One quiet afternoon at the orphanage, the man Evan had been waiting for finally stepped through the front door.
The man was Yohan ?????? — a man dressed entirely in black, with a deceptively calm face and a pair of sharp, narrowed eyes like a fox. He did not come alone, but was accompanied by his elegant wife and their well-groomed young son.
"Lord Aiden, it is an honor to meet you in person," Yohan greeted in an exceedingly smooth voice. "Perhaps you can already clearly guess why I have come here."
Evan curled his lips into a polite smile, a perfect mask of a smile etched onto his face.
"Welcome to our humble place, Lord Zex. Of course, I understand your intentions," Evan replied amiably, then slowly shook his head. "However, I sincerely apologize. I cannot make the piece you desire at the moment. As has become the rule, I only produce a single piece of Diamond Glass each month."
Yohan chuckled softly, his laughter cold and artificial. "I fully understand the exclusivity of your work, Lord Aiden. But what if I am next in line? Whatever price you ask, I will pay double."
"Once again, my apologies, Lord Zex," Evan replied without the slightest hesitation. "Next month’s order has already been reserved and paid for in full by the Vey Family."
Yohan’s calm expression hardened slightly. His fox-like eyes narrowed even further, revealing his irritation that he was desperately trying to conceal in front of his wife and son.
Yohan turned around with his family, but before stepping outside, he glanced back slightly and whispered coldly, "In that case... I hope you will always be lucky with your life in this city, Lord Aiden."
"And the same to you, Lord Zex," Evan replied firmly.
As soon as Yohan and his family had completely disappeared beyond the gate, the friendly expression on Evan’s face collapsed instantly. His eyes began to boil with intense hatred.
"?????? ???????? ???????? ?? ?????????? ?????? ???????????????????? ???????? ???? ?????? ?????????????????? ???? ????????????, ?????? ???????? ??????????????!" Evan thought as he clenched his fist until it bled. "?????? ???????? ???????? ???? ???????? ???? ?? ???????????? ????????????? ????’???? ??????... ?????????? ?????? ???? ???? ???????? ???????????????????? ???? ?????? ?????????????? ??????."
Years passed by in the blink of an eye.
Through a combination of rare-item scams, political manipulation, and the massive accumulation of wealth, the figure known as "Aiden Samuel" successfully climbed the social hierarchy until he was granted an official noble title. The once-simple orphanage had now grown into a magnificent residence protected by stone walls.
However, that glory had not come easily. Political pressure from the Velmora Family increasingly crushed his business, while Yohan Zex was the primary attack dog Lord Velmora used to bring Evan down from within the trade network.
Until one day, Evan’s Diamond Glass business expanded beyond the borders of Velmora City, its fame eventually reaching the ears of the Emperor in the Capital.
The fraudulent facade Evan had built over the years began to crack when the Imperial side dispatched Luis to meet Evan under the pretense of wanting to establish a business partnership on behalf of the Empire.
However, throughout the meeting in the sitting room, Luis never truly looked at the glass on the table. The Holy Knight’s sharp eyes constantly watched Evan’s every movement, while his fingers repeatedly stroked the hilt of the Holy Sword resting at his waist, as if the weapon were reacting to something.
His behavior dragged Evan’s memories back to his first encounter with Luis several years ago.
"????’?? ???????????????? ????????’?? ????????????..." Evan’s cold inner voice whispered. "????’?? ?????????????? ????. ?????? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????? ???????????? ???? ?????????????? ????????????. ???? ???????????????? ?????? ???????? ??????????????."
As soon as Luis left, Evan stood stiffly in the middle of his study. His thoughts raced wildly. His survival instinct told him to flee tonight, taking every chest of gold he had hidden with him. However... his steps came to a halt when the images of the orphanage children, along with Tom, Luke, and Peter, flashed through his mind.
If he fled alone, the Empire and the Velmora Family would slaughter everyone left behind without mercy. Moreover, the Imperial side seemed to have already begun to suspect his involvement with Anna.
"...What should I do now?" Evan muttered as he clutched his throbbing head. "It’s been an entire month since Anna last appeared in my dreams or sent her illusion... What exactly happened to her?!" Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping(.)com.
BANG!
The door to Evan’s study was violently kicked open from outside. Silvy Velmora stepped inside, breathing heavily. The female knight’s face was deathly pale, her armor disheveled, and her eyes filled with overwhelming panic and fear.
"Aiden! Leave this city right now!" Silvy shouted in a trembling voice as she grabbed Evan by the shoulders. "My father... the Velmora Family and the Empire’s Holy Knights are heading here! They’re going to carry out a massive arrest and execute you for conspiring with a Witch!"
Evan stared at Silvy’s deeply concerned face. Although he had spent all this time exploiting Silvy’s feelings and position as an unwitting shield for his plans, Evan still felt a sting of warmth in his chest.
Evan let out a long sigh, then smiled faintly, giving Silvy the most sincere smile he had ever given her.
"Thank you very much for the information, Silvy. Thank you for everything," Evan said softly.
Evan turned around and walked away, leaving Silvy standing there in a daze. He knew what he had to do.
