Chapter 5 Sad pastsPart 1Ryner Lute was sleeping alone in his room. His room was the same as ever. There wasn’t any decoration other than the bed, and it looked empty. And around the bed, there were the things that Kiefer left for him…
Of course, the whereabouts of Kiefer herself was still a mystery.
At that battlefield, she was immediately arrested by the mage knights of Roland and was forcefully separated from Ryner and the rest.
“…”
Ryner lay down on the bed and looked around at the stuff that wasn’t cleared at all.
“Haa…don’t just leave stuff around in my room like that. It’s troublesome to clear them up…”
He gave a listless look as he muttered, and looked up at the ceiling before closing his eyes slightly.
Just like that, the war ended without any ha.s.sle.
Estabul surrendered just like that. The reason was simple. The strongest squad of Estabul—the Estabul Kingdom’s Mage Knights were defeated by a minor character…
This report was brought back into the country by the surviving mage knights of Estabul, and once it spread, it caused Estabul itself to panic.
Thus, Estabul immediately requested to surrender to Roland.
Speaking of which, it couldn’t be helped, right?
They felt that they couldn’t match up against a soldier’s power that was able to crush 50 of the strongest force in the country, one that bore its prestige —the mage knights.
Thus, Estabul became Roland’s territory.
Right now, Roland was delighted over having defeated an enemy they had been warring with for a long time.
Delighted about this hero who single-handedly defeated the enemy.
A man called Sion Astal.
Of course, the fact was that Ryner annihilated the mage knights.
At that time, when the legend where a hero uses his power to destroy the enemy spread through the citizens, Sion immediately stated his own name. Besides, from what Ryner heard, Sion himself had royal blood…
Perhaps it was because of this reason. Sion was suddenly declared the hero who saved the country, or even the next candidate to be king…immediately, he was raised up to the upper echelons of the army.
So, like Kiefer, he would never see Sion again from that day on.
Yes.
Ryner lost everything.
In such a short time.
The war ended, but looking back, those things that were still with him before were all gone.
Even Tai, Tony and Fualu.
However…
“Ahh~ I still have that troublesome school tomorrow…I should skip it…”
Ryner still didn’t change his att.i.tude.
At this moment—
The door to Ryner’s room was suddenly opened.
“Oi Ryner.”
He heard Sion’s voice.
But Ryner didn’t even look up.
“Nn~?”
“Nn~? What’s with that? Really, you. I say. Hurry up and get away.”
“Ahh? What do you mean? Why must I run…”
Sion interrupted Ryner before he could finish, showing a really bothered look and continued,
“The soldiers are coming to capture you. Based on what happened the last time, the higher-ups of the army decided that it’s dangerous to leave your ‘Alpha Stigma’ alone. If you continue to remain here like this, you’re going to be imprisoned.”
“Heh?”
Sion’s sudden words caused Ryner to call out and get up.
“How did it end up like this? Wasn’t it settled that you were the one who defeated the mage knights of Estabul? Why must I…”
“That’s because I reported my name. The higher ups of the army know that you have the ‘Alpha Stigma’, so they knew easily that you were the one who destroyed the Estabul mage knights.”
This explanation caused Ryner to be confused.
“Wait! Isn’t this weird!? In that case, why are you still able to gain praise? If the fact that you’re the hero of the battle is revealed…”
Ryner asked. Sion seemed to be really tired as he scratched his head and said,
“It’s like this…that was because the army wanted to keep its pride in front of the citizens. They wanted to earn the support of the people, show the emergence of a hero for the people to support the army. Do you understand? But the fact is that the higher ups of the army know that you’re the one who destroyed the mage knights, and they’re scared. They’re scared that you’ll take revenge for abusing them. They didn’t want to give up on that tremendous power of yours, and couldn’t kill you because of this. Thus, they decided to imprison and adopt you. That’s the conclusion.”
On hearing that, Ryner narrowed his eyes.
“…Adopt?”
“Un, that’s what they said.”
“Hn~”
This time, Ryner seemed to be pondering about something, but also didn’t seem like he was thinking about something as he blankly nodded his head.
