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Chapter 76: Cohabitation (1)
… There was once a small settlement situated in a rustic mountain valley in the northwestern part of the empire. It housed about 100 households, and Gerek was born and raised in that village.
As a young rural man, he led an ordinary greedless life. He preferred one night’s bread over gold and silver treasures and a glass of wheat beer with his friends after farm work over careers and titles.
… Gerek was once again reminded of the magical tsunami that took it all away. No, the tragedy that buried his village was still fresh in his mind.
He could never forget the deathly screams that echoed ceaselessly amid that painful night, the cold moans amid the waves, the lightning that fell upon their lands, the thunderous pounding of his heart…
The skins of the drowned turning blue.
Raging tidal waves and torrents engulfed his entire village, submerging his family, neighbors, cousins, friends, and lovers.
The Yukline family caused that tragedy in the name of ‘demon hunting.’
Their entire settlement was reduced into a lake during that hellish night, leaving him the only survivor.
But Gerek didn’t feel lonely.
As he peered into the deep bottom of the lake, he felt a sense of fullness within his body.
The personalities of his eleven family members had appeared in his mind.
The Yukline might have destroyed his home, but the souls of those he held dear continued to live in his body.
However…
“So, was the pain of drowning tolerable?”
Deculein’s voice brought back the agony of the past, obliterating Gerek’s reasoning.
Dark cries echoed from his soul.
He once more relived their watery screams as they sank to their deaths.
*****
“… Crazy bastard.”
Arlos hid in the dark as she watched the scene. Imprisoned in the barrier, Deculein pointed his gun at his own temple and smiled as he glared at Gerek. His expression alone despised and humiliated his opponent.
“Second.”
Click—!
He pulled the trigger. No bullet was fired, but threatening mana erupted from Gerek’s body.
“Open your eyes, Gerek.”
Deculein constantly provoked him. A hostage trying to take his own life was certainly an outrageous act, but it worked against him nonetheless.
Gerek wanted him to die by his hands and his hands alone. Hence, he would never allow anyone to kill him except himself.
Not even Deculein himself.
“… Deculein.”
Gerek called his name. His gaze and tone were filled with evil and poison, but Deculein simply kept his lips twisted upward while facing him like an innocent puppy.
“Right. The Head of the family that submerged your village is right in front of you.”
Was the professor really willing to die to ensure the Altar bastards wouldn’t get their hands on his runes?
Arlos was left with no choice.
“… Gerek. Don’t be fooled. That revolver is fake.” Zukaken murmured calmly, thoroughly analyzing Deculein with his magic-accustomed eyes.
“Is it? I’ll have to shoot to find out.”
Unwaveringly, he put his finger on the trigger once more.
“I believe in my luck.”
He fired.
──!
The sound of a gunshot rang, overshadowing his confidence.
Deculein fell, spattering blood all over the place as the deafening sound repeated like echoes.
•••••••.
The entire lot grew so quiet not even the sounds of their breathing could be heard. Both Zukaken and Arlos found themselves perplexed.
“… What is this?”
Was he dead? That barrier prevented them from gathering detailed information about his situation, but at least they felt no interference from magic or mana.
Regardless, Deculein was a wizard, not a knight. It would’ve been difficult for him to withstand the lethality of bullets.
No.
His well-being wasn’t their biggest concern right now.
That no longer mattered to Gerek, after all.
“Well, I didn’t think this operation would be easy anyway,” Zukaken mumbled.
────!
In his descent to madness, Gerek’s body black mana covered his body like armor, and, abandoning his humanity to turn into a dark monster, he began destroying the area around them.
All sorts of magic radiated from his mouth, hands, and feet, enabling him to obliterate their vicinity. Zukaken’s subordinates, the wizards and Altar officers monitoring the operation, and Arlos’s puppets were all torn apart by the wild beast Gerek turned into.
His kicks crushed the pavement, and his nails broke the ceiling in half. Like a magic cannon, from his mouth blasted forth a Breath, a devastating beam of light that imbued this underground lot even deeper into the earth.
The only thing that remained intact in that hell was Deculein’s barrier.
****
Arlos, having escaped from her puppet and returned to her main body, looked around the basement in silence.
Crackling—
Remnants of flames continued to burn on the crushed pavement.
Deculein had been reduced into a corpse within the barrier, and Gerek remained worn out in the midst of it.
“He has no pulse… no vitals.”
