Following that was a figure flashing over from the distance.

In an instant, together with the three Saber tooth wolves that the red-haired instructor was fighting was sent flying with a blast.

When they looked closely, they realized that there was now a youth standing in the middle. He was currently holding the C-ranked Saber Tooth Wolf by the throat with ease, lifting the rampant beast that seemed almost dead, high up in the air.

And with the sound and power of thunder, he fiercely smashed its entire body into the ground.

“Rumble” The entire area trembled

The slabs on the ground shattered, as the wolf’s head split on top of them, blood pouring out from the back of its head and dyeing the ground …

The arrival of the person that seemed like a mighty war god was obviously the infamous ‘Monster Prince’ Lyle Drake Dragonfang.

He then shot a death glare at the remaining beasts standing across from him and said, “Scram.”

Frightened, the remaining beasts fell into panic and immediately scattered away with their tail between their legs.

By the time the red-haired instructor and the two horned boy finally snapped back from their daze, All the C-ranked Saber Tooth Wolves had already left the place.

From the moment he appeared to the time when the beasts scattered away like a flock of sheep meeting a tiger, not even a minute had passed.

His actions were swift and deadly. The two couldn’t help but be dazzled by watching his actions.

“Hey, you two alright ?” Lyle nonchalantly asked while throwing the wolf’s dead body as if he was just throwing a rag.

Hearing his voice, the red-haired instructor finally managed to regain his senses. He then bowed respectfully towards him. “I take it that you’re the rumored His Highness, Prince Lyle ?”

“Yeah, that’s me~”

“Your Highness, we are truly grateful for saving us!”

“Y-Your Highness, Prince Lyle, thank you … ” The two horned boy followed the red-haired instructor and bowed deeply.

All this time, his gaze was entirely focused on Lyle ever since his appearance. Seeing his incredible strength, a strange glint immediately flashed in his eyes.

His voice was somewhat strange causing Lyle to frown his eyebrows. For a short while, he pondered over something before brushing it off. “Please raise your head our status isn’t that different, prince of the Zorc Kingdom~” Lyle said casually.

“No, your highness … ” Hearing Lyle’s words, the two horned boy unexpectedly shook his head. “I am nothing but a bastard child of a lowly servant. I maybe a prince but unlike my brothers, I’m just a trash of the royal family … ” His eyes suddenly showed a melancholy and lost look.

Hearing his words, Lyle’s step suddenly halt. Looking at the pitiful child in front of him, he couldn’t help but felt sympathy and pity.

So that’s why he was being treated as a stray dog by Belial … And here I thought, it’s just because of his mixed race~

“This may be rude, but is your mother perhaps a beast man ?”

“As you have guessed your highness … my mother is a beast man caught from the war and was now treated as a servant by the royal family …”

“Do you … ” Lyle paused for a while. Although this seemed overboard and looked like he was poking his nose to someone else’s business, he just couldn’t help but become interested. ” … Do you hated your mother ? Maybe father ? Or both ?”

“Your Highness !?” The red-haired instructor seemed to be surprised by Lyle’s inquiry. As an instructor, he also knows the two horned boy’s real identity and his complex background.

But asking such things directly …

This was really too rude !

It would be like putting salt to his open wounds!

Lyle ignored the red-haired instructor and stared at the two horned boy’s eyes.

Unlike the red-haired instructor, the two horned boy seemed like he didn’t care about Lyle’s rude questions.

“Your Highness words are definitely as sharp as a knife and extremely direct” The two horned boy smiled bitterly. “… However, the answer to that question is that I didn’t hate them, especially my mother, instead I loved her so much I can endure any pain given to me. She was the one who gave birth to me after all.”

Lyle slowly walked up to him and gazed gently into his eyes. It was this black eyes that just conquered him completely. Loneliness. Sadness. Confusion. Helplessness. All were hidden in his deep black eyes.

His eyes that are full of sadness and vicissitudes seemed not to match with his age, but wouldn’t cause hatred at all.

Because of this, some tender affection came out from his bottom of heart.

After thinking with a frown for a moment and then seemingly decided something he let out a mischievous smile and said, “Very good. Then why don’t you become my brother instead of that Belial ? It seemed to me that he doesn’t really like you ~”

“”Eh ?”” His sudden words was like a bolt of lightning, giving them quite a shock. Much less the two horned boy, even the red-haired instructor was shocked silly that his jaws had almost touched the ground as he stared at Lyle who was smiling nonchalantly.

”Do you want to have a brother who won’t let you be bullied … ? ” Lyle ignored their silly reactions and continued to walk towards the two horned boy.

The boy looked at him in surprise with his vacant face, at this moment, he had no idea on how to answer this.

“Then let me become your brother … I won’t allow you to be bullied and even make you stronger.” When he arrived in front of him, he then extend his arm and put it on his shoulders. ” … I don’t need your service or loyalty. I want you to become my brother and follow me wherever I go … How about it ?”

“This …” The two horned boy’s eyes become bloodshot and his eyes were starting to moist. He really didn’t expect for things to suddenly turn into this.

Ah! How long have he waited for this moment ?

Waiting for someone’s acknowledgement which even his own blood brothers and sisters never gave him. Aside from his own beloved mother, no one had extended their hands towards him.

