“Where do you think you’re going?” Cedric asked the merchant who was about to board the carriage.
“Huh?” Edmund quickly turned around at the sound of the voice. Awkwardly smiling when he saw the speaker, he said, “Ah, Commander. What are you doing here? Uh, I’m sorry, but I must excuse myself. I have something important to do. I’ll talk to you later.”
Without warning, Cedric forcefully stopped the carriage door from closing and barked, “Get down!”
“What the hell are you doing?!” the merchant snapped angrily. When he saw the piercing glare of the soldier, he swallowed hard and changed his tone. “May I help you, commander?”
“Yes, you can help me,” he quipped, grinning widely at the sweating merchant. “Get down now!”
Reluctantly stepping down from the carriage, Edmund asked, “Commander, what is this about?”
“Quit the games. You know exactly why I’m here,” Cedric stated, smirking. “Hand over the ten gold as per agreement, and then you can go on your way.”
“Ah, the money. Don’t worry, commander. I’ll make sure to give the money to you after I return,” the merchant said, forcing a smile.
Cedric snorted and demanded, “No, hand it to me now. You’re not leaving until I have the money.”
“How am I supposed to give you the money I don’t have?!” Edmund snapped in exasperation. “My money is not here. After I get it, I’ll come back and hand it over. Are we clear?”
“You don’t have the money?” Cedric inquired mockingly. “The solution is quite simple. Why not sell or, better yet, lease all your possessions, from your house to your store? I’m confident we can easily raise the exact amount.”
“Are you insane?!” the merchant suddenly roared in anger.
“Yes, I am,” Cedric responded, his tone turning dangerously serious. “If you raise your voice at me again, I’m going to arrest you and seize all the proceeds from selling all your property as payment for your crime.”
“Ugh, I swear I’ll make you pay for this,” Edmund declared, gritting his teeth in frustration. Retrieving his pouch from the carriage, he reluctantly handed five gold coins to the commander and said, “Here. Now, are we done?”
“This is only five gold. Give me the full amount—ten gold coins,” Cedric insisted, growing frustrated with their exchange.
“The remaining five gold coins are for Lysander. I’ll hand it to him myself,” the merchant stated in a defiant tone.
“I’ve had enough of your antics. Give me ten gold now, or I’ll arrest you!” the commander snapped. “This is my final warning.”
“Ugh, here!” Edmund exclaimed, handing another five gold to the soldier. “Are you happy now?!”
“Yes, very happy,” Cedric replied, smirking. With a sarcastic grin, he added, “I’m enjoying that look on your face.”
“I’ll make you pay for this!” the merchant yelled in anger.
“Sure, sure. I’ll be waiting,” the commander quipped, amused, chuckling as he walked away.
----------------------------------------
Watching Sybil cry on the ground, Elysian sighed. Despite their past disagreement, he did not want to witness the soldier in that state. Nevertheless, this could serve as a valuable lesson for him to learn. Gently patting the older boy’s head, he said, “Come on, get up. You’re causing a scene here. Let’s move to the side.” When he showed no signs of moving, he added, “You’re a soldier; act like one!”
Nodding in silence, Sybil slowly stood up with his head bowed, moving towards a quiet alley with few people.
Following the older boy, he sat beside him without saying anything, just content to watch people passing by.
“Why are you silent?” Sybil asked, turning to look at the young noble. “I expected you to say something like—I told you so.”
Elysian glanced at him for a moment, grinned mischievously, and exclaimed, “I told you so!”
The older boy snorted and quipped, “Cheeky b*stard.” Shaking his head, he sighed and said, “I never knew girls could be this cruel. I don’t know if I can trust anyone again.”
“Kids,” he chuckled, shaking his head with an amused smile.
Frowning, the older boy exclaimed, “Accusing me of being a kid?! You’re four years younger than me!”
“That’s true, but I’m not the one who’s acting like one,” he stated. Smirking arrogantly, he turned back to observe the crowd and said, “Just consider it a lesson. It will surely make you stronger—mentally. I know saying something cliché is annoying, but it doesn’t mean it’s less true.”
“I get it, but it still feels like hell,” Sybil admitted, looking down and struggling to hold back his tears.
“Well, if it doesn’t hurt, it means you haven't yet learned your lesson. So, cheer up and rejoice in feeling that pain—embrace it. This is just one of the stepping stones in helping you grow into a man.”
Out of nowhere, Sybil burst into laughter, shaking his head.
“Did I say something funny?” Elysian questioned, turning his head towards the older boy and raising a brow.
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“It’s just amusing to hear someone so young speak like that. Feels like I’m chatting with someone old, like my granddad,” Sybil remarked, relaxing a little and shifting his gaze forward.
“Did you just take a jab at me?” he asked playfully, letting out a chuckle.
“Yes, I did,” the boy replied. Smiling widely, he continued, “What’s your secret? You’re so young, yet you seem to know many things.” Pausing for a moment, he clarified, “What I’m saying is that you seem so mature for your age. I can confidently say you’re an old soul.”
‘I’m literally an old soul, and the secret to that is living two lives.’
“Secret? Hmm, I don’t have any…” he mused. Suddenly smirking, he quipped, “Well, it’s really simple. To be like me, all you need is experience.”
“Experience?” Sybil asked in clarification, furrowing his brow in confusion. Pondering for a moment, he snorted and remarked, “What the hell are you saying? I’m older than you. I clearly have more experience.”
“Well, age doesn’t necessarily equate to experience,” Elysian remarked. Expanding on the idea, he continued, “To truly gain that experience is simple. First, the most important person in your life needs to die.”
“Are you kidding me? What nonsense are you talking about?!” the young soldier scoffed, turning to the young noble and frowning in disbelief.
“You’ve asked me earlier, so let me finish first,” he asserted. Gathering his thoughts for a moment, he continued, “You need to personally kill that person, and it would be better if you two hadn’t met before.”
“This is really getting insane. I know you’re just messing with me,” Sybil said, shaking his head. Seeing the younger boy raise his brow, he added, “Can you explain to me how you can personally kill a person you haven’t met? Especially when that person is supposedly the most important in your life.”
“Well, it’s rather easy. You kill your mother during your birth,” Elysian said casually.
Staring at him for a moment, Sybil sighed and said, “Now I know where this is going. Go ahead, continue.”
“Okay,” he said, nodding with a melancholic smile. “Second, your father has to blame you for the death of your mother—the love of his life. Not only that, he needs to be constantly disappointed in you for failing his expectations so badly that he beats you up often. It would also be nice if his real reason for beating you was to release his anger for killing your mother. Third, your brother needs to excel at everything, casting a perpetual shadow over you. Whatever you do, you can never escape it. It would also be a nice touch if all the people looked at you with pity for your mediocrity compared to the genius of perfection standing before you. Lastly, you need to be so bitter that you wish you had never been born into this hellish world. Every second of the day, you question yourself about why you’re even alive and whether it would be better to just die?” Smiling sadly, he turned to the older boy and looked into his eyes.
Abruptly averting his gaze, Sybil remained silent, feeling guilty somehow.
“If you can endure all that and still smile, I guarantee you, you’ll be like me—wise beyond your years,” Elysian remarked, grinning. “So, do you want to be like me?”
“No, thanks,” Sybil replied instantly.
The young noble chuckled and quipped, “Well, it’s your loss.”
“Thanks to you, it has gotten more depressing,” the soldier said, turning to the younger boy and raising a brow.
“Really? I thought that it would improve your mood,” he responded. “Aren’t you grateful that your biggest heartache is just some girl? A girl who hid her ugly face behind a mask. Consider it a blessing that you finally get rid of her from your life; otherwise, you’d be wasting more of your youth.”
“Well, you have a point,” Sybil nodded. Grinning suddenly, he added, “If you think about it, my mood started improving just as yours began to dip. Isn’t that amusing?”
“Amusing, my ass,” he scoffed, frowning.
“It’s not my fault. You’re the one who told me that story,” the older boy quipped. Suddenly, both of them chuckled, enjoying each other's company. “Having spoken with you a few times, young master, I can confidently say that you’re not quite what I expected.”
‘Really?“ Elysian asked curiously, even though he already had an idea. “What were you expecting?”
“That you’re an insufferable idiot who revels in others misery,” Sybil remarked, grinning.
“Ouch, that stings,” he quipped, grinning back. “Can’t argue with that description. Maybe both are true.”
“You look okay now,” Cedric observed, studying the young soldier.
Rising abruptly, Sybil bowed in apology and said, “I’m deeply sorry for my earlier behavior, commander. I’ve brought dishonor to the military. I promise this will never happen again.”
“Good,” Cedric nodded, pleased with the boy’s response. “I’m glad to see you back to your usual self again.”
“I’d like to excuse myself, commander. I have certain matters I need to attend to,” Sybil said respectfully, asking permission from his superior.
“Go ahead,” Cedric nodded.
“Thank you, commander,” the young soldier bowed. Turning to the young noble, he bowed even lower to show respect and added, “Thank you again, young master.”
Elysian just nodded, watching the young soldier’s departing back.
image [https://i.imgur.com/TVgl2ri.png]
Elysian sighed upon reading the remark.
‘At least it’s calling me master.
Looking at his talent, it’s surprising that he surpasses Osric despite lacking a bloodline. It underscores just how naturally gifted he is. This might be the reason why he’s so good at combat. However, Osric wins in potential. This is inevitable since he has a bloodline to rely on.
Looking at these two, I can truly appreciate how gifted Bran is.’
“Well, I didn’t see that coming,” the commander remarked, turning to the young noble and studying him. “You’ve surprised me once again, young master. How on earth did you manage to do that?”
“Do what?” Elysian asked, turning his attention to the commander.
image [https://i.imgur.com/lkGgWSm.png]
“Get close to that boy. Just the other day, he’s trying to kill you; now, he’s thanking you,” Cedric stated, smiling. “”
“I don’t know. Maybe he just couldn’t resist my charms,” Elysian quipped, smirking at the thought. “Like what he saw with my brother. What did he say again? ‘’Oh, Aldric, my charming…’”
“Please, stop! I can’t bear to hear that again,” Cedric hurriedly said, sighing in exasperation. Handing the eight gold coins from his pocket, he continued, “Here’s your share.”
Accepting the money, the boy looked surprised upon seeing the amount and promptly remarked, “It’s surprising that you gave me eight gold. I thought you’re giving Osric his share.”
Cedric snorted and stated, “He works for you now. It is your responsibility.”
“You’re right,” the boy nodded, watching the soldier depart. “Nice working with you, commander.”