Picked Up (4)
Shadow.
Arthur Modriter’s servant, and a repentant assassin.
He was also a disciple of the Wandering King of Assassins.
His realm was nothing less than upper-rank Sword Expert—a level capable of annihilating an entire army alone.
And that master had been eliminated in secret. Overwhelmingly.
How in the world did he do it?
Adrianne and Arthur knew nothing of this. If they had, Arthur would have contacted her first.
In other words, Evan had removed Shadow without anyone noticing.
Just what was his true identity?
He knew secrets only the gods and Adrianne should have known. He knew Arthur Modriter’s secrets as well. And he possessed this kind of overwhelming martial power.
Was he not almost like an absolute being?
…Not quite that far, surely. But—
That he possessed exceptional strength was fact. His strategic mind would be exceptional too.
The potion Evan had handed over. It had worked. That was why Adrianne could do nothing.
That potion was the only lifeline that could cure the illness.
…It seems our gift was not to his liking.
He appeared to have a rather violent temperament. Adrianne recorded the information.
Evan Alcarte.
The only known facts were that he was the second son of a ducal house, that he was an “alchemist,” and that his body was frail. Even his face was barely known. His reclusive nature played a large part. The only people he associated with were servants.
A few days ago one slave had been added. They said he had sent out a golem to rescue Theodore Alcarte and the girl had come back with it. Nothing particularly special. Just a little pretty, perhaps?
Rumors that she was a chimera circulated, but Adrianne did not believe them. Chimeras were monsters. Within the bounds of Adrianne’s common sense, a chimera could not take human form. They were monsters created as slaughter weapons from the start; there was no reason for them to wear a human shape.
Bringing in pretty slaves or servants was a noble’s privilege to begin with. No real issue. The little girl’s age was roughly ten. No matter how brilliant a genius, a ten-year-old could not overcome the realm of a Sword Expert. An upper-rank one, even less so.
She could only assume some other hidden power existed.
…First, gathering information takes priority.
She could not win right now. Adrianne acknowledged defeat.
The first taste of defeat she had ever felt. Adrianne had always been triumphant. From birth and growth, and even after receiving the curse. Chosen as a saintess, hearing the will of the gods, freely steering the Temple of the Sun for the greater good, maintaining amicable relations with the Full Moon Church, and forging ties with the continent’s other powerhouses as well. A smooth current without a single obstacle.
For the first time, an obstacle had appeared.
Her cold heart pounded roughly. One beat was tension; the other was competitive fire.
Hoo, hoohoo. Fine.
Evan Alcarte, who might be the true mastermind playing above Adrianne’s head. He was both the rival and the wall she had to surpass.
“Hoo, hoohoohoo. Who is playing above whose head… shall we find out?”
Completely misunderstanding Evan’s intent, Adrianne unfolded the letter.
“……Indeed.”
The corner of Adrianne’s mouth lifted.
Chirp-chirp!
The next day.
Evan woke feeling refreshed.
…What is this? Why does it feel like I overslept?
He glanced around the room. He could not see well—because of the curtains drawn over the windows.
“Dolf.”
“……Y-yes, Young Master.”
Dolf’s stiff voice. Beyond tension, he was clearly terrified.
Evan’s face hardened as well. Had someone snuck in?
Clank! Clank!
The golems surrounded Evan. He edged his body toward the corner of the bed.
Damn it! If only I weren’t such a heavy sleeper in the mornings, I could have handled this coolly!
No. My life comes first…
He had no intention of sticking his neck out and dying. Hiding his trembling hands, Evan opened his mouth.
“……Carefully draw the curtains.”
“N-no, you mustn’t!”
Dolf tried to stop him and shouted. But the golem was cold. An obsidian golem arm pulled the curtain aside.
Whoosh!
Sunlight poured in, fully revealing the room’s interior.
“……Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
Evan cursed without meaning to.
In the corner of the room sat a bright-red cocoon the size of an adult man. Drip, drip. Red liquid flowed from the cocoon. It was unmistakably blood. As if a corpse had been solidified…
It was fortunate his whole body had locked up from tension. Otherwise he might have screamed and fainted on the spot.
“Y-Young Master! You mustn’t look at something so ghastly! I-I’ll clean it up, so…!”
“You’re awake?”
Creak—Evan turned his frozen neck. Lapis entered the room, pressing down her damp hair. Looking unusually lively today, Lapis stood in front of the cocoon and flung both arms wide.
“Ta-da! How is it? My present?”
“……Present?”
“Yes! Present, right here!”
Lapis pointed at the blood-soaked cocoon. By now the overflowing blood was wetting the floor as well. Evan’s mind reeled.
This is a present?
“……This is not a present.”
“Huh? Why not?”
Lapis tilted her head. Poke-poke. She prodded the cocoon with her index finger.
“This person was secretly watching Evan. That’s bad, right? He could have put you in danger.”
Lapis had really done this? Every hair on his body stood on end.
Did she awaken as a Sin?
Should he run right now?
…No. She’s still young.
Lapis was still a girl of about ten. If she had awakened as a Sin she would have become an adult. At the very least there would have been some change—taller than yesterday, something. But there was none.
Her original nature, then?
…Damn it. Theory of innate evil really is right, isn’t it?
Should he kick her out right now? Or scold her?
…No. Kicking her out felt a little wrong. The reason Lapis had made that cocoon? Because of Evan. Strictly speaking it was a good thing. It meant she recognized Evan as someone she had to protect.
