Chapter 99: Even Mathers Part 2

A haunting voice incessantly echoed in Even's mind, its refrain ceaselessly repeating: "Help me, Evan! Help me, save me, please! I don't want to die, big brother!" Each repetition etched the image of a small, vulnerable body swinging from the gallows deeper into his consciousness. The weight of his failure pressed heavily on Even's shoulders. Of course, the Knight wouldn't have spared Matthew. He had learned their whereabouts, and in desperation, the destitute and marginalized of the city betrayed their sanctuary for the promise of a reward they would never receive. While Even had attempted to distance himself from his younger brother, the Knight, accompanied by a group of Inquisitors (Mage hunters), had descended upon them. Even learned of Matthew's capture too late, from the lips of one who had traded their safety for a paltry sum.

Racing to the gallows, Even confronted a scene of despair—a sea of onlookers gathered to witness the execution of a child. Among them stood Even, his heart pounding with dread and desperation. His eyes locked onto the tear-stained, battered face of his little brother, a noose cruelly fastened around his neck. Frozen in place, Even felt a paralyzing dread grip him, his limbs refusing to respond, shackled by fear and inertia. As Matthew's desperate cries pierced the air, pleading for salvation from the one person he trusted most, Even could only watch helplessly as the inevitable unfolded. The chair was kicked away, and in that moment, as Matthew's anguished wails faded into the cold embrace of silence, Matthew's last memories were those of his big brother abandoning him, like the rest of his family.

Even, by a stroke of luck, had managed to escape Goldfaith—an instance where he wished fate had continued to deal him the cards of misfortune. He wandered aimlessly through Aetheria, drifting from town to town, city to city, and from the country of Veridiania to the free cities of middle Aetheria, living merely for the sake of existence. Surviving without purpose became his daily routine.

One day, he heard news—news that the Knight who had executed Matthew had been executed himself. However, this act wasn't driven by justice or remorse for ending a child's life; rather, it was a move to appease the Mathers family, who had suddenly begun to care about Matthew upon hearing what he had done to the Knight. Did they inadvertently start caring about Even, who had raised Matthew? Absolutely not. There was no mention of Even Mathers; he still remained unwanted by his family. Fed up with this uncaring world, its indifferent people, and its indifferent goddess, Even stood on a cliff's edge near a town. This was the second time in his life he attempted to commit suicide, and it was the second time he was saved.

Lia Ambrose was an odd girl—actually, that put it lightly. Lia was intensely strange, seeming out of place everywhere she went. She was always joking, never serious, regardless of the situation. She could be at a funeral, telling jokes to the grieving family, all while munching on food. Now, why did she matter? Well, right before Even was about to jump, Lia, being the peculiar girl she was, instead of talking him out of it, simply knocked him out and kidnapped him, saving him from himself in the most unconventional manner imaginable.

The word family always left a bitter taste in Even's mouth, perhaps one reason Lia forced him to call her big sis while she essentially raised him alongside another boy, Dirk Alhime. Dirk, who always seemed more animal than human in his youth, faced a similarly harsh hand in life. Hunted down by a group of monster hunters, his parents were killed when he was just 7, leaving him to fend for himself in a world that regarded his kind no differently than animals to be exterminated for 9 years. He, too, found himself on the brink of a cliff, ready to end his own life, only to be saved by Lia, who promptly knocked him out before kidnapping him as well—seemingly her peculiar hobby.

Even and Dirk didn't exactly see eye to eye, their relationship marked by a natural rivalry, as if they were in competition to determine whose life was more wretched. Whenever their disputes grew too heated, Lia would intervene, delivering a swift smack to both their heads and forcing them to find common ground—albeit through somewhat violent means. Lia had given both boys a reason to live, forcibly instilling purpose within them. She herself was an orphan who had survived the uncaring world without losing her will to live, unlike Even and Dirk.

Lia happened to possess a unique talent in magic, a subset known as Infusion magic. Unlike casters who channel magic through their bodies or enhancers who enhance their physical attributes, infusionists infused mana into items, temporarily or permanently imbuing them with magical properties. Individuals like Lia were exceedingly rare and immensely valuable. However, instead of using her gift to amass wealth and live a comfortable life, Lia chose a different path—kidnapping two boys and training them in the ways of magic. Why? The answer was simple: she intended to mold them into mercenaries. As for why she wanted to do that? Who knows—Lia operated on an entirely different plane compared to normal people.

By the time Lia finished forcibly teaching them magic, she had meticulously instilled in them the skills to fend for themselves, ensuring they could properly take care of their own needs. Under her guidance, they recounted their life stories, fostering a deep sense of camaraderie as Lia officially declared herself their older sister, binding them together as a makeshift family. Her care extended beyond mere instruction, offering them a semblance of familial warmth they had never known before.

As adulthood dawned, Even reached 23, Dirk 22, and Lia 26. Amidst the chaos that was Lia's guidance, instead of forming a single Mercenary Company with all three of them, she instructed them to each establish their own. What's more, she urged them to become active rivals to each other's companies. Even and Dirk were dumbfounded by this unorthodox approach, as anyone would be. However, they complied, fearing the consequences of defying their self-appointed big sister—even if both of them were now arguably stronger than her.

But Lia's unconventional approach presented Even and Dirk with a new set of challenges. If they were to start their own mercenary companies, their names would inevitably spread. Even Mathers would likely be hunted down by his family for using their name falsely, despite being an actual member. Meanwhile, Dirk Alhime would be targeted by the hunters that killed his parents.

Lia, as if planning for this, promptly provided them with new names right then and there! And thus, Jakel, Mar, and Mincs (Lia had also adopted a new name for herself, for some inexplicable reason) were born.