For the last 21 months, Karn has been toiling, hard practicing his swordsmanship for about 10 to 14 hours every day, and the tremendous amount of effort that he and Ian put through, didn't seem to go unanswered, as he finally managed to master the First Stance of the Nine Heaven's Swordsmanship, while also reaching the realm of a peak 'One Star' Swordsman.
"You're going to be an adult with in a month, are you really planning on becoming a serf, just like your parents." Ian asked.
Karn instantly stopped swinging the wooden stick he was holding before making a sorrowful expression and saying. "I am a son of a serf, it's only natural for me to be a serf as well."
"Then what about our training, and all the effort we put through." Ian asked.
"I'll continue training, whenever I'll get a free time, you know I enjoy practicing quite a bit." Karn answered while putting a fake smile on his face.
Since both of them knew very well once he starts working, he won't have time to eat, let alone train.
Ian had a very disgruntled expression on his face, he knew that karn has still yet to see the real cruel side of the serf and slavery system, and the peace he has been witnessing and living right now is nothing but an illusion.
"Arhhhhhhh, Let go of me you fucking Scum" As Ian was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard a loud noise coming from the middle of the town.
Ian looked at Karn, as it seems that loud noise even reached his ears, as both of them immediately started walking towards the source from were the voice was coming from.
Soon both them reached the place which appears to be source of the voice they just heard a while back.
A large group of people appeared to have gathered around in a circle, while a couple of brawny men were dragging a brown haired girl with ragged clothes through her hair, while she kept screaming with tears filled in her eyes.
As both of them realised, that the source of the voice they happened to hear belonged to this little girl in front of him.
"You scum, let go of me, I said let go of me." As the girl who appeared to be no more than 10 to 11 years of age roared fiercly, while glaring at a particular young man with dirty blonde hairs, and expensive garment, while appearing to be in his early to mid twenties.
He had a very disgruntled appearance on his face, as he kept holding on to his left arm, which appeared to have a deep slicing wound, apparently seemed to have been inflicted by some sharp object.
"Take this Bitch and burn her alive, how dare she harm the body of a nobleman." The young nobleman roared with delirious expression on his face.
"He tried to force himself on my mother, even though she begged him to stop, I just tried to stop him." The little girl pleaded while looking at the people gathered around her with a pleading tone,hoping for someone to rescue her from this predicament.
"What's so good about that widow anyway, being a plaything of a noble blood like me could have been the highest honor of her life." the young man said nonchalantly, as if he had no need to defend himself.
Hearing this, the people gathered around had a very disgruntled expression on their face, but they can only swallow this outright disgusted feelings, as theirs nothing much they could do to help this little girl, pleading in front of them.
As all the people gathered in here, are either serfs or commoners, their entire family might perish by just a single command from this person in front of them.
A woman who appeared to be in mid thirties suddenly appeared in front the young man, while kneeling on the ground and pleading with both of her hands. " Please, Viscount Silva, I beg you , please spare this idiot daughter of mine, she is just Eleven years, and has no idea how this works"
"How about it, I will not resist any longer, you can do whatever you want with me, please show mercy on my daughter." The woman pleaded with tears filled in her eyes and while still kowtowing in front of Viscount Silva. She just lost her husband few months ago, she couldn't be able to manage the shock, if she also lost her one and only daughter.
"Mom, please don't." the young girl cried out while witnessing her mother pleading and kneeling to this scum of a human.
~Spurt~
A long sword suddenly appeared in Viscount Silva's hand, as he immediately impaled the head of the woman kneeling in front of him without a hint of hesitation, Before he pulled the sword out from that woman's head and scheated it right back into his scabbard.
An eriee of silence descended I'm the entire area, as they were still shocked and processing what just occurred in front of them, before a loud cry of a young girl snapped them out of their trace as they realised what just happened.
"Mom! Noooo!!, Ahh why?, just why did you do that, I was the one who hurt you, you should have just killed me instead." the young girl cried out, as her eyes turned blood red, from all the anger and sorrow she has been going through just now.
"This vile woman here thought her dirty, used body was worth the same as the body of a noble like me ." while Viscount Silva, gave a meaningful look towards the girl before saying "and as for you, I have a fate worst than death waiting for you."
Before leaving, Viscount Silva gave one last glance towards the body that's been lying out cold in the ground, before spitting on it, as if he has witnessed a body of demon.
This behaviour didn't sit well with the people gathered around here, but they still choose not to utter a word out of fear for theirs and their family.
After the Viscount and his men left, while dragging the crying young girl with them, the people started collecting the body of the dead woman lying dead on the ground to give her a proper burial.
Well Although Ian didn't want to admit it,but this was indeed the scene, he was waiting for Karn to witness for the last two years, as he knew Karn had a very inexperienced and childish point of view of the world he is currently living in.
Ian knew well enough, karn thinks, having a life of a serf can present him and his family a quaranteed safety, and security as long as they don't offend anyone of higher status than them.
He was willing to sacrifice his own ambitions for the safety of his family, but this cruel scene in front of him seems to have left a crack on the Myriads of illusions that Karn has trapped himself into.
"This..This wasn't supposed to happen, why is it still like this ?, I thought we would be safe if we just kept quiet and kept working under those nobles, But, Bu.." Karn murmured to himself as his entire world seemed crumbling down.
Ever since his entire tribe got massacred, he thought being a serf and living a quite life would be quite ideal, as long as he doesn't witness those cruel scenes that happened to his tribe ever again.
As months and years passed by without any blood bath , the belief that Karn held, grew firmer
'I made the right choice.' Karn thought inwardly even after rejecting Ian's absurd proposal of raising a rebellion.
But what just happened in front of him, was just like a tight slap on his face, as all those talks about peace and safety could easily be disrupted just by the whims of a single nobleman.
He didn't really blame that girl, for attacking that noblemen cause if it was his mother, even he doesn't know what he would have done.
'Wait, what if it was my mother' Such horrifying thoughts started racing within Karn's mind, as his legs gradually weakened, by just the mere thought of it.
As the people around started to disperse, leaving only a young man and his black cat behind.
Ian knew exactly what kind of thought were going through Karn's mind, but he choose not to disturb his thought process as it's the necessary step for him to grow and look at the world in a more mature perspective.
'I am pretty sure your going to ask me, to save that girl' Ian thought, as it seems he has already guessed what Karn's next step is going to be.
And it seem's like Ian's guess hit right on the mark, as Karn seemed to have made a determined expression on his face before asking Ian
"Do you have a way to save that girl ?" Karn questioned with a pleading tone.
Ian glanced at Karn before asking " You do know what that means right ?"
Karn gave an immediate nod, as if he has already made up his mind.
A creepy smirk escaped from Ian's mouth before announcing.
"we attack at dawn."