Becoming a Hunter in a Dark Fantasy - Chapter 104
Only Noblemtl
Episode 104: Some Buried Truths (1)
“Ugh, I wonder if it’s really okay… … .”
As Elwin had instructed beforehand, Hake used his unique magic, Daydream, shortly after they set out for the Kingdom of Batevill.
He tricked Narhan into believing that Hake had murdered Nero and kidnapped Yana to escape.
“I wish I could have just been honest with you. I’m scared of that guy.”
However, rather than explaining everything to Narhan and making him understand, Elwin quickly ordered him to leave the airship and join Deficio.
I don’t know why, but it’s faster that way.
“I followed orders, but I’m afraid of the consequences… …!! Even though I’m on the same side now!!”
Hake, who had arrived on the ground and emerged from the emergency escape bottle, began to tremble and complain.
If things go wrong when they meet again later, it’s Hake, he’ll be the one who pays the price for deceiving him.
“I was so surprised when you appeared without a sound right when I was about to use my special magic that I ended up breaking the table without realizing it.”
“… … Foot!”
“Don’t laugh at me, you punk! It’s half your fault, isn’t it? Why are you standing in front of someone and acting absentminded when they’re paying attention?”
Hake was afraid of Narhan.
“Surely you won’t say anything about that… … ?”
As one of Depicio’s elite assassins, he knew everything about the past and notoriety of the man known as Narhan Perdik, or rather ‘Narhan Hylis’.
At one time, Narhan was famous as a judge who meted out merciless punishments to those who committed sins.
Criminals or members of villain organizations who were possessed by him had a hard time returning home alive.
It was one of two things: either he would die immediately, beheaded, or suffer and die as a cripple.
There was even a superstitious saying among those living in the afterlife that it was better to pray for the next world than to be captured by Narhan Hylis.
“… … I never thought you’d be alive. I thought you were dead.”
Hake muttered in a small voice without thinking. He didn’t know how shocked he was when he first saw Narhan.
It had already been several years since that happened, but Hake remembered it clearly.
“Narhan Perdik… … . Did you just change the last name?”
In the past, he was the most brilliant and honorable knight of the Light Sect that worshipped the god of light, Rampas.
– You, the traitor who dared to serve God and colluded with the dark cult… … are excommunicated!
One day, he was excommunicated on suspicion of joining hands with the Dark Church.
Everyone who heard the news through the Blue Bird newspaper thought that he would not live long.
Because he was Narhan Hylis, who had grown up as a priest all his life and had a high level of faith, worthy of the title of the most glorious knight.
A means without a purpose, a sword without a center, is bound to break.
“It’s noisy.”
Then someone who was talking to him responded annoyedly.
“If you can’t move your mouth, your actions will become dull. Hurry up and do what I tell you to do.”
Even though Nero Chase’s characteristically rebellious tone was evident in his speech, his voice was different.
Nero’s tone of voice was high compared to other men, but it was much thinner and higher.
“Ha! You’re not scared, are you? That guy, the infamous… … .”
Hake, who was furious, tried to say something in response.
“Get there.”
She cuts off Hake’s remarks, her eyes cold and warning.
Hake flinched involuntarily. His ears and tail dropped.
“Narhan Ferdik is the person he cherishes the most. Didn’t I always tell him not to act rashly?”
Her true identity is Yana Bartwell, a woman with long, dazzling silver hair.
“They say that if your tongue is long, you will die, you stupid cat.”
No, it was Nero, who was imitating Yana’s appearance with his unique magic ‘Imposter’.
Yana’s appearance and tone of voice made me even more annoyed, like Nero.
“Who is stupid!”
“It’s you~! It’s you~!”
“No, right? And don’t act so indecently as Yana!”
Hake, who had been momentarily angry, soon came back to life and lost his temper.
I might not have known anyone else, but I couldn’t lose to Nero. I didn’t want to lose.
“I’ll pretend to be unconscious until we get to Depicio’s hideout, so tie my wrists properly.”
“… … Okay, I got it.”
Hake glanced at Nero’s back, catching his hands behind his back with his familiar grip.
His hands were busy moving, but the information Candela had given him was floating through his mind.
More precisely, it is a report that organizes the information confirmed by the Deficio member who discovered Hake before he was trained as a Deficio assassin.
[Specified target discovered in the Batevil tunnel. Two young cats.]
[Birth year unknown. Origin unknown. Lineage and race unknown. Presumed to be a war orphan from the recent war.]
[They don’t look alike, but they call each other ‘brothers’ or ‘the only two left in the family’. Both of them seem to have the potential to possess unique magic. I’ll take them to the Deficio Training School. That’s all.]
So, to sum it up… … Hake, he and Nero Chase are family.
I can’t be sure because I don’t remember our childhood, but I’m sure we called each other brothers.
‘Does this make sense?’
Hake felt a strange sensation running through his body. It was as if the emotion of ‘surprise’ was constantly flowing through his veins like blood.
‘……family.’
I tried to pronounce the word secretly, only with my mouth closed. For some reason, I felt a warmth spread throughout my body.
‘When Nero was in Depicio, I admired him and followed him.’
