Teacher by day, Farmer by passion - Chapter 240

Chapter 240: Ace [3]
Roger, looked around in shocked, as the world around him had suddenly changed.

Thick mist rolled in from nowhere, swallowing the battlefield in a cold, suffocating fog.

Shapes moved in the haze. Shadows without form. Whispers without voices.

And then the cries began.

“AHH! No—NO! PLEASE—!”

The screams were close… too close. Begging, wailing, fading into silence.

“Show yourself!” he screamed. “If you’re a man, fight me without tricks! Face me! COWARD!”

But the mist didn’t answer.

Only his own voice echoed back, warped and distorted, as if the fog itself was mocking him for his inability.

Just then a small child stepped through the mist. Barely five years old, her dress ragged, her voice soft as wind-chimes in winter.

“Daddy… is that you?”

Roger’s eyes widened. “R-Renny?” he gasped, stumbling forward, dropping the dagger. “My sweet girl! What are you doing here?”

She opened her arms wide and he collapsed into them.

“Dad, what happened?” she asked innocently, her tiny hands wrapping around his back.

Roger wept, holding her like he might lose her again if he loosened his grip even a little. “I’m so glad you’re safe… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… you will be safe in daddy’s arm, alright.”

But the moment didn’t last very long as a sharp pain bloomed in his gut.

He gasped.

Trembling, he looked down. Blood spilled down his armor.

A dagger protruded from his stomach, gripped in the small, delicate hand of his very own daughter.

“W… why?” he choked out, his voice more breath than sound.

Renny blinked. Her eyes widened in horror as she stared at the dagger.

“No… no no no, Father! I didn’t mean to! Please don’t die—please! Papa!” she sobbed, her panic rising.

Roger’s arms remained wrapped around her. Even as blood soaked his tunic. Even as his knees buckled.

“It will be okay,” he whispered, smiling gently through the agony. “Mistakes… happen.”

All around the battlefield, similar scenes unfolded.

Soldiers embraced wives, sons, brothers, mothers, only to be betrayed by their own hands. Eyes filled with joy twisted into shock.

Then fear. Then despair.

Every cry was a reflection of the same horror:

Death from the ones they loved most.

But there was no mist.

No family.

No tears but their own.

And not a single soldier had moved from where they stood.

In truth, Ace, Liu Mei, and Milson stood quietly at the edge of the chaos that was erupting.

At the center of it all was Shan Yifeng, seated cross-legged. Hands glowing faintly with formation runes.

His expression tranquil, eyes half-lidded, as if lost in thought.

Liu Mei had safely retreated back from fighting Commander Ifrit, into the place she deemed the safest, her Master’s arm.

Liu Mei, nestled comfortably in Ace’s arms, tilted her head, watching the nightmare unfold.

“Master,” she said softly, “Junior Brother is… scary.”

Ace didn’t deny it. He simply held her a little closer, watching in silence.

Milson, clutching his wounds, whispered, “This boy… this boy is a genius in hallucination formations.”

His tone wasn’t just admiration, it was reverence. And even fear.

One by one, the soldiers began turning their blades inward.

Some whimpered, others smiled through tears, and a few even thanked their imagined loved ones before collapsing into lifeless heaps.

When even dark gold like Roger had fallen, the other Royal guards comprised mostly of gold rank had no hope of defying the hallucination effects.

Even Commander Ifrit, the pride of the Royal Guard, knelt silently. Then, with a resigned sigh, he drove his sword through his chest.

Thud.

Silence.

Shan Yifeng dusted off his robes and stood up, beaming. “Master, I’m done! I did good with the support, right?”

He flashed a smile so bright it could have lit up a tomb.

Ace stared at him.

Then placed a hand gently on the boy’s head.

“Oh no… what have I created…” he muttered, as if praying to some higher power to undo it.

Liu Mei, still in his arms, whispered, “Junior Brother’s so scary.”

Shan Yifeng tilted his head. “Did I overdo it?”

“No, no,” Ace said, patting his head like he was diffusing a time bomb. “You’re doing amazing.”

Milson, still bleeding out, coughed, “This… this is support?”

Ace just smiled and looked toward the sky.

“I swear I would have been a farmer if not for this two, you know.”

And then with a sigh he turned to Milson, his tone calm but firm.

“Milson, you’re useless in your current state. I have a better task for you, you should go back, gather your men, and start preparing to move the princess somewhere safer.”

Milson nodded, sweat and blood clinging to his face. He could barely stand, but this task… this he could do.

“Master Ace,” he called out, voice hoarse.

Ace paused mid-stride, glancing over his shoulder. A final plea?

Milson bowed low, “Would you mind… if I collect their soul orbs?”

“Soul orbs?” Ace blinked, then shrugged. “Sure, sure. Take them all.”

Milson dropped to his knees in gratitude, fists clenched in trembling resolve, tears trickling down his dirt-streaked cheeks.

“Thank you, Master Ace… I will never forget this. Also, please, please… save Her Highness, I beg of you.”

Ace gave a small nod. “I will.”

He turned and sprinted off, Liu Mei still nestled comfortably in his arms.

But he hadn’t gotten far before he felt a tug on his sleeve.

“Huh?” He glanced down.

Shan Yifeng stood there, his eyes wide and hopeful.

“Master… you’re carrying Sister Mei in your arms. Won’t you carry me too?”

Ace froze. He glanced at Liu Mei, who blinked back innocently from his arms. I can’t just… drop her now. That would look terrible. Won’t it?

He sighed. “Alright, alright. I need to keep running, but…” He crouched slightly. “Climb on my back.”

“Eh? Why the back?” Shan Yifeng asked, confused, yet he still hopped up and wrapped his arms around Ace’s shoulders.

Ace smirked as he stood up, now carrying one in front and one behind.

“Because I trust you to protect my back.”

Shan Yifeng’s eyes sparkled. “Yes, Master!” he said with pride.

As Ace sprinted through the chaos, Liu Mei suddenly perked up in his arms, her eyes lighting up.

“Master! Look!” she shouted, jabbing her finger toward the ground. “There’s a rock over there!”

Ace came to an abrupt halt, nearly tripping over his own feet.

“A rock?” he muttered, turning his head to follow her finger.

From his back, Shan Yifeng leaned sideways, clinging to Ace’s shoulders like a curious squirrel.

“Where? Where? Where is it, Liu mei?”

All three stared in silence.

It was, indeed, just a small rock. Slightly shiny. Maybe because of some blood on it. Maybe not.

Liu Mei beamed. “Can I keep it, Master? It’s sparkling!”

Ace stared at her, then at the rock. Then back at her.

“We’re in the middle of a battlefield,” he said flatly. “People are dying.”

“But it’s shiny,” she said with a straight face.

“…Fine,” Ace sighed, adjusting his grip. “Grab the damn rock.”

Liu Mei reached out, triumphantly scooping up her new treasure.

“One day, you’ll thank me,” Liu Mei whispered seriously, cradling it like a sacred gem.