Location: Bhagyavati Market
Rain had started. People who had come to shop were entering the stores, while some stood outside under the roofs to avoid getting wet. Crowds had gathered inside and outside the shops. Raindrops were falling to the ground with a "tip-tip" sound. Some people were watching the drops hit the ground, while others were talking.
"Did you hear the news? A Shudra boy injured our soldiers," one person said to another.
"Yes, I heard it. I still can't believe this news," the second person replied.
People in the crowd were listening to their conversation attentively.
"But the news is true. I heard it too," said a third person.
"That boy should be sentenced to death," said the first person.
"Yes! He attacked our protectors," the third person added.
They were speaking so loudly that their voices echoed throughout the market. In the capital, soldiers were seen as "guardian gods."
"I'm wondering why the king is still silent after all this," said the second person.
"The king is grieving the death of his friend," the fourth person explained.
"Varahar was a good man. He did so much for us," said the first person.
"Yes, indeed," the fourth person replied.
"Hey look, isn't that him... the one who attacked our soldiers?" said the third person.
Everyone began looking at Raghuveer. Raghuveer was walking alone in the rain. The ground beneath his feet was muddy. The words of the people reached his ears, yet his face showed no emotion. Everyone was watching him, whispering. Raghuveer was walking while looking up at the sky. Raindrops were falling on his face. He was completely soaked.
"Look how he walks like a demon," said the first person, glaring at Raghuveer.
Not just him — everyone was looking at Raghuveer with anger.
Raghuveer remembered something while walking.
Oh, I need to wash my sword, he told himself and stopped. His sword was on his back. He pulled it out from the sheath. Fear began to spread everywhere.
"He really is a demon," said the third person. He was afraid because he looked at Raghuveer's sword.
His sword was completely covered in blood. That blood mixed with the rainwater and flowed onto the ground. The ground beneath Raghuveer's feet turned red. People were terrified by this horrific sight. Raghuveer looked down at the ground.
Blood... he said to himself.
"He's a thief too. Look, people, the sword he has is very expensive," said a shopkeeper. He owned a sword and armor shop.
"I have a sword shop, so I know," the shopkeeper added.
"Oh no, he's a thief too," said the fourth person.
"Because of people like him, Shudras are seen as bad," said the second person.
Raghuveer was listening to their words.
I'm getting very angry at these people. If they don't shut up, I'll kill them all, Raghuveer said to himself.
"I'm not a thief," Raghuveer shouted in anger. "Don't call me a thief. Don't call me a thief," he said, looking at the shopkeeper. His eyes were filled with rage.
"If anyone calls me a thief again, I'll kill all of you," Raghuveer told them. His voice carried hidden pain.
Everyone there went silent. The whispering stopped. Raghuveer put his sword back into the sheath and started walking away.
I am a demon. Why should I show mercy to anyone? I don't need anyone. Raghuveer, never show mercy to anyone. You want to become a demon, not a god, Raghuveer told himself while walking.
A person speaks the truth when angry. Everyone watched him as he walked away and began whispering behind his back.
"Did you see how he spoke like a demon?" said the shopkeeper.
People were calling Raghuveer a demon. His name was being discussed all over the market. Raghuveer had left, but people didn't stop talking about him. Some called him a thief, others a demon.
Bharat was watching all of this. He was also standing under a shop roof to avoid the rain, but he remained silent.
Soldiers really risk their lives for these people, Bharat said.
He felt sympathy for Raghuveer, because Bharat was also from the Shudra caste. He had faced a lot of hardship to get into the army. Upper caste people looked down on lower caste people and insulted them. But when Varahar saw that upper caste people were oppressing lower caste people, he stopped it.
The rain stopped. People began stepping out of the shops. Some went home, others continued shopping. Bharat was still standing under the shop roof, lost in thought.
"Hey protector, what happened to you?" the shopkeeper asked, touching him.
Bharat snapped out of his thoughts and walked away.