Lord Warren aged ten years overnight upon learning that Rody could not become a cleric magician. The once passionate man became silent and taciturn. Since then, he never again looked at Rody. If they happened to meet, his gaze would skip over his once treasured son as if he didn't see Rody. He was deeply hurt, not only by Rody but also by Rody's mother. He no longer embraced or kissed his favorite woman upon returning home from Ogga Fortress, nor did he lift her onto the horse as before to return to the castle together. He rode past her coldly, leaving her heart shattered by the thunderous sound of his horse's hooves.
Rody, although only eight, behaved more maturely than an adult. He didn't express anger or tears. Silently, he helped up his mother and returned to their cabin. Other children mocked him, calling him "genius" or "useless", and threw stones at him from a distance, but Rody didn't react. He completely ignored his peers.
If an adult dared to do so, they would likely suffer like the town's blacksmith, Indell, who once provoked Rody and was struck in the groin by a stone, nearly losing his ability to father children. If not for Father Sido's merciful healing, he would have been bedridden for months.
Within three months, Rody was beaten more than ten times, sometimes by servants, sometimes by relatives or friends of the blacksmith seeking revenge. But it wasn't Rody who ended up in Father Sido's clinic, but those who hit him. Consequently, Rody's mother was forced to sell all her jewelry, except a family heirloom necklace, to pay for their medical bills. To protect this necklace, Rody endured adult provocations, ignoring the actions of children manipulated by adults.
From the day Lady Mary expelled him and his mother from the castle, sending them to live in the temporary dwelling of lumber workers, he became as tough as a little man. Overnight, he accepted all the misfortunes and pains, no longer lost or wandering, but bravely facing everything.
He was no longer the family's once-in-a-century magical genius, no longer the favorite son of his father, no longer the beloved Third Young Master of the Koro people. All of that had drifted far away from him and his mother.
Their previous life of luxury turned into one of mere survival on small black bread loaves, far worse than even the lowest servants in the castle. This was Lady Mary's revenge and humiliation. Already furious about her husband's affair with her maid, Rody's mother, she endured, feigning tolerance and calling Rody's mother "sister". But when she realized Rody was no longer a genius but a "useless" child, and that her husband had grown cold towards Rody, Lady Mary showed her true face.
She first accused someone of stealing her jewelry, then ordered a search, finally "finding" her precious jewelry in a corner of Rody's mother's wardrobe. Rody's mother didn't defend herself, only kneeling and begging for forgiveness.
Lady Mary was angry but still "generously" forgave Rody's mother. Later, she accused someone of poisoning her food, proving it by killing a chicken and two dogs. Suspicion fell on Rody's mother, who had been in the kitchen that day.
Still, Rody's mother didn't defend herself, simply asking to move out of the castle with Rody to live in a cabin below it. Lady Mary "kindly" agreed, reminding her servants to send food daily to Rody's mother. Her "kindness" and "tolerance" were praised by the Koro people, while Rody, the "useless genius", and his mother, the "wicked woman", became despised figures.
"Rody, your head is injured again. Who did this?" Rody's mother found a fresh wound on his head, tears streaming down her face as she cried, "What can I do for you? I wouldn't mind selling the necklace to pay your medical bills. I don't want you to fight, but I don't want you to suffer insults either!"
"Mom, I'll be fine. I need to endure for now, but when I'm older, I can protect myself and you!" Rody smiled, wiping away his mother's tears.
"My dear, even if you can't learn magic, you're still the best in my eyes. Maybe you could become a knowledgeable scholar or sage. Even if you can't cast a single fireball, people will respect your knowledge. Why don't we forget about magic and live as ordinary people? That's what I really want," Rody's mother said, tears rolling down her cheeks again. Rody's body, forced to train hard to meet his father's expectations, was riddled with hidden injuries, making him weaker than his peers.
"Before I become a sage, maybe I should be a qualified hunter. Mom, what do you want to eat tomorrow? Rabbit or deer meat?" Although only eight, Rody learned to hunt for survival. He couldn't draw a regular bow, but he set traps to catch small animals.
"I just hope to see you return safely before dinner... my dear, be careful!" Rody's mother said with a heart full of sorrow.
Four years passed, and people began to forget the "useless genius" Third Young Master, overshadowed by his brothers' accomplishments. When Gery became an official temple knight, the entire Koro territory celebrated. When he returned to his castle on a silver griffin given by the temple, people enthusiastically formed a personal guard to follow the righteous temple knight.
Lot, achieving even greater things than Gery, became a hero among the young in the temple academy. He hadn't become a temple knight yet, but he led his squad to defeat bloodthirsty orc squads three times and single-handedly killed the monster "Baruk", earning a medal from the highly respected pope.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Rody, in these four years, aside from setting traps to catch rabbits and using a small bow to shoot birds for money, visited the Koro temple daily for free sacraments and holy water.
People no longer called him a genius but disdainfully referred to him as "Bird Hunter". In four years, more than thirty men who provoked him ended up in the temple for treatment after Rody injured their testicles. Anyone daring to provoke Rody had to first wear an iron plate in their pants to avoid the agony of a shattered testicle.
If Rody wasn't a magic-learning genius, he was definitely a genius at "bird hunting". Despite precautions, no provocateur had yet escaped being hit.
