Chapter 196: An Ill-fated Relationship (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 196: An Ill-fated Relationship (2)
Cloud was useless to the village.
His family made a living by taking handmade wooden sculptures to the city to sell. They didn't know how to farm, nor did they have any particular skills besides carving, so they weren't of much help to the community.
Then his parents died, leaving the child all alone.
It was only natural that the people of this backwater village, who already struggled to feed themselves, would not welcome a child.
He’s a pretty boy. I was planning to sell him off as a male prostitute once he got a little older...
But then, well-dressed knights had shown up and taken him away without a word. The village chief had been stunned when he later heard the boy had been chosen as the Hero.
If I’d known he was going to be the Hero, I would’ve treated him well!
The chief tried to recall if he had ever done anything kind for Cloud, but nothing came to mind. Instead, what did surface were countless memories of looking down on him and making snide remarks.
His old heart pounded in his chest.
I have to stay calm.
The past was the past; it couldn't be changed.
To survive, he had to stop dwelling on what was done and focus on the present.
The same applied to his current situation.
For Cloud, this village had to be a place of painful and unpleasant memories. He would change that, starting now. To do so, he had to serve Cloud and his companions with the utmost devotion and avoid giving them any reason to find fault.
He had to bow, to act subservient, to soothe the boy’s wounded pride with his own debasement.
Cloud would only spare this village if it served a purpose, even if that purpose was just to stroke his ego. If he felt the village wasn't worth keeping and whispered a single word to the region's lord, it would be wiped off the map.
The village was that small and powerless.
And so, the chief resolved to swallow his pride as an elder and prepare to bow—
“Is that Cloud? Really?”
“Look at his clothes. Aren’t they made of expensive fabric? The rumors about him becoming the Hero were true.”
The chief turned toward the voices. The village’s young men and women were peeking into his house through the window.
“Was he always that handsome?”
“It’s the clothes. Anyone would look pretty and handsome in clothes that fine... Hmm, I want an outfit like that, too.”
“Ask him to give you one. He’s the Hero, so he must have a lot of money. He wouldn’t mind giving you one, right?”
“See? I told you we have to leave this place to make it big. Let’s become adventurers.”
“I thought that was bullshit when you said it before, but now it sounds pretty convincing.”
The curious and impressionable youths chattered endlessly as they watched the triumphant return of Cloud.
Those brats!
Are they too young to know when to speak and when to shut up?
What are their parents doing?!
Fuming internally, the chief threw open the door and shouted at the youngsters.
“You brats! How dare you be so rude to the Hero? Get lost, now!”
“Why are you yelling? We were just looking.”
“Shut up! If you don’t get lost this instant, you’ll be in big trouble later!”
“Ah, come on, elder. Don’t be so petty. We’ll just watch quietly, okay?”
“You little punks! Do you think a chief’s words are a joke?!”
As the chief’s face turned red and he roared, the youths flinched, intimidated.
Is this really something to get so angry about?
I don’t think so...
Feeling a surge of defiance, the youths stood their ground. The chief’s anger boiled over, and he was about to grab the club he kept by the door when...
“Enough.”
A deep, resonant voice stopped him. Silence fell over the crowd as all eyes turned to the speaker.
Cloud was resting his chin on his hand, a frown of annoyance on his face.
“That’s enough, Chief. I don’t want a commotion. You all should head back, too.”
His tone was polite, yet intimidating.
Mere villagers like them couldn't withstand the aristocratic air that Cloud exuded.
The chief lowered the hand he had reached for the club.
“Uh, yeah. We’ll go.”
The youths who had been acting tough also nodded and quickly left, their faces pale. They, too, had sensed it subconsciously.
He and they were no longer equals.
Leslie watched them flee with their tails between their legs, her eyes filled with contempt.
“How dare they think to steal a glance at the Hero’s face. Truly disrespectful. Perhaps we should have them all beheaded?”
“H-Heeik?!”
The color drained from the chief’s face.
Beheaded?
Was she serious?
He cautiously studied Leslie’s expression. She looked like she would order the lord to send an executioner the moment she left.
N-Not that! Anything but that!
The chief quickly approached them and bowed deeply.
“I-I will apologize on behalf of those rude brats! They were spoiled and don't know any better. I will scold them harshly so that this never happens again. S-So please, just this once, show them mercy...”
Even as the middle-aged man with graying hair bowed repeatedly with a servile expression, Leslie’s reaction was indifferent.
Just as the chief began to break into a cold sweat, thinking she must be furious, Leslie spoke.
“I think I understand why they were so rude. With a village elder acting like this...”
“Pardon...?”
Leslie frowned at the chief’s confused expression.
“You’re begging a noble for mercy, yet your knees are still off the ground.”
“I’m sorry!”
The moment he understood why she was displeased, the chief slammed his knees onto the ground. Thud! A wave of pain shot through his worn-out kneecaps, but he didn't let it show. Instead, he prostrated himself and begged for mercy.
“Please forgive these rude country folk just this once! Please, have mercy!”
Only after hearing his desperate plea did Leslie’s expression soften. She turned her head, expecting to see a satisfied smile on Cloud’s face.
But what she saw was Cloud sighing and Katarina wearing a fed-up expression.
Katarina is one thing, but why is Lord Cloud... Ah.
Leslie remembered that this wasn't the real Cloud. Embarrassed, she cleared her throat.
...The glares from the other two were piercing.
*
“I wasn’t lying. I truly forgot for a moment.”
“Right. If you say so.”
“Lord Cloud...!”
Just as Leslie was about to defend herself further, Katarina grabbed her shoulder. When Leslie glared at her as if to ask what she was doing, Katarina gave a mocking smirk.
“Stop making a scene. You’ll make Cloud get sick of you.”
She’d heard those words somewhere before.
Leslie’s face soured as she realized those were the exact words she had said to Katarina when visiting Cloud in prison.
“You...”
“Both of you, stop.”
This time, it was Cloud who stopped her. He looked around and said, “You’re causing a scene and drawing attention.”
The villagers weren't staring as openly as the youths from before, but they were still stealing glances at the three of them. In truth, it was less about the commotion and more about their striking appearances, but for Cloud, who just wanted to get his business done quietly and leave, it was incredibly inconvenient.
“Let’s go.”
Cloud quickened his pace, and naturally, the two women sped up as well. Their destination was a worn-down hut on a hill—the hut where Cloud used to live.
When they climbed the hill and arrived in front of the hut, Leslie’s expression turned strange.
“Did you really stay in a place like this, Lord Cloud?”
“Why? It looks perfectly livable. My siblings and I lived in a place worse than this.”
“Katarina, are you and Lord Cloud the same? Know your place before you open your mouth.”
“...”
“Do you think glaring at me is going to scare me?”
Cloud held back a sigh as he watched the two women bicker. There was no one else around, so there was no need to stop them. He left them behind and moved to knock on the hut’s door.
Or rather, he was about to.
If it hadn't been for the thick scent of blood wafting from inside.
Did someone get to Neria?
Even if that wasn't the case, it wasn't a good sign.
The only silver lining was that the scent of blood was fresh.
It meant the bleeding had happened recently. Cloud hurriedly threw the door open.
His expression hardened as he took in the scene inside.
“Oh, uh?”
Ophelia looked flustered when she saw Cloud.
But she wasn't what mattered. Cloud’s gaze went to Neria, who was sitting beside her.
Her shirt was off, revealing skin that had been slashed by a knife and was now bleeding. The dagger that had made the wounds was still clutched in Neria’s hand, dripping with blood.
As he processed the situation, Cloud’s eyes turned murderous.
“What the hell are you two doing?”