Past midnight.
"Agh–uh!"
Eli wrung his hands, sweating as he watched Chad haul the unconscious kidnapper to the cart.
Earlier, after freeing Eli in the dark oak forest, Chad had asked him if there was a carriage they could use. Eli mentioned his grandfather's wooden cart.
When he asked for the reason, Chad told him as he pointed to the two kidnappers on the ground.
'They have to go.'
He offered to help but Chad declined.
'Hey, you think I'm not even strong enough for this? You're underestimating me, you brat!'
He seemed offended.
However, Eli really thinks he should help.
"Hah!"
Chad heaved a sigh of relief after carrying the tall kidnapper to the cart. He wiped the sweat on his forehead when he felt a sting on his palm.
'Ah, shoot. It hurts like hell.'
The wounds on his palms still haven't healed, even though more than three hours had already passed. Chad couldn't help but frown. His body really is too weak and too fragile for its own good.
If it were him before, it would not even leave behind any sort of mark on his skin.
'Is it on the same level as humans?'
His regeneration and healing speed is probably on par with humans' now. He sighed.
"Mr. Chad, should we carry him together?"
Eli pointed at the chubby kidnapper still on the ground.
Chad gulped.
He barely managed to carry the tall but slimmer one on his own, but he was not so sure about the bigger one.
He scratched his head,
"Haa… forget it."
Chad lifted his right arm to the air and commanded the surrounding wind to carry the kidnapper. He did not care that the man was lifted with his head going down at all.
Eli's jaw dropped.
He thought he was just seeing things earlier when he saw the kidnappers and Mr. Chad fought, but other supernatural abilities really exist. He could not believe such a thing was possible. He had never heard of anyone who could do that.
'Is that magic? It must be, right?'
As someone who has not seen the outside world, Eli could only make anything supernatural as magic.
He hurried to Chad's side.
"Mr. Chad, that's magic, right? Then, is the mark you were talking about earlier also magic?"
The kidnapper landed on the carriage.
Chad scoffed at Eli's question.
"Magic? Well, I guess it can look like that."
He walked to the unconscious men and tore apart a small cut of their clothes.
Chad wrapped it around his wounded palms as he looked at Eli.
"Listen, kid. In this world, there are many kinds of powers. Sure, magic exists, but there also exists divine powers. For example, the marks on your eyes. They activate when you use your divine power."
"Divine power?"
Eli could not wrap his head around it.
Chad continued to explain,
"Yes. The divine mark gives you supernatural abilities, and your divine power fuels it. The more divine power you can gather, the more abilities of the mark you can use."
"B, but I don't know how to gather divine power."
"I figured. Your mark probably appeared on you before you could even walk. Even though it's a low-tier spell, you use it as naturally as breathing."
Chad tightened the cloth around his palm.
Eli tilted his head to the side.
"But if you can use your, uh, divine power to lift them, why did you not do it on the other man earlier?"
Chad flinched.
A bead of sweat formed on his forehead. He can't say it.
He can't possibly tell this kid that he wanted to test his strength but ended up regretting everything. His pride and his shoulder were both aching now.
He wanted to see how strong his current body is, but ended up getting embarrassed.
He changed the topic.
"Hey kid, what was your name again?"
"G, grandpa named me Eli."
"And how old are you this year?"
"I just turned 12."
Eli answered while looking at Chad's hands. Because the wrapped clothing is white, he could still see dots of blood appear.
'12 years old…'
Chad looked at Eli silently.
For human standards, his build is quite small. Was it from working hard? He should've been taller.
"These guys must have alerted their superior. You have to make a decision."
"A decision?"
Chad nodded,
"If you don't want this village to be in danger, you can no longer stay here."
Eli was stunned. He never realized it until now. Everything had happened way too fast. He did not even think about things like that.
Until now, he just thought he had this strange ability of being able to tell when people lie. He thought perhaps he may just be a bit special, but this incident proved him wrong.
He clenched his fists.
'What should I do? What could I even do?'
Is his power of being able to discern the truth and lies really that special? He did not think so.
He could not even do anything to protect himself earlier, let alone try to fight them. He was completely helpless.
If it hadn't been for Mr. Chad, he probably would have been left to die, without anyone knowing what happened to him. He pictured his grandfather slumped over the inn's counter, rubbing his sore back, smiling like always.
He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't want the village to be in danger, but he also couldn't easily leave his grandfather behind.
He was the one who took him in when he was starving on the streets.
Chad stared at Eli, waiting patiently for his answer.
For a 12 year old child who did not know anything about the world, he knew this must have been tough to digest.
He was feeding horses in the morning. The next thing he knows, he was taken by strangers to a dark forest, trying to extract his mark, something he did not even know existed.
Chad patted the child's shoulder.
"You can choose to go anywhere you like, but if you stay here, more of those guys would come later for your mark."
From what he'd seen, this village was almost completely detached from the outside world. It is one of the rare places that had not been infested by demigods and demons.
The village is full of humans. No one else possessed divine energy, apart from travellers who might rarely visit.
If the village becomes a target of outside forces, it would have no power to defend itself.
He then heard Eli speak,
"How about you, Mr. Chad? Where are you going?"
'Me?'
Chad thought about it for a second.
If he's being honest, he initially went outside to get away from Michael's nagging. He did not want to do his job properly, so he ran away. But he can't say that to this child.
His brows creased when he saw the way Eli looked at him innocently.
Those plump cheeks that children often have, and the fluffy black hair he has. An image from his memory came to mind.
'Brother!'
The child's voice from his memory sounded murky.
It had been a while since he last heard it. He was not even sure if that really is the right voice, or if it's something his mind just made up.
"...who knows? I'm also at a loss as to where to go. I'm just looking for something."
The corner of his lips upturned.
Eli's eyes shone.
Chad got frantic when he saw that,
"Ah! I mean, I'm only out to have fun, so…"
He scratched his head.
Eli's eyes glimmered once more,
"Mr. Chad, did you lose something?"
Chad was taken aback,
"About that…"
"What is it?"
Chad opened his mouth but didn't speak. He looked at the blood seeping out of his palms,
"...I don't know."
Eli paused. Mr. Chad was smiling wryly.
He went to the cart and sat beside Mr. Chad.
"Mr. Chad, can't I go with you? I also don't know where I should go, so why don't we both go together? I'll help you look for that thing you're looking for! Isn't that why you're traveling?"
Chad looked at him but did not say anything.
The innocence of a child truly is scary, but also enviable.
He smiled at him,
"No, not at all. I'm just traveling to have fun."
Eli's green eyes shimmered.
Even though Mr. Chad said that, his divine mark is telling him otherwise.
"Then, could I go with you?"
Eli asked him.
"Since I can't stay here anymore, and I really don't know what's happening, about all these marks and all… can I go with you, Mr. Chad?"
He could hear him sigh.
"You make it sound so easy..."
"Ugh…"
They both looked at the voice of someone struggling.
The kidnappers started to gain consciousness.
Chad grinned.
"If you really want to travel with me, then you should at least be of some use. Now then, here's your first test."
He pointed at the two men who were dumbfounded after hearing his next words.
"Erase their memories."
"Eh?"
Eli was shocked. He was really shocked.
'Erase their memories? What does that mean?'
He did not think such a thing was even possible, especially for someone like him. He was just a normal person. There is no way he could do something as grand as erasing memories!
Chad folded his arms,
"You can do it. It's very well within Solomon's mark to be able to do that. You just need a little guide."
"Huh?"
How is his ability going to jump from discerning lies to manipulating memories?
For the first time in his short life, Eli was completely lost.