Sir Owen: “I don’t care what your excuse is for letting the count’s sons escape because I guarantee that if anything happens to them, I will kill you myself, go mobilize all the soldiers to look for them,” he shouted with a furious voice, slamming his hand on the table and making the wine glasses tremble.
The six soldiers responsible for escorting the count’s sons were trembling with fear but still forced themselves to obey the orders. They ran out of the room, stumbling over each other and apologizing.
It didn’t take long for them to return with two of the brothers, Adrian and Lucam, who were calm even under Sir Owen’s severe reprimands: “Have you lost your minds? This is not the family castle where you can wander without any protection, and if some humble bandit attacked you?” he asked with a stern look, pointing his finger at them.
Adrien: “You’re exaggerating, it’s not like any roadside bandit could threaten me with my level of achievement on the way, my strength is enough for protection in these poor villages,” he replied with an arrogant tone, crossing his arms and looking to the side.
Sir Owen became even more irritated with Adrien’s response and approached him, holding his chin and forcing him to look into his eyes: “Do you think you are so powerful? Do you know how many enemies the count has? Do you know how many people want to take revenge on him because of his policies? Do you know how many traps might be waiting for you in this forest? You are irresponsible, ungrateful!” he yelled, releasing Adrien’s face with a push.
Lucam, who was next to Adrien, tried to calm the situation: “Sir Owen, please, don’t be so hard on him, he just wanted to have a little fun, see the world, see new things, it’s no big deal,” - he said with a friendly smile, putting his hand on Adrien’s shoulder.
Sir Owen was not fooled by Lucam’s smile and knew that he was as guilty as Adrien: “Don’t come to me with this soft talk, you are as irresponsible as he is, you two are spoiled brats who don’t know the value of life, you think everything is a game, that you can do whatever you want without consequences, but I will teach you a lesson,” he said with a threatening tone.
Tired of arguing, Sir Owen asked: “And where is your brother, where is Lucius? And don’t even try to deceive me, the villagers saw you leaving together,” he said with a firm voice, expecting an answer.
Seeing that Sir Owen was really irritated, Lucam replied with a smile: “We ditched him in the forest, it shouldn’t take long for the soldiers to find him lost crying like a little girl hahaha,” he said with a laugh, finding the situation funny.
Sir Owen was shocked by Lucam’s cruelty and felt sorry for Lucius, the youngest and most fragile of the brothers: “How can you be so cruel to your own brother? he doesn’t deserve this treatment, he could be in danger, he could be hurt, he could be dead!” he said with an anguished voice, feeling a pang in his heart.
Irritated, Sir Owen left the mansion and gave orders to the soldiers not to let the young nobles out and went to organize another search group for the young noble who was probably lost. He hoped to find Lucius alive and well, and bring him back to safety. He also hoped to give a good lesson to the other two, so that they would learn to respect authority and responsibility. He swore that he would not let anything bad happen to the count’s sons and had a duty to fulfill.
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The sun was already high in the sky when Lucios woke up. Its rays penetrated through the small window of the room, bathing Lucios’s face with intense light. He recognized the room immediately - it was his, in the mansion that his father had ordered to be built years ago in that village.
Lucios felt a dry throat and a stabbing pain in his arm and leg, marks from the wolf’s bite. Less intense, but still present, was the pain from the numerous cuts caused by the animal’s claws. However, what stood out the most was a deep cut on his face, which extended from the side of his nose to the end of his chin. This cut had split his lower lip in half, which was now semi-covered by bandages that barely allowed him to open his mouth.
With effort, Lucios tried to get up, leaning on the bookshelf next to the bed. In the process, a plate containing a blown-out candle fell to the floor, shattering.
The noise alerted the servants, who ran through the door and came to help him. Moments later, Sir Owen entered the room. His imposing figure filled the room, a mix of concern and authority.
“You’re lucky to be alive, you know?”, began Sir Owen, his voice deep and firm, but tinged with a touch of relief. “Your injuries would kill any normal child your age.”
Lucios tried to respond, but only a hoarse moan escaped from his swollen and wounded lips. Sir Owen continued, his keen gaze fixed on Lucios.
“Don’t try to speak now,” he said, his voice softening a bit. “You suffered a deep cut in the mouth. If you don’t want the young noble ladies to avoid you in the future because of your appearance, it’s better to keep your mouth still until the wound heals.”
Sir Owen paused before continuing: “By the shape of the wounds on you, I would say you faced a wolf.” his expression serious. “They are rare in this region, but they still exist. In this case, it was a wolf that had not yet fully matured.”
“You have more strength than a normal child, thanks to your training in the Way. But even so, the account doesn’t close. The wolf should have taken advantage. That’s when I noticed that the energy of the Way is no longer concentrated in your chest. Now, it’s spreading throughout your body.”
“You broke the bottleneck of the foundation stage,” continued Sir Owen, his voice gaining a tone of admiration. “You reached the metamorphosis stage. An impressive feat, even for an experienced warrior.”
“You broke the bottleneck the old-fashioned way, without the use of Ether Elixir. This is more common to happen with soldiers on the battlefield of the southern border, where there are many life or death battles.”
Lucios felt a chill run down his spine. His foggy mind trying to process Sir Owen’s words.
“This is excellent news for you.” continued Sir Owen “With the energy of the Way circulating through your body, you will regenerate faster. I would say that in a month, all that will remain will be the scars.”
“Anyway, I will send you to Kaapurina tomorrow. Your mother will take better care of you there. From now on, you just need to rest.”
With that, Sir Owen got up and left the room. Alone, Lucios began to remember the last moments before fainting in the forest. With difficulty, he remembered the feeling he felt when the wolf looked at him confused before fleeing. It was a feeling of freedom, the freedom from the fear that stirred his heart like a lake on a stormy day. Now, that lake was calm, reflecting his reflection.
A feeling of relief spreading through his aching body. He closed his eyes, letting himself sink into the comforting darkness of sleep, his mind spinning with tumultuous thoughts about what the future held.