Black Badger - Chapter 374



Only Noblemtl

374. Preparation for departure (1)

Kairos chased after Hildebert.

It was only when I reached the underground parking lot that I found my opponent. Hildebert was standing tall in the parking lot. He seemed to have lost his sense of direction after walking halfway through the anger.

Originally, he had planned to return to the cabin with Ami.

You probably don’t have the presence of mind for that right now.

You probably don’t even want to contact ARMY.

Honestly, I think it was brave of him not to destroy the year-end party. It was even more so because I had seen with my own eyes how close he and Kyle were.

Both hands hanging limply.

Kairos approached the man standing in the underground parking lot with no expression on his face.

“colon.”

As I gently grabbed his arm and called out to him, Hildebert turned his head.

“Let’s go in my car.”

She suggested, holding the man’s arm.

“How about going for a drive?”

Hildebert stared at him.

But soon he turned around and followed him coolly. Kairos was grateful that he just walked to his car.

It’s a good thing we had a spare car parked at headquarters. I didn’t want to put him in the SUV he was carrying.

As I opened both doors of the spare car that had been parked in the headquarters parking lot, Hildebert sat down in the passenger seat without a word.

And then it stopped moving.

“If you’re tired, just tell me.”

Kairos approached the open passenger door and buckled the seatbelt.

He also reclined the seat a bit. After adjusting the seat and closing the passenger door, he also got into the driver’s seat.

“Can I just choose the location?”

“Do whatever you want.”

Hildebert answered shortly.

The voice was hushed and cracked.

Kairos started the car quietly.

The car rolled along in silence. Hildebert’s gaze was directed out the window, but he didn’t seem to be looking at anything.

Later, he closed his eyes completely. It seemed as if he was trying to sleep. Kairos drove more carefully than ever and prayed that the other person would succeed in falling asleep.

I thought that after he slept, the anger burning inside him would subside a bit.

But it seems to have failed.

As soon as the car came to a complete stop, Hildebert opened his eyes.

In the dark car, the golden eyes shone.

The light emitted by Geum-an was more eye-catching than the night view of Center Core outside the car window.

“…Thank you for stopping me.”

It was the first thing Hildebert said after a long time.

Kairos let out a hollow laugh.

“I couldn’t stop you.”

“I was able to avoid making a mess of things thanks to the knowledge that there was someone nearby.”

Well then, that’s good.

Kairos smiled bitterly.

Even considering the fact that five or six men rushed at him, the opponent held his ground well. Even in that situation, Hildebert did not hurt anyone except Jaeyeon. It was a terrible self-control.

I kept silent because I thought saying that wouldn’t be of any comfort.

The knight commander, who had been watching the night view, muttered after a while.

“You and Igor, and Rose?”

“All three of you go back to my house and wait. I’m waiting for your call.”

“Tell him to grow up.”

The man took a deep breath.

“Because it’s clear that you won’t be able to make rational decisions in this situation.”

Kairos took out his cell phone without saying a word.

I was receiving messages from a surprising number of people. It was surprising that I had so many messages and not a single missed call.

I haven’t had this many calls since I got off the track.

I went into my mailbox and checked the contact information of my fellow countrymen.

[Igor: You’re taking good care of your clothes, right? I’ve cleaned up all the Mongmong stuff, and I’ve even given you the clothes you gave that Yeolhwapan, so just focus on taking care of your clothes.]

[Rose: Please take good care of the missionary and the captain.]

[Yow: Tell me that you will do whatever I want. Even if I say I will wipe out all humans, I will understand. If I put my mind to it, I would want to do that.]

[Deltey: How is Hilde? ㅠㅠ I can’t even imagine what she’s really feeling…]

I relayed Hildebert’s words to the group chat room where there were four people.

Then, he told me that he would take good care of me and that he was now in a car at a famous driving spot for night views, and left the group chat.

After that, I checked other messages.

[Commander-in-Chief: Did you take good care of Hilde? This place is all taken care of, so don’t worry about the aftermath and just take care of Hilde. I’ve also taken care of the reenactment, and all the complaints among the Badgers have been resolved.]

