The Stonehearted Knight

'Why does he know so much about me?'

…

'Does he really know about my parents?'

…

'Why is he protecting my secret?'

…

'Why did he cause me to be kicked out of the Temple?'

…

Hex couldn't sleep at night. His mind was filled with questions. Questions, he either avoided getting an answer to or either wouldn't get an answer for.

The knowledge that his secret would turn the entire world against him surprisingly didn't bother him. To him it was just similar to the whole of Grindeston being against him, only on a bigger scale.

Questions about his parents, his family and his past bothered him more. No matter how much he tried to keep a strong front, deep inside he often wondered who his parents were and why they had to leave him.

The more Hex thought about his conversation with the baron, the more convinced he was that his master knew about his parents and his family. How else would a stranger know that he was born with the world stone.

'He had to be there when I was born. He knows at least my mother.'

But Hex wouldn't ask the baron yet. He decided to become at least a Knight before broaching that subject.

All these worried Hex and kept him awake. However, nothing bothered him as much as the confusion he felt towards the baron. He had spent years convinced that the baron had screwed him over.

But now, knowing that the baron could just have simply killed him or caused his life to be destroyed by mentioning his secret, he wasn't sure anymore. Did the baron have alternate objectives?

He spent the whole night twisting and turning in bed.

…

"What happened to you?"

Hestia stared at him with a frown. She clearly remembered that the boy seemed well rested when she had met him yesterday. Barely one day passed and he looked as if he had aged years.

"Nothing much," Hex shrugged nonchalantly. He quickly changed the subject. "Do you know anything about a competition for Squires?"

"I heard the Squires talk about it," Hestia said thoughtfully. "Apparently due to the loss of so many Knights and Squires the town council decided to entertain the general public. At the same time they wish to invite the visiting Blessed to help with cleaning up the outer region."

"Like you probably know, each year there is a Knight tournament. This time they decided to have a similar one for the Squires."

"Isn't it ironic?" Hex sneered, hearing the reason behind the double tournament. Didn't they lose so many Blessed because they wanted to prevent the outsiders from profiting from the outer region?

Hestia smiled, sharing Hex's sentiment. "Wait. Are you thinking of participating?'

Seeing Hex nod, she smiled excitedly. "There are a few Squires in the castle who will also join the tournament. It's a good opportunity. The rewards are great."

The mention of rewards made Hex lookup. He hadn't considered the rewards. Joining the tournament was something he decided after talking to his master. He had been viewing it as training.

"What are the rewards?" He asked excitedly.

"There are various rewards. But the best things are large amounts of coins, a Knight grade technique for the winner and low grade to high grade weapons for the first three places. You can check the specific rewards when you are there to sign up."

Hex felt some of his worries leave. He felt excited thinking about competing with others. It was a chance for him to make a name for himself. But then he thought about something.

"Ahm, Hestia? What about our loan? And the m-mission rewards?"

Before leaving for the mission they had taken a loan of 8000 coins and rented five mountain goats. Hex doubted any of the goats had survived. On top of that Hex already owned 2800, no, 2790 coins to the castle.

"Everything is settled. We retrieved three hundred Demon crystals, twenty Fiend crystals and one Disaster crystal. Although the last one belongs to the baron, he didn't take it."

"The price for Demon crystals is 500 coins, Fiend crystals are 5000 coins and the Disaster crystal is sold for 50,000 coins. So, our total is 300,000 coins."

The amount of coins stunned Hex. He had never seen 300 coins at once, not to mention a thousand times more than that.

"The Knights have agreed to distribute everything equally amongst all the seven teams, bringing it to 7,500 coins per participant. I hope you don't mind not having discussed this with you." Hestia said with a nervous giggle.

"Actually, you were the one who killed almost a hundred demonic Heartless alone. You should get a lot more," she explained once she saw the confused look on Hex.

"No, not at all." Hex assured her hastily. "I would rather not take any. I am sure the families of the deceased need this more than me."

Despite expecting such a reaction from Hex, her heart still felt warm. By now she had a pretty good grasp of his character. She could tell that Hex was a brave soul with a good heart.

They agreed to join the others going to enjoy the festivities. Hestia would explain some of the resources useful to Squires at the plaza.

…

"How are the preparations going?" Ronan asked his team. They sat inside their room, overlooking the plaza.

"Everything is on schedule, Lord Ronan," Elron said respectfully. "We have placed the essence sinks and finished the array under the outer region."

"Is the Unborn placed successfully in the human incubator?" Ronan asked another member with her hood down. Her short blond hair seemed to glow in the dim light of the room.

"Yes, the girl is responsive so far. But we will need more. Once the soul essence starts to flow to her womb, her life essence will be drained. She will die in a couple of days."

"Don't worry. The stage is set for the next phase of the plan," Ronan assured the woman. He turned toward another male member of his group. "And the candidate for the vessel?"

The young man seemed under twenty and looked nervous amongst the others. He scraped his throat and answered Ronan.

"It will be chosen from the winners of the tournament."