Chapter 8: Rory’s Secret

After the months had passed, Vice had grown a little more and was slowly approaching his 7th birthday.

His physical abilities were improving with each passing day, and not even Ian, the only one in class 2 who could handle fighting him before, could keep up with him recently.

However, Vice still didn’t consider himself strong enough to solve Rory’s problem with his fists, so he was still secretly watching his friend.

He didn’t always do this in his breaks because, as his sister had told him, doing so would alienate him from Ian, something he didn’t want.

So for the last few months, Vicente would watch Rory a few times during the week and whenever he had some free time without compromising his friendship with Ian.

Ian was no longer talking about Rory and had made new friends in class 2, with whom Vice had also been interacting recently.

Because of this, he was getting space to keep an eye on the actions of the group bullying Rory.

But while Rory’s enemies had never exposed what they knew and were using against him, Vice would finally discover the truth!

…

Leaving the academy in the middle of the afternoon, Vice decided to follow Rory’s steps.

Today his father was out of the village, doing business in other parts of the province. So he had time to do whatever he wanted until nightfall.

He decided to use this rare occasion and calmly walked behind Rory, keeping a sufficient distance for him not to be noticed.

Since Vicente had experience in doing this, something that Rory did not have, he easily deceived this friend, who, without noticing, led someone else to a special place in the middle of the village.

Vicente saw Rory entering a property he knew was not for children, where his father had once told him never to enter.

‘What is he doing there?’ Vice wondered as he approached to check more closely.

He wasn’t sure what that place was, but he felt it wasn’t good, and he worried about his friend. ‘Is it because of those four?’

He would try to get closer, but halfway through, Rory would leave the place to move on to his house.

At the moment, Vice didn’t know that, so he returned to chasing his friend until the end of the day.

…

Returning home without answers, Vice stopped next to the coachman of his family’s carriage, a middle-aged man who worked for his father.

“Old Carson, can you answer me a question?” He stopped next to the man looking after his family’s horses.

Animals like that existed in this magical world, although they differed slightly from those found on Earth.

The man caring for that yellow-furred animal continued combing its mane and said. “Have you ever made one… What do you want to know, little Vice?”

“What’s in that house in the center of the village that my father told me never to enter?”

“A house?” The old man looked at Vice, trying to identify which place that was. ‘A place for him to never enter? I can only think…’

“Yes,” Vice said, waiting for an answer.

“Why do you want to know that?”

“I saw my friend going in there today. I followed him but couldn’t get close enough to sneeze.” He was sincere, startling that coachman.

“Little Vice, don’t do that anymore. That place is where degenerate men go. It’s not good for children like you.” He dropped the comb in his hand to advise that boy. 𝑜𝑣𝘭.𝘯𝑡

Carson lowered his face close to Vicente’s and said in a low voice. “Don’t tell your father I told you this, but that place is where lost women sell pleasure to shameless men.

It is the doom of those of weak mind!”

Gulp!

‘A whorehouse?’ Vicente clearly understood what that place was, opening his eyes significantly. ‘Why would Rory go to a whorehouse?’

But he couldn’t think of anything right away.

…

The next day, Vice once again chased his friend, seeing him again entering the whorehouse in this village.

This time he was faster, and by using his spying skills, he managed to get to the back of that property without attracting attention.

When he got there, he found a half-open window and watched through it.

‘That…’ Immediately upon seeing what was there, Vice opened his eyes in amazement, noticing Rory’s mother standing before several naked women, teaching them about something.

“When you are with a customer…” As she spoke, a tall, strong man appeared in the only doorway of that large room, with a child at his side.

“Miss, little Rory is here.”

When Rory appeared there, he had a sad look on his face as he averted his eyes from the naked women in that place.

But as he passed his eyes through one of the back windows of this place, he saw nothing, as Vice already ran away from there.

Vice had many things on his mind as he ran away from that property, figuring out what had made his friend change so much in the last few months.

‘Is Rory’s mother a prostitute?’ He wondered. ‘No, she can’t be. His mother is at least 30 years old. In this society, she is no longer considered young!

But maybe… Maybe she was?’ He remembered that Rory’s mother had no husband, a rarity in that society.

At the same time, she could pay for her son’s studies at the Academy of Stars, where only the children of the wealthiest in this village studied.

‘Was she a prostitute? Now a pimp?’ He swallowed his saliva, lamenting Rory’s family situation.

‘That’s why! That’s why he’s accepting the humiliations of those bastards! In fact, they found out about it and are using such a thing against him!’ Vicente clenched his fists, and the veins in his neck trembled.

He changed his path and decided to go to Rory’s house to convince his friend to stop what he was doing.

…

In the late afternoon, Rory returned home alone, as always.

However, when he saw that Vice was there waiting for him, he changed the sad expression on his face.

“Tsk! Didn’t I already tell you not to come here?” He asked with a bit of anger, glaring at Vice. “Go away! Do like Ian. Stop bothering me, Vicente!”

“No, you should stop pretending, Rory. Now I know why you walked away from us to humiliate yourself daily for Darek’s group’s happiness.

But you shouldn’t do that! Who cares what your mother is? Fight back against them!” He said as he approached his friend.

Hearing this, Rory opened his eyes wide, feeling that the whole academy would soon know about this.

His face turned red, and he clenched his fists.

As Vicente approached him, he punched in the direction of this boy’s face, exploding in anger.

Pow!

Vicente didn’t expect this and felt a blow hit his face, bending his head to the side.

Meanwhile, Rory was already preparing for the second blow.

“Aagh!” Vice exclaimed at the pain of that blow and jumped backward.

Dodging the kick Rory tried to hit him with soon after, Vice put his fighting stance on, preparing to dance with his friend.

“You want to fight? Good, it’s been a long time since we danced!

But note that I’m not here to threaten you! No matter what your mother is, it doesn’t change our friendship at all to me!” He said, even as he kept his guard up. “If you don’t understand it, I’ll teach you a lesson. Maybe you’ll stop being such a jerk after this.”

“Damn it! You don’t know what you’re talking about! Your family is perfect!”

With those words, one ran into the other, marking this confrontation that would change everything between them!