Chapter 103: Revenge
Watching the backs of Ran and Ratel recede at a terrifying speed, Lia gathered her reins and prepared to pick up her pace.
"Miss Lia, it's best to just leave them be."
"What? But even Jing said riding at that speed in the mountains is dangerous. We have to catch up and stop them."
Lia stared anxiously at the two, who had already shrunk to mere specks in the distance, but Jing slowly shook his head.
"If there's one thing I've learned from traveling with Ratel, it's that there is absolutely no stopping him. If you try to block his path, he'll only return later like an even greater wave crashing down on you. Leaving him be is the best course of action."
Having said that, Jing gazed into the distance as if reminiscing about the past. Looking suddenly haggard, as though he had weathered the full brunt of life's storms all at once, he let out a soft sigh.
"Still, I'm glad Lord Ran is here."
"Because the sparks won't fly our way?"
That was also true.
"Well, that too, but... how should I put it? He seems more like someone his own age now. Playing around like that."
"Playing... around...?"
To Lia, it looked like nothing short of a life-or-death game of tag, so she couldn't help but ask.
"Of course it is. From what I've seen, if Ratel were actually trying to hurt him, Lord Ran would be limping on a broken leg or nursing a fractured arm by now."
Lia's jaw dropped at his casual tone. Indeed, both Jing and Ratel were monsters who could conquer the Lucha Tournament with one hand. Resolving never to pick a fight with Ratel, even in jest, Lia nodded. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned back to Jing.
"Was he like that when you first met him, Jing?"
Jing recalled their first meeting in the cave and the period when Ratel had kept watch over him in Amica's Space. Though Ratel's words had been rather infuriating, he had never been the one to pick a fight first.
"No, he wasn't. His guardian had told him to help me."
The annoying face of the Elder popped into Jing's mind again, making him scowl involuntarily.
"And despite how he looks, he shows at least a modicum of respect to his elders."
"Hmm... Then is Ratel just being more informal with Ran because they're around the same age?"
While that certainly wasn't the whole story, Jing simply went along with her assumption.
"It seems so. In the place where he grew up, everyone except Ratel was an elderly adult. Even when he traveled with me, I never saw him socialize with anyone else."
Seeing Jing nod slowly, Lia tilted her head.
"But he doesn't bristle like that with me. At worst, he just treats me like I'm not there."
Jing didn't think that was particularly good treatment either, but since Lia didn't seem to mind, he simply listened in silence.
"Why is it only Ran? What makes him so different from everyone else we've met?"
Jing hesitated, unsure of how to explain their relationship. Ran was a member of the imperial family—a class Ratel loathed—but he was also the man who had saved Ratel's life. To openly despise him was difficult because Ran didn't fit the typical mold of an imperial royal, yet to treat him as a savior was equally complicated because he was, after all, of imperial blood. Furthermore, they couldn't afford to ignore him, as his assistance was absolutely vital to their current situation. How could he put this into words?
"Lord Ran is... rather unique, wouldn't you say?"
At Jing's loaded understatement, Lia, who didn't know the full story, shrugged as if she didn't quite understand.
"He is a strange person. He doesn't feel like a particularly good person, but he's definitely not a bad one either. It's hard to put him in one box or the other."
Jing smiled warmly at her words.
"Perhaps that is how he seems to you. And perhaps to Ratel as well. No, I am certain of it."
"So Ratel might just be confused about how to treat him."
Jing nodded, agreeing that this was likely the case.
The moment the steep slope ended and we hit flat ground, I gently tugged on the reins to slow my horse down. I thought I was going to die.
Snort.
The horse seemed to share my sentiment, huffing heavily and tossing its head from side to side. A bit of white foam had gathered at the corners of its mouth from our pointless, frantic race.
Thanks to my horse's cooperation and the protagonist's lack of equestrian experience, Ratel hadn't caught up to me yet. I had to find a way to mess with him before he arrived.
Fortunately, we were in the mountains—a terrain that favored me more than him. I had spent my years in the imperial palace roaming forests just like this one almost every single day.
"I'm sure there's one around here somewhere..."
I hurriedly searched for a spot where the branches of mid-sized trees overlapped. A moderately sized, mature tree would do. I immediately guided my horse beneath its canopy.
Before long, I saw Ratel approaching, having slowed his horse to a walk as he tracked me.
"Done running?"
Ratel narrowed his eyes as he spotted me hiding under the tree.
"Why on earth are you chasing me like your life depends on it?"
Ratel tilted his head at my question.
"Why are you running like your life depends on it? I just wanted to catch you once."
Catch me, my foot. He had chased me with the clear intent of wringing my neck, yet here he was, acting all innocent. As he approached, clearly intending to grab me, I backed my horse up step by step. Following my lead, he steered his horse off the path and into the dense thicket. Yes, just a little closer.
