Lances and Daggers

15. Cold and Silent

Many torches burned in the main chamber. But it remained as dark as an ocean trench, and its air was as frigid as the icy winds of the distant north. Even if the sun left its celestial orbit and descended here, it couldn't oppose the gloom or melt my frostbitten heart. I was unable to move, but my mind raced and put together depressing thoughts. When the frost began to melt, it was because my misery had turned into anger.

Standing in front of me, Lord Faust was as calm as before.

"Don't be afraid, Lance," he said. "I will make your dreams come true."

What is he saying? Did he admit that he's behind all of this? I ground my teeth and then said, "If it's just a bad joke, this is your last chance to say so."

"Why would I joke? I revived the Cult of Belphegor, and for a―"

My sword was faster than his tongue. I rushed at him and attacked with all the strength that I could muster. My veins bulged, and my breathing quickened. I shouted, "You made Marie live in fear, made Reinfried suffer, murdered so many people!"

Suddenly, my sword hit a magical barrier. A pale-yellow sphere surrounded Faust, blocked my attack, and sent my sword flying out of my hand. But I didn't give up. I turned around and picked up my weapon. I attacked him again. Every slash was full of rage and disgust. Every strike was powerful enough to render armor useless. But the magical barrier kept Faust untouchable.

"Are you done?" he said after I had tired myself out. "Can we talk now?"

"I have nothing to say to your likes."

I started to attack again. My efforts weren't futile; the barrier was cracking; it was breaking. Both Faust and I knew that it couldn't last for long, and when it shattered, nothing would stand in my way.

"You wanted us to destroy the cult, and this is what I'll do!" I shouted.

Cracks spread on the surface of the barrier. I hammered it five more times. Then it shattered like glass and disappeared into thin air. My sword passed through and almost cut Faust's face in half, but the old noble jumped away at the last moment.

"I thought you would be more civil," he sighed.

After he landed on the ground, I began to chase him around the chamber. Wherever he went, I followed with rapid steps and slashes. I aimed for his neck without hesitation, but he avoided my sword with repeated retreats. When he finally stopped, I swung at him with all my pent-up rage. I thought I had him cornered, since he could neither dodge to a side nor create a new barrier, but his hands started glowing.

What is he doing?

My sword drew a curve and descended toward its target, but Faust did not flinch. He reached for the blade with his bare hands and caught it in mid-air. As soon as his glowing fingers touched the metal blade, it began to melt. My weapon turned into liquid and splashed onto the floor. Only the pommel, grip, and cross-guard remained in my hand. I was frozen with shock, and it was Faust's chance to counter-attack. But he didn't.

"You have caused many problems," he said. "You refused to eat the Fruit of Belphegor. You defeated the Laikos and the demons. Then you killed my most beloved monster. And that is when I realized that I had to do the job myself."

"You couldn't win fairly, so you decided to stab us in the back."

"Yes, how noble of me, right?" he smiled.

"You won't get away with this."

"I am afraid I will. You will die here, and Reinfried will perish in the tunnels. Who will stop me?"