"Look at his clothes!" The commoners that were gathered around the town pointed at the group of people steadily advancing through the bustling streets.
Everyone in the empire knew what day it was since the topic of Oliver's exile became a hotbed of rumours and gossip. Oliver, once a respected noble son in the kingdom, now found himself shunned and cast out from the royal court.
"Ugh~ this is hard to watch, I have a son the same age as him," Some of the people were kind enough to turn their heads and ignore the torn attire of Oliver, which exposed everything in his body, but the same cannot be said for most of the people.
Some of them were even brave enough to take a closer look at him and touch him despite, the guards preventing them from doing it.
As the group of commoners continued to observe the exiled figure and his companions, hushed conversations echoed through the town. Some whispered sympathetically, recalling Oliver's fall from grace and the reasons behind his sudden banishment. Others, however, spoke with contempt, believing that his exile was long overdue.
Amidst the whispers and pointed fingers, Oliver maintained a stoic demeanour, seemingly unaffected by the scrutiny. He didn't care about the gaze of women because, unlike other men in the empire, he felt no shame showing his body to anyone. He didn't understand why he was different from others, but Oliver always felt like he didn't belong in this weird world.
"Get away! Don't get close to him," Commander Helen shouted sternly, her authoritative voice cutting through the hushed conversations. Her gaze shifted between the curious onlookers and Oliver, her expression a mix of concern and protectiveness. She had been tasked with accompanying the exiled figure and his companions, and she understood the gravity of the situation.
Seeing the crowd's mixed reactions, she felt a sense of responsibility to shield Oliver from any potential harm but beyond that, she wanted to protect the kid she used to teach.
Prior to assuming the role of a commander in the empire's army, Helen served as a vassal under Oliver's mother. During that time, she was entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing Oliver's training during his formative years.
Seeing Oliver chained like this with torn clothes, she felt like her heart was being stabbed by a knife, but even she didn't have enough power or authority to give him proper clothes or at least make sure the commoners were not witnessing his current appearance.
The crowd hesitated, their curiosity warring with the commander's orders. But Helen was respected among the people, known for her fairness and dedication to her duties. Slowly, the onlookers began to disperse, keeping a respectful distance from Oliver and the commander.
Helen turned her attention back to Oliver, her expression softening. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice gentle now, no longer the harsh tone she used to disperse the crowd.
Oliver nodded quietly. "I'm fine, Aunt. You don't need to worry about me," he replied, trying to maintain his stoic facade even though he appreciated her concern.
Helen sighed, knowing that Oliver had always been one to shoulder his burdens alone. She gestured to the other companions to cover the area while she thought about questioning him for a few minutes.
"Oliver, all these claims are false right?" She asked without any ill intentions in her mind.
Despite all the challenging events of the past few days, Oliver couldn't help but smile as he realized that there were still people willing to lend him their ears and support. Her words brought him comfort and reassurance, reminding him that he wasn't alone in his struggles.
"What do you think? Do I look like someone who would harm my own mother?"
"I know you, Oliver, Lady Bloodborne will definitely come and help you, don't worry," Helen said while making sure that no one would be able to see the chest or behind Oliver.
Normally, she wouldn't even get close to Oliver when he was naked, because she knew he was like a drug that was too dangerous. No matter how serious she was, seeing his body even she couldn't resist the vulgar thoughts that came into her mind. However, in the present moment, everything was different as her maternal instinct towards Oliver took over, and all she could think about was protecting him.
"Commander, why are you showing kindness toward him? He is a criminal like us," The voice that disturbed Helen came from a woman who was chained just like Oliver, but had a rather rouge look.
As soon as Helen saw the person who was talking to her, she couldn't help but click her tongue.
"If you say another word, I will behead you right now, You don't have to wait until we enter Havoc Bay," Helen's words lost all the kindness and compassion when talking to the person that disturbed her sweet moment with Oliver.
Oliver found himself bound by a single rope, mercilessly dragged through the city's streets showing how they were being disgraced and to his dismay, three other women shared the same fate as him, among them the woman who had deeply unsettled Helen.
All four of them were criminals, condemned by the government and sentenced to be sent into the treacherous depths of Havoc Bay and everyone knew getting beheaded for a crime was more respectful than being sent to that Island, where they might have to work every single minute without any break under the living conditions that no sane human could survive.
One could easily say it was a living hell and nobody wanted to even enter that island even as a joke.