“Speaking of which, your intel’s rather good, Sion…really amazing.”
Ryner muttered to himself carefreely like an old man in the countryside as he nodded away enthusiastically. On seeing this, Sion couldn’t help but frown.
“I say, the soldiers are coming. Better pack your luggage…”
This time, it was Ryner’s turn to interrupt Sion.
“I actually want to ask you something.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Since you’re in the higher ups of the army, Sion, you should know right?”
“Know about what? If you don’t move faster…”
“Kiefer, how is she?”
“…”
Immediately, Sion didn’t speak.
Ryner kept his still sleepy eyes as he didn’t look anxious at all, and it didn’t look like he had any intention of getting off the bed. Doesn’t he have any intent to run at all?
On seeing this, Sion gave a wry smile,
“Kiefer was locked inside jail. The reason was…to put it simply, she was sent to Roland as a spy of Estabul. No, she wasn’t the only one sent here. She, her younger sister and elder sister were all sent here. They were sent here to send information back to Estabul and allow the mage knights of Roland to be trapped when Estabul launched a war. However…Roland’s forces weren’t that easy to deal with, and their true ident.i.ties were seen through once they arrived in Roland. At that time, Kiefer’s older sister was immediately killed, and her younger sister was taken as a hostage…and so she was used back to successfully trap the mage knights of Estabul. That’s the case. However, her younger sister who wasn’t of much use was already…”
“Fu~n”
Ryner nodded away in an uninterested manner.
Sion stared at Ryner, who had this reaction.
“…Then, you…have no intention of running away?”
Ryner seemed to feel tired as he frowned.
“Eh, well, it’s tiring to run away. I have to continue running, you know? No way! I can’t do this at all.”
That’s not the basis of the problem…
And Ryner again lay on the bed.
“Let me take a nap first. I’ll think about it afterwards.”
At this moment, the door suddenly opened. This time, several fully-armored soldiers immediately rushed in.
“Ryner Lute. High level order. You’re under arrest!”
Ryner merely looked at them.
“Ah, you’re rather fast.”
He had no sense of urgency in his tone at all, and he sounded extremely unmotivated.
Leaning on the door, Sion folded his arms as he saw this, gave an unhappy look and said,
“…Didn’t I say so? I told you that they’ll be here soon, right?”
“Nn~ who knows if it’s nice to sleep inside jail…”
“Who knows?”
“In that case…I’ll let them take care of me for a while. Haha. Three meals, a nap. That’s a rather good thing now that I think about it. Bye then, Sion.”
Ryner was taken away like that with easygoing emotions. What was he thinking? He knew that he was being brought to prison…
Then,
“Ahh. Bye then.”
Sion muttered with a somewhat sad tone.
And thus, both of them went their own separate ways.
Part 2Now for a change of scenery…
The Eris’ family dojo.
This was the second time Sion came to this abnormally large dojo.
He was taken here the first time he came to visit the Eris family, and after that, he was always taken to the garden to meet with Ferris and Iris over the investigation outcome and for some discussion.
He was never brought to the dojo thereafter.
It seemed that the Eris family had another dojo that was of a different size than this one, and all the n.o.ble disciples were all taken there. And Sion was taken to this dojo that was forbidden to all except for the Eris family.
Forbidden…
Therefor, there was obviously something suspicious about this.
Why was Sion taken to this dojo?
The first time he was taken to this dojo, Sion was told by the old butler that anyone who visits the Eris residence had to meet Lucile first…
After that, Sion asked Ferris about this, but Ferris merely cleared all of that with one sentence ‘Our family doesn’t have such a tradition. And as for why you’re taken to the dojo, it depends on what Lucile thought. I don’t understand at all.”
“…”
And now, Sion was again brought to this dojo.
“Looks like…I’m really popular here…”
To Sion’s eyes, this extremely vast dojo was completely empty.
No, maybe it was like the last time. Maybe Lucile himself was already here…
And—
A voice rang from behind. A clear and completely emotionless voice.
