Chapter 86
Chapter 86
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Rooftop Escape
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sir Evan argued for a good while before finally giving up and starting to tear off chunks of the roof around the entrance with his bare hands.
"What good is ripping off someone else's roof like that?"
"Be quiet."
"The knights seem to be climbing up through the vent, so hurry and get out."
At the mention of the knights, Sir Evan's face twisted in frustration as he started grumbling again. Even if they got caught, he didn't want to be caught in this kind of mess.
"Damn it, you should've warned me ahead of time!"
"Well, even the knights in their armor would take time crawling through that passage."
"Argh, seriously, I should've never said anything!"
Sir Evan finally gave up arguing, tore off more of the roof, and climbed up. Looking down, he saw the knights spread out below. Even for an elite knight like him, escaping without being spotted by that many was impossible.
A sharp, chilly gust of wind blew through, knocking the hoods off the two boys.
For some reason, Nihil had his eyes closed. Lianus watched him until another strong gust hit, then quickly pulled Nihil's hood back up.
Nihil quietly opened his eyes and spoke.
"It's chilly."
Hearing Nihil complain about the cold, Sir Evan scooped the two boys into his arms, wrapping them in his own cloak, and snarked,
"Why didn't you eat some of that bitter herbal medicine then?"
"That stuff makes it hard to predict the weather. Shell, it's going to rain right on schedule. What do you want to do?"
"Hmm..."
Lianus thought back on the incredibly long day. He'd woken at dawn, toured the market, chatted with kids his age at the guard post and hideout.
He'd eaten potatoes and meat roasted over a campfire, even gotten dragged to a gambling den, and now finally escaped.
A day without a moment's rest.
He wanted to stay the night as planned and talk more with the other kids, but he knew Sir Evan and Nihil would have to clean up his mess, so he hesitated to decide.
But as always, Nihil read Lianus's mind and spoke first.
"Shell, do whatever you want."
"But it would be a hassle."
"I don't mind. I came prepared to stay the night anyway. Puppy's opinion matters too, though. If he's too worn out, we'll head back."
"..."
Nihil pretended to defer to Sir Evan to end the debate. As if Sir Evan could voice any real objection after that.
The puppy, unable to ignore baby kitten's opinion, sighed deeply and leaped away from the spot, dodging the knights' eyes as he bounded across the rooftops.
"I'll take you to the kids' hideout first."
"Thanks, Sir Evan! The kids underground—are they okay?"
"The children were safely handed over. Don't worry."
"And... the mother dog?"
"...That one had been force-fed stimulants and awakeners even after giving birth, so her body was already weak. Even without being killed, she would've died soon anyway."
"I see..."
Lianus realized the hunting dog had been dealt with. He looked down at the puppy asleep in his arms—one that hadn't even opened its eyes yet, barely able to wiggle feebly.
Nihil stared at the sleeping pup for a moment before slowly speaking.
"Actually, I killed the mother dog."
"...What are you saying all of a sudden?"
"I gave her candy."
"...?"
Lianus recalled the candy Nihil had casually tossed away.
Tossed? No, given? Did dogs die from eating candy?
Lianus tilted his head in confusion, but Nihil just pulled his hood down low without properly answering. Seeing his friend's mood seemed off, Lianus nudged the puppy toward him.
Nihil liked cute things, so this tiny, adorable pup would surely cheer him up.
The puppy, woken by the cold wind, wriggled into Nihil's arms. Nihil watched it burrow in and gave a wry smile.
Sir Evan ignored the somewhat somber mood and kept jumping from roof to roof.
Nihil stared at the wriggling puppy, stroking it, before finally speaking after a long pause.
"That candy was actually an awakener laced with stimulants."
"...?"
Sir Evan paused, puzzled, then realized what he meant and blurted in shock,
"You gave a dog an awakener?"
"Yeah. Her going berserk like that? My fault."
"..."
Sir Evan hesitated, unsure what to say. Normally he'd brush it off with "crazy bastard," but Nihil's voice sounded oddly drained, leaving him speechless.
Yet Nihil kept talking.
"Her body was already weak. I knew it'd kill her, but I gave it anyway."
"..."
"Knew she'd die."
"..."
"I killed her."
"Nil."
Lianus called out to Nihil, who was mumbling to himself. Nihil was silent for a bit before slowly replying.
"...Yeah."
Lianus spoke firmly to his weary-looking friend.
