Chapter 19 - Carriage

  Daniel could barely remember being so full of rage before.

  Kidnapping her was one thing, and he had accepted Felicia wanting the men to die. He didn't care about hearing them out, letting the void flame do what it was best at. They didn’t suffer.

  But he had felt a slight hesitation. At first.

  Then he heard how her brothers had been behind Felicia’s blindness and the death of her mother.

  He was glad she decided to let them live in torment. Death was too kind. Though he might have gone further in her shoes.

  “Do you think I went too far?” Felicia asked after a prolonged silence. Her voice was muffled, as she had pulled the blanket entirely around herself.

  She sat opposite him in a carriage they had eventually managed to hire, looking like a bundled ghost in the dim interior. The entire city had turned chaotic after his mana stunt, making it a bit of a challenge.

  Daniel studied her carefully, noting the way she held herself—shoulders drawn tight, head slightly bowed. Even through the blanket, he could read the tension in her posture. The way her breathing was still too controlled, too measured. Like someone trying very hard not to fall apart.

  She's holding on by a thread.

  “After everything they’ve done to you? I think you could have paralyzed them from the neck down if you felt like it. But on the other side, you’ve already taken away what they cared for the most; their authority and the position of family head.”

  “Yeah… I don’t like this part of me.”

  “Which part?”

  “The one feeling happy when thinking about how much they will suffer.”

  Daniel leaned back against the seat, considering his words carefully.

  She shouldn't have to feel guilty for wanting justice. Not after what they put her through.

  “I don’t think you should worry about it. It’s human. No one would blame you after knowing what you’ve been through.”

  “But still…”

  “As long as you have that other part telling you not to like it, you’ll be fine. But you’re allowed to feel the satisfaction of justice.”

  “It’s just that… I’ve always thought of myself as better than them. That’s what let me endure all the shit they put me through. But now it feels like…”

  “Oh, come on. You are a thousand times better than they are.” Daniel felt his jaw clench. “Pieces of shit who would kill their own family like that shouldn’t breathe the same air as us. Calling themselves your brothers…”

  The carriage turned silent except for the rhythmic creak of wheels over cobblestone. Daniel studied Felicia's bundled form, noting how she'd gone very still. Did he go too far?

  No. They got exactly what they deserved.

  “Thank you, Daniel.”

  The simple words, spoken so softly he almost missed them, made his anger drain away.

  “Don’t worry about it. I would do it a thousand times over.”

  “Then I would thank you a thousand times over.”

  Despite everything, Daniel found himself smiling at the gentle humor in her voice. It was such a small thing, but it felt like progress. Like maybe she wasn't as broken by today's events as he'd feared.

  "...Are you sure you're alright?"

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Because your entire world just got turned upside down.

  “I don’t know. You just seem to be handling this better than I expected. Kidnapping, thinking you would die, finding out that your mother’s death was the result of a plot by your own brothers, giving the order to kill eight people, maiming your brothers… It would be a lot for anyone.”

  The list sounded even worse when spoken aloud. Daniel watched her carefully for any sign of an impending breakdown, ready to catch her if she finally cracked under the weight of it all.

  “...I think I’ve cried enough for myself already. And I thought I was going to die both the first times I met you as well.”

  Her matter-of-fact tone made Daniel's chest tighten.

  “Well, yeah, but…”

  It just felt wrong. She shouldn’t be so used to suffering.

  “Take your time, I guess.”

  “I will.”

  The traffic was moving slowly, almost to the point where walking would be faster. Through the window, Daniel could see other travelers still looking over their shoulders for any threat.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Sorry, everyone. It was an emergency.

  Their first stop would be at the hospital to find someone who could help Elizabeth. Once Daniel removes the stasis formation, she would start bleeding again. He had very little medical knowledge himself.

  And the healing magic was banned after the spirit was corrupted… Too late to regret that plot point now, I guess.

  Felicia shifted slightly in her blanket cocoon, turning toward his voice. "How far away were you when you started looking for me?"

  Daniel paused, his hand halfway to adjusting his position on the carriage seat.

  It was bound to come up, I guess.

  “I… was at the hotel.”

  "How far away is that?" She tilted her head, and even through the blanket, he could see the calculating expression on her face.

  Daniel ran a hand through his hair, buying time. But there was no answer he could give that would make her less suspicious now. “More than a few hundred meters.”

  She nodded thoughtfully. “You don’t have to make yourself less impressive for my sake.”

  Daniel felt his shoulders tense involuntarily. He'd been dreading this moment. “...Sorry. I was afraid it would make it harder for us to get closer.”

  "Mmh… Makes sense." Felicia pulled the blanket tighter around herself, but her posture had straightened with interest. "I mean, who wouldn't feel awestruck if they learned they had you for a teacher?"

  She knows.

  He let out a sigh, feeling like he had lost a battle. He intended to bring it up eventually, but he would have preferred they were closer first.

