Chapter 122: Desire
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The aftermath of the battle was all taken care of. However, since many people were unable to sleep because of the excitement of the battle, they were all gathered in small groups chatting. Because of ingrained stereotypes, a lot of people did not consider killing orcs to be a form of murder. For most in the legion, this battle had been their first time killing humans and was very memorable.
Suzanna and Anfey were strolling around. They kept a healthy distance between them. Not far enough to seem like they were newly acquainted with each other, but not close enough to appear intimate, either. There was no love blooming between the two. Suzanna enjoyed talking with Anfey. If she had to share her secret with someone, it would be him. This was because Anfey was mature, witty, and careful. Whenever she heard his voice or saw his face, she would feel calm.
"Anfey, you should begin practicing intermediate magic," Suzanna said. "Paladins do not post a real threat to the best and the most powerful, but for a normal mage they are very hard to deal with. Imagine, a paladin with magic would be very terrifying to mages."
"I know. I need a good foundation before continuing on."
"Judging from your surges today, you are completely capable of practicing intermediate magic," Suzanna said. "We should congratulate you. You are a mage now. Your growth is incredible."
"It’s not a surprise. Anyone would grow as fast as I if they had drunk unicorn blood."
"You drank the blood? Feller gave it to you, didn’t he? Christian will be hearing about this."
"You wouldn’t!" Anfey said, realizing his mistake.
"You're the one that betrayed our trust! I didn’t get any benefits from this. It's your fault for trying to drink the blood without telling us."
"Betraying?" Anfey asked, shaking his head. "If I let you in on this, aren’t we then friends with benefits?" He suddenly remembered another meaning to the phrase "friends with benefits." He coughed to hide the awkwardness.
Suzanna wasn’t as sensitive as Anfey. She smiled and said, "Actually, I think Christian already knew."
"Really?" Anfey asked, surprised. He thought drinking the unicorn blood wasn’t a big deal. If he wasn’t there to help them, this team would have never made it this far. However, if people found out, it could damage the unity.
"Christian treated the blood like it was his child," Suzanna said, "and he had to measure it everyday. I usually went and helped them. Whenever he wanted to go over the inventory, Feller got nervous and tried to find an excuse to keep Christian away. Feller is a good person, and wouldn’t try to take what isn’t his. The story explains itself."
"So I’m not a good person?" Anfey asked, smiling. "It seems like you already knew before hearing about this from me."
"I took an educated guess. Christian must have figured it out as well. After a while, he stopped trying to measure the unicorn blood. I figured that made Feller sleep better at night."
Anfey sighed and shook his head. "It’s not that big of a deal. Everyone knew that without you, they wouldn’t still be alive today."
"Alright," Anfey said, feeling awkward. "Let’s forget about this matter."
Anfey’s eyes fell on a nearby wooden post, where the bodies of Ahab and the bearded mercenary were hung. The bodies were mangled, and both clearly had been in great pain before they died. This was done under the order of the princess and Isis, and Hui Wei was the executioner. Women were much more terrifying than men when they wanted revenge. The two women were still unsatisfied, but Hui Wei could not carry on, and ended the men’s lives and their suffering.
Looking at the bodies, Anfey suddenly remembered something. He turned to Suzanna and said, "Suzanna, there's nothing wrong with your combat power, is there?"
"No, why?"
"I thought it felt strange when you were fighting. You felt murderous. That’s not a good thing."
Suzanna hesitated, then said softly, "My combat power isn’t like normal combat powers. It’s difficult to explain. You wouldn’t understand."
"How do you know? You didn’t tell me anything about it."
Suzanna shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted someone. She turned to take a good look and called out, "Anfey, look. What is she doing?"
Anfey turned and found a shadow crouching next to a tent.
Isis held a dagger between her wrists and was kneeling on the ground. She tried to stab herself in the neck with the dagger. It was difficult, and she missed two times, but she continued stubbornly. Under the moonlight, it was easy to see the blood dripping down from her neck. She gasped in pain, but continued on with her movements. She was very determined.
Suzanna was going to run over to stop her, but she was stopped by Anfey, who shook his head slowly. Suzanna stood there, and tears began streaming out of her eyes. Just then, Isis’s cries of pain alerted those who were still awake. Christian and Blavi were among those who ran out of their tents to check on the situation. The dagger between Isis’s wrists flashed a cold, silvery light. She fell forward stiffly, and fell onto the dagger. Her body tensed, then slowly relaxed.
Everyone knew what had happened to Isis, but watching her killing herself was too much for them to handle. Someone cried out in shock, some covered their mouths with their hands. All eyes were focused on Isis.
"Why didn't you try to help her?" Niya asked angrily.
"You can save her today, but tomorrow? Do you think you could save her every time?" Anfey asked coldly.
"Niya, don’t blame him," Suzanna said, wiping her tears away. "You don’t know what she had been through. It would be hard for anyone to continue on living after that."
"If she wanted to live, she could use time to ease the pain of what had happened to her. No one would purposely try to remind her of her past. Even if she did not want to stay with us, she could find a place where no one knew her and her past and live there. If she had lost all will to live, why force her to continue on with us?" Niya turned her head away. Even though she hadn’t known Isis for long, she knew Isis had gone through hell. Her untimely and unfortunate end had touched everyone present.
Making a decision like this had a lot to do with Anfey’s personality. If Isis had wanted to live, he wouldn’t treat her any differently. If Isis had wanted to die, he wouldn’t try to stop her, either. If there was someone who had grown up without any darkness or hardship present, they might try to talk to Isis and stop her from killing herself. However, Anfey could not. He was under a lot of stress, and he did not have the time or the energy to deal with someone he barely knew. He could only watch and let Isis make her own choice.
Anfey walked over slowly. Isis was still breathing softly. He could tell from her eyes that she had conflicting emotions. However, he knew there was no hesitance or regret.
Anfey peeked into the tent. The princess was still asleep. She had spent days in a cage, and that night she had witnessed a battle. In the end, she had punished the prisoners to avenge herself and her friend. She must be physically and mentally exhausted. She didn’t know her friend had already ended her life. For her, it may be a good thing. Witnessing something like that would break her.
"Christian, bury her," Anfey ordered.
"Poor woman," Christian said, shaking his head and sighing.
"Poor?" Anfey asked. "Remember the girls in Lagan City?"
"Yes."
"Remember. This is a world of survival of the fittest. Don’t show your weakness, or else one day this may be your end."
Everyone was quiet, trying to understand Anfey’s words. After everything that had happened, everyone had their own understanding of power and survival. This tragedy was additional proof that they must remain powerful.
They had remained alive up until that point because of Anfey and Suzanna. What if they found themselves alone one day? With the woman still lying on the ground, dying, everyone felt an acute desire for power.
"What happened in Lagan City?" Suzanna asked.
"Let Niya tell you."