“Finally! I thought we were never going to get out of there!” 

Treading through the narrow dirt paths of Vailee, Leonard and Milton listened to Alan’s exclamation. 

“You’re seriously way too excited about this,” Leonard replied with a sigh. 

“Oh, come on. Admit it, you had some fun today. That Tip guy was pretty strong, huh?” teased Alan with a wink.

Leonard rolled his eyes. “That’s the problem—he’s probably the only strong person in this lousy place.”

“Wow, such a pessimist.”

As the two bickered, Milton observed the surroundings, his eyes unintentionally landing on a young girl drawing water from a well.

“Oh? Has someone captured the attention of our Piggy?” Alan asked, wrapping his arm around Milton’s shoulder and joining him in staring at the well.

Milton blushed. “W-what?! It’s not like that! Are we done exploring? I think it’s a good time to head back.”

Alan turned to face Milton. “Hmm… You’re being awfully defensive. What? You think we’ll hurt her?”

“Ah, no…”

“Leonard!” Alan suddenly yelled. “I also didn’t expect anyone strong in this village, but that Tip guy surprised us, right? What if the weaker they look, the stronger they are? You never know with barbarians. Want to test it out?” 

As always, Leonard was swayed by Alan’s snakelike tongue. 

“Sure. Why not?” he replied, drawing his sword and heading towards the well. Simultaneously, he cast an aura barrier, externally blocking out all sight and sound. As if luck were on his side, the well was located in a very secluded part of the village, making it challenging for anyone to witness what he was about to do.

Milton’s face was drenched in perspiration. I’m so stupid! he thought. I should have just looked at the ground the entire time! Now, because of me…

Hanna, unaware of the attention she had just gathered, calmly continued to draw water from the well. Following the burials, her grandmother unexpectedly fell ill, and being her sole family member, it was her job to take care of her. Grandmother will definitely feel better once patted with warm water, thought Hanna as she smiled to herself.

“Hey.”

Startled, Hanna looked up to locate the unfamiliar voice and was surprised to see the nobles who had entered Vailee earlier.

“Ah! Hello!” she exclaimed, awkwardly curtsying as she never learned proper noble etiquette.

“Are you strong?”

“Pardon?”

“Well, it doesn’t matter in the long run anyway.”

Hanna could do nothing but stand frozen in fear as the long, sharp weapon descended upon her like the embodiment of death.

CLANG!

As Leonard’s sword was about to pierce her, it suddenly made contact with a spear. 

“Stop it!”

Leonard was shocked. Before him stood a handsome boy of similar age, with black hair and purple eyes, barely able to block his attack as he shielded the young girl.

Just a few minutes earlier…

After parting ways with Tip, Elric obediently returned home. With Serena still away in Gorn, he decided to alleviate his boredom by perusing the arithmetic book he was almost done studying. Growing even more bored, he soon abandoned the book and ventured into the inn’s kitchen. 

Aunt Serena will be tired once she comes back. Should I make her some herbal tea? he thought to himself. His cooking skills may be questionable, but he could at least boil water. Approaching the water barrel, Elric clicked his tongue. Damn, we’re out. He then grabbed a bucket and headed outside to gather water from the well.

As soon as he stepped outside, Elric felt troubled. From deep within, he sensed that something was amiss. He had always considered himself overly perceptive, but this sick feeling indicated that it wasn’t just his imagination.

Just what is this feeling? The closer he got to the well, the stronger the sensation became. Everything appeared normal to his eyes, but something in his body was telling him something was wrong. 

Standing about ten feet from the well, he extended his hand, and the air seemed to distort. The feeling of sickness immediately transformed into one of peril. Could there be a hidden mana beast? Quickly, Elric grabbed the closest weapon he could find—an abandoned spear dropped during patrol duty.

Now, Elric stood in front of three young nobles, uncertain of how he was going to get out of this dilemma.

“Hanna, run away.”

“But–”

“Hanna.” Elric gave her an urgent smile.

“Yes…”

The sixth sense that Elric seemed to acquire slowly dissipated, making him feel much more afraid.

“Wow, this day just keeps getting more and more interesting.”

Elric scrutinized the noble who had spoken, noting his long green hair and angular eyes. He looks just like a snake, Elric thought. The guy next to him wasn’t any better, as he was severely overweight and his round face seemed to swallow his features. Finally, the one standing in front of Elric had carrot-orange hair and a freckled face, and most significantly, he was the one who just tried to kill Hanna.

“Who are you?” Carrot head asked.

