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 me.”
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 emergency escape bottle, shivered and complained.
If things went wrong when they met again later, it would be Hake, he himself, who would directly pay the price for deceiving him.
“Of all times, 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 me.”
Hake was afraid of Nahrhan.
“Surely he wouldn’t make a fuss about that, would he……?”
This was because he, a former elite assassin of Depicio, knew thoroughly about the past and notoriety of the man named Nahrhan Ferdic, no, ‘Nahrhan Hailys.’
Nahrhan was once famous as a punisher who brought down merciless judgment upon those who committed sins.
Criminals or members of villain organizations captured by him rarely returned alive and well.
It was either an immediate 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 remembered it clearly.
“Nahrhan Ferdic……. Did he just change his surname?”
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 means that has lost its purpose, a sword that has lost its center, is bound to break.
“So noisy.”
Then, someone he was exchanging words with retorted irritably.
“If you can’t move your mouth, does your body become 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 seemed 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 momentarily 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 member had confirmed 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. Presumed 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 memories, but they had called each other brothers.
‘Does this make sense?’
Hake became aware of a strange sensation coursing through his body.
It felt as if the emotion called ‘astonishment’ was constantly flowing through his veins like blood.
‘……Family.’
He secretly pronounced the word only inside his mouth.
An inexplicable warmth seemed 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 someone who was originally within the same family unit?
They might or might not be of the same bloodline, but…… had the young Hake recognized his family?
‘……Does that detestable fellow know? That we are actually family.’
However, Hake’s immersion in such thoughts didn't last long.
Nero, who had turned his head at some point, was staring intently at Hake.
“What, what? Aren’t you paying way too much attention to me today? My head’s going to get pierced. Ah, or are you perhaps thinking of assassinating me 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! Come to think of it, that fellow was ridiculously quick-witted! It’s not impossible. When he was in Depicio, he might have found some clue……!’
But was Nero the type of human who acted according to others’ wishes?
He always enjoyed betraying the expectations of those who expected something 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 memory 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 me 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 time 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 someone 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 times 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 meowing 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 times those damn cats had fought on their way from the airship to the ground.
And how drained Zeraphe Gnaude had become trying to stop them.
“Stop it, you brats!”
Kwaang!
Finally, Zeraphe Gnaude, unable to hold back any longer, slammed 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 something you should be saying, meow.”
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 members, your image in a short period is that of a pro-betrayer who repeats betrayals like eating bread, meow.”
“Whaaat-? No, it’s n-not wrong, but…… after accepting the double agent proposal, I acted faithfully!”
Hake protested vehemently 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 time…… once everything related to Depicio is over, I plan to turn myself in. To atone for those who died because of me…….”
Zeraphe Gnaude managed to stammer 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.
Was this really the best way?