Chapter 5: Alexis is Dead

Upon entering the house, what welcomed them was the number of bottles displayed on shelves. 

'A shop? A store? I didn’t know there was a place like this in here…'

But what caught their attention the most was the sound of water dripping from somewhere. Footsteps walked slowly, wanting to make sure that no surprise attack would land on them. Pointing their swords, some men went straight ahead, where they saw a doorway with a curtain. 

The one leading the troupe then pointed to that place. Telling his men to go and check that area. While he pointed the stairs to the other guards behind him. Nodding their heads, the Voneveir guards did just as they were told. 

As the first troupe went in the direction of the kitchen, the sound of the water droplets grew louder and louder. It didn't take them long to notice the room where that sound came from. The sound of the water dropping to the floor continued. One of the men then pointed at the door and as the other soldier nodded, they both forced the door open, hitting their arm to open it.

" Ahh!! What the??—"

Surprised by that shout, both men averted their gazes. Before their eyes was the sight of a man taking a shower, covered with bubbles and steam. 

'How dare a slum guy like him to have hot water in his bathroom?'

He exclaimed, wanting to know how he managed to have that. But his suspicion then stopped when he saw a pile of wood not far from where Cielo was standing.

"Who are you? What are you here for??!"

Shouting, the guards didn't even dare answer him and just turned their backs.

'A pile of wood as a heater, what a lame thing to do.'

One of them murmured. 

"Negative in this place."

Announcing his report, indeed, the one he saw was not the man they were looking for. From their perspective, Cielo was just a man taking a shower in his small house. 

The other Voneveir soldiers who headed upstairs saw a figure covered with a blanket. Slowly walking, they managed to corner that person and even if he stood up and tried to run, he would never be able to do so. 

A small space having a small bed and stuff that barely had any value for them, one could say that it was a normal room that suited someone who was not wealthy. In short, poor.

"Now!"

Pulling over the blanket, they pointed their sword at the guy they saw. But soon pulled out when they saw a figure of a teenage boy. 

"Tch, negative. The object is not in this area."

Defeated by their hopes of finding Clad, they knew that their chance of finding him was turning low. That went along with their chance of earning more than their usual. 

'That man isn’t here too, where the hell did he go? If only I was the one that caught him then I could give my family half a year's ration of good food!'

Going downstairs, they met the guards who inspected the kitchen. Shaking their heads, they knew that those troops also did not succeed in their mission. The only place left for them to look at was the place where their leader went. 

"Drop whatever you are holding."

The leader then spoke. He pointed his sword behind the guy who was kneeling on the ground, covered with nothing but dirt from the soil. 

"Stand up and show your face."

Ordering, the one he was talking to did just as he was told. Putting down the small shovel in his hand, slowly, he turned his gaze onto him.

Defeated by what he saw, the guard knew that he failed. There was no other place in this house that they were not looking for. 

'What would the king say, we failed again. Just where the hell is that guy hiding??!'

Out of annoyance, he pulled the kid and pushed him, making him fall to the ground. 

Because of what happened in the Voneveir kingdom, all the families related to Conor Higgens had to pay for the sin he had committed. But among all his descendants, only one person was left alive. For he managed to escape the death that was chasing him.

Indeed, that person is none other than Clad Volmar, the son of Conor’s daughter. Possessing the power that his grandfather had, even the current king, Allan Voneveir, knew that if he was left there, he could be a threat. 

'I wonder how I will tell this to the king.'

Even he knows how hard it was to please the king, Allan Voneveir… 

'I hope I can come back home with my neck intact.' 

About to leave, he felt an unfamiliar gaze. A gaze that made him shiver as if he was under the gaze of someone with high authority.

'The former King...'

"You…"

Glaring at Alex, he could not help but hate his eyes.

"Is it you? You damn brat…"

A large punch was heard. Hitting his face, there was blood that fell from his nose. 

"You dare look at me like that, brat? Do you not know who I am? You fool!"

And there, another hit was received by the young Alex, making him cough in pain.

"If I were you, I would not do something you have no right to do so. Acting so big, what have you got there? Bastard…"

Leaving Alex beaten up, he pointed his head outside the small house for they no longer had any work to do in there. After all, what they were looking for was not there at all. 

Hearing the door shut close, the two waited a few more moments before they ran to where Alex was.

'I know I heard a loud sound, is Alex okay?'

Running, as soon as they opened the door that led to the small backyard, they saw Alex, full of blood falling from his nose.

"Alex!! Are you alright?!" worried sick, Frank rushed to give him help. 

"You are full of blood!! Alex… what did you do? Why did he hurt you??"

"B-blood?"

And as he saw the pair of blood on his hand that wiped his nose, he couldn’t help but remember the sight of Conor, covered with his own blood, unconscious.