Just as Rigo and the boy prepared to resume their battle, a sharp clap suddenly echoed across the silent courtyard.
It was followed by a burst of laughter.
The Emperor, who had been watching the duel with great interest from his throne inside the carriage, now rose and stepped down to the edge of the carriage stairs. His usually cold face looked more animated now, his eyes shining with fascination.
“Magnificent!” the Emperor exclaimed loudly. “I have never seen courage like this from a child your age—nor skill so remarkable.”
He glanced toward Rigo and raised a hand.
“Rigo. That’s enough. I want to speak with this boy.”
Though surprised by the sudden order, Rigo lowered her sword.
A faint sense of relief flickered deep within her empty gaze, though her expression remained perfectly emotionless.
The boy also lowered his blade cautiously. His breathing was ragged, but the determination in his eyes had not faded. Sweat streamed down his forehead, and his body clearly showed signs of exhaustion, yet he stood upright without retreating.
The Emperor stepped down from his carriage and approached the boy with arrogant curiosity.
His eyes studied the child from head to toe, as though inspecting a fascinating new possession.
“Child,” the Emperor said calmly, “what is your name?”
The boy looked at him carefully.
“My name is Leon, Your Majesty,” he replied, his voice steady despite the hoarseness of fatigue.
The Emperor smiled broadly, an expression of delight rarely seen on his face.
“Leon… your skill is extraordinary. Far beyond what I expected. You possess remarkable potential—perhaps even the potential to surpass Rigo one day.”
He glanced briefly at Rigo, who remained standing silently.
“I could offer you an opportunity,” the Emperor continued. “Serve me. Fight for the glory of the Empire.”
Before Leon could answer, Baron Albrecht stepped forward, forcing himself upright despite his injuries.
“Your Majesty, that is unacceptable!” the baron shouted, his voice trembling with defiance. “He is just a child—not a weapon of the Empire. I will not allow you to steal his future.”
The Emperor only smiled mockingly.
“Ah, Baron. Always clinging to your useless morality.”
“In this world, the weak must submit to the strong.”
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He looked back at Leon, his gaze growing sharper.
“And this child… he has strength that I require.”
“What do you want, Leon? Choose.”
“You can remain a useless child here… or you can become a powerful warrior beneath my banner.”
Leon hesitated.
For a moment, uncertainty crossed his face.
He turned to look at his father.
Baron Albrecht’s eyes were filled with tears—a helpless expression that hurt Leon more deeply than any wound from the battle.
Leon knew the truth.
He had no choice.
Slowly, he stepped forward and fell to his knees before the Emperor.
“Your Majesty,” he said firmly, though despair trembled beneath his voice, “I am willing to serve you… on one condition.”
The Emperor raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“A condition? And what would that be?”
Leon lifted his head.
His eyes burned with unwavering determination.
“I will serve you loyally… as long as you do not force my family to raise taxes that burden the people.”
“Let them live in peace, and I will become your most loyal weapon.”
Silence fell across the courtyard.
Even the remaining guards froze in shock at the boy’s boldness.
Baron Albrecht turned pale.
“Leon… no,” he whispered weakly.
But Leon did not turn toward him.
His gaze remained fixed on the Emperor.
If this is the only way to protect them, he thought, then I will do it.
The Emperor’s smile widened into a cruel grin.
“How admirable,” he said softly.
“What a noble sacrifice.”
“I am impressed, Leon.”
“Very well. I accept your condition.”
“From this moment on, you belong to me. You will become one of the Empire’s trained soldiers.”
“Your family will live in peace, and your people will no longer suffer under crushing taxes… as long as you remain loyal.”
Leon nodded slowly.
He struggled to keep the tears from falling.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” he said quietly.
Behind those words lay deep pain—but also a sincere determination to protect his family, even if it meant surrendering his own future.
Baron Albrecht collapsed to his knees.
Tears streamed down his face.
“Leon… forgive me,” he whispered.
Leon glanced back at him briefly and forced a small smile.
“Father… I did this for all of us.”
The Emperor turned back toward his carriage, clearly satisfied with the outcome.
“Rigo,” he said casually, glancing at his finest assassin, “you see? Even children can choose the correct path when given the chance.”
“Bring Leon with you. From now on, he belongs to the Empire.”
Rigo looked at the Emperor without emotion.
Then her gaze shifted to Leon, still kneeling on the ground.
For a moment, something faint flickered in her eyes.
A fragment of emotion she had not felt in many years.
A distant echo of the past whispering within her heart.
But she quickly buried it.
Rigo approached Leon.
“Stand,” she said coldly—though her voice carried the faintest trace of gentleness.
“We must leave.”
Leon rose, his body trembling but his eyes still filled with determination.
He turned one last time toward his family.
Especially his father, who looked like a man who had just lost everything.
“Goodbye, Father,” Leon said softly.
“Take care of Mother… and everyone else.”
Baron Albrecht could only watch his son through tear-filled eyes, unable to speak.
He knew the truth.
His son had just sacrificed his childhood and his freedom for the safety of his family and his people.
And it was a choice made by a child who had been forced to grow up far too soon.
The Emperor returned to his carriage, his face filled with cold satisfaction.
“Let us return,” he said calmly.
“Today, we did not only win a battle…”
“We claimed a future.”
The carriage began to move.
Rigo and Leon followed behind.
Leon stared forward, determination burning in his eyes even as tears blurred his vision.
Beside him, Rigo walked silently, her face empty as always.
Yet somewhere deep within her—
A quiet voice wondered about the boy’s courage.
A courage she herself had once possessed…
Before it was buried beneath the shadow of the Empire.
In the suffocating silence, a new path opened for Leon.
A dark path—
Yet one filled with the potential to change everything.
For himself.
And perhaps for the fate of the Empire itself.
