Between Two Souls – Chapter 22
As Prince Adrien and his wife entered, silence fell upon the throne room. Stoick approached the prince and, without a word, motioned for him to follow. He led them to their respective positions.
King Arthur, who had been speaking before their arrival, paused briefly, casting a glance at his son before continuing his speech.
"Today, the eastern winds bring dark tidings. A declaration of war has been made by a nation that has chosen the path of hostility and vengeance. Our beloved kingdom, Arestiana, has been insulted by their wicked intent and hatred."
Adrien and Vino now stood in their proper place—at the king's left side.
"They may cry out for war, but they will never shake the foundations of justice and bravery forged by our ancestors over centuries. We are the children of Ares! Descendants of noble blood who never bowed before the arrogance of our enemies."
Guests and royal family members slowly lifted their heads in pride toward the king.
"To all family, nobles, and people of this land! Today marks the beginning of our trial. But I believe, just as the sun continues to rise even amidst the fiercest storm, so too shall Arestiana shine in the shadow of war. You are not merely the protectors of your land and your people, but also the very symbol of this kingdom's honor. Ministers! It is time to prove that this government does not stand with words alone, but with the spirit of resistance. And generals! The people shall look to you with hope—that you will lead our forces not merely to fight, but to win with honor!"
King Arthur stepped down from the dais with blazing conviction. He raised his sword high.
"HAIL ARES!" he shouted.
"HAIL ARES! HAIL ARES! HAIL ARES!"
"CRUSH THEM! PUNISH THOSE WHO DEFY US!"
All present raised their weapons in solidarity. The room ignited with fervor and righteous rage. But amidst the roar, one figure stood uneasy—it was Prince Adrien.
His wife, noticing his troubled expression, gently reached for his hand. Vino looked up at his face and asked softly,
"My love, what's wrong? You seem unsettled all of a sudden."
"Hmph… I… I'm not sure we can win this war," Adrien replied. "But no matter what, we won't fall without a fight. Vino, can you begin preparing medicines for the battlefield? You only need to write the formulas down—I'll do what I can to convince the royal healers to follow them."
Vino was startled by the sudden request—but deep inside, she was glad her husband entrusted her with such a vital role.
"Of course, my husband! As long as there's a lab, I can begin working right away."
Adrien gave her a faint smile. For now, he could only wait for this assembly to end before slipping away to meet the monster-slaying mercenary, Spectre.
A short while later. The sun began to set, bathing the city in a soft orange glow. Soon, the moon would rise to replace it, cloaking the world in its serene darkness. It was at this time that King Arthur's epic speech came to an end. The guests began to depart from the royal throne room.
Adrien, too, was about to leave when King Arthur and the Grand Scholar Stoick approached him.
Seeing them, Adrien turned around."Father? You wanted to see me?"
Arthur stepped closer and gently ran his hand through his son's hair."Of course. Now that war is upon us, I want you to accompany me to the Republic of Roum. Specifically, to its capital—the Great Port City of Roum. Will you come? There's a grand library there. And besides, you'll learn a lot about warfare along the way."
"As the prince of this kingdom, it's only right that I begin to lead our forces. You don't need to tempt me with libraries, Father. I'll go... even if I'm unsure of myself."
Arthur gave his son's shoulder a firm pat."Don't doubt yourself, Adrien. Trust in who you are."
"I'll try my best…"
Stoick, the silver-haired scholar, walked over with a slight hunch after grabbing a drink. He approached Adrien and gave him a word of wisdom.
"Worry not, young prince. Time itself will shape you into a great leader. You only need to keep moving forward—never stand still. Learn, grow, and listen to those closest to you—your friends, your people. Never underestimate your enemies, either. Study them, understand them. A good leader only stops learning when death comes to claim him."
"Of course, Master. Thank you."
"Oh, and tomorrow, you and I need to talk. I've received intelligence about the enemy's army, and we need to speak about the upcoming war. I'm planning to revolutionize our military—but I'll need your help."
"Understood, Sir."
Stoick gave Adrien a firm pat on the back, signaling his departure with King Arthur. Adrien watched them walk away for a moment before turning to his wife. He was about to invite her to the palace balcony to search for Spectre, the mercenary monster-slayer.
But Vino had a different idea.
She took Adrien's hand, her voice gentle and sweet."Darling, come on. Let's take a bath first, shall we? We should clean ourselves up before meeting a guest. Don't you think?"
"Hmmm… You're right. I'm exhausted and I haven't bathed in days."
Adrien agreed without a second thought and followed her.
But Vino… had a plan. A special plan for her beloved husband—one she had imagined long ago, back when they were just dreams shared in secret under the earth-bound bedroom of the Celje household.
".........…"
Night had fallen. The sun had long vanished, replaced by the gentle light of the moon. A cool, soothing breeze swept through the castle, draping the night in a romantic atmosphere. Adrien and Vino prepared for their evening bath in the warm water that had already been drawn for them.
Vino undressed herself first, then quickly turned to help her husband undress as well, smiling joyfully. Hand in hand, she led him toward the warm bath, a flower-scented pool filled with soft, fragrant petals. They slowly stepped into the water and sat side by side, fingers intertwined.Vino began to act on a fantasy she had held since long ago…
Meanwhile…
A shadow pierced through the moonlight atop the castle roof. The figure moved across the tiles in total silence—not even the birds stirred as it passed. Dressed entirely in black, the mysterious figure crept forward, clutching a dagger.