“I’m Elric.”

“Well, Elric.” Leonard struck the side of Elric’s head with his sword’s hilt. “How dare you stop my sword?!”

It hurts. It really hurts.

Elric collapsed to the ground and clumsily touched where he had been hit, feeling an unfamiliar wetness. 

I’m... bleeding?

Before he could even process what happened to him, Leonard landed a kick in his stomach.

“Ugh!”

Elric could barely understand how much pain he was in. The blows to his body kept coming, and the pain never decreased. As more time passed, Elric began to reminisce about  bittersweet memories. 

Ever since Mr. Linus showed me magic, I have always secretly revered non-nerics.

CRACK! Leonard broke Elric’s left arm.

Hah, he’s not even manipulating mana, and I still can’t fight back?! Am I really this powerless?

Elric couldn’t help but let his tears fall. It was the first time he regretted being born a neric.  

“Give it a rest, Leonard. One would think you’re attacking him because you’re jealous of his looks,” said Alan, watching the assault as if it were a mundane spectacle. “Besides, I have an idea.” He grabbed Leonard’s arm and whispered something in his ear. Sick smiles adorned both their faces as Alan stepped back.

“Well, that’s enough fun for today. I’m heading back to the carriage. Let’s go, Milton.”

“...Yes.”

As Alan and Milton walked away, Leonard bent down and grabbed Elric’s dark hair, forcing him to look up at him. Another shiver went up Leonard’s spine as he looked at Elric’s bloody state. He had noticed something that everyone else had overlooked. Elric was able to get past his aura barrier.

“Congratulations, Elric; you’ve become my new toy.”

*

“He doesn’t appear impressive at first glance, but surely having him become yours makes things much more interesting. Rather than taking him to the Simmons manor, think about keeping him here. Establish a facade of security. That way, he’ll definitely last longer than a month, right?”

These were Alan’s whispered words to Leonard. Combined with the apparent ineffectiveness of his high-rank aura barrier against Elric, these words sparked a mix of fascination and irritation in Leonard. Unable to resist, he agreed to Alan’s twisted plan; the idea of turning Elric into a pawn for his amusement held a peculiar allure. Besides, who was there to stop him?

Satisfied with what the day had given him, Leonard released his grip on Elric’s hair, causing Elric’s bloodied head to harshly hit the ground. And as he always did after playing with his toys, Leonard left one last look of arrogance. He soon followed his two friends and made his way towards the entrance of Vailee, leaving Elric alone in his battered state.

Elric laid still, Leonard’s chilling words incessantly echoing in his mind. The sun-kissed afternoon had morphed into a deep indigo dusk, where the stars above extended solace, embracing him in the arms of the night.

“Elric?”

Hanna’s cautious voice had called out for him, but it was too hard for Elric to move. 

“Elric.”

This time, Hanna’s voice resonated closer. Elric managed a feeble smile. Amidst the challenges of the day, he was grateful that at least he was able to protect Hanna. He found relief in the realization that he was the one lying in such a pitiable state and not such a young girl like her.

“I found you,” said Hanna, now standing above him. She couldn’t stop her tears from falling as she witnessed Elric’s impaired condition. “I’m so sorry, Elric. Because of me…” Her weeping muffled her next words. 

Mustering up the meager strength he had gathered, Elric reached out his hand. Without hesitation, Hanna quickly seized it. “Yes, what is it? What do you need?”

“Please keep what happened today a secret.” 

Hanna wanted to immediately decline, but the desolation in Elric’s eyes made her think otherwise. How could she reject the request of her savior?

“Alright…” She whispered. She then assisted Elric in standing and did her best to support him as they headed towards his parents’ inn.

It could have only been an hour once he arrived home before Elric could hear the door of his room open. He had covered his entire bruised body in the shabby brown blanket he’s had since childhood. 

“Elric? Are you alright? You’re usually up and about during this time,” Serena’s gentle and concerned voice emanated from the hallway.

“I’m just not feeling well,” Elric mumbled. 

Serena crossed her arms. He was obviously lying. “Are you really not going to tell me? The Elric that used to propose to me all the time would’ve definitely told me.”

“......”

Serena furrowed her brows in worry. That usually got a rise out of him. “Fine… I won’t press any further. Just remember, I’m here for you, okay?” 

Once he could hear his door shut, Elric removed his blanket, revealing his pained face.

I’m sorry, Aunt Serena. I was wrong; I’m not stronger than I look. In fact, I’m not strong at all.