Dawn finds me changed. Sleep wasn't a refuge from hunger, but a true rest. My body, for the first time, doesn't feel like an empty shell, but like a sharpened instrument. Level 3 isn't just a number on my interface. It's a tangible reality I feel in the density of my muscles, the clarity of my thoughts, the speed of my reflexes.
Name: Reinhardt Valdios
Level: 3
Experience: 22/250
Status: Normal
HP: 50/50
MP: 15/15
I grab the water buckets. They feel almost light. I walk back and forth across the courtyard at a brisk pace that earns me surprised looks from the other workers. They see a change, but they don't understand it. To them, I'm just the sickly kid who, by some miracle, seems to be having a good day. They don't see the nights of blood and darkness. They don't see the monsters I have devoured. And that's just fine. My secret is my strongest armor.
The morning passes without incident. Caelan is nowhere to be found. A part of me is relieved, but another, more suspicious part, knows this silence is a bad omen. Predators like him don't give up; they change strategies.
My work for the day takes me to cleaning the stables. The acrid smell of hay and animals is almost comforting compared to the sewers. I work quickly, efficiently, my new strength making the task almost easy. It's while moving an old wooden trunk filled with worn harnesses that I notice something.
An object has been hastily slipped into my satchel, which I had left near the entrance. My heart stops. I hadn't put anything in it but my bread from the day before. My hands tremble slightly as I open it.
Inside, nestled against the stale bread, is a steel gauntlet. It's not a recruit's gauntlet. It is finely crafted, with silver inlays forming the crest of the Burix family: a howling wolf.
I pull it out as if I were holding a venomous snake. It is heavy, cold. It's a piece of Caelan's ceremonial armor. I've seen him wear it before.
A trap.
The realization hits me with the force of a punch. This is why he was so quiet. He wasn't going to attack me physically. He was going to destroy me socially. A theft. The simplest and most devastating accusation against someone of my station.
Panic overwhelms me. I have to get rid of it. Throw it away. Hide it. But where? Guards are patrolling everywhere. If I'm seen throwing away a valuable object, it will be an admission of guilt.
"There you are! You vermin!"
Caelan's voice erupts behind me. It's too late.
I turn around. He's not alone. He's accompanied by two barracks guards and the officer on duty. His face is a mask of outraged fury, but I see the triumphant glint in his eyes. He's playing his part perfectly.
"My gauntlet! He stole it! I knew it!" he shouts, pointing at me.
The nearby workers and soldiers stop to watch. A circle forms around us. I am at the center, the gauntlet in my hand, caught red-handed.
"What is the meaning of this, Valdios?" the officer demands in a harsh voice.
"I... I don't know how it got there," I stammer, my throat dry. "I didn't steal it! I swear!"
"You lie!" Caelan screams. "I noticed it was missing an hour ago. I saw you lurking near my quarters this morning! You took advantage of a moment's inattention to steal from me!"
It's a lie. I haven't been near his quarters. But who will believe my word against that of a noble's son?
"Search him!" the officer orders the guards.
I don't resist. I know it's pointless. They grab me roughly. One of them snatches the gauntlet from my hands and gives it to the officer. The other empties my satchel. The stale bread falls to the ground. That's all I have.
"The proof is here," the officer says, his face grim. "Theft is a serious crime. For an object of this value, the punishment is branding and the amputation of a hand."
Amputation. The word echoes in my head. Without my hand, I couldn't work. I couldn't fight. It would be a death sentence.
"I'm innocent!" I cry, desperation making my voice sharp. "It was him! He put it in my bag!"
A murmur runs through the crowd. The idea that a noble would frame a servant is so absurd to them that my accusation sounds like the ravings of a guilty man.
Caelan lets out a contemptuous laugh. "Accuse me? Did you hear that? The vermin is not only a thief but a shameless liar! He deserves to be made an example of!"
The officer nods. "Take him to the dungeon. The sentence will be carried out this evening."
