Joel's whole body ached, and it was difficult for him to stand up. If it weren't for the healing potions he had taken, he would surely have spent several months in bed.
Fortunately, he had enough money to pay for a few potions... thanks to that, he was able to open his eyes and look at the ceiling after only a few hours.
The fury was palpable in his gaze, and his fist was clenched, but he had bandages all over his body. His wife was nowhere to be seen.
But there was someone else.
"I'm sorry I can't get up, Lord Henry," he said respectfully, greeting the distinguished guest who had arrived.
"I heard you were badly beaten by an 18-year-old," Henry said.
There seemed to be a note of mockery in his words, but Joel had to ignore it. This guy was not someone he could offend; he was his master, basically.
"I'm sorry, sir. It was a..."
"A beast master, I know. I got the information," Henry said, interrupting him.
Joel turned to look at him, as if he wanted to get information about his awakening. From what he had seen, this Edward was really powerful; his awakening could have been excellent.
"Talent and evolutionary ability at the lowest level. Nothing special," said Henry, words that made Joel frown.
"No way..." he said. "He's very strong."
"Yes. He should be. He's not a normal beast master."
Joel looked at him, confused. What did he mean? He would have liked this man to just talk and say everything he had to say without waiting for his response, since every answer he gave was a new pain in his body.
"He is a Master of Multiple Beasts. According to the information, the child Lux received four beasts. Although they are all low-level, at this moment, he will have an advantage over most young people who have not awakened a powerful or special beast."
"Master of Multiple Beasts?" In shock, Joel stood up, although the pain sent him crashing back onto the bed, but he didn't stop looking at Henry. "Really?"
"Don't worry too much. He's a Lux, so I'll help you get your revenge." Henry replied with a sly smile.
Joel's eyes lit up. "Are you serious?"
"My words are never empty. But we have a problem."
"What is it?"
"He's no longer in the village."
"He escaped? What about Abraham?"
"We searched the house and there's no one there. They took almost everything they had there. We have no information about Abraham, but we know everything about the little one. He went to the academy."
"I see..." Joel frowned. That was annoying. Inside the academy, bullying was possible, even to the extreme, but taking revenge to the point of killing someone was a death sentence for any family.
It was strictly forbidden to kill someone inside the academy, so there was no way to take revenge...
Or so Joel thought.
Henry had other plans.
"Is your son okay?" Henry asked suddenly.
"He is, Lord Henry." Joel nodded, glancing at him sideways. "He seems to have made good progress in recent months," he replied proudly.
"Good." Henry smiled slyly. "Call him in during the week, tell him to take at least a day off. I have something for him, the benefit will be great, it comes from above."
Joel looked at him, slightly confused, but suddenly his eyes lit up.
"I... I understand, Lord. I'll call him tomorrow."
"Hahaha, very good. I have high expectations for your son, so help him grow." He placed a few potions on the table beside him. "A gift. Get well, and then come see me with your son." With that, he turned and left.
Joel stared after him, thinking about a great future.
'Orders from above... a benefit that comes from above... My son, you have entered the eyes of the greats of this world.' He thought...
Meanwhile, Henry went outside and looked up at the stars.
'Abraham Lux... you were once a star, but your time to fade has come. This is my revenge, even if you don't even know who I am.' He smiled maliciously and disappeared into the darkness.
--
"Ed, why are you coming to see me so late at night? If you had something to say, you should have said it earlier. Walking around your neighborhood at this hour is dangerous." Aurora approached Edward, who was waiting for her in the courtyard of a gigantic mansion.
She was wearing nightclothes and a robe to keep her body warm. She was already in bed when she received the news that Edward had come looking for her.
"I'm sorry for waking you up," Edward said after glancing at her. Seeing that she was wearing very revealing clothes, he looked away. "There's something important I need to tell you."
"What is it?" Aurora frowned and took a step closer. "Did something happen? Is something wrong with your awakening? Or have those bastards been bullying you again?"
"It's not that. My father is gone." Edward got straight to the point.
"He's gone?" she asked in shock. "Where?"
"I don't know, he left me a farewell letter and left," he said, showing her the letter.
She was stunned by its contents and stared at him. "Those wounds..."
Edward nodded. "Don't think too much about it, I've already taken revenge on that bastard. But he's strong; we don't have the power to face him. That's why my father left."
Aurora grabbed his hand. "Take me there," she said in a firm voice. "Give me the names, and I'll have them killed immediately."
"Aurora..."
"I didn't ask for my name, Edward," she said angrily.
She was angry because they had hidden such important things from her. She felt betrayed and hurt because she thought they wouldn't lie to her.
She had been naive, but she didn't want to be naive again.
But Edward shook his head. His revenge could not be taken by anyone else.
Perhaps he would be tempted if his father were in danger, but as long as he wasn't, he didn't need to ask anyone for help. He just needed to level up.
"Edward Lux!" She wanted to scold him, but Edward remained unyielding.
"Aurora." He spoke in a strong voice. "We are both young; we are the same age. But I respect and admire you; you are strong, and I am not." He said suddenly, confusing Aurora.
"That..."
"But." Edward interrupted her. "Someday I will be strong. I will take revenge for myself and my father. I appreciate your help and concern, but I want to do this myself. I hope you understand."
It was his revenge against those who had hurt and belittled him and his father.
He knew it. If he told Aurora the names, they might wake up dead tomorrow or turned into fish food. The Ashfords had enough power to kill Lord Henry without repercussions, let alone little Joel.
But that wasn't the path he wanted to take. He didn't want to depend on others to collect his own debts.
Although she was angry, her expression slowly changed as she understood what he meant. Finally, she let it go.
"I trust you can do it," she replied, giving in.
Edward nodded. "I came to tell you that I'm going back to the academy and will be staying in the dorms for a while. Just so you know."
"I understand, Ed." She nodded. "But since you're going to the academy, take the opportunity to get a head start on clearing a dungeon or cursed land. If you're the first, it will help you a lot later on when you try to join one of the Regiments," she suggested.