Finally, Ratel's horse stopped right beneath the overlapping branches of the two trees.
"You seem highly suspicious of my ability to get along with animals, but really, it's not that impressive of a skill."
I raised my leg and delivered a powerful kick to the thick tree trunk beside him.
Thud!
With a heavy impact, dry, brittle leaves rained down onto Ratel's head. But leaves weren't the only things that fell. A cloud-like black mass, about the size of two adult fists, dropped squarely onto his head.
Scritch, scratch, scritch.
The sound of dozens of chitinous insect legs scraping against one another echoed from atop Ratel's head. The black mass burst apart, and hundreds of spiders began crawling down his body.
Screeech—
It was a sound like a car slamming on its brakes, if cars could feel pain. Ratel expressionlessly brushed the spiders off himself.
"I already know this petty trick isn't what you're hiding. I have no intention of playing along with your childish games, so you'd better start talking before I get my hands on you."
Right. I didn't expect the protagonist to be terrified by a mere swarm of spiders falling on his head. But there are far more living things in the forest than he realized. If there was one thing I had learned from my frequent trips through the imperial forests, it was that insect colonies always nested in the treetops. After colliding face-first with a few spider nests or swarms of gnats while riding, you naturally learned to memorize their locations. And you also learned that their natural predators were always nearby. Plus, this time, I had the ability to call them over.
I quickly shifted the vocal cords in my throat. In my experience, the nastiest creatures that could arrive the fastest in this situation were always the same.
Skreeeech—
The ones that nested near insect swarms and absolutely detested seeing other species get a larger share of the food.
"What do you think you're—"
Ratel, who had been brushing off the spiders, tried to stop me at my sudden bizarre behavior, but it was already too late.
"Food!!"
The moment I shouted, a frantic fluttering of wings erupted from all directions.
Skreeeech—
The winged thugs of the sky had already caught wind of the feast. A flock of birds swooped down toward Ratel. Their targets were the plump, juicy autumn spiders. In an instant, Ratel's head was swarmed by all kinds of birds.
"My ability is nothing more than this. It's a simple trick once you know the knack. So let's not waste time on useless power struggles."
Crushed spider guts, bird saliva, and loose feathers showered Ratel. Just as an irritated Ratel raised his hand, I mimicked the cry of an eagle to scare the flock away.
Once the avian thugs dispersed, they left behind a thoroughly disheveled Ratel.
"Want to see more?"
I couldn't help the smirk that leaked into my voice. To be honest, I couldn't deny this was petty payback for his attitude back in Lucha Village. Besides, if not now, when would I ever get another chance to mess with the protagonist?
Having endured a barrage of wild bird spit, pecks, and feathers, Ratel silently wiped the sticky fluid from his face while glaring at me. What are you looking at, punk? You can't kill me anyway, and I'm not about to just sit back and take your crap.
"Do you want to die?"
He grabbed me by the collar and hoisted me up. Ran Abaran wasn't short by any means, but there were simply too many people in this world capable of lifting me by my collar.
"If you're asking because you actually intend to kill me, then go ahead."
I felt his grip tighten. As my airway constricted, my face contorted in a grimace—less from the pain and more from sheer irritation.
"But shouldn't you be a bit smarter about this? If you kill me here, what are you going to do about the remaining holy relics?"
Ever since we started this journey, this protagonist had been losing his edge. The Ratel from the original novel would have milked me for every scrap of information and utility before killing me once I was proven useless. But his current attitude was neither here nor there. Whining and throwing tantrums just because he didn't like me was completely out of character for him.
"Even if you don't like me, even if you're anxious, endure it. Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"
As the protagonist, as the hero destined to save this world, and perhaps as someone dreaming of avenging his family. The Ratel who carried the plot of the novel would never engage in such childish antics. When I roughly slapped his hand away from my collar, he let go surprisingly easily and stared at me intently.
"What exactly are you angry about right now? Is it because I messed with you? Or because I'm not doing my job?"
It was both. I was sick of him trying to put me in a tight spot every chance he got, and I was furious that the guy who was supposed to save the world kept acting so emotionally. I had watched his journey for over ten years. I knew what he had suffered, and I knew the resolve he had lived with. If he was going to ruin everything over one annoying guy who suddenly appeared, how could I trust him to handle this world while I made my escape?
"Stop focusing on how to piss me off and start thinking about what you can gain. Keep using me, and once I'm truly of no use to you, then you can decide whether to let me live or die. Stop acting so petty."
Ratel's expression turned peculiar as he listened to whatever this was—whether it was advice or just a vent of frustration. What are you looking at, punk? I might lose in a physical fight, but if I'm going down, I'm more than willing to take one of your arms or legs with me to the grave.