Xander only paused a fraction of a second, looked one one more time at the crying old man—eyes clearly judging, before he hurried after the boy.
Xander searched for Levi within the main cottage, but no matter how he called for him, the boy did not answer.
Eventually, Xander found him on the farm, hiding behind the plough.
Levi was wrapped up in the dirt, sobbing lowly.
Xander sighed.
He walked over and sat beside Levi.
There was a lot Xander wanted to say. But he really did not know where to start.
Hearing your grandfather plan the demise of your father was a huge blow to a 10 year old.
Looking at him, Xander could tell that until this night, Levi did not even know that Baron Bones was his father.
Instead of comforting Levi, Xander simply sat—silent.
Levi leaned into Xander, crunching a piece of cloth in his hand.
After a while, the boy’s sobs had stopped.
He had cried himself to sleep.
’Another night ending painfully.’ Xander thought to himself.
He lifted Levi up, and took him into the cottage, where it was warmer.
Just as he laid the boy on the bed, Levi’s palm opened up and the piece of cloth fell out.
From the way the boy held the cloth, Xander knew that it was important to him.
He picked it up. Opened it.
Xander paused, eyes widening. It was a neatly drawn sketch of Levi, his grandfather, mother, and his sister.
Whoever did this was clearly experienced—not a line out of place, and the faces were easily recognizable.
But that was exactly why Xander was shocked.
Claudia, Levi’s elder sister. She was the same farm girl that had gotten Murderer as her profession.
The same one he had woken up to meet dead beside him.
Xander was not the person that hurt her, but he felt his heart pang with guilt.
Not his guilt.
Alex’s.
Xander held his chest.
Then his eyes moved to Levi. His lips opened, words attempting to slither out. But he held his tongue.
Emotions of a dead prince in a broken world.
He needed some air.
However, as he stood up to leave, a hand grabbed him.
"Please stay." Levi pleaded—voice low and fragile.
Xander did not argue, and laid beside him.
Levi folded close to him.
But Xander did not drift into sleep immediately. Instead, his eyes remained on the mission title from Gato.
He did not click the button to accept.
"This is not what I want." Xander thought to himself.
Again, Jobadiah’s face came to mind.
He had been given a new life in this world. With Alex dead, even the problems of the royal family would not reach him.
All he wanted was to actualize that simple dream.
Get a wife, have beautiful children, and live a peaceful life on the farm.
There was already a farm, that peaceful dream had began. Why should he take up the task of murdering another man?
Whether it was the late Alex or Gato, the issues they had were not his own.
Xander leaned closer to Levi, brushing the boy’s hair gently. He had already made up his mind.
Villainy was not for him.
What Xander did not know was that in coming to this world, he had inherited more than just Alex’s profession and identity.
He had also inherited his problems.
By morning, Gato woke up, clothes stained and rumpled, the stench of last nights drink lingering about him.
Even his beard was glued together, pointing to a certain corner.
Under his eyes were bags. From the look of things, he definitely needed more sleep.
But the discipline of an early rise was ingrained deep in his veins.
He staggered out of the Forge, one heavy step at a time—grabbing his aching head.
The events of the night before rushed through his mind, and he immediately headed for the cottage.
However, voices from the fields drew his attention.
In the many days that had passed, many of the crops had grown.
Xander had already harvested the first batch of crops. The Spinach.
And prepared them for the market. The Kale would be next.
The once empty land was now covered with greenery.
Xander had fulfilled his promise. Enough food to feed the three of them for a length of time.
And if they sold the excess, they could then increase the number of goats, or even buy pigs.
Finally, after a long time, they could enjoy the taste of meat.
Gently, Gato approached.
Xander and Levi were digging through the earth. Or to be more precise, Xander was teaching Levi.
"Levi, what are you doing!?" Xander hurried to the boy. "I said you should remove the Beet seedlings that are not growing well."
Levi looked up at Xander, eyes showing his reluctance. "But I don’t wanna."
Xander massaged his forehead. "Which is it? You don’t want to work or you don’t want to..."
He paused— observing the boy closely.
Levi’s shoulders were slumped, hands showing his unwillingness to remove the Beet seedlings that were not growing well.
Xander leaned in.
Levi spoke, "I don’t want to kill it."
"I know." Xander responded. "But if we don’t do the Thinning, we won’t have good yield."
"I know. But is there no other way? Can’t they all share the soil, and the sunlight in peace? Why must one die for the other to survive?"
This question struck Xander deeply.
How was he to explain the cruelty of life to such an innocent boy.
For a second, Xander wanted nothing more than to protect that innocence.
But even if he managed to, would the rest of the world do the same thing?
Xander sighed. "It’s not punishment. You’re just giving one of them a real chance."
"Xander." Levi called.
"Yes." Xander answered.
"Do you think..." Levi hesitated, "...is that the same reason my father killed my mother?"
Xander froze.
"Was it because we were weak?" Levi added.
Xander continued to stare at the boy—Speechless.
He wondered. Did he even have the right to answer such a question?
After all, Levi was asking why the strong deserved more the weak.