Chapter 357: Chapter 357

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The man’s name was Andy. His home was a small but sturdy cabin. Contrary to the expectation that he lived alone, he had a wife.

“Oh, my goodness! Are you all right, dear? Andy, what happened to him?”

She seemed terribly shocked by the condition of the child her husband had brought in out of nowhere, and rightly so. Under the bright lights, Yozen looked more like an abused young animal than a human being.

She asked Andy to prepare a bath, then examined Yozen’s wounds carefully. She could barely see the flesh through the congealed blood, and her expression grew graver by the second. Yozen looked away from her, his eyes sinking rapidly, and he muttered weakly.

“I’m fine.”

“……Huh?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry about it. I can handle myself, I won’t bother you.”

“You…….”

Her eyes widened at the words coming out of his mouth as if they were learned. She stared blankly into Yozen’s face for a moment, then calmed her voice.

“What’s your name?”

“……Yozen. Yozen Vardikta.”

“Okay, Yozen. My name is Helena, and I don’t think I’m the least bit bothered by taking care of a child covered in blood. I apologize if my reaction scared you. I was just worried.”

“……Worried.”

“Yes. So if something hurts, tell me, don’t hide it. It’s hard to see the wounds with all the blood, though I don’t think it’s all yours.”

Helena calmly soothed and comforted Yozen. She seemed quite used to dealing with children.

‘She seems like a nice person. ……Thank God.’

Andy and Helena didn’t seem to have any problems with Yozen. Cadel, who had been on edge the entire time in case Yozen was seriously injured, breathed a sigh of relief at the kindness of the new faces.

Yozen didn’t seem to have completely dropped his guard, but he didn’t refuse their hospitality either. He hesitantly entered the bathroom when he heard Andy call out that the bath was ready.

Debating whether to follow Yozen in, Cadel decided to stay outside and watch Helena. There was something unsettling about watching a subordinate bathe naked, no matter how young he was.

“Should I make soup? If I start now, it’ll be too late……. Oh my god, I don’t have any ingredients, I should have gone to the market beforehand!”

Helena seemed preoccupied with preparing food for Yozen. She scurried around the tiny kitchen, looking for ingredients and racking her brain to come up with a recipe for the tired toddler.

By the time she finished, she had melted cheese on a bed of tender roasted vegetables. Andy and Yozen appeared, freshly bathed.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Helena looked back at Yozen, her face beaming, and reflexively stopped. Large bruises smeared across the child’s face, which had been washed clean of blood. There was nothing about him that didn’t disturb her, from the scars that dotted his body to the hunched shoulders that peeked out from beneath his loose clothing.

But she quickly changed her expression, worried that Yozen would lose his temper. She exchanged a quick glance with Andy and spoke softly as she served him the food she had prepared.

“You’re hungry, right? I’ve prepared the least irritating food possible, in case you’re feeling uncomfortable. Tomorrow I’ll be going to the market early in the morning, so if there’s anything you’d like to eat, let me know.”

“Tomorrow……?”

“Of course! You’re not going to leave as soon as the sun comes up, are you? You’ll need a full stomach.”

Yozen wondered if he could stay here until tomorrow, if he deserved to be so comfortable when he hadn’t done anything. If they asked for something later, he wouldn’t have any excuse to refuse.

It was obvious that gloomy worries were clouding Yozen’s mind. However, Helena smiled brightly as if telling him not to worry about useless things and pulled Yozen towards the table.

“Don’t think about it tonight. Eat well and get a good night’s sleep, and we’ll hear about it tomorrow.”

Blinking at the sweet words, Yozen wolfed down the food in front of him. He hadn’t eaten much, and he must have been hungry. Helena and Andy made sure Yozen got his fair share of food. They didn’t forget to offer him some warm milk when he finished eating.

“Honey, come here for a minute, I need to talk to you.”

Helena summoned Andy while Yozen drank his milk. She made sure to tell Yozen to make himself comfortable. But after Helena called Andy into the room, Yozen became visibly agitated. His knuckles turned white as he gripped his cup, and his shoulders shook slightly.

‘He’s afraid they’ll use him or hurt him, like the mercenary corps.’

It was impossible for a few small acts of kindness to undo a lifetime of hurt. Yozen stared at the doorway where the two adults had disappeared. He was sensitive to the slightest sign of disturbance, so no matter how muffled the conversation, he would still be able to pick up some of it.

