Chapter 191
Chapter 191
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: Song of the Past (2)
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A sharp glint returned to the senior's eyes.
Ricardo looked up at me.
“Bullets confirmed~...”
He was spouting utter nonsense.
I clenched my palm and snatched the revolver from the senior's hand.
I emptied all the bullets from the well-worn revolver.
Bullets spilled out onto the wooden table with a clatter.
“Did you bring the game~?”
“Go to bed.”
I ignored the senior as he slowly rose from his chair.
I swept the rolling bullets off the table into my palm. My furrowed brow didn't relax until every last one was safely gathered.
“If you can't sleep, I can make you some tea.”
Ricardo didn't move, his hand shoved into his pocket.
He just stood there watching me, but I pretended not to notice. I stuffed the bullets from my palm into my pants pocket.
I examined the revolver.
“Whose is this?”
I had a feeling I wouldn't get a good answer, but I asked anyway.
Ricardo smirked and replied.
“My father's.”
Just as I thought.
I carried the revolver into the living room. It must have been in the open drawer cabinet.
I placed the revolver inside the drawer cabinet and closed the drawer. Then, without permission, I opened the drawers below. If there were any bullets left, I'd get rid of them all.
I should contact Senior Kudo.
“There aren't any more, so sit down already~...”
Ricardo sauntered out of the kitchen lazily.
“We have to play the game....”
“I told you to go to bed.”
I had to try hard not to snap, given how upset he seemed.
“It's past ten already.”
“I can't just send away the rookie who just arrived~.”
“I'm not leaving.”
He blinked at my brazen response.
I looked straight into his deep green eyes.
“I'm sleeping here.”
Who knows what kind of accident he'd cause if he woke up in the middle of the night.
So I planned to confirm he was asleep and then kill time in the living room all night. He might not welcome his junior's presence, being as sharp as he was, but that was his problem to deal with.
Even if I dragged him out by force, he wouldn't budge.
I gave the dumbfounded senior a bright smile.
“I'll finish up the new game From I on the sofa and sleep.”
We bickered for a while.
But in the end, Ricardo gave in to my stubbornness. He didn't have the energy to fight, not in his current state.
Ricardo pointed to the guest room on the second floor, then trudged into his bedroom, looking exhausted.
I waved him off from the living room with a big grin.
“Sleep well!”
Ricardo flipped me the bird without turning around.
How rude.
The bedroom door closed. I waited until I heard him lie down on the bed, then sat on the sofa.
Good thing I got here in time.
I let out a sigh of relief and finally took in my surroundings. Just like last time, the monitor and console were set up. No wonder he told me to bring the game chip.
I confirmed the monitor was muted, then inserted the game chip.
While it loaded, I sent a message to Kudo. It was a bit late, but he'd check it when he had time.
At least I made it to Ricardo's place, even if late.
I started playing the game until the senior woke up.
***
“Did you get any sleep~?”
Morning.
Ricardo emerged from the bedroom and looked down at me.
I set the console aside and smiled.
“Yes. I got a little rest.”
In truth, I hadn't slept a wink.
I'd stayed glued to the sofa against the wall separating the living room and bedroom. Accidents happen the moment you let your guard down.
Besides, I was confident in pulling all-nighters. Even after staying up a full day, I could act like I'd gotten a full night's sleep.
The senior's eyes narrowed.
I stood up and pointed to the kitchen.
“Shall I grab something? If you'd prefer delivery, I can order now.”
Ricardo ignored me.
He shuffled slowly to the wall pad. He stopped in front of it and poked at the screen.
“You were grinding games all night, and you expect me to believe you slept~...”
Busted.
My body trembled faintly at his eerie tone. Ricardo seemed to be checking the recorded electricity usage for the day on the wall pad.
Is he mad?
“Go sleep in the guest room....”
“I'm fine. Not sleepy at all.”
We bickered again.
This time, too, Ricardo backed down. I threw a fit about sleeping at home, and I stubbornly insisted on checking the game's Easter egg in the morning. Jonathan Kudo had replied that he'd arrive in three hours.
His patrol sector must be far from here.
Either way, my unreasonable demand to “see K's Easter egg as soon as possible” worked.
Ricardo grumbled as he showered and came out, then handed me an espresso cup.
“Americano....”
I muttered, looking up to see the senior in front of me.
A gentle smile.
“—just kidding, of course. Cheers.”
“Yeah~.”
