"How…?" Lilith panicked. "How is Aron gone and disappeared? There must have been something that happened. He is not the kind of guy who throws the rope first and runs away. He would stay there… even if the rope was tied to a rock so tightly that it could never break."
Wood lowered his head slightly.
"I know. He was a pure soul. But after that day… when Carlos died… Aron became very angry. I could sense it. But that was not all.
That day Carlos did not come to work here. He had gone to bring medicine for his grandpa. The old man finally woke up… but they both died together."
The room grew silent.
Lily spoke softly.
"Aron… accidentally killed a little girl's father. The man had helped the raiders load the bags of flour and rice… the ones Carlos had won."
Lilith stood still.
He showed no expression.
But inside him, rage was boiling.
"So… we don't know whether Aron is alive or dead. And none of us tried to find him?"
He sat against the wall, his right hand resting on his knee, one leg stretched out on the ground.
"I will try to find him tomorrow," Lilith said quietly. "For today… let me rest. I don't want to talk to anyone."
He stood up and walked into the room.
Inside the hall, the three of them sat quietly.
"Well," Wood said after a while, "this one is quite bold and smart, to be honest."
The master sighed. "He is still just a man. One day he will understand everything. But life has been very harsh on him."
Lily sat silently beside them. She folded her knees and hid her face in them, her heart heavy with despair.
......
"So… this is the city of training."
Trail's eyes examined the tall white walls surrounding it. The place looked enormous, almost like a fortress.
Beside him stood Luxorious.
"The kid is not here," Luxorious said calmly.
"He is probably behind that big mountain over there." He pointed toward the horizon.
Trail nodded slowly.
"Okay… then let's get moving. We will surely reach him tomorrow."
They both began walking again.
......
Lilith woke up early and dressed as usual. The morning wind was pleasant, brushing gently through the village. The sky was clear, and from the hill he could see the far mountains stretching across the horizon.
He walked slowly to clear his mind.
Soon he reached a quiet place outside the village.
There he saw a grave.
A stone stood beside it, marked with the name Carlos. Flowers were blooming all around it, filling the air with a soft scent.
Behind him, a voice spoke.
"Lilith."
He turned.
"Lily."
She walked beside him and looked at the grave.
"This is Carlos' grave. Isn't it beautiful? All these flowers… the scent… It feels like he is resting somewhere peaceful."
Lilith nodded.
"It is."
He looked around the land. Grass spread across the ground, trees standing tall, flowers blooming everywhere.
Someone had clearly cared for this place.
"Someone really made this beautiful," he said.
Lily smiled faintly.
"This… was once a dead land. Just mud and dirt. When Aron came here, Mr. Wood told him to revive it. Aron and Carlos worked really hard to make it like this."
Lilith smiled softly.
"So this is the work of Aron and Carlos."
His eyes drifted toward the mountains.
"I wonder how much he had to suffer…"
He turned back toward Lily.
"I am going, Lily. I will find Aron. Even if he is dead… who knows? Right now he might even be enslaved somewhere."
He started walking.
The wind followed behind him.
......
Aron woke up.
His hands felt like they were burning. When he looked at them, they were reddish-pink beneath the bandages.
He tried to pick up a cup of water.
The cup slipped from his grip because of the pain.
But he tried again… slowly… and finally drank.
After dressing, Aron walked outside the house.
He had barely walked for a while when an old woman from the village asked him to carry some heavy supplies to a place a little far from there.
Aron looked at his injured hands.
For a moment, he hesitated.
Then he lifted the load and carried it anyway.
He showed no emotions.
Helping someone was simply his nature.
Later, as he walked back toward home, he reached the same path where he and Balrad had once seen the soldiers.
Suddenly—
Two shadowy figures approached.
Mounted on horses.
The same soldiers.
One of them sneered.
"Who is this trash?"
The other one laughed lightly. "Hey, hey… calm down."
But the first soldier was already irritated.
"Let me teach him a lesson. Look at how he is staring at me."
They stopped their horses.
Aron spoke calmly.
"Look… I have no intention to fight or hurt you. So let me go peacefully to my home."
The soldier named Orward became furious.
"You really think you can beat me? You are pathetic."
He pushed Aron hard.
Aron slid a little backward.
Inside his mind, a thought appeared.
Why are all of you like this? When a person walks calmly… why do you interfere?
The soldier pushed him again.
Aron's injured hand twitched in pain.
So he reacted differently.
With a sudden movement, Aron drove his elbow into the soldier's stomach. The impact crushed part of the metal armor and struck his gut directly.
The soldier collapsed instantly.
The other two soldiers immediately unsheathed their swords.
Aron hesitated.
But they forced him to move.
They both charged at him.
Aron stepped aside, dodging the first strike. Then he jumped forward and smashed their heads together with a powerful motion.
Both soldiers fell unconscious instantly.
Silence returned to the path.
The wind moved softly through the trees.
And Aron stood there quietly.
With the men knocked down on the ground, he stared at them and the situation that had turned around very quickly.
Though he had no plan to harm them, they gave him no other choice.