"How cruel, But you won't score with this man commander, he is young and you're an old hag, Let me enjoy him before I die, I can give him more pleasure than you,"
At the utterance of those words, Helen's hand instinctively grasped the hilt of her sword, drawing it forth with lightning speed before anyone could even react. Gasps erupted from the crowd, anticipating a potential bloodbath about to unfold before their eyes.
The other two criminals were silent as they kept observing everything with horror, but before Helen could harm the woman who talked to her in a vulgar way, Oliver quickly asked her to calm down.
"Aunt, it's fine, don't get too heated," Oliver said while he laid his head on her chest.
The crowd, Helen as well as the criminal girl was baffled by his actions and all of them wondered, what he was doing.
"Look at her legs, they are shaking, She's just scared to enter Havoc Bay, so she is trying to escape as soon as you attack her, She might have a resonance skill that can do that," Oliver said causing the girl to frown at his words.
As Helen's initial impulse subsided, she swiftly resheathed her sword, becoming aware of what she was about to do. She glanced at the crowd, who were now pointing at her and Oliver. A faint blush coloured her cheeks, but she immediately gathered herself and had a reality check.
"Let's keep moving," Helen commanded, and the group resumed their journey after all the trouble. However, in the midst of it all, Oliver uttered something that caused Helen's heart to skip a beat, almost leaping out of her chest.
"You're not an old hag, I will definitely choose you over her, so don't worry about it, and thanks for getting angry on my behalf," It was a simple word for Oliver, but the same cannot be said for Helen, who was almost thinking about running away with Oliver so they can start a family.
Despite being the commander of the Imperial army, Helen was not even thirty years old, making the notion of labelling her an old hag utterly absurd to anyone so Oliver felt compelled to say what he felt as a little gift.
After leaving the empire, they made their way to the docks, the atmosphere between Helen and Oliver was a mix of tension and unspoken feelings.
Helen couldn't help but feel conflicted about her emotions. On one hand, she was drawn to Oliver, appreciative of his support and kindness. On the other hand, she knew the dangers that awaited anyone who dared enter Havoc Bay.
Once they reached the docks, the sight of the massive ship that would take them to Havoc Bay sent shivers down Helen's spine. She hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether she should act on her personal feelings and let Oliver escape.
However, she quickly reminded herself of her duty to the empire and the empress. Her loyalty to her people outweighed her personal feelings.
"Helen, are you alright?" Oliver asked, noticing her uneasy expression.
"Yes, I'm fine," she replied with a forced smile, not wanting to burden him with her internal struggles.
As the group prepared to board the ship, Oliver approached Helen, his face serious yet gentle. "Helen, there's something I need to tell you," he said, his voice low enough for only her to hear.
She braced herself, fearing that he might have guessed her feelings. "What is it, Oliver?"
"I know you're holding something back about Havoc Bay. I can sense it. I just want you to trust me enough," he said earnestly, looking into her eyes. "I know about Havoc Bay and the dangers I'm going to face, but I'm not scared about that,"
Oliver paused for a moment and looked at Helen with his eyes showing sadness.
"What I'm scared about is what happened to Mother so please find my mother, I'm sure she is alive, I think Isabella did something to her, but I have no proof about it, Keep an eye on her, I will definitely come back to take what's mine,"
Helen felt her heart pounding in her chest. She respected and admired Oliver's courage, but she couldn't bear the thought of betraying the empire. "Oliver, it's not that simple," she began, struggling to find the right words but Oliver quickly dismissed her worries with a single word.
"I understand that you have your duty to the empire, but I can't stand by and let my sister ruin everything," Oliver said and leaned on her while all the other people already got on the ship.
"Please not as a commander, help me as my aunt, you're the only person I can rely on," Helen looked at his face and her heart started to pound seeing his helpless face and her maternal instinct kicked in again, so without her even knowing she agreed to help Oliver.
"Fine," she finally said, her voice softening. "I'll help you, but you have to promise me that you'll be careful and that you'll consider all the consequences of your actions."
Oliver's face lit up with relief and gratitude. "Thank you, Aunt Helen. I knew I could count on you."
Helen couldn't help but sigh giving up and she knew it was time for them to leave this place for their journey.
They quickly boarded the ship just as the captain of the ship signalled about their departure, and the vessel started to lift off, but nobody noticed the shadow that kept following Oliver as soon as he boarded the ship except Oliver himself, who had a faint smile on his face seeing something fun is going to happen.