Chapter 17: My passion and unwavering love
The Tail of a Knight—the highest honour a warrior could ever obtain in their entire life.
It represents far more than just their militaristic status; it stands as the physical manifestation of their entire journey as a whole. Bound by ancient law and sacred tradition, it is a tether that is only ever severed when a knight's journey has officially come to an end.
Without it, no matter how masterful or undefeated a warrior might be, no knight could ever ascend to the highest echelons of knighthood.
The last ray of evening sunlight slowly faded as the heavy, dark storm clouds returned. The quiet sound of rain droplets hitting the dirt ground was instantly crushed beneath the rhythmic, heavy weight of Mario's boots as he made his solitary way down the grassy path.
Suddenly, the ambient sound of the rain pattering against the trees and branches was sharply disrupted by the rustling of nearby bushes.
From the thick foliage, three bandits emerged. They were heavily armed, their ragged clothes dripping with rain and unadulterated malicious intent.
"Well, well... would you look at what we have here," the bandit in the middle uttered, a crooked grin spreading across his face. "A knight. And not just an ordinary one, but one who belongs to the Order of Beasts! Yep, boys, we hit the jackpot."
They confidently moved into position, surrounding Mario from all sides with their rusted weapons drawn.
Mario's crimson eyes narrowed sharply. His gaze remained cast downward, unblinking and heavy, as if the sheer weight of his thoughts was physically pulling his vision to the muddy floor. A slight, hard crease formed between his eyebrows—not an expression of loud, explosive rage, but a quiet, deeply dangerous concentration.
The subtle rasp of his gloved hand resting flat against the pommel of his sword was completely drowned out by the falling rain.
"Hehehe! Look, guys, we scared him quiet," the third bandit sneered, prompting the others to burst into arrogant laughter.
"You must be part of a lance unit," the leader called out. "So tell me, which unit do you belong to? And who's your captain?"
One of the other bandits greedily licked the edge of his curved dagger. "Hey, guys... what if he's a captain? His armor certainly looks fancy enough. It would probably sell for a massive price in the capital."
"A captain?" the leader repeated, before instantly waving the idea off with a loud scoff. "No way. Look at him—he doesn't have a Knight's Tail. It's completely impossible."
Despite their continuous, loud ranting, Mario paid them no heed. Instead, his mind drifted back to the stern, gravelly voice of the King of Beasts, Duston, echoing in his memories: Listen. When you find yourself surrounded by many enemies, you do not always need to engage in a long, drawn-out combat. All you truly need to do... is kindle the powerful emotion known as fear.
In an instant—he moved.
Before the lead bandit could even blink, the razor-sharp edge of Mario's steel sliced his throat clean open. A torrent of crimson blood gushed out into the rain. The bandit's head bent forward at an unnatural angle, almost separating entirely from his shoulders, before his lifeless frame collapsed heavily onto the muddy ground.
The remaining two bandits looked on in sheer, unadulterated horror at the instantaneous death of their comrade, Piers. "Piers?!" they shrieked out in a blind panic.
But their screams were cut short. Mario's blade swung through the damp air in a perfect, horizontal arc, cleanly ripping the head off the second bandit. The decapitated body sprayed blood into the storm before hitting the dirt.
"What the hell?!" the last standing bandit screamed. He stared down at his headless teammate laying in the mud, his voice shaking violently, his heart hammering uncontrollably against his ribs. Cold sweat mixed with the rain pouring down the side of his face. For the first time in his miserable life, he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was going to die.
As his panicked eyes snapped back up to find his killer, a lightning-fast sword strike flashed through the darkness, slashing brutally across both of his eyes.
"AHHHHH!" the bandit screamed in agony, dropping his weapon to clap his bloody hands over his ruined face.
Mario didn't hesitate. He planted his heavy boot firmly into the man's chest, kicking him flat onto the ground, before plunging the full length of his sword straight down between the bandit's eyes, pinning his skull directly into the dirt ground below.
