WAR GOD : Rise After Betrayal

Chapter 4

The ambulance siren stopped right in front of the Emergency Room entrance. The rear doors opened, and the medical staff immediately pushed the stretcher out.

“Female patient, mild head injury due to impact,” one of the medics reported quickly. “Blood pressure stable, briefly unconscious.”

Ares stepped down from the ambulance and followed from behind. His steps were still slightly unsteady, but he tried to walk normally.

The ER doors opened automatically.

“Take her to Observation Room One,” a nurse ordered.

Ares stopped outside the boundary line. He stood there, watching from a distance as Elara was taken inside. His chest felt slightly tight, though he did not know why.

Several minutes passed.

Ares sat on a waiting chair. His hands rested on his knees. Without realizing it, his fingers trembled slightly.

“Strange…” he murmured softly.

He closed his eyes for a moment. Brief images appeared again. A vast battlefield.

The sound of war horns.

A heavy pulse in his chest, as if something were trying to move from within.

Ares opened his eyes immediately. His breathing quickened slightly.

“Calm down,” he told himself. “This is just the effect of exhaustion.”

But the sensation did not disappear. Instead, it felt like a gentle pressure pulsing rhythmically, as if something wanted to awaken, yet was still bound.

Rapid footsteps came from the direction of the ER entrance.

A young man in a suit entered with a worried expression. His gaze swept across the room and stopped at the door of the observation room.

“Doctor, how is Miss Elara’s condition?” he asked a passing nurse.

“She’s still being examined. Please wait.”

The man let out a half-relieved breath. He wiped his face, then finally noticed Ares.

“You,” he said hesitantly. “You were the one who came with the ambulance?”

Ares nodded. “Yes. I happened to be the one who helped her at the accident site.”

The man’s expression turned serious. He stepped closer and bowed slightly. “Thank you. My name is Tom. I’m her trusted aide.”

“Oh, my name is Ares,” he replied briefly.

Tom took a deep breath. “Thank goodness. If something happened to the Eldest Young Lady…”

Ares raised an eyebrow. “The Eldest Young Lady?”

Tom looked at him. “You didn’t know?”

Ares shook his head.

Tom looked at him for a few seconds, then spoke softly but clearly. “Miss Elara Seraphina Cole. The primary heir of the Cole Group.”

The name made Ares fall silent.

The Cole Group. He had heard the name on television before. A multinational corporate giant. One of the most influential business groups in the country.

“Oh,” Ares said simply.

Tom looked at him in surprise. “That’s all your reaction?”

Ares gave a faint smile. “To me, she’s just an accident victim.”

Tom fell silent for a moment, then nodded slowly.

The door to the observation room opened.

“Patient’s companion?” the doctor asked.

Tom immediately stood up. “I am.”

“The patient is conscious. No serious injuries. Just a mild concussion and a wound on the forehead. She needs observation.”

Tom let out a relieved breath. “Thank you, Doctor.”

Ares stood up unconsciously as well.

When Elara was wheeled out, Ares felt the pulse in his chest again. This time it was clearer. Like a warm current flowing slowly. He pressed his chest lightly, his brow furrowing.

“Are you alright?” Tom asked.

Ares shook his head. “Just a little dizzy.”

Elara slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was still slightly unfocused, but she was clearly conscious.

“Where am I?” she asked weakly.

“At the hospital, Miss,” Tom replied quickly. “You were in an accident, but thankfully it wasn’t serious.”

Elara gave a small nod. “That car…”

She paused, then looked at Tom. “Tom, investigate it. This wasn’t a normal accident.”

Tom immediately nodded. “I was thinking the same. I’ll handle it.”

Ares heard the conversation. His memory returned to the image of the car that had appeared in his mind before the crash.

A car from behind.

Crashing intentionally.

He clenched his fist, then relaxed it again.

It might not be true, he thought. Don’t jump to conclusions.

Elara turned her gaze toward Ares. “Who is he?”

Tom turned. “This man is the one who helped you, Miss.”

Elara looked at Ares for a few seconds. Her gaze was sharp, yet calm. “Oh, thank you.”

Ares nodded. “You’re welcome.”

“What’s your name?” Elara asked.

“Ares,” he replied. Then added, “Areskael Valdyr.”

Elara frowned slightly. Then she continued, “Your occupation?”

Ares was silent for a moment. “Currently… none.”

Tom glanced at Ares, slightly surprised.

Elara raised an eyebrow. “Not working?”

Ares nodded. “For the past three years, no company has been willing to accept me.”

Elara did not comment right away. She studied Ares more carefully—the injuries on his face, his posture, the look in his eyes.

“You still helped me despite being in that condition,” she said softly. “Why? Is this your way of seeking compensation from me?”

Ares shook his head. “Not at all! I didn’t even know your identity. I only found out from Tom that the accident victim I saved was the Eldest Young Lady of the Cole family.”

Elara was silent for a few seconds, then turned to Tom. “Tom.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“I need someone I can trust,” Elara said. “Someone who can protect me as well.”

Tom understood where the conversation was heading. He looked at Ares, then back at Elara. “Are you sure, Miss?”

Elara looked back at Ares. “Ares, are you willing to work?”

Ares was slightly startled. “Work?”

“As my personal assistant,” Elara continued, “and also as a temporary bodyguard.”

Ares fell silent. His chest pulsed softly again. The sensation felt strange, but not painful.

“Why me?” he asked honestly. “I’m not good at fighting at all! I’m just an ordinary, useless man.”

Elara answered briefly, “I think you’re the right person, Ares. As for that, Tom will find someone to teach you martial arts.”

Ares let out a soft breath. “But can I do it? I’m not a great person, Miss.”

Elara gave a faint smile. “I’m not looking for a great person. I’m looking for the right one.”

Ares looked at Elara for a few seconds, then nodded. “Alright. I accept.”

“Okay, I’ll take care of the contract paperwork. One-month probation period. If you can’t handle it, I might employ you at my company as an office boy.”

Ares closed his eyes briefly. Inside his chest, something moved slowly. That seal… was reacting again. And once again, Ares did not realize it.

“Very well, Miss.”

Ares stood up from the waiting chair after Tom left to handle the administration. Elara was taken back to a temporary ward. He chose to step out into the hospital lobby to calm himself.

The bright lights made his eyes sting slightly. The smell of antiseptic filled his nose. Ares walked slowly, head lowered, trying to steady his breathing and his still-chaotic thoughts.

After only a few steps, he stopped.

A voice he knew all too well came from the registration desk.

“I told you not to worry. The doctor said my pregnancy is fine,” Rachel’s voice rang clearly.

Ares’s body stiffened. He slowly raised his head and saw Rachel standing not far from him. Max stood beside her, holding her stomach possessively.

“We have to take care of your pregnancy,” Max said. “This is the future heir.”

Rachel gave a small smile. “Don’t worry.”

Ares’s world felt like it stopped spinning.

Rachel was pregnant?

His hands clenched unconsciously. His eyes were fixed on Rachel’s stomach. His heart pounded hard—harder than before.

The timeline in his head spun rapidly. He and Rachel had just divorced. If Rachel was pregnant now—

“Could it be…” he whispered almost inaudibly.

His chest pulsed strangely again, stronger this time, as if something were reacting to his emotional turmoil. Ares took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm.

“Is Rachel carrying my child?”