675,

Cyclone immediately knelt down, ready to pull out the knife.

Once it was out, he’d have to perform emergency surgery right away.

Luckily, the little boy hadn’t pulled out the knife. His mother hadn’t died from blood loss.

But things still didn’t look good. Moving the injured woman by force could make her bleed even more, so Cyclone had no choice but to take things as they came and operate right there.

“Shier…”

Hearing his mother call his name, the little boy hurried over and took her hand.

“Mom, Sh-Shier brought a doctor!”

“All right, I’m going to pull the knife out. Little guy, step aside for now.”

Cyclone paid no mind to this touching moment. With every second counting, he had to finish the operation first.

Elyse set down the first-aid kit and helped pull the little boy away.

The next while was all about the operation.

Other than watching from the side, there was nothing Elyse could do to help.

With Hilmirya here, there was no need for help with the operation.

Having this time to spare, Elyse was able to take a closer look around.

The place wasn’t just run-down. There were signs of a fight, too.

From the shattered cups on the floor to the overturned tables and chairs, everything told of a small-scale fight that had taken place here.

Had thieves broken in?

Just as Elyse was wondering about it, the emergency operation was finished.

“The operation’s over, but your mother needs to rest for a few days, until the wound has fully healed.”

The little boy held his mother’s hand tightly. She’d just been anesthetized and still wasn’t awake.

Cyclone didn’t waste any time. He reached out and patted the little boy on the head.

“All right. While we wait for your mother to wake up, there’s another operation I need to do for you.”

With that, Cyclone began treating the little boy’s hands.

It wasn’t a major operation, so the little boy didn’t need anesthesia at all.

So Cyclone spoke as he worked.

“You’re pretty tough. Don’t your hands hurt?”

The little boy didn’t answer Cyclone’s question. He just lowered his head and looked at his mother.

As he worked, Cyclone also asked a few questions, trying to find out what had happened.

But no matter how he asked, the little boy wouldn’t answer.

It wasn’t until Elyse spoke that the little boy finally said something.

“Your name’s Shier, right?”

“Mm…”

When Shier finally spoke, Elyse and Cyclone exchanged a glance.

Cyclone gave a small nod, and Elyse understood.

“Shier, tell big sis—did some thieves break into your home?”

Shier just lowered his head and said nothing.

His hands were trembling.

Seeing Shier react that way, Elyse tried asking again.

“Don’t be afraid, Shier. There are a lot more guards on the streets now. If we report it, they’ll find the culprit soon.”

This time, Shier only spoke in a low voice.

“It’s no use. I told them last time, but they didn’t care about us.”

As far as Cyclone knew, the guards in Allen’s army wouldn’t have fallen so low.

And Shier had said “last time,” which meant this hadn’t happened just once.

At that, Cyclone came to a certain guess.

“Could the one who did this be… your dad?”

Cyclone hesitated before he could get the words out.

“…”

But the little boy chose to stay silent once again.

Even so, judging by his eyes and trembling hands, Cyclone felt he’d guessed right.

“So it seems your father was behind this. That must be why the guards didn’t deal with this kind of family matter right away…”

“That man isn’t my dad…”

As Cyclone spoke, the little boy answered in a low voice.

Cyclone stopped talking so he could hear what the boy was saying.

“That man… That man isn’t my dad!!”

When he finished, Shier burst into tears.

His loud sobs even woke his mother.

Looking weak, she gazed at her son.

She tried to reach out and comfort him, but the anesthesia from the operation kept her from moving her arm.

Seeing this, Elyse spoke up.

“Your mother’s awake.”

As she patted Shier on the back, she firmly turned him around.

Seeing his mother awake, the little boy cried even harder.