Way of the Knights

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"O-oh! Is that so…" 

That's all that Julius could say as he felt his body being lifted by a mysterious force. 

Still, they couldn't believe what was happening right now. This person showed up all of a sudden, forced back an enemy that the three of them can't even face together with relative ease. Not only that, what shocked them the most is this formation. 

This formation was incredible. They could feel that the chilled winds were real. In a place where they are surrounded with irritating heat, this coldness was incredibly welcomed, in fact it even brings them comfort. 

It's unknown when but they just found out that they were lying on top of a wide table which covered with a soft mattress. The masked man was tending to their wounds with incredibly ease. 

"You need to take it easy for at least a month." The masked man told Derek. "You have four broken ribs, your leg muscles were mostly mangled and your meridians are bloated. You probably consumed a potent medicine earlier and you still haven digested it. I can feel the healing properties on the medicine so I won't one. Take advantage of this time to digest them properly."

"A-Ah! Yes. Thanks, Senior." The man named Derek said, gratified by the treatment.

"Like I said, I'm no Senior. I'm more of a Junior Brother in a sense." The masked man replied casually, causing the three to be speechless. 

He then turned towards Julius and inspected his body for a bit. After a brief scan of his body, he said: "You were reckless."

Those words caused Julius to flinch, but the masked man still wasn't done. 

"Had I not arrive in time, it's either the Chimera or you yourself will be the cause of your death." The masked man reprimanded. "You're barely hanging on by a thread, standing only through sheer will alone. While it's nice to have a firm will against these abominations, what you showed isn't tough will but stubbornness. You placed not only yourself but also your teammates in danger by biting more than you can chew."

Each words that the masked man uttered were like needles piercing through his skin, causing him to flinch multiple times. However, he had to admit that what he said was true. He truly were reckless this time around and nearly caused everyone to die, for that he felt remorseful.

The masked man took out a pill from his spatial ring, he shaved some of it's essence and sprinkled it onto Julius' injuries. 

Julius could feel that, under the influence of this medicine, his wounds were healing fast. It was then that the masked man spoke once more.

"This is just a temporary aid. This medicine might heal your external injuries but the internal ones are something that you should deal with yourself. You can do that by either purchasing some expensive medicines or taking time to heal them yourself. I marked them when I scanned you earlier, you'll see them once you activate your inner vision."

"As for how much time you'll need to cure yourself completely, that'll depend on you. Rest for now." The masked man said while patting his shoulders. 

Hearing his remarks caused Julius to bite his lips and feel ashamed. However, he didn't dare to say anything right now. 

"Excuse me, Miss. I'll just do a quick scan on your body." The masked man said to the girl named Janine. She simply nodded and allowed him to do his work. 

The masked man then did a quick scan of her body and told her about her condition: "Aside from fatigue, external injuries and minor organ damage, you're mostly fine. I can cure you completely but you will still need a long rest. A minimum of one month without any extensive activities. If you can do that, then you'll be good."

Just like what he did to Julius, he did the same to girl. He sprinkled some medicine shavings on her wounds. She could feel these wounds closing up, causing her to feel somewhat itchy. However this was a good sign overall. As for her minor organ injuries, those were marked and she could cure it herself when she has time. 

"Alright, I've prepared some tents for you. I can't have you returning to Greece just yet. Rest for now, I'll naturally tell you when you can go back." 

After saying that, he lifted the three of them at the same time and placed them inside their respective tents. He then looked back and asked: 

"Kyrie, can you please help her dress her wounds?" 

The three were puzzled when he suddenly talked to someone, however to their shock, a woman appeared before their very eyes and they can't even feel anything. If this masked man was already considered as an expert on their eyes, then this woman was on another level. 

"Leave it to me, Young Lord." Kyrie respectfully replied. 

Yes, the masked man was Raven all along. It was him who saved them from the terror of the Chimera Devil. 

Once everyone was placed inside their tents, Raven turned around and started meditating. The place was relatively silent and it's better that way since these three needed to rest. Just a few moments ago, all of them were on the verge of dying, right now it's best for them to relax. 

***

Hours passed and the three were well rested. 

Julius told them to convene inside his tent since they want to talk to them. Once inside, they were surprised to see Julius shedding tears and bowing low in front of them. 

"I'm sorry, you two. I'm very sorry." Julius continued knocking his head on the ground. If it weren't for their help, his forehead might be bleeding right now. "The masked man was right, all of this happened due to my stubbornness. I sent you guys to your deaths…I-"

"Stop it. Stop talking okay!" Janine yelped as she wrapped Julius in her embrace. "I don't blame you. I know it must've been hard for you to carry all of this burden. It's fine. Aren't we okay now? We're still alive."

"She's right, Captain." The guy named Derek added. "We know you're carrying a heavy burden, and that's mostly because we're weak. You gave us a chance to be promoted and yet we're not showing any promise at all. It's our fault to begin with. We passed our burdens to you and you carried them without saying a word. I'm sorry."

"No-no, I-" Julius can't find the words to say, instead he could only cry and feel ashamed.

It's true that he's carrying a heavy burden but isn't it natural for the 'Captain' to carry the burden of the team? In a sense, the burden he carries aren't really a heavy compared to other Captains out there yet he's already bending out of the pressure. This caused him to feel like he's unworthy of this position. 

"Let's stop the drama okay?" Janine dried her tears and tried to bring a positive vibe to them. "Aren't we good now? We're saved. The masked man also helped up kill the Chimera. This should be enough for us to remain afloat for a while."

"That's right." Derek supported her words. "We should really thank him for helping us. We're in debt to him. Hopefully he doesn't ask us anything excessive."

"Don't worry I won't." 

The masked man's voice echoed on their ears, causing them to jump in fright. They looked around but failed to see him. 

"Ah, sorry about that. I can't help it since I can hear you all the way here." Raven's voice sounded on their ears again. "Anyways, since you guys are awake. Come, let's eat breakfast."

The three looked at each other in a dumbfounded manner. Right, how can they forget. This masked man is strong, of course it would make sense that his sense were sharp as well. 

Derek and Janine looked at Julius with a questioning gaze. Julius nodded to them and together they exited the tent. As soon as they did so, they were assaulted by a fragrant smell of food. They tried to prevent their stomachs from grumbling but failed. 

The masked man looked at them and gestured for them to come closer. There's already a table set up as well as chairs, he's also sitting with the mysterious woman named Kyrie. 

They looked at each other and with Julius leading them, they walked towards them. But before they sat down, they stopped and bowed together towards Raven. 

"Thank you for saving our lives, Sir. We are incredibly indebted to you."

Raven casually waved his hand and said: "Don't mention it. I helped because I could. Now, now. Sit down and eat, don't let the food go cold."

With that being said, the three could only smile wryly and accept his invitation. They sat down in front of the table and started eating together. Only when faced with delicious food did they realized how famished they were. Raven wasn't stingy at all, he prepared a lot of food and allowed them to eat as much as they wanted.

In the middle of their chow-down, Raven suddenly asked:

"So, you guys' situation sounds miserable…"

*Cough* *Cough* *Cough*