Chapter 333: Can you tell us who our enemy is?

"You’ve already done great," Nigel said softly, reaching out to gently ruffle Little Leo’s hair.

However, the little boy shook his head with quiet certainty.

"No. It’s still not enough."

Nigel’s smile slowly faded.

Leo lowered his eyes toward his own wrists.

"Leo still needed to tie himself up. If Mama saw Leo like that, she would get scared."

His small fingers curled slightly.

"So Leo hasn’t learned enough yet."

Nigel’s gaze followed his.

The bruises around the boy’s round wrists had already faded considerably, but they were still visible against his fair skin.

Those marks had been left there by Leo himself.

All because he had been trying to control something that even adults struggled to understand.

And all because he wanted to be able to meet one person.

His mother.

Nigel stared at the little boy for a long moment, his expression gradually becoming heavier.

If there was one thing a child needed most while growing up, it was the love and presence of their mother.

Yet he had been the one to take Leo away from the very person he needed the most.

His mother.

The woman who had carried him into this world after enduring countless odds.

Had he really done the right thing?

"Little Leo."

Nigel lifted his eyes and looked directly at him.

"Have you ever blamed Uncle for taking you away from your mother?"

He asked it quietly, almost as if he was waiting for the little boy to finally admit that he had.

But Leo merely paused.

Then, after a moment, he shook his head.

"Leo doesn’t blame Uncle." His little face was unusually serious. "Uncle did it to protect Mama and Leo. If he hadn’t taken Leo away, Leo would have hurt Mama. So Leo doesn’t blame Uncle."

Nigel’s heart tightened.

For a moment, he almost forgot that the person sitting in front of him was only four years old.

Then again ...

Perhaps his own question had been far too heavy for a child in the first place.

A faint smile finally appeared on Nigel’s lips.

"You don’t blame me, kiddo." He gently rubbed Leo’s hair again. "But I blame myself."

A small frown appeared between Leo’s brows.

He stared at Nigel as though he didn’t quite understand.

Yet his pride seemed to stop him from asking for an explanation.

Nigel knew him too well.

So he didn’t tease him.

He explained it to him.

"I blame myself for not stopping you from growing up so quickly," he said quietly. "Sometimes I’m afraid that when your mother sees you like this and realizes that I was one of the reasons you became this way ..."

He paused.

"She might never forgive me."

Leo’s expression became even more serious.

But the next moment, he shook his head.

"Growing up isn’t bad."

Nigel waited.

Leo looked at him with complete certainty.

"Only when Leo grows up can he protect Mama better. So, growing up quickly is good."

Nigel’s heart gave a painful squeeze.

He wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to protect his mama alone ...

... that he would be there to protect both of them too.

But then not everything needed to be said. Few things are just enough to be silently promised.

Nigel opened his mouth to say something, but before he could say anything—

The door suddenly swung open.

Two figures stumbled into the room as if they had been waiting outside for quite some time.

Nigel immediately turned around, his brows drawing together at the sudden intrusion.

Feeling his cold gaze, the two figures on the floor froze.

Neither seemed to know whether they should stand up or remain exactly where they were.

However, before Nigel could say anything else, the little voice beside him rang out first.

"What are you two doing there?"

The voice was small.

Babyish.

Yet it carried a firm, undeniable authority that made both figures stiffen even more.

Leo stared at them, his little face becoming solemn.

"Didn’t I tell you that listening outside the door isn’t good? It’s considered to be bad manners."

"L-Little Master, we weren’t listening!" Saddie hurriedly defended himself.

Leo’s eyes narrowed.

"Lying is worse."

Saddie immediately shut his mouth.

His shoulders drooped, and he lowered his head without daring to meet Leo’s eyes again.

Beside him, Blondie looked considerably more nervous.

"Little Master, please forgive us," she said, her voice carrying a hint of guilt. "We really didn’t mean to listen. We only came to see you. You haven’t come out of the room for more than two days. And last night we have been extremely worried."

Nigel stared at the two of them.

If he didn’t know them well enough, their guilty expressions might have made them look completely harmless.

But these two were anything but harmless.

They were among the most wanted primordial beings in existence.

The troop hunters had been searching for them everywhere, ready to capture them on sight.

Unfortunately for those hunters, the two most destructive beings they were desperately searching for were currently hiding under the protection of a four-year-old child.

And with Little Leo protecting them, not a single troop had managed to get close.

Nigel turned his gaze back toward the little boy.

Leo, meanwhile, looked at the two guilty figures with a tiny sigh.

"I’m better now."

He glanced at Nigel before adding seriously, "But Uncle doesn’t like being disturbed like this."

His little brows furrowed.

"You shouldn’t have come here just because you were worried."

Blondie and Saddie immediately lowered their heads even further.

"Now don’t just stand there." Leo’s little voice became firmer. "Say sorry."

The two primordial beings exchanged a quick glance.

Then, almost simultaneously, they bowed their heads.

