----- Rudeus Greyrat POV -----
The boy passed away from exhaustion.
"Sir, would you like for me to prepare the documents?" - The slave merchant asked.
Sharp one... I like him.
"Yes. Also... Please prepare all the documents of the other children here."
The merchant widened his eyes, then nodded right away.
"As you wish."
After remembering Zenith, I feel like a part of my younger self has been brought to light. I know my mother would've spent all of her life savings to save every single child in this rotten place. 'Never abandon children', one of my core principles that I've lived by until my early 20s...
As if time stands still, memories of my adventures days flooded in my brain... Eris... Ruijerd... I've have abandoned the young and now I will be using them for my bindings, so Eris, please don't be mad that I won't be joining you in heaven, and its not because I don't want to get beaten, but that I will be residing in Hell instead.
"Sir, the documents have been prepare, please follow me"
After business has been taken care off. I bought meals to all of the starving children children, new clothes, and sent them off to an orphanage in a small village.
With the boy's frail body, I could not risk moving him carelessly. So I am staying in an inn from the thieves guild. Publicity was dangerous, especially for me who was still a wanted fugitive from multiple nations.
After a brief trip back home, I returned to the bed sick child and checked his mana status: mana pool backed up with no way of discharge. I then prepare a tea that Nanahoshi often drank, forced it down his throat and started to monitor his health.
Caring for a life is exhausting.
The kid's vital is constantly fluctuating, so I had to stay awake day and night to period odically give him medicine, food, water, and… Hygiene…
Using healing magic would only make things worse, so we had to brute force through this one.
"Mhm... it hurts" - the boy meekly said.
Seeing him squirm in pain, I gave him another dose of medicine.
"You won't die."
As I place my hand on his forehead, fever. And a strong one. His body would need a couple of days to recover.
Finishing that train of thought, I could hear footsteps approaching my room. Now I wonder who is the legend or lunatic that dares to disturb my peace? I explicitly told the guild to make my room off limits... But expecting discipline from a den of criminals? Naive.
If my information has been sold, then I need to move out immediately. I don't want fight off another Crusade sent from Milis.
And for this unwanted visitor, lets say how kind of them to volunteer as my punching bag.
I walked towards the door, already preparing the 'one-way ticket express to hell', personally stamped by Rudeus Airlines' CEO. What an honor.
*knock*kncok*
"Oi. Senpai?"
An old hoarse voice.
"..."
And that carefree tone… It sounds so familiar.
I opened the door.
An old man stood before me, long white hair tied in a bun and a pointed chin beard. Looking at his face made me pause. The years had carved deep lines into his skin, and his posture had lost the spring it once carried. But then… the smirk. That unmistakable monkey-like grin, mischievous and unbothered by the weight of the world, hadn't changed. Not one bit.
"Geese?"
----- Sick Boy POV -----
It hurts...
*Distant muffled sounds echoed*
I am tired...
*The sounds grew louder*
I can't move...
"Sebas... We need to move!"
Who?
"SEBASTIAN, WAKE UP"
I shot my eyes open.
My mother was there, her light brown hair clinging to her bloodied forehead, those distinct blue eyes wide with panic and resolve.
She grabbed one of my hands and dragged me out of the bed.
"What's… what's wrong?" I stammered, my voice cracking with confusion
"Pillagers," she gasped. "Bad men are here and… there's no time to explain. We need to move fast-"
BANG!
The front door slammed wide open.
A tall, crude man stepped through holding a sword over his shoulder. His eyes slowly scanned the room until they locked onto me and my mother.
He smacked his lips.
A cold chill ran down my spine. Every nerve in my body screamed the same truth.
This man… is dangerous.
"A young women and a child!" The man sneered, stepping further into my home. "Be honored that this 'HOLY ONE' will be tending both of you tonight!"
Beyond the man, flames lit up at the neighbor's house, people frantically running around, and the distant sounds I could barely make out had twisted into agonized screams and desperate cries for help.
The grip on my arm tightened. I looked up, expecting to see that familiar, caring worry etched into my mother's face, instead I saw something else entirely: the same face that Tou-san would make when he worked at the smith.
"Oh? I like that fierce look in your eyes! Is this what people call... Motherly instinct?"
He tilted his head, then his smirk widened.
"I wonder what kind of look you will be making when I place my hands on that child?"
I sense bloodthirst!
The bandit fanatically turned around and went into battle stance. A short man with a long soot-streaked beard and knotted hair into a tight bun was standing before him, arms were thick with muscle with a hammer in one, and a pair of tongs in the other.
Tou-san!
Steam hissed from his body.
"You."
The voice sliced through the air with authority.
The bandit tensed up.
"You were just leaving."
"..."
As if sizing his opponent up, the bandit was struck with confusion and hesitation.
His stance... His Touki... This dwarf is no warrior. Yet... Every fiber of my being is screaming that I will die fighting him!
"... in my hand and burst forth-"
"Huh?... SHIT!"
"FIREBALL!"
My mother finished the chant and the lop of intense heat was launched towards the bandit's back. The bandit turned, but too late. Just barely avoiding a full strike, the fireball slammed into his arm holding the sword engulfing it in flame.
"ARGHHH YOU BITCH!"
The bandit instinctively let go of the sword.
My father seized the opening.
With all of his might he swag his hammer in the bandit's ribcage. The impact landed with a sickening crunch, the sound of cracking bones echoed throughout the room.
