Episode 3: Azkiel Nightshire

"Lord Azkiel!"

"..."

Lucius couldn't believe his eyes.

What the hell was he seeing? Is that really the lord he has served for the past ten years, who also has a cleanliness obsession?

Lucius was shocked, to say the least. In the middle of the night, his lord summoned Lucius and told him to follow him. It was bad enough that he refused to tell where they were headed, but an even more surprising thing was his lord ran towards this place.

'What could be so important that someone like him is in such a hurry?'

Lucius thought it must be some extreme emergency, so he stopped asking questions and just followed his lord. But to his surprise or rather shock, his cleanliness obsessed lord went straight into the slums. Lucius tried to stop him but it was as his lord could not hear him at all. He just kept turning one alley after another as if looking for something.

Lucius could not keep pace with his lord running around at full speed and fell behind. Thankfully, his lord left behind some marks so Lucius successfully managed to locate him.

But what was this situation?!

It was one thing that his lord ran straight into the slums but now that he found him, he saw his lord carrying a 'lump' in his arm. Yes, a lump. The 'thing' he was carrying in his arms looked less like a human and more like a bloody lump. The kid was clearly emaciated. His upper right arm has a ghastly cut, probably from some blade and the wound was purple, clearly poisoned.

And if that wasn't enough, the boy was covered in wounds, big and small, from head to toe. There was blood all over him and he was unconscious.

"Wh-What is this?!"

Lucius could not keep his composure. How could he? Seeing someone this bloodied in a night that seemed to be perfectly normal, just moments ago. Or was it? His lord's weird behaviour was definitely not normal. Seeing his lord not talking and only looking silently at the boy in his arms, Lucius felt unsettled. His lord's thought process was usually pretty incomprehensible, but now it felt even more so.

"Lord Azkiel, should I carry him?"

Lucius thought his lord was feeling uncomfortable because of holding the boy so he gracefully offered to hold him instead. After all, his lord was not the kind of person who would show compassion to someone in trouble, even if that person was dying. His lord aside, Lucius naturally could not leave some dying kid alone. What he did not expect was to receive a sharp glare from his lord in return. Lucius felt a chill ran down his spine and he smartly decided to keep his mouth shut.

Lucius then saw his lord take off his outer coat. It was summer so he thought that his lord was feeling a bit hot after running so much, so Lucius extended his hand to hold the coat for him. But he froze in place with his hands spread out. Lucius saw his cold and apathetic lord carefully warp the coat around the boy in his arms and bundle him up. Lucius stood frozen in place.

That boy is the one being all bundled up, so why was it Lucius who felt so suffocated.

"You need something?"

"Pardon?"

It took a little while for Lucius to register what his lord meant. Then he saw his lord staring at his hands spread out...

"No! I mean...I do not, sir."

Lucius hurriedly withdrew his hands and tried to compose himself. This is fine. It was just his lord trying to save someone in need. Yes, that is it. ...Like hell it is! There is no way this is anywhere near normal. Something is seriously wrong! His lord would never bother saving an outsider, especially when he's so indifferent to even his family members!

Right! Something is wrong!

After reaching that conclusion in his mind, Lucius carefully snuck a peek at the boy his lord was carrying. Unfortunately, he was covered up completely so Lucius could not see anything. Is there something special about that boy? His lord even ran all the way here. Looks like it was for this kid. What could be so special about him? He's just a little kid...

Suddenly, it was like a light bulb going off in his mind. He recalled something after adding up all the details. Someone whose importance outweighs even family members in his lord's mind and he would immediately realise if this person was in danger.

Lucius felt his guess was almost correct. He finally calmed down.

'If he's 'that' then it will all make sense.'

Lucius realised what he was called here to do. He hurriedly took out a magic communication device and started talking to someone. Lucius was arranging for a doctor for the kid and also taking care of all the aftermath. The kid was obviously being hunted down, he needed to investigate that as well.

As Lucius was making one call after another, he felt his lord's eyes on him for a moment. Even though nothing could be read from those clear red eyes, Lucius felt it was an approving gaze. After all, he had served his lord for ten years now. If he could not even read that much from his lord, then he would fail spectacularly as his aide.

...****************...

After returning to the mansion, everything was in chaos. It was natural, after all, their young lord ran off somewhere in the middle of the night. If not for the family head, the commotion would have spread outside. Lucius stood behind his lord. His lord, meanwhile, sat facing his father in his study, looking not the least bit guilty for all the commotion he caused in the middle of the night.

"Azel" Duke Noah rubbed his aching head and spoke, "Was it so important that you had you disappear in the middle of the night?"

"Yes." The reply came almost instantly.

Duke Noah stared silently at his son for a short while. Knowing full well what kind of person his own son was, Duke Noah gave up knowing it was useless to argue. After all, his son has inherited his stubbornness, attitude and personality from his father, that is, himself. Duke Noah had an inkling as to why his son did what he did and he felt he was right. So he chose not to waste more time and simply asked.

"Are you perfectly sure?"

"I am." Again, the answer came instantly without q moment's hesitation.

"Very well." Duke Noah slowly got up as he said. "You can leave now. The doctors are treating the boy. His condition looked rather bad. Let me know when he wakes up. Go and rest for the night." Then Duke Noah turned his attention to Lucius and said, "Lucius, stay here for the night. It is already late."

Lucius, understanding the Duke's meaning of staying here and making sure his little lord sleeps, bowed and nodded immediately. "Yes, Duke. Thank you for your hospitality."

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