~ Chapter 60: An aunt’s loyalty ~

[Eliza's point of view]

 Not long after we saw the beam of white light cutting through the sky, we arrived at a small clearing in the middle of the Chedelle Forest. Here, my [Mark] spell signaled that we were very close to the location of my target: Leonidas.

“Over there!” I pointed when I saw the disheveled golden hair of my niece, Cassandra.

We all rushed over to her, but the moment we stepped into the clearing, a strong scent of blood hit us. All around us, as far as the eye could see, there were signs of a terrible battle that took place here, and by the looks of it, someone had lost a lot of blood.

When two powerful fighters crossed blades with each other and activated their Blessings from the God of War, there were usually signs of their attacks and movements all over the place. The ground where they stepped held the shape of their soles, and at time formed craters where they jumped from. The grass was stomped hard or ripped out of the ground when they ran.

These scars were the proof of their might, but within this clearing, they were not the only way to tell what happened here. All around us, the blades of grass had been stained with blood, giving off the strong scent of iron and letting us know how the sharp swords had cut their foes. Because of this, the clearing had been turned into a death trap for us. Monsters and hungry wild beasts would soon pick up the scent and rush here in the hope of finding an easy to kill wounded prey.

Luckily for us, we were all strong enough to defend ourselves and push back several waves, but we didn't plan on staying for too long. As soon as we made sure the children were safe, we would flee from this place.

While we got close to them, we kept an eye out for the man who kidnapped them in the first place. We all had our swords unsheathed, yet what bothered me the most was not his absence but rather the familiar feel I got from the scent of blood around me.

When we finally saw the two children... I fell in a state of shock, we all did...

The little girl, Cassandra, was covered with patches of dried blood, a lot of it being on her legs, while her left arm had been completely covered in the stuff. Her right hand was also red starting from the elbow down. Her clothes were in tatters, and it was clear that she had been attacked by a sword and not a monster. Her face was dirty and big tears flowed down her cheeks.

In Cassandra's arms laid her older brother, Leonidas. The boy had suffered the worst. He was thin as a twig, pale as a corpse, and barely breathing. He looked like a completely different child from the one I remembered, but the [Mark] sign pointed at him and no one else. Just like his sister, his clothes were in tatters and soaked with his own blood.

The most curious thing about this boy's condition was his right arm. It was the only part on his body that was clean and showed no signs of injury. It was almost as if that wasn't his arm at all. But the more I stared, the more I became aware of the familiar feeling the scent of blood around us gave me.

This wasn't the blood of just some random adventurer who happened to pass by, it was Leonidas'. His blood, this child's blood had somehow been spread all over this small clearing.

I gulped... and just like before, I froze.

I looked at the children in this horrible state, I sensed their blood all over the place, I saw the little girl crying while looking up at us. I didn't move, but Melissa rushed over to her and the guards formed a circle around them just in case wild beasts or monsters attacked us unexpectedly.

Their voices were like distant echoes... I could barely barely breathe, and a voice kept telling me at the back of my head that this was all my fault. It told me that because I let Leonidas go things turned for the worse. The story ended up like this because of me and no one else, that was what that little voice was telling me, and I believed it.

The world was fading to black around me. All I could see were the children covered in their own blood. All I could hear were Cassandra's cries...

“It's my fault...” I said in self-guilt as I began to breathe faster and enter in a state of panic.

In that moment, I was turned around and Reynald appeared before me.

“Eliza Mayorgus! Listen to me! What happened tonight is NOT your fault! Do you understand? It's not your fault!” he spoke these words in a firm tone of voice, like a commander ordering his soldiers.

His grip on my shoulders was strong, and his gaze was serious. Reynald meant every single word he spoke. Thanks to him, I was able to snap out of my frozen state.

My erratic breathing was returning to normal. I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. I calmed down my heart and tried to get back to my senses.

The children aren't injured... They have no open wounds... Everything will be alright. It's not my fault. I told myself to calm down.

Once my heartbeat began to slow down, I opened my eyes again.

“Thank you.” I said

“Are you alright now?” Reynald asked me in a worried tone of voice.

“Yes.” I nodded.

“Sister, I'm sorry... I didn't know it was this serious.” Melissa said.