Cadel approached the room the two had entered to join Yozen in listening. The door was closed, so he couldn’t see inside, but he could hear their voices.

“He must have been abused, he must have gotten scared and ran away.”

“Maybe he’s just lost in the mountains, and if he got hurt while wandering around, his parents are worried.”

“That’s not the kind of reaction I’d expect from a kid who grew up with normal parents! Besides, what kind of kid gets lost in the mountains covered in blood? Something’s not right.”

“……That’s one thing, but not returning a child to their parents when they’re alive and well is kidnapping.”

“……We’ll have to find the child’s parents ……, but we’ll prioritize Yozen’s opinion. If they don’t want him back, if his home is a dangerous environment…….”

After a long pause, Helena said, her voice firm with determination.

“We’ll protect him, Andy.”

That night, Yozen slept with warmth, tossing and turning at first, unable to adjust to the comfort of the bed, until he finally curled up into a ball on his back like a shrimp.

Cadel watched over young Yozen from his bedside: he woke up quickly, reacting to the slightest noise outside, staring blankly at the dark ceiling and rubbing his cheeks against the soft comforter.

The mere fact that he had a comfortable place to sleep made Yozen feel like a man with a fortune. It broke Cadel’s heart.

Time passed quickly. Andy and Helena found out that Yozen was an orphan and that he had been living as a member of the mercenary corps. After hearing about what the mercenary corps had done to him, they decided to take him in as their adopted son.

Three months later.

“Yozen, why don’t you go hunting with me? I’ve been craving meat for a while. I’m thinking of shooting a deer. What do you think?”

“Sure.”

“Good, then let’s put your skills to the test.”

Andy and Helena might not be well off, but they had big hearts. They were the first people to show Yozen love and attention. In their care, Yozen slowly opened up.

Gentleness seeped into his once stoic face that never smiled. His scarred and swollen face blossomed like a flower, and Yozen grew into a handsome young man who would stand out wherever he went. Even Cadel, who had been watching him for so long, was confused as to whether it was the same man.

“I’m sensing something over there, Uncle.”

“What? That way? Not this way? The footprints lead here…….”

“That way.”

“……Alright. You’re always right about these things, so let’s go.”

Andy followed Yozen through the trees. As if he hadn’t been on a hunt or two before, Yozen sped down the mountain path, his eyes focused on the trail.

His eyes were calm, his footwork neat as he skillfully dodged branches and rocks. Andy, on the other hand, was breathing heavily. He made his presence felt with his whole body, not rewarding Yozen’s quiet movements.

When Yozen finally realized that Andy was getting in the way of his hunt, he stopped walking and looked back at Andy. A questioning look crossed Andy’s sweaty face.

“I’ll go alone from here.”

“What? Why?”

“……If we both go after them, the prey will notice.”

“Then I should go, I can’t let you hunt alone, it’s dangerous.”

“But I’ve always done the hunting.”

“I, I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’ve always hunted together, haven’t we? We work together!”

“I’ll be right back, and I’ll scream if I’m in danger, so you don’t have to worry.”

“But…….”

Yozen quickly turned and ran off before Andy’s worries could continue. Andy tried to chase after him but soon came to a halt as Yozen closed the distance at breakneck speed.

“But I’m holding the bow…….”

Meanwhile, Yozen, who easily shook off Andy, spotted a deer not far away. It was quenching its thirst on the shore of the lake. Its body language was relaxed as if it hadn’t noticed the hunter’s presence.

‘I can’t believe he’s so close yet the deer doesn’t notice……. It’s a talent.’

Yozen had his eye on the deer in the immediate vicinity. It was so close that it would have been impossible to miss with a bow, but unfortunately, Yozen didn’t have a bow. Instead, he drew two daggers from his hip holster.

One step, one step. Not a single footstep could be heard as he cautiously approached. His stealth, while a little sloppier than Yozen’s now, was more than adequate for a single deer.

When Yozen closed to the perfect distance to cut off the deer’s breathing.

“Yozen! Are you there?”

Andy called his name as he trudged after Yozen.

“…….”

