"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," Leonardo said as he walked alongside the scared boy.

The boy rubbed his hands against each other, whimpering. "C— can I go home now?"

"What?" Leonardo flicked his wrist with a smile. "Are you tired of my company already."

"It's not that. I just—"

"Don't worry, you'll get to go home soon enough. You just need to tag along with me for a little longer. That's okay with you, right?"

"Mm, I guess." The boy said wrigling uncomfortably as he walked along.

"Great," Leonardo said, clapping his hands. "What's your name, by the way?"

"L— Leo."

"Really?" Leonardo exclaimed. "My friends call me Leo. My full name's Leonardo. It's a little fancy."

Leo chuckled nervously. "Do you have many friends?"

"Ah, I lost a lot of them a few years back, but I've made some new ones. And I like being alone for the most part."

"Me too," Leo said quietly.

"Oh, so that's why you were out at night. But be careful in the future. There are lots of bad people in the world that could hurt you."

"Like you?"

"Eh, I'm not a bad guy. I was just following orders." He ruffled Leo's hair. "Besides, I wasn't going to ever hurt you. I just needed to escape from the guy that was chasing me. You saw him, right? He's scary. He gave me this." He pointed at the hole in his face.

Leo looked up cautiously. "Does it hurt a lot."

Leonardo chuckled. "Yeah, it hurts, but I've had worse. And on the bright side, I'll have a surprising report to give."

"Report to who?"

"The one who owns this country."

***

Aurelius sat in a forest on the outskirts of Akario, watching as Cade lay serenely in front of him. He reached out his hand and touched her smooth cheek. She would live. She would always live.

"Things are settled," Balgair said as he came up from behind. "Now we need to confirm the bounty."

"And then?" Aurelius asked, not moving his gaze from Cade.

Balgair stood at his side and looked down at them. "Look, it's obvious by now. The leader of Numen is after you. He seems to be playing some kind of game. He doesn't want you dead. He wants you to do something."

"Something? What something?"

"The only thing you really can do now is travel to the Great Zalfarian Empire. And that's what you should do."

"He wants me to gone?" Aurelius asked. "So why doesn't he kill me. If he has my location and all kinds of assassins, he could do so."

"My guess is that he either thinks there would be hell to pay if he killed you or he wants you to gather forces against him from Zalfari and attack, spreading Zalfari so thin that Lundkirk can fianlly conquer them."

Aurelius looked up at Balgair. "Why would he want to do that?"

"Maybe he wants the favor of the Conqueror of the West. Or maybe... Argh, I don't know. It's confusing, alright? The scale is too big. I don't know." Balgair shook his head and sat down, wrapping his head in his arms.

"You don't have to be with me if you don't want to," Aurelius said as he looked down at the wound in Cade's stomach.

"Nah, it's not that," Balgair said. "It's just so weird. I can't figure anything out. It's the leader of Numen we're dealing with, so it has to be a large conflict, and with you involved, it probably has something to do with Zalfari, so I just don't know."

Aurelius held up a hand. "Wait, you said the leader of Numen thinks I'll escape."

"Well, why else would he place a bounty so large that entire armies would hunt you for? He can't possibly think you would stay after that."

"But what if I attack him head on."

Balgair sat there with his mouth wide, drooling. "What?"

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Aurelius put up a finger. "Listen. If I just get enhancers, I could be able to assassinate him, don't you think?"

"Well, it's possible, I guess, but do you think you're capable of that."

"With two enhancers, I'm sure I can face anyone."

"Two? People die from two."

"The Soldier of God could take two and survive."

Balgair laughed. "The Soldier of God? He's a myth."

Aurelius sharpened his gaze. "Could you remind me who my father is?"

Balgair frowned. Aurelius smirked.

"Fine. But how do we get you two enhancers. Our funds are almost spent and everybody would rather sell you than sell to you."

"Simple. We'll go to the Thropes and get it from the source."

Balgair's expression dropped. Then he dug at his teeth with his tongue before responding. "It'll take a while, but I guess it's possible. The hyper-activity caused by your bounty will also die down. What then? What happens after the leader of Numen is dead. Chaos."

"We'll go to the president. Replace him if necessary. We will get things under control. Whatever the consequences, Mircrest will be better off without its scheeming criminal dictator."

Balgair looked up at the misty sky. "You're really doing this regardless of my opinion, yes?"

"Yes."

Balgair laughed. "You live an exciting life. God must love you."

"You believe in a God?"

"Hell no. Just saying that anyone who spectates you must be entertained."

"Like you?"

"Mmm, maybe." He pointed up at trees. "Maybe the little birds."

Aurelius chuckled. "I used to think so too."

"That the little birds watched you?"

"I grew up in the middle of nowhere. Me and my mother living with my uncle's family. His children didn't like me very much. I didn't need them to like me, though. I liked being in the forest around us. I felt like the animals there were the only friends I needed. Now, however, that side of me seems to be lost."

"You no longer hug trees, huh? What a tragedy."

"I no longer think the birds sing for me. They just sing. I suppose there's beauty in that. I still love nature. That gives me hope that maybe nature loves me too."

Balgair laughed and lay on his back. "At the age of 17, he realized there's beauty in things outside himself."

Aurelius burst out in laughter as he denied it and launched at Balgair.

"He was a wise young man. Aurelius, son of... a bitch." Balgair finished his narration as he escaped Aurelius' grasp after being pinched.

"Preposterous!" Aurelius yelled as he ran around the camp they'd made, trying to catch the nimble Balgair.

"Oh, that's a new word. Fancy." Balgair laughed in his escape.

"It's one of yours," Aurelius shot back.

"Impossible," Balgair declared. "I don't use such nerdy words."

"Yes, you do!" Aurelius yelled as he got a hold of the criminal and put him to the ground. "You're a nerd, Balgair."

"No!" Balgair cried desperately.

"A foxy nerd," Aurelius claimed in detail.

"That sounds sexual!"

Aurelius strengthened his grip. "It is!"

Balgair's voice went high as he yelled, "Cade, help me! He's a pervert. The man you love is a golden fox lover!"

Aurelius paused. 'The man she loves?'

"Ha!" Balgair exclaimed, kicking Aurelius off. "My false accusation strategy remains undefeated."

Aurelius jumped to his feet and tackled his accuser.

"Agh, my back!" Balgair yelped. "I never told you, but I'm actually 70 years old... and retired! You're beating on the elderly," he said with a cough.

Aurelius burst into laughter as he wrestled the elderly man, who kept coughing as best he could.

Eventually, the wrestling match ended in a draw as the pair collapsed onto the ground, laughing uncontrollably.