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Chapter 224  [Hollow Town] [6] [Family]

The warmth of the morning sun peeking through the dense clouds helped relax my body.

My eyes barely opened after not having proper sleep all night.

It was a crazy night, but oddly enough, it ended quietly after that creepy child ran away.

I stretched my arms lazily, placing them on the bench I was sitting on.

Looking around, I noticed children still playing, unaffected by what had happened last night.

\'...Children, huh?\'

I thought as I watched them play with pure innocence, without any tension.

That reminded me of my own childhood.

It wasn\'t all giggles and happiness—I was depressed for almost half of it.

Rightfully so.

Who wouldn\'t be after knowing your mother abandoned you and left you to die when you were hardly five years old?

Thrown away from being a real princess to a shell of one in an empire you knew nothing of.

...It was torture for a child.

\'Sword maiden, huh?\'

What a fancy name for someone who is nothing but a watchdog, guarding a door to hell.

It was hard to believe, of all the people, I was the one who had to do it.

Until I will take my last breath.

...And just as I had accepted my fate, a commotion brought me back to reality.

I shifted my focus to my side as I saw two boys walking toward me.

But my gaze remained on the boy with pristine white hair like him and mismatched eye colors.

\'...He\'s grown a lot.\'

I don\'t know why, but unlike before, now he looks like a boy who could come straight out of some maiden\'s dream.

He looks much better than the emo guy he used to be.

"How are you doing?" As he walked closer, he asked, placing a plate full of pancakes beside me.

"I need more sleep," I grumbled, taking the plate and starting to eat.

"Do that later," he replied, sitting beside me while Aimar stood close. "We need to check the house near the graveyard."

"Huh?" The half-eaten pancake fell from my hand back onto the plate as I heard him. "...W-wait, what? No, I\'m not goin—"

"I\'m not asking," he cut in with a sweet smile. "Like it or not, you\'re coming with me."

"Hell no!" I yelled, glaring at him. "I\'m not going anywhere near that creepy—"

"Eat faster. We don\'t have much time," he interjected sharply before standing up and walking away.

"Hey, you can\'t do this to me!" I protested, but my words seemed to have no effect on him.

Without looking back, he walked toward the director\'s office.

Grumbling to myself, I continued eating the pancakes.

Who made them anyway?

They\'re not bad.

"So, who are you?" I shifted my focus toward Aimar as he asked, sitting beside me at a slight distance.

"Nella—"

"No, the real you," he cut in, his voice sharp. "Behind that fake mask."

"I don\'t know what you mean by that," I replied curtly, munching on the pancakes.

"Azariah isn\'t close with many girls," he said, glancing at me. "He wouldn\'t talk so freely with you without knowing you well."

"Does it change anything?" I asked back, looking at him. "With or without the mask, I\'m nothing but a passerby in his life."

"...I see," he whispered softly, nodding in response.

"Were you protecting the orphanage last night?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Yes, Azariah asked me to," he replied with a gentle nod.

"He was sure this place would be targeted because of the children, but for some reason, nobody attacked."

"...That\'s odd," I mumbled, finishing the last of the pancake. "It\'s weird they left this place alone."

"...Yeah," he replied before falling silent.

I didn\'t have anything else to say either. And even though I wanted to comfort him about Oliver...

...I couldn\'t.

I\'m not good at comforting others; it\'s hard for me.

I hardly have people in my life who I care about.

Heck, I really don\'t have anyone.

I don\'t know how it feels to lose someone close to you.

...I\'m just—

"Nella!" A voice yelled, and I looked up.

Azariah stood at the gate, urging me to come toward him.

He had a book in his hand that he quickly placed in his bracelet.

With a tired sigh, I got up, passing the plate to Aimar. "Please keep it inside."

He nodded, taking it, while I rushed toward Azariah.

"Do I really have to go?" I asked, my voice pleading. "Can\'t I just look after the kids?"

"What are you, a housewife?" He scoffed, pulling out a handkerchief. "And wipe your face after eating."

