PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

The masses who once loved and revered Cecilia now clamored for her death as payment for the lives lost during Kormat’s invasion. The royalty played their cards right by staying out of the picture, only spectators of what was about to happen. For them, it was fine, as long as the masses were satisfied again.

From saintliness to Demoness, one had to marvel at how quickly the public’s vision changed towards Cecilia. It wasn’t strange either; Desmond had seen many such cases in his world’s history and fantasy books.

Speaking of the young hunter, his routine remained the same. Apart from running to do some errands a few days ago, Desmond spent all of the time training or taking care of Cecilia. However, the girl was still relatively unreceptive to his care; at least now, Desmond could feed her without making a complete mess.

Like every day at noon, Desmond finished his training, washing the sweat off his body with a quick flash of water mana. Desmond made his way to Cecilia’s room to get the girl ready for late breakfast.

Recently, with her nightmares becoming less intense, Cecilia had begun to sleep better, so it was normal for her to wake up late in recent days. Of course, it also had a lot to do with it, that she had nothing to do at all that day.

Due to her current situation within the church, Cecilia had no responsibility to fulfill with the clergy. With the invasion taking place just over a week ago, there were no other things for her to go out and do.

Of course, given the current public opinion, it was best that she not leave the tower, something that even she knew. Even if she wasn’t a mastermind of political strategies and conspiracies, Cecilia didn’t have to be a genius to see the future after hearing the meeting she had with the church members a few days ago.

To Desmond’s surprise, Cecilia was already awake and well dressed when he entered the room. She sits with her hands on a small table placed on the edge of the window, gazes fixed on the landscape outside.

.....

“Today marks thirty days, isn’t it?”

Cecilia’s sudden question stopped Desmond in his tracks. When the two had met, Cecilia had asked Desmond about his motives some time ago. Still, he had never given an honest answer. As time passed, the question changed, and Desmond’s response was that he would protect her for thirty days regardless of his motives.

Desmond didn’t expect that Cecilia would still remember that conversation and that she would be so aware of the thirty-day mark. However, considering how lonely Cecilia had been, it was expected that she had time to think about many things.

However, Desmond continued walking until he reached Cecilia’s side, sitting on the other side of the small table and looking out the window just like Cecilia; answered. “You’re wrong; there are still a few minutes until it’s exactly thirty days.”

“Does a few minutes make any difference?”

“You’d be surprised.”

Instead, Cecilia stopped looking at the city landscape outside the window and looked Desmond in his eyes. “What are you going to do when your time is up?”

Longing, hope, or perhaps resignation, it was difficult to determine which of these emotions shone in Cecilia’s golden eyes. Still, none of that mattered, Desmond had already made up his mind, and there was nothing in the world that could change his mind.

“I’ll do what I have to do.”

“I see.”

They both kept silent; just the sound of the army gathering under the tower was enough. They both knew it; due to the tower’s height, they saw it from afar through the window; the church would make its move, and this time they would make it big.

Desmond wanted to curse under his breath. Those damn idiots couldn’t pick a worse or a better time; there were only a couple of minutes left until the mission deadline. He would be free to do whatever he wanted. Still, the church was already knocking on his door.

They had brought a bloody army; forget about half a dozen holy knights; the number of regular knights alone was enough to send Desmond to an early grave.

Now with a listless look on her face, Cecilia silently watched as they formed up in her backyard, all a crusade against her; At that moment, she knew.

Regardless of whether Desmond abandoned her or not, she would not get out of this alive.

On the other hand, Desmond decided to wait for the church to make the first move; after all, he wasn’t completely defenseless against her either.

Bored of waiting for the church stationed in the tower courtyard, Desmond decided to ask a question that had intrigued him for some time. “Tell me, Cecilia, you have fallen from grace; you are disowned by every person in this city and abandoned by the world. Even now, would you take the same path?”

And then it happened; that golden glow returned to Cecilia’s eyes. The four-pointed stars in her pupils, although dim, were still present. Although wounded in spirit, Cecilia’s will remained indomitable in these matters. “Yes. The lives I save, the people I help, the children I care for; no one can take that away from me. If I could change anything, that would be saving Nana’s life.”

Desmond smiled wryly; Cecilia was too strange a creature, in his opinion. The girl couldn’t even lift a finger for her own benefit, but when it came to the welfare of others, she could be quite forceful and domineering.

A small squad of knights led by three holy knights made their way into the tower. For reasons he didn’t understand himself, Desmond asked two questions he was pretty familiar with. “You are a strange creature. How far would you be willing to go for those ideas of yours? What would you be willing to do?”

Cecilia was about to answer when the doors of the room were flung open, revealing the holy knights behind them. Hostile intent filled the room, but Desmond kept his gaze focused on Cecilia, still waiting for an answer. Sensing her gaze, Cecilia ignored the squad of soldiers that came for her and looked into those blue eyes that sparkled with curiosity as they looked back at her.

Cecilia wasn’t sure why, but an event from the past flashed through her mind, something she had forgotten. During that first meeting with Katya, a phrase came to her mind, a phrase that fits very well with the emotions she wanted to convey.

Prophecies were peculiar; they operated in mysterious ways and were often unclear in their predictions. Usually, even if one were aware of these messages from the future, one would only be able to understand the true message once the events had already taken place.

That was the case for Cecilia, who gave Desmond a detailed look, nervousness filling her being; if the prophecy were true, her following words would decide her fate. But they would also tell her that Desmond would mean more to her than she ever imagined.

“I would do whatever it takes and go as far as possible.”

Desmond’s countenance changed instantly, turning slightly dark, which increased Cecilia’s nervousness. Still, she also didn’t have the time to patiently observe what would happen next, or rather, the other people in the room wouldn’t give her that time.

Three holy knights stepped forward, weapons and shields raised, clearly prepared to meet any resistance. The sacred knight in the center was a stocky middle-aged man with dark hair and a full beard; he was the one who started the conversation. Apparently, he was the leader guiding the other two holy knights, who seemed relatively young.

“Your Holiness, I’m afraid he will have to come with us. Currently accused of treason against the church and the kingdom, alliance with foreign forces, and embezzlement of church funds for personal use. We must take you under arrest pending a fair trial under the holy light.”

Cecilia, usually relatively placid, did not tolerate the holy knight’s statement. “A fair trial? Since I have already been found guilty. You and I know that the poor excuse for a trial you have planned will be nothing more than a spectacle for the masses before my execution.”

Some knights showed adverse reactions to Cecilia’s comment, but most did not flinch. It was unknown if it was due to a strong discipline or because these people were aware of all these hidden truths.

One of the youngest, the holy knight, had a reasonably ordinary appearance on the left. He stepped forward and declared without any striking features. “I beg Your Holiness not to resist, or we will have to use force to subdue her.”

The last of the holy knights, an effeminate young man with long red hair, continued what his companion had said. “We have orders to use deadly force if necessary; please obey.”

Although the words of the three knights said one thing, their actions spoke an entirely different language. The three holy knights were already advancing with weapons held high in Cecilia’s direction while neglecting Desmond, who had stayed on the sidelines until now, just as agreed.

Desmond’s lack of reaction gave the Holy Knights the impression that he intended to uphold his end of the bargain. At the same time, Cecilia assumed that the prophecy was wrong or Desmond was not her fated person as Katya had claimed.

“I really hate that phrase.” Desmond’s voice suddenly interrupts the course of events, taking everyone by surprise. Little did they know that nothing was more dangerous than giving Desmond the element of surprise.