  “Do you want me to tell you everything honestly?”

  Felicia was quiet for a long moment, and Daniel found himself holding his breath.

  "Would you?" she asked finally, in a much lighter voice now.

  “Most of it.”

  She took a shaky breath, and Daniel watched her gathering her courage. “...Is my teacher the legendary figure who sealed the corrupted spirit a thousand years ago?”

  "Yes."

  "And the inventor of the index?" Her voice was getting smaller with each question.

  “Yeah, that too.”

  “And the master of four different branches of Sarun Magic?”

  "Mhm." Daniel noticed his leg was starting to bounce nervously and forced it to stop.

  “And the greatest formationist in history?”

  Fine. It was time to admit it. He had written Artorias as being a bit too amazing.

  Daniel scratched the back of his neck, feeling heat creep up from his collar. "...Mmmh, I don't know about that one. Probably in the top five, yeah."

  There was something like wonder in her voice now. "That's pretty impressive."

  “Well, I guess. But I think there are two others in Javos that are as strong as me, or at least one.”

  Felicia's eyebrows furrowed. “How can that be?”

  “Well, you’ll see in time. I could be wrong, as well.”

  She chuckled briefly to herself with a small shake of her head. “And you told me to call you uncle.”

  Daniel felt a wry smile tug at the corner of his mouth. "Technically true, right?"

  The humor faded from her expression as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by something more vulnerable. "...Is that why you're doing this? For me?"

  “It’s part of it. There are many reasons.”

  "Oh god," she said, putting both her palms on her forehead. "You've lost everyone you ever knew!"

  “...Yes, probably. But I was prepared to die when I entered that seal, so it’s not all bad.”

  "You lost your little sister." Her voice was almost a whisper now, heavy with sympathy.

  "I did." Daniel's voice came out rougher than he'd intended. He cleared his throat before continuing. "But then I learned that she lived a long life, and had many descendants. I miss her, obviously, but… That's good enough for me."

  That was only half the truth, of course. Artorias’ sister lived a long life. Daniel’s sister, Emma, did not.

  Felicia was quiet for a long moment, her hands still pressed against her forehead. “And you’re sure that’s not why you chose to teach me?”

  Daniel rubbed his temple with one hand, feeling the phantom ache of old grief mixing with newer emotions. “My sister is a big reason why I am who I am today. And part of that is having a tender spot in my heart for young girls like you. Some piece of me might be looking for that kind of connection again, but I am fully aware that you’re your own person. And besides, like I told your father, you’re also talented.”

  “...So, when you said you’d make me the greatest mage that ever lived…?”

  Daniel turned to face her fully, noting how she'd unconsciously leaned forward. "Do you want that?"

  She was quiet for so long that Daniel started to worry he'd asked the wrong question. Her hands worked nervously at the edge of her blanket, picking at loose threads.

  "...I want the power to do what I think is right. To not be forced to live in despair, and to help anyone else in similar situations. So, yes. The greatest sounds good to me."

  The fierce determination in her voice made something warm unfurl in Daniel's chest. She was the kind of person who should be the greatest mage.

  “Artorias Grifantes from a thousand years ago couldn’t do that. But I can.”

  Daniel didn't only have the knowledge of the main character. He also knew things this world had long forgotten. Secrets that remained buried in ancient ruins from several millennia ago.

  “Really?”

  "Well, some of it depends on you as well, of course." Daniel leaned back against the carriage wall, feeling some of the tension leave his shoulders. "But I think you've proven that you have the talent needed for it."

  "...How?" She tilted her head again, reminding him of a curious bird.

  Daniel paused, considering how much to reveal. Outside, the traffic was finally starting to move more smoothly as they left the most congested areas behind. "Have you ever heard of the spirit king?"

  "No?" The word came out as half question, half statement.

  "Well, that's one of the methods. But I would have to find his magic first. And I know where to look." Daniel could already picture the ancient ruins in his mind, mapping out the journey they'd need to take.

  Felicia frowned. "Why wouldn't you take it for yourself?"

  Daniel couldn't help but grin at the question. “Oh, I will. Don’t go around thinking you’ll be the strongest mage alive as long as I’m around.”

  She smiled then, despite the crazy situation she found herself in. "That's perfectly fine. I can stay the second strongest for another sixty years or so. Come here."

  She patted the seat beside her, gesturing for Daniel to move over. The simple, trusting gesture caught him off guard—after everything she'd learned about who he was, she still wanted him closer, not further away.

  And he did move over, not quite sure why.

  But then she leaned over, resting her head in his lap with a contented sigh. "My brother is the best brother in the world…"

  “...”

  Ah. She knew how to strike the depths of his heart.

  He felt a tear threaten to fall as he started stroking the top of her head. "You can sleep a bit, Fillie. I'll take care of everything."

  "Mmh." Her breathing was already starting to slow, and the exhaustion was finally catching up with her after everything they'd been through.