Chapter 16: Lucien and Irelia - Relic?

Chapter 16: Lucien and Irelia - Relic?Lucien shouted, then slowly emerged from behind the large tree. He limped, using his greatsword as a crutch. His eyes were still affected by the snake’s poisonous smoke from earlier, and with dusk falling, he truly couldn’t see clearly what the girl in front of him looked like. Though he couldn’t see her clearly, she could see him very well. The girl was a little surprised when she saw the look in his eyes and all his wounds. A dagger was still embedded in his thigh, his body was covered in countless bleeding wounds. But most striking of all were his eyes... They made her both surprised and a little afraid. Those eyes seemed to hold a fire within, filled with hatred and resolve, as if hell was right behind him and the only thing he could do was keep moving forward. "You... you..." Seeing Lucien, the girl stammered, forgetting what she was about to say. Lucien panted, gritting his teeth, and placed a hand on his chest. Even though he was badly injured, he still performed the noble’s greeting etiquette. He wanted to show friendliness, to let the other person know he wasn’t a bad guy. "It’s our first meeting. I am Lucien... a probationary student of Carol Magic Academy. Please trust me, I’m lost in the forest, I hope you can help me a little." "Ah!" Hearing Lucien’s voice, the girl instantly snapped out of it: "A probationary student?" "That’s right." Lucien nodded. "Do you have your student card with you?" Though she already believed Lucien, the girl still wanted to check according to protocol. Lucien took a small card from his pocket and showed it to her. Seeing the card, she breathed a sigh of relief. But then, she quickly said, "Come on, let’s get inside first and talk later." She walked up and tried to help him into the cave. Lucien was startled and quickly avoided her hand: "Sorry, I... I can walk by myself. I’m very dirty, I’ll get you dirty." "Tsk!" The girl clicked her tongue in annoyance, "Don’t think just because you’re a man you’re stronger than me." "I don’t care about getting dirty, what are you so worried about?" She was so forceful it took Lucien by surprise. Before he could protest, she had already wrapped one of his arms around her shoulder and helped him into the cave. Once inside, Lucien saw a fire burning, making the place much brighter and warmer than outside. He sat with his back against the cave wall, looking at the girl. Now he could see her much more clearly. She was about 160 cm tall, with a strong build, shoulder-length black hair, sun-kissed skin, and a beautiful face that accentuated her strength. Her presence was in no way inferior to any male knight he had ever met. Looking at her, Lucien felt as if he were seeing a sturdy wall, giving others a sense of reassurance. "Don’t worry," the girl said with a smile. "My name is Irelia Ashford, a student of the Magic Academy, a Knight, Initiate level – Mid-stage." "Remember my name well, because in the future, everyone will sing my praises." Hearing her words, Lucien’s despair and tension eased a bit, even giving him a small sense of hope. "I’ll definitely remember your name. Thank you, Lady Ashford, I—" "Don’t call me ’Lady’, just call me Ashford or Irelia, I don’t care." Irelia waved her hand, her expression completely relaxed and casual like a man, not bothered at all by such formalities. Lucien was a bit surprised, then laughed, "Then... Irelia, is it okay if I call you that?" Irelia nodded, "Whatever. I’m not the kind of delicate, fussy woman like the others. Names are just for addressing each other, call me however you want." "Anyway, never mind that. Why are you so badly injured?" Lucien heard Irelia’s question and let out a sigh, then recounted how he had risked his life entering this forest in search of the Awakening Stone, preparing for the duel in two weeks. When Irelia finished listening, she frowned, clenching her teeth: "A liar, huh. I can’t believe someone like that actually exists in this world." "That bastard Lathel—where is he? I’ll help you kill him." Lucien shook his head, "No need. I’ll take my revenge with my own hands, win back the woman I love, and let everyone see Lathel’s true, deceitful face." As he spoke, his brows furrowed, eyes filled with hatred, his hands clenching so tightly they turned white, as if he wanted to tear Lathel into a hundred pieces right then and there. "Hahahaha..." Irelia laughed heartily, "That’s right, that’s how a man should be! Don’t be a liar like that bastard Lathel." "Huh! He’s just a useless nobody. No matter how much he pretends to be virtuous or kind, he’s still just an ordinary person." "Killing him will be as easy as squashing an ant, you don’t need to worry." At