Chapter 123: Chapter 123: Run Away [1]
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Life Lesson.
Sometimes, if you encounter a problem that you cannot solve, the best way is to run away from it, leaving everything to fate.
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It had been 2 days since Alaric left the Voidveil Empire and began a lonely journey.
No.
It was not really lonely because The King still had a horse as a companion.
There were 3 reasons why Alaric chose to do this.
First, he wanted to visit this world again, wanted to witness its development since his death.
Second, the atmosphere in the empire was really too suffocating, plus Kael always put a lot of pressure on Alaric’s shoulders.
Demanding him to give an immediate answer.
And third, and most importantly, The King wanted to be at peace, to clear his mind, to achieve true peace.
Only then could Alaric make his choice.
"...So beautiful."
Looking at the surrounding scenery, The King could not help but exclaim.
The last time he saw this place, it was still just a desolate land, a place that had been poisoned by the decomposition of demons.
But now, it had completely changed, becoming a vast and beautiful field of flowers.
Roses.
Tulips.
Sunflowers.
Red spider lilies.
...
This place was indeed the home of all the flowers in the world.
Taking a deep breath, trying to fill his lungs with this fragrant air, Alaric made a decision:
"Stop, my steed. Tonight, we will camp here."
Neighhhhhhh!
The black steed neighed loudly, then obediently stopped.
"Very good."
With a satisfied smile, The King jumped down from the saddle, not forgetting to rub the neck of his steed.
But then, before Alaric had a chance to set up camp, a terrifying sight entered his vision.
"...!"
There, not far from where The King was standing, was a village.
But... that village was burning fiercely.
The flames were so great that it seemed as if they wanted to swallow everything.
And the smoke was so thick that it seemed as if it wanted to cover the entire sky.
At that moment, Alaric’s heroic instincts were fully unleashed.
No matter how much he feared the demons, he was a hero.
And it was a hero’s duty to save the people.
"Race straight there, my steed!"
Without a moment’s hesitation, The King jumped back onto his steed.
***
Everything was burning.
"..."
The village was eerily silent.
Not a sound could be heard.
Nor was there a scene of the villagers running around in panic, trying their best to survive.
Simply because they were all dead.
Some died from being burned by the flames.
The most painful death.
The rest were killed by the demons.
The most humiliating death.
"It’s so hot... It burns..."
Sitting in the middle of the village, completely surrounded by the flames of hell, was a child.
"Mom..."
And next to the child was the charred body of a woman who seemed to be his mother.
"What... should I do?"
The child didn’t cry.
"Am I going to die? Like everyone else?"
It wasn’t because he didn’t want to, but because he had no strength left.
"I... don’t want to die..."
However, the fire only grew more intense, showing no signs of slowing down.
"...I have to live."
The child struggled to stand up, only to fall face down on the ground again.
Every time he fell, a scratch would appear on his body.
And by now, there were at least 30 scratches on his body.
"...I don’t even have the energy to stand up, let alone run away from here."
The boy began to be engulfed by the darkness of despair.
"...Help."
But, there will always be light at the end of the tunnel.
"Is anyone alive? If anyone is alive, scream!"
A stranger’s voice suddenly rang out.
And because of that voice, the boy, whose mind was gradually becoming hazy, immediately regained consciousness.
"...Who is it?"
The boy didn’t know who the owner of that voice was.
What if that person was a bad person?
But... was that even that important at this moment?
The boy didn’t know what the owner of that voice’s intentions were.
But, he knew that person was the first and last hope for survival.
So...
"HELP!"
The next second, the boy had completely fainted from exhaustion, smoke inhalation, burns, ...
But, before his eyes completely closed, the child saw a figure running towards him.
His lips curled up slightly.
"I... am alive... Yay..."
***
"..."
— Hey kid, are you alive?
"...Who is it?"
— Wake up kid, don’t make me worry.
"I’m so sleepy..."
— Don’t sleep, kid, sleeping is death!
"..."
In his daze, the kid, also known as Rudeus, suddenly heard a strange voice.
Ah no, it’s not that strange to be honest.
Because that was the last voice he heard before he passed out.
"Am I... alive?"
Rudeus slowly opened his eyes, half-asleep.
And then, the first sight that entered his vision was an unusually gorgeous and majestic face.
Just like a king, an emperor, a ruler.
"You’re awake, little one? How are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere?"
With a gentle smile, Alaric asked.
While Rudeus was still unconscious, The King had already taken care of all the external wounds.
"I..."
The boy looked down at his body, then realized that it was wrapped tightly in bandages and antiseptic.
Although it was still a little sore, overall...
"... Am fine."
"That’s good."
Alaric smiled brightly, then patted the boy’s head.
Then, the expression on his face instantly turned serious.
"So what happened? Why did that village burn to that extent?"
"..."
Rudeus paused for a moment, then, the boy pursed his lips.
To be honest, he really didn’t want to recall that painful memory at all, but this man was the one who saved his life after all.
He was Rudeus’ benefactor.
"...We were attacked by the demon army. They... killed many people, and then burned everything..."
"...Demons attacked humans?"
This was something that had never happened since the previous demon king was killed by the hero party.
This only meant one thing.
And that was that the demons had begun their invasion again.
"...Damn the demon king. He’s faster than I thought."
Time was running out.
And The King needed to give Kael an answer as soon as possible.