Trying to Save my Favorite Character from His Tragic Fate

The next day, Lord Analybe thinks of sending a letter requesting a meetup with the paladin. However, his men informed him that the paladin has gone to visit the port. The old man smiles at the news. He has been quite worried that the paladin has remained inside the guest mansion without a single intention of stepping out. 

The only ones that are seen going out are his two confidants - Ernest Federline and Laurel Ravenswood, two figures that are rising in popularity due to their relationship with the paladin and untested powers. Yet, no one really knows where these two powerful individuals come from. They are not from the aristocrats of any nation. Although it is not something to be shocked about since the guild itself is still a mystery. 

Lord Analybe turns to his butler, "I will visit Cathy, so prepare the carriage."

The butler bows and gets out of the room to do the preparations. 

The lord has no children since his wife has died from childbirth, taking his only son as well three weeks after. His younger brother also couldn't get away from a tragic end, and he has left his daughter all by herself. Lord Analybe has taken the responsibility to raise that child. Now, she is a young, energetic lady helping him attend the duties of the borders. 

In the carriage, Lord Analybe smiles while looking outside at the market. The place is filled with merchants advertising, children playing, and mundane conversations - a good sign that most people have a stable life. He looks at the sky when his ears capture the cry of seagulls. His nose tingles at the smell of the sea getting stronger.

He has arrived at the fort, but the maids that received him told him that Cathy is in the training ground. Walking towards the training ground, he hears a loud slap and sees a group of people standing in the middle. Still some steps away, his eyes land first on the shining silver hair that the entire continent knows who it belongs to. 

Lord Analybe hurries his steps.

'Cathy'

His niece is on the ground, holding her swollen cheek with a pale expression. Her expression does not look like the cause of their problem is a misunderstanding; rather, she looks like a guilty child getting caught. The old man curses internally, and his steps start to turn into jogging. 

'I have always heard that the paladin is of mild temper… Why would he hit a woman? Don't tell me Cathy has done something unforgiving!'

When some of the crowd turns their head to see who is trying to get to the front, they quickly part like the red sea. 

"Cathy!" 

Lord Analybe crouches down to pick his niece up. He looks towards the paladin with a confused expression. He sees that the paladin is actually restricting a woman by holding onto her arm. Her expression is completely livid. The old man recognizes from her features that she must be Laurel Ravenswood, the woman who has the guild's chief position. 

Lord Analybe greets the paladin, and Kyrie also greets him back with a troubled expression.

"Lady Analybe. My confidant is enraged that you have done such a thing to her, and I think you could sympathize with the reason why. I would appreciate your understanding."

The old man widens his eyes that although the paladin sounds apologetic, he is not apologizing for Laurel's slap at his niece. He looks at Cathy, welling with tears. He can't really do anything if Cathy really has done something wrong.

"Sir paladin…"

Lord Analybe wants to start apologizing, but Kyrie lifts his hand to stop him. 

"Lord Analybe… There is nothing for you to apologize for. Plus, the deed has been done. I would just like it if the lady owes up to her mistake and corrects it by giving back all the letters to my confidant and me."

'Letters?'

The old man opens his mouth widely in shock because he knows that Cathy has been shooting down birds that came from the demon continent. To be more exact, weird birds with a jewel on their forehead. They disappear after a day they get shot down. They also carry messages. However, those letters do not convey much more than a daily log and some romantic words. 

'Unless… The message needs to be decoded.'

Lord Analybe turns to look at the paladin walking beside him while going to the guest room. He is so glad that his niece has committed such a crime against the paladin, not the Lorian Empire's royal family. After all, the person in the demon continent that the paladin would most likely contact is the saintess herself. 

Cathy hands two separate piles to Laurel and apologizes again. She looks at Laurel, unable to take her eyes off a pile, and her face starts to warm up.

'So, she is the one who was receiving these letters…'

Laurel takes the letters and turns away, but Cathy catches her wrist.

"Sorry!"

A surprise flashes on Laurel's face for a second, and that expression manages to imprint on Cathy for the rest of the day. She couldn't help but remember that expression that is a bit different from how Laurel seems like even with her guild members. 

Cathy couldn't sleep, so she might stay all night by the window, sitting on the frame while watching the sea. She lets the window open to feel the breeze, tracing her fingers on the patterns of the wooden box that she left the letters before. 

At first, she has shot those birds down because they come from the demon continent. However, her curious nature takes advantage of her. After that, she looks forward to those birds crossing the sea. Although those letters are not for her, they have relieved her from the loneliness that plagued her life. She starts to think about where those birds are destined to. Now that she has met Laurel, her heart hasn't stopped racing.

She lets out a laugh. Maybe, the slap is a bonus. When the paladin places his hand to heal her swollen cheek, she even avoids getting healed by light magic. She lost the opportunity to know how light magic feels like, but she wouldn't regret it.

Suddenly, her eyes burn from bright light. She closes them as the light invades her entire vision. When the light subsides, she looks out of the window to see what is going on. 

On the moving tides, she sees a person walking on water. She stands on the window frame and puts her head out of the window to get a better view. 

Silver hair.

'That is the paladin! Oh no…'

Cathy leaps up to the open window. Then, the water from the stables, wells, and fountains start to gather up below the window rapidly. Her lips are chanting, and with a deep breath in, she jumps, holding her breath. 

She lands on the water cushion that formed beneath. The water, as if it is inside an invisible water balloon, pops, and Cathy lands on her feet. She rushes to the sea and finds Laurel, Federline, and Lemuel standing on the sand. The horizon is like a canvas reflecting the deep oceans' darkness with a bright light shining on the sea surface. The scenery is like a fantasy painting, as if a star has descended onto the surface of the waters. Pure light is shining from Kyrie´s body, making people who look for too long at him stay blind for a few seconds at a time.

¨He should not get any closer!¨ Cathy shouts at Laurel, ¨Please stop him! The barrier can even burn wyverns to crisps. The barrier reacts with mana so that no creature can get close to the protectorate!¨