CHAPTER 94: Answer Me, Knight

"Pull out your sword."

Saphira seriously looked at him after they get to an open area.

Drake scoffed before pulling out his sword but the moment he did pull it out, without inhibition Saphira started attacking him.

Drake may be a man and much taller than Saphira but she had been fighting with stronger oppponents for the 8 long years that they haven't met.

Her attacks were heavy and fast that Drake had little chance to attack and could only defend.

This time it was much more difficult for him than the first time they battled.

"Stop belittling me, you have improved but that doesn't mean I didn't," she angrily said.

Nope not the anger where she would want to kill him or injure him. But the anger that he was looking down at her.

Soon, his sword flew away.

"I told you, until the time that you have defeated me, you have to treat me with the respect a subordinate should give. The way you talked a while ago, it showed clearly how you think so little of my position."

Drake walked to his sword as he didn't want to listen to this.

But just as he picked it up, a dagger went flying to it causing it to fly from his hands once again.

"Do you want me to make you return to the Empire, knight Drake Alphius," she said seriously.

Drake gritted his teeth before finally standing straight ready to listen to her.

"Without thinking about the situation, you raised your voice and went against your commander, is this what a knight should be? Is this how a knight should act?"

She walked over to get closer to him, "You are a knight of an order with a different mission from the rest of the people. You can have all of your emotions and I wouldn't care."

Saphira suddenly exuded an aura of authority he never felt before.

It was as if she was bigger than him.

He wasn't the only one who felt it but the rest of the people as well.

Quite a lot shivered at the pressure they are feeling.

The two leading on this side of the kingdom together with the other four went out and checked on them.

"How many times must I tell you that we are in a mission? I will never stop you in feeling what you want, I have told you for so many times already."

Drake remained silent.

"Are you planning to continue with such attitude?"

He still remained silent.

"Answer me."

Her serious tone and her aura, it gave him even more pressure.

"..."

"Answer me, knight. Are you planning on keeping up with this attitude?"

"N... No, sir," DRake finally relented.

He can tell very clearly, he is no match to her.

Once Saphira really did seriously take him on, he would be easily defeated.

After hearing his answer she retracted her aura and Drake could finally breath properly.

Saphira sighed because so many people have seen such a sight but if she don't make him understand the difference between their mission and their personal lives, he will make mistakes that might cause the others to be placed in danger.

"I apologize, we just had some misunderstanding," she apologized to the two leading the camp in this place.

They shook their heads, but they looked at her differently.

That kind of aura, it couldn't be exuded by people of her age.

It would mostly be by people older than her, more like the seasoned knights.

She was young but she was able to do it.

"Shall we get back inside? I got everything, I'll tell you about it," Hunter told her not sparing Drake a glance.

Willow stayed behind while the rest walked back.

The onlookers did the same but it was etched in their minds.

Her authority wasn't simply a show, she can carry it.

"I will not give up," Drake gritted his teeth.

White Tiger advised him that he should give up his hatred but he didn't want to.

'It wasn't her, you are fully aware of that,' White Tiger continued.

'Shut up, I don't care if its her or her sister. I will only get past this hatred once I have seen her on my feet, writhing in pain.'

White Tiger sighed, at this rate Drake will be filled with nothing but hatred.

As Saphira and the rest walked back to the tent, some were looking at her with wonder and curiosity of why she had disciplined one of her subordinates when they just arrived.

She ignored them and had Hunter tell her the important details.

It was known that most of the villages were already destroyed.

One third of the population were already dead.

Some knights were garvely injured while most were wounded.

They can barely get by because every single day they need to defeat demonic beasts after demonic beasts.

Most of the people who have survived are now on the last walls of the Kingdom, they even built more underground shelters in case the last wall would not be able to last long.

One of the commanders, Juno, chuckled bitterly.

He has white hair and gray eyes, his ability being the sand.

"Even us who are in this shore have already given up our lives. We knew that we will lose our lives in here. But we didn't want to accept defeat without putting a fight."

The other commander, Leon, who has yellow hair and greenish eyes, have the same look as Juno.

His ability being chains.

"Does any of you have any accompanying beast?" Saphira asked.

Leon and Juno looked even more defeated.

"They have died about a year ago. We didn't want them as our shield but some still did so, while the others were protected by their beasts of their own accord," Juno replied.

Saphira pursed her lips, this is indeed a painful situation.

'Maybe all of them used those beasts as shields, they're just trying to cover it up by saying that only some did it,' Vermilion Bird scoffed.

'Stop it, Vermilion Bird. This is no time for such,' she replied seriously.

Vermilion Bird remained quiet seeing as she had even used his name, she must be really serious right now.

"Very well..." she started.