"Ancestral Uncle, we’re sorry."

Leo blinked.

His expression remained serious for another second.

Then his little cheeks puffed slightly.

"Good."

Nigel looked at him.

For some reason, the sight of the tiny boy standing there with his hands behind his back, trying desperately to look like a stern little adult, almost made him laugh.

Almost.

Because beneath that adorable little face was a child who had already learned far too much about protecting the people he loved.

"By the way, Little Master," Saddie suddenly spoke, carefully lifting his head. "We will help you protect Mother too."

Blondie immediately nodded beside him.

"Yes. Little Master’s mother is also Mother to us. Blondie will protect her too."

Before Leo could respond, another voice came from behind them.

"Who are we protecting now?"

Both Saddie and Blondie turned around at once.

Baldie stood there, looking between them with a confused expression.

"Little Master’s mother," the two answered together. "We will protect her with Little Master."

Leo immediately shook his head.

"You don’t need to." His small voice was firm. "Leo can protect Mama alone."

"Alone?"

Saddie’s expression instantly crumpled. His eyes widened as if Leo had just said something truly heartbreaking.

"Little Master, are you abandoning us?"

His voice trembled.

"Don’t abandon us!"

He looked like he was about to cry.

But before even the first sound could escape him, Baldie’s hand shot forward and covered his mouth.

"Don’t find a way to cause chaos," Baldie warned him sternly.

Saddie blinked behind his hand.

Baldie glanced toward Leo before continuing, "Little Master never said he was abandoning us. He only said he doesn’t need us to protect his mother."

He removed his hand slightly and looked at Saddie.

"He thinks he can protect her himself ... which he actually can. Don’t tell me you doubt him?"

Saddie immediately shook his head.

He didn’t dare.

"I don’t," he said after Baldie finally let go. "Little Master can protect us. He can protect his mother too."

"Exactly."

Baldie stepped back and casually dusted his hands.

"Think before you react. Or at least give us a warning before you start crying. We need enough time to escape before you ruin us all."

Saddie rubbed his mouth and looked slightly aggrieved.

But he didn’t dare argue.

Baldie then turned toward Little Leo.

His gaze traveled from the boy’s head to his feet, carefully checking him over.

The little boy looked much better now.

The color had returned to his cheeks, and his eyes were no longer as weak as they had been the night before.

Seeing him like this, Baldie’s expression softened.

"It’s good to see you fine again, Little Master." His voice became slightly emotional. "You don’t know how hard it was. Without you, this Dark Wood Manor was almost ..."

He paused, searching for the right word.

"... almost destroyed. These two crazy beings almost destroyed it all."

Leo blinked at him. Then, after a moment, he gave a small nod.

"You did a good job."

Baldie froze.

His eyes widened.

That simple little compliment seemed to strike him harder than anything else. The next second, his chest puffed out proudly.

He patted himself and turned toward the other two with a smug expression.

"Did you hear that?" His chin lifted. "Little Master praised me."

He pointed proudly at himself.

"He praised me for staying level-headed while the two of you were losing your heads."

Blondie stared at him.

Saddie stared too.

Both looked equally unimpressed.

"You got the praise this time," Blondie said.

"We’ll get it another time," Saddie added.

"There’s no need to gloat."

"Yes, don’t gloat."

They spoke one after another, clearly refusing to let Baldie enjoy his victory for too long.

Baldie scoffed.

"Jealous."

Neither of them bothered answering.

Instead, Blondie turned back toward Leo.

"Little Master, you may not need us to protect Mother, but we will still protect her."

Saddie nodded firmly. "Yes. We will."

Leo looked at them.

For a moment, he seemed to consider their words.

Then his little face softened slightly.

He didn’t tell them to leave.

That alone was enough for the two primordial beings to exchange a pleased look.

However, Baldie suddenly rubbed his bald head.

"But from whom are we protecting Little Master’s mother?"

Blondie glanced at him.

"Does that even matter?"

"Yes," Baldie replied seriously.

Saddie immediately chimed in, "It doesn’t matter. As long as she’s Mother, we will protect her."

"Of course it matters." Baldie looked at both of them as though they had just said something foolish. "Knowing the enemy is always better."

That made sense.

Blondie and Saddie exchanged a glance. Then, together with Baldie, they turned toward Little Leo.

"Little Master," Baldie asked, "can you tell us who our enemy is?"

Leo’s expression changed.

The softness that had appeared on his little face moments ago vanished almost instantly.

His fair features turned solemn. His brows drew together, and a dark glint crossed his eyes.

He slowly placed both hands behind his back.

For a four-year-old, the change was almost startling.

Yet there was still something undeniably childish about him.

His small cheeks were still round.

His little hands were still tucked behind him.

And his voice, when it finally came, was still that soft, babyish voice that belonged to a child.

Only the coldness in it didn’t.

"Our enemy is ..." He paused as slowly his eyes darkened. "Dylan Maelstorm."