Shadow Slave

Chapter 12

Right now, that obstacle was looking down, avoiding Sunny's gaze. His hand was resting on the sword handle. As always, the young slave had no idea about what was going on inside Hero's perfectly shaped head.

The uncertainty was making him nervous.

Finally, after some time had passed, the soldier spoke:

"I have only one question."

Both Sunny and Scholar stared at him while holding their breaths.

"Yes?"

"You said that one of us must be sacrificed to save the other two. Why him? From what I see, you are far closer to the grave."

'A great question! I was just about to ask it myself.'

Sunny turned to the older slave, trying very hard to suppress a mocking grin. But to his dismay, Scholar had an answer ready.

"Before the first attack, he was already bleeding because of your senior's whip. During the attack, he was drenched in the blood of a fellow slave. His cloak, too, was soaked in it when the previous owner died. The boy already reeks of blood. Keeping him alive will put us in danger. That's why he is the best choice."

The grin died before reaching Sunny's face.

'Curse you and your big brain!'

Scholar's reasoning was appallingly solid. Hero listened, his expression growing darker with each word. Finally, he looked at Sunny, a dangerous light shining in his eyes.

"That is true."

Sunny felt his mouth getting dry. Cold sweat was running down his spine. He tensed, ready to act…

But at that moment, Hero smiled.

"Your logic is almost unassailable," he said, unsheathing the sword. "However, you failed to account for one thing."

eyebrow, trying to hide his own

"What might that be?"

from his face. Now, he was radiating thick, practically palpable

revolting crimes you have

Scholar's eyes widened.

the smell of

bleed enough to overpower whatever residual

ground, his leg broken with one strike from the flat side of

that, Scholar

in such stark contrast with his usually graceful demeanor that Sunny felt blood turning to ice in his veins. This

calm look and said in a

"Wait for me here."

dragged him down the path, soon disappearing behind a rock outcropping. After a few minutes, terrible screams could

left alone,

this is

how sudden Scholar's demise

as though nothing had happened. But it was exactly that normalcy that unnerved Sunny

and throwing most of the firewood out, the young soldier put it

go. We need

what to say, Sunny gave him a

were only two

stupid, but

A strange feeling of melancholy descended on Sunny… somehow, he began to feel that the end of this nightmare, whatever it might

in silence for some time before

feel guilty about what happened. It's not your fault. The decision was

few steps ahead, so Sunny couldn't see

you knew this man's sins… actually, it's better that you don't. Just trust me when I say that killing him was an act

which one of us

maintain an

an answer,

like to talk, do you? Well, fair enough. Silence

didn't speak again after that, each preoccupied with

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