144 – Ivan's Numb Journey

“Liszt.” Continued Frank, “The baron of the Flower Town, the third child of Sir Count. Sulli, you must still have an impression of him. After all, when you were little, you always played together.”

“Liszt? Of course I remember him.” Sulli blinked her eyes and hazily recalled a slightly childish, handsome face.

Liszt looked very handsome from a young age.

However, it had been already a few years since she left the Coral Island to study in the Ox Horn College.

Due to the inconvenience of transportation, she didn't even return for the New Year Festival. The impression she had of Liszt gradually turned faint. At the time, she had yet to develop the interest for the opposite s.e.x, so it was natural for her not to clearly remember a buddy of hers.

“What do you think of Liszt?” Asked Frank.

Sulli shook her head, “Father, the last time I saw Liszt he was only a 12-year-old child. Now that he's an adult, I don't know what has become of him.”

“That's true. I should find an opportunity for you to meet.”

Frank's wife asked at this moment: “Liszt doesn't seem to be valued by Sir Count, and his fief is the most remote Flower Town.”

“Liszt indeed isn't valued by Sir Count. By relying on himself, Sir Count forged ahead dauntlessly and established the Coral Island line. He hopes that his children can also forge ahead bravely.” Frank continued, “Anyway, he's of the Tulip Family bloodline. He was enfeoffed when he came of age, that's not a treatment that aristocratic non-heir sons can enjoy.”

“Sir Count is an affectionate and conscientious father, he even conferred Lvera the t.i.tle of baron.” Said the wife enviously.

Lvera was very influential from among aristocratic ladies on the Coral Island, as hereditary peer dames were rare in the Sapphire Grand Duchy.

“Sir Count didn't value Liszt not because he was untalented, but because of his weak character. However, from the recent contact I had with him, it seems that Liszt turned a new leaf. He's tranquil, dignified, and increasingly mature. Sir Count even went to the Flower Town to celebrate the Going-out-to-the-sea Festival, which is a sign.”

“What sign?”

“Of course it is the sign that the son has regained his father's trust. Sir Count is still in his prime, so he naturally wishes to work with his sons and gain more glory of knights.”

“Yes, but unlike Levis, he didn't go to the battlefield.”

“It's just a matter of time. After all, he has the Tulip Family bloodline and Longtaro Family bloodline.” Frank felt like his wife was as narrow minded as a countryside lesser aristocrat, so he just told his daughter, “Sulli, Liszt is already making preparations for his own knight squad. He purchased a batch of knight squad equipment from the Tulip Castle.”

No unsubstantiated praise was convincing.

A countryside lord with a knight squad was naturally unusual.

Sulli's eyes lit up: “Father, mother, when can I see Liszt. I'll make my own judgment.”

“Our Sully is smart and beautiful, and naturally can make her own judgement. Father will soon find you a chance.”

……

His footsteps staggered and he was tired and hungry. Ivan wiped the sweat from his forehead and, with his numb eyes, looked at the people beside him who similarly had numb eyes. Their clothes were dirty and smelly, the hair was in a mess, and the dust on their faces could not hide the pale and sallow complexions. In the procession, you could not tell men, women, old, and young apart. Even the cries of babies were weak.

“Hurry up. If you don't want to be whipped, then put snap to it and keep up with the procession!” A clerk holding a whip shouted loudly.

Occasionally, whips would be flung into the air and make crackling sounds.

Ivan was jolted, then his murky head immediately cleared up and his heavy footsteps could not help but to accelerate a little. Just now, someone next to him was whipped by a clerk. Their clothes were torn and they cried in pain.

“Wapus.h.!.+” Sounded another lash of the whip.

Ivan lowered his head and gritted his teeth to make himself go faster. He was very afraid of whips. When he was on the boat, a person, who came from the same town as he did, who slept in the same corner as he did was whipped to death by the first mate of the boat. The wailing before death left him with nightmares for quite a few days.

He had nightmares in his dreams and reality was also a nightmare.

He missed the days of hard work on the island. Even though they could not eat their fill, and serfs who could not pay the taxes would be whipped by Knights. However, most of the time, he could move about freely and chat with others. He could even go into the town and have a look at the beautiful landlady of the bakery.

One day, however, everything changed.

He heard the sounds of Knights yelling and killing, and then, a group of blood-stained Knights came to his village and drove them away. Those who didn't want to go were killed, those who didn't want to be killed could only follow them. It was on that day that he left his homeland and the b.u.mpy nightmare began.

He was taken to a market where serfs like himself were sold.

He was kept in a cage, and had a little bit of rancid black bread to eat. His life was a blur. Serfs were being taken away and brought in.

Then he was also taken away.

He followed a group of strangers to board a s.h.i.+p. He couldn't understand the people aboard and dared not speak to others. Unexpectedly, there was someone aboard who knew him. They were from the same town.

“Sapphire people!” Told him his companion.

He instantly thought of the legend of the ‘barbarians'. Each year, barbarians from the sea would come to the Eagle Kingdom to burn, kill, and pillage. They were from the Sapphire Grand Duchy that lied in the sea.

“This is a s.h.i.+p of the Sapphire people! We were sold to the barbarians! We were caught by mercenaries, who are more abominable than rats!” The companion continued resentfully, “I swear! Someday, I will go back, find these mercenaries, and kill them all!”

Ivan was silent, he was frightened by the words of his companion.

He started farming since he was little. He hadn't even so much as killed a chicken, as there were no chickens in his household. It was aristocrats who always killed serfs, yet serfs didn't dare to kill anyone.

Unfortunately, soon after making his vow, his companion was flogged to death.

Ivan, who had no one to talk to, kept having nightmares, from which he couldn't wake up from. He had never been on a s.h.i.+p, so the seasickness nearly killed him. A few days later, he finally set foot on land. He arrived at an unfamiliar place, where he couldn't understand anyone.

He didn't know where he was going to be driven to.

Tomorrow was an uncertainty. He didn't know what he was persisting for or even if there was something to persistence for. Just like this, with the whip driving the way, he walked without think about death nor knowing what joy there was to life. His legs turned numb from all the walking.

He heard the clerks wave the whip again and shout something.

He didn't understand what was said, but the procession stopped gradually. Since others stopped, he also stopped, and could finally rest his legs for a moment.

Seeing that others started sitting down, he also sat down.

n.o.body spoke. On the s.h.i.+p, they were forbidden from communicating, so now they were accustomed to silence. Ivan raised his head and his gaze fell on a female serf, who was preparing to breastfeed her baby, not far away. She lifted her ragged clothing, revealed a wizened breast, and stuffed it into the baby's mouth.

The baby sucked hard. However, whether it could get any milk was unknown.

In the past, Ivan would have swallowed and peeped greedily at the woman's chest, as he was still young and had never touched a woman's hand, let alone the bulging chest.

But at the moment, the chest held no attraction over him, and he had no mind to think about it. He was so hungry that his intestines were about to stick together.

The sun reached the zenith. It was noon.