Necromancer's Descent

71 - Humiliation

Claudius' Point of View

I feel my feet frozen to the ground at the sight in front of me, as Johannes' scream echoes through the courtyard.

His bleeding figure wrapped in the deeply orange light in the sunset.

My skin crawls, as my mind struggles to connect reality with the expectations I had in my mind.

What is this?

What in the world is going on with the red magic aura?

Why is it partly solidified? Was that something it could do?

No, not that, why did this happen?

I remember asking Mia what the plan was for Theodore, considering he was one of my brother's retainers. I remember her saying there would be no point in getting him on our side, because anything he could offer would be given to Johannes when Theodore died.

She even said that Theodore would never hurt Johannes... something which I believed as well after growing up with them. It was always as if Theodore avoided anywhere dangerous to hit Johannes when they were sparring, not that... I have any memory of Johannes ever even being hit by him. I was so sure it was a matter of skill.

And yet... Johannes, now on the ground, crawls backwards as blood bursts out of his arm, mixing with the muddy wet ground and turning it deep, dark red. Wallis pulls Johannes away from Theodore, who doesn't move, but just stares down at Johannes with these empty looking eyes, like he's staring bored at an ant missing its leg.

I remember seeing Johannes beat up Theodore so often, and Theodore just pressing a smile through his lips, complimenting Johannes how strong he is... how he'd look forward to Johannes becoming the Lord of House Troyfort...

Is that truly the same person?

"What are you doing, Theodore?!" I hear Wallis ask with desperation in his voice, making Theodore glance to him with this cold but almost empty look.

"Punishing my brother."

Then he looks down at Johannes who seems to be frozen at Theodore's change of personality. I can only imagine what's going through his head, considering how Theodore used to adore him.

"He's lucky he had a fate mage with him."

Crunch.

I look to the red aura as it, like a beast playing with its food, flips the arm in the air, chomps down, splitting both the arm and the sword into pieces, then again... and again, grinds its teeth, until both the sword and Johannes arm drips to the ground as a mushy mixture of death, spreading the smell across the courtyard.

That's why Wallis ran? He saw Johannes be killed in a premonition?

"W-why?" Wallis' voice has hints of confusion and despair in it.

"Because I've seen enough. Even if he's a genius, if he can't see beyond his own intense desires, then all that knowledge is useless."

Mia finally seems to snap out of her confusion, and rushes to Johannes side. Placing her hands on his shoulder, and where his arm used to be..

"Overheal!"

Theodore just stares down coldly at Johannes and Mia, as Johannes' arm begins to reform.

"So if it's your lover, then you're not too tired to use overheal, Saintess Mia? Even though you couldn't bother healing just a single knight, even after you demanded of Rosalin that she murders me?"

I might not have any detect lie skills, but since we've been fighting together, I know that both Henrietta and Johannes have it... and they're both staring at Mia. Johannes with denial in his eyes... and Henrietta with disappointment in hers. It says too much... and even worse, because of the chaos made earlier, practically the entire castle has gathered to watch.