We retained that awkward position for a few seconds. She's not what I thought a Knight of God would be. I haven't personally faced any of them yet, and so far I only know about Garling. But this woman in particular, despite her aloof aura, gives a vibe of... humanity.
She doesn't feel as disgusting as the rest of the celestial dragons, and I hope that's not my lower half thinking. Not disgusting doesn't mean friendly. Ginny's suffering was caused by Rosward and the fact that she stopped Ali from slaying him already puts her on my blacklist.
"Excuse me..."
She said before moving away from my body and sitting curtly next to me.
"You and I won't be seeing each other in the eye any time soon".
I wanted to make that clear from the get-go. It doesn't matter what arrangement we come to today, it won't change what she is.
"I understand that. My intention from the start is not to be your buddy. I just need allies... aside from my family here in the sacred land, I only have connections with two individuals albeit indirectly: Alicia and Mihawk. You're related to both, you're powerful... it is only natural I'd take this chance, don't you think?".
It makes sense.
"Explain to me why you need me and why I need you?".
I won't deny it is an interesting prospect. I can't trust her until she does something categorically opposed to Imu or the other knights, but having an insider in Marie Geoise is something I'm very keen on having. At the start that was supposed to be my mother's spot, but both of us refused for her to live in Marie Geoise. Even if she had accepted, I would have refuted it.
This woman though, is not someone I care that much about, if we're allies she could be a nice card to have, the greatest spy I dare say.
"I need allies to fight against Imu... and against Garling. You need an insider in Marie Geoise... it is that simple. Both of us can benefit".
"Why would you fight against your master?"
Somehow this turned into a job interview, but if she's not willing to answer my questions, there is nothing to do or say. She knows my position and what I stand for and it is she seeking an alliance, not me.
It took her a while of thinking before she sighed deeply and reached a conclusion.
"I'm not proud of what Marie Geoise has become in the last centuries... this is not what me and my fellow knights fought for hundreds of years ago, the world was completely different back then, there were different things at stake, including survival... but we have no other choice but to continue on this path. I'm sure you can understand my position".
"Why would I?"
"You are a monarch and you care about your family... you're a loyal person. My loyalty is priceless and I pledged myself to the throne".
"Yet you're betraying that throne".
"You're right, that is why I don't expect to survive after this".
!!!
Now I had to put a stop to it and look at her determined expression.
"I seek to stop them for the sake of the world, not for my own sake-"
"Why are you the only one who thinks like that? Why are you the only knight who is trying to do something?"
The more she spoke the more interested I became and the more questions I had. It was like someone was about to spoil me the lore. I felt like that time with Yasharte.
"Because... I'm the only one that's left from that time. No, it is more accurate to say... I'm the one who is still 'me', the rest... I feel disgusted about what they have become".
"Huh?"
"I can't speak any further".
She bit her lips and I took the initiative to hold her shoulders.
"You have to... I can't trust you if you don't tell me, Isabel... I'm not asking you to reveal everything... but you must reveal to me something that shows me... that you're not on their side. You could be trying to fool me. This right now could be a trap and I have no way to know. I can't just take everything you say for granted and take you with my mother. She's the person I love the most in this world".
"... I'm glad to hear that".
"What?"
"She's the one you love the most... it relieves me. Very well, I'll tell you a piece of information that is a secret to the whole world".
I braced and nodded.
"Something incredibly evil has been going on for the last half a century. No, perhaps more... I thought it had begun with Maximus... but it was for way longer than that".
"..."
She stood up and walked to an empty wall, after waving her hand one time a frame manifested, in this frame there was the picture of a handsome individual in regal attire and dark blue hair. He looked mighty and I noticed too, that he wasn't completely human.
"Two hundred years ago... the first knight to fall was the 3rd Knight: Saint Hendricks Vander Decken the First".
"Fall?"
"Die... or so we thought. Initially, we thought it had been something natural. An unknown enemy attacked Marie Geoise. It was a Robot, some type of construct belonging to the ancient kingdom. It was incredibly powerful and we never knew its origin. Its powers were mighty but its duration was short. A single attack towards Marie Geoise was taken on by Hendricks who fell that day and we mourned his passing. After that, the robot stopped never to move again".
"Vander Decken... where have I heard that name...?"
"If you have... you would have heard of him as nothing more than a myth. The myth of what he became after his death and the reason why I believe that we knights are being exterminated... from the inside".
!!!
"This is my secret and this is the reason why I'm seeking allies. It started two hundred years ago, me and Garling are the last ones... he's not against it, I am... that's why I need your help, Veyron".
"What did you say?! Wait a minute, what happened to this Vander Decken?"
"He didn't die... he showed up a few days later mysteriously, but he wasn't the same person we knew, not at all... instead he was a maniac that attacked us like a rabid beast before fleeing back into the sea, never to come out again. I have looked for him for answers ever since, but I have never found him".
"What about the rest?"
"The same happened with the rest... Dracule Maximus".
"My mom's father? I heard he was slain in God Valley by Dorothialis?" I faltered.
"He's alive... and he's the current second knight after Mihawk's betrayal. But he's not the same man I used to know. I loved him... I would know. That's why I can't ignore this any longer. "
"..."
Oh my god, what sort of mess did I get myself into? What is my mother going to think? Can I even believe what she just said? It could be fake. But if it isn't?