Desolate Mage: A Legend Reborn! 105 Regrouping - Before the Storm 2

She panted, forced to catch her breath as she cursed the fact that the compound of their home was so big. She had wasted nearly 45 minutes just returning from the party with her friends and a further 25 minutes just getting to her own private area!

Dizzy and struggling to stay focused, she stumbled over to where her whistle was hidden and brusquely removed it, blew on it hard and long and then returned it to its place.

She then let out a long breath of air and slumped down onto her bed, worn out from the rush back here.

Unlike the other ladies, Patricia Trenel had been born unable to cultivate. Though, as the oldest daughter in a slightly wealthy merchant family, she had not faced any major difficulties in life.

Due to her amazingly good looks, she had been the talk of the town even before the age of 18 - and when she hit 18, the then-teenage patriarchs of the city, at that time all boys with raging hormones, had vied for her hand in courtship!

She thought back slightly wistfully to those days - and wished she had not fallen head over heels for the eventual winner of the little tournament, the dashingly handsome, wickedly strong and amazingly macho Mallard Trenel...

Patricia sat and waited for Boa of the Stars arrival, wallowing in regret as she took a walk down memory lane.

She did not have to wait long - the man quickly arrived, though he looked worse for wear. Nonetheless, his mask which depicted the starry sky was untouched.

'Probably he has plenty of spares...?' Patricia thought as she sat, expecting a good report.

"Goddess, may the heavens be forever jealous of your reigning glory, may the clouds never cover up the sun so that the blaze of the heavens may be the backlight of your eternal beauty!" Again, his apathetic voice spoke mechanically, but Patricia was used to it over the past 25 years since she had adopted the talented orphan.

"Teehee... Boa, you're such a dearie... Sigh... If only Mallard were intelligent like you..."

"Goddess, that would not be good. If the master were such, you would not need me anymore."

Patricia's eyes widened slightly as she smiled, nodding slowly, then catching herself and shaking her head gently with an even wider smile. "No no no, Boa. You're indispensable to us! Even if Mallard were a genius, he still is restricted by his position and reputation! You, on the other hand, are the one who can act as the dagger in the shadows, executing our enemies quietly in the darkness without anyone ever knowing it was actually I, Patricia Trenel, behind it all along!"

Boa's head remained bowed as he continued to kneel on the floor. This made Patricia curious - was it just her, or was the atmosphere around the leader of the Celestial Shadows... Slightly strange today...?

But before she could ask what was wrong or if there WERE something wrong with the mission, Boa raised his head slowly and spoke first.

"...Goddess...? May I... Ask you a question...? A serious one..."

Patricia's heart fluttered for just a moment as he spoke for the first time with hints of emotion in his robotic voice.

Didn't Boa have a speech impediment...?

A congenital defect that made him unable to express any forms of emotion in his speech?

Wasn't that the reason that he had been hated, bullied and downtrodden as a child in the orphanage - despite being the most talented child unearthed in the past 50, 100 years?

And wasn't that how she had roped him in, given him protection, resources, a name, a status and a place to grow into the mighty warrior he was today? Given him the title of "Stars", telling him that he did not belong with the rabble and masses, but his true identity was to be shining like a diamond in the sky?

Of course, that was only after she had also prodded and urged on the bullying until the point the other kids almost killed Boa...

She smiled inside as she thought back nostalgically to those days. She had to admit, even when she was younger, she had already been a brilliant strategist!

But her heart skipped a beat when she heard Boa's question.

"...Goddess...? What am I to you?"

Patricia was speechless, stunned and blinking her eyes multiple times as she cocked her head in confusion. What was going on? What had gotten into the man after this last simple mission?

"Boa, what are you talking about? Why are you even asking? You're the leader of the Celestial Shadows, of course! The grand army of House Trenel belongs entirely to you! And someday, when you are a Legendary combatant, you will reign as the hidden King, supreme over the dark side of Gorun City, while I shall be the true queen, ruling behind the scenes from where I sit!"

She raised her hands up high and looked dreamily into the air as she spoke of her delusions of grandeur, imaginations of the day that she would finally be rid of the useless Mallard Trenel and not need him anymore...

Imaginations that would soon be shattered into a million, billion pieces.

"Now stop wasting our precious time! I have something far, far more important for you! You're not being yourself today! Quick, report on the mission and then I'll brief you on what we need to do ne--"

"Mistress." For the first time in forever, Boa cut her off mid-speech, making Patricia disbelieve her own ears and subconsciously touch them. Did she hear wrongly...?

"Mistress!" Boa repeated himself, sparing her the need to wonder. But this time, there was the clear strength of emotions in his voice.

"...What am I to you...?"

Patricia's heart beat furiously, thumping hard as she felt a sense of inexplicable danger in those 5 words.

Almost as if she were about to be swallowed up in entirety if she just spoke the wrong words to the changed man; though she could not fathom for the life of her, just what had caused this incredible transformation overnight...? Could it have been the mission last night? But he only had to take out 1 Grandmaster and a few Master-level fighters, what could have possibly happened...?

It was too bad for her that she didn't see the smudges of lipstick remaining on Boa's lips, hidden behind the mask.

"...Boa... You are... My most trusted subordinate! My right-hand man, someone who I trust my entire life to! And no matter what comes, you will always be the one I keep with me, to fight for glory, power and hegemony together! I will always share my rule with you and we will reign side by side until the day we establish an unshakeable empire! Don't you already know all these...? Haven't I told you time and time again? Enough with this nonsense! Boa! What's wrong with you...?!?"

Patricia's voice rose in agitation as she spoke, unable to withhold the worry plaguing her soul as it leaked out in an ever louder diatribe.

But she was chilled and struck to the heart as she heard the stoic man's reply.

"...Yes... What's wrong with me indeed... What's wrong with me to have believed you all these years!"

Even through the mask, Stars Boa's eyes glinted dangerously!

"B-Boa...? W-what's... W-what's happening to you??! What's wrong with you, snap out of it!"

Boa began to rise up to his feet as he emitted a heavy, oppressive aura and slowly took one step closer to Patricia.

"BOA!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!! STOP IT RIGHT THIS MOMENT!!!" Patricia screamed aloud at him and considered calling out for help, but realised it was futile.

After all, who apart from Mallard Trenel could possibly help her in this situation? And he was off in his own world of training for a good 2 hours more!

Patricia gulped in fear as she backed off in panic - but suddenly found herself with her back against the cool obsidian walls, the smooth surface pressed up hard against her spine!

"B-Boa... Please... You're... You're scaring me... Please stop..." Patricia pleaded with him, tears filling her eyes as her psyche could not bear the blow to her world-view - how could it be that the one she trusted the most was now the one moving towards her threateningly...?

After losing Gaius, then Leocadius, now was it also Boa's turn...?

"Mistress... No, Patricia..."

"...Do you love me?"

Chapter end