"Sorry, fellas. Today just wasn't your lucky day," Mario said coldly.
He gripped the hilt, pulling his blade out of the mud with a wet crunch, and used the back of his hand to wipe the warm splatter of blood from his face.
Thinking back to the border line, a memory of Sky's defiant expression crossed his mind. 'Thank you for being my stress relief today.'
Mario ran his blood-stained fingers through his short, messy black hair, staring down at the three fresh corpses. A grim, self-deprecating smile touched his lips. "I guess... I really should have been the more mature one, huh?"
He looked around the dark path, suddenly realizing something. "That reminds me... where the heck is my horse?" He paused, blinking. "Oh. Right. I left it back in that village."
He shook his head, turning his back on the slaughter. "Meh. Loid will bring it back to the capital for me," he said softly to himself. He took a few steps forward into the dark road, his eyes dimming. "And plus... it's not even my horse anymore."
With his rank officially severed, the Ex-Knight walked silently into the distance, disappearing entirely into the shadows of the storm.
Back inside the Valenis homestead, Noelle let out a soft, exhausted sigh. "Finally finished," she breathed, her eyes scanning the massive quantity of gifts that was completely flooding the kitchen table. "Just carrying these inside alone is exhausting... or maybe I'm just not in shape anymore," she muttered, looking down at her weathered palms.
Just then, the muffled sound of two familiar, bickering voices echoed from just outside the house, right on the front porch.
"Please, Lady Sky, just let me treat you! Your injuries are clearly severe!"
"For the hundredth time, no! No means no!"
The heavy front door clicked open. Noelle stuck her head out the door to see Niel and Sky making their painful way across the porch toward the entrance.
"Stop being so stubborn," Niel said, his medical instincts overriding his caution as he slowly moved up behind her on the deck. His golden eyes locked onto a deep, nasty blue bruise forming at the base of her neck.
"You stop being stubborn!" Sky yelled back, spinning around to throw a blind punch at him.
Niel easily ducked under the clumsy attempt. The momentum of her miss caused Sky's exhausted legs to clip one another, sending her tilting backward. But before she could hit the wooden planks of the porch, Niel caught her by the waist, bracing her weight.
"Way to prove yourself wrong," Niel said, a flicker of mild annoyance crossing his face.
Infuriated by his smug tone, Sky immediately swung her free hand, trying to strike him a second time. Yet again, Niel effortlessly leaned his head back, letting the wild punch slice through empty air.
Sky held her breath, her face flushing as pure, visible anger consumed her. "Let. Me. Go," she uttered in a bone-chilling, cold whisper, desperately trying to deploy her usual dictatorial intimidation tactics.
It was completely ineffective. Niel didn't even flinch.
"No," Niel replied flatly. "If I let you go, you'll collapse. Look, if you don't want me to treat your wounds, that's fine. But at least let me help you get to a chair."
Noticing her sudden, begrudging silence, Niel took it as a quiet yes. He lifted her up slightly to guide her across the porch. But as he looked down at her battered state, a vivid memory of him getting brutally beaten up by her in the woods two days prior suddenly flashed through his mind.
A slow, highly mischievous grin spread across the young healer's face.
"Not so tough now, are we?" Niel whispered softly under his breath.
Unbeknownst to him, Sky had heard every word. His cocky whisper caused her to instantly lift her arm and drive her elbow deep into his stomach.
The force of the sudden impact made Niel step back a foot, coughing violently. "Ge—Geez! Why the heck would you do that?!"
Instead of answering, Sky only glared at him, her hands balling into tight fists at her sides as they stood on the porch. "Don't act surprised. You know exactly what you said."
Hearing that, Niel completely froze. He slowly looked up at her while clutching his aching stomach. "You... you heard that?"
Before they could continue their petty bickering any further, Noelle stepped fully out onto the porch. "That's enough, you two," she said in a calm, intentional tone that brooked no argument.