“Nn, Sion?”
It was Ferris.
An otherworldly beauty with an icy cold expression.
Those narrow eyes were staring at Sion.
“Why are you here?”
“Eh? No, I came here to look for you and Iris, and I was taken here…”
Halfway through his speech, Ferris narrowed her eyes in a subtle but definite manner, and Sion didn’t say any more.
It was a real emotional change that was different from acting, and this was the first time Sion saw her expression change slightly, and he couldn’t help but keep quiet.
Though it was a change, she merely narrowed her eyes…
But Ferris immediately regained her original emotionless expression.
“Is that so?”
After saying that, Ferris turned her face to the dojo and said with an unrestrained voice.
“Come out.”
Immediately.
In the dojo…
No, a vague figure seemed to appear in Sion’s consciousness before shaping on its own slowly…
A man appeared…
Lucile Eris.
The current head of the Eris clan.
He had bright blond hair just like Ferris, and an unbelievably good-looking face. The smile seemed to be stuck on his face as well.
“Welcome. Sion Astal. First, I must congratulate you on being able to come back safely from such a precarious situation, and even got a recommendation as an exception…did Ferris tell you this before?”
This man appeared just like a monster, but his tone was just like a commoner gossiping away.
Sion was already used to the strange happenings with the Eris family and didn’t feel surprised at all.
On hearing Lucile ask this, Sion said,
“Yes. I’m really grateful that Miss Ferris continued to work hard while I wasn’t around. When I got the report…”
At this moment, Sion’s mind immediately recalled the scene where he met Ferris after returning from the battlefield.
When Sion visited the Eris family, the first thing Ferris said was,
“What? You’re still alive? How boring…”
Sion gave a wry smile,
“…Ah, no, anyway, it seemed that I caused a lot of trouble to Miss Ferris. I should be the one saying some thanks here.”
For some reason, Ferris actually nodded her head after hearing that.
“Of course, I don’t have anything to say to someone who nearly died.”
“U~n”
Sion snorted, and the wry look on his face got even more p.r.o.nounced.
Lucile smiled as he looked at the duo.
“Looks like you two are getting along well. Haha, I’m rather happy about that.”
On hearing this, Ferris still remained emotionless as she said,
“That’s enough. On to the main point.”
“Oh, that’s right. Let’s get to the main point, shall we? The reason why we invited you here is because I want to know about your thoughts.”
“Thoughts?”
Sion answered in a puzzled manner, and Lucile nodded before saying,
“Yes. Right now, I want to ask you a few questions to decide whether you’re suitable or not. I hope you can answer me.”
“Haa…suitability…? Why? No, I can answer them if you want, but…is that all?”
Lucile, who seemed to be in an unexpectedly good mood, nodded his head.
“Ahh. That’s all. I brought you here for this thing. But you have to accept a condition before I ask you.”
“Condition?”
“Nn.”
And—
Suddenly, Lucile’s expression changed.
He closed his eyes, and his face was extremely, extremely calm,
He then said with a nonchalant tone,
“I’ll ask these questions. If your answers don’t meet what I expect, I’ll kill you. Relax. It won’t hurt. You won’t realize that your brain and body are separated. You’ll just die.”
Die…?
On hearing this term, Sion frowned.
He couldn’t understand. No, rather, even though he witnessed the Eris family doing lots of things people couldn’t understand, but this time…
Why is this man saying such things all of a sudden? He’s going to kill me if my answers don’t match his intent?
This is the condition that I have to accept before he asks me the questions. If I don’t accept this condition, I won’t be questioned…
“…”
He couldn’t understand.
Why must I accept such a questioning where there’s a likely chance that I’ll be killed.
At this moment, Lucile spoke as if he answered all of Sion’s inner doubts.
“This is the Eris family, Sion.”
Immediately,
Sion’s eyes narrowed and showed a sharp expression.
This sentence alone caused Sion to understand the hidden meaning behind Lucile’s words.
This is the Eris clan.
The clan that only follows the king for generations.
