Elric wiped his forehead with the back of his hand as he helped his aunt load the wagon for Vailee’s monthly trip to Gorn.
“Okay, that’s enough. Any more, and your shoulder will never heal,” said Serena as she approached Elric’s side of the wagon.
“It’s fine. This is nothing,” he replied while picking up two crates from the ground.
Serena sighed and grabbed one of his crates. “These days you don’t listen to me anymore.”
Elric responded with a cheeky smile.
“I do hope you’ll cut your parents some slack, though. Their ten-year service requirement is ending this year. How do you feel?” asked Serena.
Elric deeply pondered the question. When he was nine, he learned that, despite their gratitude to Mr. Linus, his parents couldn’t endure being separated from him longer than necessary. The occasional birthday visits simply weren’t sufficient. According to the rules of the palace, new employees were required to complete a minimum of ten service years before legal resignation, and thus, his parents promised to return permanently after fulfilling this requirement.
“I just want all of us to go somewhere far away,” Elric answered honestly.
Serena, not understanding the weight behind Elric’s words, let out an innocent laugh. “I don’t know; I think there are some things that I’ll miss in Vailee.”
Confused, Elric racked through his memories to figure out what Serena could possibly miss.
Then it hit him.
“No way! Tip?!”
Serena playfully winked at him before boarding the wagon. “I’ll be back soon!” she shouted as the wagon set off with her and the other villagers.
Only thirty, no, twenty minutes passed before the wagon full of Vailee villagers was forcefully stopped.
“Road’s closed, head back,” said a large man of stalwart build.
Serena’s gaze tensed as she looked at the man who had spoken. His armor, unlike that of the other soldiers who had halted them, was notably more elaborate. Additionally, he stood out as the sole individual donning the emblem of the Simmons family. Is he a knight? Serena asked herself.
Cam, the coachman of the wagon, was the first of the villagers to speak. “But the road looks fine?” He followed with a gesture to the clear path in front of them to prove his point.
Emitting an ominous orange energy, the large man moved closer.
“Are you refusing?”
The few villagers quivered at the large man’s murderous tone.
“Alright, we heard you. We’ll head back,” said Serena trying to calm down the atmosphere.
The burly man swiftly turned his focus onto her, a lecherous gaze in his eyes. “Hoho, you must be who the young master talked about. He should have mentioned that you were such a beaut.”
The surrounding soldiers laughed at the large man’s remark.
Young master? Serena thought in confusion.
“Hey, how bout it?” The hefty man gripped Serena’s chin. “I’ve never been with a neric before. Spend a night with me, and I’ll let you guys continue to Gorn.”
“Ugh...!”
Serena quickly moved away in disgust. Unbeknownst to her, the bulky figure before her was Jasper Higgs. He was a knight that instructed the incoming soldiers of the Simmons estate. Yet, concealed behind such an honorable position, lurked a nefarious man involved in numerous cases of sexual assault.
“What? Did that bother you? That should be the least of your worries; what of your nephew?”
Serena’s eyes widened at the mention of Elric.
“What?! What have you done to Elric?!”
Jasper gave her a malicious grin.
COUGH!
A large amount of blood spewed from Elric’s mouth as his back forcefully slammed against a tree. Merely minutes after his aunt’s departure, Leonard had emerged near Vailee, once again initiating a one-sided fight with Elric. But this time, it wasn’t under the guise of a routine inspection.
Elric slowly rose, his face betraying no emotion. He had grown numb to the pain after enduring it for years.
“Looks like you haven’t been broken enough,” remarked Leonard, standing confidently with his sword’s blade resting on his shoulder.
“......”
Elric remained silent, attentively surveying his surroundings. The two of them were just a few feet from Vailee, a proximity too close for comfort. Fortunately, he saw Leonard had formed a barrier earlier, making it challenging for onlookers to notice them. Grabbing the tip of his broken spear from the ground, Elric assumed the defensive stance he had learned during hunting training.
As long as Aunt Serena is away, I can endure anything, he thought.
Leonard wore a conceited smile as he charged towards Elric. He knew exactly what he was thinking.
“HAAH!”
Though not using his full power, Leonard swung his sword with precision, clearly targeting Elric’s weak points. Elric managed to feebly block a few strikes with his broken spear, but the sheer force behind Leonard’s attacks overwhelmed him and he was sent stumbling backwards once more.
Ugh! My left rib is definitely broken.
Elric winced as he weakly lifted himself off the ground and tightly held his side.
“You’re still clinging onto that useless pride of yours I see,” taunted Leonard.
Elric’s breaths were labored, but he refused to let Leonard’s words affect him. Instead, he focused on the task at hand—satisfying this psycho to get him to leave quickly.
Leonard swiftly attacked Elric again, and though clearly outmatched, Elric managed to dodge just in time. But his luck didn’t last long. Leonard’s sword quickly curved and showed no reluctance in boldly cleaving through his body.
“Arrrrgggh!!!”
Despite defending with everything he had, Elric found Leonard’s relentless onslaught to be insurmountable. The strain on his body became increasingly evident as his stoic expression began to waver, giving way to signs of fatigue. By exploiting every vulnerability in Elric’s defense, Leonard managed to undermine Elric’s concentration. He grinned at his opponent’s diminishing tenacity and subtly removed the aura barrier.
Witnessing Leonard prepare for a decisive strike, Elric tried to return to a defensive position. However, it was then his wounded shoulder had begun to bleed anew.
