Chapter 19 Silent Tears

Time quickly passed by and the two children fell asleep near a clump of flame conjured by Juvia. They hugged each other close, wrapped up in a dirty blanket.

Leonardo was standing near an open hole in the hut checking the situation outside for the night. From behind him, Juvia approached while fixing her glasses out of habit.

"Are you really adopting them?" She asked what was on her mind, as she never expected Leonardo to have a soft spot for children. Of course, it wasn't entirely because of having a soft spot, but perhaps some of the cause could be attributed to that.

Leonardo grew up without a father figure and perhaps this was the shadow behind his sentiments for Leona and Kieran. However, he also knew that if they were mere mortals doomed with a mortal constitution and/or physique, he wouldn't have bothered with adopting them.

Leonardo didn't respond for two obvious reasons. First, he already made up his mind about it, questioning his decision at this point in time is fruitless. Second, he didn't need nor did he account for a second opinion regarding his personal life.

Juvia, who was trying to have some small talks with Leonardo, seemed to realise that she was intruding on his personal life far too frequently.

Thus, she decided to wisely shut her trap and retreat for the night and accompany the children in their sleep, albeit she wasn't actually sleeping nor was Leonardo.

The next morning, Leona and Kieran woke up to find Juvia seated nearby.

She was watching Leonardo playing with the four black puppies. Well, he was hosting a few slabs of meet on his palms for them to eat as they tangled playfully with his hand.

Not too far away, the grown dogs laid lazily with some meat leftovers on the ground in front of them. They didn't seem concerned about the safety of their puppies near Leonardo, seemingly aware that he meant them no harm.

"Get up and get yourselves washed up, I prepared a tub of warm water for you two in the back room." Juvia addressed the two children with a faint smile before she continued, "You'll find a new set of clothing inside there as well, be quick!"

Leona's sleepy eyes widened in disbelief before she rushed to the back room. Soon, a high-pitched shriek followed by a loud splash of water echoed through the room.

Kieran felt embarrassed for his little sister, but he was also curious about how it felt to bathe in warm water and so he quickly excused himself and followed his little sister. Leonardo gave Juvia a look, and she quickly understood before following after the two children to help them clean up properly and dress properly.

About an hour of water tossing and children laughing later, the situation settled down and Juvia walked into the living room with a helpless smile on her drenched face. Following Leonardo's instructions, she couldn't use any cultivation based abilities in the presence of these children, at least not in an obvious manner. Hence, she had to suffer the bullet and tease of Leona throughout the entire course of events.

Kieran was more reserved as he didn't wish to anger this beautiful big sister, especially with the uncomfortable aura she gave off. Leonardo also knew that Juvia wasn't properly controlling her martial intent, but he didn't mention it to her as this wasn't something solved in a matter of days.

Leona had a refreshing air about her with her blue one piece dress and soft sandals. As for Kieran, Juvia fashioned him a white t-shirt and a pair of blue shorts matching Leona's dress, not to mention his white sneakers.

These were clothes created from Juvia's magic. As a saint, she could now project her magic to the outside world with ease, and the energy didn't need to maintain close proximity to her body or energy reserves to function properly.

One can say that such simple spells were already within the realms of being self sufficient.

The morning activities of a rural place such as the settlement of convicts were nothing grand. A few dunken, eye sunken, bedraggled men lay strewn across the dirt roads. Garbage and inedible waste products littered the streets, and robust men brawled their way and screamed at one another in a display of boredom and strength.

However, on this day, something new happened.

A young adult trailed by a breathtaking mature elf walked down the dirty streets of this settlement. Not only that, they were dressed in light white outfits that exemplified their beauty and elegance, not to mention the two children in their company.

Leona refused to distance herself from Leonardo. Hence, the young businessman could do nothing but hold her little hand as they approached a rather crowded corner at the edge of the settlement where a group of men and women stormed two muscular white horses.

Each horse was saddled with thick hides of intricate design and colorful fabrications. A lot of people were surprised to see the two kids all dressed up, neat and tidy. However, the majority were yet to notice as their eyes were draw to the exceptional steeds.

"Excuse me," Leonardo parted his lips, and his magnetic voice drifted across all the way in ripples, striking into everyone's ears alike. Of course, this was only possible because Juvia extended a domain that enveloped the street where Leonardo took advantage of the medium to distribute his voice equally to everyone's ears.

Now, truly everyone had their eyes on this group of four.

A particularly muscular man who was inadvertently dropping his bread every now and then seemed to realise something before stepping out from the crowd with a particularly curious expression as he said, "You two… Are you here to kidnap the children of this place or something?!"

Leona and Kienar were the only children in a place like this. No one knew exactly whom children they are, but it was an unwritten rule for some time now to leave them to their own devices.

Of course, some people with enough influence and privy to something, and this man was one of those people, much like the owner of the night pub in the makeshift red district.

Of course, Leonardo knew that this man was secretly looking after these children. Hence, he didn't take his accusations to heart as he responded calmly.

"I am their adopted Godfather, they deserve better than this life."

The man's scarred face twisted as he snarled, "We don't need the pity of you rich motherfuckers. Take your horses, leave the kids behind, and fuck off before I changed my mind!"

At this point, the people watching the show pulled some distance, save for a few lazy-looking men who leaned closer to the tall brute of a man. Leonardo sighed, as he didn't like violence, "I know you have been taking care of them on the behest of someone else, which is why I don't feel like killing you or anyone else in this place."

"In fact, I am on my way back to Valdmor to fetch some food, water, and clothes for the people of this settlement. If you don't believe me, you can follow in our steps to check for yourself."

The man's expression faltered, not realising that he was being spied on for the past two weeks. If so, the mysterious young man could have assassinated him and no one would be the wiser.

Although criminals, the people of this settlement weren't impulsive idiots. Honestly, Leonardo felt rather surprised because according to some fantasy novels he chanced upon, the other party should be some obstinate unreasonable fool who would send wave after wave of subordinates to their untimely deaths.

Instead, the man struggled for a while, then swept his eyes over the little girl who clung tightly to the young man's thigh and Kieran who stood silently in the back.

The man seemed to have aged considerably as he sighed. Although he watched over them in the shadows, he grew rather attached to the two brats. Thus, seeing someone who could provide better lives didn't sit right with him.

Although he knew that the rational choice was to let them go, he felt utterly reluctant to let them go. Leona seemed to notice something, even though she didn't know the man or how he took care of them, but she was inclined to believe in what Godfather Leo told her.

Thus, she timidly took small steps forward, approaching the group of fierce men. The man who was struggling internally didn't notice her approach until he felt a soft and small body pressing against his muscular thigh, snapping him back to the situation at hand.

"Thank you, uncle."

The moment the man looked down, he saw the adorably round face of Leona and her clear brown eyes. The man sighed in defeat and relaxed his taut muscles before rubbing Leona's head with his massive hand that was big enough to cover her face.

Regardless, the caressing felt rather pleasant to the little girl as she smiled.

A moment later, the robust man stepped aside and allowed the party a path to the two white horses.

"Just go before I've changed my mind!" He barked, putting on a solid front. When the group passed by, Leonardo's patted the man's wide shoulder, and he could feel that the man's body was trembling ever so slightly.

"You're good!" Leonardo left these two words before mounting his horse and picking a hyped Leona to his lap, allowing Kieran and Juvia to mount the other one.

Thus, on this day, the monotone morning routine of the settlement was broken, and it would forever change after this day.

Also, on this day, a seasoned criminal shed tears in silence.