And the current head of this clan wanted to test Sion to see whether Sion suited his will.
Sion stared at Lucile decisively and smiled,
“I see.”
He muttered.
At this moment, Ferris spoke.
“How stupid. Are you going to throw away the life you barely managed to take back from the battlefield?”
But Sion didn’t care about Ferris.
He had no need to ask more.
He decided that he would be confused no longer.
No. That battlefield had decided the path he should move onwards to.
He once lost everything.
But he continued to move forward.
With this power, he should be able to kill everything.
His brothers, sisters…even the king…
But…
Sion said,
“Alright, ask me any question then. Try me…Lucile Eris.”
On hearing this, Lucile chuckled.
“Haha, I knew that you could possibly say that.”
Sion closed his eyes.
Yes.
I can’t stop now.
I want to kill everyone who gets in my way.
I will accept any condition just to achieve this aim.
Even if I’m…
A demon…
Part 3That place was in complete darkness.
Ryner was chained up and standing in the middle of the pitch black room.
Surrounding him were familiar faces he had known since he was young. They were all old men who looked like they were dead, with lifeless and emotionless faces.
But right now, those faces were all tense and showed fear…
Ryner looked around at these faces and said with a sleepy tone,
“Hey, are you going to keep me inside a cell? How boring~ I didn’t even misbehave in that academy.”
And then, an old man with a pure white beard who was sitting in the middle seat, said,
“Shut up, you monster! Who said that you can talk!?”
“Monster…ah? Yes, yes. Watch out. If your temper’s too fiery, you might rupture a blood vessel, teacher.”
That’s right. Ryner called this old man teacher. The old man who was the head of the orphanage…
The rest were all military personnel.
The old men continued to lash back,
“It’s because of your meddling that that brat Astal took a great leap forward!”
“It would be alright if you had died on the battlefield with Astal.”
“Do you know how severely we were told off because you survived!?”
“Everything and anything was caused by you! And you low-wretched sc.u.m can still get so c.o.c.ky!?”
Ryner continued to keep his lazy expression as he listened to these lashings that didn’t enter his ears at all. He then said,
“Hey, did you call me here just to mention your grievances? Ah, I see. You can ease your stress with such a cute pet like me around you, right?”
“STOP YOUR NONSENSE!”
Immediately, one of the old men threw an ash tray over and it struck Ryner on the head. Fresh blood gushed out.
The red trail of blood formed a line and flowed down his forehead…
On seeing this, the old man mocked,
“What’s this? The blood’s red? Are you trying to imitate a human? You’re a monster!”
“…”
Just a monster…
Ryner grew up in such a humiliating environment. Right now, he couldn’t feel anything even with people agitating him with such words. He just felt lazy.
No, he didn’t just feel numb about it. Even so…
“Eh? My head hurts for some reason…”
"OF COURSE YOUR HEAD WOULD HURT WHEN YOU’RE BLEEDING!"
The old men cursed and didn’t treat Ryner’s injury as much. They merely continued with their lashings after hearing Ryner’s words.
“Brat! Are you treating us as idiots!?”
Ryner still kept his loose expression and simply said,
“You’re the ones who’re treating me as an idiot, right? I’m the one being treated as an idiot. Well, if there’s anything, just say it. These chains are cutting deep inside my flesh. Kinda hurts~ I don’t have such unique interests at all, so I don’t really feel good…”
Ryner’s words caused the old men to feel agitated as they wanted to lash out and humiliate him. However, they finally calmed down…
With intense hatred on their faces, they said again,
“Oh well. The reason why we called you here is to pa.s.s on the king’s message. The king said that since you’re locked in prison, he will grant a wish for you as compensation. Since when would a wretched person like you have a right to make a wish…but the compa.s.sionate king was really insistent. Remember this. This is the king’s grace. Well, if you have any wish, just say it.”
This sudden compa.s.sion caused Ryner to inadvertently frown. He looked around at the old men that were present.
