An Ominous Sign

Thud.

The man flinched at the cold, sharp touch of a blade pressing against his shoulder.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"

The cloth covering the man's eyes was soaked with his own blood and tears as he frantically babbled his apologies. He was already battered and broken, but the person pinning him down shoved him roughly to the floor, completely indifferent to his state.

"Ugh!"

Sitting in a chair a short distance away, a figure watching the scene gestured to the guard. The blindfold was ripped away from the trembling man's face. Yet, even with the obstruction gone, the man dared not open his eyes. He knew that the moment he looked upon the face of his employer, any hope of leaving this room alive would vanish.

"Please forgive me, please. If you would just give me one more chance..."

"You couldn't even handle a single child. What makes you think you deserve another chance?"

A clear, melodious voice echoed through the dark room. It was the first time the man had ever heard his employer's voice, but he was in no position to feel honored. The voice sounded genuinely puzzled, as if truly unable to comprehend the man's logic. Unable to answer, the man could only press his face flat against the cold floor.

The owner of the voice let out a soft chuckle and gestured once more to the guard standing over the man. At the sound of a sword scraping against the stone floor, the man shrieked in panic.

"But there was an interference! Things didn't go according to plan! Please, just one more—"

"Interference?"

Sensing a flicker of hope in his employer's intrigued tone, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠man scrambled to explain.

"Yes, yes! Something... something suddenly appeared in the alleyway!"

The employer tilted their head, silently prompting him to continue.

"A bear...!!!"

"..."

The man was babbling utter nonsense—claiming a wild bear had suddenly materialized in the heart of the Capital and then vanished without a trace. The employer's expression froze into a cold sneer at the absurd excuse, but the man, still keeping his eyes tightly shut, failed to notice and kept babbling.

"It was a massive bear! It lunged out of nowhere in the alley and attacked m—Aaargh!"

His final words were cut short by a bloodcurdling scream.

Deciding there was no need to listen to any more of this drivel, the guard plunged a blade deep into the man's chest. Unable to bear the agony, the man's eyelids flew open. Through his fading vision, he saw a figure looking away, completely indifferent to his demise—a figure with beautiful, shimmering golden hair that fell like waves.

An Imperial...?

Overwhelmed by an awe and reverence that transcended even the agony of death, all pain vanished from the man's eyes for a fleeting second. That was his end. Before the sun-like golden light could even fully imprint itself on his retinas, his breath ceased.

Feeling the man's life slip away, the guard pulled the sword from the corpse.

"I wasn't told he was a drug addict," the employer murmured.

"...My apologies," the guard muttered, bowing his head.

"Forget it."

Dismissing him with a lazy wave of the hand, the employer turned their gaze toward the figure who had been silently watching the entire spectacle from the shadows of the room.

"I believe you might have played a part in the 'interference' that piece of trash was talking about. What do you think, Young Master Crysa?"

Keeping his dark navy eyes lowered, Yigo Crysa, the eldest son of Count Crysa, silently dropped to one knee. At his submissive display, the golden-haired predator's smile widened.

"I wonder if the world knows just how deeply devoted you are to your family."

"Young Duke! What on earth happened? Are you hurt anywhere? Did someone drag you away? Who was it?! I, Tollin, swear I will make them beg for death!" Tollin babbled frantically, turning the Young Duke this way and that to inspect him.

"Tollin, I'm fine." Flynn first tried to calm Tollin down, finding it too embarrassing to admit that he had wandered out on his own, gotten lost, and only made it back with help. "And nobody dragged me away. I went out by myself." He quickly tacked on the truth, unable to bring himself to lie.

A mix of slight betrayal, relief, and sheer shock washed over Tollin's face. However, having confirmed that the Young Duke hadn't suffered so much as a scratch, he quickly composed himself. Watching Tollin let out a long sigh, the Young Duke waited until he seemed calm, then eagerly grabbed his hand and pulled.

"Tollin, I know I did wrong, and I'm really sorry. But you have to come with me right now. There's a child collapsed in the alley. I think I scared him and he fainted, but he won't wake up."

Hearing the boy tumble the words out in a single, breathless rush, Tollin realized the gravity of the situation and snapped into focus.

"Jack, search the alleyway the Young Duke just came out of. There should be a collapsed child. Take them to the nearest Temple."

"There should be another child watching over him," Flynn added. "I gave them my coat, so you'll recognize them immediately. Both of them were wearing unbelievably thin clothes and were terribly thin. Hurry, I'll lead the way."

"Young Duke!" Tollin hastily called out, stopping the Young Duke as he prepared to dash back into the alley. "Please wait here. Jack and the knights will find the children."

Flynn shook his head. "No, I wandered around in there for quite a while, so a lot of time has passed. I know roughly where they are. If I go with you, we'll find them much faster."

Seeing his determination, Tollin swallowed hard. He didn't want to bring up the unpleasant encounter with Yigo Crysa right now and cause the boy unnecessary anxiety.

"There is no need for you to go. The knights are fast enough on their feet. It would be best for you to wait here where it is safe. Besides—"

"Tollin."

Flynn's small hand gripped Tollin's arm, cutting off his attempt to persuade him.

"I may be young, but I know a little of what I must do. And I know that, as my father's son, I cannot leave those children to die."

Tollin's eyes widened. He had never expected a child who hadn't even undergone the Tinas Ritual to think of such things. He was utterly speechless.

