1280 Using Your Enemies
Enigma appeared in Hortus with ragged breath and pale face. The flames of darkness around her dissipated and died off.
Varian gently pulled her into a supporting hug and patted her back. "Good job,"
Enigma's pale face showed a small smile and she slowly raised her arms to hug him back.
"Once again…" She whispered with flushed ears.
Varian chuckled at her cuteness. Gently caressing her hair, he said. "Good job, Enigma. I'm proud of you."
"Once again…"
"Good job, Enigma."
"Hehehe."
Her laughter was sweet, innocent and tender, reflecting her feelings. Alas, Prince Oleg would've never imagined the cold, merciless killer who duped his whole team would be a cute girl.
Varian kissed her forehead and aura flowed from the tip of his fingers into her back. A moment later, a gray mark appeared out of her and landed on Varian's palm.
"Good job."
— — — — —
"Hey, Baldur!" Varian raised his hand with a smile and greeted the prince.
"…Why are you here again?" Baldur looked at him with a complicated expression. There was some doubt in his eyes but there was more fear and uncertainty.
Varian noticed the changes in his gaze but didn't say express anything. Instead, he showed a casual smile. "Oh, I forgot my fruits."
"You're kidding."
Varian went to the backyard garden and on a table, there were indeed peachy pink fruits.
"There are literally fruits here, man. I'll give you some if you want but my wives really love the tree people's fruits." Varian said with a not so apologetic smile and disappeared.
Baldur didn't notice a gray tracker shooting into a corner followed by black and white lights which quickly concealed it.
"No need. I…just need some time alone. Thank you."
"Sure."
The interaction ended without anything apparently important but both Baldur and Varian were just playing their parts.
— — — —
"The Black Rose is using the princes against us?" After listening to Oleg's narration, Xoler looked at his half-brother with suspicion.
Were Palarians so easy to fool or was the Black Rose much more formidable? Even if it was that powerful, there should only rank 7s stationed here according to the documents unearthed.
"Before I left the secret realm, I left behind a tracker. Wherever that bastard escaped to, he can't stay hidden." Oleg said with a vicious grin.
"What does the tracker say?" Sage Nevar asked up.
"That…" Oleg hesitated. The location was the reason he didn't kill that bastard right away and instead met up with his 'brother'.
"It shows the manor where Prince Baldur is staying," Oleg's expression was twisted, as if he couldn't believe the words out of his mouth. But he said them anyway.
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
Sage Nevar remained calm to that information but Prince Xoler stepped forward and nearly grabbed Oleg's collar.
Oleg's eyes flashed with deep fury and shame. "I. Am. Not. Lying."
He threw the tracker out and Xoler quickly verified it.
"What the hell does this mean? Are the Palarians behind this? Are the Princes the assasins? It doesn't make any sense." Xoler gritted his teeth and rambled in confusion.
"Calm down, young man." Sage Nevar said in an indifferent yet slightly commanding tone.
"We'll just have to catch that assasin. Just because he belongs to Palarins' royals doesn't mean all of them are assassins. That's ridiculous.
Moreoever, a royal working for Black Rose is anything but honorable. So, his identity must've been a secret.
We can just kill him, leave the evidence of his identity. The Palarians will understand and cover up the murder for their own good."
Even though Xoler was a star in his academy, Sage Nevar had way more experience.
Despite the situation appearing difficult, he easily solved the underlying issue and showed them a way forward.
"The Princes are going into the space portal, right?"
"Yes." Oleg nodded. "They've been planning for a few days already. They might leave today or tomorrow. But I don't know for certain. My team didn't get too close in fear of getting found."
"That's the best your team can do anyway," Xoler was trying to just console his half-sibling but his words ended up humiliating him more.
Unaware that he had crossed another wound on Oleg's heart, Xoler turned to Sage Nevar. "Shall we attack?"
Nevar glanced at Champion Gor.
The charred face nodded with a menacing smile. "We'll kill!"
— — — — —
Varian put Enigma back on the bed and kissed her goodbye.
"Don't go," She grabbed his sleeve and mumbled.
"Just a few minutes, lady. It's a very important task." Varian cajoled her.
Enigma turned her head away with a pout but let him go.
"I promise I'll spend more time with you after this, okay?" Varian laughed at her response and said in a gentle voice.
"Promise?"
"Yes, Promise."
"Then…"
A powerful aura pulsed out of Enigma and she jumped out of bed in her black tights.
"I'll help." Enigma took a few steps forward but immediately flinched.
Shooting him a cute glare, she said. "I won't be able to fight in close combat, but I can give help from afar."
"Alright." Varian nodded with a smirk.
— — — — —
Daphne returned from another exploration. In her expectations, there should've been a secret realm or something similar in this place for the Zions to take shelter.
But nothing was found.
It seemed like an invisible hand erased every trace, creating a blank sheet, leaving them with no leads.
"But who can do it? Even if they can, do they have the guts?" For a moment, Varian's face surfaced in her mind.
In her long years of experience, such a man was hard to find. Perhaps she'd never see someone like him again.
The defiance in his eyes when he dared her to slaughter his entire race. That was real. It wasn't a fake bravado.
That's why, if he had the capability, then he'd be the number one suspect behind this fiasco. But he didn't.
He's a weakling who could in no way do such a thing. Then who?
As she pondered the information about the solar system and the nearby areas for clues, a sudden aura fluctuation caught her attention.
It was coming from nearby.
"…Baldur?" Daphne's eyes widened and she disappeared.
In a blink, she appeared in front of Baldur's mansion.
"What the—"