The guards pull me by the arms. I struggle, but it's useless. My Level 3 strength is nothing against the authority they represent. My gaze meets Caelan's. His smile is the ugliest thing I have ever seen. He has won.
"One moment."
The voice is not loud, but it commands silence instantly. The crowd parts to let Roxis Heart through. She strides forward, her pristine training armor a stark contrast to my filth. Her gaze is piercing.
"Lady Heart," the officer says, saluting her. "We've caught a thief in the act."
"Really?" She doesn't look at me. She looks at Caelan. "Tell me what happened, Caelan. In detail."
Clearly annoyed by her intervention, Caelan repeats his story. "I realized my gauntlet was missing from my room an hour ago. I immediately suspected this vermin, who is always looking at me with envious eyes. We found him here, with my property in his bag. It's as simple as that."
Roxis listens attentively, her face impassive. When he finishes, she turns to me. "Reinhardt. Where were you an hour ago?"
"At the stables, My Lady. I haven't left all morning. Several people can attest to that."
Roxis turns back to Caelan. "That's interesting. Because an hour ago, Caelan, I saw you crossing this courtyard, coming from the direction of the stables. You seemed to be in a hurry."
The color drains from Caelan's face. "I... I was looking for my gauntlet!"
"Were you?" Roxis continues, her voice still calm. "A noble's gauntlet is typically kept with the rest of his armor, in his quarters. Why would you be looking for it in the stables, unless you already knew it was no longer in your room?" She takes a step toward him. "And why immediately accuse Reinhardt, without even looking elsewhere? Do you have such an aversion to him that the mere thought he could be innocent never even crossed your mind?"
Every question is an arrow hitting its mark. Roxis's logic is relentless. She is dismantling Caelan's lie piece by piece. Doubt begins to creep onto the officer's face.
"That proves nothing!" Caelan spits, sensing the tide turning. "He's guilty!"
"Perhaps," Roxis concedes. "But there is reasonable doubt. And the law of Kryndal states that justice must not be delivered in haste." She turns to the officer. "Captain, I am not asking you to release him. But I am asking that the sentence be suspended until a more thorough investigation can be conducted. As a Holy Knight, I will vouch for him."
Vouching for a servant accused of theft. It's a gesture of immense significance. She is putting her own reputation on the line for me.
The officer is trapped. Disobeying a Holy Knight is unthinkable. "Very well, Lady Heart. The sentence is suspended. Valdios, you are confined to your quarters until further notice. Do not even think of leaving the barracks."
The guards release me. I almost fall, my legs unsteady. I am free. For now.
Caelan shoots Roxis a look of pure, unadulterated hatred. He has lost face in front of everyone. He will never forgive her. He will never forgive me.
As the crowd disperses, Roxis approaches me. "Are you alright?"
I nod, unable to find my voice.
"I don't know if you're innocent, Reinhardt," she says in a low voice, her gaze intense. "But I know that Caelan is cruel and dishonest. And I believe that everyone, even the humblest among us, is entitled to justice, not vengeance."
She turns and walks away, leaving me alone in the middle of the courtyard. I am saved, but I am marked. In the eyes of everyone else, I am the thief who was protected by a noble. My isolation is now complete.
I return to the barracks, my heart heavy. The gratitude I feel for Roxis is immense, but it is mixed with a sense of guilt. I have dragged her into my miserable existence. I have made her the target of the Burix family's hatred.
Physical strength is not enough. Level 3 is not enough. Faced with social power, with the corruption of the nobles, I am still powerless.
I sit on my straw pallet, my head in my hands. I can't go on like this. I can't keep depending on Roxis's pity. I must become so strong, so powerful, that no one will ever dare use me as a toy again. Not just physically strong. I must become untouchable.
The hunger returns. Not the hunger for food. The hunger for power. A hunger deeper and darker than ever before.
Tonight, I will not hunt just for experience. I will hunt for a way to break my chains. And if I have to devour every monster hiding in the bowels of this city to do it, then so be it.