"Child, maybe this is the last book I'll lend you," Father Sido said one day after giving Rody his usual sacrament, handing him a book but oddly adding that strange comment.
"Why? Are you leaving the Koro temple, Father Sido?" Rody asked, guessing.
"No," Father Sido shook his head, sighing softly. "I'm leaving, but not Koro, I'm leaving this world. I'm soon to be called by the Lord..."
"But you're not old, you're only sixty-four this year, aren't you?" Rody was surprised. Ordinary elders in Koro territory lived past eighty, let alone Father Sido, who possessed the strength of a magical master. Plus, the temple's sacraments and holy water were beneficial to health. Even the most ordinary temple servants lived past a hundred. How could Father Sido be called by the Lord so soon?
"Haha, who said a sixty-four-year-old priest can't die?" Father Sido was optimistic, not taking death to heart.
"I will pray for you," Rody offered. Others didn't know, but Father Sido was aware that Rody never really prayed. Although he came daily for sacraments and holy water, he just went through the motions, never praying sincerely.
"Many will pray for me, child, but that's not what I need most," Father Sido shook his head, smiling.
"What do you need then?" Rody was about to leave, but stopped at the door and turned back to ask.
"Although you're only twelve, you think like an adult," Father Sido paused, then said, "In my life, I've done countless good deeds, saved numerous people, but I've also done something terribly wrong. Rody, would you listen to my last confession?"
"Father, you know I'm not really a believer, and..."
"Please, for a dying man, let me confess the thing that has tormented my conscience the most," Father Sido led Rody to the cemetery behind the temple, sat in front of a nameless tombstone, and motioned Rody to sit beside him. As the sun set in the west, turning the sky red, Father Sido sighed deeply, "If I could do it over, I wouldn't have done it, but it's too late for regrets..."
"The Light God will forgive you, Father Sido," Rody comforted.
"I don't need the god's forgiveness or mercy. On the contrary, falling into hell and suffering might ease my heart a bit," Father Sido sadly shook his head, "Rody, I made a mistake. After doing it, I regretted it terribly, but only now, at the brink of death, do I have the courage to speak of it."
"Father Sido, your confession will absolve you of your sins," Rody nodded.
"Thank you," Father Cedric was silent for a while, then slowly said, "One day, I met a beautiful girl in the Zelan Mountain village. The love stored in my heart for decades burst forth like a spring, which was the beginning of my mistake. But for violating the church rules, sharing a bed with the woman I love, maybe I will fall into hell, but I do not regret it. However, when one day someone threatened to sell my woman and daughter, turning them into prostitutes available to everyone, I succumbed. This is the biggest regret of my life. I was forced to follow their orders, during the baptism of a child, I fed him 'Magic and Martial Forbidden,' instead of holy water."
"What is 'Magic and Martial Forbidden'?" Rody suddenly felt frightened and asked with a trembling voice.
"Magic and Martial Forbidden is a forbidden medicine that, once drunk, no matter the talent, one will never be able to learn magic or battle qi again in their lifetime," Father Cedric looked at Rody with regret in his eyes, his voice even more sorrowful. "This potion was created by the gods in heaven to seal an evil archmage. It requires the blood sacrifice of six hundred humans, six hundred dwarves, six hundred elves, and uses the blood of black dragons, demons, and fallen elves as a catalyst. Even the most powerful archmage, once they drink Magic and Martial Forbidden, will become an ordinary person..."
"Father Cedric, do you want that child to forgive you? Do you want the child to accept your confession?" Rody, with tears streaming down his face, asked. This was the first time in his life he had cried.
He tried hard to control his anger, tightly gripping a small dagger in his hand, his tearful eyes filled with volcanic rage, staring dead at Father Cedric.
Numerous times, he thought of plunging the dagger into Father Cedric's heart, but reason held him back.
"I don't have such extravagant hopes," Father Cedric shook his head and said, "I just want to tell that child that his life is full of conspiracies and dangers. Perhaps soon, he will be sent to the stake in the name of blaspheming the gods by his two brothers who commit fratricide in the name of righteousness, in exchange for greater fame. When that old man who made mistakes dies, no one will secretly protect his safety anymore, and he and his kind mother will face terrible disasters..."
"What should that child do?" Rody grabbed Father Cedric's clothes tightly and shouted, "Are you just going to ignore everything?"
"I have reached the end of my life. The only thing I can do is to confess and bless," Father Cedric smiled faintly, "That child is smart. He will surely know what to do, right?"
"You bastard!" Rody raised his fist, wanting to strike Father Cedric hard, but in the end, he let it go and slowly wiped the tears from his face, trying hard to regain his composure. His life didn't need tears, but more strength, much more strength. Father Cedric also reached out his hand to gently wipe away his tears. Rody initially struggled and pushed his hand away, but seeing the kind smile on Father Cedric's face, tears couldn't help but flow down his cheeks again.
"Good boy, I will always bless you!" Father Cedric embraced Rody, patting his head gently, and infused a ray of holy light, smiling, "I can't do anything, but I will always watch over you from the sky, using the stars as my eyes. Child, you must walk your path well..."
"I won't let you die!" Rody cried out in agony, like the mourning of a wounded young animal.
"Farewell... Child, my confession is over, thank you..." Father Cedric slowly closed his eyes, a light rose from the top of his head, shooting straight into the sky, and in an instant, disappeared without a trace.