Your taste is (9)
Rahon stared silently at Millenia.
She was asleep with her face buried in the bed.
Are you having a scary dream? His little finger is going numb because she's holding it so tightly.
Leaving that hand alone, he reached out his other hand and placed it on Millenia's crown. Then he quietly tried to exert his power.
Soon, a white light emanated from his hand and seeped into her. Power works.
Only then did a long breath escape Rahon's mouth.
"It's okay for now. For now."
To escape the fate of the 'savior', he must not cherish anyone.
It's a rule he's protected with his life since he was nine years old when he was chosen as a guardian, so why is he so anxious?
It's because of Millenia. Ever since he met that innocent little kid again, he
couldn't control his emotions as he wanted.
So, he must have taken her to the quarantine area as his assistant, hoping that people would recognize his true feelings.
If it had been his usual self, it would have been unthinkable. Rahon put his arm on his forehead.
"Hey, what are you trying to do?"
He doesn't know why he's so weak only to Millenia. Is it because he knows the sad story she went through when she was young?
No, that's funny.
Rahon's life was not easy enough to be vulnerable to mere pity.
His parents were hopeless, having had eight children despite having no ability.
His father used to play around without working, and when he ran out of money, he sold his children to pay for food.
Rahon, the youngest of eight siblings, was the third to be sold.
He was prepared for this to happen someday.
If his sacrifice could keep his other sisters and brothers at home for a few more years, then that was enough.
Rahon, who was six years old at the time, walked on his own two feet and climbed into the slave trader's carriage.
Slaves had to be branded and wait to be chosen by their masters. But the slave trader did not brand Rahon, fearing that it would tarnish his beauty.
Rahon, which was put up for auction in that condition, was sold at the highest price and became the property of a nobleman.
The first thing he learned as a slave was making soap.
This was called soap slavery, and it was the most desired job for slaves because it was clean and did not require much effort.
There were several other soap slaves besides Rahon. They all praised their master.
"His Grace is a gentle and respectful person. He especially cannot ignore children in distress. You were sold into slavery at a young age. That must be why he helped you."
In fact, the owner was kind and warm.
Whenever he had time, he taught Rahon how to read and play chess, and sometimes took him hunting.
It was a blessing just to be able to eat meals regularly, and work wasn't that hard either.
Moreover, he was lucky as a slave to have met a kind master.
As time passed, his once skinny face gained some nice flesh, and his height, which had been shorter than his peers due to malnutrition, grew quickly.
Rahon liked his master much better than his parents, whose faces he couldn't even remember.
The owner also loved him. He often kept Rahon by his side when he was working.
Three years had passed, and it was just a few days before Rahon's ninth birthday.
The master knocked over Rahon and brought something red-hot to him.
"Oh, my lord? What, what is that? I'm scared."
"It's a symbol that you have a master. I've been putting up with it because you were too weak, but I can't do it anymore."
"W, I don't know what you're talking about..."
"If you want to blame someone, blame the overly beautiful you."
"Yes? Aah!"
Rahon writhed in excruciating pain until he fainted.
And when he woke up, there was a flower-shaped brand on his back.
Even though he was young, he knew what it was.
After that, the master did not hide his true feelings. However, when he did not get what he wanted, he did not hesitate to use violence.
Every time, close slaves would band together to protect Rahon, but they too were only of the lowest class.
Eventually, one slave died at the hands of the angry master. It was the soap slave who had always cared for Rahon like a younger brother.
"Try running away again. Many slaves will die in your place."
That night, Rahon murdered his master.
Rahon, who was sitting in the master's bedroom covered in blood, was arrested by the new judges who had rushed in after a servant reported him.
The penalty for murdering a nobleman was death. If the criminal was a slave, no trial was even held.
Rahon was imprisoned awaiting execution.
The prison was a world of complete dog-eat-dog rule. The younger and weaker you were, the lower you fell to the food chain.
Rahon did not wash to protect himself. No prisoner would come near him, covered in filth and reeking with filth.
Instead, the bullying began. They would steal food and beat him to avoid the guard's gaze.
There was a day when he was suffering from pain and hunger and just wished he was executed.
The scars that covered Rahon's body disappeared overnight. It was evidence that he had been chosen as a 'savior'.
The Vatican was shocked when it was informed of this fact. A murderer turned nobleman turned slave turned guardian.
If this fact became known, it wouId have been bad for the Vatican. It was an issue that could have shaken the institution of slavery itself.
The Vatican hurriedly released Rahon from prison.
He was cleared of his origins as a slave and the charges of murdering a nobleman and was canonized as the Pope's adopted son.
It was ten days before Rahon was executed.
The lowest of slaves had been transformed into the most noble of statuses. Even though he had gained the power of a guardian, Rahon was not happy.
He felt like he was still a slave, only the master had changed.
Every day, he was dragged here and there, having to heal people he didn't even know. That's when he learned that if he abuse his power, he'll faint.
The Vatican demanded 'food money' from him, no different from Rahon's parents.
The guardian is nothing special either.
It was around the time when he was living each day meaninglessly, thinking like that.
A nobleman named Marquis Astro of the Antin Empire asked for his help.
There were many who sought the help of the 'Savior', and the Pope sent Rahon to select the requests that would help strengthen his influence.
Rahon, who had just returned from solving the plague in the Grand Duchy of Romena, had to go on a business trip without any rest.
That was his first encounter with Millenia.
The child was not physically hurting, but mentally. She was killing herself out of guilt for killing her mother.
Although power could not heal the sickness of the mind, there was one way.
At that time, Rahon had secretly made a drug that would make her lose her memories, intending to take it when she got really tired of holding out.
If he forgets that he is a guardian, he may be abandoned by the Vatican.
That medicine was the only thing that could cure Millenia.
So he gave the medicine to Millenia.
He wanted to save the child even if it meant giving up his freedom. It was the first desire he had as a guardian and saved countless people.
That desire turned Rahon's life upside down in an unexpected way.
The Marquis of Astrod gave him the silver mine in return for healing the child.
Now that he had money, there was no reason to live off the Vatican any longer.
After selling a mansion outside S lancrecia in Nicola's name, Rahon left the Vatican.
With the remaining money, he bought all the slaves the master owned and gave them their freedom.
It wasn't for any grand reason, but rather a kind of vicarious satisfaction.
When he saw those who had regained their freedom and were shedding tears, his longing for freedom was momentarily dimmed.
From then on, he was paid for everything, not just healing. Even the Pope had to pay to hire him to do work.
All the money he worked so hard to earn was used to buy slaves.
It was a somewhat satisfactory life. He planned to live like this until got bored and chose death.
Unless he makes it the most precious person.
Rahon bent his arm and looked at Millenia.
The face of her childhood remained as she slept quietly without making a sound. Even though she had a severe headache and was shedding tears, she whispered to him that she was sorry for being in pain.
"Please stop."
A ripple was forming in his calm life, but he didn't know how to stop it.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment