Chương 341: Struggle of the Mind

The heavy wooden door to the waiting room burst open. Vale slowly lifted his head, his expression carrying little more than exhaustion and mild annoyance after everything that had happened. Standing in the doorway was a tall young man clad in the familiar uniform of the Royal Guard. His broad frame nearly filled the entrance, his brown hair carrying a faint reddish tint beneath the afternoon sunlight spilling into the room. The moment their eyes met, the man hurried inside.

"Vale!" he exclaimed.

"What the hell happened out there?! How were you suddenly able to defeat all three commanders so easily?" Vale stared at him. Several long seconds passed in complete silence as he carefully studied the young guard, his mind sorting through thousands upon thousands of memories that all competed for his attention. Eventually, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"... Korin, right?" Korin blinked, his expression shifting from confusion to concern.

"What happened?" he asked cautiously.

"Did your memories get wiped again?" Vale couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, right..." He rubbed the back of his neck with an embarrassed smile.

"I guess you didn't hear me screaming 'I remember now' in the middle of the arena." Understanding slowly dawned on Korin's face.

"... Your curse..." Vale nodded.

"Yeah." His smile became genuine.

"It's gone." For a heartbeat, Korin simply stood there, unable to respond. Then, without warning, he stepped forward and wrapped both arms around Vale in a crushing embrace powerful enough to squeeze the air from his lungs. Vale's eyes widened.

"K-Korin..." He repeatedly patted the larger man's back.

"Let go... please..." Realizing his mistake, Korin released him and took an awkward step backward.

"Sorry!" he said sheepishly.

"I was just... glad." Vale rubbed his aching ribs before letting out an amused sigh.

"I noticed." Korin laughed nervously, though his expression quickly settled into something more serious.

"So... remembering your first trial really made you that much stronger?" Vale dismissed the thought with a lazy wave of his hand.

"I didn't actually become stronger." He leaned casually against a nearby table.

"I just remembered how to fight." His gaze drifted absentmindedly toward the window.

"And... yeah." A quiet laugh escaped him.

"Looking back on it, that place was basically hell. It was an endless cycle of death and rebirth, over and over again. Every single day was spent trying to defeat one man." Korin let out a low whistle.

"Damn..." He folded his arms thoughtfully.

"He must've been one hell of an opponent if he managed to teach you that much before you finally beat him." Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. After a brief pause, curiosity got the better of him.

"How long were you there?" Vale genuinely had to think. He slowly counted through memories so ancient they barely felt like his own anymore before finally answering.

"I believe..."

"... around fifty thousand years." Silence filled the room. Korin simply stared. Vale merely shrugged.

"And even then, the only reason I finally managed to win was because I learned Nirvana." Korin wore an expression of complete disbelief.

"... That sounds more like a fourth trial than a first." Vale shrugged once more.

"Well..." A crooked smile spread across his face.

"I'm an anomaly." He spread his hands in mock surrender.

"Seems I'm special in more ways than one." Korin shook his head, laughing quietly.

"I still don't know if I believe half the things you just said."

"You don't have to."

"I figured." The two shared another brief chuckle before Korin cleared his throat.

"Anyway... that's not the only reason I came." Vale wandered toward a nearby counter, filled a glass with water, and took a long drink while gesturing for Korin to continue.

"So..."

"Who's unfortunate enough to be stuck traveling with me?" Korin leaned casually against the wall.

"I can't really complain about the squad they put together. First is myself." He held up a second finger.

"Second is a healer, Nova." Vale nodded thoughtfully.

"The blonde girl Eskar had a crush on?"

"The very same."

"I didn't know she was a healer."

"An exceptional one," Korin replied.

"She's probably one of the best we've got. More importantly, she isn't helpless in a fight either, so she won't be dead weight." Vale nodded approvingly.

"That's good." He took another sip of water before glancing back toward Korin.

"I do have to admit, though... I'm honestly surprised the Royal Guard allowed you to join." Korin chuckled.

"Ares insisted." His smile became slightly strained.

"When Wolf gave the order, Ares argued hard enough that we couldn't refuse outright. Eventually, we managed to negotiate." He shrugged.

"We couldn't stop the expedition... but we could decide who went on it." Vale nodded slowly.

"So you got lucky."

"We did." Korin hesitated before continuing.

"... As for the final member..." Vale turned toward him. The hesitation in Korin's voice caught his attention long before the words themselves.

"... It's Nym." The glass stopped halfway toward Vale's mouth. His fingers tightened around it before he slowly lowered it back onto the counter.

"I... see." His voice came out almost empty. Silence settled over the room. His thoughts became tangled. Even with fifty thousand years of memories restored... The pain remained. Illu was still dead. Nothing had changed that. Part of him knew Nym hadn't intended it. She hadn't known who Lionheart truly was. She hadn't known Illu was simply trying to escape. She had only followed her duty. Yet... Did intent erase consequence? Did ignorance somehow bring Illu back? No. Illu was still gone.

The wound in Vale's heart remained just as deep. Could he truly work alongside the woman who had killed his closest companion... even if it hadn't truly been her fault? His thoughts spiraled before finally settling into a long, weary sigh.

"... Why is she joining?" Korin sighed as well.

"I argued against it." His eyes lowered briefly before meeting Vale's once again.

"But she insisted." He hesitated.

"She said she owes you." Vale let out a groan, dragging both hands across his face.

"Doesn't she realize..." A bitter laugh escaped him.

"... that right now she'd probably be helping me more by staying as far away from me as possible?" Korin didn't answer. There wasn't one fit for this. The silence between them said enough. After another long moment, Vale shook his head firmly.

"No." He pushed himself away from the counter.

"I'm not letting this consume me." His voice steadied as he adjusted the straps of his armor and walked toward the door.

"Come on."

"I still need supplies before we leave." He had barely taken a few steps before suddenly stopping. Turning back toward Korin, he raised an eyebrow.

"Actually..."

"When do we leave?"

"In two days." Korin answered immediately.

"You've got a little time."

"... Not much."

"Two days..." Vale nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll head to the library then." After a brief pause, he added,"We're allowed to bring mounts... right?" The question left his mouth before he realized what he had asked. A cold ache spread through his chest. Illu.

"Yeah." His voice remained gentle.

"They're allowed to escort us beyond Irea's borders... but after that, they'll have to return." Vale exhaled quietly.

"That's... disappointing." Another brief silence settled between them.

"Guess I'll just have to prepare for walking." He waved lazily over his shoulder as he stepped into the hallway.

"Anyway..."

"I'm heading to the library." A yawn escaped him.

"Good luck getting everything ready."

"I'm honestly exhausted, so unless the world's ending again... please don't bother me." Korin laughed softly.

"Yeah..."

"I can imagine." Without another word, they went their separate ways. Korin disappeared toward the barracks while Vale walked alone through the long stone corridors of the palace, his footsteps echoing softly beneath the vaulted ceilings. His expression gradually became thoughtful as thousands of forgotten memories drifted through his mind like scattered pages of a book.

"Alright..." His voice barely rose above a whisper.

"Think."

"What did I learn back then...?" His pace slowed even further.

"... Was there anything Kealix ever taught me about the Tower of Ruin..."

"... that I don't already remember?"