The Sword and The Shadow

Geoffrey and Kevin

Sacred Wandering Lance Kevin Eino was well known across the whole continent of Lance and was renowned as the only paladin in the world to ever make it to the saint realm.

From a cursory glance, paladins, just like other classes such as knights, warriors, assassins, bandits, rangers and so on, used impetus in various ways. However, it wouldn't be appropriate to just call a paladin an impetus fighter. While most would say that they were warriors, it was also reasonable to say that they were a different class of priest.

While they possessed impetus, they were also able to use divine miracles. All paladins, strictly speaking, were devotees of deities representing justice or goodness. As a result of their pious belief, their deities grant them the ability to use divine miracles and control light energy.

Though, there was one exception. Alissanda, a light breaker, was naturally born with the ability to use light energy, but he couldn't use them to perform divine miracles, so he could only barely qualify being called a paladin.

As strong belief and sense of justice was a requirement for becoming a paladin, there were few knights who could gain divine favor. Not to mention, knight brigades belonging to churches in both empires were severely underfunded, so paladins were almost as few as magi in this world.

As for Kevin, he was the idol and paragon of all paladins.

Despite that, Geoffrey found him to be quite abhorrent as Kevin was his younger brother's teacher. Geoffrey had been quite proud of his ability to use magic and believed he was destined for great things, which made Larwin incredibly satisfied with him. And back then, Alissanda grew up to be quite a frail child who didn't have a trace of talent for magic. It seemed that he wouldn't be able to achieve much.

During that time, Geoffrey didn't hate Alissanda and even quite liked him when he was only five or six. He would protect him like a good elder brother and was willing to be punished by Larwin in his stead for his mistakes. But that eventually changed when Kevin became Alissanda's teacher.

The little beansprout that followed him all day and called him 'big bro' seemed like a changed person. He turned far brighter, more confident, and his physical abilities grew with staggering speed. A year later, the beansprout became as tall as Geoffrey. Back then, the first prince was quite happy for his younger brother's growth. In fact, he felt thankful for Kevin for helping his younger brother out!

But when Alissanda awakened his first gift under Kevin's guidance, Geoffrey felt that his world had changed. People used to look at him with respect and treated him like he was the heir to the imperial throne. But since Alissanda's transformation, he noticed people turned their gazes to him instead. Larwin also began to pay attention to Alissanda more and no longer looked at Geoffrey with joy. Instead, he would at him with a judgmental gaze.

Gradually, Geoffrey picked up on what was wrong. He felt like he was losing not just something, but everything in his world.

Eventually, the protectiveness he felt for his little brother turned into hate and jealousy. Alissanda had taken everything he had and who could possibly endure that?

And the one who helped Alissanda achieve that was none other than Kevin! Geoffrey resented both teacher and student for years, wishing them death at every moment he could, yet now, he was being rescued by the very person he hated. While he was glad he could escape certain death, being saved by Kevin made him feel some measure of embarrassment and rage.

He didn't thank the saint paladin and instead questioned why he was there.

"Why are you here, Wandering Lance?!"

"I heard there were bandits who killed, raided, and did all sorts of nasty deeds in the area," Kevin said without turning back as he healed the injured, "So I came over to deal with them. After I was done, I heard a commotion here, so I rushed over."

"You want me to thank you for saving my life?" Geoffrey spat.

"No. I know that you hate me. I wouldn't show up in front of you if I can. It's one of the reasons I left Melindor, after all." Kevin stretched out and reset the bone of a poor sod and continued applying sacred light. "However, I can't leave these injured unattended either. Life is far more important before anything else."

"Someone who just exterminated a whole bandit band is now taking the moral high ground and praising life?" Geoffrey mocked.

"I didn't kill them, only advised them to change," Kevin said, unmoved. He came to Geoffrey when he was done healing all other injured. "Alright, Your Highness, I know you don't want me to heal you, but I recommend you let me work on your leg for the sake of your mobility in the future."

"No need! I'll get another priest to do it!" he said stubbornly, refusing treatment for his leg no matter the pain.

"Even a high-order priest can only regenerate bone to some degree. Only myth-realm priests can reform the whole leg bone. If you don't accept treatment now, you'll be a cripple for life," Kevin said at the sight of the severed leg.

He wasn't exaggerating in the slightest. While priests had great healing ability, reconnecting a severed limb would be a little too difficult for them. While it was something theoretically possible for a magus to do, Myr wouldn't be willing to pay the price of lowering one stratum to make a new leg for Geoffrey. Even if he was, Larwin wouldn't let him do it as it would be a loss for the empire.

Even so, Geoffrey shook his head stubbornly. "I won't accept your help even if I become a cripple!"

Kevin kept silent and didn't force the matter. He knew that while Geoffrey was cowardly and perverse in the mind, there were some things he was adamant about. Forcing him to go through with it would just make him do something unpredictably erratic.

"As you wish." Kevin turned to Kurdak and asked, "Can you tell me what happened here?"

"I have no obligation to tell you!" Geoffrey refused before he started chugging two super healing potions.

Kevin shrugged and sought out a conscious attendant and asked what happened.

"What are you idling for? Carry me back!" Geoffrey barked, like a lone wolf licking his wounds clean.

The attendants hurried to help Geoffrey up. The prince pointed at Kurdak and ordered, "Tie this man and bring him back! Leave the rest here!"

"Apologies, Your Highness," Kevin said.

"What's the deal again?" Geoffrey spat angrily.

"I can't let you leave with this man," he said, looking at Kurdak.

"On what basis?! You dare stop an imperial prince?!"

"I can't let him fall in your hands," Kevin said with a firm shake of his head, "He hurt you so badly and it isn't hard for me to imagine what you'll do to him if I let you take him. I have to take him away for the sake of his life."

"He's a fugitive of the empire! Every single one of his crimes is worthy of a beheading!"

"If so, he is only to be put to death after a trial. The Sacred Light has told me that punishment has never been the end goal. It is but a means for the sinners to realize their wrongdoing!"

"No! I'm going to take him back! I need to get even!"

"Then I am definitely not handing him over." Kevin hauled Kurdak up. "I will take him back to Melindor myself and give him a fair trial at the imperial court.

"I won't allow it! I order you as a prince! Put him down!"

Kevin kept silent, but he shook his head for the sake of the huge man's life. "Apologies, I will not comply."

He ignored Geoffrey and left with Kurdak slung on his back.

The first prince could do nothing but watch. He knew he wasn't Kevin's match; nobody present was. If Kevin made up his mind, nobody could do anything to change it. He could only watch as Kevin took yet another thing away from him.

"Daaaaaaarn yoooooouuu!" he cried, to no avail.