Chapter 40: A Familiar Voice Beneath the Fangs (Review Bonus)

Chapter 40. A Familiar Voice Beneath the Fangs (Review Bonus)

Dusk settled over the Light Temple, turning its white towers gold beneath the last rays of the sun.

The temple was unusually crowded.

Commoners filled the courtyard, some leaning on crutches, others carrying sick children or supporting elderly relatives. Priests moved between them, distributing water and directing those still waiting toward the healing chambers.

At the entrance stood Elia Seren.

The Saintess.

The woman whose healing magic had supposedly been blessed by the heavens themselves.

She lowered her hands from an elderly man’s shoulders as the final traces of light faded from her fingertips.

The man straightened.

His trembling legs steadied.

Then he began to cry.

"Thank you, Saintess!"

Elia smiled.

A beautiful smile.

Gentle.

Compassionate.

Perfectly practiced.

The surrounding commoners immediately joined him.

"May the Light bless you!"

"Thank you, Lady Elia!"

"You saved my father!"

Elia inclined her head. "You’re all welcome. May the Light guide you."

Another round of grateful voices rose around her.

She maintained her smile.

And hated every fucking second of it.

Why did she have to do this?

She was the Saintess.

Not some ordinary village healer who spent her days treating coughs, broken bones, and infected wounds.

Her magic was meant for greater things.

Royalty.

Heroes.

People whose survival actually mattered to the kingdom.

Yet here she was, spending an entire afternoon healing commoners who couldn’t even afford proper donations.

Of course, she understood why.

Appearances mattered.

Reputation mattered.

Money mattered.

And, perhaps most importantly, admiration mattered.

The Saintess needed to be seen performing miracles.

The nobles needed to hear about her compassion.

The commoners needed to adore her.

And the temple needed its donation boxes filled.

A rather elegant arrangement.

Elia smiled at another grateful family.

Her cheeks were beginning to hurt.

Beside her stood Darius.

His polished armor gleamed beneath the temple lanterns, and his sword rested prominently at his hip.

He’d spent most of the afternoon standing near Elia, occasionally offering a reassuring word to the crowd.

The legendary Holy Knight protecting the beloved Saintess.

A perfect image.

Which was precisely why he’d bothered coming since yesterday.

A few women whispered excitedly when he acknowledged them.

Darius smiled.

Naturally.

Then there was the third hero.

Raven Dusk.

He stood beneath a stone archway, one shoulder resting against a pillar.

A dark hood concealed most of his hair.

A mask covered the lower half of his face, although the shape of his features remained visible beneath it.

He appeared almost bored.

Yet several young women kept glancing in his direction.

The mysterious assassin.

One of the Five Heroes who’d defeated the Dark Lord.

Nobody knew much about him.

Which, apparently, made him considerably more interesting.

Raven noticed the attention.

He ignored it.

Or pretended to.

Either way, the women seemed delighted.

Once the final patients departed, the three heroes entered the temple.

Priests bowed as they passed.

Their footsteps echoed through marble corridors until they reached a secluded garden surrounded by high walls and flowering trees.

Only then did Elia allow her smile to disappear.

She rubbed her cheeks. "Finally."

Darius chuckled. "You looked convincing."

"I should hope so." She exhaled. Then her expression became serious. "I really hope all this proves useful if we need to end Rey’s life later."

Darius folded his arms. "It will."

Raven leaned against a tree. "Still sending spies?" His voice carried its usual lazy amusement. "You two are taking your sweet time."

Elia glanced at him. "I’ve already sent the invitation. Rey should have received it by now."

"The king’s birthday banquet?"

"Yes." She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "And I received another report from my spy this morning."

Darius looked interested.

"The attack was successful. Rey’s curse has worsened."

Raven’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Elia continued. "He was in considerable pain just from killing an Ironback Behemoth."

Darius scoffed. "A Behemoth?" He laughed. "That’s only an A-rank monster."

"Exactly."

