Chapter 126: It Wasn't Me

Chapter 126: “It Wasn’t Me” (Two-in-One)

Yulia glanced at the heavy sack of gold coins resting on the table but shook her head, her face drawn and weary. In a low voice, she said, “I’m just a woman. I don’t need this much money.” She looked up at Shaya slowly and continued, “I appreciate your kindness. You were Kevin’s comrade, so don’t burden yourself with guilt. On the battlefield, the sword strikes without discrimination. He… it’s just that his fate was unfortunate. These things are destined by the heavens.”

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again.

Before Shaya could offer comfort, she quickly wiped them away herself. Rising from the bed, she put on her shoes but didn’t even glance at the gold on the table. Quietly, she said, “Please accept my thanks on Kevin’s behalf. You… you don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

Just as Shaya opened his mouth to reply, Dodoro suddenly appeared behind him and tugged at his sleeve. Summoning courage, the mage said, “In that case, Master Shaya, you should put the money away.”

Shaya’s anger flared as he glared at Dodoro, ready to scold him. But Dodoro quickly gave him a meaningful look and whispered, “Master, you’ve brought out over three hundred gold coins. Even for an average family of three, that’s a huge fortune. If you hand such a large sum to Lady Yulia, a lone widow, aren’t you worried it might bring unforeseen trouble? What if someone covets it and schemes against her? It could bring disaster instead.”

Dodoro’s words immediately struck a chord with Shaya. He slapped his forehead. “Ah! I hadn’t thought of that!”

A woman alone, suddenly receiving such wealth, might indeed attract ill intentions and cause her harm.

Shaya looked at Dodoro with newfound respect. “You’re quite clever after all. Very good!” He patted Dodoro’s shoulder hard twice, making the mage stoop slightly, nearly in pain. Dodoro forced a smile.

Shaya pondered for a moment, then stood and waved his hand decisively. “Soit! Take two guards and pack up!”

“Huh?” Soit was momentarily stunned.

“Pack up! Lady Yulia can’t live here alone anymore! Since I said I’d take care of her, I can’t just abandon her here. Pack up and move her!”

Soit’s usually wooden face lit up with a hint of joy, and he hurried outside to call the waiting guards.

Yulia’s expression changed. She was about to speak, but Shaya waved her off and stepped forward, helping her sit down. His tone was serious. “Yulia, I know you are a strong woman—Rodrian women are tough. I understand you don’t want to trouble us, and that you’re proud and independent. But please, think carefully before refusing my offer.”

He paused, a sincere smile breaking through his rough features. “Kevin was my good brother. Think about it—if he died and you refused my help, wouldn’t I be restless every day with a guilty conscience? I’d lose sleep every night. Even if it’s just to ease my own heart, please accept my kindness.”

Yulia hesitated and shook her head. “Sir… ah, Mr. Shaya…”

“No, please call me Shaya. I’m Kevin’s brother. No need for formalities.”

“Alright, Shaya.” Yulia gave a bitter smile and whispered, “I know Kevin was in the Guard Battalion, and though the brothers there earned slightly higher pay, it’s still limited. If you take care of me, I worry it might be a burden on you…”

Shaya laughed heartily, pointing to the sack of gold on the table, saying nothing.

Yulia immediately understood: with that much gold, decades of food and clothing were secured. What was there to fear? But her proud nature resisted accepting favors and she still wanted to refuse. Then Shaya spoke seriously, “You’re pregnant. Carrying Kevin’s only bloodline. If I left you alone in hardship, I’d fear something might happen. With me looking after you, life would be easier. You wouldn’t have to bear heavy chores and burdens. You’re not just living for yourself anymore—you need to think about the child inside you. I know you’re capable and can support yourself, but what if the work harms the baby? Even if you endure, once the child is born, you’ll have an extra mouth to feed. Children need clothes and food, which is a constant expense. When the child grows up, to succeed, they’ll need a good start in life. You…” Shaya hesitated, then added firmly, “You wouldn’t want your child to grow up in this slum, would you? With me caring for you, I have some wealth, and I’ve earned honors in this war. I will get a good military post and can take good care of the child, ensuring they get an education and a good future.”

Shaya had found the perfect angle—using the child as a reason. Yulia wavered and gradually softened, though her pride made her reluctant to accept help, especially from Shaya, feeling guilty about troubling him.

