“My mother’s ashes are under the bridge.”
Robin Bailey’s heart trembled. But he didn’t panic. He used his aura to clear a path, allowing Mr. Row to breathe easier. Thanks to Robin Bailey’s aura, his speech became calmer.
It was then that Mr. Row spoke, “Back then… they were digging up graves… I didn’t allow it… but they beat me… it hurt… but I rushed in… and took your mother’s ashes… because I promised… you… to protect your mother’s grave… but… I’m sorry… I could only save one urn.”
As Mr. Row’s voice trailed off, it became hoarse.
It was a tearful hoarseness.
He had promised the child, at the time Robin Bailey was indeed just a child, but a special one, misunderstood by everyone.
Only Robin Bailey wouldn’t judge him.
Because when he first met her, Robin Bailey’s mother, Sophia Lindsay, told him that grateful people, polite and considerate, know their boundaries.
Since then, Robin Bailey had always called him Mr. Row.
It had been a long time since anyone had been so polite to him. People he passed by would mock him, throw trash at him, insult him, but only Robin Bailey would politely address him.
So, he vowed to protect Robin Bailey’s mother’s grave.
But in the end, he couldn’t protect it and could only bring out one ashes urn.
That’s why Mr. Row slowly started to cry.
In his world, this was the only thing that mattered, and he failed.
“Mr. Row, I don’t blame you. I will find those responsible for this. Thank you for this, Mr. Row. I’m truly thankful,” Robin Bailey patted Mr. Row’s back.
Gratitude was due. After all, Mr. Row had sacrificed a lot for them, even being treated like a dog.
Robin Bailey wouldn’t forget this debt; he would settle it.
But in truth, it was Robin Bailey’s courtesy that helped him find out his mother’s ashes were still there. Otherwise, he might have never seen his mother again in this lifetime.
Lucky.
And a testament to Robin Bailey’s abilities.
“Really?”
Mr. Row’s tears gradually stopped, looking at Robin Bailey like a child.
Mr. Row was a little silly.
It wasn’t a joke; many times, he would act like a child.
Robin Bailey couldn’t do anything about his damaged mind.
He’d have to see a neurologist to stabilize in due time.
“Yes,” Robin Bailey smiled.
“So gentle.”
Isabella Turner watched Robin Bailey’s gentle side, and once again, she couldn’t help but be captivated. Her heart skipped a beat.
How could someone be this gentle?
“At Anhe… under… Bridge Three… by the third stone… go quickly…”
Mr. Row still trembled as he spoke.
“Okay.”
Robin Bailey straightened up and looked at Isabella Turner.
An exchange.
Isabella Turner blushed, like a red apple, and then quickly lowered her head.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Robin Bailey asked softly.
“No,” Isabella Turner shook her head repeatedly, looking a bit clueless.
A bit dim-witted.
“Then do me a favor, look after Mr. Row. I need to go somewhere. Call me if there’s a problem.”
Robin Bailey instructed.
“Okay… Alright.”
Understanding it was serious business, Isabella Turner’s blush faded away.
Robin Bailey left his phone number and went out.
Soon, they arrived under that bridge at Anhe.
Following Mr. Row’s instructions, Robin Bailey found a box below the third stone. It was an urn. Years ago, they couldn’t afford a burial; they had to cremate, leaving behind this urn.
It was the only thing Robin Bailey had left back then.
When he saw the urn, Robin Bailey’s eyes turned red, and then, with a thud, he knelt on the stony ground under the bridge.
“Mom, I’m here to see you,” Robin Bailey’s voice was hoarse.
Then, he uttered, “Leave. I want to be alone with my mother for a while.”
“Yes.”
Jeff Reczek left with the wolf guards.
Jeff Reczek knew that a general wanted to be alone with family for a while, and he understood. It even stirred a hint of longing in him as he gazed up at the sky, a bit lost.
Could someone like him long for something?
After Jeff Reczek left, there was only Robin Bailey and an urn under the bridge.
“Mom, your son has been unfilial, making you suffer.”
“Mom, it’s been years since I last saw you. You haven’t called me Robin in a long time. Your son has been tired for these years, really tired, a kind of tireless rush forward… Mom, I really feel like having another bowl of the chive noodles you used to make…”
…
Robin Bailey cried.
Truly cried.
And even lamented and expressed exhaustion. If anyone, including Jeff Reczek and the wolf guards, had seen this, they would have been shocked.
Because this was the War God!
The protector of the country!
But the War God was also human; Robin Bailey wasn’t a machine. Since he was six, he was chased out by the Bailey family and lived as a vagabond with his mother. A year later, his mother died, when he was only seven.
He truly became an orphan, as if the entire family had abandoned him.
He roamed the streets, always watched by the Bailey family, who wouldn’t allow him to work. Even the dirtiest, most tiring jobs with just meals were off-limits. He had to roam the streets alone, getting beaten and insulted, eating leftover food.
He survived like this.
Then he met Elise Houry, who gave him a chance to join the army. From then on, Robin Bailey had been fighting because he knew it was his only chance. Without the Bailey family or the Houry family around, only he remained.
He fought relentlessly!
No one understood why he fought so hard.
But Robin Bailey never showed any sign of slackening on this path, enduring life and death battles time and time again. His position gradually rose until he became the War God.
Yet, no one understood his weariness.
He’d never heard anyone say it.
Because he was the War God!
He couldn’t cry!
He was invincible, the protector of the country!
So even in front of Elise Houry and Leslie, Robin Bailey never cried. He was a husband and father to them; he couldn’t cry. But in front of Sophia Lindsay, Robin Bailey could cry.
Because she was Robin Bailey’s mother.
She raised him, taught him how to be a man, and even scolded or hit him without him ever resisting.
But now, there was no such setting.