Evan immediately gathered Tom, Luke, and Peter in the underground passage. In an exceedingly firm yet urgent tone, Evan ordered the three of them to take all the orphanage children out through the secret route and flee as far away from Imperial territory as possible.
The atmosphere in the underground passage instantly turned into heartbreaking cries. The orphanage children wailed in confusion and fear.
"Uncle Aiden! Why aren’t you coming with us?!" Anastasia screamed as she tugged at the hem of Evan’s clothes, her eyes red.
"Uncle Aiden, we don’t want to leave without you!" Paul cried, trying to hold back his tears.
Tom, Luke, and Peter stared at Evan with heavy expressions, knowing that Evan had chosen to stay behind to serve as bait and hold back the enemy forces.
"Take them away now!" Evan barked as he shoved Tom. "Protect them with your lives! That’s my final order!"
With shattered hearts, the three former thugs embraced the children and forced themselves to move through the darkness of the secret passage, leaving Evan standing alone at the entrance.
Only a few minutes after the group of children had left, the orphanage’s main gate was smashed into pieces!
Hundreds of heavily armored soldiers from the Velmora Family and Imperial Knights surrounded the entire orphanage courtyard. At the very front stood Lord Velmora with an arrogant expression, accompanied by Yohan Zex, who wore a sinister smile.
Evan stepped out from inside the building, standing alone atop the stone steps. He was no longer wearing the gentle caretaker’s clothes. Instead, he wore a thick black combat cloak, a forged iron sword in his hand.
"Aiden Samuel! Surrender in the name of Imperial Law!" Lord Velmora shouted. "You’re cornered, Fake Craftsman!"
Yohan Zex stepped forward, staring at Evan mockingly. "Didn’t I tell you, Lord Aiden? I hoped you would be lucky with your life... But it seems your luck has run out today."
Evan did not answer with words. He closed his eyes for a moment, drew a deep breath, then opened them again with an intensely murderous glint.
BOOOOMMMMM!
An utterly devastating burst of air pressure erupted from Evan’s body! Pure crimson-golden Sword Aura soared into the sky, shaking the ground and sending hundreds of soldiers flying backward!
Everyone in the courtyard stared in shock, holding their breath in deep fear! This story is hosted at g.com.
"T-This Aura?!" Lord Velmora cried out, his face deathly pale and his eyes wide. "Alistair Vance’s Aura?! How could you have mastered the secret sword technique of my former Instructor?!"
Lord Velmora’s rage exploded wildly. "That damn old bastard! He refused to train my family, yet he passed down his legendary technique to a foreigner like you?!"
"Die, Yohan!" Evan roared furiously.
SRAAATTT!
Like a streak of red lightning, Evan charged forward through the ranks of soldiers! His sword swept through dozens of soldiers in a single Aura-infused slash. Panicked, Yohan Zex immediately drew his sword to defend himself, but the difference in strength between them was simply too great!
Evan fought like a maddened monster. Every swing of his sword carried all the resentment, blood, and suffering of his life. Yohan was overwhelmed, his armor shattered into pieces, and his arm was broken by Evan’s sweeping slash.
"W-Wait! Are you Rick?! Spare me—!" Yohan screamed in terror as he crawled across the ground.
"This is for my past!" Evan growled as he leaped high into the air.
STAB!
Evan’s Aura-infused sword pierced straight through Yohan Zex’s chest, impaling his heart before pinning him to the stone ground! Fresh blood gushed violently. Yohan coughed up blood, his eyes staring blankly ahead before he finally died.
Evan’s grudge against Yohan from his past life had finally been settled. Evan stood panting over Yohan’s corpse, his rough breathing heavy as his body was drenched in the blood of his enemy.
However... that victory did not last for more than a second.
TAP... TAP... TAP...
The soft clang of approaching footsteps echoed from the direction of the ruined gate. Luis, the Holy Knight of the Empire, stepped into the courtyard. He was holding a thick cloth sack soaked with red liquid that dripped heavily onto the ground.
"Good work, newly made Sword Master," Luis said in a cold, emotionless voice. "You fought remarkably well to protect the children and your guards..."
Luis raised the cloth sack, then grabbed its contents and threw them at Evan’s feet.
THUD... THUD... THUD...
Several human heads rolled across the dusty stone ground.
Evan’s eyes widened so much that the blood vessels nearly burst. The world around Evan suddenly lost all its color, becoming silent and dark.
On the cold ground lay the severed heads of Tom, Luke, and Peter, their eyes still wide open in terror... and beside them lay the small heads of Anastasia, Paul, and the other orphanage children, their pale faces still bearing traces of tears.
"Your underground secret route was quite easy to predict," Luis whispered coldly as he drew his gleaming Holy Sword. "We intercepted them from the very beginning."
THUMP.
Evan’s chest felt as though it had been struck by a gigantic hammer that crushed every organ inside him. All the desperate struggles, resentment, protection he had built, and the children’s sincere smiles... were shattered into dust in a single instant.
Evan fell to his knees on the blood-soaked ground, clutching Anastasia’s cold head against his chest, and let out a desperate roar that tore through the night sky, filled with irreparable despair.