It was almost 7 in the night as both soldiers and knights sat down and had their supper. Today was a difficult day and therefore most of the men were silent as they chowed down on the thick gravy of their supper. After all, right now, the food provided more than just nourishment to the soldiers, the food was directly linked to the morale of the troops.
In Leylin's tent too, there was a feast going on but it was specifically for two people as Ronnie the butler, and the maids all refused to have supper together with their lord. It was not because they were afraid of anything but it was their custom to not have dinner with their lords in the same table.
Therefore, in the makeshift table sat Leylin in one end and the blond, albino kid on the other end. But before the supper, Ronnie had the kid washed up and patched up properly under Leylin's strict order and was even given fresh clothes. And the result of this was something that even surprised Ronnie.
The kid who initially looked 16 years old now seemed much younger. His skin was as white as bleaching powder and had pale yellowish-white hair which was long enough to reach his shoulders. His large red eyes were much clearer and contrasted greatly with his pale skin. Along with that, he had a perfectly straight nose with thin pinkish lips and small ears with well-defined ear lobes.
After making him wear a simple white shirt and brown pants and combing his hair and tying it in a simple ponytail, he looked cuter than the cutest girl in the whole camp. In fact, he was so cute and beautiful, the maids in Leylin's service couldn't help but glue their eyes on him and had to be shooed away by Ronnie.
Leylin smiled as he looked at the kid who was gulping down voraciously on the supper that was offered to him. Of course, Ronnie didn't like it and had a disgusted expression on his face the entire time.
"Slow down, my friend. The food won't run away from you." Leylin said to stop him but the kid hardly listened. He didn't look up until he had completely licked the bowl clean.
The kid laid back on his chair with a blissful expression.
"I thank you, Milord, for this sumptuous meal. I have never tasted such supper in my entire life." The kid said as he looked at Leylin with a revering look.
"If you had some respect for Sir Leylin then you would've introduced yourself to him already." Snorted Ronnie from the side which attracted a glare from Leylin. "Manners, Ron. This isn't how you treat a guest whom I invited."
Ronnie looked a little befuddled before bowing apologetically but Leylin could hardly ever get angry on his young butler. So, turning towards the kid he asked with a smile, "So, dear friend. Would you care to tell us your name?"
The kid looked a little flustered before answering with a red face, "M-my name is Theodore Emory b-but my friends usually call me Theo. I hope Milord will also call me Theo i-if it isn't of any trouble."
"Ah! What trouble would a name cause me? But to be honest, isn't Theodore the name of our beloved King?"
Theo nodded his head and replied, "Yes, it was my mother who named me. She is an ardent follower of His Highness the King of Andromeda. She had high hopes for me but I'm just a weak soldier who is nothing but a coward. *sigh*"
"Hey, don't listen to what the others speak. People speak ill when times are hard but they will praise you when you do good deeds. Therefore, I urge you to look happy and move forward." Leylin said, cheering Theo.
"Truth be told, when I saw you on the battlefield with your late-friend, I was distraught and thought that you won't make it back." Hearing about his friend Henry, Theo's face darkened and his sadness eclipsed his expression.
"But contrary to my expectation you did reach the camp. Now, others might call you a coward but the fact that you took three arrows and didn't stop running is a pretty solid proof of your will and determination.
Now, I don't know how other knights look for talents but when I do, I don't look at their combat but their will and determination. After all, as a soldier, you don't need to be courageous or gallant but have the will to stand up no matter how many times you fall.
Winning a war, leave that to the higher-ups."
Two tears streaked down Theo's cheek but he rubbed it off quickly. He looked up with renewed determination and said, "I will not fall here. For the sake of my friend, I will take revenge on those bastards!"
Leylin smiled in affirmation.
"And I thank you, Milord Leylin for helping me up when I was down. If you didn't help me back on the battlefield, I and my friend would've been long dead and forgotten in these rough lands. I hope I can serve you in any way possible."
But Leylin shakes his head in denial, "There is no need, Theo. I didn't save you so that I could make you my subordinate. Be the man you want to be and stand tall in every current. I hope you can do that."
Theo frowned and said, "I'm sorry Milord Leylin but let me selfish and serve you… after all my blasted skin color makes me a common target. I hope to find shelter in your shadow."
"Oh… I see…" Leylin understood his dilemma quite well. After all, it wasn't unfounded for someone like Theo to be discriminated against due to his unusual skin color. Albinos are often considered as the devil's offspring and discriminated against. The dialogues of the nurse and Ronnie are perfect examples.
Leylin smiles and assures him, "Very well then, I will shelter you for this campaign. Also, take this, it might help you." He handed him a common steel mask that was lying around in the back.