Her sharp eyes locked onto Sky's black ones, before slowly drifting down to take in her daughter's thoroughly battered, bruised state right there in the open yard setting. Noelle let out a soft, heavy sigh. "Sky... what exactly did you go and get yourself into now?"
Sky stood perfectly still on the porch, her eyes refusing to meet her mother's probing gaze. She just held her injured arm tighter, gripping the bruised muscle as she struggled to find a way to explain the catastrophic disaster to her mother.
"Niel, there are still several villagers waiting out in the yard to thank you personally," Noelle said calmly, her eyes remaining fixed on Sky as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "Don't worry about Sky anymore. Go out to them."
Niel stood with wide, blinking eyes before slowly backing away down the porch steps. His gaze glanced nervously over at Sky, then back to the imposing figure of Noelle, before he quickly turned around and walked out toward the central area of the front yard where the villagers were seated at the tables.
Niel scratched his silver hair in utter confusion, a chill running down his spine. Geez... Lady Noelle can be incredibly scary when she wants to be, he thought softly to himself.
As he stepped fully back into the crowd of chatting locals, his eyes suddenly shot wide open. Through the cluster of tables, he spotted Loid standing right before Sir Adam at the large wooden table, seemingly explaining something with an incredibly tense, grave expression.
That man... Niel muttered under his breath, his memory tracking back to the throne room in the capital. He instantly remembered that Loid was one of the elite knights King Duston had originally tasked with evaluating him.
Before he could dwell on the knights any further, he was abruptly snapped out of his thoughts by the rhythmic, distinct sound of a heavy wooden walking stick clicking firmly against the dry dirt ground right next to him.
"Finally found you, young Niel," an old man's raspy voice called out warmly, making his slow way over through the tables toward the young healer.
Niel's eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "Mr. Raymond! It is so good to see you looking this well," Niel said, his voice filled with genuine joy at the sight of the old man.
A hearty chuckle escaped the lips of Raymond. "A few days ago, I genuinely thought I was lying on my deathbed. But look at me now! I'm up, moving around, and feeling better than ever. And that is all thanks to you, young Niel."
Niel scratched his silver hair, a humble, joyful smile playing at his lips. "It was nothing, really. The credit belongs to you. Although I might have helped you recover, if you hadn't possessed the fierce will to survive, you wouldn't be standing here right now, would you?"
Raymond's eyes widened at Niel's unexpected, profound wisdom. "Young Niel... right now, I don't have anything of value to pay you back for the great things you have done for my life."
"You don't have to repay me," Niel said softly.
He reached his hand deep into his side pouch and pulled out a bright gold coin—a token that looked incredibly, instantly familiar to the old man.
Raymond's breath hitched. "That coin..." he whispered softly.
"Are you familiar with the name Liana?" Niel asked, a gentle smile gracing his face as he held out the token, handing it back over to the old man.
"Yes... that's my granddaughter," Raymond replied softly, his hands trembling slightly as he accepted the gold coin.
"She gave it to me when I told her my name," Niel explained gently. "She thanked me for treating you and forced me to take the coin. Although I tried declining it multiple times, she still fiercely insisted."
Raymond stared down at the metal in his palm, completely overwhelmed. "She gave this to you...? But this is her most prized possession in the entire world. It was given to her by her mother right before she passed away. Why would she... because of you...?"
Raymond froze, his eyes locking onto Niel's with immense realization.
"She thanked me by giving me something as precious as that," Niel said with a warm expression. "It just shows exactly how important you are to her, and how deeply she truly loves you."
Raymond stood entirely unable to speak, his throat tightening as his eyes slowly filled with heavy tears.
"I have no need for your thanks, Mr. Raymond," Niel added with a parting smile. "She already repaid your debt in full by saving my life out in the grasslands."
Just then, the eager voices of other waiting villagers echoed from behind them, calling out for the healer.