Ignoring these hesitations, Shaya hurried his men to pack. The guards lent by Luer were all soldiers, and seeing Shaya’s care for his fallen comrade’s widow, they worked especially hard. By the time Yulia tried to speak, Soit had nearly finished moving her belongings and had even rented a carriage from the street.

“Very well,” Yulia sighed, unable to refuse. “But if it’s like this, Kevin will surely scold me after I’m gone…”

As she packed, she struggled. This was her and Kevin’s home, full of years of memories. She hesitated, picking up one item after another, unwilling to discard them, leaving Shaya slightly helpless.

“Um… Yulia, since you’re not selling the house, you can always come back whenever you want or stay a few days. Your things will be safe here.”

They worked for hours; dusk was falling when everything was loaded onto the carriage. Yulia sat inside, surrounded by a group of mounted guards, leaving her old home with Shaya.

On the ride back, Shaya glanced back at the carriage with Yulia inside and breathed a sigh of relief. A great task was done. He silently vowed to take good care of the bald man’s widow and the child she carried. No matter what, he would ensure the child grew up successful and free from worries.

Thinking this, he called over Dodoro, who had become much more skilled at riding. The mage rode up beside Shaya as they went side by side. Shaya smiled. “You did well today. You deserve a reward. What do you want?”

Dodoro chuckled but then looked troubled. “Master, may I ask you a favor?”

“Speak!”

Dodoro whispered, “Back in Yanjing, I owed debts and had to leave. I left some trouble behind at the Mage’s Guild within the church, and my status as a mage is in jeopardy. I want to borrow some money from you to repay my debts and restore my reputation…”

Shaya smiled. “You really value your mage status that much?”

Having spent time with him, Shaya believed Dodoro was truly a mage, not just a trickster. But he added, “Being a rank-one mage isn’t that great. Now that you’re with me, I’ll find you a future in the army. You have that life magic now—work hard, and maybe you can become an officer.”

“No!” Dodoro’s face darkened as he shook his head firmly. “I am a mage!”

Shaya saw the determination and resolve in the man’s eyes, so unlike his usual lazy demeanor, and nodded silently without pressing further.

(Perhaps, even the lowliest among us harbor a steadfast conviction in their hearts.)

***

Back home, Shaya settled Yulia in a small house lent by Luer, giving her his master bedroom. That night, Shaya slept on a small bed in a room adjacent to Dodoro and Soit. With Luer’s guards protecting them, the usual disturbances ceased, allowing Shaya some peace. He thought that if he could endure a few more days until receiving military commendations, a new post, and an imperial title, none of these troubles would trouble him again.

That night, alone in his room, Shaya finally took out the wooden box gifted by Kavishil and carefully examined the heavy stone inside. The stone’s shape and size felt eerily familiar. After pondering a while, something clicked in his mind.

He jumped out of bed and grabbed the fire fork on the table.

The fire fork’s handle had a hollowed circular ring at its end, not regular in shape. For years, Shaya had thought it crude workmanship, simply a place to hang a rope for storage.

Holding the stone in one hand and the fire fork in the other, Shaya increasingly felt that the stone’s shape matched the hollow at the handle’s end. After some thought, he cautiously inserted the stone into the ring.

With a click, the stone fit perfectly—no gaps at all! Shaya’s heart leapt.

But a question arose: this fork had been a treasure from the old man, and the stone fit so perfectly, meaning they were originally one piece. So how did the stone come to be in Kavishil’s possession?

Kavishil was an important figure in Yanjing, reputed to be the emperor's most trusted man. Could it be that Kavishil had some connection with the old man?

With these questions swirling, Shaya moved the fork around. The stone was firmly embedded in the handle, its irregular edges locking it in place as if in a slot. No matter how he swung or twisted, the stone wouldn’t fall out.

He casually sliced the corner of a table in the room with the fork. The blade was incredibly sharp, and the table corner silently shed a piece with a perfectly smooth cut.

Yet, with the stone embedded, the fork seemed unchanged. Shaya frowned and closed his eyes, concentrating. When he opened them, a faint red glow flickered in his eyes. The crimson killing aura was summoned and extended into the fire fork. Suddenly, something strange happened.

The stone at the fork’s end emitted a faint red light, barely visible unless you looked closely.

Then Shaya felt a tremendous suction force from the handle, pulling in the crimson aura he had just released. The force was so strong that before he could react, all the killing aura was sucked dry! The fork suddenly felt ten times heavier, making it hard for him to hold.

