Chapter 104: Certain Buried Truths (1)
“Ugh, is this really going to be okay…….”
As Elwin had instructed beforehand, Hake activated his unique magic, ‘Daydream,’ not long after they departed for the Batevil Kingdom.
It deceived Nahrhan’s senses into believing that Hake had murdered Nero and abducted Jana, then fled.
“I would have rather just confessed everything honestly. That man, he scares .”
However, Elwin had ordered them to quickly leave the airship and join Depicio, rather than explaining everything to Nahrhan and making him understand.
He didn’t know the reason, but he said that way was faster.
“I followed the order, but I’m needlessly afraid of the repercussions……!! Even though I’m on their side now!!”
Hake, who had already reached the ground and exited the ergency escape bottle, shivered and complained.
If things went wrong when they t again later, it would be Hake, he himself, who would directly pay the price for deceiving him.
“Of all tis, he had to appear without a sound when I was about to use my unique magic, so I was startled and accidentally broke the table.”
“……Pfft!”
“Don’t laugh, you bastard! It’s half your fault too, you know? I was concentrating, and you were being all flighty and distracting in front of .”
Hake was afraid of Nahrhan.
“Surely he wouldn’t make a fuss about that, would he……?”
This was because he, a forr elite assassin of Depicio, knew thoroughly about the past and notoriety of the man nad Nahrhan Ferdic, no, ‘Nahrhan Hailys.’
Nahrhan was once famous as a punisher who brought down rciless judgnt upon those who committed sins.
Criminals or mbers of villain organizations captured by him rarely returned alive and well.
It was either an imdiate slit throat and death, or death after suffering as a cripple.
It was one of the two.
Among those living in the underworld, a saying even circulated that it was better to pray for the afterlife than to be caught by Nahrhan Hailys.
“……To think he’s alive. I was sure he was dead.”
Hake inadvertently muttered in a small voice.
He had no idea how inwardly shocked he had been when he first saw Nahrhan.
Though it was years ago, Hake rembered it clearly.
“Nahrhan Ferdic……. Did he just change his surna?”
He was once the most brilliant and glorious holy knight of the Church of Light, which served the God of Light, LAMPAS.
-The one who dared to consort with the Dark Sect while having pledged his body to serve God… is excommunicated!
Because one day, he was excommunicated on charges of having joined hands with the Dark Sect.
Everyone who heard the news through the Bluebird Newspaper believed he wouldn't live long.
Because Nahrhan Hailys had been raised as a clergyman his entire life and, befitting the title of the most glorious holy knight, his faith was profound.
A ans that has lost its purpose, a sword that has lost its center, is bound to break.
“So noisy.”
Then, soone he was exchanging words with retorted irritably.
“If you can’t move your mouth, does your body beco sluggish too? Hurry up and do what you were told properly.”
Though the tone was tinged with Nero Chase’s characteristic impertinence, the voice was different.
Nero’s tone was also high compared to other males, but this was much thinner and higher.
“Ha! You don’t seem scared at all, do you? That man, that notorious…….”
Hake, flaring up, tried to retort.
“That’s enough.”
She cut off Hake’s remark dismissively.
Her coolly sunken eyes seed to be warning him.
Hake flinched involuntarily.
His ears and tail drooped.
“Nahrhan Ferdic is the human He cherishes most. Haven’t I always told you not to act rashly?”
Her identity was the woman with dazzling, long silver hair flowing down, Jana Bartwell.
“A long tongue leads to death, you foolish cat.”
No, it was Nero, mimicking Jana’s appearance with his unique magic, ‘Impostor.’
Speaking so hatefully like Nero, but with Jana’s appearance and tone, made it even more infuriating.
“Who are you calling foolish!”
“You~! It’s you~!”
“No, it’s not! And don’t act so undignified in Miss Jana’s form!”
Hake, who had been montarily intimidated, soon revived and threw a tantrum.
He could lose to anyone else, but not to Nero.
He didn’t want to lose.
“I’ll pretend to be unconscious until we reach the Depicio hideout, so tie my wrists properly.”
“……Alright.”
Hake bound Nero’s hands, which he extended behind his back, with a familiar touch, and glanced at his back.
Though his hands were busy, what floated in his mind was the information Candela had given him.
More precisely, it was a report summarizing the information a Depicio mber had confird when they found Hake, before he was raised as a Depicio assassin.
[Target identified in Batevil Tunnels. Two young cat beastkin.]
[Year of birth unknown. Origin unknown. Lineage and species unknown. Presud to be war orphans from the recent outbreak of war.]
[Though they do not resemble each other, they refer to each other as ‘brothers’ or ‘the only family left.’ Both targets show potential as possessors of unique magic. Will take them to the Depicio training facility. End of report.]
So, to put it simply…… Hake, he and Nero Chase were family.
He couldn't be sure since he had no childhood mories, but they had called each other brothers.
‘Does this make sense?’
Hake beca aware of a strange sensation coursing through his body.
It felt as if the emotion called ‘astonishnt’ was constantly flowing through his veins like blood.
‘……Family.’
He secretly pronounced the word only inside his mouth.
An inexplicable warmth seed to spread throughout his body.
‘When that Nero fellow was in Depicio, the fact that I admired and followed him.’
Was it an attraction towards soone who was originally within the sa family unit?