"Pathetic."

Elia nodded. "Still, don’t forget that we also tampered with his food and drinks before Lily took control of the kitchen."

Darius smiled faintly. "Those preparations should have weakened him considerably."

"They should have."

Elia frowned. "But I’m surprised he hasn’t sacrificed Ariel yet."

Darius’s expression changed. "Oh. Right." He glanced toward Raven. "My spy saw Rey in town this morning."

Elia turned. "With whom?"

"Ariel, Seris, and Lily."

"All three?"

"They were shopping for supplies."

Elia blinked. "Shopping?"

"Apparently."

Darius sounded equally unimpressed. "They looked normal. Almost happy."

Raven gave a quiet snort. "How suspicious. People buying things."

Darius ignored him. "But my spy noticed something unusual."

Elia’s attention sharpened.

"Ariel had red marks around her wrists. Chain marks." He paused. "And bruises on her neck."

Elia went still. "That’s impossible. Ariel possesses healing abilities comparable to mine. Mermaid blood also provides exceptional regeneration. It’s the reason why Rey intends to sacrifice her first." Her brows drew together. "Minor injuries shouldn’t remain visible for long."

Darius nodded. "Which means..." He lowered his voice. "He must have abused her beyond what her regeneration can handle."

Elia’s expression darkened.

For a moment, something uncomfortable stirred in her chest.

The gentle mermaid princess who’d always defended Rey.

Who’d refused to abandon him even after the curse began changing his behavior.

Elia should have felt sympathy.

Perhaps she did.

A little.

But sympathy didn’t change the situation.

Rey was beyond saving.

She’d already accepted that.

And if Ariel refused to leave him, then whatever happened next was...

Elia stopped the thought. "Poor Ariel," she murmured.

Raven watched her. Then tilted his head. "You two keep talking like Rey’s already on the verge of death."

Darius looked at him. "He is."

"Is he?" Raven’s tone remained casual. "My apprentices haven’t reported anything of the sort."

Elia frowned. "What do you mean?"

Raven pushed himself away from the tree. "I sent six of them to assassinate him."

Silence.

Darius stared. Then his face twisted. "Raven, have you lost your mind?"

"No."

"You sent assassins without telling us?"

"The sooner Rey dies, the better." Raven shrugged. "Wasn’t that the plan?"

Elia’s eyes narrowed. "We agreed to weaken him first."

"And you’ve been doing a wonderful job." His voice dripped with amusement. "Very slowly."

Darius stepped closer. "You could ruin everything."

Raven looked directly at him. "Remember, Darius. You’re the one who didn’t wait for Rey’s signal before breaking the Dark Lord’s core."

The garden went quiet.

Darius’s jaw tightened. "That again?"

"Yes."

"You disappeared first, coward."

Raven’s eyes sharpened. "I withdrew because the core was about to explode."

"You ran."

"Because you broke it before Rey stabilized the formation."

Darius took another step.

Raven didn’t move.

"If you’d waited," Raven continued, "the backlash wouldn’t have happened."

Darius’s hand settled on his sword. "I did what was necessary."

"For whom?"

"For us!"

The words came out louder than intended.

Elia glanced toward the garden entrance.

Darius lowered his voice. "We’re all noble-born, Raven. Even you. You’re the son of the Assassins Valley’s leader."

Raven said nothing.

"We were born with special bloodlines. Inheritances. Families that spent generations cultivating power." Darius’s expression hardened. "And Rey?" He laughed bitterly. "A commoner."

His fingers tightened around his sword. "The only commoner among us. Yet he led the entire party like he knew better than everyone else."

Raven’s gaze remained unreadable.

"What a joke," Darius muttered.

Elia stepped between them. "Enough."

Neither answered.

"We’ve already discussed this."

She looked at Darius. Then Raven. "Fighting among ourselves won’t solve anything."

For one brief moment, she remembered Rey standing beside her during the war.

The way he’d insisted she rest when she was exhausted.

