CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 1074: First Knight [GT Ranking Bonus - ]
Previously on CLEAVER OF SIN...
As Asher and Teo Swig sat down, Asher went straight to the point without keeping Teo Swig in suspense, as he could literally hear the boy’s heart beating wildly as though it was about to explode or something.
"I’ve rescued your parents," Asher stated flatly.
Teo Swig immediately shot to his feet. "What?"
The chair he had been sitting on shot backwards due to the speed and force of his rise. But before he could collide with the wall, Asher froze it in place by sealing the space around it.
Seeing this, Teo Swig’s expression became a bit apologetic. He had been too anxious since he received the Tenth Sun’s call.
As Asher returned the chair to its former position, Teo Swig sat back down, his eyes not leaving Asher.
Asher didn’t complain or say anything, as he understood exactly how Teo Swig felt. After all, he had watched his family die. Although they were just Soul Clones, the emotions he felt at the time were real.
"Tenth Sun... I hope you aren’t trying to play with my emotions," Teo Swig stated.
He had come to the Tenth, and he knew it might take a while to save his parents, as even the Tenth Sun had said to wait for news in a few days. But barely fourteen hours had passed, and he was being told his parents were already safe.
Asher shook his head as he replied, "I wouldn’t joke around with such a delicate matter." His tone was calm as he continued, "At the moment, they are at the Wargrave Estate resting."
Teo Swig sat stunned. He could barely believe what he was hearing. A family he hadn’t seen in three years was now within reach. He didn’t know how the Tenth Sun had gotten to them, and personally, he didn’t care. The fact was that they were safe, and that mattered above all else.
Asher could sense every emotion coming from him: happiness, guilt, anger, sadness, joy, each of them intertwining.
’He is probably feeling guilty because he abandoned them for the past three years,’ Asher thought to himself but said nothing out loud.
As for Teo Swig’s younger brother, he didn’t tell Teo Swig about him. He wanted it to be a surprise when he saw his brother. It would be a perfect family reunion.
"What of the Viscount?" Teo Swig asked. That was the source of all his issues.
While he might be happy, if the root of the matter wasn’t dealt with, then it would just keep recurring, and at the moment, he didn’t have the strength.
"He is dead," Asher replied flatly.
Teo Swig sat stunned the moment he heard that. He almost couldn’t believe what he had heard. He knew that killing a fellow Noble of the Zarethorne Empire without both sides officially engaging in some sort of war was against the rules.
Yet... the Tenth Sun had ordered the death of another Noble for him, who was a commoner and wasn’t even a friend. But what Teo Swig didn’t know was that Asher didn’t kill that rapist because of that.
As Teo Swig was about to speak, Asher spoke first.
"Want to see them?" he asked.
Teo Swig sat stunned again. "Right now?" he asked.
Asher simply nodded his head without saying another word.
Teo couldn’t help but wonder how the Tenth Sun was able to leave the Star Academy. After all, the only way to leave was through the Star Academy’s Teleportation Scroll and no way else. He even thought that Asher had been able to rescue his family by communicating with the Wargrave family from his Academy room.
Teo Swig stopped thinking about it. What was there to think about in the face of seeing his family again?
"Let’s go," he spoke as he rose to his feet, ready to leave immediately.
Asher stood up and walked towards Teo Swig, placing a hand on his shoulder, and they both vanished. The moment they appeared within Asher’s room back at the Wargrave Estate, Asher didn’t speak and simply walked out of his room.
Teo Swig didn’t ask any questions and simply followed behind Asher as he looked around. He couldn’t help but look around with interest. After all, this was the legendary Wargrave Estate.
Soon, they arrived before a door. Stopping there, Asher spoke, "Your family is inside, and while you meet them, know that we can only stay here for a maximum of a day because of the year end exams."
At Asher’s words, Teo Swig simply nodded. Asher turned and headed back towards his own room. If Teo Swig needed anything, he knew the way back to his room anyway.
Seeing the Tenth Sun leave, Teo Swig stared at the door in front of him, his hand hovered just centimeters away from pushing it open. Just as Asher had said, Teo Swig felt guilty for leaving his parents and never visiting them for three years. He didn’t even write a letter, neither did he send anyone to pass a message.
He could only hope they forgave him. With a deep breath, he pushed the door open and stepped in.
Hearing the door open, the Swig family turned towards the door, but the moment they saw the person who had entered, their cutlery dropped as they stopped chewing, freezing in pure shock and surprise.
"Father, Moth—" Teo Swig began to speak, but before he could even finish what he was saying, Teo Swig’s mother had already closed the distance as she pulled her son into an embrace.
The father walked forward as he carried his second son and hugged his wife and first son as the family still stood in a pure embrace. No words were said, only the muffled sounds of crying filled the room.
Words weren’t really necessary to convey what words could not, and at this moment, Mr. and Mrs. Swig didn’t need words. They just wanted to hold the son they hadn’t seen in three whole years.
As for Asher, he simply waited in his room for Lyra to return. He knew he probably wouldn’t be seeing Teo Swig until sunrise. Soon, Lyra returned to the Wargrave Estate like she had never left. Viscount Raymond and Young Lord Ramon had both died of drug overdoses.
Asher didn’t feel a single shred of pity or anything for those two. He simply closed his eyes to sleep. He had done something good by saving Teo Swig’s family; that was the only thing that mattered.
As he closed his eyes, a knock resounded through the room as Lyra’s voice echoed.
"Young Master, Teo Swig is here to see you," Lyra said.
"Enter," Asher said as he got off the bed, a bit surprised that Teo Swig had come here in just a couple of hours.
Entering, Teo Swig walked towards Asher as he said, "I don’t know how to thank you, Tenth Sun. Words aren’t enough to convey how grateful and thankful I truly am."
Asher stared into Teo Swig’s eyes. The boy’s eyes were now red; clearly, he had cried his eyes out. He simply shook his head as he proceeded to speak.
"The fact that you are thankful is already enough," his tone calm.
Teo Swig stayed silent for a moment before he spoke as he glanced at his hands. "Many Nobles wanted me to join them for my talent, and my family also suffered because of me, yet you saved us," he stated, as though he blamed himself for everything his family had been through, as they had told him everything. "If you wish, Tenth Sun, I am ready to swear my loyalty to you and become the first Knight under your banner," he stated as his blue eyes met Asher’s purple ones.
Asher stayed silent for a moment, then sighed and shook his head as he replied, "I don’t need a Knight or anyone under me at the moment, Teo Swig." A smile appeared on his lips before he added, "Besides, you are probably making this decision due to all of the emotions coursing through your body and mind, so sleep, wake up, and think about it." He turned and returned to his bed and sat as he continued.
"And perhaps when the time comes in the future and I need a Knight, I will contact you. If you are still interested at the time, I will accept your oath and loyalty," he stated as though he didn’t want to take advantage of the boy before him, as through Emotion Perception he could sense that Teo Swig’s emotions were even more pronounced.
Teo Swig gave a helpless smile. He understood where the Tenth Sun was coming from, so he simply nodded.
"And also, after the graduation, you can come pick your family from here," Asher continued. "And as for joining the Wargrave Knight Order or Frontier, you don’t need to. Just do whatever you want to do," he added.
Teo Swig stayed silent for a moment, then bowed as he spoke, "I won’t forget this immense favor, Tenth Sun."
With that, he rose and turned as he stepped out of the room. Asher stared at the retreating Teo Swig and shook his head as he simply laid back on his bed and slept off.