TBATE | King Grey

-CHAPTER 19- Hidden in the mountain

The silver haired woman—or Sylvia, as she called herself, guided me across the Elshire forest without any trouble. It had been a few hours since we started walking, and our approach was slow but steady.

Due to the fog that was surrounding the tree canopies above us like thick bundles of blankets, the visible light had started to dim as the sun slowly settled to its slumber.

I looked towards Sylvia, who had gone silent for a while now. We had talked a lot on our way—or rather, I have, while she kept asking me questions and listened intently to everything that came out of my mouth.

Her curiosity made her seem like a little girl, smiling joyously and listening to her grandfather's stories—still, I wasn't completely fooled by her facade.

Even without being able to sense mana at my current state...I could say that she's anything but a little girl.

Most of her questions were about my past life—which actually didn't surprise me that much. But what did surprise me were the nature of the questions she had posed.

She seemed to be strangely interested in the relationships I had when I was King Grey, and their deep specifics. It ranged from my wife, my son, to even the ones who had played their role in me becoming a king in the distant past.

While at first I hesitated to give out any crucial information, she had invoked our deal—one of the three clauses that she had set in return for creating a mana core.

This particular set of questions seems to come under 'Knowledge', as she informed me. I wasn't sure if this was her mere curiosity, but I was not at a position to reject answering her.

Walking around a fallen tree trunk and leaping across a small mud puddle, I followed the golden nimbus—or 'aura' as she called it—that guided us along the trail.

My eyes soon found themselves on Sylvia's back, as they have been doing the whole time. And, I couldn't help but speak.

"You keep asking me questions about my personal life. Is it not fair to answer the same about yours?"

Sylvia looked over her shoulders as she had done all of our journey. Her features were illuminated by the guiding golden light, making her practically glow like some goddess who had descended down to the mortal land.

As I was thinking this, her voice came and pulled me out of my stupor. "Need I remind you that it is in your best obligation to answer to my queries?"

I shrugged silently knowing that she was right. 'I tried.' I told myself, but stopped when Sylvia continued speaking. "But, by all means, I suppose I can answer you a question or two. So...ask away, Grey."

I was taken aback by complete surprise that she had accepted to answer my questions. So I pondered deeply about what I wanted to ask.

"What are you, if not human? And why are you here in the middle of the forest? And where did you come from? Finally, why are you helping me, really?"

Sylvia abruptly came to a stop and looked over her shoulders as a playful smile formed on her thin lips. "My, my, Grey. Aren't you being a little greedy? Try not to steal away all of this poor lady's wisdom. For that is all I have left." She stifled a chuckle as her fingers pressed against her curved and quivering lips.

Though I wasn't sure if she was amused at my series of questions, or feeling melancholic about answering them.

I opened my mouth to retort anyway, but stopped, when she turned back and resumed walking, as I quickly trailed her from behind. For a few more seconds, only silence lingered, which was then broken by her voice. "I suppose I will answer to your questions, since I have given you my word. For your first question, you will know soon enough as for what I am. I ask you to wait till we are at a safer location. For your second and third questions, I can say that, I come from a place far away from anything you would know, or heard of. As for why I am here...I'm simply hiding myself from my enemies."