Corvin’s scent felt strangely familiar. And in that moment, tears burst from Leo’s eyes.
He couldn’t stop them.
His jaw loosened. Beside Corvin’s arm, where he had bitten, a deep tooth mark remained. Blood seeped from it.
"Why?" Leo cried in a cracked voice. "Why won’t you just kill me?"
"Because I’m your father."
Just one simple sentence.
But the moment Leo heard it, the rage drained from his face. He froze. His eyes stayed locked on Corvin.
"What... what did you say? Who are you?"
Sadness had filled his eyes before. Now, slowly, disbelief took its place.
Corvin took a deep breath. He stepped forward and pulled Leo tightly against his chest.
"I... I’m your father. The father you’ve never met. My name is Corvin. You got your family name from me. We both belong to the Ashford family."
As he spoke, white light flowed from his hand. It broke the hold on Elena’s body.
Elena ran to them. She pulled Leo out of Corvin’s arms and glared at him. "Have you lost your mind? You scared me to death!"
Corvin laughed. "I only wanted to see how calm Leo could stay in a fight, no matter what. But from what I saw, you are his greatest weakness."
"Mama..." Only then did Leo come back to his senses. His anger and pain had turned into shock. "Is he... is he really...?"
Elena slowly nodded.
"Forgive me, Lolo. Mama didn’t tell you. One year ago, your father found us. He wanted you to grow into a great knight like him. That’s why we hid from you that he had come back."
Corvin nodded.
"It seems that no matter how much people plan, life goes its own way. I was afraid that once you knew I was your father, you’d stop working so hard. And then I wouldn’t have been able to train you strictly."
Leo stared at his mother, stunned.
What he had just heard was the most unexpected thing of his whole life. As far as he could remember, he’d only ever had Mama.
Elena stroked her son’s head. Her tears began to flow again.
"I’m sorry, Lolo. Ten years ago, something terrible happened to your mother. She didn’t know how to face your father. That’s why she had to leave her village and come here. And that’s when she found out she was carrying you."
Her voice trembled.
"Don’t hate your father. It’s all my fault. He searched for us for nine long years. If you have to hate someone, hate me."
Corvin looked at mother and son with tangled feelings. He said softly, "Elena, it’s all over now. All that pain has left us. Don’t think about those memories, alright?"
Elena nodded through her tears.
"Last year, I promised you that for you and Leo, I’d free myself from those memories. The rest of my life is only for the two of you. Leo has suffered so much because of me all these years." Read this novel at NovelPing for the best experience.
She paused.
"To be honest, I don’t want him to become a knight like you. I just want him to be safe."
Corvin’s brows drew together. The same confusion filled his eyes again.
His fists clenched without him noticing, as if a heavy battle was raging inside him.
Just then, Leo slowly woke from his daze. He looked at Mama, then at Papa. A bright light sparked in his eyes.
"No, Mama. I want to be a knight. A great and powerful knight."
Corvin was stunned.
He really didn’t know whether what he was doing was right. He knew very well that a quiet, peaceful life would have been best for both Elena and Leo.
He asked with a strange smile, "Will you accept a careless father like me?"
"No, you’re not careless at all," Elena cut in. "It’s my fault. It’s all my fault."
Her tears, which had only just stopped, began to fall again.
"Papa!"
Leo slipped out of his mother’s arms and threw himself straight into Corvin’s chest.
At that moment, he felt true happiness.
After all, he was only ten years old. He had never told Mama. But in Eldrin Town, whenever he saw other kids with their fathers, how could he not feel jealous?
And now, his father had come back.
He had been away for so many years, but he was far stronger than all the other kids’ fathers. He was a great knight. All the anger in Leo’s heart melted into joy.
Even hearing "Papa," Corvin didn’t let his excitement show. He stood calmly and wrapped his strong arms around his wife and son.
Neither Elena nor Leo noticed that his arms were shaking, just a little.
After a long day of running around, after both pain and joy, Leo went to bed early.
For the first time in a whole year, he didn’t spend the night sitting up. Tonight, he slept deeply.
Corvin held Elena, who lay down beside their son.
"Elena."
Elena closed her eyes and gently nodded.
"You don’t need to say more. Lolo is just like you. He can’t live a plain and quiet life. You two were born to do great things."
Her voice was soft.
"He’s made his choice, so all I can do is stand by him. I only have one wish. That he stays safe. Whatever you teach him, the most important thing is that he learns to protect himself. Alright?" New chapters come out on NovelPing first.
"Yes. I promise you."
Corvin nodded and gently stroked Elena’s long hair.
The next morning, Corvin took Elena and Leo up to the mountain top.
The secret was out. There was nothing left to hide.
Elena went to tidy up Leo’s room. Corvin called his son over.
"Leo, you’ve decided to continue training even after knowing our relationship. So from now on, I’ll be even stricter than before. This is your last chance to change your mind."
Leo answered without hesitation.
"Papa, I understand you’re strict for my own good. On this trip to Moonhaven City, I saw and learned so much. Papa, I want to ask you something. Is your rank higher than a Radiant Knight?"
Corvin took a step back.
For a moment, he stood perfectly still. Uncertainty crossed his face. Then he lowered his head in front of Leo.
He didn’t answer.
"Wow! So cool!"
Leo jumped for joy.
"Papa, when I grow up, I’ll be a great knight just like you!"
Corvin smiled. "How do you know your father is a great knight?"
Leo said stubbornly, "He has to be."
"Alright, I understand," Corvin said. "In the future, you’ll find out how strong your father is. But if you want to be a great knight, you can’t slack off."
He went on, "From today, you don’t need to go to the Owl-Ants’ cave anymore. The way you train is about to change completely."
"I don’t have to go?"
He had gone there nonstop for a whole year. Still, the place was very dark. Leo was always a little afraid of it.
Corvin nodded.
"The goal of the past year’s training was to raise your reflex speed, sharpen your mind, and strengthen your body. Bathing every day in the medicine hot pool was for the same reason."
Then he said, "Now your Spiritual Energy has passed one hundred. That means we can start training your Inner Spiritual Energy."
"Inner Spiritual Energy?"
Leo looked at his father with confused eyes.
Over the past year, Corvin had taught him history. He had taught him the skills knights use. He had taught him all kinds of knowledge.
But he had never once mentioned Inner Spiritual Energy.
And as Leo stared at him, Corvin looked out toward the horizon. A shadow passed over his face, the shadow of a secret he still hadn’t told.