Free Web NovelChapter 375: Herdmaster
"Oh Vale. Are you the only one allowed to kill? I’ll tell you, I killed him because he was talking too much! How about that? What are you going to do? Kill me?"
Tension coiled between them as they stared at each other. Vale was still reeling from Kaelthorn’s accusation and his death. He was about to learn more about Hinterlands, and it did not even matter if the other party was lying!
Vale narrowed his eyes. "You killed him because he was talking too much, didn’t you?"
Isolde smiled faintly. "Well, he was talking too much, but that wasn’t really why I killed him. I killed him because he had served his use."
"What use?" Vale asked, his voice tight.
"To test you out. This whole situation has forced the fact that you are not using an artifact. You are indeed using your own strength. How that is possible, I don’t know, but here we are."
What the....what’s all the confusion? He glared. "Are you not part of the Hollow Grave?"
Suddenly, Isolde froze, her eyes widening as she looked utterly stunned. She took a step back and raised the artifact protectively in front of her. "You! So you knew all this while!"
Vale got all the confirmation he needed. His eyes gleamed. "When is the rest of your gang coming to take me? They should be here soon, right?"
"How? How did you know!" she suddenly demanded.
Eh? This situation....Vale quickly understood that the information between the Vampire Master Knights and this Isolde was completely different. Could it be that there’s a faction struggle in the Hollow Grave?
"I am part of the Hollow Grave," Vale said deadpan.
The reaction was swift. She raised the ball, the enchantment words flaring to life. An almost invisible ripple covered her and made the air around her shimmer. At the same time, she took several steps back, then she stiffened again and her eyes went flat. "Where is your blessing? Show me!"
At this time, Vale smiled. "That fearful reaction....so the Hollow Grave isn’t a united organization. There are different factions, and they’re not all friendly with each other!"
It was then that she realized that she had been tricked, and yet she dared not let her guard down. But instead of showing annoyance, her face bore rekindled interest. "What’s your role in the Hollow Grave? What’s your importance?"
After all, she was not told the real reason why Vale Athrimir was important, only that he needed to be captured.
"My importance...you’ll have to ask the leaders of your Hollow Grave for that. But if you don’t know this information by now, then it means you simply are too low-ranking and have little use in the organization."
Her fingers tightened on the artifact, and she hissed. "What do you know? You, who are even ignorant about the doings of your family....."
Suddenly, she stiffened. Her face darkened. "Who goes there?"
Vale also raised his head and narrowed his eyes. He had sensed something just then. But he kept quiet, his vigilance rising even higher. ’...is the Hollow Grave finally showing themselves.....’
Isolde raised her artifact even higher, the light surrounding it shining even brighter. Then she demanded, "Reveal yourself now!"
There was a singular pause, and then a sinister laugh echoed in the air. Suddenly, a figure began to appear, blurry at first but growing rapidly visible. Soon, it transformed into the figure of an old man sitting on a goat.
Vale was left stunned.
The old man wore tattered clothes that were much closer to rags, his hair unkempt and his teeth yellow. His beard was like ashes, and he held a long worn rod. The goat he was sitting on was very strange. The goat looked very old as well, with ragged hair, but the hairs were black like midnight. But it was the eyes that highlighted the strangeness. The eyes were very much human and filled with terror and despair.
The goat was standing on a wisp of faint white light.
His voice croaked as if from misuse. "Isolde! To think I’ll find you here! I’m so happy to see you!"
Isolde didn’t look very happy to see him. In fact, she had turned entirely to face the man, her face remaining rigid and dark. "Herdmaster, what are you doing here?"
The old man laughed, his mouth splitting wide. "Hohoahahaha! You still remember my name! This makes old me happy! Very happy indeed! And why, I’m here to take My Lord Vale Athrimir out of this place!"
"So Murky Mist is also making a move now, are they? Just when did you get the guts to lift your dirty heads? Even if we’re counting everyone, your side shouldn’t even be thinking of making any moves!"
Herdmaster only laughed. "Isolde, you’ve spent so long out that your steps are confused! Things have changed, and you people no longer hold the upper hand. The balance in the Hollow Grave has long since evolved!"
She sneered. "As long as my Master is still alive, nothing can change!"
Herdmaster laughed again and again as if he was enjoying himself. Instantly, something appeared in his hand from his storage ring, and he showed her. It was a small black token that seemed very ordinary.
And yet the second she saw it, Isolde opened her mouth in shock and could only say, "What?"
Herdmaster now looked at her with solemnity. "Isolde. I have the command token from Hollow Grave itself. By right of this token, I and the Murky Mist have been commanded to bring Vale Athrimir under our direct guardianship!"
Isolde stirred and opened her mouth to speak, but at the same time he cut her off. "I also command you to assist me in this task!"
Vale was just watching the drama, quietly storing the information while he used his essence to tend to his wounds. But there was no easy fix, and at most, it would take days before he was fully healed.
But Isolde didn’t cower. Instead, she only brought down the artifact and then stepped further back. Her face was just as smooth as her voice. "Then I must disappoint you, Herdmaster. I am still under suspension, and as such, I can’t involve myself in the matters of the Hollow Grave. And even more, I am currently under the employment of Vale Athrimir. If he orders it, then I’m afraid I can only obey!"
"But you have already involved yourself, you stupid girl!" Anger crept into the dull eyes of Herdmaster.
Isolde shook her head. "No, I have not. I did not receive any orders from Hollow Grave or my Master. Everything that happened was simply coincidence. But I have already given my word, and I am bound to Vale Athrimir."
Herdmaster was left speechless and stunned.
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Far away, in a room shrouded in darkness, five people sat around a circular table. They were all dressed in black clothes and wore masks. One couldn’t tell if they were men or women just by looking at them. Just sitting there, they looked very unremarkable.
All of their heads were tilted down, looking at the table. The table was showing a scene. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
One of them broke the silence. "Isolde? Isolde? Isn’t that one of yours, Cold Ash?"
"Yes, she is, Murky Mist."
"Ah! So this is all your plan, Cold Ash. Has this matter not been settled already? Vale Athrimir is to be under my care. Yet you still meddle, Cold Ash." The one called Murky Mist, his voice now low and close to murmuring, yet it carried an undisguised dangerous undertone.
"I do not meddle. This girl, Isolde, has been suspended for some wrong she committed for the last decade. I have no control over what she has done until now. Why accuse me of meddling, Murky Mist?" Cold Ash said.
The others seemed unconcerned with the two. They just kept looking at the scene.
Murky Mist shifted in his seat, and a sneer now filled his voice. "You are playing a dangerous game, Cold Ash. You always have. But you forget your place this time! My Murky Mist is now stronger than your Cold Ash. I have been given first priority in this matter."
"Of course you have," Cold Ash replied, his voice calm. "And I am not stopping your priority. You can do as you want within the rules, as we all do. There is no need to drag things out. Just do what you want."
There was a pause. Then, "I want to send another Master Knight."
Finally, the figure that was sitting in the very middle, splitting the sitting arrangement into two on one side and two on the other, shifted and lifted their head. "Denied. We have already drawn attention by sending Kaelvaris and Dravenyx, two of our dependable agents. Right now, what we need is secrecy. After what we pulled off, we can’t afford more attention."
"Murky Mist, I told you to send your most dependable to get the job done."
Murky Mist shook his head. "But My Lord, the movement of mere Master Knights can’t draw that much attention!"
