Chapter 35

35 Argument.

Azula had been silent the whole time. She asked, “Valerian, can you tell me what it is that you want? I have never looked down on you, and you also know that too.”

Valerian looked at her and then said, ‘Your Highness, you are someone I respect. When your maid tested me, you took the responsibility and came forward to make up things. In turn, when you faced some situations that troubled you, I did my best to help.

I have never flinched from my tasks as your attendant and put my complete faith in you. I could have kept my skills covered, but I did no such thing, that is a testament to my trust. You arranged things and I followed them without any complaints.

However, when I acted on your orders, why did you blame me? Why did you threaten me with my family? You did not have the guts to own your mistake and you sent me to the prison, yet you wish for me to trust you all? My mothers have told me, never to be too trustful of anyone, and you people live up to the standard references.’

His words were harsh but they were true. Azula could not deny the fact that his skills were part of the reason she had taken him in.

Priscilla wanted to say something but Quies was faster, he said, “Did you try to attack her highness?”

His tone was fixed, he did not care about anything, or the relation Valerian had with them, to him, only the duty mattered. Azula said, “He did not attack me Quies. None of the attacks were even close to us, and Snow Deers defended with ease. Do not try to blame him.”

Valerian did not answer but he was not afraid either, because it was true that he did not attack them seriously. Rectus asked, “Do you really not want to come back to the palace?”

‘I have no idea. In the past two days, I have learned a lot of things, before mastering them, I have no plans to go back to that place. You should leave, it is not safe here.’, said the young boy with his hands.

.....

Azula took a deep breath and said, “You can stay here for two months, that is when the princes will start the final chase for the throne. My eldest brother wants to recruit you to his camp, but that is your wish.

I will be going back home after a couple of months as well, my trial would have come to an end. If you want to be strong, then you will need to learn a lot more than this, the Imperial Academy is the place that can help you gain new peaks.

So, by then, I hope you will come back to us. As for my behavior earlier, I was unable to confront my own stupidity for getting angry at you, so I apologize sincerely.”

That said, the princess of the empire, bowed her head to an orphan. Valerian nodded and let out a bleating sound. The four snow deers responded. The child then left the clearing.

Gleam gazed at the people for a few moments longer and then she also slithered away to follow the boy. After they left, Priscilla asked, “Why did you let him go, Your Highness?”

Azula glanced in the direction where Valerian had gone and said, “We wanted him to learn how to be random, and the forest, has made him that, random. Did you not notice his eyes? He has become sharper, and also calmer. Do not worry, when he comes back after a couple of months, he will be stronger than now.”

She turned to look at her deers and found them to be behaving calmly, up until now, they had been very anxious, but Valerian had made the calm, she wondered what he said to them.

...

Gleam was following the boy through the woods and asked, ‘Why did you tell those ice puppets to calm down?’

Valerian had told the snow deers that the lion was an illusion, they did not understand the human sign languages, and neither did they know snake tongue. They were still worried if the lion appeared here.

The boy replied to the snake, ‘Magical beasts do not usually surrender to someone else and choose them as their masters. However, once they do, they completely entrust the master with their lives.

The snow deers were innocent, I will not harm any beast if it is not needed, and they really needed peace of mind, or the mana inside them will go astray.’

Gleam nodded as they kept moving forward. On the way, Valerian asked the birds if the humans left. When he got the confirmation, he decided to go back to the colony of birds, while the snake went out to hunt.

The night had already spread over the sky and Valerian was gazing in the direction of the clearing with a sense of longing apparent in his eyes.

Flos had told him a lot of things. However, none of those things told him about who his father was, or what happened to the two of them.

She had told him about a type of magic that was used when a group of mages, who had an affinity to all the elements gathered together. They will combine their runes together and cast spells that could cause both destruction and prosperity.

Flos had mentioned to him the rules of magic, and the taboos one must avoid at all costs. Magic was not used to harm others but to defend the weak, she also told him that he must first try to solve things with talk, and if this fails, then only must he resort to any sort of violence.

However, she also told him that sometimes it would be better to use violence and get things done. The conversation has taught him a lot. Flos did not answer his questions about what happened to them, she only said that he will find the answers when he is strong enough.

Valerian did not know when he fell asleep. In the morning he was awakened by intense chirping, he looked around and detected that these birds were all frightened by Gleam, who was sitting below the tree.

The boy shook his head and then he got down from the tree. He asked the snake, ‘Why are you scaring these guys?’

Gleam expressed disdain from her gaze and said, ‘I will eye these feathery ones? You look down on me.’

Valerian shook his head and they decided to move away from the colony of the birds, lest they become even more restless. Gleam asked, ‘In that clearing, I saw the carcass of the dragon vanish and melt inside your body. Do you feel any change?’

This question made the boy vigilant, he did not respond but cast a gaze at the snake on the ground. Gleam did not even look up and said, ‘Do not think too much, I have told you that the magical beast worships the Dragon God. Also, you led me to evolution, I am not ungrateful like those of your kind. I only ask because I have never heard of anything like this.’

Valerian nodded but he did not relax his vigilance, he could deduce that since the snake was struck in the state of epiphany, she did not notice the changes in his pendant and said, ‘I do not know when I tried to get closer, I lost my consciousness.’

Gleam did not wish to believe him but she could not retort either, after all, when she was watching him, Valerian was indeed sitting on the ground like a statue. So, it was possible that what she saw did not mean for the boy to have gained something.

She recalled the boy had said that he was blessed. She pointed out, ‘Did you not say that you received a great blessing? What was that all about?’

Valerian replied without hesitation, ‘The mana out surge unlocked the projection of my mother cast secretly in my pendant. I got to see my real mother at least one time.’

Gleam did not know what to say to that. Valerian said, ‘Oh, yeah, I have been meaning to ask you, do you know any ways I can learn to be spontaneous.’

The snake raised her head and asked, ‘Why do you want to be spontaneous?’

Valerian told her about the things and limitations of a battle mage, for a few moments, the snake just gazed at him dead in the eye, and then she said, ‘Are you a fool?’

This surprised the boy, he did not expect such ridicule. Gleam did not let him speak and said, ‘You idiot, do you really think that such a limitation exists?’

Valerian was about to nod when he fell in deep thought and the snake said, ‘If you were to be limited, then you would not have been blessed like this. Your strength does not come from other reasons but it hides deep inside you. Stop believing in such hearsay. Come, I will find you a sparring partner.’