Shit! Not now! he thought angrily. He gritted his teeth, stifling the pain while desperately searching for an opening. Leonard lunged forward, a red energy swirling around his sword as it viciously slashed through the air.
Elric sank into a state of loss. Leonard had increased his power.
Ah, so this is the end.
Knowing he was on the verge of defeat, Elric closed his eyes and braced himself for the impending strike.
The blade descended, but to Elric’s astonishment, the impact never came. He cautiously opened one eye and was taken aback to see his aunt shielding him.
“Aunt Serena?!” he exclaimed.
Serena turned towards him, a sad smile on her face. “So this is what you have been hiding from me.”
Elric could do nothing but stare at her in shock. How did she get here?! His eyes turned to Leonard, who stood smiling arrogantly. It was him. He set this up. Quickly, he grabbed his aunt’s hand, forcing the both of them to prostrate on the ground.
“I beg you, please let her go,” pleaded Elric in a shaky voice.
Serena gazed at her nephew in surprise. She had never seen him this frightened.
Leonard felt euphoric. Alan was right once again. The stubborn Elric, who had seemed to have forgotten pain and emotion, was now kneeling in front of him, trembling in fear with such a pathetic look in his eyes.
“Hah, Elric, don’t you know better than anyone what it means to stop my sword?”
Elric broke out in a cold sweat. This was it—his worst nightmare. He didn’t know what to think anymore. The years of endurance, the hunting training—nothing was enough to avoid this moment.
“Please, I beg you,” he pleaded once again. It was the only thing he could say.
Leonard approached him, effortlessly raising him off the ground by the neck. “You seem confused,” he said with delight, glancing over at Serena. “Don’t tell me,” Leonard redirected his gaze back to Elric, “you haven’t told her this whole time?!” In a quick swipe, Leonard’s sword cut through Elric’s shirt, exposing the repulsive scars Elric had attempted to conceal.
Serena gasped, her eyes filling with tears at the painful sight of her nephew’s body.
As he dangled in the air, Elric gazed blankly at the sky. “I beg you,” he reiterated in desperation.
Leonard harshly dropped him back onto the ground, prompting Serena to quickly embrace him as she wept.
“Jasper!” Leonard yelled.
From the moment he removed the aura barrier, the entire village and his soldiers watched the gruesome fight. Among them was Tip, whose gaze was as hard as steel while witnessing the unfolding events before him.
“Yes, young master?”
“Take her away.”
Jasper gladly listened to his master’s order and separated the aunt and nephew pair. Unable to accept Serena being forcefully taken away, Tip lunged at Jasper. “Let her go!” he yelled.
Uninterested, Jasper casually glanced at him and, with a flick of his finger, released an aura bullet that sent Tip flying several yards away, rendering him unconscious. Without further delay, Jasper and the soldiers of the Simmons family walked through the frightened sea of villagers as they left.
Leonard stayed behind, a triumphant grin on his face.
“Do you have anything to say, Elric?”
“......”
Leonard smirked at his silence, then exited Vailee as well.
Bent over in pain, Elric remained on the ground, his fingernails digging into his palms and tears of blood running down his face.
* * *
Serena shivered as the cold chains that bound her brushed against her skin. With no window in sight and engulfed in complete darkness, she had lost track of the days since she was taken away from Vailee.
He’s probably thinking this is all his fault, she thought sadly. She couldn’t forget Elric’s frightened face. He was only trying to protect me! Ashamed of her own naivety, silent tears fell down her face.
As Serena’s tears fell, the dark room was suddenly covered with an intense bright light, blinding her for a moment. When her eyes finally adjusted to the startling brightness, she saw that she was in a large, run-down dungeon.
“I see you’re still alive and well,” said a familiar voice.
Raising her gaze, Serena found Leonard, the young master of the Simmons family, standing in front of her. He wasn’t alone; Jasper and several soldiers stood behind him.
Serena attempted to speak, but her throat was too sore from endless crying.
Leonard approached her, a smirk playing on his lips. “Are the chains a bit too tight?” he mocked, glancing at her restraints.
“What do you want from me?” She managed to croak out, her voice weak but defiant.
Leonard chuckled. “What I want from you? You think something as insignificant as you can ever give me anything?”
Serena’s mind raced as she processed Leonard’s words. He didn’t want anything from her? Then why go as far as to kidnap her?
“You see,” started Leonard, “Elric didn’t properly fulfill his duties as a toy. Now he must deal with the consequences.”
Toy? Duty? Serena’s confusion grew as she desperately tried to make sense of the cryptic words he spoke.
“I’ll do anything. Please, just don’t hurt him,” she replied in a defeated tone. Even if she was naive, it was clear the noble in front of her wanted to greatly harm Elric. How could she face Elia and Maurim if such a thing happened?
Leonard chuckled darkly once again. “Are all nerics stupid, or is it just you? If there is nothing I want from you, surely there’s nothing you can do for me.”
Serena frowned.
“Well, there is one thing,” continued Leonard. “A projection of all he holds dear.” He extended his arm and gently caressed Serena’s face. “What if I were to destroy that?”
Destroy?! Serena’s face paled.
Dropping his hands from her face, Leonard made his way to the dungeon’s door and opened it.
“Make sure to leave her recognizable.”
As the door shut, Serena’s piercing screams became muffled.
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