Chapter 90: Sir Stark

The man, who just entered the restaurant, turned to him and said, "You're Kraftvoll, right? Nice to meet you again, boy!"

Kraftvoll's eyes suddenly widened after seeing something unbelievable. He said to that man, "Sir Stark?"

The man who Kraftvoll found was his previous mentor, Stark. Stark smiled at Kraftvoll and he said, "I heard you officially became His Majesty's student? And now, you are also a student of the Verrater Academy, kid?"

Kraftvoll couldn't contain his feelings because Stark had been a great part of his early childhood. "You survived sir Stark! But-!" said Kraftvoll while looking at Stark's amputated right leg.

Stark realized what Kraftvoll was thinking so he said to him. "I am okay. I am lucky that I even survived that time. Oh, and you came here with Lady Belle. Greetings, Your Ladyship!" He bowed down to show his respect to his lord's daughter.

"Sir Stark, stand up! I'm glad that you're okay. Can I ask you something?" asked Princess Kyomi with worried eyes.

Stark suddenly lost his smile on his face. He knew what Belle was going to ask him. He said to them, "Let's talk about it outside, My Lady. Kraftvoll, come with us outside."

The three went outside the Moonlight Trattoria. Stark's face turned even more serious than before. "You're gonna ask what happened to His Lordship, Earl Blaire, during that day, right?"

Belle nodded to Stark's statement. This made him even more serious than before. He took a long sigh before he answered her question. A moment later, he mustered the courage to tell what he knew about that day to the only daughter of the Earl.

He said, "After I was entrusted Kraftvoll with one of the soldiers that are also serving His Lordship, Earl Blaire, I battle against those seishin practitioners who are behind us that tried to kidnap Kraftvoll. I did that so that Kraftvoll and that soldier can run toward the territory of His Lordship, Earl Garen. I barely defeated them after dozens of minutes of fighting them."

Stark spaced out a little after remembering the tragedy that happened to his hometown. Despite this, he continued telling what he knew because he knew that his lord's only daughter wanted answers from him.

"After fighting those Dark Alliance seishin practitioners that tried to ambush us in the gate of Schild City, I decided to go where the Earl was. After reaching the Earl, I saw him fighting against three Lower Seishin Overlord ranked seishin practitioners."

"I thought His Lordship, Earl Blaire, only faced two Lower Seishin Overlord ranked seishin practitioners?"

He continued, "Yeah. At first, there were only two seishin practitioners that were fighting against His Lordship but another one appeared as a reinforcement. Due to His Lordship's peerless strength, he was able to match those powerful experts. I wanted to help His Lordship, but there's nothing I can do to help him. I'm merely a Middle Seishin ranked practitioner so I can't follow their battle. Earl Blaire was able to hold against those mighty foes for a while but..."

"But what!?" Belle asked with a greatly anxious face. Stark decided to continue despite his hesitations.

He continued his story. He said, "But, another reinforcement arrived! And a more powerful one at that! That man is in the same league as Earl Blaire, a seishin practitioner at the Higher Seishin Overlord rank! After he came, they started to overcome His Lordship. I tried to help His Lordship even if it means I will forfeit my life but he commanded me to run! He said that my mission is to protect the two of you!"

Tears started to fall from Stark's eyes as he was telling the story. He was considered a great warrior in the Schild City but he was so powerless when his lord was in great danger. He had no choice at that time and as a loyal retainer to the lord, he decided to uphold his lord's command.

"After running for half an hour, one of the Lower Seishin Overlord ranked practitioners caught up to me. I decided to fight him so that he will not catch up to you. I managed to hold him for hours despite the gap in our seishin cultivation. I think he was just playing with me. In the end, he decided to amputate one of my legs which is why I only have one leg now."

Stark started to bow down with his head sticking to the ground toward Belle. He said to her, "That's the only thing, I remember in that time, Lady Belle. Please forgive me for my powerlessness during that time!"