Chương 298: Who i Love

Vale looked down at Nym and swallowed nervously as she held his hands with surprising firmness. Despite the turmoil twisting through his chest, his footwork remained flawless, every step matching hers as though they had fallen into a rhythm older than conscious thought. Around them, music drifted through the grand hall in gentle waves while violins and pianos blended into a distant melody.

The voices of nobles, officers, and dignitaries gradually faded into the background until all Vale could truly focus on was the girl standing before him. For a while, neither spoke. They simply danced beneath the crystal chandeliers as light shimmered across Nym's crimson dress and swept over the polished marble floor. Her dark hair framed her face perfectly, and her emerald eyes never once wavered from his. Vale found himself holding her gaze longer than intended before a genuine smile finally crept onto his face.

"You know," he said quietly, "I was planning to think about this a little longer." Nym's grin widened immediately. She already knew where the conversation was heading.

"Oh?" she asked.

"And what conclusion did our great strategist reach?" Vale rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't go that far." The look she gave him made it painfully obvious she already knew the answer. With a sigh, he finally relented.

"How about it? When all of this is over... let's go out." A spark lit up in Nym's eyes.

"Ohhh?" She leaned slightly closer.

"And what exactly would we do?" Vale froze. The question should have been easy. He had fought monsters, survived impossible trials, and stood before beings capable of leveling cities, yet somehow he had absolutely no idea what people were supposed to do on dates. Nym watched the gears grind to a halt inside his head, her amusement growing with every passing second until the silence became impossible to ignore. Eventually, he found an answer.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Nym's expression collapsed in disappointment.

"So you're boring." Vale frowned.

"What?"

"A movie?" She sounded genuinely offended.

"That's your first idea?"

"It seemed reasonable."

"It seems terrible."

"You asked."

"I was hoping for something better."

"Like what?"

"I don't know." Vale stared at her.

"That's not very helpful." Nym waved a dismissive hand.

"I'll decide when the time comes." His eyebrow rose immediately.

"What do you mean when the time comes?" She laughed, loud and genuine enough to catch him completely off guard.

"Please. I know you." Vale narrowed his eyes.

"You do?"

"Unfortunately." She pointed directly at him.

"You're far too cautious to actually ask me out while we're trapped in this place. You're going to wait until everything is over, then you'll show up with some serious expression and say something like, 'Once we escape this hell, I'll take you out properly.'" Vale nearly choked. The heat rushing into his face told him everything he needed to know, and Nym immediately burst into laughter. Turning his head away, he muttered, "I guess that's not entirely wrong." This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road.

If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. The moment he looked elsewhere, Nym stepped directly onto his foot. Vale hissed in pain.

"Ouch!"

"Look at me." The humor vanished from her voice so suddenly that he obeyed without thinking. When their eyes met again, the smug grin was gone. For a brief moment she looked strangely serious, her expression softer than he was used to seeing. Neither looked away. The dance continued as they moved across the ballroom beneath a sea of crystal light. The nobles surrounding them became little more than distant shapes while the orchestra swelled and faded around them.

Time seemed to lose its meaning, leaving only the warmth of her hands and the quiet understanding that had formed between them. Minutes slipped by unnoticed, and neither appeared particularly eager to be the first to let go. Eventually the music faded and their movements slowed with it. The spell broke reluctantly as they stepped away from one another and left the dance floor. Vale released her hands and smiled.

"You've gotten good." Nym grinned.

"So have you. Your footwork is way better than it used to be." Vale chuckled before his expression sharpened slightly.

"I'm pretty sure I could beat you now."

"That's adorable." Nym started walking, and Vale naturally fell into step beside her.

"Believe me," she continued, "after all the training I've gone through, there aren't many people in Irea who can actually beat me." Vale raised an eyebrow.

"So you're Sentinel level?" She hesitated for only a fraction of a second.

"Something like that." He let out a low whistle.

"Damn." Nym shrugged.

"Though Korin is hardly a good comparison." Vale blinked.

"What do you mean?" She looked at him strangely before realization crossed her face.

"Oh." A sigh escaped her.

"You don't know." Vale felt his stomach tighten.

"Know what?" Nym folded her arms.

"Korin is the only person who's ever managed to hold his ground against Commander Ares." Vale stopped walking so abruptly that Nym nearly took another step before noticing.

"What?" She looked confused by his reaction.