"Well, I'll see you some other time, Mr. Raymond. Please, take good care of yourself," Niel said warmly, before turning on his heel to walk toward the next group of locals.
Raymond stood still for a long moment, clutching the gold coin tightly against his chest before finally turning around to head home. As he walked down the dirt path, warm tears filled his eyes and fell down his weathered face. He slowly wiped them away, a profound, peaceful smile spreading across his features as he made his way back to his home.
Through the crowd of lingering villagers, Adam sat heavily at his wooden table. He pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a loud, stressed sigh. "Where is Mario now?" he asked, his voice low.
Loid looked closely at Adam's overwhelmed expression. "He left. He exited the village without Lazer."
"He left without his personal horse?" Adam asked, his dark eyes widening slightly as he gazed off into the distance past Loid's shoulder.
"Yes," Loid confirmed grimly. "And that would mean he has completely accepted the reality of the situation. He will no longer be a part of the Order of Beasts. In fact... he won't even be legally permitted to hold the title of a knight anymore."
Adam exhaled softly, sliding his palm flat against his face to hide his frustration. "This is bad. And considering the current volatile situation of the kingdom, losing a high-level captain right now is going to be a devastating loss for us."
A heavy, cold silence fell over the two men. Adam appeared completely swallowed by his thoughts, plotting out the political fallout. While they waited, Loid's grey eyes drifted to the corner of his vision, scanning over Niel as the young healer patiently talked to the remaining villagers.
He doesn't seem much different from our very first encounter in the throne room, Loid pondered to himself, his expression turning serious as he studied Niel's posture. But even though he may look the exact same on the outside... I feel as if something fundamental about his presence has changed.
Right then, Adam broke the silence, snapping Loid out of his observation. "Loid, it's getting late. Travelling the dark roads on your own wouldn't be wise, even if you are a highly skilled knight. Why don't you stay the night? We'll find extra accommodations for you here."
Despite the generous offer, Loid politely declined, shaking his head. "Thank you, Captain, but I must return to the capital immediately. King Duston is not in the best of moods lately, and keeping him waiting any longer would only ruin his temper further."
Adam smiled softly, placing both hands flat on his thighs before pushing himself up onto his feet. "You've come far, Loid," he said warmly, placing his massive hand directly onto Loid's right shoulder. "My days of knighthood and following royal orders are long over. And now, one of my own former students is standing here saying the exact same words I once used to say to others."
Loid returned the small smile, shifting his posture. "I'm sure the King wasn't nearly as strict with you back then as he is with us now."
Hearing this, Adam couldn't help but burst out into a loud, booming laugh. He slammed his palm heavily against Loid's shoulder a second time. "Are you even still Loid?! The stubborn kid who never used to complain is now standing in my yard whining? Are you sure you haven't accidentally swapped mindsets with Lance?"
Despite Adam's loud words ringing clearly through the yard, Loid was entirely focused on something else. Although the old captain was simply patting his shoulder in a friendly, casual manner, the physical impact to Loid felt like being struck directly by the crushing claw of a wild beast.
He desperately tried not to show any weakness by holding his breath, but the sheer, crushing pressure forced a soft groan to escape his lips.
Seeing this, Adam looked down at him with a flat, deadpan expression. "Oh. I guess you really are still Loid," he noted dryly, finally removing his heavy hand from the young knight's shoulder.
Loid immediately took a tactical step back, rubbing his arm. "It was great seeing you again, Captain, and getting to speak with you like this. But... there is something I must ask."
"Oh? Ask ahead," Adam said, raising his fingers to idly comb through his thick beard.
"What happened to you?" Loid asked, his tone turning genuinely curious. "You never used to speak to us this casually back in the capital. To be honest, I thought you might have been a different person when I first arrived. Was it... Lady Noelle's influence?"
Hearing this, Adam smiled softly, letting out a dismissive huff. "Hmph. Don't be stupid. No woman on this earth could ever make me change my ways."
