Yan hugged the bag tightly and continued to chow down.
"Liked it? You can have the whole bag if you'd like. Doesn't make any difference to me."
Yan's eyes widened with a smile starting to show.
"But don't get your hopes too high. This bag is for your recruitment and performance earlier. If you fail your missions, you won't be getting any food at all. Fail more than five times and I'll kick your sorry soul out," explained Ashley, sternly.
"And how frequent are the missions? Is it every day?" asked Yan, stuffing his face.
"If you can kill more than 10 people on the wanted list, then I'll reward you a hearty meal. If you kill less than that, then each person killed equals to a loaf of bread."
Yan's mouth was agape when he heard the terms. He looked at his loaf of bread.
"So, I have to kill just to eat?" asked Yan, shaking.
"That's how the world works. Learn how to step up before others steps on you."
"That seems fair."
"But if you were to kill a bunch of easy targets, be it a hundred, then I'll revoke that meal and give something less. If it's four easy targets, like villagers or poor kids like you, then the best I can give you is a loaf bread. For all four."
"That sounds difficult."
"Worry not. If you do kill only one, but that one as a ranking of a Baron or above, then I'll reward you handsomely. In terms of your language, I'll be giving double of what you are hugging now."
"Double?" asked the young boy, as his eyes sparkled.
"It's worth the trouble. Most mobles are packed to the brim with bodyguards, so it's quite the normal reward, nothing too special. And the higher the ranking is that target, the better rewards I could give you. Even a promotion, perhaps."
"Promotion? Ranking?" asked Yan, tilting his head.
"That's right, you are not rightly educated. Baron is the lowest for the noble ranks. Next is a Viscount, followed by an Earl. Then, it's my brother's title of Marquess, following that would be a Duke, and then a King."
"So, the Marquess is not the highest? And what about the promotion?"
"King would be the ultimate ruler. And the promotion thing I'll tell you when you are successful in your missions. Do well and you'll reap what you sow."
"So, you are not close to Marquess Minwoo?" asked Yan, trying to keep up.
"We used to be. But as we grew up, he and I started drifting away from each other. Our parents raised him as the future Marquess of Campania. And I was raised to protect myself."
"Didn't your brother help you in any way? I find it hard to believe that he won't," replied Yan, scratching his head.
"He ain't me. And I ain't him. We walked on two different paths. He walked on the path of good while I was tossed into insanity among the shadows. He pushed me aside, my entire family did, because I was not next in line."
"That doesn't seem very fair."
"It ain't. I hated my brother for that, but I can't blame him. If I had been in his place, I would do the same. That's how we nobles work. We trample on each other, even our family members, just to rise to the top. Selfish to the core."
"And us little fellas get left behind amongst the chaos."
"My family worked together with the Mages before the Congregation collapsed. When it did, Minwoo stuck with the Mages while I was led by others to hate them. I hated that they took my brother away from me. And thus, I grew to hate the Mages."
"But why hate the Mages?" asked Yan, utterly confused.
"I guess I grew up with the wrong company. Mingled with the bad side of society. They gave me another look at Mages."
"But why follow their ideals? Why not have your view and decision on Mages?"
Ashley sighed as he closed his eyes for a slight moment. He then reopened it and looked into Yan's innocent eyes. He'd seen so much yet he's still got a long way to go. Maybe getting such a naive child was a mistake.
"Listen, kid. It ain't easy to determine which side you'd be on. It's near impossible to pick a side if you haven't understood how the world works."
"That doesn't answer my question to you. If you have learned about the world, that you'd understand that not all is bad. The Mages helped us when we had no one. With them gone, my whole family is as well."
"Your family relied on the Mages. My family kicked me away while allying with the Mages."