that, Irelia took out a small bottle containing a greenish liquid and handed it to Lucien. "Drink it!" Hearing Irelia’s command, Lucien looked at the bottle in confusion, "What’s this?" "A healing potion. It can’t fully heal your wounds, but at least it’ll help reduce the pain and stop the bleeding." Lucien was startled and quickly refused, "This is too valuable, I can’t accept it." He knew full well how precious this kind of thing was. For Awakened, its price was already high, nearly impossible to buy. So for an ordinary person, something like this was completely out of reach. "You talk too much!" Irelia pouted. "If I tell you to drink it, just drink it. Why all the fuss?" She said as she shoved the bottle into Lucien’s hand. Holding the bottle, Lucien glanced at the dagger still embedded in his thigh, gritted his teeth and said, "Thank you, Irelia. I’ll repay this favor tenfold in the future." With that, he immediately pulled the knife from his thigh. Pfff! "AGH!" Immediately, fresh blood gushed from the wound, accompanied by Lucien’s cry of pain. He gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the agony, then downed the entire potion in one gulp. The medicine turned into a warm current of energy, spreading throughout his body, causing all his wounds to stop bleeding and even begin to heal. Even the deepest wound on his thigh closed up and scabbed over, no longer bleeding. Lucien exhaled, feeling much better than before. He looked at Irelia, bowed his head, and said, "Thank you, it’s because of you that I—" "That’s enough!" Irelia waved her hand, clearly uninterested. "Don’t say so much. If you’re a man, prove it with your actions, not your words." Lucien smiled at that, nodding lightly, "You’re right." "Huh!" Irelia suddenly snorted disdainfully, her face showing irritation and frustration. "Two weeks from now, you’d better win. I can’t stand liars like that." Lucien nodded, speaking with confidence, "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely win. It’s just... I wanted to increase my chances to one hundred percent, so I risked coming into this forest to search for the Awakening Stone." "Irelia, what about you? Why are you here?" Irelia sat by the campfire, her eyes fixed on the burning flames, a hint of sorrow crossing her face. Lucien seemed to realize something and immediately said, "Sorry, if you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to." "No, it’s just..." Irelia shook her head, "I just feel really disappointed, that’s all." "My father... when he saw I only had F-rank potential, he decided I was worthless. So... he tried to force me to marry some other noble." "Ah!" Lucien was startled to hear that, and was even more surprised to realize that what Irelia was going through was so similar to Selvia’s story. Lucien thought of the woman he loved most—Selvia. She too had been forced to marry that bastard Lathel. And now Irelia was the same, forced to marry someone she didn’t love. Maybe... that was also why Irelia had gotten so angry when she heard his story. Because, in some way, their stories mirrored each other. Perhaps it was this sense of shared fate that made them empathize with each other. "That’s why I want to show him that I’m not useless." Irelia clenched her fists, her eyes a little misty as she bit her lip. "I’m just like you—I want to find the Awakening Stone. I heard that if I use it, I might be able to awaken a much better talent." "My fate should be in my own hands. I don’t want anyone else to control my destiny." Hearing that, Lucien burst out laughing: "Hahahaha... You’re right. Our fate is ours to decide." "Hahahaha... Yes, that’s right. Hahahaha..." Irelia, for some reason, found herself laughing along with Lucien. It was as if, in that moment, their wounded hearts were healing one another. "Ah! But if there’s only one Awakening Stone, what are we going to do?" Lucien teased. "Huh! Of course, we’ll use our strength to see who’s truly worthy of it." Irelia said, raising her fist in front of him, a playful challenge on her face. Lucien wasn’t afraid—he laughed, "Good! Then, when the time comes, we’ll... huh?!" Suddenly, his voice stopped as he caught sight of something strange. "What’s that..." Lucien murmured, pointing towards the entrance of the cave. Irelia followed his gaze and saw outside, countless glowing orbs floating in the air, drifting deeper into the forest. The once-dark woods were now illuminated by those orbs, the scene magical and otherworldly. Irelia was clearly stunned as well; she frowned and said, "This... it looks like a Relic is about to appear." "A Relic?" Lucien asked, puzzled. But Irelia didn’t answer—she just grinned, "Come on, let’s go have a look. Maybe this is our lucky chance."