Chapter 28: Public Support

Words : 1067 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 28: Public Support While Leonard realized there might be more casualties than what he had just witnessed, someone in the rescued area suddenly screamed in agony. "No, that’s my daughter’s arm!" A woman in her 30s screeched and frantically tried to rush toward Leonard’s side. Startled, the Crimson Guards were alerted and quickly tried to stop her from advancing. They had just experienced an assassination attempt against their crown prince. As if they would allow anyone to suddenly approach Leonard. "No, please let me go." The woman was on the verge of a mental breakdown as she struggled to push the arms of the Crimson Guards away. Soon, her eyes darted to Leonard. Realizing he was the person in control, the woman knelt down and kissed the ground with her forehead. "Crown Prince, please let me take a look at the severed arm." "Let her in," Leonard waved his hand and permitted her to enter after Mirelle gave him a simple nod. Out of everyone here, Mirelle was probably the strongest and most perceptive person. Since she had confirmed the woman wasn’t hostile, then Leonard wouldn’t be cold and heartless enough to deny a fragile woman’s request. The woman’s clothes were ragged and dirty from the aftermath of battle. It was pretty clear that she had been trying to search for her lost child based on her unsightly appearance. After all, some of the stains on her clothes and skin had traces of the ruined and shattered buildings. Nevertheless, the woman didn’t care about her appearance. Instead, she rushed toward the severed arm upon being granted permission. "No..." Her voice cracked and she nearly forgot to breathe when she got close to the severed arm. From afar, she was only able to see the detail briefly, but now that she was up close, she noticed a scar that her child had gotten. "My poor Maddie! Ahhhh!" Heartbroken and filled with despair, the woman cried in agony as she grasped the severed arm tightly. Her eyes turned red from the tears and distress. The bawling of anguish echoed through the streets, and some of the luckier commoners who had survived the ordeal felt a pang of sympathy rush through their hearts and minds. They were glad they survived, but they also understood that some people were unlucky. "Oh, Lord, please have mercy on us." "A mother losing her child is never a good omen." "How could such a tragedy occur in the capital?" The commoners could empathize and stay connected to the woman who lost her daughter to one of the escaped slaves. A child who had their arm severed for so long meant extreme blood loss. Without swift medical attention, the chance of survival was extremely low. Amidst the tragic scene, Leonard’s expression remained the same. He wasn’t cold-hearted, but he knew bawling his eyes out or showing any kind of expression wouldn’t change the circumstance. Moreover, Leonard couldn’t be certain that there weren’t some people spying on him at the moment. "Crown Prince, I can try to trace the child’s whereabouts." While everyone was silent, Mirelle suddenly stepped forward and said. "You can trace the child’s whereabouts with just a severed arm?" Leonard raised an eyebrow. Before Mirelle could answer, the woman had already crawled toward Mirelle with eyes full of hope. "Please help find my child, Lady. I’ll do anything to repay this big favor." Even if it was a corpse that they ended up finding, the woman would still be grateful. At the very least, she could give her child a complete burial and allow her to reincarnate with all limbs intact. Mirelle was silent despite the pleading, her eyes remained locked on Leonard. Although she didn’t say anything, the implication behind it was easy to interpret. "Crown Prince—" The woman didn’t even get to finish her pleading when Leonard already gestured for Mirelle to work on it. Since he planned on buying public support, this was the least he could do. As for the deceased Crimson Guards, Leonard couldn’t nor would he offer such a treatment because these Crimson Guards were different from the commoners. They had sworn to use their life to protect him, so dying in duty was an honorable death. The compensation package alone would ensure their surviving family to live well. Others might find it heartless or ridiculous, but this was the perspective and mindset of the people in Aetherion. With huge population numbers, life and death happen every second. Not all deaths would receive compensation packages, much less a guarantee that their family would remain safe and sound. This was especially true for the commoners who were involuntarily dragged into some schemes and ended up dead. They wouldn’t even receive anything besides some half-hearted excuse. However, Leonard had personally gone out of his way to ensure that this wouldn’t happen under his presence. And now he was even willing to do search and rescue for a woman’s child. The public’s hearts were warmed in an instant. They believed the newly appointed crown prince was superior to the other princes. While the commoners were convinced, Mirelle had already begun chanting and conjured the surrounding mana. Soon, the severed arm was coated in pure mana as it floated upward and pointed in a certain direction. The others only noticed what was on the surface, but Mirelle already received an answer from the search. Her expression turned somewhat complicated and solemn. "The child isn’t alive." She took a deep breath and informed the woman. "There’s no sign of life after I connected the mana bound. She seemed to be crushed by the following debris of a building that she laid to rest in after sustaining the injuries from the werewolf." PLOP! The woman could no longer endure the situation and fainted on the spot. In truth, she really prayed for a glimmer of hope that her child was still alive. But what Mirelle said was essentially hitting the nail in the coffin. "She has followed her child into the silence." While everyone was distracted, Leonard stared at the woman and commented. He sensed zero sign of life coming from the woman. Stunned, Mirelle hurriedly approached the woman and tried to heal her. Alas, it was a little bit too late. Her body followed where her soul had already gone, the grief was too heavy for even magic to mend.

Chapter 28: Public Support

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