"Mark, don't hesitate anymore. You are born to be the heir here. This is the legacy your father left for you, and it will always be"
"Stop it, Frank."
The young man named Mark held the whip in his hand and looked at the flocks of sheep in the distance and the endless dark green grassland. He gritted his teeth and stopped talking.
But if you look closely, you can find a shocking fact - there is no one around him.
Mark Brown is the legal heir to this fertile land and herd.
More than ten years ago, his father Tommy Brown was a serf. But Tommy joined the Kingdom of Burning Ember, gradually became a junior officer, and seized the land and herds here from the nobles of the North.
But the good times did not last long. Due to the recurrence of old injuries on the battlefield, his father passed away soon, leaving only seven-year-old Mark and his mother to depend on each other.
Such a large ranch cannot be managed by just one woman and a half-year-old child. Soon, their family received an uninvited guest - the so-called Uncle Gordon Gray, Mark's stepfather.
Moreover, what made Mark even more displeased was that Gordon and his mother soon had a little son, named Theodore Gray, and he was much loved.
Theodore is a child given by God. Just from his name, you can tell that his parents love him.
Listening to the baby's cries all night long, and looking at the joyful smiling faces of his mother and stepfather, Mark clenched his fists and felt extremely depressed, as if he was just a stranger here.
Not long after, his mother, who was already weak due to long-term abuse by slave owners, fell ill, and it seemed she didn't have much time left.
Once his mother left, Mark's last blood relative in the world disappeared, leaving only the strange and estranged stepfather.
"Is this pasture left by my father going to be named Gray in the future?" Looking at the familiar grassland and the crowded cattle and sheep, Mark sighed secretly.
He had been sitting next to the haystack for a long time, and the night had turned pitch black. Mark wanted to go back to the house left by his father, but he didn't want to face the strange stepfather.
"Mark, haven't you figured it out yet? If you continue to hesitate and be soft-hearted, you will become a slave of the Gray family"
A hissing, harsh voice echoed in Mark's ears, it was the same voice.
After his father passed away, Mark became extremely withdrawn and did not have many friends in the village. He often cried alone late at night.
But his stepfather and mother devoted almost all their attention to the newborn, Mark's "little brother", and did not notice anything strange at all.
But in recent months, Mark has met his only close friend, a creature with ragged wings and red skin named Frank.
Except for Mark, no one seems to be able to see Frank, not even his mother and stepfather.
Mark was quite disgusted with this guy who called himself the wishing elf at first and remained wary.
But over time, due to being ignored by his existing family, Mark confided to Frank all the time about the anguish in his life, and his communication with him became more and more frequent, even to the point of talking about everything.
"Frank, no matter what, they are my relatives, and I can't treat them like this." Mark's voice was trembling, and his eyes were dazed.
However, Frank lay next to Mark's ear and whispered softly in his harsh voice: "Fellow? Do they really treat you as a relative? Think about it. Mark, the pasture, the house, the sheep, and even the mother's Caring - it all belongs to you! ”
"But what now? You are just a slave taking care of their pasture!"
Frank's biting and bitter sarcasm was like a dagger coated with venom, piercing deeply into Mark's heart.
"No, impossible!"
Mark kept shaking his head. He suddenly shook off Frank's paw that brushed his face, and squatted next to the haystack with his head in his hands.
He said with a choked voice: "Yes, yes, I still have my mother, she will not abandon me, she has always loved me"
Frank flapped his tattered wings and flew beside Mark, patting his shoulder with his red paws as if to express comfort.
"Mark, I can understand your feelings, but have you ever thought about why your mother became ill so suddenly? Think about it, Mark, if your mother also passed away, who would benefit the most?"< br>
"The precious wealth your father left for you through his own efforts, whose hands will your sheep, pastures, and houses fall into?"
In this way, with Frank's "follow-up guidance", Mark whispered the name he didn't want to mention with tears in his eyes.
"Gordon Gray."
"To be more precise, there is your younger brother - Theodore Gray. Tsk, tsk, a child given by God, what an ambitious name."
Frank let out a low laugh and continued: "In the face of the easy benefits, even the life of his wife is not worth mentioning.
Think about it, Mark, when your mother is poisoned by him, Gordon Gray can openly occupy your house, own your sheep, and pass all the property to Theodore.
And you are just a slave serving their Gray family. ”
Hearing the horrific picture Frank painted, Mark was shaking with rage, and bloodshot eyes appeared in his moist eyes. "No, these are all things my father left behind, and he paid for them with his life!"
"Yes, Mr. Brown." Frank said this unfamiliar title excitedly.
"You should pick up the weapons in your hands and kill the damn intruder and the bastards he left behind before they attack you."
But after hearing Frank's suggestion, Mark was still a little scared. For this ordinary shepherd boy, killing a person was still too scary.
"But, but, this is a crime! The empire's security team will not let me go."
"Crime?"
Frank put his face close to his face and said angrily: "You are defending your property!
You are protecting your father's honor and your home! Even the judges of the gods will never think you guilty! ”
"But."
Mark huddled next to the haystack, with a mixture of anger, worry, panic and other complex emotions on his face.
Frank continued to add fuel to the fire and made righteous accusations: "Do you want to shame your father?
He is a hero who defeated the nobles of the North. But you, Mark, I misjudged you. It turns out that you are just a weak coward. You can only watch your home being invaded step by step, and watch your mother betray others. The man is begging for mercy.”
"Enough!"
Mark suddenly stood up and shouted violently, with an unprecedented ferocity on his green cheek.