Adam turned his head, his black eyes falling softly onto the silver-haired youth who was currently finishing up his conversation with the final batch of grateful villagers. Loid followed his gaze, his eyes tracking over to study Niel.
"I simply had a change of heart, that's all," Adam uttered softly under his breath.
Just as Loid was about to respond, the heavy, sharp click of Noelle's boot pressed violently against the wooden porch planks right behind them.
"No woman could make you change, huh?"
Hearing that freezing voice, a massive, icy shiver ran straight down Loid's spine. His head immediately snapped around toward where Noelle stood.
"L—Lady Noelle!" Loid stammered out, his knightly composure shattering as he looked at her. She was standing perfectly still, holding a massive, long wooden cooking spoon tightly in her hand like a weapon.
She looked over at Loid, her annoyed expression instantly shifting into a radiantly kind, soft smile. "Hey there, Loid! Long time no see. How have you been?"
"Hmph. He's doing perfectly fine," Adam interrupted, crossing his thick arms tightly over his chest. "In fact, he was literally just about to leave."
Noelle looked over at Adam, her face twisting into a terrifyingly cold, sweet smile. "Oh, really? Well, that is just too bad. I just got finished making dinner," she said smoothly, before snapping her eyes right back to Loid.
Loid flinched hard under the heavy pressure of her imposing smile. His mind raced, trapped between the King's dark temper and Noelle's terrifying aura. "Uhh... well... maybe I could squeeze in a little bit of time to eat before I leave."
"Really?!" Noelle said happily, her face instantly brightening into shameful joy. "Well, come on in, then!"
She spun around toward the door, casting a brilliant, victorious grin back over her shoulder straight at Adam's annoyed face.
As the last remnants of the sun officially dipped beneath the horizon, the once crowded yard filled with villagers was left entirely empty. The only remaining sound was the rhythmic click of plates being neatly set onto the table inside the modest Valenis homestead.
Niel, Loid, Adam, Sky, and Noelle all sat closely together at the dinner table, which was overflowing with a massive, steaming variety of delicious foods. Niel sat just a few inches apart from Loid, who kept his grey eyes peeled completely onto the youth, continuously trying to decipher exactly what it was that made Niel feel so fundamentally different from before.
"Hahaha! Aren't you quite the popular one, Niel?!" Adam called out boisterously, slamming a massive wooden mug of Barley Water onto the table. "In all my years, this is the absolute first time I have ever seen a single man obtain so many gifts in forty-eight hours. It's astounding, to say the least." Adam leaned forward, a playful glint in his eye. "So, Niel, what do you plan to do with all that loot? Surely you can spare a few of those gifts for us, eh?"
Adam jested before laughing loudly, his booming voice echoing off the walls. Noelle frowned heavily at his greed, placing her palm flat against her forehead. "Don't listen to him, Niel. He's just joking around."
Niel simply smiled, his expression calm. "Why have some of it... when you can have them all?"
The sudden, cryptic words caused everyone at the table to freeze mid-bite. Without waiting for them to process it, Niel continued smoothly. "I deeply appreciate the villagers' gratitude, but I simply cannot accept these gifts. I treated the locals because helping people is my passion—it always has been, and it always will be. So, please, take those gifts for yourselves. If not, return them to the people."
The entire dining room plummeted into an absolute,stunned silence. Niel casually picked up his mug of Barley Water, looking around at their frozen faces in mild confusion. "Besides," he added, setting the mug down, "a few days have passed, and I no longer feel any lingering injuries from my first training session with Sky. Now that my body is reset, we can officially commence my real warrior training. Princess Aira is actively awaiting my return."
The warm expressions on the faces of both Noelle and Adam instantly shifted, turning heavy.
"Niel," Adam said softly, his deep gaze falling seriously over the calm youth. "Do not haste. You still have an entire year left to train. For now, come and let us feast. You wouldn't want to let a perfectly good hot meal go cold, would you?"
