Chapter 116: The War Begins

Night fell over the knightly district of Lev City, within a modest three-story house. The fireplace crackled warmly, casting a comforting heat and gentle glow throughout the room.

A young girl in a white dress cradled the now-tidy little Kark, playfully teasing him, eliciting his clear, joyous laughter.

“Sister Leah, stop always patting my head. If I don’t grow taller, I won’t be able to keep riding horses,” Kark complained as he pushed her hand away from his head with his usual disdain.

“Oh? I didn’t know you could ride horses, Kark,” Leah said with a gentle and refined smile.

“Of course! I’m very good at it,” Kark began to boast proudly about his equestrian exploits.

But as Leah listened, her smile gradually faded into a forced one. “Kark, do you ride people?”

“Hmm, sort of…” Kark furrowed his brow deeply, conflicted for a moment before shaking his head. “No, Dad said we shouldn’t consider them people—they’re just a bunch of slaves.”

Leah’s gaze locked on the child’s innocent eyes, and an unexpected fear stirred within her.

“Kark, that’s wrong. Though they are slaves, they are still human. They feel pain too. You mustn’t treat them that way.”

“I’m their master.”

“Even so, you cannot treat them like that. The merciful Mother Earth has said that every living being in this world is priceless—a miracle. We must cherish one another.”

“Ah? Really? Sister Leah, you say such strange things.”

On the other side of the room, on a sofa, an older man and a young boy sat silently.

“Leiss is dead?” the man, a gaunt and refined figure in his forties or fifties, asked in a low voice.

This was Regan, Harvey’s uncle—his father’s elder brother.

Harvey hung his head, clutching his trousers tightly, grimacing fiercely as he nodded and gritted out, “Father was killed by those monsters. His body was shattered into countless pieces, only his head remained.”

“Sigh.” Regan let out a deep breath, his face weary, his eyes clouded with sorrow.

He rose and approached the fireplace, taking down the knight’s sword hanging on the wall. Drawing the blade, he pointed its tip to the heavens.

“My dear brother, may the honor of knighthood protect you. May your spirit become a heroic soul, and may you find eternal peace.”

After a simple farewell, Regan turned to the boy on the sofa.

“Harvey, from now on, you’ll live with me. I will raise you as Leiss would have wanted, and train you into an outstanding knight.”

“Okay.” Harvey nodded slightly, his expression blank, devoid of joy or sorrow—a heart deadened beyond grief.

Everything in recent days had unfolded too suddenly, like a nightmare. His beloved father was gone. All friends and family were dead, leaving only him and little Kark.

He had stumbled here, uncertain of what to do next. Would the monsters strike again? Would this place be destroyed like his home?

He had never been so afraid.

Harvey clenched his jaw, his face taut, eyes filled with terror. Darkness seemed to weave black threads across his face, making him look almost feral.

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