Chapter Fifteen For Justice

  Lucien lay on the ground, his whole body aching as he gazed up at the not-so-scorching sun and the exceptionally clear blue sky, quietly breathing in the fresh air. The pain on his skin couldn't hide Lucien's inner turmoil, nor the sense of solidity and tenacity that came with having a true goal to strive for.

  Once Lucien made the decision to learn magic, he became more cautious and careful about his future, but it was as if he had put down a stone that had been pressing on his heart for a long time, and felt a kind of joyful relief.

  "This is indeed a strange, complex and abnormal mental activity." In just a few days, Lucien experienced more than he had in over twenty years. He seemed to have matured overnight, burying his anger and helplessness from earlier deep within his heart. With a self-mocking smile, "Perhaps, from the very beginning, I've been yearning to learn magic, grasp extraordinary powers, and gain a better life and higher status. These past few days' events were just helping me make up my mind."

  Alyssa ran over to Lucien and helped him up: "Little Evans, are you okay?"

  Lucien tried to move his hands, feet and body, gritting his teeth in pain: "It's okay, Aunt Elisa, they didn't mean to kill me, just some minor injuries."

  Elisa finally put her mind at ease, cursing, "Those damned scoundrels, those rascals who disregard the law, will definitely be hanged, will definitely go to hell."

  Cursing Aaron's gang, Elisa helped Lucien sit down in her own home, washing the blood from his face with clear water and using clean linen to stop the bleeding.

  After all this, Elisa finally put her hands on her hips and looked at Lucien, intending to ask what had happened. However, before she could ask, she suddenly thought of something else and said to Lucien with a pleading expression: "Today is Monday, Little John will be back in the afternoon, you must not tell him about this matter. You know Little Evans, he has an extraordinary fondness for chivalry and keeping promises, and you are his good friend. If he finds out, he may go to find trouble with Aaron's gang, and if things get out of hand, who knows, maybe even Lord Vain will expel him."

  As a poor person, Elisa was accustomed to putting herself in a vulnerable position.

  "Of course, I didn't make a big deal out of it and hide it from John, huh." Lucien, although currently powerless, believed that he would eventually be able to clear his name and let the gang get their just deserts, so he smiled carelessly, the corners of his mouth twitching open.

  Aunt Elisa nodded with tears in her eyes: "Little Ivan, you're really great."

  "What are you planning to keep from me?" Suddenly, John's magnetic voice sounded, and he was still wearing a gray knight uniform, standing at the door without knowing when.

  "Aunt Elisa said flustered: 'Nothing, nothing at all. Little John, you're back early?'"

  John strode into the house with his long legs, wryly smiling: "His Highness the Grand Duke summoned Sir Vien, so I followed him back to Alto. Mother, don't tell such clumsy lies. I'm a grown man and an official knight attendant. I've learned and experienced many things following Sir Vien. I'm no longer the naive little kid I used to be. Don't worry that I'll act rashly."

  Turning to Elisa, John smiled at Lucien with a calm and gentle attitude, patted his hands twice, and said: "You look worse than when we were beaten together before. Alright, tell me what happened. Hmm, I think many neighbors outside should have seen what just happened."

  Lucien turned to look at Aunt Elisa, saw her nodding dejectedly, and then told the whole story from start to finish. At this time, Lucien felt a kind of oppressive force on John that only Gari, Koreya and others had given him before.

  Upon hearing that, John's face turned angry but he didn't lose his composure and soon calmed down, chuckling: "Looks like Lucien you really want to learn about texts. And your brain is indeed the best among us, able to think of finding valuable trash."

  Seeing John didn't go to find trouble with Aaron's gang in a fit of rage, but instead went with chivalry spirit, Elisa let out a long sigh: "Little Evans, it's best that you have your own thoughts and efforts."

  John twisted his body, relaxed his shoulders, then walked a few steps to the kitchen, found a sturdy wooden stick like a long sword, and said to Lucien: "I didn't expect to use the wooden stick I used to practice with again."

  Then he turned around, "Mom, I'm going out for a bit."

  "Little John..." Eliza cried out in anguish, "you will be banished by Sir Vane if you continue like this."

  "Lucien hastily said: "John, it's nothing, I'm just a little hurt."

  "After becoming Sir Vane's formal attendant, he often taught us to abide by the knight's code, carry forward the knight spirit, fear no strong violence, protect the weak, guard the home, hold high the banner of justice and truth. Other companions may not care much, but I think this is the path I am willing to follow for a lifetime."

  "Lucien is my good friend, a humble and poor commoner. The Aaron gang are evil thugs and rascals. If I don't stand up for him, it would go against the principles in my heart. Even if Sir Vane doesn't expel me, this remorse will haunt my soul, making it impossible for me to muster the strength of blood within me. Moreover, I believe Sir Vane will approve of my actions."