The way he’d treated her as someone he trusted.

She’d once believed those moments meant something more.

Perhaps they had.

Perhaps they hadn’t.

It didn’t matter now.

The Rey she remembered was gone.

That was what she told herself.

Then...

A scream tore through the temple.

All three heroes turned.

Another scream followed.

Then shouting.

"MONSTER!"

"GET BACK!"

"PROTECT THE SAINTESS!"

An explosion shook the garden wall.

Dust fell from the surrounding arches.

Darius drew his sword. "What the hell?"

Raven straightened.

Elia raised her staff.

Heavy footsteps thundered through the corridor beyond the garden.

Something struck the outer wall.

Stone cracked.

Then...

-BOOOOM!

A massive figure burst through the masonry and landed in the garden.

The impact shattered several paving stones.

Flowers scattered.

The fountain trembled.

Elia stumbled backward.

Darius immediately moved in front of her.

Raven vanished into the shadow of a nearby tree.

The creature slowly rose.

Nearly three meters tall.

Massive shoulders.

Dark armored hide.

Clawed limbs.

It resembled an Ironback Behemoth.

Except... Wrong.

Everything about it was wrong.

Its proportions were vaguely human.

Its arms ended in hands.

Its torso retained traces of human anatomy beneath the monstrous armor.

And its face...

Elia stared.

The face was almost human.

One side had been badly burned, likely by the temple guards’ defensive magic.

The other was distorted beneath thick plates of dark hide.

Its mouth opened. "R..." A guttural sound escaped. "Raven..."

Raven emerged from the shadows. His eyes narrowed. "Interesting."

The creature’s head turned toward him. "Raven... Dusk."

Raven tilted his head. "I didn’t know monsters could talk."

Darius raised his sword. "Less talking." Holy mana surged around his armor. "We need to kill it."

The creature roared.

Then charged.

Fast.

Surprisingly fast.

But it was charging three heroes.

And whatever had made it monstrous hadn’t made it invincible.

Darius met it head-on.

His sword flashed.

A brilliant arc of holy light struck the creature’s armored shoulder and forced it sideways.

Stone cracked beneath its feet.

Before it could recover, Raven appeared behind it.

One blade.

One precise strike.

The creature’s rear leg buckled.

It howled and swung its massive arm.

Raven was already gone.

Elia raised her staff. Golden chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around the creature’s wrists and torso. "Hold it!"

The monster struggled.

The chains tightened.

Darius stepped forward. His sword blazed. "Holy Judgment."

A pillar of light descended.

The creature screamed as the attack shattered its outer armor.

Its regeneration began immediately.

Flesh pulled together.

Broken plates reformed.

Elia noticed. "It’s regenerating!"

Raven appeared above it. "Then stop wasting time on its body."

His dagger flashed toward the creature’s chest.

The blade pierced through the damaged armor.

A pulse of shadow mana followed.

The monster convulsed.

Raven’s eyes narrowed. "There."

Darius understood.

He drove his sword into the same opening.

Holy light erupted inside the creature.

Its fused core cracked.

The regeneration stopped.

The monster gave one final, broken howl.

Then collapsed.

Dust drifted through the ruined garden.

Darius pulled his sword free.

Elia lowered her staff.

Raven stepped away from the corpse.

The entire fight had lasted less than a minute.

Darius scoffed. "Pathetic."

Elia approached cautiously. "What was that thing?"

Raven crouched beside the corpse.

He studied its distorted face.

The damaged armor.

The unnatural mana still leaking from its chest.

Something about it felt familiar.

But the face was too badly burned.

The mana signature too corrupted.

And the creature’s original identity had been buried beneath something else entirely.

Raven stood. "No idea."

Darius wiped his blade. "Then it doesn’t matter."

Raven glanced toward the shattered wall.

Then back at the corpse.

For some reason, the creature’s final words lingered in his mind.

’Raven Dusk.’

He narrowed his eyes.

How had it known his name?