There was no way the deer wouldn’t respond to a call loud enough to send a bird flying off a branch. The deer took off in the opposite direction at the same time Yozen was confronted with the absurdity of the situation. Yozen’s expression was one of disbelief as he realized he had lost his prey in the blink of an eye.

“Ah, Yozen, there you are! How were you supposed to hunt without a bow? What would you have done if I hadn’t come looking for you?”

If Andy hadn’t come looking for him, Yozen would have had a huge deer on his shoulder and a hearty meal. Unaware of the obvious, Andy stumbled over to Yozen and was surprised to find a dagger in his hand.

“What? You brought daggers with you?”

“……”

“Did I interrupt you?”

“……”

“……Would you accept it if I apologize?”

Somehow, Yozen was a gentle child, and he couldn’t leave Andy alone for long as he realized his mistake and apologized. After a brief awkward moment, they resumed their hunt in good spirits. Andy was so motivated that he thought he could take down the bear in one fell swoop, but it didn’t go so well.

“Uncle, if you shoot the arrow there……!”

“Uh uh, there it goes! Yozen, there! Over there!”

“Keep it down, please……!”

“Uh uh, I shot it! I shot it…… Huh? It’s stuck in the tree?”

“Don’t run around like that!”

“Ouch, I got pricked by a thorn!”

How on earth had he been hunting all this time? Andy’s skills were abysmal. He looked less like a hunter and more like an intractable nuisance.

Yozen looked like he wanted to shake Andy off right now, but he couldn’t get the words out of his mouth, so he just sighed. The white knuckles on his daggers showed his frustration.

In the end, the two men failed in their hunt. Andy must have realized that his presence had been a distraction because he glanced over at Yozen, who sat down beside him on the shore of the lake, and held out an apple from his bag.

“Here. Eat this and let’s call it a day.”

“You go back first. I’ll catch a rabbit or something.”

“Eyy, never mind, you don’t have to work so hard to catch one.”

“It looked like Auntie wanted to eat meat.”

Yozen sighed and took a bite out of the apple Andy offered him. Mental fatigue seemed to have set in from missing his prey so many times.

“……Shall we go catch some fish here?”

“Fish?”

“Helena loves fish. She also likes fresh vegetables and cured meats.”

Andy gave a small smile and looked up at the sky. There was a hint of longing in his eyes as they captured the slowly setting sun.

“……Yozen.”

“Yes?”

“Are you happy to be with us?”

Yozen’s head snapped around at the sudden question. He looked up at the sky, and when Andy shifted his gaze, he averted his eyes and nodded. In return, Andy gave him an affectionate smile.

“I hope we’re good to you.”

“You’re already good enough.”

“Well, that’s good, then. ……In fact, I was a little worried.”

Andy wrapped an arm around Yozen’s awkwardly stiff shoulders and pulled him playfully closer, then snatched the half-eaten apple from his hand and bit into it.

“What you went through with the mercenary corps was horrible, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you never trusted people again, but I wanted you to know that there are bad people in this world, but there are a lot more good people.”

“…….”

“I believe that goodwill begets goodwill. If people help each other, the world will continue to be beautiful. And in that beautiful world, you can live a happy life without any worries. That’s my dream and Helena’s dream.”

“……If that’s the case, Uncle.”

“Yeah?”

“If goodwill begets goodwill, does malice begets malice?”

Andy was silent for a moment at the quiet question. He stared off into space, pondering something, and then replied in a cheerful tone.

“No! It’s a cycle of malice that can be broken at any time.”

“And how can it be broken?”

“By forgiveness. If my forgiveness can break that filthy bridle, I will forgive the other person, no matter how many times.”

“……Is that really possible?”

“Yes. My life is too precious to react to each and every one of those mean messages. It’s not enough to love, so Yozen, you need to live in the present. Let’s put the past behind us and look ahead, because we’ll always be there.”

Andy might not have had a talent for hunting, but he was a man who lived life to the fullest, spreading an overflowing love for the happiness of his chosen child.

Yozen cowered shyly under Andy’s affection. It was affection like he’d never felt in his life, and it was slowly but steadily melting him.

If this peace had lasted, Yozen would never have become an assassin, never have chosen to be alone.

But Yozen’s future was set. And Cadel was able to find out who was responsible for ruining his peaceful future.

‘That guy is…….’

Andy and Yozen return to the cabin with a big catch. There was an uninvited guest sitting there.