Chapter 127 - 128
Intersecting with the group, Maels observed the streams of tears that leaked out of the boy’s eyes as the four men responded to his presence with deep bows and formal greetings. Once the formalities had been exchanged, he turned his gaze on the oldest of the four, a kind-faced man with cunning eyes, and spoke in a neutral tone.
"Daven. Was it you lot that injured the boy?"
"Boy?" Visibly confused, Daven stumbled with his response. "If you mean this demon spawn, then yes, it was us. He had the nerve to curse Lucian in our presence, so it was only natural for us to teach this heathen a proper lesson."
Something about the bruises that covered the child’s body left a bad feeling in Maels’s stomach. Kneeling down to get a proper look at him, he couldn’t help but feel pity at the poor lot that the youth had drawn in life. Resting a hand on the boy’s small back, he activated an advanced healing spell that quickly erased all signs of injury on the pale, slightly emaciated body before him.
"We shouldn’t judge him for the mistakes of others. His people were the only ones to openly seek repentance after the devil Drune had lost its hold on them all those years ago, and to this day they’re still suffering and sacrificing to that end. If you need a reminder of this, just look now where you’re taking him."
"Yes, Your Grace. I’ll be sure to remember your words." Daven ducked his head in a tactful manner, though Maels knew that neither he nor any of the others had been convinced by his reminder.
"You’d do well to. See how they look now, almost indistinguishable from you or me. If it weren’t for those eyes..."
"What you say is true," said another man, Hal. Giving Maels a subordinate stare with his left eye—the only one an apparent thief had left him with when he had been robbed as a child—Hal knelt down and picked the boy up in his arms. "Forgive us, Your Grace, for we’ve lost ourselves in a moment of weakness. To hear someone curse Lord Lucian, and from a demon spawn no less, it was quite difficult for us to hold back."
"He’s lived an ignorant life. All of them have. Just do well to remember this in the future, for anyone that sacrifices themselves in the name of Lucian and for the good of our fellow believers is somebody that is worthy of our respect, at least on some levels."