"Yes, father," I replied.

He halted, pointing a finger at me, lips parted, but turned around without saying anything.

I couldn\'t help but grin at his reaction.

It\'s hard to make him speechless, and I definitely enjoy it.

"By the way, thanks for guarding me last night while I was sleeping," I said, passing the handkerchief back.

Even though I couldn\'t sleep much, it was still reassuring to have him close.

"It\'s fine," he replied, looking at me. "And yeah, be careful with the children at that house."

I flinched, my stomach twisted like I was going to throw up.

"Wouldn\'t it be better if I stayed here?" I mumbled quietly, looking at him.

"Why, are you scared?" he asked, smiling sweetly.

And I don\'t like that smile.

...It makes me feel weird.

"I\'m not," I replied, straightening my back as we reached the village\'s edge.

"Just stay behind me, and everything will be alright," he said as he walked on the unpaved road.

"You sure like to act mature," I mumbled, following behind him.

"I am mature," he replied, glancing back at me. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Too mature, I\'d say," I replied, and he nodded happily. "Even your stamina is affected by your maturity."

He stopped, glaring back at me.

I quickly averted my gaze until he started walking again.

And the farther we walked, the quieter the surroundings became.

"Is this the right choice?" I softly mumbled, stepping closer to him. "...I don\'t feel like we should be here alone."

"...Nothing will happen," Azariah reassured me. "...You\'ll be fine."

I nodded as we quickly moved through the tall, dried grasses.

Weirdly enough, I felt like someone was watching us from afar but still so close.

But fortunately or not, we arrived at the place quickly.

At the old, barren house made of wood and mud, the laughter of children echoed even from afar.

Azariah walked toward the house, the front gate barely tall enough to stop anything.

Two children danced around an oak tree, and a bull was tied to the tree.

The children stopped and looked at us.

And I finally saw them properly—they seemed like twins, one boy and one girl.

Rough blonde hair and brown eyes.

...And I recognized the boy.

He was the same boy we saw last night.

I took a step back as they both smiled, an innocent yet unsettling smile.

"Where\'s your mother?" Azariah asked, standing at the edge of the house.

"Hehehe."

The children didn\'t reply but just giggled softly.

"A-Az,"

I stammered, grabbing his shirt as he opened the small gate and walked in.

He signaled me to stay in place while he walked further in.

"Can you tell me where your mother is?" Azariah asked again, voice serious, standing a few yards away from them.

"Hahahaha!"

Both children laughed eerily, pointing at him.

Azariah sighed, rubbing his temple.

Just as he took another step, the sound of something falling made us turn.

"M-my lord?" A middle-aged lady walked toward Azariah from inside the house, wearing ragged, worn-out clothes.

Azariah stepped back, walking closer to me as he stood in front of me.

"Do you need anything?" the lady asked, bowing, her rough blonde hair flowing down.

"Where was your child last night?" Azariah asked, glancing at the now-silent children.

"Sleeping, my lord," the lady replied, confusion filling her face.

"Are you sure?" Azariah asked doubtfully, looking at her.

"Yes, my lord," she replied, nodding submissively.

"Can I take your son to the town?" he asked curtly, looking at her.

"No!"

But before she could reply, the children started yelling.

They ran and hid behind the black bull.

"Go away!"

Picking up small pebbles, they threw them toward Azariah.

"D-did h-he do something?" the lady asked, a frightened look on her face.

Azariah gently nodded, ignoring the children.

"I\'m sorry on his behalf," the lady immediately knelt in front of him. "I-I will pay for his sins."

"No—"

"I will pay."

Azariah\'s words cut off as the lady mumbled like a broken puppet.

And without a second thought, she started undressing herself.

"Hey! Stop it!" Azariah yelled as she removed her upper garments.

Her chest lay bare for us to see, while her children shouted behind the bull.

"Azariah, let\'s go," I softly whispered, grabbing his hand as the lady started to remove the rest of her clothes.

"Hahaha, I will pay for his sins!"

And just as we turned, the lady laughed heartily.