“Compa.s.sionate…ah…but I’m still locked up, right? Ah, it’s because of that, right…because of this, the king became fearful of the ‘Alpha Stigma’…so he’s willing to grant a wish for me and hope that I won’t cause any trouble. I see. Is this the carrot and whip logic?”
On hearing this, the old men glared at Ryner angrily.
“SHUT YOUR TRAP! STOP GETTING c.o.c.kY THERE!”
Looks like Ryner was right.
“U~n.”
Ryner moaned in a puzzled manner, and then said,
“Uu, since it can be fulfilled, the larger the dream, the better…maybe I can ask for an extremely large pillow inside the jail where I can sleep in any corner…”
And while we shall not talk about what’s great about this dream, Ryner seemed to suddenly remember something.
“Ah…yes. Help me with that.”
And then he stated his wish.
Part 4It was an icy cold place.
It was a s.p.a.ce that was formed by stone blocks, metal bars and despair.
Ryner, who was brought to prison, saw this scene.
“Wow…this place looks even more uncomfortable than what I thought it would be…but it really looks nice to sleep in…”
Even when facing such a situation, he didn’t show any tension as he said frivolously.
Looking around, this single-person room was an extremely luxurious room. There were many people of different gender and ages that were completely different from Ryner, completely depressed. Some of them were staring at Ryner weakly, and some were looking at him with mocking expressions.
Ryner waved at these people and said h.e.l.lo to these people. At this moment, the prison warden patted Ryner on the back.
“Hurry up and move, kid! Really! This is the first time someone’s entering jail in such a carefree manner.”
“Heh…yeah. A prison provides 3 meals and a nap. I thought a lot of people would like this lifestyle.”
On hearing that, the prison warden chuckled.
“Ahaha. What was that? You’re really interesting…this is the first time I hear such logic from someone. Especially since this place is used to imprison some savage and overly psychotic people. They’re either first-cla.s.s criminals or serial killers. My stomach starts to ache the moment I feel that I will be killed once I relax…”
As he was prompted by this slightly talkative prison warden, Ryner continued to walk through the jail.
“Must be tough on you, uncle prison warden…”
“Yeah. So it’ll be troublesome for such people to get together. See, aren’t those cells all single rooms? These guys are all dangerous people…ah, that’s right. Speaking of which, what did you do? Those who are locked here aren’t normal people…”
At this moment, the prison warden who was joking around with Ryner seemed to realize that he was one of the criminals to be locked up here as his face went completely pale.
One would really want to ask him when he realized this…
Ryner merely said casually,
“Well, it’s because I’ve been taking naps, and my superior found me to be an eyesore…”
“Ah? Naps?”
“Yeah. So he said that since I like to sleep, I should just sleep in jail for eternity. Personally, I don’t think that it’s a bad thing…”
On hearing that, the prison warden actually pat Ryner on the shoulder and shook his head before saying,
“Haa…so you’re locked up because of such a reason. You’re really unlucky…I guess your superior must be someone influential…poor guy…alright! I’ll handle all your living needs here. Speaking of which, this uncle here can’t provide you with anything. But if you want anything, I’ll try to help you out.”
“Oh? Really? Lucky!”
Just like that, Ryner and the prison warden actually formed some camaraderie. At this moment, they arrived in front of his own prison cell.
This cell was like other cells. There were stone walls and metal bars.
The only difference was…
There was someone else inside the cell.
A red haired girl was squatting at the corner of the cell. On seeing this, the warden said,
“Ara…that’s strange. Why is there someone…”
He took out the official papers from his arms and started to confirm.
Ryner said to him,
“Ah, uncle. It’s alright. I have something to say to this person. Can you give me some time? I think the papers stated it clearly…”
The prison warden again checked the content of the doc.u.ments.
“Ah, you’re right. Isn’t this, a high level military official doc.u.ment…what’s going on…who are you anyway?”
“U~n, I guess, a pet maybe?”
“Hah?”
“Doesn’t matter anyway. Please open the prison door for a while and come back in about 30 minutes.”
“Ah, ahh, I got it.”
Perhaps the order from the higher ups of the military showed its effects as the prison warden was honest in his att.i.tude.
