Ludville resisted the urge to look back. 

Whether it was Ban Yue’s figure in the middle of a fire, the shadow puppets who were starting to approach Ban Yue’s location, or the shadow puppets who have started to run after him after he ran mindlessly through the dark, Ludville knew whatever he saw behind him would only scare him. His heart was already beating fast and his legs felt like they would give away any moment. If he started to tremble now, he would surely die. Even Ban Yue will die. He couldn’t afford to get distracted.

When Ludville made a turn towards a less traversed path that was hidden behind a thick foliage of overgrown trees, Ludville heard a familiar growling approach him. 

Ludville started to panic.

This road should’ve been well hidden because a lot of plant life obstructed its path after years of neglect. Both him and Ban Yue had gone over and checked this place in advance and discovered that no shadow puppets ventured to this area. It was one of those places where Ban Yue couldn’t seem to enter, because several minutes after they reached the base of the building in the distance, Ban Yue once again disappeared in Ludville’s arms.  

Tears started to well up in Ludville’s eyes. 

Although most of the shadow puppets have been attracted to the fire around Ban Yue, the other puppets that Ludville passed were still able to notice him. However, sometimes they would shift back and forth as if they were confused whether they should chase Ludville or go to the fire. Some puppets changed course while a few continued to pursue Ludville. At the moment, Ludville felt like he was trapped. His shoulders started to shake, and a tear fell down his cheeks.

“I…I…what do I do?...W-what do I do…ah...”, Ludville stammered.

If he turned back to take another way, more shadow puppets would notice him, and it was also likely for him to run into those that were already chasing him. Tonight, the lights at the campus ground didn’t turn on, so he was navigating through the dark through the help of the warm light coming from the big fire that he and Ban Yue had just set off. Ludville would definitely be caught in the middle of circling back.

It was obvious what he needed to do. Ahead of him, the growls appeared to be softer, indicating that there were lesser shadow puppets through the path ahead. However, despite knowing this, it felt hard for Ludville to lift his feet up from the ground. It was as if he had frozen in place. Cold sweat started to fall from his forehead.

At that moment, while Ludville was spiraling, he felt something cold at the back of his neck. The first drop felt like an illusion.

However, after a few seconds, the next drops began to fall faster and faster. Ludville looked up and realized it was raining. His hair and face were starting to get soaked. Ludville shuddered a little when he felt the cold wind blow gently. 

It was as if he was suddenly splashed with cold water. 

At that point, it became hard for Ludville to discern whether he was trembling from the nervousness or from the cold. The fog in his mind seemed to melt away, and he realized that he could think clearer.

Ludville grasped the hilt of his sword firmly and swallowed. Then, he charged ahead through the foliage.

On the other side, a shadow puppet who was taken by surprise by Ludville’s sudden appearance snapped his head to the side and started to growl. He ran towards Ludville, but just before he could land his pointy charred hands, a short sword plunged through his neck. Ludville had driven a sword through him using both hands. Then, he started to run.

Ludville didn’t have the heart to look at the wound he made. He also didn’t have the stomach to pull the sword back. So, he just sped through the dark rain with tears and snot running down his face, leaving the screeching shadow puppet behind him. His head was a mess, but one memory kept replaying in his mind.

The night before, Ludville who couldn’t sleep because of his increasing anxiety had asked Ban Yue a favor. He wanted him to tell him a bedtime story. 

Ludville read a lot of children’s books growing up, and in most of the stories, mothers or nannies would read the main character a storybook at least once. He wanted to experience it just once, but because the maids back at the estate either didn’t pay attention to him or intentionally avoided him, Ludville could only read stories to himself. Usually, Ludville no longer bothered asking people for favors, but this time, he felt like he wouldn’t be rejected.

Ban Yue’s story was about a farmer who happened to find a piece of gold while tending to the fields. The farmer took the gold to a merchant who appraised it, hoping that he could sell it for a hefty price. The farmer thought it was surely something valuable because it shone so bright under the sun.

However, the merchant only said, “This couldn’t be gold. It looks too dirty and ugly to be gold.”, the gold was a little bit small and it was badly deformed. There were also stains of dirt and soil embedded into it after being buried underground for so long.

