Chapter 234
Chapter 234
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 234
>Chapter Title: Wyvern, Fly
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Shine felt No. 17 approaching and immediately pulled his hood over his head, taking a mask from his subs.pace to cover his face.
I put my mask back on as well, the one I’d taken off when the Troubleshooters left.
As the distance closed, No. 17 hesitated, apparently thrown off by the sudden appearance of Shine.
“Just come here.”
I beckoned him lazily, and No. 17 approached without further delay.
I stared at him silently for a moment before speaking.
“You still haven’t grasped freedom? I could teach you plenty. Here, take a look. What does this look li…….”
“……Enough already.”
Hm. Daring to interrupt me meant he’d definitely grasped it.
Which meant he hadn’t come seeking knowledge about freedom out of curiosity.
As I fixed him with a flat stare, No. 17 cleared his throat awkwardly—‘Ahem’—and glanced around cautiously.
After a moment.
“Thank you. I didn’t think I’d said it, so…….”
“The others must be beasts who don’t know gratitude. Seeing as you’re the only one who came.”
Killing intent bubbled up, my fist clenching and unclenching, but No. 17 hurriedly added.
“Ah, no. I came as their representative.”
“What about No. 11? By number, he should’ve come.”
“……You really don’t know? After beating him that badly.”
No. 17 shot me an incredulous look, but thinking it over, yeah, No. 11 had good reason not to come.
I’d taught the awakened No. 11 not just freedom, but how to be good, too.
That aside, though.
“Doesn’t seem like you came just to say that. What’s the real business?”
“Well…….”
No. 17 hemmed and hawed.
He stared at me as if trying to read my expression, but only glanced uselessly at my mask before speaking without gaining anything.
“I know it’s shameless, but could I ask a favor?”
“If you know it’s shameless, you wouldn’t ask.”
Truth be told, my patience was at its limit.
Shine’s words—‘What if those guys commit evil deeds?’—had rip.pled through my mind.
No matter how much I’d peered into their hearts with the wyvern spirit’s unique insight, a spirit’s perception wasn’t infallible.
If he knew No. 17 was teetering between life and death in my mind right now, would he understand my conflict?
Sensing my mood, No. 17 swallowed hard.
Tension was plain on his face.
But he didn’t back down.
It wasn’t long before he spoke.
“You gave us freedom, but honestly…… we don’t know what to do with it.”
“And?”
“If we go back like this, we’ll end up as cartel grunts in the Black-White Slums, sucking the blood of civilians and street kids, or becoming bandits. Even if not exactly that, it’ll end up similar…….”
“Hold on. Let’s clarify this.”
I felt a bit bad interrupting his solemn speech, but it was so absurd I had no choice.
“Cartels, bandits—all wrong. Think about your skills: you should do contract work or be phantom thieves. That’s way more profitable than picking pockets from civilians. Get it?”
“……I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Don’t just keep it in mind. You know dirty work doesn’t last. Make a big score and get out. You gonna waste your hard-won freedom scraping by in the shadows?”
“……You’re absolutely right.”
Yeah, that’s how it’d be.
All advice from a senior who’d been through it.
“So, contracts? Phantom thieves?”
For reference, phantom thieves were different from regular bandits because they used specialized skills.
Personally, I recommended phantom thief.
But No. 17 seemed to think otherwise.
“W-well…… I don’t want either.”
“Why?”
“……Huh? Why?”
“You gonna be mountain bandits? No way. Fierce compet.i.tion there, and surprisingly many hidden experts. You’d die screaming in no time.”
“No, that’s not what I…….”
“Or what? You have to use your trained skills to survive. Gonna go to the countryside and farm? Well, if that’s your dream, I’ve got nothing to say…….”
I was genuinely puzzled.
But for some reason.
No. 17 stared at me in disbelief, then flicked his eyes to Shine, who subtly shook his head.
What? They shared some unspoken understanding, but No. 17 spoke soon after.
“Uh, your…… age…… senior?”
“Call me senior.”
“……Yes, senior. Why did you release us? I mean…….”
He trailed off.
Only then did I realize No. 17 was under a massive delusion.
“You don’t think I released you out of some righteous compa.s.sion, benevolence, duty, or whatever, do you?”
“No…… right?”
“Ha, so you think I released you hoping you’d live good lives or some nonsense?”
“No…… right?”
“Sheesh…….”
I wasn’t Obern.
If he thought I’d released them out of naive ideals, he was way off.
But setting that delusion aside, I could decide how to handle No. 17 and the Troubleshooters.
“Big mistake, so go live as you please. But I’ll ask one thing: don’t cross the line. If you’re thieving, target nasty n.o.bles’ wealth. If contracts, don’t harm innocents. You’ll have to wade in the muck, but don’t dunk your head in. And…….”
This next part was the most important.
