22~

A month had passed peacefully ever since Rafael became Simon's master.

And Rafael was really brutal when it came to training like right now. He was harshly training Simon while leisurely sipping his alcohol.

Simon was taking rounds of the huge ground while Rafael sat at his place, a few minutes later he heard a voice behind him, "I am going to kill you for being so brutal."

Rafael smiled when he heard Yug 's voice, "Well it was you who came after me right? please great Rafael accepts him as your disciple."

Yug slapped his head, "You Brat!"

Rafael laughed, "What are you here for?"

"I am taking those four people to the court tomorrow."

"All the best." He said, "And take my brother with you."

"Why? you think that I cannot handle them alone?"

"No, I want you to spend more time together."

Yug gave him a smile which was not a smile, "If you were not my son's master I would have hung you upside down from the tree...."

Rafael rolled his eyes and spoke, "You would have beat the hell out of me, yeah yeah I know, now get lost."

Yug laughed and so did Rafael, but before anyone could say anything they saw Rune coming towards them, he looked pissed.

"Woah..." Rafael spoke, "What happened?"

Rune sighed, "the news that you are Simon's master has spread and people, well...they are anything but happy."

Rafael rolled his eyes and drank his tea while Yug was worried, "What are they saying?"

Rafael spoke, "Obviously, they are worried that Duke's heir is being treated by a madman."

Rune looked at Rafael he hated when his brother called himself a madman, but before Rune could say anything Rafael said again, "Go, go, pay those bastards a visit in the royal court...I am sure those four people will hardly get any attention."

In the meantime, the servant came to tell Yug that his ride is ready.

"I will come with you," Rune spoke as he walked away with Yug , Rafael was left alone with his thoughts, a few minutes later Simon came to him huffing and puffing, "Master I have taken the rounds."

Rafael was brought out of his thoughts once he saw the kid and smiled, "Go and rest."

Simon nodded, but he saw the look on Rafael's. Normally it was very bad to invade someone's thought but with someone like Rafael who always get eaten by his thoughts, Simon does not mind.

Hence he focuses his mind and his eyes slightly glowed red, he had made Rafael drink his blood and it stays in effect for at least two months but if the host gets hurt and bleeds a lot, then the effect will vanish.

As long as Simon's blood stays in the body he can read minds as well.

'Yug and Rune are going to face a lot of questions and trouble because of me and this little monkey will be judged harshly, his every step and every action will be judged and his one mistake will be blamed on his master did I really did a good thing by accepting him?

I have my own problems to deal with, how can let a child be dragged into it, but then without any support or belief, how can I do anything with no one by my side?

I want to hunt down the cult of Mithras, but where do I even start? And if it puts my life in danger, Yug and Rune will become my biggest obstacle.

Moreover, what if the queen figured out that I am not mad anymore what if she asked me to come back and serve the army when every soldier there probably hates me for abandoning them...

Simon suddenly felt dizzy, and he stopped reading Rafael's mind.

"What the!!" He heard Rafael speak before he was picked up by Rafael and made to sit on his lap, Simon realized that blood was coming out of his nose and Rafael wiped, "I will take you to doctor..."

"No, Master it's not needed."

"Don't tell me what to do or not to do..."

"Master doctor won't be able to do anything, it's because my body is weak and my soul is strong."

Rafael remembered that Yug had told him about that and it turned out that it was really true not that Rafael didn't believe him after seeing it with his own eyes. He believed it.

Rafael let Simon sit on his lap for some time, while Simon leaned in, not because he was tired too scared but because his heart ached for Rafael.

In his last life, it was he who had ruined Rafael's plans, Rafael had trusted him and shared so many things with him, he was the only one after Rune and Diora, Rafael let him in his heart.

And what did he do? He made Rune's life hell; he killed his own father Yug and he even exposed Rafael's plan, which resulted in him getting burned alive.

Simon shivered as he thought about that day and hugged him even tighter at the same time controlling not to cry, it was one day before Rafael's execution when Simon had gone to meet him in the dungeon and Rafael had asked him to bring alcohol and he had done that because he wanted to fulfill his last wish and when Rafael got drunk, he broke down and said everything that was in his heart.

That day he had cried his heart out and told each and everything was in his heart, and then Simon realized what a blunder he had committed he wanted to take Rafael out and save him but Rafael refused, he chose death and refused to listen to Simon.

In the end, he died while Simon helplessly watched.

