Valerian, The Legendary

Akra did not reply. He could not answer because he was at risk of showing weakness in front of his enemy. Valerian did not stop at this. He took a small hand mirror from his magic pouch, which belonged to Valerie, and said, “Look into the mirror, Lord Akra. See, if you are still yourself?”

His words made Akra subconsciously look at the reflection in the mirror, and his eyes widened while his pupils constricted. His nose was missing, leaving two obscure pits in the place. Akra was scared of his appearance more than he was frightened of Valerian.

The young monk smiled and asked, “How do you like it? Does your new appearance match your true nature?”

Akra’s eyes were on the verge of tears. Valerian had analyzed the battle. This man was not a regular enemy he had faced in the past. This person wore elegant clothing, had a sharp mind, and was very sophisticated. Apart from his face, everything about this man was cultivated with great dedication.

Even when captured by Valerian, this man had not used abusive language. Thus, he took away something that created his image of sophistication. So often, people judged books based on their covers, and Valerian destroyed them. Now, everyone will detest him and call him a horror.

Akra had never imagined such a cruel person, even in his dreams. One move was all it took to break his resilient spirit. Valerian was never kind to his enemies. The young monk said, “You have a few minutes before the support arrives, you can tell me what I want to know, or I can turn you to ashes before they come. The hostility I share with your master will not make me feel guilty about what I do to you. As for the code of mercy, I will apologize to mother vita. She is kind to forgive me.”

Akra could not believe that this guy, a child, would be so cruel. Valerian did not care about Akra’s shocked expression and asked, “So, would you mind telling me if you have any other accomplices?”

Akra did not reply, and Valerian said, “How about you cannot even tell people your name? Like imagine if you walked out of a tavern and someone asked for your name, but they would mock you because of your missing nose. Would you be able to tell them your name? The reputation you built with such hard work, all stained because you did not wish to talk.”

.....

Akra shook his head and said, “You can speculate. You cannot see the future.”

Valerian smiled and said, “Will you still say the same if I etched your name on your forehead with a hot knife? The scars won’t heal, and I will shave your head bald, too, for better visibility.”

Akra shivered. This guy was crazy. His biggest fear in the world was a stained reputation. It had something to do with the trauma he suffered when he was a child. And Valerian was tapping into the maximum threat value of that fear at this moment.

Valerian asked, “One more time, do you have any other accomplices?”

His tone was cold, and if that was not enough, Valerian held an amber dagger in his hand and the weapon’s tip stuck to Akra’s forehead. He could sense that the dagger was heating slowly. Then, imagining the horror, he said, “I will tell you, stop this.”

Valerian kept his word and withdrew the dagger. Akra sighed and said, “I am one of the ten people sent out to scour the continent for you.”

The young monk nodded and asked for the capabilities and special tricks these people might have up their sleeves. Akra cooperated perfectly and revealed as much as he knew. Finally, Valerian asked, “How can you all contact the eastern continent?”

Akra gulped and said, “It is a dragon treasure called the Whispering Bead.”

Valerian raised his brow and asked, “This bead, how does it work?”

“It is similar to the soul beads, but you need two people to pour a few drops of their blood on it. Then the bead allows the possessor to communicate with others who have smeared their blood on it.”, replied Akra.

Valerian nodded and asked, “The communication is two-sided?”

Akra shook his head. Valerian nodded and smiled. The former regretted to have divulged such a piece of crucial information to the enemy. Valerian did not ask anything else. He stood up and cast an earth-binding spell around the man.

He said, “I wish to kill you, but I think that will be too easy for you.”

Valerian revealed a wicked smile and then walked away. Akra shivered from the smile and asked, “What will you do? Hey, answer me.”

Valerian smiled and said, “You will know soon enough.”

Leaving the scared enemy behind, Valerian climbed the settlement’s highest point. He looked at the few men trying to gather the valuables. The place was lost to anarchy. He shook his head and closed his eyes. The mana in the atmosphere gathered around him. He was going to cast a wide-range spell to apprehend all these ruffians.

As the mana gathered around him, the young man started to glow with a blue radiance around him, attracting the attention of the moving bandits. Then, a visible shock wave erupted like a ripple from the place Valerian was standing. This ripple locked onto the bandits and cast wooden vines to entangle them.

...

Two big birds were flying toward the fire beacon in the void when the men riding the magical beasts spotted the blue light, and one of them said, “What is that?”

The other guy stood up on his magical beast and said, “This guy is gathering mana around him. To think someone can do this and at such density. This is called the wide-range spell execution. I have only read it in books, and only one person in the Knighthood can do this.”

“Who?” asked the former.

The guy replied, “Haista, the Knight Commander.”

The birds approached the sight, and the two people quickly got off their mounts. They spotted Valerian and exchanged a shocked glance. They did not expect this spell caster to be so young. They cautiously approached the guy and asked, “Are you the one who ignited the beacon?”

Valerian nodded and said, “I am Acolyte Valerian. I appreciate your help.”

The two people were surprised to learn that this guy was still an acolyte. However, age was not the reason; skills were the reason behind this surprise. Next, one of the two newcomers made the introductions, “I am Calor, and this is my partner, Grea.”

Valerian nodded and said, “If possible, please call for more knights, this is the settlement of bandits, and they are a big group, around ninety people.”

Calor and Grea were shocked and immediately passed the message to their superiors. Valerian did not wait and quickly released the captives under the leader’s cottage. Calor and Grea began gathering the bandits in one spot. When they were almost finished, they spotted Akra in an earth bind.

They frowned at his condition, and Calor asked Valerian, “Acolyte Valerian, do you know it is sinful of you to harm someone like this?”

Valerian nodded and said, “Yes, however, this man works for someone who disrupted the balance of this world. When I passed the trial of fire, I met with Mother Vita. She wishes for this tyranny to come to an end. Also, this person maligned the strength of mercy by saying that the Tyrant would find and kill us. Was I supposed just to let him walk away?”

His words were filled with emotions, and the two older men sighed. They understood that Valerian was young and driven. Nevertheless, they said, “This is your first violation. You will face a minor deduction of merit points, but you will be excommunicated if you lose control like this again.”

Valerian nodded and said, “This guy is not the threat, sir. He can communicate with the Tyrant from all this distance.”

Grea snapped his neck and said, “This means we can find out what the Tyrant is up to if we interrogate him?”

Valerian nodded, and Calor sighed. He said, “I will inform the Knight Commander. He will decide what to do.”

The young man had no problem, and soon, a few more Knights arrived. One of the Knights asked, “Valerian, you do not have a partner?”

Valerian smiled and said, “My partner is a bit special. Please excuse me. I will bring her over.”

The people nodded, and after a few minutes, Valerian arrived with Valerie in his arms. The little girl had fallen asleep. The knights, who did not falter even in the face of death, were all left with adoring expressions in this scene.