TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 157
There are times when you hate someone for no reason.
Because his hair color was the same as The Boy lingering in my hazy memory.
Because he acted in ways The Boy would never have.
For no reason, I hated him more.
It might have been because, in my memory, The Boy was always upright and steadfast. Perhaps it was my selfish desire for The Man, who resembled The Boy that disappeared like dew, to be as upright as the memory of The Boy.
Of course, The Man was actually a villain, too.
Prioritizing personal gain over justice.
Valuing killing over the sanctity of life.
Because he rejected Yuria and committed evil deeds, he was a villain through and through.
He was someone completely incompatible with me.
Since The Man had a different ideology, we could never mix.
Having unpacked his belongings at the lodging, Mikhail sat on the bed, looking at an old photograph.
-What are you doing alone? Hurry up and come!
-…I don’t want to take a picture with you all.
-Shut up and come here already!
Mikhail looked at his wrist.
Mikhail gazed at the spot on his wrist where The Boy, who had begged him to take a photo together, had touched.
It felt as though the warmth of that day lingered on his wrist. The gentle touch of The Boy, who smiled while holding the wrist of someone who couldn’t blend in with the group, seemed to still remain in that spot.
-Alright. Smile!
-I don’t want to….
-Smile!
Click.
“…”
Mikhail’s memory consisted solely of an old photograph.
The hardships of life in the slum.
The image of The Boy.
His younger self.
All were captured in a faded old photograph.
Though it wasn’t a pleasant memory, Mikhail, looking at the photograph that held unforgettable memories, gave a bitter smile.
“Idiot.”
Mikhail lowered his head, holding the photograph under the moonlight streaming through the window.
‘I’m doing well, right…?’
‘I’m trying my best.’
What would that child have said?
Would he have patted my back, saying I was living correctly, or kicked my butt, calling me a fool?
Even though it was all meaningless delusion, Mikhail wanted to hear an answer to the questions he voiced. Even harsh words would be fine; he just wanted to hear that child’s voice one more time, just once.
Lowering his head and spending the night in thought, Mikhail hugged the photograph tightly and tried to sleep, hoping not to have nightmares this time.
The dark night, where sleep did not come easily, brought a breeze that fluttered the curtains and carried a gentle wind.
About ten minutes passed like that.
-Tok.
A small pebble fell into the lodging through the window.
Mikhail raised his body and leaned out the window, curious about who was calling him at such a late hour.
Slowly, Mikhail leaned his white forehead outside the window.
“Eek!”
With a dying scream, Mikhail rubbed his forehead.
Feeling a sharp pain, Mikhail looked down at the lodging floor and found a small pebble about the size of a fingernail.
It seemed someone outside the window had thrown a stone at him. Though it wasn’t thrown with much force, so it wasn’t intended as an attack or ambush, Mikhail was irritated.
No matter how good-natured one is, getting hit by a stone for no reason is intolerable.
Holding his stinging forehead, Mikhail looked out the window.
Wondering who could have done such a thing at this late hour, Mikhail slowly leaned his head out, determined to scold them if he caught them.
At the sight of The Man’s face outside the window, Mikhail’s expression hardened.
“Nice shot…! Oh, I’ve been caught?”
Ricardo, arms full of pebbles, was waving his hand. Looking as if he were greeting an old friend, Ricardo waved enthusiastically, and Mikhail let out a deep sigh as he reached for his sword.
‘Ricardo…’
The Man Mikhail hated the most.
The only man in this world Mikhail felt he could kill without guilt was smiling brightly.
*
Inside a quiet restaurant in Hamel.
I looked at Mikhail, who was glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me, and smiled.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Did something unpleasant happen?”
“…Shut up.”
“Such a horrible thing to say…!”
I teased Mikhail once and then raised my hand to order fried chicken bites and a beer from the clerk.
“Mikhail, would you like a beer too? I’ll treat you.”
“I’m not drinking.”
“Why not? Days like this are meant for having a drink and chatting.”
“Because sitting with you disgusts me. That’s why I’m not drinking.”
“Is that so…? It’s not because I’m The Man, right? You woman-obsessed freak! Lolicon!”
Mikhail glared at me as if he were about to draw his sword.
With a bitter smile, I told the clerk bringing the beer, “This guy has a terrible personality. Please understand.” I painted Mikhail as a personality-wrecking lunatic.
The clerk gave an awkward smile.
I placed a tip on the table and coerced the clerk into sympathizing with me. Spending money to isolate Mikhail didn’t feel wasteful.
“Thank you!”
Money really is the best.
As I nodded at the clerk’s bright smile, I turned to Mikhail, who sat with a stern expression, and sneered, “They say you’re a personality-wrecking lunatic.”
The blush on the clerk’s face was a bonus.
