Chapter 85: Destiny (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 85: Destiny (4)
Everyone has secrets they can't tell anyone.
Rachel had believed since childhood that a person's secrets were the nutrients that built their identity. Even more so if you were a woman.
Humans are, after all, slaves to anticipation.
They only take an interest when curiosity is stoked. As for someone whose exterior perfectly matches their interior—well, they might be called a nice person, but whether they'll ever be blessed with true companions is another story.
That was why Rachel respected everyone's secrets. If someone couldn't speak of something, she assumed they had a good reason. She didn't pry unnecessarily, nor did she pretend to know more than she did.
Because she wished the same for herself.
Bongseon Rachel. Even she, with her pure lightning attribute, harbored a deep secret. It was an eye of insight that could see right through whether a person carried a secret they couldn't share.
Though she couldn't know the exact details of that secret, its depth was visible to her eyes. The darker and more intimate the secret, the thicker the aura draped around them.
However, the moment that secret reached another person's ears, the color rapidly faded. The secret became diluted.
It was truly a strange ability.
She had never spoken of it to anyone.
'Because that is the true value of a secret.'
Perhaps that was why Rachel's pupils were heart-shaped (♥). After all, it was the only symbol meant to express the abstract concept of emotion.
Anyway, moving on.
"Geomma..."
Rachel had known.
Ever since she first encountered him in the Wolf Class ten years ago. She knew that Kang Geomma's secret was something that could never be spoken to others.
Kang Geomma had always been like that. Then and now, it was as if pitch-black ink clung tightly around his body.
Conversely, it meant that even after ten long years, Kang Geomma had told no one his secret. Not even his own family.
Rachel's belief remained unchanged. She maintained that a secret, whether one's own or another's, only shines when kept as a secret. And yet...
"...You've been fighting all by yourself, haven't you?"
Rachel de Myura broke the promise she had kept with herself for so long. It was likely the very first time in her life.
It was an instant. The strength in Kang Geomma's grip vanished. His sashimi fell, and his body tilted sideways. Rachel kicked off from the pool of blood.
Meanwhile, Murasame sank into the puddle of blood. The worn twine wrapped around its hilt turned crimson as well.
Episode. Destiny
Thump, thump.
The dull bursts of impact sound vivid. I lie curled up like a pill bug, taking the beating. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow will probably be the same.
At least as far as I'm concerned, I haven't done anything to deserve this thrashing. Looking at him with a shitty glare shouldn't be a valid reason, right?
"Hey, you son of a bitch! Because of you! It's all because of you!"
In the first place, this bastard barely ever shows his face at home. He hangs around the racetrack day in and day out, and whenever he loses money, he comes home to beat the hell out of me.
Does beating me actually relieve his anger? If it did, I might at least feel a little better about it.
I just hope the target stays on me. Please. That's why I'm standing here taking the hits without a word, acting as a punchbag for these fucking assholes!
"You... cursed piece of shit. Ptui."
Spit and phlegm stick to my cheek. It's so thick and viscous it doesn't even slide down my skin. Fucking bastard, seriously.
"There's no satisfaction in beating this brat. Just makes me feel worse the more I hit him."
The bastard who dumped me into this world turns his gaze. Right toward the tightly shut master bedroom. The door handle is covered in scratches from how violently it's been handled over the years.
"...Maybe I should use her today."
I saw it. The wicked smirk twisting his lips. My diaphragm feels like it's squeezing shut.
Grab!
As he turns to step forward, I grab him by the ankle. He glares down at me, his face crumpled in disgust.
"Let go! Let go of me!"
"Fuck off, you bastard!"
"Why you little shit... Fine. Let's see if you can take a beating until you die today. Don't go resentment-haunting me after you're dead. You're the one who practically begged me to kill you!"
He unbuckles his belt. Is whipping next? It's fine. I've learned how to take a beating. Violence is my daily routine, whether at home or at school.
'It's fine.'
I repeat to myself, keeping my eyes fixed on the master bedroom.
