Yue was hanging, her entire body covered in wounds from being whipped with a cane. Her clothes were torn, and her face was swollen and bruised from being punched repeatedly.
Both of them were shocked at the sight. The lord, now terrified of what Farrel might do to him, fell to his knees and begged.
"Please, I didn't know they would torture her like this. It was beyond my control!"
His voice trembled with fear.
Farrel remained silent, walking over to Yue. He cut the ropes and carried her in his arms. Tears fell one by one from his eyes.
"I'm sorry for being late, Yue."
His shadow enveloped them, and they teleported outside the building.
Outside, Maru and the swordsman were still fighting, but both looked exhausted. It had been an intense battle.
In the final blow, Maru emerged victorious.
He sat down, exhausted, and smiled.
"At least it's over."
A shadow appeared beside him, transforming into Farrel and Yue. Maru, seeing Yue's battered state, rushed over to them.
He looked at her with deep emotion and took his daughter from Farrel, holding her tightly while screaming.
"Arghhhhhhh!"
"Why did they do this to you, Yue?"
It was the first time Maru had cried. His hug was tight as he gently stroked his daughter's face.
Yue's eyes slowly opened, her vision blurry. She saw her father's face and began to cry, hugging him tightly.
"I'm scared... I'm scared... Dad. They hit me so many times. I didn't do anything wrong..."
Maru, hearing his daughter's sobs, tried to comfort her.
"It's okay, my daughter. You're safe now."
After they both calmed down, Yue noticed someone standing beside her father.
"Who is he, Father? Why is he wearing a black cloak and mask?"
Maru looked at Farrel, then back at his daughter, a teasing glint in his eyes.
"Oh, that guy? He's my rival. He loves your mother but lost to me. So don't worry about him, kid. Hahahaha!"
Yue glared at the man with a fierce expression.
"Don't you dare take my mother, you stupid!"
She made a pouty face despite her pain. Her father wanted to laugh but held it in.
Farrel shook his head, watching the antics of the father and daughter. He walked over to Yue and gently tapped her head.
"It's me, Farrel. How can you not recognize me? Did they hit you so hard your brain stopped working?"
Farrel then lightly knocked on Yue's head.
"Ouchhh!!"
Yue rubbed her head.
"Oh, Farrel! What are you doing here? Did you also come to save me? But Dad... what did you mean about him loving my mother? That's something I didn't know about?"
Maru and Farrel looked at each other, unsure of how to respond. They began to fumble and tried to change the topic.
"No, it's nothing. We were just joking. Hehe."
"Should we leave now? It's already 3 a.m., and my body is sore from fighting for so long."
But before leaving, Farrel summoned his shadow. The shadow rushed toward the lord's building, climbing its walls and enveloping the entire structure.
The building turned completely black, and then Farrel muttered something.
"Grip."
The shadow clenched the building, and the entire structure crumbled into dust, including everyone inside.
Yue and her father watched in awe as Farrel's power unfolded before their eyes. They were stunned, realizing that his strength could be catastrophic to the world.
Then, the shadow enveloped them, and they teleported back home.
When they arrived, Lia was waiting for them. She saw the state her daughter was in and immediately rushed to hug her, crying.
"What... what happened to you, Yue?"
They embraced each other tightly. Farrel, watching the happy family reunion, quietly left the scene, walking out of the house. It was his time to go.
But as Farrel walked out of the house, Maru followed him from behind. They walked together.
"Shouldn't you say goodbye to them, Farrel? Don't you think Yue will be sad if you leave like that? You've been friends with her since childhood, right?"
Farrel sighed and removed his cloak and mask.
"Nah, I'm good. Besides, I can't bear to see Yue sad. It will be a long journey for me, and leaving her behind is hard."
Maru ruffled Farrel's hair while smiling.
"It's okay to be a kid. It's too early for you to be so mature. But you really look like your mother and father."
Maru pulled something out of his pocket.
"This is a letter from your parents before they left this world. You'll find out who they were. I was supposed to give this to you when you turned 18."
Maru handed the letter to Farrel, who held it but decided it wasn't the time to open it yet.
"Thanks, Father..."
Maru was shocked. It was the first time Farrel had called him "father." Maru couldn't contain his emotions and hugged him tightly.
"Waaaaaaa! Say that again... I didn't hear that properly!"
Farrel laughed at Maru's sudden childish behavior. They walked together until they reached the edge of the village.
The maid, Rebecca, was already waiting there with bags packed, ready to leave with Farrel. Farrel was surprised by Rebecca's efficiency.
"You're really fast, Rebecca. I didn't even tell you to leave yet."
Rebecca bowed to both of them.
"Anything for my master."
Maru looked at them and nudged Farrel.
"Wow, cheating on Lia already, bro? That was a damn fast move on."
"Well, life goes on," Farrel said, overproud of himself.
Farrel walked toward Rebecca, but before he could summon his shadow, a woman's voice screamed.
"Faaarrrrrelllllll!!!"
Yue, despite being in pain, came running. Farrel, unable to bear seeing her like that, ran toward her. Yue almost fell, but he caught her.
"Aishh, you're in pain, Yue. Why are you pushing yourself like this?"
Yue pounded on Farrel's chest and cried.
"Why? Why are you leaving me alone? Is it because you got rejected by my mother?"
Lia, who was behind Yue, was shocked. How did she know about that? Farrel lifted Yue's face and wiped her tears.
"It's not that. I just have to find out about myself. It won't be long. I'll come back later. Be happy, Yue. Don't worry about me."
Yue grabbed Farrel's hand and placed it on her chest.
"Is it because my breasts aren't big enough? I'm sure they'll grow bigger like my mother's someday, so please stay with me..."
Farrel glanced at Maru, who was giving him a side-eye look, and Lia, who was blushing. Farrel pulled his hand back.
"Errhh... Yue, it's not that. I can't stay here anymore. My identity will be a problem for this village. I also... love you."
Yue froze upon hearing those words. Her eyes sparkled.
"You... you really love me?"
Yue moved her face closer to Farrel's.
Farrel smiled and nodded.
She suddenly stood up proudly, touching her chest.
"You wait, Farrel. I'll grow stronger, and my boobs and ass will be bigger than my mother's. I'll also be prettier than her and steal your heart."
Everyone who heard this was shocked. Maru and Lia looked at each other.
"Whose daughter is this?"
Farrel couldn't help but laugh. He held out his pinky finger and made a promise to come back someday.
Yue nodded happily.
Farrel gave a hint to Lia to take over. Lia was also sad that Farrel was leaving, but the more they communicated, the more it would hurt Farrel. So she remained silent and smiled.
Farrel walked over to Rebecca. Before they left, they waved at each other. Just before they disappeared from sight, Farrel shouted, "Thank you!" And finally, they vanished from view.