The Ninth Wonder-Chapter 36: Traitorous Knight

After the war meeting with most of the knights, they were assigning squad leader roles. Ones that would relay the information to their soldiers and give commands.

And no longer to his surprise, he was picked to spearhead one of the very squads. He wasn’t that happy about it... No, he wasn’t happy about it at all.

Leading a small army meant spearheading the attack and he wasn’t sure if he was cut out for it. He also didn’t know how strong the average knight was.

If they were all as strong and as skilled as Eman, then he would be cooked if he was at the front.

"You did well. I was a bit surprised myself when Rachel told everyone to wait for you and let you plan the siege, but your plan is nothing but flawless." Vernox patted his shoulder, having a slight smile on his face.

"Let’s try not to die." He extended a fist for Harley once again and the white-haired man received it, smiling.

’That’s right, no need to think about it too much. I know what to do.’ Harley thought, standing up before walking towards the secret entrance of the camp.

His suspicion towards Eman skyrocketed. There was no reason for the man to pretend like he didn’t try to wipe out their entire squad and rob them of their artifacts.

Except...

Except if he had something great to lose by exposing Harley in front of the princess. He could imagine that they would no longer trust him and would even try to kill him if the truth got revealed, which in turn would favour Eman.

But the man didn’t want to reveal anything and instead forgave him. It was weird... Weird indeed.

’Ah, is this insecurity?’ Harley chuckled in a low tone, his purple eyes glancing around before he exited the underground camp.

...

Harley exited an unsuspecting shed, just like the one he had used to enter the kingdom from the shores. It was very crafty, to be honest.

Considering that the knights of Knave had been looking for members of the resistance for a long time, it was a testament to how unsuspecting the shed was.

Harley threw on a black cloak and walked into town. He limped like an old man, unsuspectingly walking past the knights with the symbol of a raven.

The white hair leaking from beneath the cloak made it more believable.

It didn’t take long for him to come into contact with Eman. The knight was walking around wearing a normal shirt with folded trousers.

He seemed like a fisherman right now, and he was heading towards the port. Harley quietly followed.

Eman seemed extremely friendly to the knights at this gate. This was also the Western gate, so Harley observed the tower by one side of the gate with a huge ballista and guards having quivers strapped to their waists.

There were lookouts above the gate on the walls and even more outside towards the docks.

’Why do I feel like today is going to be a long day?’ Harley sighed.

And indeed it was a long day.

Eman met a strange woman at the dock. She seemed like family as they hugged and conversed for over 20 minutes!

Who talks for this long?!

Harley kept his patience in check. Currently he sat in front of a wall with a sharp eye monitoring the knight.

It didn’t take long for Eman to finally leave and Harley stood up, following behind.

They went to a marketplace, buying fruits and other things. After that they left to go watch a play happening close to the square.

’What is this?’ Harley watched a clown on stage dancing with a so-called princess.

"Come on princess, tell me your secret. You already know much about me." The clown bowed, holding her hand and smiling.

"Oh, I guess I could trust you. You are nothing but charming and sweet." The princess smiled, pulling the clown and whispering something in his ear.

The clown seemed delighted as she spoke and he bowed, snapping a finger. Just then, people dressed in black, wearing headbands on their heads, swarmed the stage.

"Sorry princess!" The clown hopped off stage onto the back and the bandits took the lady away.

Harley’s lips twitched as he watched the poor performance of the characters. They weren’t even making the correct expressions.

’And who is playing this horrible music backstage?’ He wondered, pulling his hood down.

After the play, Eman walked away with the woman and Harley turned invisible, following them closely.

After over thirty minutes they walked to a lesser populated area which looked like a slum for the poor. Eman glanced around suspiciously, taking out a piece of paper and giving it to the beautiful woman.

"The plans are all here. Give it to the king and explain everything I told you to him. We must take out the resistance today." He spoke and the woman nodded, walking away.

Eman nodded softly, turning around to walk away.

All of a sudden he felt a killing intent behind him and he turned around to see the head of the woman he was just talking to fall in front of him.

He frowned, seeing a man in a black cloak holding a silver sword that he recognized instantly.

"This is a good sword." Harley whispered.

Eman turned slowly, his eyes narrowing at the cloaked figure standing over the headless body of the woman. A faint smile tugged at his lips, not of fear, but of quiet recognition.

"So it’s you," he said, voice calm and unhurried. "I wondered how long you would follow."

Harley remained silent, silver sword still dripping with fresh blood.

Eman let out a soft chuckle, almost melancholic. "You know... that play we watched earlier was rather crude, wasn’t it? Poorly acted, terrible music. And yet... it carried a truth worth remembering."

He took one step forward, his gaze distant as if reliving the scene.

"A charming clown, dancing so sweetly before the princess. Whispering secrets. Gaining her trust. And when she finally opened her heart and shared what he desired..." Eman’s smile turned sharp, "he betrayed her without hesitation. Called forth his bandits and had her dragged away like common meat. Such is the nature of clowns, I suppose. They wear the mask of jest, but their blades are always hidden behind the laughter."

Eman’s eyes locked onto Harley’s hidden face.

"Tell me, Harley... which one of us is the clown today?"

In a flash of brilliant light, Eman raised his hand, holding the hilt of a sword. A radiant sword materialized in his grip, its blade glowing with pure, ethereal energy. The weapon hummed with power, its design unmistakable.

Harley’s eyes widened slightly beneath the hood. He recognized that sword instantly; it was one of the artifacts he had left behind on the ship. The very same ship Eman had somehow survived. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Without a word, Harley reached up and pulled the black cloak off his shoulders, letting it fall to the ground. His white hair spilled free, catching the dim light of the slums. He shifted his stance, spreading his legs wide, mirroring Eman’s exact fighting posture, silver sword held ready.

"I understand now. You were able to pass the port because the knights recognized you as one of their own." Harley figured out, nodding his head.

"Ugh, you’re a dangerous man, Harlequin." Eman clicked his tongue.

The two men faced each other in the narrow alley, the air thick with killing intent.

Eman’s smile never faded.

"You should have finished the job properly," he said softly.

"If you die here, the whole resistance would fall. I was planning on taking you out during the siege, but here you are... Delivered to me on a silver platter." Eman laughed, having a creepy smile on his face. "I’m going to enjoy killing you."