proof do you have? What proof do you have that you're truly Arthur's servant and not just someone using his name to manipulate us?" Aina's voice was steady, but there was a sharp edge to her tone. A part of her was desperately wishing for this man to truly be related to Arthur, while another part thought this was an elaborate plan by one of Arthur's enemies.
Zarek sighed and said, "Mistress, I knew this would not be easy. Your trust cannot be gained with words alone."
Zarek reached into a pouch, moving slowly to avoid provoking the skeletal Harbinger or the others, who watched him like hawks. From within, he pulled out a golden ring with intricate carvings.
Aina's breath hitched. Her eyes immediately shot to her own finger, where there was an identical ring. This... this ring was the symbol of their love.
Without a doubt, the one on Zarek's hand was the one she had given to Arthur on the day they swore to protect each other, no matter the odds.
"This ring…" Aina whispered, tears slowly falling from her eyes. "How did you get it?"
Zarek's expression softened, and for the first time, he looked genuinely vulnerable. "He gave it to me before he vanished. He told me to keep it safe and to find you if I ever needed help or if… if you were in danger."
"That doesn't prove you're his servant. That only proves you met him," Nox said, his gaze cold. Glancing at his mom, he could see she was in no state to make a clear judgment, so he had to be the logical one here.
"You're right," Zarek admitted. "But would Arthur entrust something this precious to someone unworthy?"
He looked up, locking eyes with Aina. "I served him faithfully for years, Mistress. I was there when he fought against the demonic tide in the Northern Barrens. I was there when he saved the villagers of Blackthorn Ridge single-handedly. And I was there when he…"