Was it an attraction towards those who were originally within the same fence called family? Even though they may or may not be of the same blood… … Did Hake recognize his family when he was young?
‘… … That annoying guy knows. That we’re actually family.’
But Hake didn’t stay lost in such thoughts for long. Nero turned his head and was staring at Hake.
“What, what is it? Are you too interested in me today? My head is going to burst. Oh, are you thinking of assassinating me with your gaze?”
“What? No, I just… … !”
Before Hake could protest, Nero struck first. He said with a strange smile on his face.
“Ah. Or else, Hake, you by any chance… … .”
Hake tensed up without realizing it, his body stiffening.
‘By any chance? By any chance… …Does that guy Nero know that too?’
I was just thinking about the unexpected connection that existed between Hake and Nero, and it hit the nail on the head.
So naturally, useless thoughts started to arise.
‘Yeah! Now that I think about it, that guy is incredibly quick-witted! Who knows. When he was in Depicio, he might have found some clues… …!’
But was Nero a man who acted according to the will of others?
He always liked to betray the expectations of those who had expectations of him and blow the lid off.
Nero put his hand on the corner of his mouth and then laughed openly.
“Are you scared?”
“… … .”
“Shocked?”
At Nero’s snickering, as if he found it funny, Hake’s bewildered expression gradually disappeared and soon became expressionless.
‘Yeah. That’s the kind of person he was originally.’
It seems that his memories were temporarily embellished when he learned the unexpected truth. The Nero Chase he knew was a very easygoing person who lived at his own pace.
And he had a genius talent for making people feel ×.
‘What on earth did you expect from a person like that?’
Suddenly, a vein bulged out on Hake’s forehead. He smiled and quietly took out his knife.
Ssaak-!
The knife drew a sharp trajectory. Nero noticed this and flexibly bent his body to avoid it.
“Look around. Oh, just look around!”
“What the heck!? A sudden attack? Are you trying to do it now?!”
There was a sharp silence for a moment, then a sharp murderous look was directed at each other.
Soon, the sound of blades clashing fiercely began to slowly resonate through the night.
“… … You guys, is this the time to be fighting so leisurely? Stop.”
Then another voice dissuaded them.
There was a deep sense of fatigue in his voice, which still had the youthful air. As if he had been pulling an all-nighter for several days, shaking his body.
“What? An unrelated man.”
“Get out!”
Nero and Hacke shouted at the same time. At times like this, the hearts of the two people who had been enemies were in perfect sync.
Amidst the cats meowing as if they were displeased, the voice that had been trying to stop them let out a deep sigh.
In fact, from the beginning, there was another person here besides Nero and Hake.
“… … Haha. These damn things.”
Zeraph Gnaud, who had been sitting there with his presence forgotten like a sack of dried hay, smiled gently.
“I guess just talking about it won’t get the job done.”
Correction. He smiled with relief, as if he had given up on everything.
Those damn cats fought countless times all the way from the airship to the ground.
And how desperate it was for Zeraph Gnaud to stop it.
“Stop it, you guys!”
Boom!
Finally, Zeraph Gnaud, who could no longer bear it, touched the ground and caused the tree roots to rise.
The roots that sprouted at a terrifying speed rushed towards the two people, increasing the distance between them.
Hake, who was suddenly attacked, crumpled his face and shouted.
“Hey, what are you doing! Zerap Gnaud, are you betraying me now!? Like in the labyrinth?!!”
“Hmm? That’s not something you should be saying, is it?”
But then Nero suddenly objected.
“You pretended to be dead in the labyrinth and lied about your survival, but then you turned out to be a spy from a villain organization… … You even stabbed me in the back of the head once in the tunnel, right? To the other Sphero members, your image is that of a professional traitor who betrayed me repeatedly as easily as eating bread in a short period of time.”
“What-? No, it’s not wrong… … After accepting the offer to be a double spy, I acted faithfully!”
Although Hake protested loudly as if it was unfair, Nero shrugged his shoulders and responded calmly.
“And yet, I myself betrayed Depicio and ran away… … .”
“It was a very sound and reasonable choice, wasn’t it?”
Hake, who was at a loss for words because that was the right thing to say, closed his mouth.
However, Hake, who did not want to be looked down upon by Nero like this, soon turned to Zerap Gnaud and swore at him.
“If we’re being nitpicky, that guy is worse! He came in disguised as a hunter aspirant and indiscriminately killed other test takers, and on top of that, he defiled the dead and tried to resurrect an ancient monster without any regard for the lives of others!”
The turn was taken to find another scapegoat.
“I betrayed him in the end, but that guy is just a vicious traitor!”
“Ugh!”
The silent Zeraph Gnaud was struck by a calamity. He spat softly and laughed bitterly.
“… … .”
Every word of it was true, because he was a sinner.
“This time… … when everything related to Depicio is over, I plan to turn myself in. To atone for those who died because of me… … .”
Zeraph Gnaud managed to stammer out his words with great difficulty.
The cats who had thrown out the topic were bickering with each other without paying any attention to him.
Zerap let out a deep sigh that reached his lungs.
“… … Haa. Why am I here like this.”
I had doubts again. Was this really the best option?