She looked at their supposed hostage. His heart and his pulse had both stopped beating.
She sighed and, approaching Gerek, growled afterward.
“You idiot. You give me too much work.”
Thanks to this damn maniac, all of her puppets had been smashed, leaving her with no other choice but to come using her main body.
Arlos carried him since, due to his tall and skinny build, he wasn’t that heavy.
“…!”
However, as she was about to leave, she felt someone moving behind her.
A grotesque chill clawed up her spine at the same time, nearly making her tremble.
Glancing sideways, Arlos saw a man slowly rising back to his feet.
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“… I’m a bit dizzy.”
That voice shook her consciousness.
“Huh…?”
Deculein.
His cold eyes, like a gemstone, stared at her.
“Arlos.”
When he called her name, she instinctively took a step back, widening the gap between them.
“Give me Gerek.”
“… What are you going to do with him?”
“Killing him would be convenient.” Deculein calmly answered, his tone mocking her for asking a question that could be answered by common sense alone.
But Arlos shook her head.
“I won’t give him away.”
Her motive wasn’t as glamorous as comradeship. She wanted to protect Gerek simply because his existence was the material she needed to ultimately complete her puppetry in the future.
Deculein shrugged.
“I can’t help him.”
Arlos’s mana took shape, creating a blue blade that illuminated the basement as it aimed for Deculein.
As she prepared for combat, he continued in a strange way.
“I can only allow him to be brought with us.”
“…?”
She frowned.
His decision was based on simple logic. He knew he couldn’t defeat her by force, after all. His head was spinning as well.
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s go home together.”
He dismantled the barrier like it was nothing then passed by Arlos, who was carrying Gerek.
Gwoooo—!
The basement collapsed the moment the barrier disappeared, but he made a passage with [Psychokinesis] for them. She followed him skeptically.
“… How did you survive? You didn’t even use magic. I was certain your pulse stopped.”
“Controlling my body is easy,” He answered vaguely.
As soon as he reached aboveground, he immediately found her vehicle, a luxury car comparable to a Mercedes-Benz in modern times.
“You’re driving. Put Gerek in the trunk.”
“….”
Temporarily following his orders, Arlos slid into the driver’s seat as Deculein took the backseat.
“Hmm….”
She looked at him in the rearview mirror.
His posture, expression, and clothes remained all elegant and relaxed, which was surprisingly noble for a bastard who just committed suicide.
“Let’s go.”
‘Do you think I’m your secretary?’
She clicked her tongue as she began driving.
As they exited the darkness and reached the smooth pavement at the edge of the empire, Arlos asked, “Is asking him about the pain of drowning despite knowing his past really something a human should do?”
“….”
Deculein only smiled.
He used the bad relationship between Gerek and the Yukline family to bring him the outcome he desired. It wasn’t as bad as it sounded.
Kim Woojin knew how to clear the quest in such a way that would save Gerek from the terrible chaos he would’ve faced otherwise.
“Did you leave the ring you bought at the auction at home?”
“…”
Grinning, Arlos nodded. Since he had seen her main body, she had nothing left to hide.
“It’ll look good on you.”
For some reason, Deculein’s words kept scratching her nerves. It was as if there was a hidden meaning behind them.
Through his [Overawe and Grace] characteristic, he made people anxious and feel smaller.
—Please stop!
Not long after, some knights blocked the road ahead of them. As Arlos brought the car to a halt, a man approached.
—Open your window and show your ID…?
As he peered into the driver’s seat, his eyes widened, finding Deculein in the back seat.
—Professor Deculein?!
Deculein nodded, and the knight roared.
—He’s here! The professor’s here!
The moment he yelled, Arlos saw a gigantic man standing up slowly beyond the car’s windshield.
—What? Professor Deculein?
The Freyden Family Head, Zeit von Brugang Freyden.
The moment his monstrous physique appeared, Arlos’s hair stood. He was the knight who traumatized her four years ago.
—Is that so?
Thud. Thud. Thud.
His gigantic strides required others to take three steps to match his speed.
Zeit approached like a ghost or a grim reaper, his white hair waving due to the wind.
“Professor Deculein!”
He lowered the front seat window with his hand, then pushed his face in and looked at Deculein and Arlos alternately.
“Who is this mysterious woman? I came running when I received a report that you had been kidnapped. Were you having an affair all along?”
The moment he raised an eyebrow, she sensed her own end.
One word from Deculein here.
And her head would be crushed like a watermelon by Zeit’s fist.