But it’s ambiguous.
She was practically a time bomb. Just imagine. While out for a walk, Evan bumps into someone. In this concept-free medieval world, the man raises a fist and threatens him.
—Hey, bastard! You wanna die? How dare you touch me!
If Evan takes even a small shock and coughs up blood, it’s over. The next day a cocoon simply appears. It doesn’t even have to reach a fight. Someone likes Evan too much and sends a love letter. If she decides it’s a stalker? Another cocoon.
The problem arises then. What if the other party is a direct imperial? Or a noble? The noble himself or his child—
…He becomes a public enemy of the continent on the spot.
Becoming a criminal would be lucky. Execution would not be strange. He would be driven from this mansion as well—no money, no connections, nothing. He would not even be able to provide Lapis with proper food. And then?
—I’m so hungry. I guess I’ll have to eat you.
Fuck. Absolutely not.
Absolutely not. He had to control Lapis no matter what. If he were still the ordinary twenty-four-year-old Korean man, the loser Lee Han-ol, he could never have done it. But right now he was—
I am Evan.
Seventeen, handsome, of ducal blood, young and rich. A one-year survival veteran. A real man versed in both letters and arms.
You can do this, Evan. You can.
Hoo!
He drew a small breath so he would not hiccup, then spoke.
“……First, I will speak of what you did well. Protecting me was well done.”
“Really?!”
“But it was not for my sake.”
“……Huh?”
“If you kill everyone who threatens me even a little, will you kill the entire world?”
“……If I need to?”
A Sin-like answer, as expected. But not the answer Evan wanted.
“That would still be fine. Because ‘Ira’ is strong.”
“!”
At the word Ira, Lapis reacted. She stared at Evan with both red eyes. Goosebumps rose on his forearms.
Fuck. That’s terrifying.
But he had to endure. Swallowing dryly, Evan continued.
“But I am not. I am neither as strong nor as sturdy as Ira. If I make an enemy of the continent, I will probably die.”
He did not discuss Lapis’s power. Instead he discussed the death of the “Evan” she had to protect.
“……!”
“You would not be able to eat the vegetables and fruit you like either. Do you truly want that?”
“……Wouldn’t it be fine if I just got super strong?”
“Dolf. If you were as strong as I am, could you protect me alone?”
“I… don’t think I could.”
Dolf was sharp as a tack. He immediately produced the desired answer.
“Even if your strength is great, there are limits alone.”
“Correct. Ira. You must not swing your power recklessly. That cocoon could become me.”
He gave a very small whip. Now it was time for the carrot.
“I am not saying Ira did wrong. Only that I wish you knew a little more. This is because I failed to educate you properly. I am sorry.”
It’s not your fault, so don’t get angry.
Because he was scared.
“No… that’s not it…”
Lapis began to ramble. Evan spoke first.
“So Ira, from now on, please do not immediately turn someone into a cocoon like this just because you judge them dangerous. Understood?”
“……Yes, I understand…”
“In exchange.”
He had no intention of ending it here. Protecting him? He was grateful. He ought to make use of something like this.
“When my life is truly in peril, or when someone openly says they will kill me, ask me first. If I say it is all right, then protect me, Ira. That much is fine, yes?”
“……Yes…”
Lapis nodded, thoroughly dejected. Had it worked that well? He let out a deep sigh of relief inside.
“Come here.”
Evan patted his knee. His height was rather tall, perhaps from genetics. Lapis, still young, was short. Short enough to sit on his thigh for a little while. She could not sit long, though. After ten minutes his knees hurt.
Normally she would have dashed over at once. Instead of running, Lapis hung her head.
“I… did something wrong, so…”
“?”
“Don’t call me Ira…”
Tears began to fall from Lapis’s eyes. Evan was appalled.
She’s crying over this?!
After calmly turning a person into a cocoon?
Momentarily flustered, Evan—
…Yeah. That can happen.
—quickly regained his composure. He patted his thigh with his hand.
“……Yes. I understand. Lapis. Come here.”
“Yeheh…”
When Lapis approached sniffling, Evan crouched to meet her eye level and stroked her head.
Still, it seems we resolved it well.
He exhaled in relief. Thank goodness it ended here. It had nearly been the last breath of his life.
Now, how do I clean this up?
The cocoon. Who on earth was it? He had a rough idea. A shady bastard who would secretly watch and tail him.
Someone Black Dawn sent, no doubt.
What else but an assassin? Black Dawn. The continent’s greatest assassin organization. Only someone of their caliber would do.
Have they been watching ever since we got involved before?
A mistake he made while practicing alchemy in earnest. He had gotten tangled with Black Dawn then. He thought he had cleaned it up reasonably well, but apparently not.
…Well, at least he hadn’t been the target of an assassination attempt. That was something.
Grace twofold, grudges tenfold.
The assassins’ own code. Making enemies of them for no reason was a hassle. Please just don’t die! As long as he was alive, Evan could somehow resolve it.
“I’ll open it… snf.”
“Dolf. Wipe Lapis’s nose, please.”
“Y-yes… L-Lapis. Come here.”
“Hic.”
Lapis took Dolf’s hand and followed him out. Alone in the room, the golems surrounded the cocoon as if besieging it. The unfinished Living Golem from yesterday approached Evan.
Zzzzt—
The head of the cocoon opened. Covered in blood, Shadow forced his eyes open with difficulty. His gaze met Evan’s.