Chp 27 : Jean

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone this... but I consider you guys as my second family, even though we just me today... I heard some rumors that the old man just got a daugther, and he is planning to make Kiaran marry her!"

Silas and Siun both gasped in shock.

"What?! But that's endogamy!" Silas yelled out loud

"Shhhh! Didn't I just tell you it was a secret?!" Yael whispered as she flicked Silas's cheek.

"But why?! Is there a reason behind him doing this?!" Silas whispered

"I don't know... It's just a rumor going around the Seux royal family!"

Silas sighed after this... What has happened to his home country?!

...

As Siun, Silas and Yael were happily chatting... and gossiping, Elena went to the front of the wagon to talk to Jean.

"What are you doing here Mrs.? I advise you to go back and sit with the rest of them in the wagon..." Jean said in his usual emotionless tone.

"I have a question to ask you... or more like a favor..."

"Mrs. what more do you want from us? Ms. Yael was already kind enough to allow you to join us..." Jean said still looking forward towards the road, he seemed to not want to speak to Elena

Elena seemed to get the hint of that but still decided to talk to Jean.

"Can I take a seat?"

Jean didn't say anything and just moved over to make just enough space for Elena.

"Now what is it you wanted to ask me?"

"... I saw how the three of you fought those tree demons a while ago and I'm..."

"If you are shocked by us killing the demons I understand, most people cannot cope with seeing another "living being" being killed even though they are demons... but i advise you to talk about this to Ms. Yael instead"

"N-no! I'm not here because im scared!... it's more like the opposite..."

Jean hummed in interest, telling Elena to continue talking.

"Your a Xinthri too right? I saw how you fought against those demons... im amazed, I always thought Xinthris could only fight from the sides..."

"Is that all? are you just here to judge me?"

"NO!"

Elena shouted out loud without realizing, this made Jean instinctively put his hand over Elena's mouth to shut her up.

"Mrs. be quiet! You're going to wake up the rest!"

Jean said and looked at Elena's determined face... this made him see that Elena didn't mean any harm and only had pure intentions.

"Hahn...fine... I'm going to stop the wagon for the night, the horses need rest too, and then you can talk to me..."

Elena's face was filled with glee, but she made sure not to talk, afraid that she will wake up the rest and anger Jean. So she nodded her head with a big grin on her face.

...

"So what is it that you wanted to ask me?"

"U-uhm about what I said in the wagon, I wasn't judging you or anything! I think a close ranged Xinthri is very cool!"

"Hnnn... really?"

Jean said in amusement, usually everyone would ridicule him or mock him and say that he was just trying to copy Yael's fighting style that wasn't meant for a Xinthri.

"Actually when I told you I wanted to ask you for a favor uhm... I want you to teach me how to fight!"

Jean looked surprised, out of all the things he thought he didn't think that this frail and crippled woman with only one arm would want to learn how to fight

Elena seemed to know what Jean was thinking so she continued talking to persuade him

"You must be thinking why I want to learn how to fight... Do you see this arm?"

Elena said as she pointed to her right side

"Yes..."

"No you dont! It's gone! I lost it! All because I was too weak to protect myself! I even almost put Siun in danger, he has that head wound because of me!"

Jean was shocked by Elena's outburst

"I faced tree demons that day just like you guys... but before that day I never had any combat experience... and it was the first time I found out I wielded this much power, but then after I defeated the first tree demons three more showed up... and I lost my right arm..."

Elena told Jean her story while staring at her now gone arm.

Her story moved Jean, he had a newfound respect for Elena.

...