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‘That snake-like bastard’s come all the way here…’
All she could do was stare at him in the rearview mirror and blame herself for hastily following his will.
“Is this an affair?” Zeit asked.
Arlos had always contemplated whether she was a puppet or the main body; however, she had never hoped so desperately to be a puppet as she did this time.
Deculein, however, replied…
“She doesn’t fit my standards.”
Uttered something strange for the second time today.
“She’s just a passerby I met on the way.”
She heard his words loud and clear, but it took some time for her to understand them.
“A passerby?” Zeit asked for clarification.
“Yes. Her car passed by chance, so I asked her to accompany me.”
Arlos couldn’t understand his intentions, but before he said anything else, he got out of the car.
“Now that you’re here, I may let her go.”
“Ohoho. She’s a beautiful woman, though. It would be a shame to send her away like this. It looks like some of our knights are already in love.”
At Zeit’s words, Arlos simply smiled bitterly.
That crazy 2m 10cm bastard.
“Hey! Open the way!”
The knights soon cleared the road, allowing her to drive away slowly. As she did, she looked at Deculein, who was reflected in the side mirror.
He was looking back at her.
… After 5 minutes.
Arlos pulled over to the side for a moment and glanced at the seat where Deculein had been sitting, holding her breath.
There she found a letter and a crystal ball.
She looked at the letter first.
[Are you aware, Arlos? Although chaos cannot know its shape, that doesn’t mean it is an evil existence.]
[Gerek must also be part of that chaos, so I’ll leave him to you. Find a better way to deal with him than killing him.]
[Think of this crystal ball as a link between you and me. I think we can be good partners.]
As she read his handwriting, she narrowed her eyes at it.
“… What does he want?”
At that moment, she finally felt relieved of the tension that had caused her entire body to tighten up.
Psychologically, it was the first time since Zeit that someone pushed her this far. Sharing the same space, a moment, with Deculein was a burden in itself.
“I can’t figure that guy out…”
It felt like she was being pulled into the abyss. It was as if amid his overflowing aristocratic dignity, a monster whose size couldn’t even be estimated was waiting for prey with its mouth wide open.
“…?”
Not long after, she found a hawk perched on a branch and staring at her. It was a well-made familiar spirit.
“I heard there was a report of a kidnapping. Did that guy report it?”
The moment their gazes met, the bird quickly flew away.
Arlos stepped on the accelerator.
* * *
… My plan was simple.
After reconstructing the barrier to make it as sturdy as possible, I would provoke Gerek, and while he violently raged around me, I would escape.
To that end, I put my faith in my [Iron Man] and a technique that weakened bullets even a bit.
I had no doubts about the former’s performance, but that was the first time I learned how powerful a revolver truly was. Had I not woven very faint mana into its muzzle, I could have died.
I didn’t want to get shot again.
After that, I artificially lowered the speed of my blood flow by using [Iron Man] once more. That allowed me to fall into a near-death state where my heart dangled ever so close to stopping.
Even Gerek, the man-eating bear whose rage had swallowed him, wouldn’t touch a corpse with many live beings around him.
“Do you feel dazed or have a headache, professor?”
It was already 8 AM.
The case I was involved in was finally over. I could finally enjoy a peaceful morning filled with the melodic chirping of birds.
“I don’t.”
I pushed the doctor away, who was trying to diagnose my head. I didn’t want to expose my [Iron Man] body.
“Still, it would be better to get a proper diagnosis.” Lilia Primienne said, observing my checkup.
I was currently at the head office of the Public Safety Bureau, ‘Equillium.’ Deputy Director Primienne brought me here in the name of protection and investigation.
“I’ll be fine in a day.”
“Her Majesty also seems concerned, considering she sent her servants here.”
She shrugged and stepped away. An imperial courtier then appeared behind her and handed me a sealed letter.
Premienne murmured. “I think she likes you a lot. I’m jealous.”
“… Likes?”
As I stared at her, she coughed and avoided my gaze.
The servant then said, “Your Majesty wants you to read it right away.”
“… Okay.”
I broke the seal, finding only two lines.
[How can someone who calls himself my teacher get kidnapped? If this happens again, you’ll have to be prepared to be dismissed from employment.]
As I put the letter in my pocket, the servant spoke.
“Moreover, as per Her Majesty’s will, an escort knight will be assigned to you to protect you.”
“An escort knight?”
