The Infinite Bk. 05 Ch. 08

"That's not necessary, it's just a scratch."

"Please, Your Highness, you really expect me not to fulfill my duties? I am your healer, after all."

"And you've been busy healing everyone wounded today. A little scratch on my face is nothing compared to the damage you've had to fix. You should rest, you surely need it."

"If it really is so little, then it will be easy for me to mend. Despite my truly debilitating fatigue, I'm sure I can scrounge up enough strength to mend your cut."

Lupin chuckled. "Very well, I'm in your care. Please proceed."

Nell approached and sat on the couch beside him, placing the bucket on the floor at their feet. "Let me just gently peel this back." She gingerly pinched a corner of the makeshift covering and slowly pulled it down, with Lupin trying hard not to wince from the cloth sticking to the wound like it had been glued. "Ooh, that is grisly. I definitely need to clean that." She reached into the bucket, pulled out a wet cloth, and gently wiped away the dried blood. "For shame, Your Highness, walking around with such a mess on your face. You're lucky it hasn't gotten infected."

"It's fine, nothing to worry about."

"You just don't want me to fix it because you think a scar will make you look tougher to everyone."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You can't hide it from me. There is no one who looks at you more than I do." After cleaning the wound, she placed her hand on his cheek, and a gold aura began to radiate from her palm, mending the damaged flesh. "How does that feel?"

"Better."

"If something hurts, you're supposed to tell me. It's my job to ease your pain, whatever form it comes in. Please, what is troubling you?"

Lupin sighed. "I'm just wondering if I have what it takes to make this city a part of Uther, if it's possible to win the hearts of the people. I knew when I came here that I would not be loved, but I thought that if I worked hard, made their needs my priority, I could earn their respect. Now I'm wondering if the best I can hope for is to be feared, and what kind of man I'd have to be to make that happen. It's not the kind of man that I want to be."

"I know you don't, and that's why I respect you, why your men respect you. You didn't come here to rule, but to lead, you said it yourself, and there is not one person who has served under you that doesn't believe it."

"Yet I can't make the people believe it. No matter what I do, in their eyes, I'll just be an invader who stole their city. And Kaisen, he doesn't just want me gone, he wants my head on a pike. He wants to build a throne atop a mountain of skulls, and I don't have the strength to stop him. I'm afraid there are problems not even your magic can solve."

She cupped both his cheeks. "But I'll always try."

Neither Lupin nor Nell knew how it happened, whether he leaned forward or she pulled him in, but their lips met. All was still and serene until, finally, they separated.

Nell touched her fingers to her lips and blushed, turning away. "Forgive me, Your Highness, I didn't mean to...."

"N-no, it's my fault."

"I should go."

She got to her feet, and for a brief second, she wished he would grasp her hand, just as she had wished it when they were enjoying the festival. She didn't know how badly he wanted to. Still, the moment passed, slipping between their fingers like every moment before it, and Nell likewise departed from the prince's chambers. Little rest came to Lupin that night, but it was not thoughts of his enemies that kept him awake.

He woke up the next day with little strength, but weakness was a luxury he could not afford. Though his attendants greeted him, Nell couldn't meet his gaze. He still wasn't sure what to say to her. At the moment, however, his most pressing matter was Kaisen. As long as he was free, the Pack would endure. Even if he could find him, subduing him was another matter. Yesterday he had shown just how powerful he was. Even without a parasite, his strength and killing ability dwarfed that of the fiends. Noah and Valia were his best bet, but there was no telling when or even if they would return.

He spent the morning organizing search parties, putting out a bounty, and questioning prisoners. Unfortunately, no one knew his whereabouts; if they did, they weren't talking. The prisoners addicted to Elutrin threw out some leads, but none panned out. In the afternoon, Lupin had a meeting with his representatives. They were the top merchants, craftsmen, farmers, and religious figures in the city, and without them, the only way Lupin could hold Welindar was with his hands drenched in blood. He didn't trust them, and vice versa, but that's why he kept them around, so that he could keep a close eye on them.

"If any of you know anything about Kaisen the Liger, I need to know now."

"Once again, you accuse us conspiracy because you have nowhere else to turn," a dog-headed nobleman grumbled.

