Chương 71: The Count

"Who... are you?" The Count's hoarse voice echoed through the empty room as he stared at Adolin.

"D-Adolin," he said, scratching the back of his neck. He had found himself in an awkward situation yet again. Why hadn't he called someone the Count knew, someone who could explain the situation better? He was pretty sure giving his name alone wouldn't mean anything to the Count. The Count's eyes scanned the room, though he didn't move his head, just his eyes. Adolin could tell the man was in pain. Core-related or mental, he guessed.

If it had been anything else, all of the healing spells he had cast should have already dealt with it.

"Is that supposed to mean anything to me?" the Count asked after a few moments of silence.

"I guess not," Adolin said.

"I'm the healer hired by Eduard."

"The healer," he muttered while observing Adolin as much as he could without moving his head.

"And how did someone as young as yourself manage that?"

"Lucky, I guess?" Adolin said with a smile, his hand still scratching the back of his neck. The man was intense. It felt like he was studying everything about him.

"Luck?" the Count chuckled at the obvious lie, which was followed by painful coughs that lasted for a few long seconds.

"Where's my son?" Adolin just shrugged.

"He is preparing the estate to become bait, I think." Snitching on Eduard made him feel a little better. More than he wanted to admit. The man stayed silent for a few moments, deep in thought. Then he cursed loudly, which was followed by another fit of coughing.

"Fool," he said.

"How can my son be such a fool?" Adolin didn't say anything and let the Count curse in peace, occasionally nodding whenever the Count insulted Eduard. Eduard was indeed a fool. He was risking too many lives for... Adolin had no clue why he was doing any of this. Beyond what Eduard had told him. But whatever the real reason was, Adolin was sure there were better ways to do it without risking everything.

"Can you bring him?" the Count finally asked. Adolin nodded.

"Sir Tristan," he called. The door opened, and the knight entered, his eyes immediately flickering toward the Count. He hurried closer and bowed his head deeply.

"My Lord, you're awake," he said, excitement clear in his tone.

"Summon Eduard," the Count said. Tristan didn't waste any time and hurried out of the room. The awkwardness returned to the room, as Adolin wasn't sure whether he was supposed to leave or stay. He preferred the first option. Leaving the room would get rid of the awkwardness and give him something better to do than sit in silence while being scrutinized by the man.

"What happened to me?" the Count finally asked. That was something Adolin had no problem talking about, and it was better than the silence.

"You were cursed," Adolin said.

"By the organization, if Eduard is right."

"The organization?" the Count said.

"No wonder I feel like shit."

"That would be because of the damage to your Core."

"My Core?" Adolin nodded.

"It should be gone in a few days, and before you ask, I'm not sure how many."

"How did my son manage to convince the Church to send you?"

"The Church?" Adolin grimaced.

"I'm not affiliated with them." Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"A rogue, then," the Count said.

"You have my support and protection from the Church for your courage and help." A rogue? Was that the term for priests who had split from the Church? Probably, he thought. The Count was wrong, but Adolin didn't really want to correct him, so he stayed silent. The offer of protection sounded nice, but he also needed to tell the Count that he was just a mage. That was crucial if he wanted to make the alliance between Revel and them work. And yet, he didn't.

He just hoped Eduard would say whatever was necessary, and that he could talk about the alliance once the Count had recovered enough.

"Eduard said that you had some information about the organization," Adolin prompted. He was curious about them and wanted to learn more. If they became a problem for him in the future, it would be better to know more sooner rather than later.

"He said that?" the Count asked. Adolin nodded, but the Count didn't say anything else. That didn't go as Adolin had hoped. The man revealed nothing.

"You know anything about them?" the Count asked.

"Nothing much. Just what Eduard told me." The man nodded, a pained expression on his face, and said nothing else. The Count seemed lost in thought again, so Adolin decided to leave him to it and sat in the chair beside the bed. He considered whether this was the right moment to talk about the alliance, but quickly gave up on the idea. The Count was in pain and had too much on his mind. Adding more to it didn't seem fair, or productive.

There was no way the man would give him a real answer until he had learned what had happened while he was in a coma. Since Eduard would probably come to visit the Count, and Adolin didn't want to do something stupid, he started the breathing technique again. It was harder to do without his meditative posture, but it still worked, so he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. There was a knock on the door when he opened his eyes again.

"Enter," he heard the Count say, but it wasn't loud enough for the person beyond the door to hear. So Adolin repeated it, louder than the Count. The door opened, and Sir Tristan entered.

"Lord," he said, looking toward the Count before glancing at Adolin.

"Lord Eduard is busy and said he would visit later."

"He's ignoring me now?" the Count said, his voice calm. Sir Tristan said nothing and simply kept his gaze on the bed.

"I'll visit him then," the Count said after a few seconds. Adolin glanced at the Count. The man wasn't in any state to do any visiting, but Adolin wasn't going to stop him. The worst that could happen was more pain, and the Count didn't look like the type to fear it. He also didn't want to miss the opportunity to see the Count scold Eduard. And he was calm enough not to do anything stupid... probably.

"Lord," Sir Tristan protested, but the Count ignored him as he tried to get out of bed. Tristan was at his side in an instant, helping the man to his feet. Adolin was surprised the Count didn't protest the help. He stood from the chair and joined them as they left the room. Outside, he looked toward the other knight under his command and motioned for him to follow. Soon, all of his men were moving with them. Four guards walked ahead of them, six moved to the sides, and the rest followed behind.

The mage stayed a few steps behind Adolin. He would need to learn the names of the rest of them, but that could wait until later. He didn't really need them for protection, but he found it fun having them around. Though there was still the matter of the food he had ordered. He had never received it. But he didn't mind. It had been a stressful time after he asked for it, and in all the chaos, the guard had probably left it somewhere. Sir Tristan led them toward Eduard's building. Outside, the estate was busy.

Most, if not all, of the people who lived there were spread throughout the gardens as they were being questioned one by one. Where was Luna?

"Sir Tristan," Adolin said.

"What happened to Lady Luna?"

"She is still in the storage room," Tristan said without turning back.

"Two cleared guards are keeping an eye on her." They arrived at the dining room where Adolin usually met with Eduard. The table and the smell were the same as always. Freshly baked bread and fried meats filled the air. Eduard sat in the same chair Adolin had left him in the last time they spoke, a wine glass in his hand.

"Father," he said. The Count, still walking with Tristan's help, said nothing and headed toward one of the chairs at the table. With the knight's help, he sat down. Moments later, a wine glass was brought to him and filled with wine. He took a long sip and started filling his plate while ignoring Eduard. Adolin stared at Eduard for a few moments, his hands itching to cast Gravity on the man. It wouldn't be enough to kill him, but it would give him a hard time and break the chair he was sitting on.

Maybe he could throw in a Mind Spell or two. The kind that caused a... mild headache. He shook his head and took the chair opposite the Count, choosing to ignore Eduard as well. He was hungry too, and there was a lot of food in front of him. Tasty food that he had no intention of letting go to waste. As he ate, he kept glancing toward the Count, but the man simply ate, no other expression visible on his face. He only looked like he was enjoying the food a little too much. But that wasn't strange.

Adolin would be doing the same if he had just woken up from a long coma. When he was done, he wiped his mouth with the table linen, then his hands. He left the cloth on the table and turned to face Eduard.

"Care to explain?" Eduard's smile faltered slightly, but he said nothing. The Count nodded.

"So, whose bright idea was this?" His hand hit the table softly.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?"