The two continued walking until Stone suddenly stopped. He pointed towards a massive cave carved into the side of a mountain. Unlike the simple houses behind them, the cave looked ancient. Massive bones decorated its entrance, and two enormous stone pillars stood on either side. "That," Stone said proudly, "is the home of our Village Chief." Leon looked towards the cave. "I understand. Thank you for bringing me here."
He bowed his head slightly and took a few steps towards the entrance. However, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Stone's expression had changed. Only moments ago, the giant barbarian had been smiling from ear to ear. Now, he looked strangely disappointed. Leon had spent many years serving nobles, and reading people's expressions had become second nature to him. He understood what was wrong and smiled. "Thank you..." He paused briefly before continuing, "...handsome sir."
For a heartbeat, Stone froze. His eyes grew as wide as dinner plates, and his face slowly turned bright red. Leon simply smiled and continued walking towards the cave. Behind him, Stone suddenly spun around and sprinted through the village as fast as his legs could carry him. "I have to tell Mother! Someone called me handsome! She'll never believe me!" His excited voice echoed throughout the village. Leon smiled to himself before continuing towards the Village Chief's cave.
The cave was much larger than it had appeared from the outside, and the air inside was cool and heavy. As Leon walked deeper into it, his eyes wandered across the stone walls. They were decorated with the skulls of countless wild beasts. Giant wolf skulls, enormous horns, and the fangs of monsters were mounted like trophies. Every skull told the story of a hunt, and every trophy spoke of a battle won.
The cave eventually opened into a vast chamber. At its centre stood a throne carved from a single block of black stone. Sitting upon it was the Village Chief. Only the lower half of his body was covered by a beast-skin garment, leaving the rest of his muscular body bare. Scars covered his arms, shoulders, and back, but one scar stood above all the others. It stretched across his entire chest, as though someone had once tried to split him in half.
The chief sat motionless, his elbow resting on the arm of the throne. His sharp eyes remained fixed on Leon from the moment he entered. They were not the eyes of a king welcoming a guest. They were the eyes of a wild beast waiting for its prey to make one wrong move. "What do you want, human slave?" the Village Chief asked. His deep voice echoed throughout the cave.
Leon calmly placed one hand over his chest while the other rested behind his back. He bowed respectfully before answering. "I am here for my Young Master." The Village Chief rested his head against his hand and let out a quiet snort. "So... those fools have finally decided to make their move."
Leon slowly shook his head. "No, Village Chief. They do not even know the Young Master exists. I have completely cut off my ties with the House of..." "I don't care," the chief interrupted before he could finish. "I don't care whether it is a house, a village, or a kingdom." His gaze remained cold and unwavering. "Tell me what you want. Why have you come to my village?"
Silence filled the cave. Leon did not answer immediately. Nearly two minutes passed before he finally spoke. "I raised the Master with my own hands. I will also raise the Young Master with my own hands." The Village Chief remained silent. His expression did not change, but his eyes grew even sharper. "The man is dead," he finally said. "You have no love for his family, his house, or anything connected to them. So why do you wish to raise the child?"
Leon met the chief's eyes without fear. "Because it is my job as a butler. I also promised his mother that I would raise the Young Master into a strong young man, just like his father." The Village Chief slowly leaned forward on his throne. "Are you asking for my permission," he said in a low voice, "or are you giving me an order?" Leon did not lower his gaze. "You may think whatever you wish."
For several moments, neither man spoke. Only the silence of the cave remained.
The Village Chief studied Leon's expression for a long moment. Whatever he saw in the old butler's eyes seemed to satisfy him. He leaned back against his stone throne and spoke in a calm but commanding voice. "Very well. Just don't cause any trouble in my village. The child you're looking for is on the northern side of the village."
Leon bowed respectfully. "Village Chief, before I..."
