Chapter 127: Chapter 80: Quiet life (3)
[Jevan perspective]
I was watching little Jevan while he spoke with Valeria. The scene was simple, yet it stirred something strange inside me, a mix of nostalgia and confusion. I felt as if I had seen this scene before, though I couldn’t recall when or where.
Every time I saw Valeria’s face, I recalled that battle in the laboratory where the original Jevan faced Valentine Crow, with the masked woman beside him, and behind them stood Valeria, older than she looks now, and Raven, who appeared much younger, his features far more innocent than what I had seen.
How could things shift from this calm before me to that horrifying scene I witnessed? I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t think I want to know.
Should I try to change the future? The short answer is no that’s a stupid, pointless idea. Everything I see now, and everything that will happen later, is the result of what’s happening here and what will follow. Maybe even the attempt to change it is what leads to it.
I took a deep breath, though I didn’t need to, as thoughts kept circling in my mind. Recently, I discovered there’s an Assimilator of the Controller’s Authority in the Lower District, manipulating everything through those golden threads. I don’t know exactly when it began, but from what I know, there’s some kind of deal between him and Garrod.
And if that’s true, it’s not hard to guess that everything happening to Garrod is also tied to what’s happening with Iris and Raven.
The more I thought about it, the clearer it became trying to change that future is futile. Even if I could, I no longer have the desire to. Who knows what might happen if I even tried?
As I sank deeper into my thoughts, I heard Valeria’s voice saying:
"He’s talking about a jester who made a pact with a demon."
At that, I immediately looked up, staring at little Jevan. I couldn’t ignore what she said.
A pact with a demon? That’s awfully similar to what Adam mentioned about that cook saying Garrod had made a deal with a demonic being.
I said to Jevan:
"Ask her for more details about the story."
Young Jevan turned toward me, then back to her, and asked:
"Can you explain more about the story?"
Valeria sighed, flipping through the pages before speaking:
"The book tells an old legend passed down in villages near the Imperial Capital. Long ago, before the Medgar Empire even existed, there was a great kingdom ruling those lands. The king had a jester someone very close to him, whom he trusted completely."
She turned another page and continued:
"The king had many knights, among them a young female knight, one of the most skilled and loyal warriors. The jester loved her deeply, and she felt the same. But they could never be together the social gap between them was too wide. She was a noble knight, and he was just a common entertainer."
She flipped another page and went on:
"Still, they continued meeting in secret in the palace corridors, in the gardens when the moon was gone. They were happy, content with what little they had. But it didn’t last. War broke out between their kingdom and a neighboring one. She was sent to the battlefield and died there."
She closed the book and said:
"When the jester learned of her death, he lost his mind completely. It’s said he found an ancient book, used it to summon a demon, and made a pact in exchange for power. In the end, the jester became a mad monster, losing all humanity and destroying the entire kingdom."
When Valeria finished the story, little Jevan lifted his head and asked:
"That’s how the story ends?"
Valeria replied without looking up from the book:
"Yes."
"What’s the point of his stupidity then? Why destroy the kingdom? Why not destroy the enemy’s kingdom instead?"
Valeria sighed:
"Don’t ask me. It’s not like I wrote it. It’s just a legend after all."
Young Jevan frowned:
"That jester is an idiot."
Valeria smiled, clearly suppressing a laugh:
"And if you were in his place, what would you have done?"
Young Jevan straightened up confidently:
"I wouldn’t have let that knight go alone. I would’ve gone with her and made sure she survived myself."
Valeria tightened her fingers around the book:
"I don’t think it’s that simple. How do you think you could protect her? Or even go to war with her in the first place?"
He quickly replied:
"I’d find a way."
"I don’t think you could."
He crossed his arms stubbornly:
"I would."
"How?"
"I’d find a way."
Valeria shook her head, opening another book from the pile before her:
"I know there’s no point arguing with you. Forget it."
I stopped following their pointless debate, my eyes fixed on an empty point ahead. The legend she told lingered in my mind.
That story about the jester and the book there was something familiar in its details. The part about the book especially reminded me of Adam’s words when he mentioned the cook warning Garrod not to open that (cursed book). And the demonic being in the legend doesn’t it sound similar to the one the cook described?
Could this really be coincidence? Or is that demonic being Valeria mentioned also a bearer of the Controller’s Authority? Something still felt missing in that legend.
I watched as little Jevan stood up after his pointless argument with Valeria and left the study.
Outside, Marco was waiting the boy with orange hair. He smiled the moment he saw him, waved cheerfully, and the two walked down the long corridor together.
They walked side by side, chatting playfully well, Marco was the only one being playful, while little Jevan responded curtly.
My eyes lingered on Marco’s hair. Its color was completely unnatural, yet I didn’t think he had dyed it.
Then again, in a world full of sorcerers, spirits, and people with supernatural powers was it really strange for a boy to be born with such hair?
Orange hair isn’t even among the top ten strangest things I’ve seen here.