"Conflict only brings profit if you are in the right business, which we are not," said a man with feathers instead of hair. "Most of us lost a great deal of money due to yesterday's interruption. The harvest festival is supposed to be one our biggest days of the year, and Kaisen's outburst ruined it."

"He's not doing this without help," said Lupin. "Someone is supporting him and I need to know who. I need to know his strengths and weaknesses. Who is he?"

"Kaisen is a berserker, nothing more," Welindar's top banker, a man with gills, said. "His mother was from the lion tribe, his father from the tiger tribe, but as for lineage, he's a nobody. He has as much claim to the throne of Welindar as I do. He earned his reputation on the battlefield with his tremendous power, but that is all he has."

"Frankly, someone like him taking control would be a disaster. He has strength and charisma, but it takes far more to run a city," a scaled beastman said.

"If you truly believe that, then it would be in all of your best interests to help me find him. Regardless of his posturing, he is a tool of the Profane, and his ascent would bring only death and horror. If you value your lives, let alone your positions, use every asset at your disposal to bring him to justice."

Before the next person could speak, a great tremor shook the castle, and thunder echoed through its halls. With his heart dropping into his stomach, Lupin rushed to the window, where he could see a pillar of smoke rising from the side of the castle. He knew where it was coming from.

"All of you stay here! Do not leave this room until it's been deemed safe!"

Lupin ignored all objections and rushed outside, with Paulman and Nell chasing after him. They met Reynolds at the scene, who had a grim expression and looked pale. "It's bad, sir."

They stepped through the door to Noah's lab, utterly destroyed and now exposed to the elements. All the tools and equipment had been blown to smithereens, bricks were shattered and crushed, and corpses lay strewn about. The ground beneath their feet was more than just scorched; it was saturated with dark energy, and standing on it felt like they were standing on their own graves. The air had similarly been turned into a toxic miasma. More than simple smoke, every time Lupin breathed it in, he felt like his body and soul were being poisoned by a malicious will. This was cursed earth, unsuitable for any life to grow.

"Damn it, it's all gone. This room was our greatest weapon against the Profane!" Reynolds swore.

"They knew exactly where to hit us," said Lupin, talking with a handkerchief over his mouth to try and filter out the noxious air.

"Your Highness, look at these bodies. It's the researchers and assistants!" said Nell.

The corpses lay strewn about belonged to the men working under Noah, though they were hard to recognize. Not only had the explosion charred their flesh, but it corrupted their bodies as well. They were lying about in gnarled, twisted forms, with mutated skeletal structures and deformed tissue. Even their faces were contorted, showing monstrous features growing like tumors.

"Their limbs were bound. This wasn't done in an instant. Whoever's behind this took the time to make sure everyone was gathered here to kill them all," said Paulman.

"That's not all we lost," said Lupin, examining the shattered remains of glass tanks. "Some of the fiends Noah was experimenting on have disappeared. This wasn't just an attack, this was a rescue."

"Noah's gone, the lab, the assistants! How are we supposed to fight now? The Profane could march right through the city gates and we can't stop them!" Reynolds exclaimed.

"We have enough poison to last until Noah returns," said Nell.

"If he's even still alive," Paulman countered.

"We can only hope. Either they planned to do this when he was gone because they're afraid of him, or he managed to slip through their fingers. For now, we need to find out who destroyed the lab. This magic wasn't done by any fiend. This is the work of a ghoul-type host, one who could circumvent the raised palace security and knew about the lab, its contents, and the people working here."

"You think there is a traitor in the ranks?"

"I do. I imagine that there are at least a few beastman spies among the castle servants who have leaked info to the Profane since the beginning, but that's not what I'm truly worried about. What's to stop the Profane from recruiting from our side? Once given a parasite, hosts will sell their souls to keep them. Reynolds, get me a list of every man and woman stationed within the palace grounds and make sure they're accounted for. Paulman, lock down the palace. No one gets in or out and everyone stays where they are until I give the all-clear."

