성황의 아이들 [2]

327

327. Days of No. 21 (3)

A long time ago, there was a time when No. 21 deeply followed someone he had only known for a short time as a protector.

At the time, he was not yet called Enrique, but by his nickname, Cike. At the time, with the help of the Astros mercenaries, he was hurriedly fleeing the battlefields of the civil war to the south of the continent.

The journey quickly across the wasteland is not easy, even for the mercenaries accompanying you. Naturally, young Kike had to endure each day with all his might.

But to make matters worse, there was someone who made his life even more difficult: his father, Prince Benicio.

-Now even you, my son, look at me that way! Yes, I was jealous of my brother's throne and split this country in half! So do you think my appearance is funny too?

Pow! Kike was suddenly hit by a flying bottle of liquor, and fell to the floor and was unable to come to his senses for a while.

-You ungrateful bastard! I don't even want to look at it! Can't you just get out of here?

Benicio was drunk every day and tried to slap Kike.

I had to sacrifice the friend I trusted the most, and ended up hearing the news of his death. From then on, Benicio, who had been the spiritual leader of the Republican Party, collapsed horribly, unable to regain his former intelligence.

-Ah, father... ... !

-No, no. Let's just end it here. Please die with me so that I don't have to see this misery any longer! Well, how do you feel?

Although he was drunk, the moment in his father's eyes was that he was living with a clear spirit. Kike, who was very frightened, stumbled and ran outside, trying to control his dizzy head.

-Come here, Enrique.

The only comfort to Kike was Seonghwang, a boy called 'Bart' at the time.

-brother! Bart! listen! My father just tried to kill me!

-He was just very drunk. I absolutely don't mean it. Now, I'll treat your wounds, and from today onwards, sleep next to the mercenary campfire.

Bart was a mercenary I met at the front, and he was an amazing boy who was fluent in the Ortona language and even had healing powers.

Moreover, he was not at all bothered by Kike who followed him around, and in fact, he took good care of him instead of his father.

It was only Bart who always called him 'Enrique' instead of his childhood name.

'It would be better if Bart were my real father or older brother... ... .'

Every night, Kike would wrap himself in a blanket next to his trustworthy guardian and fall asleep while imagining such absurd things.

Then one day it happened. One of the Astros mercenaries who was taking a break during the move witnessed something strange.

-Oh, look at that fox! They're all dying, but it looks like they managed to crawl all the way to the cave like that.

-That wound... Did you get hit by a weasel?

Hearing the noise of the mercenaries, Kike also looked at the small crypt with curiosity.

Indeed, there was a fox there, deeply wounded and bleeding, staggering and slowly crawling into the burrow.

'Poorly. You wanted to close your eyes in your own nest... ... .'

It was a time when Kike was immersed in such pitiful sentiments.

Kyung! Keying! king!

Suddenly, a faint scream began to be heard from inside the crypt. It was a death sentence for little fox cubs.