Chapter 50
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Subject No. 34
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It was a child so emaciated that his bones protruded from his arms and legs.
His blue hair, which hung down to his ears, was dry and frizzy, and even that was a tangled mess.
With sunken cheeks and dark, grimy skin added to the mix, he looked no better than a beggar at first glance.
But upon closer inspection, his blackened face was spotlessly clean beneath the dirt.
And when the child finally opened his eyes, pure sky-blue irises gleamed forth.
"Ughhh!"
Like he was having a seizure, the child bolted upright, anxiously scanning his surroundings.
"Calm down. You're safe here."
Alize, who had been inwardly anxious, mustered her courage and extended a hand.
But the child flinched back in terror as her hand approached.
"Don't worry. We won't hurt you."
Alize continued speaking as calmly as possible while observing the child.
"Ughhh."
For whatever reason he was so terrified, the child crawled all the way to the wall, pressed his back against it, and trembled violently.
"Hmm, looks like we can't talk right now..."
At a loss, Alize scratched her head and took a step back from the child.
"Maybe he doesn't understand us?"
"Or maybe he can't speak."
The twins, poised to bolt at any moment with their hips thrust backward, chimed in one after the other.
"Why not either run or stand up straight? Pick one!"
The sight of grown men sticking their butts out like that was definitely not a good look.
Gerard, who had turned to follow Alize's gaze, squeezed his eyes shut as if he'd seen something awful.
"What's wrong with it? It's the ideal stance for responding to any situation."
"Exactly! A mercenary has to always be ready."
Were the twins truly oblivious to shame?
They proudly lifted their chins and wiggled their hips with enthusiasm.
But when their butts bumped into each other, they scowled fiercely and tangled up in a scuffle.
"Hey, move that filthy thing!"
"Whoa! I just got goosebumps. Looks like I need to kill you today."
They seemed aware it was gross, at least.
Alize ignored the twins, who had started bickering again, and let out a long sigh.
"This is tricky. What are we supposed to do with him like this?"
The child, right before their eyes, watched the bizarre spectacle of grown men rolling around aiming for each other's crotches, yet showed no sign of relaxing.
If anything, that grotesque sight might have made him even more tense.
"Ruyan, what should we do?"
Unable to find an answer, Alize turned to Ruyan.
But his reaction only confused her more.
'What's wrong with him?'
Ruyan was staring at the child with wide eyes, looking utterly stunned.
For someone whose expression rarely changed, this was shocking.
"Ruyan?"
She called him again, but got no response.
'What is this child...'
In truth, Ruyan's full attention was fixed on the boy.
'What an extraordinary talent.'
The child looked pathetic and scrawny, but immense potential lay dormant within.
'His body is naturally flexible, with sturdy muscles and bones. That's not something effort alone can achieve.'
A talent so outstanding that even the Divine Bow of his past life would yield a step!
Despite clearly having endured horrors in that lab, not a speck of impurity lingered in the child's body.
'A genius that appears once in a millennium.'
An overwhelming potential that even the Divine Bow would envy!
But that incredible talent was just the beginning.
The moment the child opened his eyes, something even more astonishing occurred.
Whoooosh.
The primordial energy he'd sensed from the sacred tree enveloped and settled over the child's body.
'This isn't energy he's controlling himself.'
The energy was following the child.
If Ruyan's body was cursed by nature, this child's was the opposite.
A body blessed by nature.
'How peculiar. What exactly is he?'
At the moment the child fainted, Ruyan had distinctly felt divine power.
Now primordial energy as well? It defied Ruyan's common sense.
Ruyan simply gazed at the child.
Despite that phenomenal talent, the boy was still trembling in fear.
So pitiful and heartbreaking, all alone.
'He's far too weak.'
Suddenly, old memories surfaced.
Ruyan had been like that once too.
After begging on the streets and getting beaten black and blue, everything in the world felt terrifying.
When he wandered into the mountains searching for food, the shadows of the foliage had been utterly frightening.
Despite his exceptional talent, the very next day had seemed hopeless.
'It was the Return Heart Technique that saved me back then.'
Fortunately, Ruyan had encountered a fateful opportunity and survived.
Becoming the supreme master of the Central Plains.
This child needed the same now. Just a gentle hand would surely crack open that shell.
-Take him in.
The voice from what he'd thought was a dream echoed in Ruyan's mind once more.
Was this what it meant?
Repay what you'd received?
'If so, gladly.'
Ruyan had been seeking a child like this anyway. To establish a magic academy, he needed exceptional talent.
There was no reason not to take him.
Ruyan slowly approached the child and met his eyes directly.
"Ughhh."
The child convulsed even more violently as Ruyan drew near.
But upon meeting those steady eyes, his trembling miraculously began to subside.
The wariness in the boy's sky-blue eyes gradually faded.
"What's your name?"
Ruyan asked in his usual calm, reassuring voice.