As Reynolds and Paulman departed to fulfill his orders, Lupin continued examining the scene while deep in thought. The fiends Noah kept in his lab were all heavily drugged and dismembered to prevent their escape, so even if they were rescued, they couldn't walk out on their own. It would have taken a group of insurgents to carry them out. As for the culprit behind the explosion, it was clearly the work of a ghoul, but what if the spy who snuck the insurgents in and the ghoul who destroyed the lab weren't the same person? If the spy was a regular human, it would be difficult to pin them for it.

"Your Highness, there's a survivor!" Nell's voice shook him from his thoughts, and he rushed to her, kneeling beside a young man whose entire left side was burned. He was barely breathing, unable to open his eyes, and his only movements were pained muscle spasms. Nell was doing everything she could, but her magic had little effect on the burns. "His wounds aren't healing fast enough! I don't think I can save him!"

"Just try and get him talking!"

She focused on his face, neck, and chest, trying to help him breathe. "H-h-highness..." he whispered. Lupin grasped his unburned hand.

"I'm here. Tell me what happened."

"Black... b-burned... fire."

He spoke the words with his dying breath, then fell silent.

"Black, burned, fire," Lupin muttered. "It must have been some kind of fire spell, corrupted by Profane magic to produce black flames, flames that destroy and poison whatever they touch. At the very least, that gives us a hint. As for the lab, we'll have to haul away every corrupted brick, otherwise it's like letting a dead animal rot in our drinking water."

"Drinking water.... Wait, that gives me an idea!" Nell exclaimed.

Following her instructions, Lupin ordered soldiers to bring buckets of water and throw them on the cursed earth. Everything was thoroughly splashed and left dripping, though the ashes weren't so easily washed away. Once finished, Nell touched her staff to a puddle of water and began channeling her mana into it. A gold radiance began to spread through the water, purging the evil. She did the same to the walls and everything else that had been burned and then doused, slowly cleansing the cursed earth.

"That's amazing," said Lupin. "Well done."

"Thank you. Ever since we found out light magic works on the Profane, I've been routinely purifying the wells in the palace grounds, as well as all the food. The energy doesn't last long enough to work as a weapon, but it makes me feel safe, and it seems to have other uses as well. A clean house is a happy house, after all."

Lupin picked up a loose brick, cleansed of contamination, but badly deteriorated. The entire floor had a depression left behind from the cursed flames eating away at the stone. The wall was also pocked with charred craters and vertical gouges burned into the rock.

"Imagine the force that could do this," he muttered.

Everything that survived the blast was decontaminated and salvaged, but very little had been spared from the destruction. While Lupin's attendants fulfilled his orders, he returned to his meeting to inform the city leaders of the situation. The rest of the day was spent questioning everyone on the palace grounds and even performing strip searches to look for parasites, but it was in the castle infirmary that the prince received troubling news.

"Around half-a-dozen of the surviving soldiers dropped yesterday have suddenly gone missing," said Reynolds, handing Lupin a list of names.

"Goddamn Kaisen, he dumped these insurgents right on our heads. Who would think to doubt someone impaled on a gate? They must have used hidden parasites to ensure they survived the fall."

"Among them was a fire user. If he was using a parasite, then he could have been the one to destroy Noah's lab."

"Then he's our top suspect. Question everyone in the infirmary. If anyone spoke to these men, recognized them, saw them leave, I want to know."

"Yes, sire."

That evening brought Lupin no rest. Unlike the previous night, which he spent pacing back and forth, this night found him at his desk, looking through paperwork. Though his regional military commanders oversaw the surrounding areas, Lupin still had to manage them on top of everything going on in Welindar. It amazed Lupin how his father managed to handle the responsibilities of being the king without losing his hair from stress.

"Your Highness?"

The gentle voice and the knock on his door drew his dry eyes from his work. "Come in."

Nell entered his chamber, holding a steaming mug of tea. "I brought you something to help, freshly sanctified. You were exposed to that dark energy today, so this should help cleanse any impurities."

"Ah, thank you, Nell." He accepted the tea and drank gratefully, then sighed in relief and leaned back in his chair. "I didn't realize how dry my throat was. It feels like washing ashes out of my mouth."

"You should be more careful. These past two days have enacted a heavy toll. You should rest and recuperate whenever you can."

"Tell the world that. It barely gives me a moment to myself."