[Senior Choi Ah-mi: Jack!!!! How’s Hilde? Hilde ㅠ You don’t want to see our faces anymore, do you? You’re not throwing up or crying, are you? ㅠ I hope you’ll understand even if Badger quits, so please just stay like you are now ㅠㅠ]

[Senior Choi Yoon: Take me back to your house or cabin.]

[Senior Ricardo Sordi: You’ll do well, but… Watch him carefully because he’ll suddenly vomit.]

[Senior Sophia Kalak: That senior is always like that, so don’t worry about it.]

[Senior Carl Dow: Tell him that he can take a long-term leave. I understand if he quits, but… I want to keep him if possible.]

[Senior William Walker: Those who just keep complaining without any solution have their mouths shut.]

[Luke Lyle: Want to do some shooting practice together tomorrow?]

[Nana Dol: Have you heard by any chance when our promotion exam is?]

[Armor Major: Your car stands out so much.]

Kairos only responded to messages from the Commander-in-Chief and the Armor Major.

The rest were things he could answer slowly later. Ricardo and Sophia had been the first to send him messages, but neither of them seemed particularly needful to respond.

After finishing the reply and trying to check on Hildebert’s condition, the other person muttered as if talking to himself.

“I’ve been through so much trouble that I can’t even bring myself to check my phone.”

“You said you took care of it yourself. Why don’t you take a deep breath and wake up to check the contact?”

Kairos said coolly.

“Your seniors are very worried about you.”

Hildebert did not answer.

He just stared out the window with an expressionless face. Kairos knew that this was not a good sign. Hildebert was the type of person who would always look people in the eye when he spoke.

Kairos examined Hildebert’s profile.

“What do you want to do?”

“I can’t stand seeing Kyle die at the hands of humans.”

A firm answer came back.

His gaze was still turned out the window, but his answering voice was stubborn.

Kairos understood. He too did not want to see the war end with an ICBM or nuclear warhead falling on a rampaging Kyle.

It’s ridiculous to stand on Kyle’s side now.

There is no way Hildebert will not become the Black Badger.

But he also felt uneasy. He never imagined that something like this could happen.

He had mixed feelings about Jae-yeon’s actions.

I regret that everything has been returned to its original state.

At the same time, he was grateful that Hildebert had been saved. Although he could not tell Hildebert the truth even if his mouth was torn open, Kairos preferred the present with Hildebert back to the peace without Hildebert.

This is an extremely self-centered thought.

Kairos knew that I had a somewhat childish side.

“Kairos.”

He was thinking back to 50 years after the war when Hildebert called him.

Kairos threw down his cell phone.

“Why is that?”

“Although the essence was a reenactment, it was still difficult to perform the emperor’s ceremonies.”

Hildebert turned his head and met his gaze for the first time since getting into the car.

“I’m sorry to continue to ask you to perform the ritual even though I heard that your father passed away in the war with the Empire.”

“I would have knelt down and kissed the real emperor.”

I wondered what he was talking about in that heavy voice.

The missionary laughed heartily, thinking that it was a very Hildebert-like response, knowing that a thousand fires were burning inside him.

“What can’t you do now? You don’t have to worry.”

“No. I should have asked Youna Igor. But I just kept asking you, who is good at etiquette, for my convenience.”

“Don’t you know how much I was favored by the nobility and royalty? That’s why Kyle always had mixed feelings toward me.”

Hildebert blinked.

“What ambivalence?”

The inspector asked a question.

Kairos had a bitter smile on his lips.

“I thought you were licking your father’s enemy’s feet too much.”

Hildebert opened his mouth.

His golden eyes also grew wide. Then he seemed frozen and did not move.

Kairos observed his opponent’s surprised face with amusement.

It may only have been a moment, but I felt good that it made me feel something other than anger, even if only for a little while.

“Kyle? You?”

“Yes. Of course, he didn’t show it on the outside. He was genuinely grateful for the money I always gave him.”

“Too much… What?”