Creeeak.
The door opens a crack. A pair of black pupils peeks out. A gaze that looks as if it has never experienced joy in its life watches me.
'It's okay, □□. I'll...'
Your big brother will handle everything.
...
......
"...Huh?"
What did I just say?
Big brother? Did I just utter such an embarrassing word with my own mouth?
That can't be.
That would mean I have a younger sibling. That I had family other than these biological parents?
Why?
Why, of all things?
I have no memory of this whatsoever.
The pain from the violence didn't matter at all anymore. Because a different kind of shock was pounding heavily inside my head.
I am sinking. It feels like being dragged deep into the ocean. But the water temperature is lukewarm. The color is strange, too.
Was the ocean always this red?
* * *
Vast fields stretched around the abandoned ranch. It was a picture-perfect, idyllic rural landscape. Only the abandoned ranch emitted a ghastly stench.
Cherry blossoms in full bloom flaunted their presence. They were beautiful enough that, if word got out, crowds of spring sightseers would surely flock here.
Beyond the overgrown vegetation, beneath a solitary, massive tree, stood two people. To be precise, Kang Geomma was lying down, his head resting on Rachel's lap.
"..."
The heat radiating from the back of his head onto her thighs was alarming. It felt as if a ball of fire sat inside his skull instead of a brain. Kang Geomma's closed eyes showed no sign of opening. Only occasional groans leaked from his lips.
'He's completely passed out.'
Kang Geomma had suddenly fainted after the recent ordeal. He had collapsed so helplessly that it was hard to believe he was the same person who was slaughtering villains just moments ago.
Rachel had rushed forward to catch him. At that moment, she realized why he had fainted. A burning fever raged through his body. Yes, just like during the midterm exams ten years ago.
Whoooosh.
A gentle wind blew over the two of them. The spring breeze flowed into her lungs and swept through her body. May it wash away the scent of blood as well. Wishing so, Rachel reminisced about the past.
"It was like this that day, too..."
The day he fought the Majin Mermaid all by himself. Kang Geomma had closed his eyes, and instantly, the ink wavering across his whole body grew even darker. In other words, his humanity was being chipped away.
Rachel looked down and brought her hand to the area around Kang Geomma's eyes. Fortunately, the fever had subsided. It wasn't down to a slight fever yet, but compared to earlier, there was a clear improvement.
Around that time, a rustling sound—low grass tickling ankles—drew closer. There were two presences.
"Haa, haa..."
Rough gasps soon brushed against the back of Rachel's head. It was Abel and Shail.
Nox had contacted Ryozo and Abel separately. Because the matter was urgent and confidential, he had only informed Kang Geomma's closest inner circle.
Ryozo was to join later due to pressing work she couldn't leave behind. Filling her place, Shail accompanied Abel. Shail was, after all, family to the Nibelung household.
"You're here?" Rachel spoke without looking back.
"Rachel."
Abel's breathing was erratic and tangled. Her throat felt scratchy, as if she had swallowed sand.
And understandably so. Abel and Shail had sprinted all the way from Wonju to Hoengseong. By car, it was a 20-minute drive if you slammed on the gas. But waiting for transportation felt too urgent for the situation. In short, they had run nearly 40 kilometers on human legs.
"What haa happened...?"
"Just, well... the usual kind of routine event for Geomma passed by."
A chill ran down Abel's spine. Was it because of the lap pillow? It bothered her, but she could turn a blind eye to it for now.
After all, the sight of that Kang Geomma—her husband, who was everyone's pillar—lying unconscious was not easy to process. Her thoughts tangled. Cause and effect were jumbled together. She couldn't grasp the reason for this at all.
What stoked her confusion even further was Rachel's voice. Its tone was vastly different from usual.
"Abel."
Even the way she addressed her.
"..."
Abel, who almost gasped in surprise, somehow managed to steady her breathing. Feigning composure, she asked toward Rachel's back.