In this life, he will not let that happen. He clutched Rafael tightly, he was going to protect his teacher no matter what and for that he has to get stronger.

~~~~

Yug and Rune along with the four members of the village, had arrived at the royal court.

The four members were afraid and cowered but they had the duke if north with them.

They walked towards the court and as soon as they had entered the room every eye was on them, but Yug and Rune didn't seem to mind they didn't even spare the others a glance they went to their seat and sat down while the four members stood behind them.

"Welcome duke..." one of the court members said, and Yug finally looked at him and gave him a small nod.

The person didn't know what else to say to this poker-faced man, so he walked away.

A few minutes later when everyone was seated the queen arrived as well everyone stood up and bowed before the queen.

The queen was a beautiful, well-maintained, middle-aged woman, with a charm, She wore confidence like an accessory. Her green eyes were like a shining emerald. Her purple dress and the beautiful shiny crown on her brown hair, and the calm small smile on her face. Everything about the queen spoke of authority and respect, her aura made everyone bow down and follow her.

The queen Cassandra Ayana Aloisia.

The queen went to her throne before she sat down and raised her hand to signal others to sit down as well.

"Your Majesty." Rune was the one who stood up first and the queen gave him a smile.

"General, you have done an excellent job on the battlefield yet again, on the behalf of this empire thank you for your bravery."

Rune smiled and bowed before the queen, "Your majesty, it is my duty to serve the empire, however, I am quite disappointed with the things inside the empire."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is your majesty that I and my soldiers work hard to protect each and every citizen of this empire from royalty to the lower caste but seems like the guards inside the empire have failed at this job."

There was an uproar in the court and many people stood up to point out Rune, but Rune only looked at the queen, who raised her hand and told everyone to sit quietly.

"Elaborate general," she spoke.

Rune asked the four men to come forward, and they did, however, they were shivering, "Your majesty these four men belonged to a small village, Nolani.

A month earlier that village was attacked and these four are the only survivors, when they reached the duke of the south, he mercilessly beat them and even imprisoned them...while they were there to ask him for justice...

And these people went through all this because of their caste...so Your majesty while I and my soldiers are out there protecting this empire it is termites like bandits and cults that are eating it from inside and the authorities are not able to do anything..."

The queen looked at the four people, "I would like you to narrate everything that happened in the village no need to be scared."

The leader of the four people said, "Your majesty we belonged to a small village, and one night, while we were celebrating our traditional festival, our village was attacked and our homes were burned horses ran over our people.

The children were taken the woman was killed and the men were burned alive it was very scary, and all of those were for no reason we are a peaceful village...and when we went to the duke of South, he imprisoned us and tortured us and accused us of lying."

The four people started crying.

The court heard everything before the queen turned to the duke of the south, "Duke of the south, what do you have to ay on this?"

Duke of south Callum stood up and eyed the four people with disgust, before he looked at Yug and Rune and then addressed the queen, "Your majesty, these people deserved what happened to them."

The four people were shocked after they heard that and so were Rune and Yug .

Before Yug spoke, "May I ask why Duke of the south?"

"Duke of north these people were celebrating the festival that was foreign to our religion and culture they knew the danger and yet they gathered to celebrate meaning they were ready to face any danger..."

Yug was dumbfounded at this ideology, "duke of the south you mean that they deserve to be brutally punished because they were worshipping their gods? What's wrong in believing the gods and thanking them?"

"Duke of north our religion has no such tradition and festival or those forms of worshipping...how can we believe that they were worshipping?"

"Not our religion, but theirs does duke of the south, and it is our responsibility to make out people happy."

"I apologize duke of the north but people around the empire know about the crisis we are facing because of bandits...and many other villagers have listened then why didn't they? duke of the north I have the responsibility to protect my land as well, and how can I protect people who themselves want to get hurt"

Duke of south then turned to the queen, "My queen, the villagers have gone against my order, and these four lower caste people have also conspired against me, your loyal subject. I request the court to punish these people.

Your majesty, these people have also tried to go against our religion by performing devil worshipping."

The four people cowered and fell to the ground crying hysterically, "No your majesty, we were worshipping our god to thank them for the good harvest this yeah it isn't devil-worshipping."

Rune and Yug watched before Yug spoke, "your majesty Devil worshipping is a serious crime and Duke of the south is blaming innocent people of devil-worshipping without any proof."

The duke of south smiled, "I have proof, duke of the north," Callum then turned to the four villagers, "Tell me the rituals of your worship."

Rune and Yug glanced at each other, while the head of the four men spoke, "it's a festival to thank the rain god and we do it every year, in the festival, we dance around a hugely lit fire and throw rice in it as an offering, under the full moon."

The duke of the south spoke, "Your majesty here, in our religion, this kind of worship is often used as the devil worship and black magic, and they have also missed a detail, they have also performed a sacrifice. Even we have sacrifice in our religion as well but we never ever perform sacrificially ritual outside the temple, or in the absence of the saint"

Yug and Rune looked at the four men who were on their knees, "Your majesty, it's a tradition to sacrifice an animal or a goat to the god to thank him, it's nothing demonic. your majesty, please have mercy."

The duke of the south spoke again, "But how do we believe that? What's the proof? Where are your religious scriptures to back up your claim?"

"Our religious scriptures were burned when we were captured..."

"See, your majesty, these people are now blaming us for their misdeeds, their entire religion is about devil worshipping."

"Your majesty." Rune spoke, interrupting the duke of the south, "Your majesty we are getting distracted the main reason why we are here is that there are some people here who think they are above law.

This isn't about religion, this is about the massacre they have done, and what proof does the duke of the south has that these men are devil worshipers? duke of the south hasn't read their scripture and I am sure he does not even know the name of their religion. Then how is he so sure?

Moreover, even if they are devil worshippers then only the ruler of this empire has the right to give them punishment and not some hooligans, and why didn't the duke of south bring them to you in the first place instead of punishing them on his own?"

"I agree with the general your majesty, devil-worshipping is a serious crime if the duke of the south had suspected something like that then why didn't he brings it to the court, and moreover....why didn't he do anything to look for those culprits?"