Chương 70

Princess Nerissa stared at the canteen sitting in the dirt. She didn't reach for it. Instead, her grip on the jagged rock tightened, her knuckles turning white. She looked at Rudra's friendly, waving hand, then glared at the pile of grey ash that used to be a Level 214 Imperial elite.

"You expect me to believe you are just a cook?" Nerissa rasped, her voice harsh and completely devoid of trust.

"You just slaughtered an entire squad of the Empress's personal trackers with your bare hands and a piece of wood. Cooks do not fight like monsters." Rudra scratched the back of his head, feeling a little awkward.

"I'm a very aggressive cook?" Nerissa didn't laugh. She kept her back pressed firmly against the boulder, her blue eyes darting toward Elysia.

"I know what she is," Nerissa hissed, pointing her rock at the silver-haired knight.

"The Red Knights are the absolute sword of the Empire. They are the ones who hunt non-humans for sport. If you think offering me water is going to make me lower my guard so she can chop my head off, you are insane." Elysia looked down. She didn't draw her sword or argue. She just took two slow, deliberate steps backward, creating distance to show she wasn't going to attack.

"The Empire you speak of took everything from me," Elysia said, her voice quiet but heavy.

"I was betrayed by my own commander. I was poisoned and left to die in the mud. I am a Red Knight in name only. My sword belongs to him now." Nerissa frowned, clearly torn. Her scales were flaking, and her breathing was ragged. She was dying of dehydration, but her pride as a Siren royalty kept her rooted to the spot. Rudra let out a soft sigh. He reached into his inventory and pulled out a small, dried strip of sweet river-kelp.

He took a bite of it, chewing it slowly, then tossed the rest of the bundle into the dirt next to the canteen.

"Look," Rudra said, his tone gentle but grounded.

"If we wanted to harvest your scales, we would have just let those Imperial dogs finish the job, or done it ourselves while you were staring at us. But we didn't. You need water, and you need to eat. Keep holding the rock if it makes you feel safe, but please, drink." Nerissa stared at the kelp, then at the water. Her survival instincts finally won out over her paranoia. Keeping her eyes locked on Rudra, she snatched the canteen and the kelp.

She popped the cap and chugged the water like she had been wandering a desert for a week. As she drank, the dry, flaking blue scales on her arms and neck slowly regained a healthy, shimmering luster.

"Better?" Rudra asked, offering a small smile under his mask. Before Nerissa could answer, the sharp sound of crunching leaves and snapping twigs echoed from the dense tree line to their left. Rudra's lighthearted demeanor vanished instantly. He immediately raised his guard, assuming more Imperial Hounds had arrived as backup. He grabbed his Fire Lord staff and stepped cleanly between Nerissa and the trees, planting his boots in the dirt.

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"Elysia, watch the flanks," Rudra muttered, his muscles tensing for a fight.

"You don't need to swing that thing at us, man," a confident voice called out. Two figures stepped into the clearing. The first was a sharp-eyed player with a beard wearing light, highly practical armor. He had a relaxed, competitive grin on his face, and his hand rested casually on the hilt of a sword at his hip. But it was the second figure that made the air in the clearing grow heavy. Trailing behind the player was an old man in filthy, ragged clothes.

He held a half-empty bottle of cheap liquor in his trembling hand. He reeked of stale booze and unwashed sweat. His posture was completely slouched, and his eyes stared blankly at the ground, looking like a man who had been hollowed out from the inside. Elysia's eyes widened. She took a hesitant step forward, completely ignoring the player. She stared directly at the old man.

"Sir Winfred?" Elysia breathed, her voice trembling in absolute disbelief.

"The Red Sage? Is that... is that really you?" The old man flinched violently. He looked up, his bloodshot, sunken eyes locking onto Elysia's silver hair. He immediately stumbled backward, dropping his liquor bottle. It shattered on the rocks. He pulled his ragged hood desperately over his face.

"No," Winfred mumbled, his voice thick and broken.

"No, you shouldn't look at me. I'm not him. I am no Sage." Elysia looked heartbroken.

"Sir Winfred, what are you talking about? You were our greatest tactician! You were Piaro's right hand! How did you end up like this? We need you. We need to rally the surviving knights!"

"There is nothing left to rally!" Winfred suddenly screamed, his voice cracking with a raw, agonizing despair. He slumped against a tree, sliding down until he was sitting in the dirt, clutching his head.

"Strategy? Tactics?" Winfred wept, his shoulders shaking.

"It didn't save my wife. It didn't save my boy. I watched Asmophel's blade cut them down right in front of me, Elysia! I watched my own home burn, and I ran away! I ran because I was too weak to stop it!" Elysia stood there, her fists clenched at her sides, completely paralyzed. The invincible 1st Red Knight, the genius who had won countless wars for the Empire, was sitting in the mud, utterly shattered. Nerissa watched the old man cry, her hostility faltering into an uncomfortable silence. Rudra lowered his staff.

He didn't say anything. There was no soup or clever joke that could fix the kind of trauma radiating from the old man. The confident player, however, just let out a long sigh and stepped forward.

"He's been like this since I found him a year ago," the player said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's a huge bummer, but he still knows how to train a guy when he's sober. I'm Haster, by the way. I'm his disciple." Rudra tilted his head, looking at the player.

"Do I know you?"

"You probably wouldn't. I haven't left much of a footprint," Haster laughed, crossing his arms. He looked Rudra up and down, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"But I know you. I like fighting strong people, so I keep a very close eye on the leaderboards. I tracked you down into these woods because I had to see the guy who finally bypassed Kraugel." Rudra blinked.

"Bypassed Kraugel? Kraugel is Rank 1. I'm nowhere near him." Haster grinned, a wide, thrilled expression spreading across his face.

"You really don't check the forums, do you?" Rudra felt his stomach completely drop. He quickly opened his system interface and pulled up the Unified Global Rankings. [Rank 1: Rudra Level 153] [Rank 2: Kraugel Level 152] Rudra stared at the golden crown icon resting right next to his name.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Rudra whispered, rubbing his face.

"Everyone is going to bother me now." Haster drew his sword. The steel caught the sunlight, and a fierce, highly competitive aura flared around his body.

"I'm sorry if this seems rude but," Haster smiled, falling into a flawless combat stance.

"I just want to see the gap between myself and the absolute top. Let's see what the new Rank 1 can do. Spar with me, Rudra."