Niel smiled softly, bowing his head. "Yeah... you're right." He picked up his utensils and took a quiet bite out of the food placed before him.
Adam watched him chew for a long moment before clearing his throat, his tone dropping into a deeply intimate, emotional register. "Niel, my son... you may have realized by now that I do not possess a son of my own."
Sky looked up sharply at her father, her dark eyes slightly widening in sudden panic. What in the world is he about to say? she pondered frantically to herself.
"But for the past few days that you have been living under our roof," Adam continued, his eyes softening completely, "you have genuinely made me feel what it's like to have a son."
A sudden, violent cough abruptly disrupted Adam's sentimental words. Loid held his hand tightly over his mouth, trying to suppress the hack as he stared at his old commander in absolute, shattered disbelief. Is this really the ruthless, terrifying captain I once knew in the army?
Adam snapped his head around, looking at Loid with a highly annoyed glare. "What?" he demanded.
Loid simply shook his head quickly, raising his hands. "It's nothing," he said softly, before muttering under his breath, "Just... that is one hell of a change of heart."
"What was that?!" Adam asked, raising his gravelly voice threateningly. Noelle laughed softly at the display, while Sky quickly took a long, desperate sip of her Almond Milk to look anywhere else.
Suddenly, a lingering thought flashed through Noelle's mind as she looked over at their unexpected guest. "Oh, Loid, a quick question... where exactly is Mario?"
COUGH!
Sky coughed violently, choking on her drink as she accidentally spilled the Almond Milk completely across the table and onto the ground.
"Oh, Sky! What in the world is wrong with you today?!" Noelle scolded, rushing to grab a rag. "First you come home entirely covered in mysterious bruises, and now you're being incredibly clumsy!"
Other than the frantic sound of Noelle wiping up the spill and Niel quietly chewing his food, Adam and Loid remained in a completely dead, frozen silence. Neither knight dared to break the reality of Mario's tragedy to the women yet.
"Anyway, Niel," Adam said hurriedly, desperately trying to force a subject change before Noelle could push the Mario question further. "I've been thinking." He locked his eyes dead onto the silver-haired youth. "Niel... why don't you just remain here with us permanently?"
Niel paused his eating entirely, his wooden spoon hovering in the air as he looked back at Adam with a profoundly confused expression. Loid's grey eyes widened to the size of saucers.
Noelle interjected, "Adam, aren't you being a bit too quick with this?" But Adam completely ignored her, keeping his focus anchored on the boy.
"Noelle and I both feel the exact same way about you, Niel," Adam declared firmly. "If you stay, I will officially accept you as my own legal son."
Sky scoffed loudly, an intensely annoyed, frustrated expression twisting her features as she crossed her arms. Loid just sat with his eyes closed, silently massaged his temples as he listened to his old captain completely throw away all military logic.
"What he's saying is the absolute truth, Niel," Noelle added softly, her maternal instincts taking over. "I, too, wish for you to remain here with us. Listen, Niel... there are a ton of beautiful, eligible young women in this village. With your looks and your medical gifts, you would have absolutely zero problem finding a proper, loving wife among them."
The entire room plummeted into a suffocating, heavy silence, every single pair of eyes locked onto the silver-haired youth, anxiously awaiting Niel's definitive answer.
Niel slowly and deliberately placed his wooden spoon back down into his bowl. He looked up, his golden eyes burning with an absolute, unyielding clarity as he looked between the two adults.
"Lady Noelle... Sir Adam... unfortunately, I cannot do that," Niel said, his voice quiet but echoing with immense power. "It does not matter how beautiful the woman you bring before me is. My heart will always, completely belong to Lady Aira. I do not think I will ever possess the capacity to love any other woman on this earth as much as her."
He placed his hand flat over his chest. "She is my heart."
— COMPLETED VOLUME 1 —
Thank you for reading Don't Fall in Love.
Volume 1 is now complete. I'll be taking a short two-week break before returning with more.
See you soon.