"Well, yeah." Vale stared at her for several seconds.

"You're telling me Korin fought Ares?"

"Of course." Nym tilted her head slightly.

"He killed the Paragon of Stone." Immediately Vale's expression darkened.

"Don't phrase it like that." The casual confidence vanished from Nym's face.

"Why not?"

"You know exactly why." A brief silence settled between them. Nym looked away for a moment before speaking again.

"He still killed a Paragon." Vale's hands clenched at his sides.

"He didn't have a choice. He had no control over what happened."

"Maybe not."

"Then stop talking about it like he did." Nym's gaze snapped back to his. A cold edge entered her voice, not born from anger but from conviction.

"I'm not saying he wanted to. I'm saying that someone capable of doing that is dangerous."

"Nym."

"No." She shook her head before he could interrupt.

"I'm serious. If he lost control once, he can lose control again." Vale felt irritation rising in his chest.

"You know him. You've spent time with him. You know he's not some monster waiting to snap." Nym folded her arms.

"And if he transforms tomorrow?" Vale opened his mouth, only to stop.

"And if he loses control again? If the next person standing in front of him isn't a Paragon but an innocent civilian?" Vale couldn't answer because he understood exactly what she meant. He knew how powerful Korin truly was. If that power was ever unleashed in the middle of a city, most people wouldn't survive long enough to understand what was happening. Including him. Nym saw the realization in his eyes and released a quiet sigh.

"I thought so." The tension lingered as neither moved. The warmth from the dance floor felt impossibly distant now, replaced by a heavy silence neither seemed eager to break. Eventually Vale rubbed a hand across his forehead.

"How the hell did we go from planning a date to arguing about Korin?" That earned the faintest hint of a smile.

"No idea." She exhaled slowly.

"But I don't think neither of us is changing our mind." Stepping around him, she started toward the ballroom entrance.

"I'll be the bigger person and leave before this turns into an actual fight." Vale remained silent. Nym had only taken a few steps when his voice stopped her.

"Nym." She paused and glanced back over her shoulder. Vale stared at the floor for a moment before speaking.

"He was my first friend." The words came out quieter than he intended. Nym froze. For several seconds neither spoke. Then she looked away.

"If he killed his own father while he was like that..." Her voice softened slightly.

"... do you really think being his friend changes what he's capable of?" Vale couldn't answer. Nym closed her eyes and released a tired sigh.

"That's what I thought." She turned and resumed walking, leaving Vale standing alone with thoughts he didn't want to have. He hated the conversation, hated that she had a point, and hated most of all that he couldn't dismiss her concerns as ignorance. Friendship didn't erase reality, and reality was that Korin possessed enough power to terrify even people who cared about him. The silence stretched for several moments. Then applause echoed across the balcony.

The sound cut through the stillness with surgical precision, drawing both Vale and Nym toward the archway leading back into the ballroom. A man stood there. Everything about him was immaculate. Ivory-white hair reflected the chandelier light, and a thin scar crossing his lower lip gave an otherwise handsome face a subtle hint of danger.

His suit was tailored from materials so expensive that even most nobles would struggle to afford them, while pale blue eyes studied the pair with an unsettling mixture of amusement and calculation.

"Well now," he said pleasantly, continuing his measured applause.

"What a fascinating conversation. You two have a remarkably complicated relationship." The smile on his face never wavered. The moment Vale saw him, every instinct in his body began screaming. Danger. Not the overwhelming force Ares projected. Not the predatory monstrosity of Illu. This was different. The sort of danger that smiled while deciding whether you were useful. Shade immediately stirred around Vale's wrist.

The black bracelet tightened almost imperceptibly, the living shadow watching the newcomer with silent hostility. Vale's eyes narrowed. The stranger's smile widened. He had noticed. And somehow, he seemed pleased by it. The air felt colder. As though the balcony itself had become too small. Vale's hand twitched.

"You're Wolf." The man's smile widened.

"Ah." Recognition glimmered in his pale eyes.

"So you've heard of me." Placing a hand over his chest, Wolf offered a flawless bow so polite it felt almost insulting. Every movement was practiced to perfection, the sort of performance cultivated by someone who spent his life manipulating first impressions.

"That saves me the trouble of introductions." When he straightened, the smile never left his face. If anything, it became more unsettling.

"A pleasure to finally meet you, Vale."