I was dumbfounded, just what in the world was this boy saying!?

I gave a crooked smile to his parents and nodded my head a little.

"Well, who are you?" The Lord said with a noble demeanor.

The Lord of the city stared at me from top to bottom as I racked my thoughts.

"Father, his name is Demitri, and he's a former companion of the great hero of our kingdom."

Dante interjected on my behalf as I put my hand over my head.

"The Hero of the Veil!? Why didn't you tell us sooner! Of course, we'd be more than happy to welcome you as an instructor for our son!" The Lord seemed in high spirits.

The Hero of the Veil, I haven't heard that name in a long time. The church had given him that title, and I was surprised that he received it willingly. Now that I thought about that time, it must've been the Princess' influence. She was to give him all the titles and prestige to grow the hero's fame. He was her dirty sword, and she was his dirty sheath. I never forgot that cold and emotionless Princess who made my blood boil over.

"Thank you for having me," I said as I gave the Lord a bow. "I will only be here a few days, but I'll instruct the Young Lord as best I can."

I gave Dante a look as I probably played right into his hands. He had a smug face on him that I felt I needed to hit for some reason. I parted ways with Dante, and a butler guided me through the mansion. I was given a room as instructed by the Lord; it was quaint but still extravagant. There were silk sheets, magnificent upholstery, and expensive furniture that would make a farmer spend a lifetime to acquire. I could guess that this was a very old and noble house.

I glanced outside the window and could very well see the town from this mansion. It was still bustling with activity, but the sound couldn't reach over the hill. The abundance of the town would most likely affect the nobles who lived here to their benefit. The rich would get richer, and I hated that fact. The town folk would think it'd be a blessing and that wealth would spread, it wouldn't. As more income came, taxes would rise along with prices. The common people who couldn't afford it would be forced to leave. Then in due time, the rich would leave as well with their purses full as they sought another place that suited their wealth.

It was always the same with the politics of greed.

Sometimes I was glad that I was just a poor ignorant street rat. I wasn't beholden to these rules. It was after meeting him, the hero, that my perspectives changed and my horizons broadened. Even having witnessed the inner workings of the church had left me faithless. Master Edwin would have thrown a fit if he knew that. With how many times he preached to me and gave me his sermons. I didn't care for the church not while there were corrupt people pulling its strings.

As the feeling of melancholy was festering in my heart, there was a knock on my door. I went over and answered it only for the Young Lord to appear.

"Demitri, how do you like your room?" Dante said.

"The accommodations are fine my Young Lord," I replied.

"Please just call me Dante," Dante gave me a chuckle and a smile.

"As you wish Dante," I said as I gave him a nod.

I already knew he was abnormal but it was his home, and I knew how nobles acted. This boy seemed too experienced above his age. What he wanted with me, I wasn't too sure. The more I looked at the boy, the more I had become puzzled.

"So, why did you trap me here?" I asked straight to the point.

Dante walked right into my room without any formalities.

"Trapped? More liked helped," Dante said inclining his head. "You know there's a Royal patrol looking for you."

"A Royal patrol? Here already!?" I couldn't hide my shock.

I would've thought for them to have taken days to find me in the forest before moving on.

"They came in through town a couple of days before I met you," Dante said. "They were led by a woman in shining white armor."

"Cassandra…" I mumbled.

I wondered why they hadn't found me. Cassandra was no fool; she wouldn't waste her time searching for me in the same spot. She knew me, just as I had known her. They had probably passed me while I was adrift in the river. If I had left town a little too early, I might've caught up to them. It would've been a huge problem for me. Well, it looks like this boy had thought of everything. I was deep in idle thought when Dante broke me out of it.

"So you are the Hero Killer," Dante said.

Damn! I had forgotten. I didn't think he truly knew and he lured me out with a passing sentence. He got me; there was no use in feigning my ignorance.

"So how'd you know they were looking for me?" I said.

"Not that hard, they were looking for a dangerous criminal with elite troops," Dante said rubbing his chin. "A Royal patrol? This far away from the capital? Who would be more dangerous than someone who has killed the Hero of the Kingdom?"

I felt embarrassed as even a child could guess they were after me.

"It's fine, why don't you hang around town? There's a festival going on to celebrate the welcoming of all the new people into town." Dante smiled. "Plenty of food and women."

Women? I snorted. What would a child know of women?

"Why should I go?" I said blatantly.

"You look like the sort that can't stay in one place too long," Dante said. "You seem like the sort to be left in misery just cooped up in this room."

Dante left my room not long after that.

Well, he was right that I couldn't stand staying in one place. Maybe it was a force of habit? I didn't know. All my life I moved around without purpose until I met the Hero and gained allies. I thought my new purpose in life was to fight for truth and justice. Why did I think that? In reality, it was far from it, and I had truly become naïve.

I left the Lord's mansion and headed down to the bustling town. It was getting dark, and the temperature had dropped. The lights coming from the town was on vibrant display. There was a great festival going on as to what Dante had told me. Truly this town was in a twilight of rebirth becoming close to that of a city. I wandered around watching the markets and the people enjoying themselves to their heart's content. My eyes caught sight of small children moving through the crowds.

"Orphans?" I muttered faintly.

My eyes wouldn't leave them as I watched them maneuver through the streets. They were in rags and had unkempt hair. Dirt and holes in their clothes seem to cover them all over. There were about six children in total that moved almost in a line. Five children were moving briskly while one tiny girl was moving slowly behind them. They navigated through the crowd magnificently. The bright lights and atmosphere must've lured them here. I could tell what they were up to and I followed them.

My mind started placing glimpses of myself back to when I was growing up in the Royal capital.

