Chapter 201: Einar Larven

Damian could hardly believe what he was seeing. The speed… But he knew the pompous noble was ready for Einar's attack. Startled as he might have been, the man was still a second-ranker. Before Einar could get herself killed, Damian rushed in behind her. His agility stats proved their worth as he managed to grab Einar's hands just in time, stopping the charge.

Damian didn't want to reveal his speed in front of so many people, but he had no choice if he wanted to save his friend from certain death.

Damian was sure the noble must have done something to earn Einar's hatred, but this was neither the time nor the place to act on it. Sam followed at his own pace, wisely refraining from using his lightning in front of the gathered group of captains which were mainly minor nobles, knights pledged to one, or relatives of theirs.

The second-ranker noble saw what had happened, but his two first-ranker guards were clueless. All they saw was a red blur charging at them with a shout, and at the last moment, they attacked—not at Einar, but at Damian, who had his back to them while holding Einar.

The bastard noble captain could have stopped them, but he merely watched as his followers launched their attacks.

Damian quickly turned, pulling Einar with him. Using Einar's outstretched sword to block the strikes of the two high-level first-rankers. Glaring at them, he growled,

"Do you really wish to die so badly?" The threat made them hesitate, and they awkwardly pulled their weapons back. Experience tales at m v|l e'-NovelFire.net

"Red hair… Larven, huh? There's still one of that bastard's blood left?" the captain muttered, eyeing Einar, who glared back with fire in her eyes, her jaw clenched tightly. Damian could feel her trembling with uncontrollable rage through his grip on Einar's hands.

"Calm down. Think about where you are," Sam said, finally catching up to them. Damian met Einar's gaze, silently agreeing with Sam.

"A blatant attack on a noble? Is that how the commander's army welcomes comrades nowadays?" the captain sneered, trying to stir more trouble, his glare focused on Einar. Damian noticed a faint but well-hidden bloodlust coming from the man, aimed at Einar. As expected this guy was a piece of shit.

"What's going on, Maximus?" The other captains had also stood up, slowly surrounding them, all confused as they looked between Einar and the newly arrived captain.

"Royce, do what you must. I'll be back," Damian said, grabbing Einar by the shoulders and turning her around, taking her outside to cool off.

"Uh… okay. We'll continue then," Royce replied, understanding the situation without asking any questions.

Damian and Sam led Einar back to their side of the camp, taking her inside Damian's personal tent. They let Einar sit on the bed while they stood nearby, giving her time to regain control on herself. Yovan, who had followed behind seeing them, also joined them inside. Sёarᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"What happened?" Sam asked after a few minutes, when Einar's expression finally returned to something close to normal, though her jaw and fists were still clenched as if calculating how the fight would have gone.

"Why did you stop me?! I had that bastard dead to rights!" Einar snarled at Damian.

"No, you didn't. You'd be a corpse by now if I hadn't," Damian replied in his usual calm tone.

"A second-ranker is no joke, Einar. You know that," Sam added, reinforcing Damian's point.

"It would have been worth it," Einar muttered, clenching her fists again. The sword remained tightly gripped in her other hand. "It was the best chance I would ever get."

"Attacked a second-ranker?! Why?" Yovan asked, shocked at the revelation.

All eyes turned to Einar. Feeling their stares and their unspoken questions, Einar sighed and finally relented, dropping her sword to the side.

"Because he's a piece of shit who took everything I love," Einar said, her voice heavy. And so began the tale of Einar Larven.

****

Hers was a life of obscurity. In the town of Windhaven, located southeast in Eldoris near Windweaver Lake, stood the proud seat of House Larven. The lord of Windhaven was a brave and mighty man, called righteous by some even. Einar knew it to be true though—because he was her father.

She remembered the quiet peaceful afternoons he spent playing with her, making her laugh until her stomach hurt. In her early years, she never understood why she had to hide from people. Her mother, the most beautiful courtesan in Windhaven—her father told her that, and it was true, she was so pretty—kept her in a small villa on the edge of Windweaver Lake.

Even the maids and soldiers weren't allowed to see Einar. It was only after her fifth name day that she began to understand why she lived in such isolation. It was because of her hair—or, more specifically, the blood she shared.

That was also the day she realized the crimson-haired man who came to play with her wasn't just anyone—he was the lord of Windhaven, Dorian Larven, The Crimson Blade and her father. He used to joke about their hair, saying a witch had cursed him and her with it and he'd fought the witch to save her.

He always cast suspicious glances at her mother when mentioning the witch, making her extra mad at him every single time. As a stupid child, she just never connected the dots.

On her fifth name day, they celebrated. Her stats were revealed: a solid 5 in everything except for LUC—4, and CHA—20.

Call it an irony or justice from the heavens but even though she was not the legitimate child of Lord Dorian Larven, her status forever bore proof of her lineage. She was destined to become a beauty far surpassing even her mother with 20 stats in Charm.

Einar vividly remembered the words her mother whispered that night as she held her close:

"You are the best and most precious thing in the world to me. But remember others won't see you the way I do. You must ignore them. They don't matter, and their words don't matter. Do what brings you joy, and never get caught in their webs of deception. You're too beautiful for that.

They can deny your name and belittle your existence, but they can never deny your blood. You are of House Larven. You won't have the glory of being one—it's not that great anyway—but you'll have your duties. And that is all that matters. Make yourself proud of your name."