The young boy pleaded desperately.
Christina stood silently on the side, watching.
Dragged into the room, Andrew shoved him aside with force.
"Why did three squads of mercenaries come before and still fail to catch you?"
"Because... I don’t come every night. Sometimes I oversleep..."
"Then why didn’t you oversleep tonight?"
"Because... because I took an afternoon nap."
Well, sometimes things are just bizarre. It’s not that the adversary is particularly strong; pure coincidence suffices.
Andrew casually muttered an incantation, and the boy’s neck, along with his limbs, was quickly pinned to the floor by an invisible force. He lay flat, unable to move.
"You can’t do this! You can’t!" the boy struggled, shouting.
"Shut up. If you dare say one more word, I’ll sew your mouth shut. Believe me—it doesn’t take much magic power."
With that simple sentence, the boy, terrified, promptly clamped his mouth shut.
Andrew returned to the sofa, pulled up a blanket, and was ready to go back to sleep. Suddenly, he noticed Christina still standing there in a daze.
"What’s wrong?" Andrew asked.
The fire in the hearth crackled, burning brightly.
"I think..." Christina stammered, "maybe we shouldn’t hand him over to the employer. He’s already acknowledged his wrongs and promised not to do it again. The thing is... he looks pitiful."
Andrew sat on the sofa, watching silently.
Christina moved to the boy’s side, crouched down, and asked softly, "Tell me, what bad thing did he do?"
"He... I’m an illegitimate child," the boy stammered. "This house was meant to be left to me by my father. My father already told others, but before he could officially draft his will, he died. Then... then Eugene took advantage of my father’s family being eager to get rid of the promise and bought the house for cheap."
"So what exactly did he do wrong? Why am I not seeing it?" Andrew said expressionlessly. "This sounds like a normal transaction. You’re an illegitimate child—without a will, you indeed have no inheritance rights."
"But my father already promised!"
"But he didn’t draft a will."
"But... but..." The boy was already speechless, fresh tears gushing as he lay sobbing on the floor.
"Get some rest," Andrew said to Christina. "He’s already unable to argue for himself. Problems , they should solve it on their own."
Christina stared blankly at the boy. She didn’t know why, but suddenly her eyes filled with tears.
Andrew paused for a moment.
Turning her face slightly, Christina said to Andrew, "Let’s... let’s free him. He’s innocent."
"What are you saying?" Andrew was stunned.
"His father failed to draft a will; that’s not his fault."
"Then whose fault is it?"
"He’s a victim too. And... and he’s already promised not to do it again."
Andrew didn’t know how to respond to her.
"Besides... besides, isn’t Mr. Duru supposed to be a mercenary corps commander filled with righteous spirit? If we hand him over, Eugene will definitely make it difficult for him." Christina’s expression was unusually resolute as she gazed at Andrew.
Andrew was out of options.
The entire living room fell completely silent, save for the crackling of the fire in the hearth and the boy’s sobbing.
Christina slowly widened her eyes.
After a while, Andrew casually lifted the magic from the boy’s body. He turned on the sofa to face away from them.
The boy sprang to his feet immediately, huddling in a corner, eyeing Andrew with fear.
"I don’t really agree with this decision. It has nothing to do with justice. At least, in the scope of what I know, letting him go doesn’t symbolize justice. But do as you wish. We already know the truth anyway."
"Thank you." Christina lowered her head, forcing a faint smile. She looked toward the boy curled up in the corner: "You can go now; no one will harm you."
The boy immediately dashed toward the courtyard.
"The main door is this way!" Christina hurried after him.
"No, I’d rather go back the same way!" In the blink of an eye, the boy had climbed over the wall and vanished from Christina’s sight.
In an instant, only Christina stood in the snow-dusted courtyard, dazed and motionless. Everything was silent.
Would the boy return?
Christina slightly lowered her head, looking at the gold coin in her hand with a face full of melancholy: "Actually, I wanted to give him a little money. After all... he doesn’t seem to be doing very well. Illegitimate children are always bullied... especially when their fathers are no longer around."
As she spoke, she turned and prepared to walk back into the house.
"What’s wrong?" At that moment, a voice echoed in her mind.
She turned back sharply, and suddenly, she saw a white-robed Dragon Clan youth standing behind her.
"That illegitimate child stirred your overflowing compassion?" The white-robed Dragon Clan youth asked softly with a smile.