If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 142

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

“Wait, hold on. What’s wrong with this kid?”

After a while, the group, seeing that the boy hadn’t moved, muttered a panicked remark, “He might die if we keep going like this,” and quickly left.

Once the sound of their footsteps faded, the boy, who had been lying still, slowly began to straighten his bent back. Even just straightening his knees was excruciating. His face contorted in pain.

“Ugh…”

It felt like his ribs might have been crushed. Every time he took a breath, a sharp pain stabbed through his chest, making it hard to breathe. Lying flat on the ground, the boy took ragged breaths, struggling to regain some control.

“Idiots.”

It had only been three months since he joined the knights as a squire, but the pointless harassment and bullying had only escalated with time, making each day more unbearable.

“Hey, you.”

The boy turned his head toward the sound of the voice. Leaning against the entrance with a casual stance was apprentice knight Ethan. Though there was only a five-year age gap between them, Ethan was far larger in build, which made him seem more like a full-fledged knight than an apprentice.

“The commander is looking for you. Get up, Cain.”

Cain. That was the boy’s new name. Despite hearing it over and over, it still didn’t feel familiar, but he suppressed the urge to respond with anything and struggled to get to his feet.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The kingdom had fallen, and all its people were gone. The boy, who had once proudly carried the name of the royal family, decided to abandon his identity in order to survive.

Surprisingly, it was Duke Kristin, the enemy knight, who spared his life. Although it pained him to trust the hands of the man who had invaded his country and killed his family, the boy had no other choice.

[Your mother and younger sister are still alive.]

Duke Kristin told the boy that his family was still alive, and that if he wanted to meet them again, he must swear loyalty to him.

The boy didn’t understand what the Duke was expecting from him, but in response, Cain, as he was now called, swore to give his life. After all, when the kingdom fell and his father was executed, he felt that the prince he once was was no longer alive either.

If he could save his mother and sister, he was willing to do anything.

‘Forget the name Dain. From now on, your name is Cain.’

Duke Kristin gave him a new name and made Cain an unknown squire in the knight’s ranks. Thus, Cain became a part of the Empire of Nikephos, born from the blood of his fallen kingdom.

Though his life had been spared, survival beyond that point was entirely up to Cain himself.

‘The head of Kristin’s family shows undue favor to a lowly servant boy.’

The rumors spread after Cain’s enlistment: “The insignificant, brown-haired servant from a ruined noble family is displaying an arrogant attitude, because of the undue favoritism.”

As the rumors swirled, Cain became estranged from everyone in the knight’s order. He was regularly punished for crimes he didn’t commit, and training was out of the question. The apprentice knights, who couldn’t stand having a squire from a lowly background around, became increasingly hostile toward him.

Unfortunately for them, their attempts at sabotaging him had no effect. Cain had to survive to find his family, and to do that, he needed to be a knight under Kristin.

To beat someone who was willing to risk his life, you had to put your own life on the line. Those who sought knighthood for status and honor couldn’t compete with Cain. He endured countless beatings and torment, and eventually became the youngest knight of Kristin’s order.

Shhh.

The rain poured heavily. Cain closed his eyes as the rain soaked him. Today was the day his kingdom had fallen into history. The deafening explosions, the screams of his people, and the instant transformation of everything he knew into dust—those memories still felt vivid whenever he closed his eyes.

“It’s raining.”

Someone spoke up. Cain opened his eyes. Looking up, he saw a small, blonde girl with flushed cheeks, gazing at him.

“Even though it’s raining?”

The girl, noticing how uncomfortable Cain seemed sitting in the rain, held out a raincoat.

“Lady…”

“Why are you sitting out here like this?”

The girl’s face looked really curious. Cain took the raincoat from her.

“Do you like getting rained on?”

Of course not. Cain smiled faintly. The girl was Agatha, Kristin’s flower, the shining star of Kristin, the beloved Lady Kristin, adored by all of Kristin’s people.

“Is this… for me?”

Agatha nodded. Her large eyes, filled with curiosity, seemed as if they could take up half of her face.

How old was she? Cain suddenly thought of his younger sister, who must have been around the same age as Agatha.

“You’ll catch a cold.”

It wasn’t that the kindness was meant specifically for him. It was just the gentle nature of the lady, who couldn’t stand seeing someone in need.

“Please, Lady, go inside. The rain will stain your dress.”

The governess, who had been holding an umbrella for Agatha, urged her. Looking down at her skirt, Agatha gave Cain one last reminder to stay out of the rain, then turned to leave.

It was the first time Cain had received unconditional kindness from someone since joining Nikephos. He held onto Agatha’s kindness in his hands, feeling it deeply.

His chest tightened. He couldn’t explain why. Perhaps it was because he saw a glimpse of his sister in Agatha.

Cain thought to himself as he watched Agatha’s blonde hair sway in the distance.