He was preparing to leap through a castle window, aiming for a target inside where the guards were few.His target: Prince Adrien.
Just as the assassin was about to leap—
FWHHHIIIIP—THWACK!"AAARGGHH!!"
A crossbow bolt flew from the distance and struck him squarely in the upper right back. The force stopped his leap in an instant. The assassin nearly fell off the roof but caught himself, twisting around to search for whoever had fired the shot.
But before he could even react—
CRASH! — STAB!"AAAKHHH!!"
Someone had leapt onto him from behind, stabbing him a second time. The attacker drove him onto his stomach and pinned him down with a boot to his back.
The assassin writhed in pain—but he wasn't surprised. He had taken a gamble trying to pass this one particular obstacle. He had evaded countless guards on the rooftops, but this was the opponent he had feared.
"Heh... haha... looks like I failed again. You've grown quick, ever since I took down your mentor… Erika Heidekraut."
Indeed, Erika's disappearance from the base had been a secret mission to track this assassin.Now, she stood with her crossbow aimed at his spine, pressing him down.
"So, I've become famous on Earth now? Good. I don't care which greedy Earth corporation you came from—what matters is that you never come back."
"You think killing the body I've stolen will stop everything? HAHAHA! One day… your soul will be ours. We will—"
STAB!!!"ARGHHHHH!!!"
Erika, no longer able to bear the man's rambling, thrust her blade into the back of his skull, piercing it through. The man's scream echoed across the silent night.
Adrien, through the Zero instinct in his mind, heard the distant cry.
"Hmph... what a waste of time. Those nanobot neurons I swallowed protect my brain from SOULS-device hijacking. Owhh, I shouldn't have told that to someone who isn't part of The Order, but you're already dead anyway."
Erika kicked the corpse off the roof so the guards could find it easily. Then she leapt through the very window the assassin had planned to use as his entry point.
...................
"Hey, kid—there's trouble outside. Stay sharp..." Zero, from Earth, spoke directly into Adrien's mind.
"Zero? You're finally awake. Yeah... I heard it too." Adrien replied silently, mid-bath.
He and Vino were still in the warm bath when the commotion echoed from above. Adrien instinctively became alert, even as Vino playfully climbed onto his lap in a teasing manner.
"I'm sorry, my love… but I think we need to wrap up the bath. I almost forgot—we were supposed to meet with Spectre."
Vino, visibly annoyed that her carefully laid plans had crumbled, sighed and nodded. She too had nearly forgotten how important that meeting was.Still, there was nothing she could do—her fantasies would have to wait.
They both dried off with warm towels, then quickly changed into the sleepwear prepared by the palace maids. In a hurry, they exited the room to investigate the disturbance. Adrien opened the bathroom door, only to find Erika standing right there, just about to knock. Beside her was his beloved cat, Kika.
"Oh! Erika! Did you hear that scream outside? I definitely heard something up on the roof. Oh, hi Kika! Did you miss me?" Adrien scooped the cat into his arms, nuzzling it gently.
"There was an assassin targeting you. Don't worry, I took care of it," Erika replied plainly. "But you should be more careful. They already know you're a SOULS user."
"Phew… That's a relief. By the way, did you see Spectre around too?" Adrien asked, scanning the surroundings.
"No, I—"
Before she could finish, someone entered through the window behind them. It was Spectre, who had been waiting patiently outside until Erika finished her mission. The woman bowed respectfully before the prince.
"Pardon me, Your Highness. Good evening. Let me be direct—I bring both good and bad news.The good news: the number of remaining werewolves has dropped significantly. By our count, perhaps only five are left. The bad news: they've fled south—most likely toward the ruins of your old school, the one that was burned down. It appears they intend to build a nest. I will need your help, my prince, to hunt these monsters down."
"Thank you, Spectre. Of course I will help when the time comes. For now, please… get some rest."
"Very well, my lord! Thank you once again."Spectre quickly leapt back out through the window she had entered from, vanishing into the night like a shadow.
"So she was around the whole time? Why didn't she help me? That damn... ugh..."Erika muttered in irritation and confusion.
"I know, it's frustrating. But, well... she wasn't paid to help you," Adrien replied casually."I'll report this incident later. Fuaahh... I'm really sleepy now. Don't stay up too late, Erika."
He walked past Erika and patted her on the shoulder as he passed.
Vino followed behind Adrien with a disappointed expression. Noticing this, Erika asked gently,
"Vino? You look a little down. What's wrong?"
"I failed to do it earlier… Adrien got distracted," Vino admitted softly.
Realizing what she meant, Erika's eyes widened slightly and she apologized,
"Ah... sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt..."
"It's alright, my dear friend. It's not your fault," Vino replied with a kind smile. "In fact, if you hadn't been fighting that assassin, I might've lost Adrien forever. So thank you. Alright then, I'm off! Take care and good night! Adrien, wait for me!"
Vino ran after her husband.
The night grew deeper and quieter. Erika lingered a bit longer, gazing into the dark horizon before finally turning toward her home in Adrestia to sleep. Though she appeared calm, a silent worry still tugged at her heart, a worry for Adrien, the man she still loved. Even if she couldn't marry him… not now.
To be continued...