On a bright morning in the city of Alder, a young man with black hair trudged along, carrying a log on his shoulder. From his appearance, he seemed to be between 15 and 17 years old. His clothes were worn from sweat and dust, while his hands were marred with scratches from hard labor.
On the other side, a muscular old man watched with an emotional expression. The muscles between his brows were furrowed, observing the young man who began to slow down due to fatigue.
“Hey, why can’t you move faster! Lord Count won’t wait for you to dawdle,” he barked loudly.
“Ah, forgive me, Mr. Meler,” the young man replied in a subdued tone.
“You useless wretch, if you’re not accustomed to this work, you shouldn’t have come here!” Meler said as he walked away with long strides.
The young man looked agitated, gritting his teeth in frustration at the constant criticism.
From a distance, several women watched the young man with disdainful glances, whispering loudly enough for others to hear.
“Isn’t that Alan Wayne?”
“Who?”
“He’s the son of the former count of this region.”
“Former? What happened to the previous count?”
Whispers
“Really? Oh, how unfortunate. But isn’t it his own fault for being foolish? huhuhu.”
“Right? But you really didn’t know this?”
“Hey, I’ve only been in this city for 2 weeks, did you forget?”
“Ah, right, I just remembered. Let’s go! I’m sure you don’t want bad luck from looking at him, right?”
“Hihi, you’re right!”
Alan hung his head low, hearing others talk about him. Although he was used to their mockery, it still hurt. But he couldn’t deny the truth in their words.
People began to line up to receive their pay for the day, including Alan. A glimmer of hope shone on his face.
“Thank you, Boss!” said a man as he walked away after receiving a few coins from Mr. Meler. Alan’s face lit up when it was his turn to get paid.
“Next. Hm. Alan. Here’s your payment for today!”
“Thank you, Mr. Meler,” Alan said as he took the coins. However, his smile quickly faded when he saw the amount he received.
“What’s wrong?” Meler asked.
“Mr. Meler, isn’t this too little?” Alan asked with a disappointed tone.
“So?”
“But sir, even the lowest laborer should receive 15 bronze coins. But you only gave me 5.”
“If you don’t like it, go find another job. You’re lucky I even bother to hire a fallen noble like you! Go away, you’re just wasting the time of other workers,” Meler said indifferently.
Alan hurried away, followed by the jeering laughter of some onlookers. His face was downcast and powerless as he walked down the city streets with little enthusiasm. Occasionally, he stopped in front of a shop, peering in from the window before continuing on his way.
At a shop, Alan exchanged 3 coins for some flower stems. Though he was left with only 2 coins, he wasn’t satisfied with his purchase.
“This is all that’s left, I guess,” he murmured with a hint of disappointment.
Alan spent his remaining money on a small loaf of bread. Along the way, he accidentally bumped into a guard, causing his belongings to fall. He tried to pick them up, but the items were already crushed after being stepped on by the guard.
“Don’t you have eyes?” the guard snapped angrily.
“I’m sorry!” Alan stammered.
“Wait, aren’t you?” The guard suddenly remembered something and approached Alan threateningly.
“S-Sir, what do you want—” Alan couldn’t finish his sentence before a punch landed on his face, knocking him to the ground with a weak body.
Alan tried to get up, trying to understand what he had done to make the guard so angry. However, the guard didn’t give him a chance to think. He continued to beat him ruthlessly until Alan’s body was covered in bloodstains.
After a while, another guard came out of curiosity about the noise.
“Hey, what are you doing?” the second guard asked.
“Huh? Are you blind? I’m just following Lord Count’s orders!” the first guard replied indifferently.
“Yeah, I know about the orders. But what if he dies?” the second guard asked, puzzled.
“That’s not my problem. Maybe Lord Count will throw him in the woods and let the wild dogs eat him?” the first guard answered nonchalantly.
“That’s starting to sound disgusting, but isn’t there something more important now? Have you made your report today?”
“Damn, I just remembered. Ugh, my hands are dirty from this damn blood.”
“Haha, but didn’t you start it?”
The two guards left Alan lying bloodied on the ground.
Alan lay on the ground, his body bruised and bleeding. His gaze was empty, but his mind started to race.
Slowly, he got up and looked around. All his hard work for the day was destroyed. He saw the flower stems he had bought and began to pick up some petals that could still be saved. Meanwhile, his small loaf of bread was completely soiled with mud.
Alan limped to a hill on the outskirts of the city, where three piles of stones awaited him. He divided the petals into three parts and placed them on each of the graves.
“Father, Mother, and Leonor. I’m back,” he murmured with a hoarse voice, tears beginning to seep from his eyes. He wiped his tears with his worn sleeve.
“I did it. I survived thanks to you,” he said with a trembling voice.
However, his sadness only grew when he realized he was the only one left alive. Alan lay among the three graves, his gaze beginning to fade, and the pain that shook his body slowly faded along with the gnawing hunger.
A man in a long robe approached Alan, his face hidden under a hood. From his robe, he took out a small red bottle.
Slowly, the man opened the bottle’s cap and lifted Alan’s head so he could drink it. After ensuring that the liquid in the bottle was gone, the man quickly vanished with the wind.
In a secluded room, a man stood next to a large window that showed a dark view outside. The dim light from a candle in the corner of the room created dark shadows around him.
Suddenly, a breeze entered the room, bringing with it the figure of a man in a robe. The man bowed respectfully to the one standing by the window, then greeted him.
“Greetings, Lord Count.”
The man by the window turned slowly towards the robed figure, his face still shrouded in dark shadows. “Is the boy still alive?” he asked in a low voice.
“Of course, Lord. Today he almost died from being beaten by the city guards and from starvation. I arrived just in time,” the robed man replied firmly.
“Good job, Lizard. Reward that guard. And keep watching the boy for me, make sure no one wants to help him,” Lord Count commanded firmly.
“As you wish, my Lord,” Lizard replied before suddenly vanishing with the wind that blewout of the room.
Lord Count turned back to the window, a satisfied smirk crossing his face as he gazed into the darkness outside. “Do you see, Henry? Now, your son pays a dear price for your past actions,” he murmured with a venomous satisfaction.
“I will continue to torment your lineage until they beg for death, and even then, I will not grant it to them,” he added, his laughter echoing ominously in the dimly lit room.
