Chapter 234: The Cruelty of Ravellon

Chapter 234: Chapter 234: The Cruelty of Ravellon

After leaving the Adventurers’ Guild, Ares, Selene, and Leon spent the remainder of the day exploring the town and gathering information.

They had already visited the local library, where they spent several hours reading whatever records were available about the Dwarf Kingdom, its history, its neighboring territories, and the different races that inhabited Ravellon.

What they discovered only confirmed what they had already witnessed.

Humans were treated differently.

There were districts where humans were allowed to live but were given fewer opportunities, occupations that were largely dominated by other races, and several records that openly described humans as a race with limited potential. Even the language used in some of the older documents carried a clear sense of superiority toward them.

Ares closed the final book and quietly returned it to its place.

’So this is not simply the attitude of a few arrogant individuals. The discrimination against humans is deeply rooted in this continent.’

He did not say anything further.

There was no reason to remain in the library, so the three of them eventually left and continued walking through the town.

The streets were still busy.

Beastfolk of various kinds moved through the crowded roads, merchants called out to customers, and adventurers passed by while carrying weapons and equipment.

Humans could also be seen among them, but they generally kept to themselves, and many avoided drawing attention.

As Ares walked through one of the narrower streets, something caught his attention.

A young human boy was crouched beside a large trash container.

He looked no older than 9 or 10 years old, and his clothes were worn and covered with dirt. His thin body made it obvious that he had not been eating properly for some time.

The boy carefully searched through the discarded food, seemingly hoping to find something that was still edible.

Ares slowed his steps.

Before he could say anything, a group of beastfolk came walking down the street.

They were talking among themselves and laughing until one of them noticed the child.

The moment their eyes landed on him, their expressions changed into amusement.

"Look at that."

One of them laughed.

"That human child is searching through the trash again."

Another beastfolk chuckled.

"What else would a human like him do? Begging and digging through garbage are probably the only things they’re good at."

The others laughed.

The boy immediately lowered his head and tried to move away from them.

"Please leave me alone."

His voice trembled.

"I haven’t done anything to you."

The beastfolk standing at the front stepped toward him.

"Did you hear that? The little human thinks he has the right to tell us what to do."

The boy shook his head desperately.

"N-No, please. I didn’t mean that."

The beastfolk laughed before suddenly raising his leg.

THUD!

His foot struck the boy’s side, sending him tumbling across the ground.

Roll...

The child landed several meters away, his small body covered in dirt.

Ares stopped walking.

Selene’s expression immediately became cold.

Leon remained silent, but his crimson eyes narrowed.

The boy struggled to sit up.

"P-Please..."

He looked toward the beastfolk with tears forming in his eyes.

"Please don’t hit me. I’ll leave. I promise."

The beastfolk walked toward him.

"Then crawl away."

He raised his hand.

"You humans are always so pathetic."

Before his hand could come down, three figures suddenly appeared between them.

Flick.

The beastfolk froze.

"Huh?"

He stared at the newcomers.

"Who are you?"

Ares stood silently in front of him.

His expression was completely calm.

He did not need to raise his voice, nor did he need to draw his sword.

He simply looked into the beastfolk’s eyes.

A faint trace of Eclipse Power passed through his gaze.

The beastfolk’s pupils trembled.

For a brief moment, his consciousness became completely dominated by Ares’s command.

"Fight."

Ares spoke only one word.

The beastfolk’s body immediately turned around.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

One of his companions looked confused.

The beastfolk suddenly struck him across the face.

BAM!

"What the hell?!"

The other beastfolk retaliated immediately.

THUD!

Within moments, the group began attacking one another.

Punches and kicks were exchanged as their confusion turned into a violent struggle, yet none of them seemed capable of understanding why they were fighting their own companions.

The people nearby stopped and watched.

Some were shocked.

Others whispered among themselves, but nobody dared to interfere.

The fight continued until the beastfolk were exhausted and covered in bruises.

Ares paid them no further attention.

Instead, he turned toward the child.

The boy was still trembling on the ground, clearly frightened by everything that had happened.

Ares crouched down and extended his hand.

"It’s all right. They will not hurt you anymore."

The boy stared at his hand hesitantly before slowly reaching for it.

Ares helped him stand.

He then placed his hand over the child’s injured side and quietly used his power.

A gentle light passed through the boy’s body.

The bruises disappeared.

The pain vanished.

The injuries caused by the kick were completely healed.

The boy stared at himself in disbelief before looking up at Ares.

"T-Thank you..."

Ares gave him a small nod.

He then reached into his subspace and took out several portions of food.

The amount was far more than the child could possibly eat in one sitting.

Ares handed them to him.

"Here. Take this."

The boy stared at the food in his hands.

"This..."

His eyes immediately filled with tears.

"Thank you very much."

He hugged the food tightly against his chest and began crying.

Ares simply watched him.

Selene looked at the child with a troubled expression.

"How pitiful."

Her gaze shifted toward the beastfolk still fighting in the background.

"How dare they treat humans like this."

Her voice carried clear anger, although she restrained herself from doing anything further.

Ares looked back at the boy.

"Be careful, all right? If you see people like them again, leave immediately and find somewhere safe."

The child nodded repeatedly.

"Yes. Thank you, brother."

He wiped his tears with one hand before holding the food tightly with both arms.

Then he turned around and began running down the street.

Tap... tap... tap...

The boy disappeared into the crowd, still carrying the food Ares had given him.

Leon watched him leave in silence.

’Master is truly kind.’

His crimson eyes remained fixed on the direction in which the child had disappeared.

’To think that someone possessing power beyond anything I could have imagined would still take the time to help a child who possesses nothing.’

Leon lowered his gaze slightly.

’He could have simply ignored him, yet he chose to stop.’

A faint smile appeared on Leon’s face.

’Perhaps this is another reason why serving him was the correct choice.’

Ares turned away from the street.

"Let’s go."

Selene and Leon followed him without hesitation.

The three continued walking through the town, leaving the commotion behind as they continued their exploration of the Grand Continent of Ravellon.