Chapter 19: Royal Knights
Veles’s body went rigid.
At this moment, the silver Grim Reaper had vanished, and the walking weapon had disappeared. The man sitting at Alan’s wooden table was nothing more than a pitiful creature, frozen in place simply because of the gaze of the black-haired mage.
He vaguely sensed something—people like him were always highly sensitive to the attention of others.
He could feel Alan’s stare clearly, and his Adam’s apple trembled.
Veles rarely interacted with ordinary people, but that didn’t mean he understood nothing. He had wandered through the hidden corners of the palace, witnessing countless kisses: noble wives and young guards, playboys and innocent girls, or elder head maids with tender young servants…
Kisses—and even more intimate acts—occurred everywhere in secret.
He had never cared about such intimate acts between individuals; they had never stirred him in the slightest.
Until now.
He felt that a kiss was about to happen between him and Alan.
In that instant, Veles’s heart transformed into a joyful little bird within his chest.
He had never understood why those innocent girls trembled, flushed, and closed their eyes when pressed into the arms of a man in the garden to receive a kiss.
But now he understood.
Because his cheeks were burning, and his body was trembling involuntarily.
And as for closing his eyes—it was due to overwhelming delight and extreme shyness that rendered one powerless.
Yet at that very moment, just as he was about to shut his eyes and surrender himself, a pale, mad face suddenly appeared in his mind.
The man was emaciated, yet his eyes shone like a predator taking its last prey. Every muscle in his face twitched, and he bared his teeth, seeming to laugh and wail at the same time.
“I curse you! I curse this desecrated bloodline! I curse the creature born in defiance of the gods’ will, in defiance of the laws of nature—”
Veles shivered violently. The intense fear was like a blade mixed into honey, instantly awakening him.
His reaction was extremely subtle, yet at the same moment, the black-haired mage also froze.
Veles saw Alan instinctively step back, a mixture of confusion and panic flashing across his face.
With a sudden whoosh, the midnight illusion shattered, and both Alan and Veles fell back into reality.
“I… I’m very sorry…”
Veles heard Alan stammering, his voice full of bewilderment, as if even he didn’t know why he had suddenly apologized.
Instinctively, Veles didn’t want to hear Alan’s apology; an unbearable sting swept through his heart.
He thought of the Blood Moon, and of the intense craving that had been surging through him whenever he saw Alan over these past days. Then he realized that the tainted blood running through him was asserting its influence.
He was hunting Alan.
Just like the source of his bloodline, Veles unconsciously radiated a peculiar magic and scent, designed to lure vulnerable humans into his trap. After all, no one could approach a grotesque monster calmly, ignoring all taboos, unless that monster had cast a mind-twisting spell upon them.
In the past, Veles had always been able to restrain this disgusting instinct, but in Green River Village, it seemed he had lost control.
He had ensnared Alan.
So when he finally realized what had happened, the black-haired mage in front of him wore that dazed, startled, and panicked expression.
“I don’t even know what came over me just now.”
Alan found it almost impossible to speak about his earlier impulse; he had never imagined he could feel such a rush. Even if the moment had felt… right, he shouldn’t have acted like a love-struck fool in front of someone he had only just met!
Alan reviewed his own behavior with utter horror.
And judging by Veles’s brief stiffness and avoidance just now, Alan was certain he had offended the other.
This made Alan feel even more ashamed.
God, he felt like the kind of despicable, sleazy man he most despised—the type who, once a thought crossed his mind, would start… harassing his own friend!
He didn’t even have the face to look at Veles again.
Alan didn’t notice that, the moment he averted his gaze, the silver-eyed man before him darkened his own eyes.
The little bird that had fluttered joyfully in his chest just minutes ago was now completely dead.
A familiar coldness spread deep through his soul.
“It’s late, Mr. Alan. Thank you for dinner. I should be going.”
Veles suddenly stood up, cutting off Alan’s murmured words, speaking stiffly.
In that moment, he reverted to the forest ranger he had been when he first met Alan—cold, distant, with a strange, prickly temperament.
“Oh, of course. Your work is so dangerous; you should get some rest,” Alan replied awkwardly, staring at Veles with utter confusion.
The black-haired mage’s expression stabbed at Veles’s heart once again.
His tail drooped, limp and listless behind him.
Then, as if fleeing, he left the small cabin in a mess of clumsy haste.
Veles could feel Alan watching his retreating figure from the window, and it made the scales on his back twitch. He half-wondered if Alan might call after him.
If that were the case, Veles would have pretended not to hear. After all, he truly needed to stay away from Alan.
But in reality, Alan didn’t call out—not until Veles had walked into the woods.
Realizing this, Veles felt as if he had accidentally bitten into a sea hag’s bitter gall—the sour, corrosive liquid searing through his bloodline.
He trudged back to his cabin, dejected, and there, at the doorway, he once again saw the elf’s infuriating face.
Veles had no doubt that Antara possessed some way of monitoring him. That guy must know what had happened, because the instant their eyes met, Antara’s expression was almost pitying.
“I’ve warned you before, Your Highness. You should stay away from humans.” Antara sighed, his tone soft in a way that made Veles’s nerves jump. “It’s not good for you—or for him.”
After saying this, Antara paused, perhaps debating whether to continue with the next words.
For Veles, the reminder was harsh, almost cruel.
“Your Highness Veles, do not forget the curse that runs through you.”
Finally, Antara spoke the words.
“The closer you grow to someone, when the time comes… the more you’ll want to devour them.”
“Shut up,” Veles said coldly.
His mood was awful, and anyone could tell.
With each word he spoke, a layer of icy white frost formed over the grass around him.
Watching this, Antara sighed silently. As Veles’s observer, he could feel the young man’s confusion and turmoil. Veles had been away from humans for too long—he had no real understanding of where his desires and expectations truly originated.
And Antara had no intention of pointing that out.
“The Blood Moon is approaching, Your Highness. You should return,” he continued, reluctantly taking on his unpleasant role.
“I think, even for the sake of your new friend, you should leave Green River Village soon.”
“I haven’t finished clearing those things in the forest. They woke up because of me; it’s my duty to deal with them—”
“I’ve already written to the Mage Tower. The Royal Knights are already on their way,” Antara interrupted Veles’s habitual excuse.
Veles furrowed his brow, his expression darkening.
“The Royal Knights? When would they ever pay attention to a disturbance in a place like this?”
“Oh, what a fortunate coincidence. Someone in the Knights is acquainted with that young mage. Upon learning of his presence, they set out immediately without hesitation.”
Veles stared at Antara.
“Acquainted?”
“You needn’t worry about that human mage anymore. I believe he will be well protected.”
Antara spoke ambiguously.
Of course, his intention was to gloss over certain key details, but Veles was never the type to be easily fooled (of course, Alan was an exception).
“Who?”
He asked, though as soon as the words left his mouth, an image had already formed in his mind.
In this world, probably only that person could make someone like Antara give such a vague answer. Moreover, the only person capable of dispatching the Royal Knights to a remote mountain village like Green River Village was him.
…
“Prince Lart.” After a brief silence, Antara answered stiffly, his expression almost like he had a toothache. “During the time he ran away from home, he traveled with a small, unknown adventurer party. The mage who was with that party was none other than Mage Alan.”
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Author’s note:
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P.S. Alan is a transmigrator, so he carries a protective shield and is completely immune to any cognitive distortions. But some dragons don’t know this. (Wow, I’m back to writing those old-school melodramatic twists!)
P.P.S. The dragon only performs so-called “hunting” behavior during mating… yet due to his tragic background, in his eyes, this is nothing less than disgusting predation.