“Yes. Her Majesty’s decided that you are worthy of being classified as an individual important enough to be granted national protection for the next three months.”
Primienne helped deliver the servant’s message.
“That’s right. Runes are such powerful magic that many evils are coveting them. In fact, the latest incident was somewhat predictable.”
“If you predicted it, wouldn’t you have prevented it?”
“… Shouldn’t you leave now?”
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“Yes. Then, I’ll be going.”
The imperial courtier bowed and left.
I sighed, feeling my head suddenly ache.
“It would be an insult to the Imperial Family if I say I don’t need it.”
“That’s right,” Primienne replied, causing me to stare at her.
Strangely enough, I found every word she uttered disturbing.
“I’m going.”
“If you leave now, you’ll find yourself in a bit of trouble.”
“Don’t worry.”
I ignored her words and stood up. I still felt a bit dizzy, but I’d recover soon anyway.
Riding the elevator in the hallway, Primienne, who followed me to guide me, pressed the 1st-floor button.
Ding-!
Exiting the machinery and reaching the lobby, I swiftly came to understand what she meant about finding myself in a bit of trouble if I left now.
“Ah! Professor! Are you okay?”
“Thank God! You don’t know how worried I was…”
“How dare some coward do that to you!”
Instead of ministers, many merchants and entrepreneurs gathered in the reception area. Pretending to be concerned, they asked the information they wanted most seemed to be the contents of Emperor Sophien’s letter.
“Thank you for your concern. Now, everyone, I’ll have to excuse myself.” I answered appropriately and headed out.
In the parking lot, I found Roy waiting with a new car.
“Master. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
“That’s fortunate.”
I went to the back seat of the car.
As I sat down, I noticed something strange.
The seat next to me wasn’t empty.
Looking at the person occupying it, I found a knight in light armor.
“… What are you doing here?”
Was I in the wrong car?
I tilted my head, and the knight, sitting still, said, “I’m on a mission.”
“… What mission?”
Only then did the knight turn to me, her eyes reflecting me.
“I am Professor Deculein’s escort knight.”
Julie. Her words made me speechless. At that moment, I imagined the emperor smiling mischievously.
All I could do was sigh.
Clack—
The passenger’s door opened not long after.
Yeriel came in.
“I’m here. Can you tell me what happened— Huh?”
As soon as she sat down, she abruptly stopped speaking and looked at Julie with surprise in her eyes instead.
“Who are you?”
“Yeriel. You?” Her eyebrows furrowed.
Julie answered, “Starting today, I’m Professor Deculein’s escort knight.”
“Escort knight?”
“Yes. Her Majesty herself assigned this task to me.”
“No, seriously, what are you talking about?!”
Yeriel’s face distorted.
* * *
… Yeriel thought about asking what happened. She even thought about asking if he had any injuries.
However, what dawned upon her was nothing short of a nonsensical reality.
Looking at him, it seemed as though nothing really happened. She even found it funny how he was finally acting like a brother to her.
Even though he had given up his position as the family Head, that didn’t mean their relationship had been restored.
In fact, at this moment, she thought she had learned his reason for doing so to some extent.
‘Julie.’
It was probably because of that girl.
Through the rearview mirror, Yeriel glared at Julie, the knight guarding him like a stone statue. She was too sincere and serious.
“Tsk…”
Sometimes, she found herself wondering how such a dull, rigid, and savvy woman could capture the insensitive and sharp Deculein. However, she just couldn’t understand why he fell in love with her.
“… Since you’re his escort, does that mean you’re going to be staying in his mansion as well?”
“Yes.”
“What?!”
That startled her.
On the other hand, in her ‘official execution mode,’ Julie remained emotionless and firm.
“This is the first order issued to the private knights since Her Majesty took the throne. This mission will remain active for three months, and we must stay near him until then.”
“Why do you have to be in his mansion, though?”
“Her Majesty ordered it herself. I would appreciate it if you could give me the smallest room. My home is too far from my protectee. If I were to stay there, I wouldn’t be able to ascertain his safety.”
“That’s absurd. In the past, even when I asked you if we could live together, you hastily refused. What is this…”
Deculein swiftly replied.
“Yeriel, be quiet.”
“… Aren’t we members of the same family? This is ridiculous.” She softly muttered as she looked out the window, finding a certain hawk in the sky seemingly circling around the vehicle they were in.
“Is that one chasing us…?”
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Nothing seemed to go in Yeriel’s favor that day.