Chapter 12 : shadows of trust

Ryo’s breath came in ragged gasps, the weight of the knights’ suspicion pressing down on him like a physical force. He could feel the Beast coiling inside, urging him to act, to lash out—but he held it back. Not yet.
“Step aside!” Andrea barked, pushing past the nearest knight. Her eyes, wide with fear and disbelief, darted between Ryo and the remnants of the destroyed estate. “If you want answers, listen to me first!”
A tense silence fell. Even the most hardened knights faltered under her voice, their weapons lowering just slightly.
Ryo’s gaze flicked thinking about Lady Rose, he swallowed hard, forcing his voice to steady.
“It wasn’t me,” he said, finally. “The Beast—I didn’t choose this. But it stopped the alpha, it saved us all.”
A murmur ran through the knights, skepticism heavy in the air.
“Saved us?” one grunted, gripping his sword tighter. “And yet the estate lies in ruins, our friends lost their lives. How do we know it won’t turn on us next?, how do we know the alpha would be back to attack us again ? Answer me beast !”

Ryo’s chest tightened. The Beast hissed, amused, whispering in his mind: They don’t understand. They never will. Humans… fragile, quick to destroy what they can’t control.
“Enough!” Andrea’s voice cracked, but her stance remained firm. “Yes, the Beast is dangerous—but it followed Ryo’s will, even if only partially. If you attack him, you risk unleashing something far worse.”
A knight’s eyes narrowed. “And if he lies?”
“Then..." She looks at him with sadness in her eyes “we'll deal with the consequences,” Andrea said, her tone final. “But I know him. He’s not a monster.”
Ryo felt the Beast stir, restless, its power coiling like a serpent within him. Do you want me to show them what happens when I bite ? it whispered.
He clenched his fists, focusing on the human part of himself, the part that still cared. “Not yet,” he muttered, the words barely audible over the wind that swept through the ruins.
From the edge of the street, the black-haired boy and the blonde girl observed the estate from afar. Roseille’s eyes, pale with shock, scanned the scene. “i don't feel her anymore,” she whispered.
Her companion’s red eyes glinted in the dim light. “ I think we found something more interesting"
So the rumors were true, an infected person is still alive.
Back in the estate, the knights finally began lowering their weapons, albeit reluctantly. Suspicion lingered like a shadow over Ryo, but for now, the immediate threat had passed.

---The next day, Elowen returned to the manor. He passed by Ryo without a glance and asked for a set of spare clothes for Rose, his expression tired. Ryo sank into a corner; Lady Rose’s condition, the ruined manor… it was all his fault. He had gone from a simple delivery boy to a walking danger.
He had to leave. Before anyone else got hurt.
He returned to his room and grabbed a few belongings.
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to run away.”
“Look at the manor… all because of me.”
“You know the beasts were after the Sunwhispers, and you promised to find the liar who set them on the wrong path. If you leave and the come back… what will we do?"
I wanna stay here idiot.Don't insult me !
“At least stay until you find that man" Andrea's voice was determined 
--- When he descended to the ground floor, Elowen was no longer there. Ryo sighed and continued helping the maids tidy up.
By the end of the day, workers had arrived to repair the damage. Ryo noticed other delivery workers—not carrying mana, just construction materials infused with it. It didn’t look dangerous. Maybe he could try applying to that agency. He couldn’t keep relying on the Sunwhispers; he had to manage on his own.
The situation uncomfortably reminded him of his previous life, where he had all the means to succeed but no real purpose. He had ended up working at a convenience store—not because he was broke, but because it suited him.
His parents had been extremely disappointed.
Before the workers left he asked them about how to apply as a delivery person in their agency, they looked at him surprised that someone living in such a manor would want to work as a delivery boy, they nonetheless handed him the recruitment brochure and said their goodbyes.
When Elowen returned a second time, it was to take Ryo with him. The young man feared he was going back to prison, but instead, he was taken to the hospital where Lady Rose was.
“She’s fine, she just exhausted her mana. I keep telling you that you’re a bad idea, but you saved my sister… so, thank you.”
Ryo blushed When he bowed.
“It's... Nothing really... Don't forget that, she saved my life first”
“yeah, she did” he said softly “she wasn't like that, she was different when we were younger, The Sunwhisper family is, in a way, cursed. The eldest child is forbidden from marrying and must cultivate their mana to one day protect their younger siblings and their families. I always find this rule stupid but my sister never stopped training, but according to our aunt, she wasn’t at the required level. When our parents were killed, she trained relentlessly, without pause, but still, it wasn't enough for her to be called Sunwhisper.”
Doctors and nurses were walking in front of them not caring about their conversation.
“One day she ran away from home, she was brought back the same day by Amos and Ilyade, her two best friends. Something had changed in her. She was no longer the serious, strict person she once was—she had become the woman you know today, crazy, funny, silly, I like this version more, I feel like it's her”
Ryo looks at Elowen, but the taller man's eyes were fixed on his sister through the glass.