I was an orphan as well, but I did have a family I grew up with. We were all Orphans, bastards, and unwanted children. We bonded and stuck together through the cruelest period of our young stunted lives. They were all dead now, and I was the only one left. I couldn't stand the sight of the Royal capital anymore, from the very top to the very bottom.

These orphans looked like they had a plan and it was to steal as much as they could. For street orphans, to steal was to survive, it was a way of life. With so many people in town that were crowding the streets, the vendors wouldn't be able to catch them. Now all they would have to do is find someone either busy or with easy access to their goods. The children looked no younger than five winters old and the oldest could have been around ten winters old.

Perhaps I was getting sentimental and followed them because of nostalgia. I remembered how I had lived to survive and I felt empathy for these children. I watched around the roads and could tell there weren't many guards out. Being with, that the town garrison probably didn't have that many. The children stopped, and I saw the target that they had picked out for themselves.

I got close enough to see their actions and I blended myself in the surrounding area. They were obviously hungry as they had picked a barbecue stall to steal from. The smell wafted through the air and lured these children there. I noticed how scrawny and small they were. Their eyes seem to lit up as their bellies growled being so close to food.

The stall was outside in the open, right in front of a tavern and because of this, it was very crowded. The owner of the bar and the barbecue stall might be the same person. To eat meat and drink beer, a natural desire for men. It was an easy way to get money. These children obviously didn't want beer which was understandable, but they looked hungry for the meat.

The oldest was quietly moving around the stand; it looked like he was going to play the diversion. Two children moved to one side of the stall, and the rest moved to the other side. As I watched them, I noticed two burly men had their eyes on them as well. They hadn't noticed, but this vendor had guards. Taverns already had guards on the regular, so they might've hired more to stand outside and protect the stall as well.

Just as the oldest child was about to go up and start something I made my move. I went behind him and held him tight on the shoulder. The child was confused at first and then angry. I could feel his stare and worry from the side, but I ignored him.

"Excuse me, could I get an order of your best barbecue for six please?" I said calmly.

"Hey! I was here first!" The boy tried to stammer.

The boy tried to get our attention, but the vendor only looked at me.

"Yes, sir! That'd be one silver and twenty copper coins please."

I handed over two silvers from my pouch and received the change. I looked down at the boy who was still burning a stare at me. I gave him a slight smile and ruffled his hair. I glanced around to see where the guards were and noticed they had stopped. They probably had guessed something, but I moved before they did.

"What do you want!?" The boy said as he gave me a look of dissatisfaction.

I knew that look; I used to saw it in my reflection many decades ago.

I gave the boy a smirk back as I grabbed his hand and placed the change in his palm. The boy was the oldest orphan, and he felt that he had some responsibility to shoulder among the rest, I knew that very well too. He had a weird expression on his face when I closed his hand to the money like it was the first kind gesture he ever received. As the hot food came, I gestured over to his partners in crime and signaled them to come. Hesitantly they all came over to me, and I handed each of them a plate.

The children were all bewildered by my actions and stood still.

I knew that kind gestures from adults were never without payment, but my kindness was.

"What do you want from us?" The oldest said, still hesitant.

"Go on, take it home and eat up," I said with a smile. "And next time, just don't get caught."

I flashed my eyes to the left and the right. The boy followed my signal and noticed the two guards who were looking at us. The oldest wasted no time after that and left like he thought I was going to take back what he acquired. Some of the children gave me nods of appreciation while the rest just left. The tiny girl who struggled behind them could barely hold the plate in her hands. She looked up to me and gave me a warm smile.

"Thank you, mister," the tiny girl said. "My name is Lisa."

Lisa gave a courtly bow unlike her age and then left to follow the group.

"Orphans," I muttered again.

One of the guards came up to me after they were gone.

"Why did you help those children?" The guard asked almost surprised.

"Why?" I replied. "Because I used to be them."

I left the guards stupefied in place as I walked back through the crowds.

There's no mercy in this world for children, and I had found that out the hard way. If anything I understood the plight of children too well. Especially those who were cast out and alone. There were not enough Heroes in the world to save everyone; I knew that. The Hero would sometimes tell me to act logically without emotions blindly me, I knew that too, but not everything can be calculated coldly.

I stayed close the children and made sure they didn't notice me. It wasn't that hard for someone like me. I had given them food and money; I was going to make sure they got back to where ever their home was safe and sound. I knew what I was doing wasn't going to help them in the long run, but I couldn't just stand there and let it be. I always followed my heart and my gut. If just a little can brighten their world, I would do it without hesitation.

I thought about the Hero and the group we had together. People of varying ages and abilities had all gathered around him. Everyone used to tell me that I had the kindest heart out of all the men they knew, Master Edwin especially. I didn't believe that, as I always stated that Master Edwin or the Hero had a kinder heart than me. Now, I realized that the Hero was never a kind-hearted person. I wondered if Master Edwin still believes the same thing for me now that I've killed the Hero.

If I told Master Edwin what I knew, what I had done, would he believe me? Would that justify the things I did? Would he understand? Would that absolve my sins? Would I ever get a chance to tell him?

I followed the children, and they entered what looked like an abandoned church on the outskirts of town. As I confirmed their safety and was about to leave, I heard one of the children say.

"Master Edwin! Master Edwin! We got food!"

I looked back to the church and saw the children surrounding someone.

It was someone in the holy uniform of the Veil.

It seemed that I might get the chance to tell him after all.

---

The Church of the Veil was founded on the principles of the Four Gods. The Four Gods that ruled the directions of the heavenly points. In the land, there was no following greater than the Church of the Veil which seemed to cross borders and weave its web into everything on the continent.