With a trembling body, Miran gently pushed his sister and friends off him and struggled to his feet.
Rona, her eyes wide with surprise, immediately asked,
"Where are you going?"
Miran paused for a moment. He cast a brief glance at Rona and then at the twins—a look filled with both fear and determination.
"Stay here… I'll be back."
Then, without waiting for their response, he began walking toward Anahita. His steps were hesitant, but his resolve was firm. His legs trembled, yet his gaze did not falter.
Rona and the twins, not understanding his intention, watched his back with growing worry.
On the other side, Anahita noticed the serious look in the boy's eyes. Her gentle smile faded, and her expression turned calm and watchful.
She remained still… waiting to see what this trembling child had come to say.
When Miran reached only a few steps away from her, he suddenly stopped.
Then, without warning, he threw himself to the ground in front of her.
His knees struck the dirt with a dull thud.
He pressed his hands firmly against the ground and lowered his forehead until it touched the soil—a gesture born of fear, pleading… and complete surrender.
In a loud yet trembling voice, he cried out,
"Please… please, my lord, let my sister and my friends go…"
Rona and the twins were shocked when they saw this.
They immediately realized that Miran had misunderstood everything.
They hurried to shout,
"No! It's not like you think—"
But before they could finish, Anahita slowly raised her hand.
A small gesture…
And all three children fell silent at once.
Miran, his forehead still pressed against the ground, continued speaking without daring to look up.
His voice trembled, yet the words poured out with all his heart.
"I… I'll do anything you want… anything… You can make me work… sell me… even… even kill me… just… just let them go… please… they're very weak… they can't even work properly…"
Miran still had his eyes closed, his forehead pressed against the dirt, silently praying in his heart.
Broken prayers, mixed with fear and hope—prayers meant only for the safety of his sister and friends.
"God… if you truly exist… please listen to this one wish of mine.
Please let my sister and my friends make it out of here alive.
Please, God… show a miracle… and let them return safely to our tribe… please…"
Suddenly, a calm voice rose from right in front of him.
"Lift your head…"
His body trembled. Hesitantly, he slowly raised his head.
What he saw was nothing like he had imagined.
A red-haired man was leaning slightly toward him.
A warm, sincere smile rested on his lips—not the smile of a master… not the gaze of a hunter.
The man gently placed a hand on Miran's head.
The warmth passed through his hair and seemed to reach straight into his heart.
Then he spoke, his voice filled with kindness.
"I have no business with any of you. All of you can go back to your homes… and one more thing—my name isn't 'my lord.'
You can call me… uh—"
He paused for a brief second.
"Brother Lioran."
At that moment, something inside Miran collapsed.
The wall of fear, misunderstanding, and the crushing pressure on his chest cracked apart.
He realized… those words were real.
Tears flowed from his eyes without restraint.
His lips trembled, and in a choked voice full of gratitude he said,
"Thank you… thank you, Brother Lioran…"
"You're welcome—"
Anahita hadn't even finished her sentence when Rona and the twins suddenly threw themselves onto Miran.
Their childish laughter shattered the heavy silence of the forest.
"So you cared about us this much and never said anything?!"
"You should've told us from the beginning that you were ready to sacrifice yourself for us!"
Miran struggled beneath them, trying to push them away.
His cheeks had turned bright red, and embarrassment mixed with anger in his voice.
"You idiots! Why didn't you say something from the start?!
I ended up saying all those embarrassing things because of you!"
The twins laughed even louder, and Rona, her eyes sparkling, clung to her brother again.
A little distance away, Anahita stood watching the scene with a genuine smile.
A simple moment… yet full of life.
A moment that made all the bloodshed and darkness before it feel worth it.
Just then, Zubi's voice came from behind her.
"My lord… we've buried the bodies."
Anahita cast him a brief glance. Zubi had bowed his head respectfully.
"Good,Then it's time to move."
She then turned toward the children, who were still playfully wrestling with one another.
Raising her voice slightly, she called out,
"Hey! Time to go!"
All of them froze at once. The laughter, arguing, and noise stopped instantly.
Four pairs of surprised eyes stared at her.