"Can I try something? Noah suggested it to me. He said it would help you when you were feeling stressed."

"I'm not really in the mood to turn down a stress-reliever. Very well, let's give it a try. What do I have to do?"

She sat down on the couch. "You just have to sit here and-- Actually, I think it would be better if you were lying down. Please, join me."

Lupin moved to the couch to lie down, and as he lowered his head, Nell scooched over so it was rested in her lap. "Nell?"

"Trust me, Your Highness, this way makes it easier," she said, hoping he would not see her cheeks reddening.

The warmth and softness of Nell's lap erased any doubts Lupin had. "I trust you."

"Good, now let's see how this goes."

She placed her hand over his forehead and began to channel holy energy, sending it to a specific spot in Lupin's brain. Stimulated by her mana, his brain started producing endorphins and serotonin, and Lupin groaned blissfully. "Oh, this is wonderful."

"I'm so glad! I didn't quite understand when Noah explained it, but he assured me of the benefits."

His words loosened by relief, Lupin chuckled. "Considering the stories about him coming out of Colbrand, I'm surprised he didn't suggest something lewder."

Nell bit her lip. "Well, if Your Highness insists, I would be happy to partake in any... nighttime activities you have in mind."

Lupin sighed, not in bliss as before, and fear gripped Nell, thinking she had angered him. "I remember when we first met. You had spent all your time working in the infirmary, healing soldiers and knights. I had been wounded in battle against a fiend, and you were so nervous when you were working on me, acting like I was made of glass."

His soft laugh eased her worries, and she, too, giggled. "I was so scared, even before we met. I had heard all these horror stories about monsters in the streets, and then you appear, bleeding like there was no tomorrow. If I had made even the smallest mistake, there wouldn't have been a tomorrow for you. The prince of Uther, his life in my hands, I'm surprised I didn't faint."

"But you put me back together, and I decided it would be good to have a healer on retainer should I suffer more injuries. From then on, you were always there, sunny and hopeful, always supporting me whenever I needed it. It didn't take me long to fall in love with you."

Nell was taken back, left breathless, and then smiled. "It only took me one day."

Lupin, however, wasn't smiling. "Even though I tried to resist. I tried so hard to bury my feelings for you, because what I wanted just couldn't happen. I'm already engaged to Princess Cynatas, and the dwarves don't look kindly on infidelity and mistresses. I knew that the closer I got to you, the harder it would be when I'd inevitably have to leave you."

"Couldn't we just... forget the future? We have this moment now, so why not just throw everything else aside and finally let ourselves be happy?"

Lupin sat up and spoke without looking at her. "Because that's not the man I want to be. No, that's not right, that is the man I want to be. I want so desperately to do just that, to enjoy one night where I don't have to be the prince, but everything I do, I must do for my people. My union with the princess will bridge Uther and Vandheim and bring safety and prosperity, something I, as the future leader of our nation, cannot refuse, no matter how much I wish to. A man who breaks his oaths and shirks his responsibility, a man without honor, does not deserve a woman like you."

Nell leaned against his back. "I don't love you because you are the prince, that has never mattered to me. I love you because you are kind, compassionate, dedicated, respectful, and you work just as hard as those who serve under you. You want to help and protect the people who hate you, because you know they deserve to live peaceful, happy lives."

"And if I choose you, then I would be forsaking them. My people must come before myself and what I want, even if what I want is you."

Nell held him tight for a moment and then let go. "I understand. I won't bother you again."

She got up and left without another word, not even looking at Lupin. Lupin stood by his desk, his breathing rough and agitated, and then threw everything aside with a roar of frustration. He leaned against his desk for several moments, trying to suppress his escaped anguish. He could have called in a maid to clean up the mess, but he decided to take care of it himself, not wanting anyone to see him in an unbalanced state. He returned the paperwork to his desk and began picking up the shards of the tea cup Nell brought.

"What a waste," he muttered.

He was about to grab a rag to clean up the spilled tea, but stopped, staring at the pool on the floor and the splash the tea cup left on the wall. The damage to the lab flashed through his mind, the way the enemy spell had melted stone, and the pattern of destruction. It wasn't like a fiery explosion; it looked more like a large splatter.