Chapter 25: News
[The Next Day]
After waking up energetically and cleaning himself, Sollivan dressed in his extra set of clean clothes and wheeled his chair toward the door. After a brief moment of hesitation, he grabbed the old handle and opened the door. The intense winter cold rushed in, slightly ruffling his messy hair. With indifferent eyes, he looked at the familiar alley and observed the few familiar faces glancing his way.
He left the safety of his home and checked the heater one last time before firmly locking the door and pushing his chair over the sticky ground.
Noctis hid in the shadow of his black chair, making it invisible to the general public. Unlike usual, Sollivan wheeled his chair with confidence, feeling somewhat secure knowing Noctis was nearby. He observed his familiar surroundings, and suddenly his eyes fell on two similarly built men emerging from a house slightly larger than his. One of the men had a short, dirty beard that extended slightly below his eyes, with thick, bushy eyebrows and a large nose reddened by the cold.
As for his companion, he also had a very short, slightly groomed beard and a thick mustache that was beginning to gray, while his skin was wrinkled. Both men covered their heads with dirty woolen hats and wore two layers of worn-out clothes to mitigate the cold.
After the two men closed the door, one of them turned and his eyes met Sollivan’s. At that moment, he frowned in anger and spat on the ground in disgust.
Sollivan didn’t pay attention and turned to look at the road ahead. As he wheeled his chair indifferently, he remembered why these people hated him. ’Damn scoundrels, their faces are so thick I can hardly believe it. Not only did they steal Devlin’s house, but they also hate me for saving him from death. What cruelty!’
Despite his internal monologue, he felt no sadness or anger, just a bit of resentment. He was well aware of human cunning and malice. These people were just a small handful of the many scoundrels he had encountered in the past six years.
In the past, he was the sole heir of a noble family with deep roots and considerable power in the empire, treated like a prince. Even the guards and residents had to think twice before saying anything to him. But now, he was just a poor disabled man who had been betrayed, robbed, bullied, and scammed in many situations, especially when he was searching for a cure. How many gold coins had been wasted just because of the lies of some charlatans?
A faint smile appeared on his face, and his resentment faded as he thought about his ability to crush the gang of thieves at any time. Not personally, but Devlin had become capable of doing so. After training and teaching him, he had turned him into a new person. Their relationship could be considered that of a master and disciple, with Devlin being the product of his teachings.
Currently, Devlin had reached the fifth level of body strengthening, even though he was only thirteen years old. His level could be compared to that of children from powerful noble and merchant families. If it weren’t for his desire to avoid drawing attention, he would have let Devlin take his revenge long ago.
’Thinking about it, they were beaten up by Ellis’s acquaintances when they blocked my path three years ago. Have they forgotten the taste of a beating?’ In the past, two of the homeless gang dared to bully him, knock him out of his chair, and kick him. Because of this, he missed work for several days. When the news reached Ellis, he was furious and complained to a friend who sent his men to beat up all the homeless. Since that incident, they hadn’t dared to stare at him for a long time.