"...I heard a general outline from Auditore. He said that abandoned ranch over there was a key base for a villain cell."
"It was."
Rachel replied sharply. Yet Abel didn't take issue with her attitude. Instead, she lowered her tone in an attempt to mend the atmosphere.
"How did Geomma end up like this?"
It couldn't be...
"If you're asking whether he was injured, no. As if the Heavenly Sword would get so much as a scratch from small fry like that."
"Then..."
"It seems like severe fatigue and body aches. I checked with the first-aid kit I carry around, and he has a bit of a cold, too. Looking at his current condition, it's likely a bad cold accompanied by exhaustion."
"Thank goodness."
Just as a look of relief began to brush across Abel's face, a sharp voice cut in.
"What's so fortunate about it?"
"N-no, I didn't mean I'm glad he's sick. I meant I was glad he wasn't injured..."
"Lady Bongseon."
Shail stepped forward and intervened.
"I understand where you are coming from, but to my ears, that sounds like nothing more than an unreasonable complaint."
"Ha." A scoff.
"Haven't you both implicitly thought like that? 'Kang Geomma, the Heavenly Sword, is humanity's savior. So there's no way he could ever fall ill. There's no way the Heavenly Sword, hailed as the strongest hero in history, would catch a mere cold.'"
Abel hesitated. Shail knitted her brows slightly. An awkward spring breeze flowed between them. Only Rachel continued to speak.
"You two. It's precisely every single perception like that from those closest to him that prevents Geomma from remaining human."
Rachel brushed the back of her hand across his forehead.
"Because he always has to be superhuman. Because only then will you not feel anxious. Because everyone will feel at ease..."
"Rachel!"
Unable to stay silent any longer, Abel stepped forward.
"What are you trying to say?"
"..."
Only the rustling of leaves echoed in the air. After a brief silence, Rachel turned her head toward them. Immediately after, Abel and Shail's eyes widened in shock.
"I told you once before, didn't I?"
They were no longer heart-shaped. Rachel's pupils formed perfect, neat circles.
"If things stay like this, I'll have to revoke my concession."
The pink mist floating around Rachel scattered into nothingness.
"Lady Abel."
Before she herself even noticed.
* * *
At the same time, in the Demon Realm Gehenna.
Joaquin sat on a tree stump, watching the sunset of the Demon Realm. He never grew tired of the western landscape left behind as the Black Sun sank into oblivion.
Seven hundred years ago, he was too busy fighting to ever take it in. To think he would finally watch it after becoming half a ghost.
Hmm.
Come to think of it, taking a step back from the mortal world seems to have granted me some peace of mind.
"You watch it every single day."
A squirrel occupying one side of the stump spoke up. Due to personal circumstances, he looked pathetic now, but in the old days, they used to brawl with each other.
"There's nothing else to look at."
"You boring bastard."
Lycan snorted and plopped down. He groomed his tail with his pea-sized paws before asking out of nowhere:
"What kind of guy is Kang Geomma?"
"Why ask that now? You've watched him by his side for almost ten years."
"For me, it's only been ten years, but you've been with him for decades. You ought to know him better than I do."
"What a strange thing." Joaquin grinned. "For 1st Corps Commander Lycan to take an interest in a human."
"I still couldn't care less about humans. I'm only curious because it's Kang Geomma."
"Playing hard to get? What are you, a tsundere?"
"I was wondering where Kang Geomma picked up that subculture trash. It was your doing, Joaquin."
"And how does the Corps Commander know what the word tsundere means?"
"..."
"..."
"Let's leave it at that."
A war that left only scars was brought to an end.
"He's a guy covered in thorns." Joaquin spoke, gazing at the Black Sun. "Because he lived a life that rough."
"I've heard a bit about that. Still, hasn't he overcome it by now? He even started a family."
"No." Joaquin shook his head firmly. "He still hasn't overcome his past."
Reflected in Joaquin's eyes was the scene of the Black Sun setting completely.
"That's why he's still enduring the pain of loss."