“I … I …”

Seeing his reaction, Lyle’s heart softened and said jokingly. “Well, even if you don’t want to, then I’ll just drag you around until you agree … besides, Aren’t I the ‘Monster Prince’ I will take the things that took my interest and no one can stop me … even that Belial~”

Lyle’s comment caught the two horned boy by surprise. Despite the tears falling from his eyes, he was not able to hold back a giggle. And as if remembering something, he hastily wiped the edge of his mouth and smiled, “His Highness is really funny.”

Within this moment, Lyle once again felt something. Focusing his eyes at him, he finally managed to realize what he felt strange whenever he saw him.

Because his hair was usually distorted and messy and he was always covered in dirt and bruise, no one would be able to notice it. However, if one looks closely enough, they would certainly noticed it.

If one just overlook the bruises and dirt covering his whole body, and the two horns protruding upward and his ultra messy hair that was almost covering his eyes …

One would suspect he was a she!

With a slim body and loosely-tied shoulder-length hair, at a glance- no, even when one looked at him carefully, his cuteness could easily make anyone who knew him, even Lyle, think that he was a girl.

Then as if done instinctively, he leaned his body and stared at his eyes directly. “Wait a moment, are you a male or a female ?”

That smile, those eyes, that voice … Lyle’s eyes widened as the edge of mouth twitched.

Weird …

Am I just overreacting ?

Or …. wait, should I strip him ?

Such thought suddenly appeared on his mind causing him to almost jumped in fright!

What the heck am I thinking ! That would just make me nothing but a pervert! Well, whether his a boy or a girl doesn’t really matter~

Contrary to Lyle’s inner turmoil, the two horned boy’s body couldn’t help but trembled for a moment before hastily saying. “No! I’m a boy!”

When he sensed that Lyle was moving closer, Aster fell back a step, putting some distance between them.

Shrugging his shoulders, Lyle dropped the subject. Anyway, he couldn’t do anything to confirm it without being labeled as a huge pervert~

Turning around, Lyle looked at the red-haired instructor. “So that’s that teach~ I will take this brat with me. If you want to come with us then you can do so but if you still have something you need to do then you can leave this brat with me~”

The red-haired instructor thought for a while before nodding his head. “Then, I will take my leave now your highness … Please take care of him.” After saying so, he turned around and entered the bushes and left.

“So, If I’m not wrong then your name should be Aster … right ?”

“Y-Yes, your highness … my name is Aster Zorc; a beast and a demon hybrid.” Aster softly introduced himself while lowering his head.

Because of this action, he somehow earned Lyle’s fist on his head making him shriek in pain and surprised. However, the fist suddenly turned into a gentle stroke.

“Is that how you talk to your brother huh ?”

“Eh ?” Aster seemed somewhat in a loss. “That’s … that’s …”

The hand that was stroking his head become even more gentle and tender giving Aster a very surreal feelings of warmth, love and care. “I don’t want you to call me your highness … you can call me brother.” Lyle said while smiling gently.

In the previous and my current life, I don’t have any siblings … Thus, it would be not bad to try to experience having it~

Aster raised his two arms, as if he wanted to throw himself into his embrace. However, he realized that it might not be good to do that afterwards, so the little bullied boy immediately stopped his actions.

“What ? ” Lyle teased and suddenly hugged him affectionately. “Come on, what are you being so reserved for ?”

“B-Brother …” Hearing this, Aster was extremely moved. He finally caught up with the sudden development and realized that he finally had an older brother he could depend on.

”Follow me, from now on, you are my little brother, no. Anyway, no one can bully you without my consent.”

Aster stared at him and felt the warm from the arms embracing him. He couldn’t endure it anymore and threw himself into his new brother’s embrace, hugging him tightly. Unknowingly he found his eyes were all tears. And his tears fell continuously like a pearl necklace that had snapped off.

He had thirsted for a warm family and a strong and warm brother who could protect him and love him, but his wish had never come true.

He thirsted for a family but aside from his mother who loved and doted him, most every person there in the palace hated him, hitting him with sticks, fist, kick or stones when they meet him. But he can only try very hard to escape and hide then cry in an empty corner.

He just instinctively tries to survive, even if no companions, and no goals with only one dream that was driving him forward and keeping him intact.

— That was a wish or maybe hope that maybe in the future, his supposedly family will be able to accept him and love him.

That is why he endured all of his older brother’s bullying and still cared for them deeply.

But now … …

Someone took his hands and promised to protect him when he felt vacant in head, when he was hated, when he thought he was discarded by the world and even the only family he had.

The feeling of having a brother to look after you was really good.

From that moment, his image was branded deeply into his heart, permanently. He could not stop his emotional attachment to him just like how people got addicted to the most poisonous of opium in the world.

Seeing the boy’s pitiful reaction, Lyle couldn’t help but smile wryly.

Seems like this boy had gone through quite a bit of suffering, and he was pouring it all out along with his tears at this moment.

“Haa~ Idiot, if you’re really a boy then you shouldn’t easily show your tears to anyone~” Lyle couldn’t help to laugh when he saw his already messy appearance became even more messy and dirty because of the mix of tears and snot.

Just from this moment, two courses of life which are impossible to cross finally crossed together.

A meeting which was not written in the book of fate had once again happened.

And because of this, a person was saved by someone’s warmth … …

And his fate had already changed to something that can never be predicted …

——————–