When the farmer heard this, he believed the merchant right away and threw the gold in the trash out of disappointment on his way back home.

“Let me ask you a question.”, Ban Yue asked, “Was it the gold’s fault for being thrown?”

Ludville was puzzled. Back then, he couldn’t understand why Ban Yue was asking him this kind of question. It was ridiculous to put the blame on the gold who was in a state where it couldn’t do anything! The gold didn’t choose to be buried away in the dirt. It was just gold.

So Ludville said, “That’s ridiculous. They dug the gold out from the ground. Of course it’s the appraiser’s fault for not recognizing it. And the farmer should’ve also checked twice.”

When Ludville said this, Ban Yue’s voice sounded brighter when he spoke, so Ludville thought that he must’ve answered correctly.

At that time, Ban Yue said, “That’s right. The merchant has already taken a loss, but the gold will remain to be priceless wherever it went. Ludville, you’re just like that gold. No matter what the others say about you, you are precious. If you know your true worth, it will be easier for you to recognize the people who truly value you.”

He added, “No matter how badly beaten you are, no matter how small you are, you are gold. You can shine on your own or even make others shine if you wanted to. That’s how great gold is. Wherever you go, you’ll light up the room. So Ludville, you can be whoever you want to be.”

When Ludville heard this, he felt like a heavy weight was lifted off his chest. He realized that Ban Yue must’ve been trying to give him words of encouragement.

Ludville was someone who was born hated. 

The Baron Eckart, his father, hated him the moment he was born because he reminded him of his mother who had died during childbirth. 

When he remarried, the Second Madame Eckart always criticized Ludville whenever a chance appeared. Eventually, his father grew tired of hearing the same stories and blamed Ludville for stirring up trouble all the time. 

All the maids who knew about Ludville’s unfavorable position in the estate steered away from him to avoid incurring the wrath of their masters, while those who were new to the estate assumed he was a good-for-nothing because the attitude of the people in the estate towards him were bad. 

Ludville eventually got used to the insults and realized at an early age that nobody had any expectations of him. Whatever he learned to do was mediocre, and whatever he couldn’t do was emphasized. 

He couldn’t win. Even when he received an award for his talent, he was banned from ever going back to town for acting rebellious. There were many moments when Ludville wondered whether he really was the person people told him he was because it was getting harder and harder to believe that he was a phoenix when everyone told him he was nothing but a leech.

But Ban Yue was different. 

Ludville always complained and always ended up showing Ban Yue his weak sides, but still, Ban Yue relied on him and believed in him. Instead of seeing him as a burden, he trusted him to succeed in doing something so important. 

So even when Ludville was shaking terribly, he repeated these words in his mind: “I’m not just a burden who has to be taken care of all the time. I can save myself, and I can protect others too.”

He wanted to pay back Ban Yue’s trust and encouraging words with the success of his task. Even these shadow puppets wouldn’t be able to stop him from doing so. Even if he died, he would only close his eyes after he had struck the bell.

So Ludville kept running even when the rain was starting to mess with his vision. He kept running even as his tears and snot continued to fall. He kept running even though he was so terribly and utterly scared.

When Ludville reached the abandoned bell tower, he quickly climbed the spiral of stairs even if he had to do it on all fours along the way. And when he finally grasped the rope in his hands, he pulled as strongly as he could. Only when the bell rang several times did Ludville start to cry.

“I did it…I really did it…I succeeded…I did it!…” 

He fell on the ground and started to weep. He was overcome with extreme happiness and relief. Because he was already panting heavily, Ludville started to choke on his sobs, so he hit his chest repeatedly to remind himself to breathe slowly.

He could hear erratic and stumbling steps approach the top of the belltower. The shadow puppets had learned to scale walls and climb stairs under the influence of the red moon, but this time, Ludville didn’t panic because he believed that Ban Yue would come for him just like he promised. 

So, he only remained kneeling on the ground and continued to cry, letting himself be comforted by the sound of running water and rain. 

BXX: Please don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe if you enjoyed this chapter! It would mean a lot to me! ( ﾟヮﾟ)