Uncle's Past I [LEON]

Uncle starts narrating a story.

“Let’s go back… all the way to fifty-five years ago,” he began quietly, “I was born as the youngest son of the Redlaw family.”

“I didn’t have a harsh childhood, As a child born into nobility, many privileges came to me without question. A fine house, warm meals, tailored clothes, and a name that opened doors. But beyond all that… I was lucky enough to have something rarer than gold in noble households.”

“A warm, caring family.”

A gentle smile crept onto his lips,

“Our father was a strict, disciplined, unwavering man but his love for us ran deep. He didn’t speak it often, but it was there… in the way he placed a hand on our shoulders when we succeeded, and in the way he silently stood guard when we failed. He had no daughter, only two sons. My elder brother, sitting beside you now, is a complete mirror of the man he was. Caring. Responsible. Accountable. If you wish to understand our father, just look at him.”

Marquis has a smile on his face.

“I grew up in the shadow of that example, and yet, I never felt oppressed by it. Childhood was… pleasant. Typical, in many ways. I had an instructor to teach me different sorts of combat styles and weapons. Interestingly, he was an adventurer. My day with him was full of fun”

Uncle has a smile on his face, “He was a renowned adventurer of that era. He ground up orthodox and unorthodox fighting methods. Those were pretty pleasant days. Nothing to worry about and nothing to think of a lot. It wasn’t much different than any other noble child”

Then, his expression darkens.

“But as I grew up, I realized the dirty nature of nobility”

Marquiss also frowns his brows. Leon is also listening eagerly.

Uncle continues, “The factions and the hierarchy conflict. The elders and the group of branch families wanted me to become the marquis instead of my brother. They were just eyeing for the benefits. They were just trying to create a puppet who would be controlled by them for their own interest. It started a bias within the family. Both my and my brother’s factions continuously schemed against each other. Though, we brothers bond never wavered.”

Marquis has a gentle smile on his face.

Uncle, “After our father was on the verge of demise, the conflict grew more intense. It was too much for me to see that. So, I made a decision. The next Marquis should be brother and not me but it wasn’t as simple as it sounds as both of us were bound by this nobility chains and schemes. Then, I made a selfish or should I call it a very cowardly decision”

“I ran away. I simply ran away abandoning everything I had. I wanted to follow my teacher’s path. I wanted to become a free-willed adventurer. Yet, in my haste… I neglected all procedures, all rights, and all duties. I didn’t sign over my claim. I didn’t become a noble-turned-adventurer. I became… a vagabond.”

“I wandered from kingdom to kingdom. Mountains, forests, deserts. I fought beasts, bandits, monsters. I pursued strength for no reason at all. No goal. No destination.”

A faint smile on Uncle’s face.

“That was until…I met her. About thirty years ago, “I was wondering, as usual. Just drifting from place to place.

“One day, I came across a scene mid-chaos. A bandit attack. A carriage had been ambushed. I didn’t know who the carriage belonged to and didn’t care either. But the bandits… they were relentless. And the ones in the carriage were outnumbered.”

“There was only one guard. A knight who fought valiantly. He held them off as long as he could, but in the end… he fell.”

“I should’ve left it alone. I wasn’t looking for heroism. But I stepped in. Not because I felt noble. Not because I wanted to protect. I just saw an obstacle in my way… and removed it. That’s all it was, or so I told myself. I cut through them, each one falling before they could even blink. My hands knew what to do. By then, my skills were refined by real battles.”

“The carriage opens and then…she steps down. A sole survivor. A gentle yet terrified eyes. Long silky black hair. A girl probably in her twenties steps down the carriage. She was flustered and frightened by the scene of her slain knight and the bandits.”

Diving into the scene itself….

“I guess you’re fine now. You can go to the nearest town. No monsters should be around this route so you should be fine on your own”

As I said that I tried parting away from her.

But suddenly she grabs my wrist.

I look towards her, “What? Do you need anything more from me?”

She doesn’t say anything at all.

“Look. I’m heading toward another town. I can’t accompany you. There’s really no danger left. You’ll be fine.”

Then I shook her hand off and began walking Then, I shook her off and started moving away.

After a while, I noticed that she was silently following me. I didn’t know the reason why she was doing so. I didn’t bother to look back for a while but no matter how much I walked, she was still following me. It started bothering me a bit.

So I turned around abruptly, expecting her to stop. But…”

He sighed.

She flinched. Arms up. As if expecting a blow. She was trembling. She thought I was going to hurt her. I don’t know why but I felt quite guilty”

“Oh come on. I don’t mean to hurt you. I’m just curious why you’re following me.”

She lowered her arms. Yet, she didn’t speak anything. I didn’t pry much. I thought she was just following me to the town.

I also didn’t care much and allowed her to do so.

After quite some time, we suddenly encountered a horde of monsters. Goblins at that. The numbers were huge and there were also a few hobgoblins. Though, it was not much trouble for me as I could take them all.

The clash begins. The goblins spurned towards me. I slayed every single one coming in my direction. It should have been a much easier battle than expected but the goblins were unnaturally cunning.

They took the girl as hostage.

Even then, she didn’t let out a single sound for help at all. Thankfully, I noticed the situation.

“You idiot…”

I dashed across the field and slew it.

The girl was shivering. Even then, she didn’t speak a word.

Before I could say anything more. The remaining goblins charged. I killed every single one of them.

Then, I confronted the girl. I was a little frustrated, my voice naturally came out as yelling.

“You! You should have just screamed or just ran away!”

She was shivering.

“Oi, come on. Say something!!!”

Then…

She raised her hand. Slowly, Her index finger reached toward her ear… then glided down to her lips. She shook her head, and then with a whisper, “Aaaa… aaa…”

I found out that she was mute.