Mikhail looked at me with a disdainful expression and said.
“So, what’s your point?”
As Mikhail sighed deeply and told me to get to the point, I felt a pang of disappointment.
“When have I ever only come to you with requests? I’m just happy to see your face after so long.”
“…Try saying that with some sincerity.”
“I mean it.”
I felt upset that Mikhail didn’t understand my feelings.
Well, Mikhail wasn’t entirely wrong, though.
Erasing my smile, I spoke to Mikhail.
“It’s true we’re not on friendly terms.”
“Exactly. Just get to the point.”
Letting out a deep sigh, I looked at Mikhail. It was now 9 p.m. A late hour if late, an early hour if early.
There was only one reason I had called Mikhail at this hour.
“I want to ask a favor.”
It was to make a small request.
A request that wasn’t difficult for Mikhail but was of utmost importance and weight to me.
To prepare for an unlikely but possible situation, I was here.
At the mention of a favor, Mikhail’s eyebrows twitched as he voiced his doubt.
“A favor?”
“It’s not a difficult one.”
“You’re asking me for a favor?”
“Can’t I? We’ve worked together at the ball before. I’m hurt, you know.”
“Worked together? It was one-sided slaughter.”
“I had my reasons, you see.”
Mikhail clenched his fist tightly as he spoke. Gritting his teeth as if trembling with rage was a bonus.
I kept my mouth shut in the face of Mikhail’s anger. Saying more would only lead to a lecture.
“Circumstances…? Do you think that even makes sense?! Fifty people… Fifty. That’s how many you killed back then…”
“Let’s stop here.”
“What do you mean stop? I haven’t even started yet.”
“Mikhail, you know as well as I do that saying such things to me won’t change anything.”
“Son of a b*…”
Shaking my head at Mikhail’s dull philosophy about ethics, I cut him off mid-sentence. After all, neither of us had come here to have this boring conversation.
I didn’t want to see the Lolicon’s face, and Mikhail probably didn’t want to see The Man’s face either. With a bitter smile, I spoke to Mikhail.
“I’ll be straightforward.”
“Hurry up and say it.”
Letting out a deep sigh, I said.
“Please don’t come to our estate.”
Mikhail furrowed his brow, wearing an expression that screamed, ‘Why would I even go there?’ Strangely, his blatant display of disgust put me at ease, and I continued to speak the words I had held in my heart.
“As you know, the relationship between you and us is the worst. And even more so with the Young Lady.”
“That’s something you brought upon yourselves.”
“That’s why I’m asking you. Please don’t come.”
“Even if you didn’t ask, I wasn’t planning to go to that place anyway. Who knows what Olivia might pull this time.”
Erasing my smile at Mikhail’s words disparaging the Young Lady, I spoke in a cold voice.
“Watch your words, Mikhail.”
“…”
“You’re not someone who can speak about her so carelessly.”
A brief silence followed, and with a stern expression, Mikhail tried to find a blind spot in my argument and spoke.
“You’re asking me not to meet Olivia. Is that it?”
“If possible, I’d ask you to avoid her for the rest of your life.”
“Ha.”
Mikhail grabbed the sword leaning against the desk and stood up. Without even glancing at the food being served, his steps were decisively firm as he rose.
“What you’re worried about won’t happen.”
“That’s a relief.”
“I don’t want to get involved with you all ever again.”
Watching Mikhail leave with heavy footsteps, I waved my hand.
“Take care on your way back.”
-Plod.
-Plod.
-Plod.
Before stepping out the door, Mikhail stopped and turned his head to speak to me.
“I have one request too.”
“Of course.”
“Don’t try anything strange during this field training.”
“…”
“And.”
Opening the door roughly, Mikhail said.
“No matter what happens, don’t interfere with me. You disgust me.”
I didn’t respond to Mikhail’s words. I simply fiddled with the beer glass in silence, a faint smile playing on my lips.
And so, after Mikhail left.
Left alone, I took a sip of my beer and muttered quietly.
“That might be difficult.”
Mikhail’s request seemed hard to fulfill. After all, it was an issue I couldn’t overlook as a Possessor.
And.
I couldn’t do so out of old sentiment either.
-Creak.
The moment Mikhail left, the guests in the store pushed back their chairs and stood up.
These inconsiderate fools were about to leave without even paying. The clerk looked flustered at their behavior, and I handed over a tip, signaling for them to leave.
Watching the clerk hurriedly exit, I placed the beer glass on the table with a sharp clink.
Noticing the awkward movements of the unwelcome guests who seemed ready to follow Mikhail, I spoke to them in a low voice.
“Sit down.”
“If you don’t want to die.”
*
The spot where Ricardo had thrown a pebble at Mikhail.
“…”
In the damp alleyway, dozens of heretics lay dead, their bodies strewn across the ground.