They might or might not be of the sa bloodline, but…… had the young Hake recognized his family?
‘……Does that detestable fellow know? That we are actually family.’
However, Hake’s imrsion in such thoughts didn't last long.
Nero, who had turned his head at so point, was staring intently at Hake.
“What, what? Aren’t you paying way too much attention to today? My head’s going to get pierced. Ah, or are you perhaps thinking of assassinating with your gaze?”
“What? No, I was just……!”
Before Hake could protest, Nero struck first.
He said with a strange smile playing on his lips.
“Aha. Or if not that, Hake, are you perhaps……”
Hake involuntarily tensed up, his body stiff.
‘Perhaps? Could it be…… does Nero know too?’
Since he had just been thinking about the unexpected connection between Hake and Nero, he had been hit where it hurt.
So, naturally, unnecessary thoughts began to bubble up.
‘Right! Co to think of it, that fellow was ridiculously quick-witted! It’s not impossible. When he was in Depicio, he might have found so clue……!’
But was Nero the type of human who acted according to others’ wishes?
He always enjoyed betraying the expectations of those who expected sothing from him and giving them the middle finger.
Nero demurely placed a hand over his mouth and then, pfft, laughed openly and mockingly.
“Scaredy-cat?”
“…….”
“Scared?”
At Nero’s contemptuous and annoying smirk, Hake’s flustered expression gradually faded and turned into a blank one.
‘Right. He was always like that.’
Perhaps his mory had been temporarily beautified by learning the unexpected truth.
The human he knew as Nero Chase was an endlessly lighthearted, moody person, who did things his own way.
And he had a genius talent for making people feel like shit.
‘What on earth did I expect from that kind of human.’
Suddenly, a vein bulged on Hake’s forehead.
He smiled faintly and quietly took out a knife.
Ssshaak-!
The knife drew a sharp trajectory.
Nero, noticing it, flexibly bent his body and dodged.
“Die. Ah, just die!”
“What now!? A sudden attack? Are you trying to pick a fight with now?!”
A brief, sharp silence, followed by an acute murderous intent directed at each other.
Soon, the sound of blades clashing fiercely began to echo slowly in the dead of night.
“……You two, is this really the ti to be fighting so leisurely? Stop it.”
Then, another voice intervened to stop them.
The voice, still retaining a youthful quality, was tinged with deep fatigue.
Like soone who had been pulling all-nighters for days on end, grinding their body down.
“What now? Unrelated mister.”
“Stay out of it!”
Nero and Hake shouted simultaneously.
At tis like this, the two, who were like arch-enemies, were perfectly in sync.
The voice that had been trying to stop them let out a deep sigh amidst the cats who were owing as if displeased by that very fact.
In fact, from the beginning, besides Nero and Hake, there had been one other person in this place.
“……Haha. These damn things.”
Zeraphe Gnaude, who had been sitting idly by like a forgotten sack of potatoes, smiled gently.
“As expected, words alone won’t work.”
Correction. He smiled with an enlightened look, as if he had given up on everything.
He didn't know how many tis those damn cats had fought on their way from the airship to the ground.
And how drained Zeraphe Gnaude had beco trying to stop them.
“Stop it, you brats!”
Kwaang!
Finally, Zeraphe Gnaude, unable to hold back any longer, slamd his hand on the ground, causing tree roots to shoot up.
The roots, which shot up at a terrifying speed, rushed towards the two, separating them.
Hake, suddenly attacked, contorted his face and shouted.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing! Zeraphe Gnaude, are you betraying us now!? Like in the labyrinth?!!”
“Hmm? Hake, that’s not sothing you should be saying, ow.”
But suddenly, Nero retorted.
“Not only did you fake your death in the labyrinth to deceive us about your survival, but it turns out you were a spy for a villain organization…… and you even backstabbed us once in the tunnels, didn’t you? To the other Spero mbers, your image in a short period is that of a pro-betrayer who repeats betrayals like eating bread, ow.”
“Whaaat-? No, it’s n-not wrong, but…… after accepting the double agent proposal, I acted faithfully!”
Hake protested vehently as if wronged, but Nero shrugged his shoulders and responded leisurely.
“You yourself betrayed Depicio and ran away…….”
“It was a very sound and reasonable choice, wasn’t it?”
Hake, left speechless because it was true, clamped his mouth shut.
However, not wanting to be looked down upon by Nero like this, Hake soon pointed an accusing finger at Zeraphe Gnaude.
“If we’re going to get technical, that guy is worse! He disguised himself as a Hunter aspirant, randomly killed other examinees, desecrated the dead, and tried to resurrect an ancient monster without any regard for other people’s lives!”
He had found another scapegoat and passed the buck.
“I betrayed them at the end, but that guy is just a malicious traitor!”
“Ugh!”
Zeraphe Gnaude, who had been quiet, was suddenly attacked.
He let out a low groan and smiled bitterly.
“…….”
Every word was painfully true.
Because he was a sinner.
“This ti…… once everything related to Depicio is over, I plan to turn myself in. To atone for those who died because of …….”
Zeraphe Gnaude managed to stamr out the words with difficulty.
But the cats who had started the topic were bickering with each other, not paying him a shred of attention.
Zeraphe let out a loud sigh that reached his lungs.
“……Haa. Why am I even here doing this.”
Doubts surfaced once again.
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