Sylas’s head was buried in Leon’s chest, but he finally turned it around slightly. His eyes were welling with tears. "I-I’m six years old."

The other hand of the priest went inside his robe’s pocket, as he pulled a candy out. He directed it towards Sylas. "Here, have this and don’t be scared."

Sylas’s gaze shifted toward Leon, his eyes silently asking whether he should take it or not. Leon swallowed hard, then gave a small nod.

Sylas slowly reached out and took the candy. The priest’s smile widened slightly as his gaze returned to Leon. "Is this child yours?"

Leon shook his head gently. "No—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, the priest’s voice fell inside his ears. "Paladin, take the child and come with me."

Leon’s eyes widened, mouth opened as he muttered. "W-what do you mean by take the child?"

"Do you even know whose son this is?"

The smile on the priest’s face didn’t disappear; he just casually replied. "Is that man bigger than the order of god?"

Leon wasn’t able to mutter anything else; his gaze remained tucked at the paladin who was coming to take Sylas.

His grip didn’t loosen on Sylas for even a second. The paladin grabbed Sylas’s arm and pulled him, but failed because Leon didn’t let go of him.

The paladin pulled him again aimlessly, and a loud cry came out through Sylas’s mouth, which made Leon let Sylas go.

His grip on Sylas did not loosen for even a second. The paladin grabbed Sylas’s arm and tried to pull him away, but failed as Leon refused to let go.

The paladin released Sylas’s arm before lowering his gaze toward Leon’s legs. A cruel smirk appeared on his face as he swung his foot forward, striking Leon’s legs and forcing him down onto his knees.

"Let’s see how long you can keep that attitude of yours."

He then grabbed Leon by the hair and yanked his head back harshly before slamming it around multiple times. Finally, he struck Leon in the head with the hilt of his sword, causing blood to stream down from the wound.

Leon’s blood trailed down to his cheek and slowly dropped onto Sylas’s face.

"It’d be better for you to leave the kid and go back to where you came from." The paladin said as he leaned in to grab Sylas once again.

The paladin pulled Sylas’s arm forcefully, and a loud cry escaped Sylas’s mouth, causing Leon to finally release him.

Leon simply stood there, gaze locked onto the paladin’s back as he watched him take Sylas away. A thought curled inside his mind, which caused goosebumps all over his body.

"What the fuck did I do just now? How could I let that man take Sylas?"

Both his hands travelled to his head, clutching his hair as he tugged at it lightly. "Fuck... that man’s definitely going to kill me now. I knew something would happen. I never should’ve brought Sylas with me."

The paladin went towards the castle of the count, following the high priest’s trail.

Leon’s face was fully covered with his blood; some of it had welled into his eyes. But the only thing he had in his mind was the feeling of death which he might suffer if the word of this reached Kael’s ears.

But before he could think about doing anything, the voice of footsteps coming from behind fell inside his ears.

He turned his head to look, and the moment he saw the person walking toward him, the ground beneath him seemed to tremble. His body began shaking uncontrollably, not from pain, but from pure fear.

A man, whom he didn’t want to see at all, was standing in front of him. Kael stood there, gaze lingering over Leon’s body, as his arms remained crossed.

After staring at him for a while, he finally spoke. "Why are you sitting on the ground?"

Leon’s body stiffened; words didn’t come out through his vocals, but still, he gauged enough strength to speak. "M-my lord... I’m sorry."

"Continue," He just said one word, but it was enough to put pressure on Leon.

Leon’s gaze shifted towards the ground. "I-I wasn’t able to protect Sylas."

Kael started walking closer to him, and he grabbed his shoulder gently. "You did your best."

He took a small pause; the mana of his surroundings surrounded him as it resonated with malice. "Now tell me, where’s Sylas?"

Leon’s eyes welled up entirely; the guilt of not being able to protect the kid took over him as he broke down into tears. But even while being in this state, he pointed his finger towards the count’s mansion.

Kael’s gaze shifted towards the castle as he started walking towards it. "Make sure to reach the mansion, wait for us there."

Before moving away, he flicked his fingers lightly, sending a trace of mana toward Leon. The mana entered his body, causing his wounds to close almost instantly. Though the pain remained, the bleeding had completely stopped.

Leon touched the spot where he had been hurt, and he noticed that the wound wasn’t there anymore. "M-my lord, thank you for showing me your mercy once again." He muttered, gaze fixed on the back of Kael.

---

A/N

I hope you like this story. Support this by adding it to your collection and giving a golden ticket or a powerstone or two. Thank you.