"Where?"
"Where are we going?"
Anahita's smile widened. She leaned forward slightly and gave them a playful wink.
"Isn't it obvious?
Did you forget?
Today is Rona's birthday.
It's time to celebrate."
Hearing Anahita's words, Rona's and the twins' eyes sparkled with joy.
Their excited shouts suddenly echoed through the forest as all three of them ran toward her.
Rona grabbed tightly onto Lioran's clothes with her small hands. Her face was glowing with excitement as she asked eagerly,
"Are you serious…? Are you serious, Brother Lioran? You really want to throw me a birthday party?"
"Yeah."
Anahita laughed. She wrapped her arms around Rona's waist, lifted her off the ground, and placed her on her shoulders.
"A really awesome party…"
Rona and the twins cheered even louder.
Laughing with delight, Rona hugged Anahita's head tightly.
"Thank you, Brother Lioran… thank you so much!"
But at that very moment, Miran's voice suddenly rose—serious and a little uneasy.
He walked toward them with quick steps and said,
"Hey! You idiots!"
Everyone turned to him in surprise.
Miran took a deep breath and continued, his voice calmer now but firm.
"We shouldn't cause any more trouble for Brother Lioran.
He's already helped us way more than he had to…"
He glanced briefly at Rona, then at the twins.
"Let's go back home. We shouldn't make more trouble. I'm sure they're already very worried about us."
Rona's and the twins' faces fell again.
Their smiles faded, and a shadow of sadness settled over their small faces.
When Anahita saw the change, she paused for a moment. Her gaze passed over the children before settling on Miran.
In a calm but confident voice, she said,
"Don't worry… this won't cause me any trouble.
Actually, I was planning to head toward that lake anyway. You can come with us until there… then head back home before it gets dark."
The children's eyes lit up again.
Realizing that this wouldn't burden Anahita, Miran let out a relieved breath. He smiled and nodded respectfully.
"Thank you, Brother Lioran… I'll never forget this kindness."
Anahita replied with a warm smile. She nodded and then gently lowered Rona from her shoulders.
"Alright, now go climb onto the wagon. It's time to move."
She hadn't even finished speaking when all four of them ran toward the wagon excitedly.
Their cheerful voices echoed through the forest:
"Yes, Brother!"
All four of them were running excitedly toward the wagon when suddenly, beside it, a familiar face froze them in place.
Goncha slowed his steps. His eyes narrowed as he pointed with a trembling finger.
"Hey… that man… isn't he the trader who beat all of us?"
Miran lifted his gaze. It took only a moment for him to recognize the face that had caused him so much pain. His jaw tightened, and in a voice filled with anger he said,
"Yeah… it's him."
In that instant, the joy vanished from all four of their faces.
Their eyes filled with anger and hatred, and without thinking they rushed toward Goba.
When Goba noticed them coming toward him and saw the looks in their eyes, he growled inwardly with irritation.
These stupid slaves… how dare they look at me like that? Do they want me to teach them another lesson?
But the fear of Lioran that had settled deep in his heart stopped him from showing even a trace of his true feelings.
He let out a slow breath, closed his eyes briefly, and forced a fake smile onto his lips.
In a soft, deceitful voice he said,
"How are you, little ones? I hope… you've forgotten the past."
He hadn't even finished speaking when—
All four children, without any coordination, sprang at him like sparks of unleashed fury.
Fists and kicks rained down from every direction.
One to his chest, another to his stomach, another to his side—
and a savage kick drove straight between his legs, and the air burst from his lungs."
"Shut your mouth!"
Their shouts overlapped in a storm of anger.
With a muffled groan, Goba collapsed to the ground.
His body twisted in the dirt. His face contorted with pain as both of his hands clutched tightly at his lower body—
the spot where Rona's kick had landed.
Grinding his teeth, he growled through the pain,
"You damn brats… how dare you…!"
His trembling hand moved toward his waist.
Searching for the whip he always used to prove his authority.
He searched… and searched again.
But no matter how much he felt around, the whip was nowhere to be found.
At that moment, Miran's voice came from in front of him.
"Looking for this?"