“You’ll do plenty of bad. I won’t hunt you down for it. But if you dunk your head in the muck, stay out of my sight. Not about responsibility, but if I see you, I might smash your skull.”
That was my exact limit.
Their evil was their nature, but I couldn’t help feeling guilty seeing it.
And I was the type who’d smash rotten bandit skulls anytime to ease my conscience.
On the other hand, I thought.
‘These guys haven’t truly grasped freedom yet.’
If they had, they wouldn’t come whining to me.
True freedom meant not caring about others’ eyes, even in dirty work.
But I had no duty to teach them that far, so I waved off the fl.u.st.ered No. 17.
“Live free. That it? Then get lost.”
But for some reason.
“Um…….”
No. 17 hesitated, not moving.
His face was resolute, like he couldn’t leave, then suddenly he dropped to his knees.
“Senior.”
“What, want your skull smashed? Bow lower then. Back of the head for painless death.”
“No, it’s…….”
No. 17 swallowed hard, opening his mouth with resolve.
And when I heard his next words.
“…….”
I slightly loosened my clenched fist.
What No. 17 said wasn’t anything grand. At least, not to me.
But I couldn’t take it lightly—probably due to the weight in his voice.
No. 17 said to me.
“I want to live like a human.”
But…… he didn’t know how.
All he’d learned growing up was begging, stealing, killing.
So, please, teach him how to live like a human.
……I couldn’t answer readily.
Because I didn’t know either.
Pathetic, really.
Thank G.o.d for the mask.
* * *
After the Troubleshooters fully left.
I tossed my mask aside carelessly and flopped onto the field.
“Wyvern, fly.”
[In this world, nothing’s free.]
“You rotten thing.”
How’d a spirit of nature get so worldly? A tragedy for the ages.
I pulled a moonstone from my subs.pace and tossed it to the wyvern, who finally flapped his stubby wings and took to the sky.
Watching him, I recalled that day’s sky.
But no matter how much I did, I couldn’t answer No. 17’s question.
Because while I’d gained freedom, I wasn’t living the life he described.
“You look deep in thought.”
“Pointless worries.”
“Still, sending them to your master’s teacher was the right call. A proper answer, uncharacteristically upright for you.”
Was that praise or an insult?
I’d take it as praise.
Even I thought sending No. 17 to Riheim senior was the right move.
‘I can’t teach him, but Riheim senior can answer No. 17’s doubts.’
Obvious from just looking at his disciple, Obern.
That said.
Watching the wyvern soar excitedly, I glanced at Shine sitting beside me.
“But why’d you come? Riheim senior can handle the Black-White Slums.”
It puzzled me.
No reason for Shine to follow.
Did I short him on pay? Was he protesting? Or here for a rematch?
Various possibilities crossed my mind, but Shine’s answer was disarmingly simple.
“We’re sworn allies, aren’t we?”
“……Ah.”
What to say.
My chest tingled. Was this what emotion felt li—
“You haven’t done a thing for the vampire clan yet. Can’t lose a useful slave…… er, ally like this.”
Tch, figures.
What’d I expect from him.
In the end, just protecting his investment.
‘Sigh, him or them.’
Feeling oddly forlorn, trying to shake the emptiness, that’s when Shine’s voice reached my ear.
“So, where were you planning to go?”
“Wherever my feet take me.”
“Wherever is that?”
Where…… well.
First, toward the Decullans.
To check the Seven Mages’ whereabouts, Decullan troop deployments, then decide on a clear destination.
When I said that, Shine asked.
“And after?”
“After what.”
“After deciding the destination. What then?”
“Well…….”
Words stuck in my throat.
Not because I hadn’t thought about it. Just…… didn’t sit right saying it to Shine.
Sensing that.
Shine looked at me with strangely wistful eyes.
“It’s obvious with you. You’d show your power, face the swarming Decullan mages head-on. Vicious fool, why’re you so dense at times like this? Think they’ll go, ‘Oh, the Magic Tower’s amazing. Better not touch it’? Sure, maybe now, with full war against Lortel looming. But after that crisis ends? Then what?”
“…….”
“I get wanting to redirect Decullan hostility from the second Black-White Slums to you. And your plan would work. But…….”
Shine smiled bitterly, lips moving.
“……What about you after that?”
“…….”
His words drilled into my ear.
“Don’t shoulder it all alone.”
Deep, so deep.
For a moment, I took in Shine’s vividly red eyes.
I couldn’t tell what emotion they held. But…… I had to say this.
“……What do you want?”
“……What?”
He t.i.l.ted his head, not understanding, then his face twisted fiercely.
“You f.u.c.king…… even when I worry…….”
Oh, not that?
Or maybe it was.
Suddenly, No. 17’s question flashed through my mind.
‘How do I live like a human?’
A question far too hard for me.