Chapter 174: Chapter 171 — Belong
"The little thief finally stopped running."
Forn’s large frame stood at the mouth of the alleyway with a crooked grin. The hefty men behind him spread out lazily, cracking their knuckles as a menacing aura filled the narrow path.
"Shit..." Tobias muttered, his face paling. As the capital of the South, the average power level here couldn’t be compared to reclusive villages like Pulsegrove.
He had no idea how strong the hooded man was, but Forn was at Mark Five, while his subordinates were all Mark Four.
At a glance, Tobias could tell the man wore a rather high-quality cloak and carried himself with dignity, but raw power decided everything in the slums.
’What should I do?’
He had sold himself to Forn to cover his sister’s medical expenses. To Tobias, as long as the job was honest, as long as he wasn’t tricking anyone, he could endure anything, no matter how humiliating it seemed. Keeping his head down here would be the smartest choice. It would protect his steady income and keep his sister safe.
However...
Tobias gritted his teeth. The thought of what Forn was about to do to the man sickened him. After all, he had grown up in the slums. He had seen what Forn and his people were capable of.
The man would wish he were dead.
Before he could think better of it, Tobias stepped in front of the hooded man. He tried to stand tall, tried to look confident as he faced Forn and his men, but the slight tremble in his arms betrayed him immediately.
"Hm?" Forn raised an eyebrow. "Slave. Did your brain finally melt or something? The hell are you doing?"
Forn’s icy stare made Tobias slowly gulp.
’Stupid, stupid, stupid...’
What the hell was he doing? Standing up to Forn? A Mark Three against a Mark Five and several Mark Fours. He wasn’t going to survive this.
Yet his mouth moved anyway as he slowly entered a stance.
"L-listen..." Tobias said. "I’ll hold them off somehow, even if it’s only for a bit... so just use that chance to climb the building and run!"
The man... did not move.
"...did you not hear me?" Tobias tried hard to keep the panic out of his voice. "You need to leave now! If he catches you, you’re dead!"
"..."
Tobias fully turned toward the man, frustration creeping onto his face. Did this man not want to live!?
"You... can hear me, right?"
The man still gave no response.
Tobias was speechless. What the hell was wrong with this person? He narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the man’s face beneath the darkness of the hood.
However, as the seconds passed, he could’ve sworn he caught sight of a faint pair of purple irises staring back at him.
Tobias froze.
Purple...
’It can’t be...’
"Tch." Forn clicked his tongue impatiently. "Alright, enough of this nonsense. Get him, boys. Beat it into the idiot’s skull why stealing from Forn is a terrible life decision."
His men grinned viciously as they cracked their knuckles and stepped forward. However, they had barely taken a single step when the man finally spoke.
"Lumi."
A blur tore through the alleyway.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of bones cracking echoed alongside four heavy thuds.
"What... what...?" Tobias stared with widened eyes at the unconscious bodies sprawled across the alleyway, their faces caved in so brutally blood slowly pooled beneath them.
"H-how did they...?"
A petite figure suddenly appeared nearby, causing him to jolt backward in shock. However, the moment he saw the smiling, chubby-cheeked girl, he froze.
"Lumi..."
Lumi hurried over to the hooded man, smiling brightly like a puppy waiting for praise.
"Good job."
The voice froze Tobias once more.
It was different from the cold tone the man had used when speaking to Forn and the others back at the gambling den. This voice... this felt familiar.
"Y-young lord...?"
The man turned toward him, silently regarding him. Tobias still couldn’t make out his face beneath the hood, yet the feeling of having his entire being seen through felt painfully familiar.
Then the man slowly removed his cloak.
Bathed beneath the silver moonlight, the faint glow of his purple eyes and his devilishly handsome features made him appear almost unreal.
"Tobias."
"My lord... what is this...?" Tobias asked in bewilderment as he slowly approached. He was so stunned he momentarily forgot who exactly stood before him. "You came here... to the slums... why?"
"I came for you."
Tobias felt his stomach twist. Was he here to punish him?
He had no idea whether something like abandonment of duty even existed among nobles. If it did... was his life now in danger?
"M-my lord..." Tobias lowered his head with a pained look. "I’m sorry... I really am, but I left because I don’t deserve to serve as your ward. You’re a genius, and I’m just..." He clenched his fists tightly. "I’ll only drag you down. It’s unfair to you, my lord... so I thought leaving was the best thing I could do."
Zephyrion remained silent for several moments, simply staring at him beneath the moonlight. Then he finally spoke.
"Who is your master?"
"My master..." Tobias muttered blankly before slowly looking up at him. "...it’s you?"
"That’s right." Zephyrion nodded. "So since when do you make decisions for me?"
Tobias’ eyes widened.
"I-I wasn’t trying to do that! I just—"
"You decided your own worth," Zephyrion cut in calmly. "Decided you’re unfit to stand beside me. I decide those things. Not you."
"But... but..." Tobias stumbled over his words, struggling to answer.
He was right.
Zephyrion was the master. The final decision should belong to him.
But...
"...You told me I needed to become stronger. I’m weak." Tobias admitted after a moment, lowering his head with gritted teeth.
"I did tell you that." Zephyrion nodded. "I told you to become stronger because I wanted you to improve. Some people improve quickly. Others improve slowly. As long as you continue trying, you’ll keep improving."
"Whether you’re weak or useless, however... is for me to decide. Not you."
Tobias clenched his fists tightly.
The real reason he had left was because Zephyrion had once told him he needed to be strong to be useful. Tobias had worked desperately hard, yet in the end he still remained weak. Still remained useless.
However, it was now painfully clear Zephyrion had never expected immediate success from him in the first place. He had only said it... so Tobias would continue trying.
What had he possibly done in his past life to deserve a lord like this?
Tobias felt his chest tighten painfully. Could someone weak like him really stand beside someone like... him?
"...why?" Tobias asked quietly after a long silence. "Why do you even want someone like me?"
After a brief silence, Zephyrion answered plainly.
"Because you’re my ward."
Tobias slowly lifted his head, meeting Zephyrion’s glowing purple irises. They were calm. Clearer than he had ever seen them before.
’What does that even mean?’
The answer made absolutely no sense, yet for some reason his heart still stirred.
"Let’s go."
With the same indifferent expression, Zephyrion turned and began walking away.
Tobias remained standing there, staring at his retreating back with a complicated look. Just as he hesitated over whether or not to follow him, Zephyrion spoke again without turning around.
"You don’t have a choice in this matter, by the way," he said. "I won you from Forn. So you belong to me now."
