"I had known the immersion of a happy life, and I had known the torment of fear. So I believed that the most bottomless fear was the most unsolvable nightmare within a living creature's soul, while a peaceful life carrying faint pleasures was the poison most likely to make one sink deep into it—without question, I conquered them and ascended to the divine throne! And now, I hoped that my apprentice could accomplish what I once accomplished. Nothing more..."
—Dolush Krutwig
The fields of Greenleaf Season were lush and green. Beneath Mira and Chikasa's radiance, they gleamed as though dusted with gold. As the gentle morning breeze swept through, the slender grass swaying in the wind resembled rolling emerald waves. Wildflowers of every color basked in the sunlight, competing in splendor across the vast fields, their rich fragrance filling the fresh air.
As far as the eye could see, the flowers were like colorful clouds and mist, drifting softly downward as they bloomed into bright, artistic embellishments.
This was Moke Village, a very inconspicuous little village within the Kingdom of Kamos. It was also the fief of Baron Aiklan Bisadas—people said that if a noble could only cling to a tiny, impoverished village and collect a pitiful amount of taxes to survive, then they were a complete failure. But in truth, such thoughts were ultimately nothing more than the prejudice of certain "unpleasant adults."
After all, no one had any reason to care what others thought of their life. For example... children could always ignore those unpleasant, mundane troubles of daily life and turn their attention toward any rare bit of beauty worth pausing to admire.
For instance, at this very moment, in the field behind Moke Village, scattered with jagged rocks and colorful wildflowers, a blond little boy