"How are you gonna survive this harsh world if you're that soft-hearted!"
"...Huh?"
"...What?"
Sir Evan and Nihil both blinked in confusion. But Lianus pressed on regardless.
"That hunting dog killed kids, willing or not. Even if she'd lived, she'd have been put down."
"..."
"And that ringleader gave you an awakener disguised as candy? Unforgivable! What if you'd eaten it!"
"Even if I had, nothing would've happened. Worst case, I thought about pretending to go berserk if something came up."
"...What happens if you pretend to go berserk?"
Sir Evan, listening in, grew curious about a rampaging wildcat. The guy never got riled up, so it was hard to picture.
Lianus tilted his head too, but Nihil just watched them both and chuckled lowly.
"I hope Nil doesn't hold back his anger."
Lianus wished his friend would properly rage when insulted. Sure, that mature side was cool, but sometimes it made his chest ache.
But Nihil replied as if it were nonsense.
"Rian, you're misunderstanding something. I don't have much patience. I don't even feel the need to hold back. I just don't get angry. That ringleader? I kinda wanted to beat him a bit."
"But Nil is... too kind."
"...Rian, I'm not as nice as you think. I just don't waste emotions on people worthless to me."
Lianus knew Nihil talked harsh but was full of affection. He'd grab his hand right now if offered, wouldn't he?
"So when does Nil get mad?"
"Mad, huh..."
Nihil seemed to debate saying more before speaking.
"I hate it when things around me get broken."
"Got it. I'll treasure your stuff so it doesn't break. Anything else you hate? Likes are fine too."
Lianus saw this as a great chance to learn more about his friend and fired off questions.
Nihil's "things around me" wasn't about possessions or objects, but he didn't correct Lianus's misunderstanding. He probably wouldn't get it without experiencing it himself.
"Hates... well, milk tea with too much sugar might be a bit much."
At that, Lianus—who dumped seven or eight sugar cubes into his milk tea—rolled his eyes and clamped his mouth shut. Around the time he resolved to cut it to five, they arrived at the kids' hideout.
The children were gathered around a bonfire in the back yard, chatting in a circle. Bella in human form spotted Lianus's group first and jumped up, waving enthusiastically.
"Puppy, you made it back safe without the knights spotting you? I freaked when the knights showed up instead of the guards. I bolted in surprise too! The royals must be sensitive about drugs and trafficking. Oh, what's this puppy? Did Puppy have pups...?"
"What nonsense is that!"
Sir Evan, who'd wanted to stay silent about his rooftop efforts to evade the knights, finally spat out a curse at the "pups" remark.
Nihil smirked faintly at Sir Evan's sour expression and rubbed the puppy on his face. The pup squeaked and squished against his cheek.
Sir Evan scowled at first from Nihil's prank, but softened a bit at the pup's warm, soft fuzziness.
Nihil chuckled lowly and turned to Bella.
"Report."
"Yes, sir. We hit the guards, drug warehouse, rabbit-selling inn, and gambling den all at once. The guard captain was stripped of rank and detained for investigation. The other guards aren't deeply involved, and the kids vouched for most, so no major fallout for regular ones."
"The kids at the guard post?"
"Uh... they grabbed some relief supplies for the children, but the knights threw it together fast and only thought of trafficking victims, so supplies were ridiculously short. We're temporarily sheltering them at the guard post. More used goods arrive tomorrow."
"Good work. We're staying here tonight—get ready."
"Yes! What first? Temporary tents?"
The kids gawked at Nihil suddenly appearing, getting reports, and issuing orders, but he ignored them, inspecting the half-collapsed warehouse and surroundings as he continued.
"Tents would be too cramped for all the kids. Drape them over the warehouse roof where it collapsed, tie them down against wind and rain. Patch leaky spots with boards. Wood's rotted, so don't hit it hard or it'll cave—have Meow get up there."
"Nya~!"
Bella replied brightly and rummaged through her gear. Sir Evan set the boys down and scouted usable boards.
Nihil watched them a moment, then addressed the kids.
"The tea leaves I gave you?"
"Uh, um, not yet."
Yvon, who'd received the leaves, scratched his head sheepishly.
"Bring the tea leaves and water. With the wind and rain, don't leave empty bowls out—fill them partway first."
"Uh..."
"What are you waiting for? Move."
Nihil jerked his chin.
The awkwardly frozen kids scattered into action.