Shadow Slave novel Chapter 632

Sunny froze, his tired body tensing up. His vertical pupils narrowed, and breath escaped through his gritted fangs with a hissing sound.

'Damnation…'

Despite the strange reactions of the eccentric Saint, he wasn't fooled. Out here in the Kingdom of Hope, there was no power greater than that of the immortal wardens that guarded its imprisoned Queen.

And the only weakness the immortals had were the knives that held their fates hostage. The obsidian knife was a weapon that could destroy one of the eternal shackles, and as such, it was a priceless treasure. The very concept of value was too mundane and pedestrian to be applied to it.

And he had just revealed the fact that he possessed one to an infinitely more powerful being.

…To one of the very immortals whose lives the knife could reap.

It didn't matter if the obsidian knife was meant for Noctis himself or one of the other Shackles. If it contained his own fate, then the sorcerer would stop at nothing to gain control of it, so that no one else could. If it contained another's, he would be able to exert influence over one of the wardens, or dispose of them completely.

Noctis would undoubtedly try to take the knife…

...But, inexplicably, the sorcerer did nothing of the sort.

Instead, as Sunny stared at him in confusion, Noctis relaxed and started to hum a joyful melody. Then, he suddenly clapped his hands in excitement.

"Ah, Sunless! How fortunate it is that I've met you."

His smile dimmed a little, and his eyes, for a moment, grew dark and terrifying.

"...Before we met, you see, I was prepared to do something… rather drastic. But now, there is no need. The divination truly worked."

He remained silent for a few moments, and then seamlessly switched back to his usual carefree persona.

"This wonderful occasion demands a celebration! Yes, we simply must celebrate… while you're still alive… which won't be for long, regretfully… so, better keep it simple…"

Sunny flinched.

'...What?'

Meanwhile, something rustled in the air, and a figure of a very tall man suddenly appeared out of the darkness. Sunny tensed, surprised that the stranger managed to approach them unnoticed. Why had he not sensed the bastard?!

The figure calmly stepped into the light, revealing itself to… to not be a man at all. Instead, it was a wooden mannequin carved into a semblance of a man, wearing an elegant livery with embroidered sleeves and hem. It had simple features and held a trey with grapes, fresh fruit, and several beautifully painted amphoras of wine.

The mannequin… looked disturbingly familiar. In fact, it bore a close resemblance to a far less feral, ancient, and corrupted version of a Sailor Doll, who had been the Nightmare Creatures populating Shipwreck Island before Sunny and the Fire Keepers eradicated them.

The strange Sailor Doll placed the trey in front of them, stepped back into the darkness, and froze, becoming undistinguishable from a dead piece of wood.

Noctis smiled and reached out for one of the amphoras.

Sunny's thoughts, meanwhile, were in turmoil.

'...What the hell does he mean, I won't be alive for long?!'

He opened his mouth, then closed it in frustration and hurriedly traced several runes in the ash:

"What? Why?"

The sorcerer scowled as he tried to read them, then gave him an unapologetic smile:

"Why are we keeping it so simple? Yes… of course, you would be confused. See, usually, I would have thrown a great feast to celebrate the occasion. I am the most gracious person in the Kingdom of Hope, after all! But, sadly, we will have to be satisfied with this shameful…

Sunny furiously shook his head, and then drew several more runes:

"Sunless. Death. Why?"