Conrad said, “Everything before that was just Andrew humoring me, treating me like his personal entertainment. My life was something Andrew gave me, and without him, I wouldn’t even be here. So tell me, what right did I ever have to compete with him?
“Besides, the cruelest rule of all was that only one of us could pass. The other had only two choices: either live in the shadows forever under a false identity, never to see daylight again, or leave the organization and submit to a mind-wipe, erasing every memory tied to it.”
Luna snapped, “But you were just as good! The fact is, you’ve already become a flagship member of your organization. Why couldn’t they have accommodated both you and Andrew back then? Why not let you both pass together?”
Conrad took a deep breath and said coldly, “I was desperate at the time, and I begged those old fossils with exactly the same argument. But they said I was being delusional. Those were the rules, and they wouldn’t change for anyone.
“I still remember crying and getting on my knees to beg Andrew. You know how he responded to me? He said everything was for my own good. From that moment on, we went our separate ways and never spoke again. He gradually rose through the ranks, becoming a major figure in the organization.
“As for me, I was crushed, hiding in the shadows, trembling with fear and questioning my entire existence. Just when I thought my life was hopeless, that he was soaring in heaven while I was trapped in hell, I heard the news that he had betrayed the organization.
“Ten years ago, the organization’s most elite unit, the Iron Cavalry squad, consisted of 100 men, all martial saints and promising young warriors under 30. You know what happened? Every single one of them died in battle, and not one returned.”
He added, “The dark forces from the Western underground empire tore apart every member of the Iron Cavalry squad. Along with their bodies, they also destroyed a century’s worth of the organization’s accumulated resources.
“The annihilation of the Iron Cavalry dealt a fatal blow to the organization. But one man survived: the squad leader, the organization’s most promising prodigy. His name was Andrew Lloyd.
“Later, he was expelled from the organization and returned to Chetvine. Then he faced retribution. Fate played a massive joke on me, but ultimately pulled me back on track. Fate had shown him favor and preference once, but in the end, he failed fate and betrayed the organization.
“So today, my mission to kill him is no longer about personal grudges. It’s about honor and righteousness.
Luna fell into silence. Finally, with a heavy heart, she asked, “I know a little about what happened to the Iron Cavalry. For us in Holtrien, it was indeed a devastating blow and a tremendous shame. When Andrew returned alone, are there any records of exactly how he managed to come back?”
Conrad scoffed. “The record states that he fled back. In desperation and helplessness, he didn’t choose the highest honor for a soldier: to die on the battlefield. Instead, he shamefully chose to survive alone and crawled back by himself! That’s why I say he doesn’t deserve to return to Chetvine or appear before people again.”
Luna murmured, “It seems I was wrong about him after all. The Lloyd family’s Dragon Prince isn’t as perfect and flawless as I thought he was.”
The pain and disappointment in her eyes tormented her so intensely that she could barely breathe.