The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 13

By midday, they reached the next village. The children might have gotten the rest they needed, but their spirits were still down. They would be for a while after losing someone so close to them. Their sister might have been gone for a long time, but her spirit tried to cling to this world to take care of her siblings. Only someone with a strong will was able to accomplish such a feat. However, this was the first time Logain ever saw it happen. It was still odd to him that the shade decided to become a demon. Even if it were to take care of her younger siblings, she would have had to sell her soul to become one of those monsters. Logain helped her pass on before it was too late. 

Now he needed to do what he promised and get the siblings to safety. They arrived at the village with the orphanage, and this was where they would part ways. They were only with the kids for a short period of time, but the prince seemed to grow fond of them and them him. Casimir carried the boy on his shoulders, while the girl clung to the end of Casimir's cloak. The kids liked the prince and kept their distance from the warlock. He didn't blame them. He was the one who helped their sister move on, after all. They were young, so they didn't understand the suffering their sister was going through. One day, they would realize what he did for them. For now, he would be the villain in their eyes.

Logain noticed a larger building at the end of the village. It was separated from the rest of the homes, and there were plenty of children running around outside. This had to be their destination. Logain led the way to the orphanage with Casimir trailing behind. When the little girl saw where they were going, she tugged on Casimir's cloak to get his attention. He came to a halt and glanced down at the girl.

She looked him in the eyes as she asked, "C-can't we stay with you? If we go there, my brother and I might be separated in the future . . ."

Casimir smiled sadly at the girl. Her concerns were justified. As much as he would have liked another option, there didn't seem to be one. If these children had more family, they would have been with them already. Their older sister would still be alive with them. She would have mentioned somewhere else if they had anywhere other than the orphanage.

"I'm sorry. If I could, I would take you with me. However, my quest may become dangerous. I have to return home as well, and there might be plenty of obstacles for us to face. It's safer for you to stay here with your brother." He felt terrible for the children, but there was nothing else he could do. He couldn't take them back to Ambria.

Sadly, she looked down. "I-I understand. Um . . . I'm sorry that you have to travel with that man. He might have helped us, but he's mean . . ."

This made the prince chuckle. "He is, but he can be sweet. Sometimes."

Logain was able to hear the whole conversation. He glanced back with a glare. "I'm not that bad. Just don't anger me and we won't have a problem." With a sigh, he added, "Anyway, we're here. Casimir, you handle this. I'll stay back."

Since even the people in this nation seemed to be afraid of magic, it was for the best that Logain sat this one out. The prince could do the talking and explain the situation to whoever owned the orphanage. Casimir wouldn't tell them the whole story. They didn't need to know that these children were originally being taken care of by a demon. The kids might be shunned if people knew the whole story.

Instead, when Casimir talked to someone, he told them that he found the children abandoned. He explained that their older sibling passed away recently and they were left alone to fend for themselves. Since he couldn't take them with him, this was the only option he had. Reluctantly, the children said their goodbyes to Casimir. He hugged both of them, before saying his farewell. This would be the last time he saw the children. Their moment together was brief, and he was glad he was able to help them in some way. He prayed for a miracle so that the children would be able to stay together. He sent a silent prayer to his Goddess to keep the kids together for as long as possible.