The intense suction continued. His vision darkened; the aura was completely drained. He struggled to breathe and felt an exhaustion like when unleashing the “Dragon Thorn” technique. Alarmed, he realized something was wrong: the fork held a violent power eager to burst forth, and if it couldn’t be released, disaster loomed.

Finally, he thrust the fork at the table.

Boom!

The sound seemed to explode inside his mind, ringing fiercely and causing dizziness. He collapsed to the floor with a thud, dropping the fork beside him.

Shaking his head, he looked up to see Soit completely stunned.

The table… the table was gone!

In the past, even if he used the killing aura to stab it, the table would at worst break cleanly in half or shatter. Now, it was reduced to a pile of grayish-white sawdust.

Pulverized—not just broken, but utterly destroyed!

Shaya scooped some of the wood dust; it slipped through his fingers like fine sand.

He was dumbfounded.

“What the hell is this power?!”

But soon, overwhelming fatigue hit him. It felt as though all his energy was drained in that strike. His eyes darkened; he collapsed and fell into a deep sleep.

What Shaya did not see as he lost consciousness was that where the fork had struck—the wall in front of the table—tiny cracks silently appeared and spread rapidly. Dust and debris fell like fine sand.

A circular hole appeared in the thick stone wall—a smooth, mirror-like opening without a single flaw, as if crafted by an expert artisan.

All this happened quietly. The thick stone wall was pierced and pulverized without a sound.

***

At dawn, Shaya stirred and sat up after sleeping on the floor all night. His limbs were cold and numb. He sneezed hard and shook out the stiffness, then noticed the basin-sized circular hole in the wall. Soit stared in amazement for a long time.

Looking closely, the hole aligned perfectly with the trail of wood dust on the floor, and Soit immediately understood.

He grabbed the fire fork, overwhelmed with shock and joy.

“What a treasure! What a treasure!”

Shaya was about to leap up but his body grew weak and his vision darkened again. Waves of exhaustion washed over him, as if he hadn’t slept for days.

Wait, hadn’t he just woken up?

He struggled to stand and sat at the bedside, already panting heavily after only moving a little.

Soit regained his composure and stared at the fork.

“This power is incredible! But… the energy it consumes is insane!”

He froze a moment and whispered, “Hey! Dora! Dora! Say something! What’s going on?!”

No reply came to his mind. Shaya shouted a few times but heard nothing.

Just then, Dodoro’s voice came from outside.

“Master, are you awake? I brought you some water to wash your face.”

The mage entered with a respectful smile but stopped short when he saw the hole in the wall.

“Huh?”

“What are you staring at?” Shaya glared. “I couldn’t sleep last night, so I bored a hole in the wall. What’s wrong with that?”

Dodoro shivered and quickly withdrew his gaze, placing a wooden basin below the hole.

Shaya breathed out. “Get a craftsman to fix this wall today…”

Dodoro said nothing but went to examine the hole. As soon as his hand touched the wall, a faint cracking sound echoed. Alarmed, he shouted, “Not good!”

Suddenly, boom!

Countless tiny cracks spread from the hole’s edge, rushing across the entire wall. With a deafening crash, the whole wall collapsed into rubble!

The house groaned as the adjacent walls and roof fell. Dust and debris flew everywhere, engulfing Shaya and Dodoro, coating them in gray dust like two earthen statues.

Inside, the furniture remained intact, but the house was destroyed, exposing them to the open air.

The commotion drew the others from the yard. They arrived to find Shaya sitting on a lone bed amid the rubble, Dodoro dumbfounded beside him, hand still on the wall, surrounded by debris.

Everyone was stunned.

Finally, Dodoro wailed, “Master! Lord Shaya… this… this really isn’t my fault! I just touched it!”

Shaya sat dazed on the bed, watching his house collapse, the wall crack, crumble, and fall—everything unfolding clearly before his eyes.

His shock turned to wild joy.

He struggled to his feet amid the ruins, looking around excitedly, and burst into loud laughter.

“Hahaha! It fell! It fell! Good! Very good! Hahaha!”

He laughed several more times, then, exhausted, collapsed backward and lost consciousness.

The guards nearby were baffled.

What was wrong with their lord? His house collapsed, yet he laughed like a madman.

As Shaya fainted, they rushed to carry him out. Only Dodoro sobbed, insisting, “It wasn’t me! It really wasn’t me…”

(To be continued)