The child rolled his eyes, seemingly pondering deeply, then finally parted his lips with great effort.
"Number 34."
His halting response stabbed at Ruyan's heart.
"Is that what that woman called you?"
"Yes."
Even Ruyan was momentarily speechless at the child's detached reply.
'He doesn't even have a name!'
That bizarre number was surely just the experimental subject's order, slapped on by Jurl.
Not just Ruyan, but everyone in the mercenary band realized it instantly.
"Hah, what a wicked bitch."
"How could anyone..."
The bickering twins froze, stood up, and solemnly bowed their heads.
Gerard silently reddened his eyes, while Cloryang and Alize bit their lips hard.
But Ruyan continued gazing at the child with an impassive expression.
"Do you have anywhere to go?"
The child slowly shook his head.
Then, as if remembering something, he began shuddering again.
'A painful memory, no doubt.'
Ruyan refrained from rashly comforting him.
He simply waited patiently for the boy to calm himself.
Only after a long while did their eyes meet again.
Then Ruyan smiled softly and took the child's hand.
"Will you come with me?"
The boy's sky-blue eyes calmly reflected Ruyan.
As if he wanted to say something.
His lips moved, but in the end, he just nodded silently.
Over and over.
Thick clouds blanketed the night sky, finally devouring even the moon in utter darkness.
'Sigh, what am I even worrying about.'
Perched atop the tall clock tower, Alize gazed down at the village and sighed.
This was her private escape whenever her thoughts grew tangled.
Staring blankly at the buildings lit up here and there usually calmed her mind.
But not tonight.
No matter how long she looked, the bitterness wouldn't fade.
'Nothing changes. Just do what you've always done.'
She had just returned from reporting mission complete at the mercenary guild.
The mine and trolls hadn't existed in the first place, but it didn't matter.
No one would nitpick a successfully completed mission.
Alize had credited everything to Ruyan again.
Reporting that he'd taken down most of the trolls alone.
'Results should come tomorrow.'
They'd resolved two major commissions from the lord.
A 4th-grade mercenary badge for Ruyan was now just a matter of time.
The time for him to leave had come.
Knowing that, Alize couldn't hesitate or delay the report.
Even if not today, he'd leave someday.
She couldn't ruin someone's life for selfish greed.
Yet the reason for her heavy heart was simple: she needed him.
'If only Ruyan would stay by my side...'
What was she expecting from such a brief connection?
Their first meeting had been a disaster, and perhaps they'd been fated not to stay together from the start.
'No, let him go. We'll meet again someday.'
Alize finally steadied her heart and rose to her feet.
But in that instant, her legs gave out, and she collapsed with a thud.
'No way...'
A chilling sensation, making every hair on her body stand on end, wrapped around her.
Killing intent?
It wasn't something so mild.
Terror.
An instinctive warning from her survival drive.
Her body stiffened, making even breathing difficult.
'I'll die like this!'
Alize bit her lip hard and forced herself to stand.
She had to move.
The moment Alize staggered backward, someone emerged from the darkness.
Slither.
A knight in pitch-black armor.
The empire's dagger! The second master of the moonlit shadows!
It was Cage.
'That bastard!'
Spotting Cage, Alize shuddered but hardened her expression fiercely.
Observing her reaction, Cage's eyes gleamed slyly as he curled his lips.
"You know me."
Not even Viscount Piron knew the Black Lion's true identity.
Yet this mere mercenary recognized Cage.
The answer came instantly.
"Nice to see you, greatsword."
Such a casual greeting.
Alize ground her molars and glared at him savagely.
"Yeah, I've been waiting for you, you bastard!"
"Oh? Have we met before?"
"I figured you wouldn't remember. You bastards are always like that."
Twenty years.
Alize hadn't forgotten the Black Lion for a single day.
Yet Cage was brutally indifferent, acting as if nothing had happened.
"You know how our line of work is."
He even mocked her leisurely.
Seeing that, Alize forgot her fear and burned with rage.
"Just like the dog spawn you are. You said the exact same thing back then."
"Did I?"
"I could never forget. That was the only voice I heard the day my parents died!"
Alize screamed out all the pent-up fury of those years.
Cage smirked as if he'd expected it and nodded.
"Weapon Destruction Art and a greatsword. I suspected, but you really are that brat from back then."
Cage grinned wickedly and drew a dagger.
"Shut up! Don't pretend to remember now..."
"You survived back then thanks to your father's luck. If not for the daughter, I wouldn't have let a knight die so easily."
"I said shut up!"
Her rage blinding her reason, Alize instantly drew her greatsword.
Clang.
Her bloodshot eyes brimmed with resentment and murderous intent.
"I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you!"
The fall of the Black Lion.
Alize had lived solely for that one goal.
Walking through hell every day, enduring only to see despair on their faces.
Now it was time to end this long, twisted grudge.