CHAPTER 125: BRINGING HOPE TO BROKENS—SLUM (2)

Leon’s voice echoed unnaturally clear, thrum rolling over the crowd like a wave. A hush fell. Even the crawling stopped. Eyes once glassy flickered upward, drawn not by hope—but by command.

"Listen to me, all of you. I’m not here to harm you like those who came before. I don’t serve the king—no, that foolish king is my enemy too. I’ve come only to feed you... But that could be the beginning of your new lives—if you prove yourselves worthy."

Now, considering how bad their condition was, this clear sound falling into their ears, calling the king foolish as if it were nothing, was shocking—especially since he had even talked about giving them food.

Which meant more to them than calling the king foolish.

Children were the first to react upon hearing about the food, but their parents held them back. Those words just sounded empty. All of them came empty-handed, and the only things they could see on them were swords around their waists—and the man who had said these words didn’t even have a weapon, though he seemed to be the leader.

They knew with just one order from him, they could die. They were scared and decided not to react, keeping their heads low in their places, as the terror from two weeks before was still clear in their minds.

They had been beaten and dragged out of the city without any warning. Some who retaliated were killed by the swords of the king’s ruthless soldiers and left to rot here without any food.

Thud.Thud. Their memories replayed like slow drumbeats of dread.

Death was just certain for them.

Their minds raced with suspicion. Kind words meant nothing here. Too many had died believing in promises. Mothers tightened their grip on children. Some older men squinted warily at the swords hanging from the knights’ belts. Could this be a trick? An execution dressed as charity?

Everything felt hopeless.

Leon could see there wasn’t much reaction from them—just from his words alone—so he let his actions speak. His actions would hit them much harder than words.

With a wave of his hand—swoosh—a few large cauldrons appeared in front of him, shocking everyone except Seraphine.

Gasp. Gasps rippled through the crowd. A child stumbled backward. One woman even screamed, Aaah! Clutching her chest. Metal and ceramic appeared from thin air—clink

, clang—too clean, too polished, too noble. It wasn’t violent magic they’d seen before. Truly something marvelous.

Their size was enough that one cauldron could fill up the stomachs of at least two hundred people.

Along with the cauldrons, there were other utensils and hundreds of bowls. Their quality was as if they belonged to noble houses—not average plebs.

It had to be, as Leon had stolen these from noble houses. This was just a small fraction—there were many more where that came from.

The people of the slums were visibly shocked by this sight—not just the large cauldrons, but the other things that appeared out of nowhere. Surely a human couldn’t do something like this. They had seen magic before, but this was something else.

They weren’t the only ones—the Kaela and the other three knights were also shocked.

What was their young master? His strength previously, and now this—they had never even heard of something like this.

Only Kaela had some clue, as she was the closest to her lady and had been exposed to much more information about the world due to being closer to her.

Space element... Young Master is too special. I also remember he had used the Ice element before...

The people started to loosen up a little, but were still suspicious as he hadn’t done anything wrong to them up till now—and seeing these things in front of them did bring some hope.

However, the question remained—where was the food? That was the only thing stopping them from going closer to the noble-looking young man who had long white hair and eyes that looked out of this world—a white cross in the middle and around it different colors, looking like colorful glass had shattered in them.

Mesmerizing.

In the next instant, Leon put his hand in the empty cauldron. He positioned himself at such an angle that even the knights behind him couldn’t see the spoon in his hand. Only Seraphine had a clear view, as he poured his mana into the spoon.

Fwoooosh—blub-blub-blub.

Soup formed out of the spoon like a dam had broken, filling the whole cauldron with delicious soup mixed with meat and different vegetables. In only a couple of seconds, it was filled.

The spoon disappeared right afterward, and the scent of the delicious food hit everyone’s nose. Sniff. Sniff.

It was unbelievable to believe for everyone, but the scent of the food told them it was filled with something delicious. They couldn’t help but gulp audibly—gulp—hunger was already killing them.

A couple of those who had children let go of them. The children cautiously but surely moved closer to the cauldron, and the rest of the people followed behind them. Shff... shff...

The knights’ vision was blocked by their lady and young master in front. They, too, were dying to see if it was really filled with food. If it really was, then their young master wasn’t human but something divine. Everything strange about him would make sense.

Suddenly, a commanding voice was heard. Boom. It was young master Leon.

"Kaela, and you three—come forward."

Kaela and two men, along with a woman, came forward. Their eyes looked into the cauldron. They could see it was filled with soup, which was exuding a heavenly scent.

They couldn’t help but look at the soup and then at their young master again and again.

No human could do this. This was not magic—something else entirely.

Leon ignored their surprise and gave them a command.

"Distribute the soup to everyone inside—and don’t be shy. Even if they come for second or third servings, give it to them."

"Yes, Young Master."

All of them nodded upon hearing his words. Clack.Step. Step. Three of them picked up the ladles in their hands, instructed by Kaela, while Kaela was in charge of keeping everything in order.

When the first bowl of soup was filled—glug—everyone saw that there was really something inside the cauldron, and its smell was captivating. They fully followed Kaela’s instruction and formed three lines, each one picking up a bowl and spoon and being served by the knights with ladles in their hands. Clink.Clatter.

Slowly, the crowd settled down, many of them sitting directly on the ground with trembling hands and hollow eyes, clutching the warm bowls like they were fragile miracles.

The first spoonful brought tears to more than one face. Sniffle. It was the first real food they’d tasted in weeks.

The soup was hot. Not scalding, but real—hissss—steam kissed their cracked lips and fogged their vision. For many, the first sip burned through the numbness. Slurp. Meat fell apart on the tongue. Carrots, potatoes, herbs—things they hadn’t smelled in weeks. A man let out a sob. Hic. Another clutched his bowl as if it might vanish.

Some cried openly, unable to contain the emotions that surged as the rich, savory flavor touched their tongues. Others simply bowed their heads, whispering thanks—not to a god, but to the white-haired young man whose name they didn’t even know yet, but he was no less than god to them. Praise spread quietly, one person to the next, each bite confirming that this was real. The soup wasn’t just good—it was life, poured into a bowl.

Unseen by all, a single raven circled high above the slums—its eyes glowing faintly golden.