CG Chapter 41: Home Sweet Home
The sun gently caressed the face of a crimson-haired young man.
Tom whistled while steering the ship's wheel. After some time spent familiarizing himself with it, control came naturally to him.
He looked around at the damage that he caused to the ship with a smile, thinking to himself, 'The crew is already dead, so there are no eyewitnesses to expose me. However, the ship renting company would still question the reason behind the sudden disappearance of their crew.'
Tom had a clear plan in his mind. Since pirates were a common sight near these seas, he would simply use the helping hand of an imaginary pirate group to cover up for himself.
"How heartless of those evil pirates to not leave a single person alive. Even Maro sacrificed his life to protect me. After all of their sacrifices and deaths, I was able to live as the last member of this dark voyage." A couple of tears escaped Tom's eyes as he thought of the brave souls who lost their lives to protect him.
As a frail young boy, it seemed inconceivable that he could single-handedly overcome the entire crew. Furthermore, even in the unlikely event that he could confront the entire crew alone, the question remained: what motive would he have to undertake such a task?
.
.
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The days turned into weeks, and Tom's destination was in sight. He looked ahead at the harbor, certain that he wouldn't see the faces of his new family welcoming his safe return.
Among the bustle and hustle of the Aeolantis kingdom, a man in a butler's clothes stood looking at the sea with a long-seeded sense of anticipation.
'God, please bless the lord and let nothing happen to him. He is too weak to journey by himself; you know that I tried to accompany him, but it was the orders of the baron to let him experience the real world. So, please don't let any harm touch him.' The butler held onto a sun-shaped gold necklace as he prayed.
The butler, once he saw the Flameheart crest on a ship, ran towards it with all that he had, wanting to ensure the safe return of his master.
Once the wooden plank was securely positioned, forming a bridge between the ship and the ground, a young man confidently walked across it, making his way to the harbor.
The butler couldn't hold himself from sighing in relief after he saw his lord once again after so long.
"Master, master, over here." He waved at Tom with happiness.
Tom reciprocated his emotions with a sad tone that Alfred ignored, "It's been a while, Alfred."
From the memories of Edward, his butler was the only person in the castle who showed any kind of affection and love to him. At first, he doubted whether the emotions that he displayed to Ed were all fake or not, but after looking at him now, he knew that they were all genuine. Alfred was actually a loyal follower.
So, naturally, Tom had a hidden smile, knowing that he gained a new useful chess piece that he could manipulate with ease.
After waiting for a while, the butler asked, "Master, where are all of the crew members and the guards?" Alfred's excitement started to fade as he slowly examined Tom's body, which led him to find it covered by bandages.
Hearing the words of Alfred, a few tears escaped the eyes of Tom, and his body started to shake, "They… they all died."
"Are you okay? Did anything happen to you?" Alfred didn't care about the crew. He first wanted to ensure that his lord wasn't injured anywhere.
"We were attacked by a group of pirates." Tom paused as if he was recalling a traumatic scene. "I only survived thanks to the crew fighting bravely with all they had to ensure my safety, especially a knight named Maro who took an attack for me, which caused his death."
"I wasn't aware that a knight was hidden among the guards; the baron must really care for you, master." Alfred smiled as he hugged Tom closely; he felt that he had gone through a chaotic mix of emotions.
Tom patted Alfred as he ordered with a sad tone, "Their families must receive the best care. After all, who would risk his life for Flameheart if we didn't repay what we owe? Also, I want you to make sure that Maro's family is living comfortably."
"I understand. Once we return to the castle, I will order that their families are given a monthly allowance." Alfred replied.
After a while, Tom felt that Alfred wasn't going to untighten the hug anytime soon, so he asked, "Don't you think it's time for us to start our journey?"
"Oh, right. Sorry." Alfred removed his hands from Tom, "But, master, aren't you going to rest in a hotel since you just returned from a long voyage? I know that the journey to the castle would only take a few days, but still..."
Alfred clapped his hands in remembrance, "I also heard that they sold the best fish dishes in the seven kingdoms, and they also sell exquisite pearls that shine in the night here."
"We don't have time. I have a couple of things that I need to finish in the castle." Tom said mysteriously.
Knowing his lord, Alfred didn't question anything as he took the leash of the horse carriage.
Tom looked at the size of the horses that would have amazed anyone else; these horses were double the average size, and they moved a carriage that could accommodate sixteen people comfortably. However, Tom had seen weirder things, so this didn't faze him, but he still wanted to know why his butler would bring such a large carriage for one person.
"Alfred," Tom called.
"Yes, Master?" Alfred looked back, answering.
Tom asked, "What is up with the size of the carriage?"
"Oh, I wanted to make sure you were comfortable, so I brought the largest carriage I could find. And since the alliance protects the main roads between our kingdoms, I wouldn't need to worry about our safety.
"Thank you for your consideration." Tom nodded before closing the doors of the carriage behind him.
Tom unsheathed his sword to continue his training in Maro's 'Fury Slash Technique. ' He received the okay to train in it from Noor a few days before reaching the harbor, and now that he was going to meet the knights of Flameheart, he wanted to make sure that he had the strength to cut down any threat that came in his way.