  "But little John..." Aunt Eliza still didn't want John to leave, her face full of sorrow.

  John smiled gently, hugging Elisa: "Lucien was just beaten and robbed of some things, so I won't do anything excessive, I won't make a big deal out of it, mom, trust me, look, I'm just holding this wooden stick."

  Such comfort, and the convincing power of John's formal knighthood, finally won Elisa's agreement; she nodded reluctantly: "Little John, you must be careful."

  "That's careful of them. Lucien, wait for good news." John grasped the wooden stick, smiled confidently and was about to head out the door.

  "Wait." Lucien's voice suddenly rang out.

  John turned around strangely and looked at him: "What's wrong, Lucien."

  Lucien stood up, John's actions moved him, and it seemed that a hot blood was boiling in his heart. He smiled and said, "Together."

  Although Lucien's smile looked ridiculous due to the corner of his mouth being torn, John still saw Lucien's determination and didn't refuse, bursting into laughter: "No problem, just like when we were kids, huh, there's also a wooden stick in the kitchen."

  Lucien picked up the wooden stick and held it in his hand, and when he passed by Aunt Elisa, he whispered a comforting sentence: "I'll take care of John, don't worry."

  …………

  It wasn't long after Jackson and his men left that John and Lucien easily found out their whereabouts from the neighbors and passersby.

  As they walked closely behind, John suddenly spoke up: "Lucien, do you believe in justice?" His voice seemed a bit bewildered.

  "Uh-huh, believe me, what's up?" Lucien didn't know why John was asking this and habitually answered cautiously.

  John said as he rode, "I also believe in justice, but I understand that I am not as noble and fearless as I just said. If you weren't my good friend, I'm afraid I wouldn't have persisted in the spirit of chivalry and raised the banner of justice to deal with Aaron's gang. I would have gotten used to measuring my own strength, and once I found that there was a great possibility of threatening my life and future, I would have shrunk back and not dared to advance, unless it was a matter related to my family and friends. Perhaps, for me, justice is just a slogan."

  "I don't think so, every knight has something they prioritize to protect, some are fairness, some are loyalty, some are fearlessness, some are compassion, and you chose home. Only by choosing what to protect can we talk about justice, otherwise justice is a symbol that is empty, without any substantial content, and elusive."

  Lucien only then felt that John was still a bit green young man, just like himself, while flipping through a document in his mind that told the story of chivalry, organizing language to comfort him and intimidate him.

  After a few days of habituation, Lucien has become more and more skilled at opening the library and found that with his own thinking, he can easily find the materials he needs.

  John was still somewhat perplexed: "Really?"

  "Of course, if you have the power, there's a good chance of success. Would you be fearless in the face of violence, protect the weak and uphold justice?" Lucien asked back.

  John nodded firmly: "Will."

  "So, John, you're still a knight who upholds justice, but doing the impossible isn't justice, it's suicide or recklessness. What's needed now is to think of other ways and take different paths to achieve it, unless you've already run out of options." Lucien found himself quite suited to being a psychological counselor.

  John thought for a moment, seemed to put down something, and smiled: "Every time I asked Sir Vien this question, he always said that I had too few experiences, and it was impossible to understand the key by just thinking about it. Now it seems that these days have made you much more mature, Lucien, what you said makes a lot of sense, but I still yearn for true justice."

  "Sir Vien once told us the story of a legendary knight's longsword, which after being imbued with magical power, was unremarkable in appearance, without any dazzling glow, or display of colors indicative of magical power, nor were there precious stones or pearls inlaid, and even the hilt was made of ordinary wood, making it indistinguishable from the longswords worn by common soldiers, and thus not worthy of a second glance from most nobles and knights who thought themselves superior."

  "But its actual power was unexpectedly strong, especially when fighting against evil. However, what left the deepest impression on me were the words on this long sword: 'Justice is originally pale and weak compared to vanity and superficial power, but justice applies to every person, regardless of wealth or status, knowledge high or low. Whether in a farmer's field or an intense battlefield, justice is omnipresent.'"

  "This sentence has been echoing in my heart all along."

  "This long sword is called 'Pale Justice', unfortunately it disappeared with a powerful paladin in the Dark Mountains."

  John's face was filled with longing and slight excitement, confusion retreated to an invisible corner.

  Lucien saw him like this and joked: "Then our slogan for today is 'For Justice!'"

  "Haha, for justice!" John swung his wooden stick.

  The two of them burst out laughing, but Lucien silently thought to himself that he absolutely did not mean to say that there were no cavities.

  A few minutes later, the two saw Jackson walking down a wide street in the market district, with Andre and a dozen or so other gangsters still following him.

  P.S. This book will feature some impressive props and weapons from the games I've played as Easter eggs, of course, they will be modified to fit the setting of this book.