“I thought you were being mean. I never directly conveyed that feeling. I’m pretty perceptive about that sort of thing.”

Hildebert’s eyes were filled with astonishment.

Kairos watched Hildebert open and close his mouth with a look of astonishment on his face.

Only after a long time did the Sword Master speak cautiously.

“You didn’t lick the emperor’s feet too much.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m not saying this to comfort you….”

“I know. I don’t think I was mean enough to insult my father’s death. But Kyle lost both his parents in that war… The standard for meanness is different. Even after becoming a knight commander, Kyle always kept his integrity to the point that the nobles would always talk about him. It was no wonder I didn’t like him.”

Hilde looked even more troubled.

Kairos looked at his opponent and smiled briefly.

He wasn’t particularly hurt by Kyle’s reaction.

The missionary relayed the fact.

He explained that he envied Kyle’s pride. His unwavering pride. My childhood friend’s tendency may have contributed to his current situation…

“I didn’t know Kyle very well.”

After a long silence, Hildebert finally spoke in a hoarse voice.

In the golden eyes looking out the front window, there was a pain that Kairos could not have imagined.

“I never imagined that you would be burning with such great anger while sitting as the commander of the knights. If only I had known this fact in advance….”

“I don’t think anything has changed much.”

We’ve come such a long way.

Kairos was still watching with his own eyes as Hildebert suffered the aftereffects of having his veins damaged.

A thinner body and poor complexion than before.

Kyle chose to be angry at Hildebert.

Surely after waking up, you heard the story of Sword Master Ray Reneur’s death.

And I will never forgive Hildebert.

The fact that the sword was handed over to humans.

The reason I handed over the sword.

And the fact that Ray Rennür hesitated and died.

“If it’s too painful, I can be the last one to step forward.”

Hildebert was silent for a long time again as he made a cautious suggestion.

Then he gave a slow but firm answer.

“I plan to tie up my relationship with Kyle myself.”

“If that’s what your doctor says….”

“But revenge on Colton comes first. To do that, I must first go to Antarctica to recover my strength.”

Why is Antarctica suddenly appearing?

Although he was curious, Kairos did not ask the question right away.

Instead, he asked the question he had always wanted to ask.

Recognizing the light emitted by the LCD of a cell phone thrown inside a dark car.

“Do you hate humans?”

Instead of answering right away, Hildebert looked down at the screen of his cell phone lying near the gear.

“You shouldn’t look at humans as one lump.”

It was a tired voice.

“As if it were unfair to view us as one lump of creatures. As if those who shouted that we would perish together, those who shouted that they would give us peace in exchange for eternal life, and those who gave their lives for our love were all different people.”

“It’s a difficult orthodoxy to put into practice.”

“Yeah. It’s hard to put into practice.”

“You can rest. I’ll contact the seniors for you.”

“No. I have to reply myself tomorrow. Even if my seniors are disappointed, there’s nothing I can do about it…”

What does this mean?

Kairos’ orange eyes widened in surprise.

He said as he looked at the Swordmaster, who was lost in thought with his head bowed.

“You’re talking about the TF seniors, right? Aren’t you being too harsh on them? They’re probably worried about you, not disappointed in you.”

Then Hildebert smiled bitterly.

It was an expression of complex emotions. Guilt, regret, and sadness all mixed together.

Hildebert said without erasing his smile.

“After that breakup with those two, something inside me broke down. From that day on, I felt that if something happened in my relationship with someone, it would eventually end.”

And he added awkwardly.

“I had a falling out with Kyle and Ray too… . That’s the kind of thought process I’m going through. I know it’s not healthy.”

Kairos could not refute it.

Ray Reneur, who had turned to ashes and fallen. What would he say in front of Kyle, who was furious at his death and tried to cut off Hildebert’s veins?

What on earth could you say in front of a living man to tie up a relationship that was irretrievably broken?

The best thing to do was to tell my seniors that they were very worried.

Words that probably wouldn’t have reached you.

***

I woke up in a bed that was now mine again, with the Emperor gone.

Anger burned inside me.