"P-PLeASe, I-I have a so-"
Splurt.
It was easy.
It was ridiculously easy. They were just an uncoordinated, untrained bunch. There was nothing worth remembering, nor mentioning in that fight. No, Julian knew it was not proper to call that a fight.
It was a slaughter. Not even a minute in, all he ever saw and chased down was the back of his guests.
"Pitiful..."
Amidst the yard of severed limbs and heads, Julian's eyes went to a whimpering, shriveling boy on the ground. His hands were missing, and a makeshift spear pierced his shoulder. Safe for the one that was sneaking around the hill, Marlion was the only one still alive.
[Marlion Brundells(Soldier)][Whisper of Arcana]
State: Unawakened
Fate: 20
He did not need the weird, floating text to know the name of the weak child. He naturally recalled the name of the child who had started it all.
"Marlion, is the Trial worth that much?" Julian uttered, his sword pointed to the ground.
"HaRk- HArk-"
"Speak, Marlion... I did not mistakenly cut your tongue, did I?"
The boy did not respond. His breath became heavier. His face, which was turning white, trembled as his eyes shot left and right in panic. Seeing that the boy was unable to communicate, Julian raised his sword in a bit of disappointment.
"Marlion Brundells, lift your chin."
"N-no... n-n-no..."
"Suit yourselves," Julian said, gently shaking his head.
Julian lifted his sword above his head.
Swish.
With a sharp whistling of air, his sword arched down. In a straight path, his sword flew to the boy, striking his head and splitting his skull in half. Blood poured down,slowly collecting into a new puddle in the yard.
Or, that was what he had intended to happen. Unfortunately, the path of his sword was blocked by a tiny figure.
"Woman, what do you think you are doing?"
Between Julian's sword and Marlion, Maria stood, trembling. Her eyes clutched closed, and yellowish liquid seeped from the corner of her mouth. She was mouthing something, but all Julian heard was a little squek.
Julian held a bothered, yet impressed expression. He did not know how his mother summoned the strength to stand there. Not too long prior, he had just seen her puking so violently that she was about to faint.
"Move," Julian uttered.
"...Julian, that's enough."
"I am the one to decide that. Move."
"No"
Julian chuckled. He was speechless. Before the woman who was only two heads taller than he, his sword did not seem to mean much. Perhaps because she was not even looking in the first place, but still, it remained a baffling situation.
"Maria..."
Julian lowered his sword. He stepped toward his mother. His lip curled.
Maria, face immediately softened hearing that gentle voice of his son. She tried to pry open her eyes, but the pungent, heavy scent of the blood stopped her from doing so.
"Ju-"
Thud.
"A-argh..."
Thud.
She suddenly lost the glimmer of strength left in her legs. Her eyes, startled open, could only gaze at the sword's pommel that had struck her twice. She wobbled, before tripping straight toward the bloody grass.
The pain in her stomach was not much of a concern, compared to the glaring question filling her mind.
She wanted to know if the boy standing before her was truly her son.
Even when she was being laid down gently by him, she could not see any kindness and love she used to see in the boy's eyes.
"Rest for now. It won't take long."
Julian swept his gaze across his front yard. A shame, but Marlion seemed to have died somewhen. Being denied of his right to deal the finishing blow, it would be a lie of he did not feel bitterness.
'O' Julian... How easy it could have been....'
It was a pity that he had to create so many widows and orphans not long after returning to the past. Alas, he could only blame those bastards for marching there in the first place.
***
Crackle.
Crackle.
"You are awake. Head inside for now," Julian said after hearing a gasp behind him.
Julian was staring at the blazing fires that were licking every corner of the yard. They crackled and roared as if they wanted to swim down and burn the whole hill and anything that stood in between. Naturally, it was him who set them.
"Why...?" A teary voice called out.
"Burial is unsuitable for them. There were no warriors, nor martyrs."
"Why?"
Maria uttered the same question. Same question, same word, but the second one carried far more weight.
Julian knew what his mother was actually asking. His previous answer was just a deflection, a wish that her mother would put the matter to rest. A wish for him to have not the need to remember what happened, or what should have happened that day.
"... Because they deserved it, Maria."
He clearly remembered that day. It was the day that he lost his first entry to the Royal City. It was the chance to change their life. It was something he had put more than blood and sweat into.
However, that was only a small loss. It was such an insignificant matter that he would have usually forgotten after years of his life.
But, it was only insignificant when compared to the other thing he lost that day. Julian looked at the 'spoils of war' resting before his boots, before he gazed toward the woman, sobbing not too far behind him.
For such a gentle and kind soul, he did not know why fate was so cruel to her.
"Gather your stuff, we are heading to the capital," Julian said, walking slowly toward his mother.
"N-now? Are you leaving already?!" Maria asked, obviously confused about what her son was saying.
"We are leaving for the capital, together," Julian said, kneeling before his mother. With a calm voice, he continued, "So go and bundle anything important... We may not be able to return here in the future."
Looking at the retreating figure of his mother, he reminded himself once again that a weak soul cannot be protected by another weak soul. It was something that he had learnt about too late.
[Maria Swordshards(Knight)][Passion of Salvator]
State: Unawakened
Fate: -
Blessed Servant.
[Anomaly.]
[Repairing underway]
[53:38:00]
[53:37:59]
[53:37:58]
There, his greatly needed conviction.
He had fought against countless beings. There were those that move constellations with just their breaths. There were those that command even the hail of time with just their thoughts. And there were those that shaped worlds with just their intent.
As powerful as they were, they were all enemies that he could see.
"O'Esmeheldi, is fate as unforgiving as you?"
[Julian Swordshards(Peasant)][Greed(Earth Fold)(Whisper of Arcana)]
State: Unawakened
Fate: 20
Blessed Servant.