Tangled By Fate

Chapter 227 - AN ARGUMENT

"…Can you even fight?"

"I can learn how to fight."

"Who will help you? Nothing good comes for free. Do you have money?"

"You may don't know, there are people who will support you and assist you with goodwill. I know the world isn't the safest place but it isn't a bad place either. There are good and evil."

Saint Ava sneered, "You are too optimistic and naive."

"The world needs an optimistic Saint, not someone who will stay in the shadows and pray. If your prayer did any help, those innocent children wouldn't die by the hands of elves."

"Prayers don't work. I see." Saint Ava let out a chuckle, but her eyes were cold. "Go back to your room. You are grounded for disobeying me and defying me."

Veronica's eyes flashed as she spoke, "I won't take orders from you. At least not that kind of order that will not help anyone. Since you won't help me, I'll help myself."

Saint Ava's lips slightly parted. She was stunned by her disciple's suddenly odd behavior.

"Are you saying you will defy my order?"

Veronica replied, "I'm saying I will do anything to protect the innocent people. That's it."

"Even if you have to leave my side?"

"Even if I have to leave your side."

Saint Ava started to have a headache. She had no clue what possessed her disciple for acting like this.

'Is this what people call rebellious phase?' she wondered.

"Sigh! Do whatever you want. Don't come back to me, crying for help. I won't do anything."

She turned around and left. She had no interest in dealing with something so complicated and troublesome.

"I won't. You have my words," Veronica vowed.

She went to the dining hall without looking back. She had her dinner first to gather some energy.

For some reason, she was feeling extra hungry. Other times, eating three fruits would be enough for dinner.

However, tonight, she kept eating and eating. She only stopped after eating two baskets of fruits.

It was the first time she ate so much food and because of that her stomach bloated.

"Wah! It's hard to move. Why did I eat so much?"

Veronica rubbed her stomach and went to the library. Just as they told her, she was looking for old maps.

She looked for a long time. Even so, she couldn't find anything similar to a map.

A few hours of searching were in vain. She dropped the last scroll she had in her hands.

"How long do I have to search for maps? There is not a single map in this library. Forget about old maps, there are no new maps here."

Since she checked all the scrolls, she had nothing else to look for.

Feeling dejected, she went back to her room and packed her bag.

"There is nothing I can do if I can't find anything."

All of a sudden, something came into her mind. She stopped her activities.

Then, a smile bloomed on her face.

"Why didn't I think about it before? I should meet them and consult with them as soon as possible."

She finished packing her back and was ready to leave.

Her steps paused in the track and she took a glance at Saint Ava's bedroom door.

She debated with herself whether to leave a message for her mentor or not.

Later, she decided not to. She felt like it wasn't worth it.

After coming out of the temple, she was welcomed by a gust of cold wind.

Her head and thoughts became clearer. She felt a lot calmer than before.

Thinking back, she was surprised at how she talked back to Saint Ava.

'Why did I do it? Why was I mad at her? She is more knowledgeable than I am. She knows more than I do. Did I do the right thing?'

When she began to feel guilty, she thought of those innocent children and her eyes narrowed.

'No, I didn't do anything wrong. Those elves need to be punished. I'll find them even if they are living under the ground.'

She thought of Arthur and the rest of them.

'It's past midnight. They are probably asleep. I hate to disturb them but I don't want to stay in the temple any longer. I've been in the shadows for a long time.'

---------

Surprisingly, Arthur and others didn't go to sleep. They were chatting and reminiscing about their old times.

When they saw Veronica, they were surprised. They didn't expect her to come back so soon.

They thought she might have got the map and came back.

Looking at their hopeful and surprised expressions, Veronica felt even worse.

"I'm sorry everyone. I didn't find any map, whether it's an old map or a new map. There is no map in the library," she apologized to them.

Arthur held her hand. "You don't have to apologize. I never thought it would be easy. We let you do all the work."

"Then, all we have left is to find the dragon's nest. It might lead us to the elves." Darius's mind was set to the dragon.

"Sure, go dig the mountain and fight the dragon on your own." Zinnia still didn't approve of this idea.

Veronica said, "Let's forget about the dragon. There won't be any lead there. It's been so long. The dragon isn't immortal. It's probably dead already."

Four pairs of eyes turned toward her.

"Why do you say so?" Ironin asked her. His question was more like an interrogation.

"Did you see the dragon?" Zinnia inquired.

Veronica paused. She didn't want to tell them what she had experienced especially after knowing how much Darius wanted to find the dragon's nest.

Fearing that he might try to sneak into the temple and destroy the whole garden just to find the dragon's nest, she decided that she wouldn't tell them the whole story.

Since she didn't reply, Darius impatiently probed her, "Did you have a vision or a dream again?"

Veronica sighed. "Something like this. I'm not sure if it was a dream. It was just too real but unbelievable at the same time."

Arthur and Ironin exchanged glances without her notice. Their expressions were somber.

She added, "I think the Saint knows everything, but she won't tell me. She said that the elves were out of my league. She won't even stand for justice."

She lowered her head and looked at her hands. She lamented inwardly that she wanted to do so much but couldn't accomplish anything.

"Don't be sad. I'm sure it's because she doesn't know that you have people who can fight against the elves. She must be worried about you." Arthur did his best to console her.

Veronica couldn't feel better. "I don't know what to think of anything anymore. I'm sorry I failed you all."

"What are you saying? You found the name of the battlefield. It's a piece of important information. Cheer up!" Darius tried to lift her mood.

Zinnia sang along, "That's right. You did everything you could. If the information wasn't there what you could do. You did everything on your own. Now let us do the rest."

Veronica felt slightly better with their encouragement.

She said, "Actually, there is another way to look for an old map."

"There is?" Arthur glanced at her. "What way?"

Veronica recalled once the Head Priest told her about the forbidden library inside the Imperial Library of Utahill. He promised to give her the key if she could finish her training fast.

She told them, "There is a forbidden area in the royal library. The Head Priest promised me that he would give me the key to go to that place. If I go to him and-"

"You are not going there," Arthur's answer was straightforward. Judging by his tone, he didn't want to hear anything more about that.

Veronica tried to persuade him, "How come? He is the Head Priest and he promised me. He will keep it if I tell him."

"No." Arthur's voice was resolute.

"I vow not to tell him anything about the Magic Tower's involvement and nothing about my current place of living. I won't share any news.

"Arthur, someone once sneaked inside the temple when Sister Ruth died. I know every hiding spot of that place.

"I know where he stays. If any of you can sneak inside the temple, I can take you with me. If the Head Priest tries to do something bad, we will run away."

Darius disclosed a matter, "Veronica, we aren't part of the Magic Tower and so, you don't have to worry about the Magic Tower's involvement."

"You are not!" Veronica was surprised. "Then, what are you?"

"We are warriors. We fight for justice," Darius declared. He felt proud whenever he spoke about his occupation.

Veronica's eyes sparkled. "Then, can you sneak inside the temple?"

"A piece of cake," Ironin replied.

Veronica was relieved. "I'll take one of you with me. Who wants to go?"

Arthur looked at her with a gloomy expression.. "I think I forbade you not to go there. Once they find out you are alive-"

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