Chapter 137: A Blink of an Eye I

"Ahhh, so peaceful~"

Regis stretched lazily as he enjoyed the view in the mansion’s backyard garden.

The garden was composed of beautiful and colorful flowers that were surrounded by vibrant greeneries.

He was at peace just by looking at them, feeling as if nothing in the world matters.

"It’s hard to believe that it has already been a year..." Regis muttered under his breath, looking over to the horizon where the silhouettes of a mountain range were present.

A year has already passed since their visit to the municipal hall of the fortress.

He, Pandora, and Killan, had also experienced rapid growth due to the countless adventures that they had gone through.

Currently, they had just finished a quest about three days ago, so they were taking the time to relax themselves.

"Speaking of growth..."

Regis muttered as he looked at his hands which had some scars on it.

He was now 11 years old.

His figure was now taller than before while his snow white hair already fell past his shoulders.

The blood-red eyes that were the subject of others’ discrimination in the past, now had a deeper feeling to it.

Of course, his stature was still that of a child since he’s still young after all.

However, his experiences throughout the year made him a little more mature than he was back then.

Regis leaned slightly over the railings of the balcony as he relished in the cool morning breeze.

As he did so, memories of the past played in his mind like that of a movie reel.

It started with his earliest memory of scurrying to find ways to survive in the unkind world of the slums.

The memories of him having to steal the sliced pieces of bread that had a little mold in it in order to satiate his hunger.

The memories of him being kicked around by adults and being bullied by other kids his age because of his blood red eyes.

The countless times that he had been called a Devil’s Spawn due to something he had no control over.

The world had been very unfair towards him since his birth.

Of course, although a majority of his past was full of dread and adversary, there were also times that he was glad to have experienced.

It was also the first happy memory that he had in his mind: the day he found a book.

The slums weren’t just filled with treacherous thieves and robbers– not all the people in the slums were scums.

There had also been hard working families who did their best to get out of that world.

Food, money, and other material objects weren’t the only things that were being smuggled in the slums.

There was another thing that many of the people in the slums wanted: knowledge.

In other words, books.

People who were struggling with everything they had for a better future.

Families who were desperate in giving their children something that they weren’t able to achieve in their time.

They were the ones who used everything in their power to make their goals come true.

Regis could still still vividly remember that fateful night as a subtle emotion spread across his eyes.

It was a night like any other: where thievery and other kinds of crimes run rampant across the slums.

However, it was also the time he saw an old man discreetly pulling a cart in the alleys.

A mountain of garbage seemed to be in the cart, but Regis knew that it was a common practice of smugglers.

Therefore, hoping to somehow benefit from this encounter, he decided to follow him.

However, it had only been a few minutes when a group of men covered in tattoos discovered the old man.

They threatened him into giving the cart to them, but the old man didn’t give in.

It was only after the tattooed men had beaten him in a half-dead state that they forcefully rummaged the cart and found a chest.

Unfortunately, it seemed to not be what they had expected as disappointment soon spread across their faces.

The old man weakly protested how those books were for his granddaughter.

However, this only turned the men’s disappointment into rage as they used the worn out books to beat the old man to death.

It was then that the old man saw Regis and asked him for a favor to deliver the books to his granddaughter in his stead.

Of course, Regis wasn’t some lucky main character of a story.

Therefore, he was not able to fulfill the old man’s wishes in the end. Not that he had any plans to do so.

After all, as a child born in the slums, he knew better than to be blindly kind to strangers.

The world of the slums raised him to be someone who was indifferent to others’ misfortunes.

That was right. He didn’t become an edge lord nor someone who overly hates the world.

He was simply a human like many of us today.

A simple human who will choose to ignore those who were in need rather than help them.

’Though it isn’t really a happy memory...’

Regis felt a little awkward when he remembered that his supposed "not so bad memory" started because of the death of an innocent old man.

In the next second, as he remembered the time he opened his very first book, a small smile appeared on his face.

It was memorable since that night was the first time in his life that the world of fairytales unfolded before his eyes.

’I couldn’t even understand a single word back then...’

That was right. The words in the book seemed like scribbles in his eyes to the point that he even felt a little dizzy.

"Thinking back then, it’s quite amazing that I was able to learn how to read on my own, huh?"

Regis muttered to himself, feeling a little proud of what he had achieved.

Learning how to talk was relatively easier as he was exposed to the loud chatter of the people in the slums from the moment he was born.

With this, it could be said that learning how to read was a different matter altogether.

However, how was he able to achieve it?

It was something quite simple but needed perseverance and hardwork.

Regis reminisced on how he first tried learning how to read with a smile on his face in a special place in the slums.

It was none other than the flea market.

The flea market was a place where all kinds of goods were sold.

From clothes that seemed to already have been tenhand, fruits that were already rotting in some parts, bread that had mold, and meat that was already emitting a light pungent smell.

Regis learned how to read through the most rigorous ways: learning to read signs by listening to how people read it.

He would first observe the signs and memorize the letters and numbers on it.

Then, he would wait until someone becomes interested in the goods and start bargaining with the vendor.

From there, he learned to read little by little.

It started with learning how to read and write the names of fruits, parts of meat, and so on.

Through this process, he also learned how to count both verbally and written form.

Even with his talent, he only learned how to read and write simple phrases after a few weeks.

However, it was also the time where he saw a little girl who was crying over the corpse of an old man by chance.

The girl had both of her parents with her as they wept sorrowfully.

During that time, the first thing that Regis noticed was the familiar corpse of the old man.

Although the corpse had already gone through rigor mortis, he could still recognize him.

It was none other than the old man who he took his books from.

The second thing that Regis noticed was the little girl’s shell pink hair that fell just right above her shoulders.

It was his first fateful meeting with Dahlia.

At that moment, for the first time in his life, Regis felt guilty.

Of course, it was not like he was the one who killed the old man, but he still remembered the favor that he asked of him.

Thus, after a few minutes of thinking, he approached them and told them the old man’s last words.

Contrary to his expectation, he was welcomed by the family instead of being hated.

Regis smiled as he remembered how that simple decision back then changed his life altogether.

He often played with Dahlia and her parents were also welcoming of him.

It was at that point in time where he swore to himself that he would do his best in order to be of help to her and her family.

"Brother."

Before he could reminisce any longer, Regis heard a familiar voice beside him.

"Oh, since when have you been here, Pandora?"

"I just arrived. By the way, what are you thinking so deeply about?"

"Boss!!! Pandora!!!"

’Ugh, it seems like my quiet alone time is finished now...’ Regis helplessly smiled.

Killian’s shout could be heard from the hallway as he entered the room and arrived on the balcony in seconds.

Holding a piece of envelope in his hands, Killian exclaimed with a smile, "We did it!!!"