Bodyguard's Love

Chapter 29

"Velthur Clanti? I've never heard of him," Angus remarked.

"He's one of the leaders of the order of the Grand Master. They're the ones who take care of the great missions. As Elion has surely told you before, the order consists of seven men and three women," Hector explained.

"Yes, he already told us when he got back," Arthur asserted.

"So, the seven men are you, Slater, Abras, Kalmiv and this Velthur," Lucas quoted.

"There are two left, plus the three women," Elion added.

"For the two men, they're twin brothers, Jonaral and Dogadar. They were once knights in the kingdom of Zeolum. They were exiled many years ago because of their corruption and their indecent and savage behavior towards the citizens."

"Why didn't they just execute them?" Lucas asked.

"That still remains a mystery," replied the former captain.

"And for the three women? Who are they?" asked Angus.

"There's Roxy and Solen who are really, really powerful. They practice a very rare and very dangerous kind of magic. Then there's Hastia. She's the oldest. She was once part of a noble family from a distant kingdom. But we don't know more about her than that. She always wants to keep everything about her a secret."

"Solen? I've heard that name before somewhere... But I don't remember where..." Elion muttered thoughtfully.

"Roxy is the one responsible for the Lemgan massacre," Arminel informed.

"So, the snake we killed was hers," Lucas concluded.

"Exactly. It was what you could call her pet. It had the power to hypnotize people with a simple whistle and make them do whatever she wanted. But, his mistress's powers are much more stronger and more dangerous. She can control minds and even the dreams of her victims, sometimes driving them to madness or suicide. But, we don't know how she can do that."

"She tried to kill me by shooting me with a poisoned needle," Luana whispered.

"A poisoned needle?" Arminel wondered.

"Yes. She shot her on the neck with it which knocked her unconscious immediately," Lucas answered.

"How did you extract the poison?"

"We were lucky that Doctor Ondynol lived near where we were. He and his wife took care of me and until I fully recovered."

"Yeah, I know him... You were very lucky to have run into him. Otherwise, the consequences would have been very serious..."

"Yeah..." whispered the young princess.

"And for the Grand Master? Do you know his identity, Master Arminel?" Elion asked.

"Unfortunately, no. During meetings, he always wears a mask that completely covers his face and a cape with a hood over his head. Apart from Abras and Slater, no one knows his identity. Now, they are both dead as you already know. And I think that Slater discovered his identity by accident," he replied.

"By accident? How come?" wondered the emperor.

"Yes. The Grand Master probably didn't want to reveal himself to him, knowing that Slater had an awful character.. But the latter must have discovered him by surprise and that's why Abras put a suicide spell on Slater and himself. To prevent Rufus from betraying them, and the identity of their master from being exposed to the others."

"I get it now... That bastard really took every precaution to remain anonymous," Angus growled angrily.

"He knows very well what he's doing and he calculates every step carefully. That's why I told you that our enemy is not an ordinary person."