The Ark Of Dying By Your Choice

"From here on out, things will get spicy and more complex from what we've gone through," warned the Headmaster as the group nodded their heads.

"That's true... Maybe I can help with the deal if I don't disappear from here again. And one factor deciding for me to join was because Mavislin was so nice and adorable... How could I resist that little Valkyrie's pouting face?"

Rina couldn't control herself and burst out laughing while Bryan giggled. Ashley seemed offended while the Headmaster had to look away to hide his laughter.

"What's so funny? I truly thought that Mav's pouting face was cute and irresistible... Like a baby wanting more candy or a puppy trying to get more playtime..."

"No... There's nothing wrong with thinking that way about Lady Roydon... I'm laughing because we've got the same impression of Mavislin. A tiny girl loves her toys, and her allies are the ones we've sworn loyalty to," replied Rina, smiling.

"Alright then, with that story out of the way, let's discuss about what the imposter said about the King and the revived Knights," said the Headmaster, pulling out his book.

"Yes, Vanoss told me the King had projected the memories of every Knight that served her into Fabian's dolls. But I had no idea that Magecraft can be that powerful," said Ashley as he watched the Headmaster writing in the opened book.

Gillian halted his writing and looked up at the Marksman. The Headmaster turned around and scanned his bookshelf for something but eventually gave up and spoke to the group.

"Magecraft can be honed to levels where even the laws of physics can be defied. I'm not surprised that Fabian's dolls would replicate another soul of the past. However, it is surprising that the Knights have got powers that can put up fights with us."

"Having powers should be expected, but how you three talked about your duels against them makes me feel something else is amiss. Anyways, perhaps we should wait for the rest to come back before proceeding on. After he was gone, what did you do, Ash?" asked the Headmaster.

"After the imposter vanished, I had no time to rest as I was whisked away to Bryan's location and helped them both in their battles. Now, we are only waiting for Mavislin and the twins to come back so we can head out for the last target," said the Marksman.

"You continue to scare me the more you walk this place again, Human Hawkeye. But I can't blame you since you didn't have the same upbringing as your brother. But that's beside the point now as now we can confirm the Element behind the King's revival."

"I had hoped this problem wouldn't influence the Element of Corruption, but I guess fate hates for some reason..." said Gillian, yawning.

"It hates us all by the looks of things... Besides, my opponent's death surprised me since I had never expected Tristan to commit suicide... I thought he would put up another fighting or get controlled like Rina's target," murmured Ashley, cracking his neck.

"That's another point; Tristan wasn't the type to take his life when faced with a high-pressure situation. So it seems quite cowardly for the man to take the easy way out..." said the Headmaster, looking at his bookshelves.

"No, I think Tristan's move was needed because if he had continued raging on, he wouldn't be doing so for himself. Just imagine this; you've arrived back from a journey to find that everyone you knew had already passed on and that you were supposed to be dead."

"Not understanding the situation, you head back to your boss and seek confirmation. Your King says not to worry, follow his lead and do your duty to serve him as a Knight. You do so for a few months before fighting a member of the Arks, who accused you of killing innocent people."

"On one side, Tristan was doing as he was told. On the other, he is a killer without a proper reason. After discovering the truth that he had been lied to, it would only make sense for Tristan to take his own life. He couldn't take any more lies, so he destroyed the illusion before it continued."

"He was ending his dream and returning to where he belonged via his own choice, not by anybody else's control. I find that honorable. Tristan died by his means, not by the moves of others," explained Rina while looking down at the ground.

"Perhaps you are right; you can only disgrace the dead that much, so I won't be insulting him anymore," replied Ashley, shrugging.

"What about that imposter? Did he give any good hints about where the Black Knight might be or if he is involved with the matter?" questioned the Headmaster.