Soul Nexus. Volume 1: Before Dawn

12

What a problem there was. Right when I was resting a little after the hustle and bustle of the reception, the entire guard was informed that the princess had disappeared in the middle of her celebration. She had somehow vanished, and no one had noticed. How was it possible for her to disappear at an event that was crowded with people and guarded by multiple guards?

The general order was given to close all the entrances to the castle and immediately search to find her. All the guards and soldiers looked for her like crazy.

I couldn't do much on my part; I was nothing more than a simple gatekeeper with a single task I have had to perform for several years now. I'd waste my time and energy if I looked for her. Furthermore, she was likely still inside the castle; she couldn't have gotten around the perimeter wall alone...

Sergeant Rask: 『 ... Damn it, this has to be a joke. 』

As I went over that last sentence of mine, the image of Shun came to mind. If there was anyone capable of escaping from the castle during a curfew, it was undoubtedly him. He probably realized the King's intentions to marry the princess and managed to sneak into the palace to disappear her. This time, he will end up in very serious trouble; it's even possible that he will be imprisoned and executed for it... Unless...

Sergeant Rask: 『 *Sigh*... What a pain that kid is; he always gives me extra work. 』

I decided to go to his house and try my luck finding him there. It has been years since I visited his house. I remember I had to drag him back home after the training sessions he had with me. How long ago was that? 8 years?

Back then, he was just a brat who kept dreaming too much, although not much has changed. He insisted that I trained him so much; he was so obsessed with learning to fight and use a sword. As much as I rejected him, he just persisted as long as he could until I ended up giving in, as long as he would stop bothering me.

I asked him on that occasion: 『 Why this foolishness of being instructed by an arrogant old man like me? 』He answered me with a response quite typical of a child: 『 Because you are the only knight I know. 』He was so determined to become an adventurer that he turned to the only person who most resembled the job. He had the belief that becoming a knight was synonymous with becoming a hero. But the reality is that there are no heroes, much less knights in this world.

I had the clear intention of ruining that mentality of his by explaining to him how dark and cruel the world is with those who try to achieve their dreams, with those who get lost on that murky path in order to obtain what they desperately want, sacrificing their humanity and losing sight of what is really valuable to us; a path that corrupts the soul of anyone who decides to cross it.

I thought that way, I could get away from him. However, I did not expect him to take it with an abnormal maturity for an 8-year-old child; he never seemed disturbed or unmotivated by it; rather it had the opposite effect. He seemed much more motivated and better prepared to face that sinister reality he so eagerly wanted to confront. He probably thought he would be able to overcome it with ease.

And I don't deny it, his potential in combat and his swordsmanship were off the charts. I didn't have much to teach him, that natural ability and courage to face dangerous situations is unique, too terrifying for someone so young to possess. Maybe he could overcome that cruel reality. There was no doubt that he was the spitting image of his father.

I took advantage of my preeminence of being the guard at the entrances to enter and exit the castle in full contingency. I arrived at the Aarden family home in the residential workers' colony, and there was no sign that anyone had been inside for a while. It was logical that Shun would not want to enter the castle again if he was already outside with the princess.