I downed the liquid in the tiny cup in one gulp.
Ugh.
Bitter.
Ricardo gave me a pitiful look as I chugged it like medicine.
How do people even enjoy this?
I set down the empty espresso cup and headed to the sofa.
It felt wrong to play K when he'd been in such bad shape yesterday.
But a few minutes ago, I'd nearly gotten hit for voicing that concern, so I obediently sat on the sofa. I swapped the game chip from I to K and loaded the save data.
The worn wall behind the throne.
「May the blessing of the Great World Tree be upon you」
I input the sentence using the controller.
This was the right one after all. As I entered the final line of the hymn in red blood, the wall in the game began to shake violently.
My heartbeat quickened too.
Kairos was the type to leave me a message.
I leaned forward, not missing a single letter.
The wall crumbled, revealing a message.
It wasn't handwriting.
[Are you back?]
It was like Kairos whispering in my ear.
[People say you're dead.
The survivors mourn because they can no longer sense your presence.
I can't sense you either, but I don't feel like you're dead.
I haven't told anyone, afraid it might be false hope.
Ah! Did you enjoy the game? I hope you had fun playing the one I made!]
Wow.
It was so Kairos. No one else could have written this. The cumbersome way of leaving a message while still obsessing over gameplay.
I forgot about the senior next to me and immersed myself in the letter.
[How much time will pass before you see this?
I want to tell you things I couldn't before.
I learned too late that you shed tears the day before the war broke out.
I never imagined you'd be consumed by self-loathing and despair, even if you felt betrayed and angry.
And you were right, after all.]
I stared at that sentence for a long time.
The letter continued, but I couldn't move past it for a while.
A strange feeling coiled in my gut. I tried not to examine the massive emotional serpent.
...Just finish reading first.
[Of course, history won't prove whether Kyle or you was truly right now.
But I think your judgment was correct.
I did my own investigation before the war. I didn't say anything, but I was pretty busy running around.
Think I was causing trouble again? Haha.
Anyway, listen.
The conclusion is this.
You chose the wisest option.
Your decision was the best one, made without turning a blind eye to reality.
Think this is just sweet talk to comfort your sadness?
No way. You know me. I'm a gambler to the bone.]
He was the man whose eyes changed the moment he stepped into the arena.
Impeccable conduct and flawless nature. The star of his era, grasping the interests at play and satisfying both organizers and royals.
He always craved victory.
[It's frustrating that I can't prove you were right.
I think you have every right to resent the black-haired Knight Commander even more.
He never fully believed you to the end.
The third son of the count's family too.
They pushed their own claims without hesitation. You wavered endlessly, but they didn't. I remember them teasing you for overthinking.
Why did they treat you that way? They could have hesitated just once.]
No.
Ray did hesitate.
At the very last moment. That's why he ended up pierced by my sword.
I had coldly pinned my hopes on my friend's final hesitation....
What claim had I made that Kyle and Ray dismissed?
I could recall the resentment from not being believed. It was such an intense emotion. Even now, looking back, it brought tears to my eyes.
I'm not one to feel wronged easily.
[But all that's in the past now.
I'll bury the unchangeable history and place my hopes in the future.
It's the second life you gave us.
We'll live it well. So you can be certain your choice was right.
I wanted to say thank you. Hilde, you were the best leader we could have met.]
The letter was nearing its end.
I stared at the screen, unable to even set down the controller.
[I'll be waiting for you whenever you're ready, Knight Commander. Some of us don't age anyway.]
So you waited?
If you waited, then where the hell are you all?
[Time will change many things.
But I'll always be in the same place. It won't be hard to find me.
Ah! And no jade throne lasts forever without rotting.
When you return, let's wait for it to creak and smash it together.]
What jade throne?
I had no idea whose throne he meant.
Anyway, the letter truly ended now.
Only the final sentence remained engraved at the bottom.
[Take your time traveling. May the blessing of the World Tree be upon you until we meet again.]
Bang!
The front door flew open.
I jolted upright.
The massive noise snapped my mind back to reality. I fumbled to catch the nearly dropped controller and looked toward the front door, sunlight pouring in.
The front door was open....
I'd locked it yesterday, hadn't I?
But now it was wide open.
Revealing a man standing in the backlight.
Ricardo Sordi stared at the intruder without emotion, breathing raggedly.
“You'll pay for the repairs~....”
Jonathan Kudo strode inside.