Beast Blood

Chapter 5: Countermeasures

I jumped onto my bed when I returned to my room, ruminating over today's events, especially when I lost consciousness and ended up being chased around by those people.

An urge came over me to take out the stone, examining it carefully. What exactly did my mother go through, and who was my father? Where did this stone come from? Could this have anything to do with my father?

Unknowingly, while I was lost in thought, I fell asleep. In my dreams, I saw my mother. I saw the beautiful and gentle her, stroking my head with loving care.

I wanted to ask about my father, but I did not want to destroy this beautiful scene.

Forget it... So what if I did not have a father? I still had many people who loved me. I decided that I was going to work hard to get stronger, I had to get my mother out of there.

This dream lasted for a very long time, and it was not until my aunt knocked on the door that I woke up. When I opened my eyes, it was already morning. My aunt told me that my uncle and my grandfather had asked me to come see them in the living room.

I froze for a moment. Even though there was some progress in my relationship with my uncle yesterday, I truly feared and hated this grandfather of mine.

He was a stubborn old man with a violent temper. He was also a brave and strong knight general, now retired and holding a post in the city. Everyone in the family feared him, and I was no exception. He never cared about me, and he was also the reason that I was unable to see my mother.

In his eyes, it was like my mother had committed a grievous crime. After that, no one dared to bring her up in front of him. Just the slightest mention of her would send him into a fit of rage.

That was why I both feared and hated him. I guess they must be looking for me because of what happened during the day. I got out of bed and washed up, then, looking at the mirror, I was unsurprised to find that my injuries had healed considerably. After all, my body was different from other people's.

This man rarely paid me any attention, so it was easy enough to see how severe the matter was if he needed to see me. I came to the living room and saw my grandfather sitting at the front, as well as my uncle who was at the side. My feet felt glued to the floor. Meanwhile, my grandmother and my aunt were looking worriedly at me.

With a displeased look on his face, my grandfather moved his oppressive gaze to me. I told myself I was not going to be a coward this time, so I returned his stare. Just like that, we looked at each other for more than a dozen seconds before my uncle came over to clear up the air.

My uncle told me that he had retold what happened this afternoon to the Lord Mayor, who came up with an idea after much thought. That was to send me away from here, all the way to the city of Rowe so that I could study in Rowe Academy. Fortunately, there was still one registration slot left for our city. Not only could we avoid the deputy mayor, my uncle also hoped that I could learn something. He could tell that I had extraordinary talent, and he did not want me to ruin my potential here.

At the side, my grandfather said nothing more than a grunt when he heard my uncle's words. On the other hand, it was my grandmother and my aunt who were worried about me. After all, I was still young and had never strayed far from home.

My grandmother asked my uncle whether there were any other options, but my uncle shook his head. He told her that this was the safest plan that he and the Lord Mayor could come up with. And, these plans were only made with my safety in mind. If the situation were to go out of control, then there was a good possibility that only my death could quell the ire of the people.

I did not think there was anything bad about this idea. I had grown up here, and everyone around knew about my identity. Changing to a new environment was like a fresh start. As long as I could keep my instincts under wraps and not lose myself like I did yesterday, I was sure no one would find out. That way, I might be able to breathe easy for once.

I quickly agreed with my uncle's plans, but under one condition. I wanted to see my mother before I left.

When I named my condition, everyone turned silent for a few minutes. I had forgotten how long it had been since someone last mentioned my mother in front of my grandfather. Sure enough, it did not take long for him to fly into a rage. He pointed his finger at my nose and chastised me, saying that I did not know what was good for me, that I had no right to see my mother. He even said that I was a burden to her, and it was all my fault that my mother was in the state she was in today.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists, silent. At the side, my uncle could stand this sight no longer and tried to calm my grandfather down.

"Dad, Leon's a grown boy now. He's just an innocent child, how could you blame him for that? If anything, his father should take that responsibility. If not for him..."

"Enough! Not another word from any of you. You want to see your mother? Over my dead body!"

After saying that, he stormed out of the house. Standing in place, I gritted my teeth so as to stop my tears from falling. I felt crushed inside. I just wanted to see my mother. Was that really such a big sin?

When he saw my appearance, my uncle came over and patted my shoulder. Whispering, he told me to pack my things, and that he would find a way to let me see my mother before I left.

When I got his assurance, all my sadness was shoved to the back of my mind. My thoughts were now filled with the excitement of seeing my mother again. I had been waiting for this day for ages, and I had always fantasized about seeing her again.