Before he could finish, the Village Chief raised a hand and interrupted him. "Don't worry. He'll be very easy to find. Or should I say... your Young Master?" A faint smile appeared on the chief's face. "He's a human, after all. In a village full of Barbarians, he's impossible to miss. You'll find a child who looks no older than thirteen. He wears a blue pendant around his neck. That boy is your Young Master."
Before Leon could say anything else, the Village Chief spoke again. "Do you know the rules of the Barbarian Village?" Leon politely lowered his head. "Yes, Village Chief. I know the rules."
The Village Chief frowned. Without warning, he spat on the ground. "Don't do that." He pointed at Leon. "Bowing your head, keeping one hand behind your back and the other on your chest... it looks strange. It even makes me sick."
Leon remained silent, listening without interrupting. The Village Chief leaned back on his throne. "Don't worry. No Barbarian will cause trouble for you unless you go looking for trouble yourself." He looked at Leon with an impatient expression. "Anything else you want to bark about?"
Many people would have been offended by those words. Leon, however, had served as a butler his entire life. Being insulted by someone of higher status was nothing new to him. His expression remained unchanged. Out of habit, he bowed once again.
The Village Chief's face immediately twisted with annoyance. "Are you deaf or something?" he roared. "I told you not to do that! Stop bowing. It looks so weird!"
Even a man as experienced as Leon could make mistakes. Years of habit were difficult to break. Realising what he had done, he immediately straightened his back. Before leaving, he turned towards the Village Chief and said, "Even my life cannot repay the gratitude I owe you for taking care of my Young Master."
The Village Chief stared at him for a moment before replying, "That's the Barbarian way. We help anyone who comes to our door seeking help. That's the law of the Barbarian Creed. And we don't stab people in the back like other creatures. If we want to stab someone, we stab them from the front, straight through the heart."
Leon remained silent for a moment before giving a small nod. This time, he resisted the urge to bow. He turned around and hurried out of the cave.
The Village Chief watched him disappear into the distance. A grin slowly spread across his face. "Look at that," he muttered. "He really does have a brain."
Meanwhile, Leon rushed towards the northern side of the village as fast as his legs could carry him. To anyone watching, it looked as though his life depended on reaching his destination.
Leon rushed out of the cave and ran toward the northern side of the village as fast as his legs could carry him. To anyone watching, it looked as though his life depended on reaching his destination.
Perhaps it did.
He had waited for this day for many years.
Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
Is the Young Master safe?
Is the Young Master eating well?
Has anyone bullied the child?
Does the Young Master resemble the Master... or the Mistress?
His emotions were in complete turmoil. He was happy because he would finally see the Young Master again. Yet sadness crept into his heart at the thought of the child spending so many years living among Barbarians. At the same time, anger burned within him toward the heartless people of the House of _____.
But above all...
He was excited.
After reaching the northern side of the village, Leon looked around before approaching the tallest tree nearby. Despite his age, he climbed with surprising agility, soon reaching one of its highest branches.
He settled comfortably on a thick branch and slipped a hand into his coat pocket.
A pair of binoculars appeared in his hand.
Leon slowly raised them to his eyes and began scanning the village below.
Several Barbarians noticed the strange old man. They watched him climb the tree, settle on its highest branch, and stare through an object none of them had ever seen before.
One of them scratched his head.
"What is that single bone doing?"
Another simply shrugged.
Leon ignored them completely.
He took a slow, deep breath and forced himself to calm down. His emotions could not control him. Not now.
He had to think like a butler.
Like a professional.
First, he needed to gather information about the Young Master. Only then could he decide on the best way to approach the child. He had to ensure their first meeting did not frighten the Young Master or leave a bad impression.
After all...
A human child raised among Barbarians would not be an ordinary child.
Leon slowly scanned the northern side of the village through his binoculars. After several minutes, his eyes finally settled on a young girl.
he appeared to be around twelve or thirteen years old. A blue pendant hung around her neck, making her easy to recognize even from a distance.