Seeing Tollin's silence, the Young Duke continued, "And if you're worried about me, then obviously you and Jack should come with me."

Flynn gave a mature smile and pulled Tollin's arm. Despite the boy's feeble strength, Tollin found himself dragged along without resistance. The sight of the child's small head overlapping with the memory of his cold, former commander made Tollin close his eyes tight.

He had known it, but he now had a distinct premonition that his future master would run him ragged just as much as his departed master had.

I should tell ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him to take his studies a bit easier starting today.

As he was dragged along, Tollin resolved that once they returned to the ducal estate, he would drastically cut down the study hours of this overly mature Young Duke and fill his schedule with playtime instead.

In the end, they found no sign of the children wrapped in the Young Duke's coat. Though they encountered a few other ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠children while searching the area where Flynn claimed to have seen them, they were all much older than the ones he had described.

"Tollin, the younger child called the older one 'Seya.' That must be his name. Doesn't the Temple keep records of the names and ages of all children born here? Maybe we can find them that way."

Standing nearby, Jack watched the Young Duke with a look of pity.

Whether it was a stroke of good fortune or bad, this carriage accident was bound to cause massive ripples between the Crysa and Fidus families. A carriage accident occurring during the Young Duke's outing, of all times; the eldest son of the Crysa family, who was undoubtedly the culprit; and the guards who had conveniently abandoned the Young Duke's carriage right on cue. What happened today was unquestionably a deliberate attempt on the Young Duke's life.

Torture ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠disguised as aggressive interrogation awaited the guards currently locked in the estate's dungeon. Tollin would stop at nothing to uncover the mastermind behind the plot against the Young Duke. Not even young children would be spared from his wrath.

It was still unclear whether the children had helped the Young Duke escape harm or if they had been used to lure him away. Knowing this, Jack was well aware that Tollin would not treat the street urchins with the same benevolence the Young Duke felt. Tollin would likely hunt them down using far harsher methods than Flynn imagined, drag them in, and interrogate them first.

Even so, the Young Duke was still just a child. Jack believed that the innocence of a young boy who hadn't even undergone his ritual needed to be preserved to some extent, and he had no doubt that Tollin had agreed with this sentiment until now. He expected Tollin to tell the boy that they would immediately request cooperation from the Temple.

"There is no need for that, Young Duke."

At Tollin's unexpected response, Jack instinctively turned to look at him. The Young Duke did the same.

"Huh?"

"Since they are street children, their first instinct will be to sell your coat. Ordinary children might take it to a regular clothing shop, but homeless runaways are far more likely to sell it to black-market fences. We will find them much faster if we send men to search those channels. I will have our men look into the local fences immediately."

Jack barely managed to swallow the words, Is that really something you should say to a child? rising up his throat. It was an impulse he hadn't felt in a very long time. Ever since Duke Agoni Fidus had passed away—or so they believed—Jack had never questioned Tollin's decisions, always trusting them to be rational. Thus, holding back now was incredibly difficult, but he managed to choke it down. The Young Duke also looked bewildered.

"I-is that allowed? Isn't that illegal?"

Tollin offered the bewildered Young Duke a gentle smile.

"Young Duke, wealth, power, and influence are accumulated precisely for moments like this. You are worried about those children and want to find them quickly, yes?"

"I do."

At the boy's nod, Tollin continued, "In that case, you are permitted to bend the rules slightly. As long as you have the power to back it up."

Listening to Tollin's words, Jack nearly shrieked. He debated whether he should grab Tollin by the collar right then and there to ask what on earth he was teaching a child. Ignoring Jack's internal crisis entirely, Tollin added,

"However, only to the extent that no innocent people are harmed, and only within situations you can fully control."

For now. Jack felt as though he could hear those unspoken words lingering in the air.

Watching Tollin guide the Young Duke into his carriage, Jack waited until they were finally alone before he could no longer hold back.

"...Lord Tollin, with all due respect, shouldn't you have spoken to the Young Duke differently?"

Even as the words left his mouth, Jack braced himself for a sharp retort. But Tollin merely spoke in a quiet, even tone.

"Jack, the Young Duke takes after the former Duke far too much."

"..."

Jack fell silent at the mention of Duke Agoni Fidus, a name Tollin rarely uttered.

"Both you and I have seen firsthand how fragile a perfectly straight tree is when it finally snaps."

Having witnessed the execution of Duke Fidus alongside Tollin, Jack listened in solemn silence.

"The Young Duke I saw today is even more unyielding than his father, not less. If that is the case, isn't it our duty to teach him how to bend and yield on occasion?"

Once again, Jack could only nod in agreement. He knew all too well how abruptly and hollowly Agoni Fidus had vanished. He certainly did not want his small, dignified young master to meet the same end.

"Besides, my urgency to find those children wasn't an exaggeration." Tollin furrowed his brow. "This is a matter far more pressing than digging into the Count of Crysa's affairs."

Seeing Jack's bewildered expression, Tollin cast his gaze toward the entrance of the alleyway where the Young Duke had gotten lost.

"Jack, how old did the youngest child you saw today look?"

"Pardon? Well..."

Jack started to answer, but the words died in his throat. Even among the street urchins, who were already severely malnourished and stunted, there wasn't a single child smaller than the Young Duke.

"I don't know whose grand design is at play here, but those children might be in grave danger."

Seeing Tollin's grim expression, Jack swallowed hard.