Chapter 48 – Bullet: Envy
A long journey.
Along the way, there were no incidents. Bullet simply followed Ross back to East Sea Cloud Island in silence.
The boy barely made a sound. Whatever Ross told him to do, he did without question. If no order came, he stood motionless—like a perfectly obedient tool.
Watching this, Ross felt a pang of guilt.
After all, though Bullet was nearly as tall as he was, in truth, he was just an eight-year-old child.
Ross had always been fond of children, and right now, he was painfully aware that his actions stood in direct conflict with his own conscience.
His heart ached, but when forced to choose between his family and an outsider—even an outsider who had endured a childhood of unspeakable suffering—he would still do what he must.
Child soldiers were among the most tragic figures in the world, even more pitiful than orphans.
"Not going to share your thoughts? Maybe say something about how amazing this is?"
As they descended onto Cloud Island, Ross looked back and teased Bullet, who followed silently behind him.
Bullet didn't answer right away. He hesitated, then gave a stiff nod.
"…It's amazing."
Sigh…
Ross sighed inwardly. He didn't press further and simply led Bullet into the city.
Trailing after Ross, Bullet quietly observed everything, feeling that something about this man was…odd.
He couldn't shake the sense that Ross didn't really want him to become a mere tool, no matter what he claimed. But there was undoubtedly some purpose behind why he'd brought him here.
All of it felt strange.
At eight years old, Bullet wasn't much of a thinker. Since birth, he'd been trained to see himself as an instrument. Most of the emotions that ordinary people took for granted had been dulled to almost nothing.
Almost—but not entirely.
He didn't understand what revenge was, nor did he know the meaning of hatred. Even those who had betrayed him—if he saw them dying on a battlefield, he would only stand and watch as life left them, nothing more.
Only the betrayal a few days ago had stirred a feeling in him so powerful he hadn't known what to call it—and before he could grasp it, Ross had appeared and interrupted everything.
It felt as though Ross had shown up at precisely the right moment.
He shook these thoughts from his mind and followed in silence, taking in the sights of the settlement around them.
They were walking through the residential district. Most of the buildings here had already been completed; only a few were still made of temporary cloud structures.
Everywhere he looked, people were hard at work. Most wore bright, genuine smiles, as if each day was a good one.
And it truly was. Since coming to Cloud Island, they'd received free housing and a five-year exemption from taxes.
They could fish, farm the nearby small cloud islands, and rely on regular supply distributions—more than enough to live in comfort.
Unless someone wanted to start a business, they could even afford two plentiful meals every single day—an unimaginable luxury for many.
Best of all, no one had to live in fear that everything they built would be destroyed overnight.
No pirates raiding their homes.
And their children could spend half the day studying in the central district. The kind-hearted Lord Nasdaq Ross had opened a free basic academy for everyone.
Whether it was lessons or physical training, there were teachers to guide them—and perhaps, in time, even help them secure well-paying work.
All this, and more, made it impossible for the residents not to be happy here.
Bullet's gaze became unfocused. He was so caught up in watching the scene that he nearly walked right into Ross without noticing.
Ross glanced back at the boy, saw the look of longing in his eyes, and didn't disturb him.
Instead, he kept walking ahead—just far enough to give Bullet space to take it all in.
As they continued deeper into the settlement, the two of them stepped into the central district.
Between the residential area and the central district was a stretch of open land, more than ten meters wide. Someday, a defensive wall might be built there.
Once inside, the first thing that met Bullet's eyes were the Nasdaq family members, each busy with their own tasks.
He watched as they greeted Ross with respect and warmth. Their expressions made it clear: in their eyes, Ross was someone of great importance.
Passing a large building, Bullet's gaze lingered for a couple of seconds before he mechanically followed Ross again.
Just then, he'd felt as if he were looking back at his own past—the days when he'd begun training at the age of three.
But the training here was utterly different from what he'd endured.
In the building, a man who seemed to be a teacher held a book and wrote unfamiliar words on a chalkboard, instructing children who sat cross-legged on the floor.
Some of them listened attentively. Others looked bored. A few were whispering and giggling together.
Every scene pierced Bullet's heart like a needle.
Why?
Why couldn't he have had this kind of life—learning, playing, making mistakes without fear of brutal punishment?
Instead of growing up under merciless drills where even a single misstep brought severe pain… Instead of being thrust onto a battlefield at the age of eight, where human lives meant nothing…
A surge of emotion welled up inside him, stirring something that had long been numb, rotten, and close to sinking forever—a thing once called Bullet.
But almost as soon as it awakened, it died away again.
Because he suddenly remembered what he was.
A tool.
"We're here."
Ross's voice snapped him back to awareness. Even in a daze, he stopped immediately, as if responding to a command.
It was just like all those times he'd been ordered to carry out missions he knew would kill him. He had gone without hesitation—not because of any conviction, but simply because he had been told to.
They were standing in front of an empty, uninhabited house.
Ross kept his tone neutral, as if this was nothing remarkable. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key.
"Someone will come soon to explain the rules and help you get settled. Starting tomorrow, I'll be training you myself. Be ready."
He issued the words like an order. Without waiting for a reply, he hung the key on the doorknob and turned to leave.
Bullet stood frozen in place.
Was this…meant to be his? A place for him to live?
He couldn't be sure. Since someone would be along to explain, he didn't touch the key or go inside. He simply stayed by the door, utterly still.
From a distance, Ross watched a moment longer. He made no move to correct or comfort him, then turned and walked away without another glance.
Time passed.
Several Nasdaq family members walked by, casting curious looks at the unfamiliar boy their lord had brought home.
A childish face, but already towering in height.
Though what struck them most was his strange behavior—standing blankly at the door, never going in. Was he deep in thought?
"Hey, you're weird," a little girl's voice called out suddenly.
Floating in the air, she appeared out of nowhere.
Even this didn't faze Bullet. He only looked at her calmly, then resumed his silent vigil.
"You really are weird!" she huffed. "I heard you're the one my dad brought back. So why are you just standing here?"
Seeing no reaction, she quickly lost interest.
"Hmph. Boring. I'm leaving."
Mona had only flown over to satisfy her curiosity about the newcomer her father had personally escorted here.
But now she was completely uninterested.
She just wanted to go back to the sea and play games with the cute Sea Kings.