"Use this to cover your face and wear full sleeves. After all, if the soldiers don't see that you're an albino they won't treat you as such. This isn't a perfect solution but the only perfect solution for your skin problem would be to earn merits."
"I thank you, Milord," Theo said as he took the mask with reverence but Leylin laughed at his expression.
"Haha, enough talk now, Theo. Eat and sleep here. Ronnie would arrange your accommodation for these few days. You need every bit of help if you want to exact your revenge."
The next morning, Leylin was called by the Prince but he was pleasantly shocked when he saw Theo practicing his archery at the archery range with zeal. He had the mask which he had given him yesternight on and seemed focused.
…
"Why are you sheltering the albino, Leylin?" asked the Prince with a frown. The Prince, Damien Andromeda was only 22 years old this summer and this crusade was his maiden battle. Unfortunately, it was going terribly for him and this had made the ambitious Prince quite angry.
Leylin knew Prince quite closely and was an ardent follower of him because he was the one who granted him his knighthood.
He bowed down and said in an apologetic tone, "I'm sorry, Your Highness but I believe he is a great seed. It is worth training him."
The Prince sighed and said in a light, berating tone, "Naïve, you are too naïve, Leylin. Helping anyone who is in distress, it will surely put a dent in your resources. Sometimes I worry about your young wife. She would be very angry if she knew that you were wasting your golds on an infidel like that albino. I thought I would make an example out of him and teach these buffoons what it means to retreat." He said clenching his fist.
"I would advise against that, my Prince. I may not be a Royal strategist but meting out punishment at such a time would be disastrous. It is true that deserting is a feat of dishonor but the culprit is a mere child. Also, troop morale has fallen too low. Such kind of feats would be counter-productive." Leylin said with a serious face.
The Prince who was quite fat and chubby made a wry face and nodded his head. "You talk reason but I still think that sacrificing that albino would be a good option. Declaring him as the devil's spawn and executing him would surely turn the troop morale a little positive, wouldn't it?"
"Maybe but it would also mean that you are isolating all lightly-colored soldiers and this isn't a time to sow discord in the army."
Sigh…
The Prince sighed before smiling ruefully at Leylin, "The kid must be something if you're this willing to support him."
Leylin's usual warm smile turned a little warped and he spoke with a lustful voice, "He is a … specimen. A very special specimen."
The Prince who knew very well of Leylin's fetishes also gave an evil smile.
"I'm glad this campaign hasn't been a complete waste for you. Along with that albino kid, here, take this. I hope you will continue to support me." The Prince said as he handed him a box. Opening the box, Leylin's eyes glittered as it was filled with pieces of primal energy-filled stones, also known as primal stones.
"You have my unbreaking loyalty, Your Highness."
…
Two days passed since the siege and Theo's life has turned around 180 degrees. Staying in Lord Leylin's tent has been like a dream to him. There was a comfy bed to sleep at night, three meals a day, a bath at night, and Lord Leylin would personally train him every day for three hours. The training would always get a little too intimate but to the uneducated Theo, everything seemed necessary.
And all of this finally helped him to break through the mortal realm into the warrior realm, making him stand out from the rest of the army like an ember in a dark forest.
On the third night, he sat silently in his tent and looked at the reward that was given to him by the quartermaster for his breakthrough.
Two gold coins, a booklet, a stave and two small pieces of primal stone. Along with the one medium piece of primal stone given by Lord Leylin, Theo was richer than he had ever been. Unfortunately, if he needed to survive this campaign, instead of hoarding his supply, he needed to use them.
The first thing that he did was take the booklet and give it a thorough read. Unfortunately for him, he didn't know how to read or write and therefore needed the help of Ronnie to understand the text.
From Ronnie, he came to know that the booklet was titled, 'Basics of Primal Energy' and it explained a unique way of breathing.
This Breathing Technique helps to 'inhale' the primal energy in the surrounding and replenishes one's own energy and stamina. Ronnie also explained the basics of strength spell needed to enhance strength for a particular period and explained to him the three realms of the Warrior Phase.
According to the book, there are three realms of the Warrior Phase which are the Warrior's realm, the Knight's realm, and the Waster's realm. Each of these realms has 9 stages or 9 ranks from 1 to 9 and one needs to collect a set amount of primal energy before they can breakthrough to the next stage. Ronnie explained to him how to gather the primal energy and even showed him a demo.
It took Theo three tries before he could finally inhale a single whiff of primal energy and almost instantly his chest started to feel hotter than burning sand. His pale face flushed with red blood but he pushed all his pain away and focused hard on the whiff of primal energy. He held the breath for a total of three breaths before it escaped him.
Ronnie was surprised by Theo's tenacity and it helped to uplift Theo's image a little.
…