"PUFAAAH!"
The bandit choked on blood spurting from his mouth and nostrils. As he staggered backwards, agony drove him to one knee, instinctively shielding his bended abdomen with his good arm.
In a single, fluid motion, my father released the weight of the hammer, held the iron tongs in each hand, and lunged forward. With brutal force, he drove the jagged ends into the bandit's guarding arm. Again. Again. Flesh filled with holes.
"ARRRGH! IT HURTS FUCKER!"
The bandit howled and pain gave way to fury. Adrenaline surged through him like wildfire. He lunged forward with feral strength, seized the dwarf by the throat, and slammed him to the ground with a force that cracked the stone floor.
"Pwaff!"
Blood burst from my father's lips. Before he could recover, the bandit was on top of him. Hammering fists into his face and body. Each blow landed with bone-cracking force, wild and relentless, as if the man had shed all restraint and become something primal. My father's head snapped back, then forward, caught in the storm of violence.
"TOU-SAN!"
"SEBASTIAN! STAY HERE!"
My mother shoved me into the farthest corner of the room. Then her eyes locked onto the back of the bandit, with resolve, she snatched a rusted knife from the kitchen table and hurled herself onto the bandit's back.
"ORAAA!"
Shouting with fury, she drove the blade into him again and again, each stab fueled by desperation and rage. The bandit roared, moving his body wildly, but she clung to him striking him relentless.
"GET OFF ME!"
Then the bleeding bandit surged to his feet, spun and hurled himself backward, slamming his back against the stone wall. Crushing my mother in between. The impact was shattering. Her body crumpled instantly, the knife slipping from her hand as she collapsed to the floor, limp and silent. Her head tilted to the side, eyes closed, breath gone.
"ALICE!"
The dwarf surged up from the ground, with a force like his touki exploded outward. In a blur of motion, picked the hammer from the ground and swung, the arc was so swift and precise that it rivaled the speed of the Sword God advanced technique Longsword of Silence.
The bandit was not fast enough.
The weapon connected with thunderous crack. His body was sent flying crashing into the far wall. The impact echoed like a death knell. He collapsed in a ruined figure, limbs splayed, breath stolen from his lungs.
No twitch. No sound. Just stillness.
The man lay there, lifeless.
Instinctively sensing the threat had passed, my legs moved before I could think. I rushed to my mother's side, heart pounding, breath shallow.
"...Ka-san?"
Her body lay motionless, crumpled where she'd fallen. I dropped to my knees and held her hand. Cold hands…
"Kan-san... Wake up!"
No response.
My mind went blank, hollowed by dread. Feeling the cold stone floor. The chronic pain came rushing back.
"Arh... Boy..."
Still in a state of shock, I turned to my father.
He was slumped against the front door, pressing his back to the wood. His chest rose and fell in shallow, ragged breaths. Blood streaked his face, his arms, his clothes. His eyes were half-lidded, unfocused, and his grip on the hammer had finally loosened. It dropped to the floor with a dull thud, echoing through the silence.
He was barely alive.
"Tou-san?"
"Come here, Boy."
As if his words have will, I found myself moving toward him. He didn't speak, didn't cry, just lifted his arm with a faint, trembling motion, inviting me into the space beneath it.
I stepped in slowly, slipping under his arm and wrapped mine around him, holding him as tightly as I could. His body was warm, and... Trembling. Mine was shaking too. And then the tears came. I buried my head into his chest, and I let myself fall apart.
*inaudible shouts growing loud*
Gently pulling away from the embrace, my father placed a bloodied, trembling hand on my shoulder. His grip was firm despite the pain, grounding me in the moment. Then he looked into my eyes, unwavering.
"Listen very careful, boy."
His voice was hoarse with every word dragged through pain.
"... hick..."
"There's a dark pouch beneath my drawer. That pouch… It holds our family's lifeline."
He paused, breath catching, eyes locked onto mine with quiet urgency.
"Take it. Go to the forest, away from this village. Follow the river downstream and you will find people. Ask them for help."
Anxiety crawled up to my throat.
Something was wrong.
"But... What about you?"
My voice trembling. I searched for hope in his eyes, but he broke eye contact with me.
"... I will stay here."
Tears welled up, panic blooming in my chest like a storm.
"I w-want to go... hick... together!"
*inaudible shouts from outside getting louder*
"Boy, we don't have time!" he barked, with urgency "You must go! NOW!"
"No! hick I want-"
*smack*
My cheek burned, the sting sharp made me freeze.
"You are not a child anymore!" He roared, eyes blazing. "Stop crying and get moving!"
Then he shoved me. I stumbled backward, crashing to the ground. My heart pounded. My limbs refused to move.
"OI! IS SOMEONE HERE? OPEN THE DOOR!"
The voice was rough and unfamiliar. Then came the kicks rattling the front door with each strike. My father braced himself against the door, using the last of his strength to hold it shut.
He turned to me, his eyes fierce yet fading.
"Boy… no… Sebastian."
Something deep inside me stirred, snapping me out of my state of panic.
"A man should always keep moving forward, my son."
The door cracked louder, splinters raining down.
"Now go."
I looked into his eyes one last time.
They held everything, love, pain, pride, and resolution.
Then strength surged through my limbs.
I rose and ran.
Never looking back.