I blinked a bit confused and then realized that everyone was looking at me. They must have been worried because I suddenly froze up like that. When it happened, I usually lost track of what was happening around me.

“I apologize.” I made a half bow at the waist.

“There's no need for that, but we're going to need you in top shape to get us out of this forest. I think I heard a dayuk howl coming from over there, and there's no trace of that man anywhere. He must have fled.” Melissa said as she turned her gaze towards the trees.

“I see...” I nodded and then looked back at Reynald “How long was I... frozen?” I asked.

“Not that long, but you had us worried there for a moment. Your breathing was erratic. You burst into a cold sweat. You were mumbling something to yourself, and no matter how much Melissa called out to you, you didn't reply. I'm quite impressed that I was able to get to you.” he replied.

“I apologize... What of the children?” I asked.

“No need to apologize, and they are both safe and still alive, but Cassandra fainted as well not long after Melissa took her in her arms. As for Leonidas, I don't know what to say... It's like he had the very life sucked out of him by some malicious god.” he replied.

“He must have been attacked by a spell or a curse. We won't know for sure until he wakes up and tells us. We'll have Melissa give him a proper checkup when we get back to your house.” I suggested.

“We will depart for the mansion right away.”

I nodded.

After he took a step away from me and went to speak with Melissa, I shook my head and rubbed my temples. The blood was still getting to me, but thanks to Reynald, it wasn't that bad. I was alright... for now.

The parents picked up their children and walked back the way we came. Before we left, however, I thought that it would be good to do a perimeter sweep and make sure the bastard who kidnapped them wasn't hiding in the shadows lying in wait.

The tracks didn't seem to indicate in which direction he fled, they stopped at one point as if he flew away. I thought that maybe I was missing something, so I looked more carefully. The scent of blood was a bit nauseating.

As I walked around the clearing, I spotted something in the grass. It was a piece of flesh. With the tip of my sword, I poked it and flipped it around.

The moment I realized what it was, a chill ran down my spine.

A heart? But this size... a child's? I thought and then the image of Leonidas when we found him flashed before my eyes. His chest... bare... clothes ragged... It couldn't be... his? another chill ran through my body.

Taking a whiff of the air around me, the scent of blood was definitely his, but was it really his heart?

I couldn't believe it and shook my head. It didn't make any sense, it simply didn't. If this was his heart, then why was he still alive? Melissa couldn't have mistaken a dead body for a live one, it was impossible.

No, I did see him recover at an inhuman rate without needing any healing potions or spells. Is he a monster? No, he's my nephew... Maybe this is his Blessing... maybe, but... if this is his, how would the others react when they would find out? I thought and looked back at where we found the children.

Then I caught sight of the smoking tips of the trees at the edge of the clearing. Then, as my gaze moved further, following the straight line the burns made, I saw the mountain peak and the hole carved within it.

Such frightening power... But who... Leonidas? How? I thought and then looked back at the young boy that was being carried in his father's arms. A spell? Or maybe a Blessing? Is he the origin of that powerful light? I then turned my gaze back at the mountain Then... what would happen if the nobles caught wind of this before he learned how to control his power and defend himself from those who meant him harm? I gulped. I knew the answer. They will use him as a weapon. I thought.

My gaze fell back on the heart left in the grass.

The nobles can't ever find out it was him. This regeneration of his, this power, it has to be kept a secret until he's old enough to safely reveal it. I thought.

It was a bit hard to find out what happened here even if they traced the blood back to Leonidas, but if they found the remains of his heart, a lot of questions would be asked and some wouldn't shy away from trying to rip out his heart again to see if his regeneration really worked. After all, right now they held the rank of a Baron, the lowest among the nobles with claims to their own land.

I can't let them find out about my nephew... I thought.

There was no more need to debate over what I had to do. My mind was made up, and instead of turning Leonidas in as some sort of freak, I chose to protect him as his aunt.

Aiming with my palm at the remains of his heart, I let loose a fireball, and its flames turned it to ash.

“What happened?” a guard asked when he noticed the fire.

“Ah, just a big spider. Don't you hate those nasty critters?” I replied and showed him a fake smile.

Once we returned to the mansion and Leo woke up, I would have to talk to my sister about this... As his mother, she had the right to know.