Chapter 22 - The Boy

A boy, just walking in the middle of the night, restlessly, is just ignored by the people who pass by him. His appearance is dirty, full of filth and also smells bad. But no one knows him. Everyone just walks away from him, as if it were normal to see him. But this boy is just another hopeless human who was trampled by the nobles.

Nobles, in particular, are supposed to be the ones who help the weak. But apparently, they abuse their power and destroy other people's dreams. If it is another noble, especially one higher in rank, they will simply kiss their ass to gain their favor. Using sugar-coated words to flatter them.

The boy, who was only 13 at the time, was of average height and build. He's thin, just thin as a starving kid, is what the average kid in slums. But why would he be in this state? Oh... it's because he is now just an orphan. An orphan who always runs away because of the fear of being trampled again. He avoided church because the church had already betrayed him.

Late at night, the boy was running towards the church. He knocked restlessly, only to stop if someone opened the door.

He continued to bang on the wooden door, making a very disturbing noise in the neighborhood. Finally, the church door opened, and a priest and a nun greeted him, but the boy didn't need a greeting; he needed help.

"Please help me! Our house was attacked, my family is bleeding." Hoping for assistance, the boy, who looks ragged and wet, pleads with the church.

He was hoping for them to assist him in saving his family. Because it is well known that the church has magic that can heal any wound, he made an effort to seek their assistance.

When the church heard his pleas, they rushed to put on their robes and pursued him to find out more. They asked who attacked so that they could report it and ask for aid from the night guards. But when the boy started to respond, they halted and a surprised expression emerged from their faces.

"The son of Count Grey?" As they stopped, the boy became impatient because the priest and his company had stopped. He's worried that his family is going to lose their breath.

"I'm sorry kid. We can't go against the House of Grey. We apologize."

Help was never sought to save his family. And, as a result, he became an orphan. The next day, a missionary appeared in front of his house, promising to take care of him, but at the time, after his family had died, he was bitterly opposed to the church. The church was afraid of going against the culprit's family. Even though it was against the teachings of the church to kill, they ignored it as the perpetrator was a son of a noble.

The boy loathed them. His hatred grew over time, and he always avoided the church. And just after a few tries, he successfully ran away from the church, resulting in him staying in another town.

That town doesn't really care about the people. There were slums and there, he felt safe. He was scared of being found. He didn't want to see the people again and again who had killed his family. Because of it, he lost his connection to the world. He starved, and as he approached death's door, his family flashed into his mind. It encouraged him to live, so he tried to start over, even without his family.

But, no matter how hard he tries, someone is always there to stop him. He was constantly trampled on by street criminals. He became a punching bag for drinkers. And finally snapped, felt surrender.

"Mother, why would the world be so cruel?" He said this as he was lying down in the long street of the slums.

Just before he lost his consciousness, the city cleaners were collecting the bodies of the dead street dwellers. And they mistook of the boy as a dead as he looks like just sticks.

The city cleaners gathered them, grabbed both ends of their bodies, and threw them on the coach. Around twenty of the bodies were collected, including the boy's.

After their done collecting, the stinking bodies was moved now into the forest. And the boy was tired of moving and even fighting for his life. He was buried inside the pile of dead bodies, heavily breathing.

"Ah... Such refugees. They are so pain in the ass." The coach remarked as his company started to put down the body inside the forest. They didn't even try to dig up the bodies; they just left them lying down on the ground, full of leaves.

One by one, the disturbing smell reached the cleaners' noses. Crinkling their nose as a reflex, they spit on the bodies as they already done with them.

There, the only person left alive was a young boy with orange hair. He was the only one alive, misidentified by the cleaners, but they wouldn't care even if they found out. They know no one will find him, as they know that people in the slums are worthless or have already been forgotten by their family.

Such a cruel world was the best description of the boy's life. His family just got on the nerves of one of the nobles, and one night, his family members were annihilated. It was a sorrowful experience, too much for a young boy. The world, pays no heed for weaks. The world only exists for the strong.

Kind is not something in the corner, it is always in the middle. As why it is in the middle, because it is always crowded and difficult to reach.

The epicenter of the forest became silent. The wind brushed against the pile of dead bodies. Dead leaves started flying, riding in the harsh air.

Then, after a few moments, growls filled the forest. The maple trees were scratched by the excited monsters, as their food was already being served. That made the boy realize that weak people are nothing more than prey for strong people. It is easy to surrender, but hard to fight. It was always like that for him.

The wolves gathered and began devouring each other's bodies in less than a second. However, the boy's body was still alive, and he would feel the pain of being bitten.

He just smiled bitterly and started crying. He can finally visit his family in the afterlife.

But, death didn't come to him. He peered around the corner to find out why, and saw a colossal, green-skinned creature. With its sharp ears, he deduced that it was descended from goblins. Another monster race that is less intelligent than humans.

The creature had only recently approached him. It wasn't trying to eat him, but rather, it was assisting him.

The boy began to notice that he was losing his senses. He couldn't move his body, and his situation was hopeless. And then, just a bitter smile appeared on his face.

"Do you want to live?" He was approached with a question. Despite this, he didn't even manage to be surprised. He was only slowly breathing and eager to respond to the question.

"No, I'm tired." He responded as he closed his eyes, starting to feel at ease in his slumber.

"I see."

The boy eventually lost consciousness after that remark. But he was still alive, barely alive.

The green-skinned being just showed a smile as he let out a satisfied smile. A sweet smile from a young boy he had just met.

"I see. Take a rest. I will live for you."