Chapter 124 The Value Of Life

"I don't see her, where is she?" Marie tugged on the staff members pants and asked with teary eyes.

The staff member that had been looking after her was an older gentlemen wearing a suit. He seemed genuinely distressed over her reaction to not seeing her mother.

He understood that if she hadn't come out of the carriage that it meant she had not been one of the survivors. He knelt down beside her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry little one but I think you mother has passed on... Come on, let's go back inside. I'll make you some nice warm tea and prepare you some desserts." The butler tried his best to speak in a soft and compassionate manner but no matter what he did he knew there was no stopping the pain that the child would feel.

It would be expected of a child to cry uncontrollably in this situation but Marie managed to restrain herself somewhat. Her cries were soft and although the tears were streaming down her face constantly, she did not shout or scream.

Leo's group had all seen Marie and each of them felt horrible. They had done their best to save everyone and didn't blame themselves in any way, but they could still empathize with her.

Nila walked up to the butler and Marie "The tea and dessert sound like they would be appreciated." She bent down and picked Marie up, allowing her to lean on her shoulder as the three of them went inside.

General Zogarth walked over and stood next to Leo. The two of them watched as the majority of people who had come to get their family members were forced to confront their grief.

"It's always hard to tell a family of their loved ones death. As the man in charge, it's my duty to tell the family of fallen soldiers what happened. Often I get blamed for allowing that soldier to die, other times they blame themselves for allowing them to join the military in the first place."

"Some might think that if we didn't lose anyone, it means there's a reason to celebrate after battle. I could never join in on the celebrations. No matter who we are fighting, no matter why we are fighting them, I can't help but think of the people that will mourn because I killed their son, father, brother..."

" Why are you telling me all of this." Leo asked.

" Because I want you to understand the nature of your actions. You, along with all ability users, are improving at incredible speeds. The day may come where your power is so great that no kingdom can stop you. The only way to defeat an ability may be with another ability."

"If a time like that comes, and you hold that power, I just want you to remember these people. Think of them before you take a life, before you fight a battle. Always question the reason you are fighting and strive to find a way to win without fighting when possible."

General Zogarth walked away without giving Leo a chance to reply.

'Do I really need to take on such a burden? I'll never kill without reason. Those who die because of me are people that deserve death, why should I concern myself with their families.' Leo thought with a contemplative tone.

'I think the General was trying to say that you can't judge whether somebody deserves to live or not. That when violence is necessary, you should still understand the value of the live you have taken.' Dreifus replied, matching Leo's contemplative tone.

'That's just it, Dreifus. I don't care about who deserves what in the eyes of others. If someone attempts to harm myself or those I care for, then they will have to deal with my judgment. If they wanted to live they wouldn't interfere in my life. To attack my loved ones is akin to accepting your own death. To me, their lives lose their value in that moment and I refuse to feel remorse.'

' What about helping others? I thought your goal was to save humanity.' Dreifus questioned, confused by Leo's contradictory words.

' I will always be on the side of humanity, doing what I can to help. I'm only saying that the people I care for take priority and that I won't accept anything less than death for targeting them.' Leo replied with a stern tone.

"Leo, it's time for us to go see the king and explain what's happened." Lieutenant Anders explained, gesturing towards the carriages.

"What about Nila, she went inside already." Clay asked while pointing towards the Zogarth Manor.

"Its alright, the rest of you are enough to convey the story accurately." Lieutenant Anders replied as he turned around and went into his own carriage.

Leo's group climbed into the carriage once again, all except Nila, and waited as it headed towards the castle.

"I wanted to ask earlier but I was too shocked to do it. Why are you keeping what happened to John a secret from the military?" Clay asked curiously.

"I didn't want them to brand him as an enemy. This way there will be some room to save him if the time ever came. Also, I didn't want them to realize our reason for disobeying orders was pointless." Leo replied with an even voice.

Clay leaned back and looked out the window, not saying anything further. The group sat in silence the rest of the way and finally arrived at the castle.

They exited the carriage and followed General Zogarth and Lieutenant Anders through the various hallways until the reached the doors to the throne room. Leo recognized the doors from when he was arrested and had to stand trial.

General Zogarth turned to Leo and his friends "I need you to listen to me carefully. No matter what happens, don't speak unless you are spoken to or otherwise given permission. Got it? "

Everyone nodded and General Zogarth seemed satisfied. He pushed the doors open and they entered the room.

The throne room was just as extravagant as the last time Leo had seen it, the only difference was that there weren't dozens of nobles watching them.

King Randall was sitting on his throne, wearing luxurious red clothes with golden trimmings as his golden crown shimmered from the light of the crystals set up along the walls.

Sir Thompson, the kings personal butler, was standing next to the throne wearing the same blue suit and red tie that he had on the last time.

General Zogarth stopped an appropriate distance from the throne and gave a small bow that Leo, his group and Lieutenant Anders all mimicked.

" You majesty, Ive come with an urgent report regarding the Cult of Umbra." General Zogarth said with a respectful tone.

"Go on." King Randal said, his voice stern and commanding.

"The young ones here with me are trainees at the academy for ability users. They had an encounter with the cult and I wish for them to relay their experience to you, your majesty." General Zogarth said.

"Alright then. If I remember correctly, your name is Leofalor." King Randal said while looking Leo in the eyes.

"That's correct, your majesty." Leo replied.

"Well then let's hear your story, Leofalor." King Randal said with a tone of intrigue.

Leo went on to explain everything that had happened since they left the city. He went over the events of Grove village and the king stated that he had already heard of these events and that it was suspected Leo's group was also present.

Leo proceeded to tell him about Marie and the village before continuing on to the events within the mountain. Leo once again left everything regarding John out of his story.

Another part that Leo has been leaving out is that the cult is trying to capture him. He believed the kingdom might prohibit his freedom or even kill him in an attempt to interrupt the cults plan.

"He turned humans in monster like creatures called Beasts. Do you know why the horde died while chasing you?" King Randal asked.

"I do not." Leo answered.

"hmmm... What are your thoughts about all this, General?"

"Your majesty, I believe we need to take more aggressive actions against the cult and prevent something like this from happening again. I think it's time to declare them as enemies of the kingdom and wipe them out." General Zogarth said with a stern yet still respectful tone.

"An all out war with the cult? ~Sigh~ Although I don't like it, it's what needs to be done. We will proceed with our preparations immediately." King Randal said, his voice conveying his dislike regarding the situation.

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"Thank you for your support, your majesty." General Zogarth said.

"Don't get too excited, General. I'm afraid there's another matter that needs to be discussed. The trainees in this room, as well as your daughter, ignored their orders and therefore committed a crime."

"I can't deny their accomplishments but neither can I ignore their crimes. So, is there anything you would like to say before I decide on a punishment?" King Randal said with a powerful tone.