Frank looked overjoyed. He lay on Mark's shoulder and praised repeatedly: "Go and face all this. This is what a brave man does. Kill all those who have hurt you!"
"I will never bring shame to my father. I want to be a hero like him and protect my homeland."
Mark gritted his teeth and murmured to himself. He lifted the pitchfork stuck in the haystack, turned around, and looked at the darkened house.
Apparently, the intruder and his bastard had gone to bed, sleeping peacefully in the house his father had left him.
The moon and stars are sparse and the breeze is clear.
Now is a good opportunity. Mark took big steps towards the house left to him by his father. The young shepherd had made up his mind to use the pitchfork in his hand to eradicate everything - even if this would cause dire consequences.
Standing at the door of the dilapidated house, Mark took a deep breath and plucked up the courage. He told himself in his heart that he had done nothing wrong and that he was just defending his home.
"Go ahead, Mark, and do what you want to do, there's nothing wrong with that."
Frank's voice echoed in his ears, which emboldened Mark even more, and he carefully opened the door.
"Squeak——"
Walking into the room quietly, looking at his betrayal mother, greedy stepfather, and young baby, Mark trembled and slowly raised the pitchfork in his hand...
"Think of the injustices you have suffered, kill them, kill them."
Frank's voice became more and more excited, like the cheers of an audience, giving Mark the determination to take action.
He thought of the countless nights of silent tears, of the hostile gaze, of his mother's intentional or unintentional neglect
Thinking of this, Mark no longer hesitated.
"You deserve this."
After whispering this sentence, Mark held his breath and slowly closed his eyes——
"Stop!"
The room suddenly lit up, and the bright light made the room look like daylight. The stepfather, mother, and the newborn child all woke up.
"Mark, what do you want to do?" the mother screamed.
At this moment, Mark was like a balloon that had been popped. The courage to kill that he had finally accumulated was poured out at this moment.
"Quick, kill them! This is your last chance!"
Frank urged angrily, but Mark seemed to have lost his soul, his legs were trembling, and he slowly turned around.
"How, how could it be."
Behind him were several fully armed tiefling soldiers, with brand-new rifles in their hands, and the badges on their chests were particularly conspicuous.
——That is exactly what Mark is thinking about, the emblem that symbolizes the Burning Ember Empire.
The tiefling standing at the front pointed his gun into the sky, pulled the trigger, and made a loud gunshot sound.
"Bang!"
"The Imperial Guard is on a mission. They are here to capture the devils who enter the empire without permission under His Majesty's orders. Anyone else waiting here should leave immediately!"
"He is the devil?"
Mark turned his head and looked at the red-skinned "wishing elf". At this time, Frank's face had become ferocious.
Only then did he realize that his close companion turned out to be such a terrifying existence, and that he was almost bewitched by the devil and committed a heinous crime!
"Ignorant mortals!"
The "wishing elf" who originally looked like a four or five-year-old child, even a little naive, turned into an extremely hideous and hateful face amidst the noisy and harsh screams.
A blood-red halo surrounded Frank, an aura of evil and fear.
"Ah!"
"Cassius, what is that?"
Mark collapsed to the ground in fear, while his mother and stepfather were panicked. The newborn brother screamed and almost fainted.
"Fear, mortals, I am Lord Frank, your nightmare!"
Seeing the panicked people, the devil said proudly, as if he wanted to scare away these tieflings.
However, the tiefling guard captain standing at the front looked indifferent and unmoved, just staring at the devil in front of him.
He said coldly: "How dare a little devil deceive the Imperial Guard? He really doesn't know how to live or die!"
The tiefling didn't waste any time, he just raised the rifle in his hand and fired without hesitation. The special bullet engraved with runes flew out of the muzzle and missed the little devil.
"Ah!"
Frank covered his burned arm and let out a scream, his expression particularly horrified.
He knew that he had been seen through by these demons!
Frank lost the prestige he had just now. He quickly raised his hands and said with a sneer: "You are also the descendants of the devil. We are compatriots. These mortals are just our food. So, let me help you contact the Lord of the Nine Hells." They"
The tiefling interrupted coldly: "That's enough! We are the attendants of the supreme Majesty Cassius, and the hot dragon's blood flows in our bodies. We have nothing to do with you dirty devils from hell!
< br>
There are only two choices before you, surrender, or die! ”
At this moment, there was only a soft "pop" sound, blood-red smoke appeared in the original place, and the little devil disappeared without a trace, leaving only a harsh curse.
"You damn bastards! (Infernal)"
The tieflings did not panic, but turned their heads with a sneer. Soon, they heard a scream.
"Ah!"
At the door of the house, the invisible little devil bumped into the [Evil Barrier] that had been arranged. Frank appeared, and his whole body became charred.
The tiefling nodded to the outside of the house and said loudly: "Thank you for your help, Earl Charlotte."
"Nothing, they are all serving the empire."
The man in a robe waved his hand, lifted his hood, and revealed an exceptionally hearty smile.
He opened the sack, controlled the mage's hand, lifted up the half-burned little devil, and said happily: "You are arrested, Devil Frank."
"Let me out! You audacious mortals!"
The little devil was imprisoned in a birdcage-like cage and kept banging on the door, but to no avail.
There are still many such things happening in various parts of the empire. The devils from hell are vulnerable to the powerful imperial family members.
The Duke of the Empire, Metrolash, who is in charge of the Tiefling Guards, established an exorcism team and gathered players from all over the empire to search for traces of demons and arrest them one by one. (End of chapter)