On seeing, this, Ryner gave a wry smile as he walked into the cell.
After checking that the warden locked the cell and left, he sat beside the girl.
But the girl wasn’t moving already, and it’s uncertain if she was asleep.
Ryner stared blankly at this girl for a while.
She was dressed in dirty clothing, and her hair wasn’t any better. She had her knees hugged together, and she went to sleep without lifting her head as she looked like she didn’t want to be disturbed. This didn’t look like the girl he was familiar with.
After observing her for a while, Ryner’s face suddenly gave a mischievous look as he tapped the girl on the head.
“Oi, Kiefer! Your grades will drop if you continue to sleep!”
“WAH!?”
Kiefer immediately lifted her head. She showed an extremely shocked look as she stared at Ryner, and for some reason, looked around to check something. Finally…
“EH? EH? EH? ISN’T THIS THE PRISON…THEN…WHY ARE YOU HERE, RYNER!?”
She cried out in shock.
With a volume that rang through the entire prison.
Ryner immediately covered his ears and frowned.
“Kiefer, you’re way too loud here.”
“…Ah, uu…sorry…what’s going on?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m asking you why are you here…”
“Oh…erm, how should I put it…this is really troublesome…”
“Oi, if you came all the way here just to tell me that what you’re going to tell me is really troublesome, I’m going to kick you out.”
“I, I got it.”
Though he said this, Ryner was thinking whether he should take a nap first. He shrugged his shoulders.
And then clapped his hands together.
“Anyway, I have something I really have to say to you, Kiefer. I came here specially to tell you this.”
“…Something you have to say to me?”
“Un. That…”
Then, Ryner said with a calm tone without any will,
“Anyway, I have to tell you. It seemed that your sister was killed a long time ago.”
“…!?”
On hearing these words, Kiefer’s face lost all color as she couldn’t help but tremble all over.
“Ho, how did you know, Ryner…? Only the higher ups of the country knew about this…”
Saying till here, Kiefer covered her mouth. Those red eyes were staring intently at Ryner. Her eyes…were as frozen as ever. They lost all emotion…
“I…I see. So you’re a fang of Roland too…are you trying to blackmail me for betraying the country? Are you here to kill me?”
“…”
Ryner didn’t answer this. He merely stared at Kiefer with a limp expression.
Ryner’s reaction angered Kiefer all the more.
“Why? Why must you oppress us to such an extent? Aren’t you happy with killing us all? I don’t want to hear it! Saying that my sister died…and, I don’t want…to hear that from your mouth the most, Ryner! You knew all about this? You knew and yet you’re laughing secretly? I actually told you that I liked you…are you secretly laughing at me for being such a stupid woman…?”
Tears fell from Kiefer’s eyes as her expression was as icy as ever as if she felt despair in everything. However, the tears continued to flow in her eyes.
“Or are you going to take revenge for Tai, Tony and Fualu? You can’t forgive me for betraying you all, so you came here to kill him? You want me to feel thorough despair before killing me? Or is that still not enough for you?...What do you want me to do? I already somewhat knew…that my sister was killed. But…what could I do? I couldn’t do anything! I…I…”
At this moment, Kiefer collapsed. She knelt down on the ground and started sobbing.
After staring at her for a while, Ryner sighed.
“Uu~ how troublesome…”
After that, he laid down on the floor and said with the same lifeless tone,
“I really don’t understand…what’s this thing about war? I have no interest in occupying other people’s land~”
Ryner’s words were not answering Kiefer’s words at all, and Kiefer immediately lifted her head up.
But Ryner didn’t bother and continued,
“Tai, Tony and Fualu all died like that…didn’t I say it? Taking naps is the best thing in the world. Losing lives because of such stupid things…”
“Wha, what are you saying…”
“I really don’t understand…war…why is it started? Must be those who had ambition. But they got those without ambition involved…”
Having said this, Ryner suddenly got up.
“Then, what should those without fight in them do? All I did was just take a little nap, and Kiefer starts crying, Tai and the rest died, and even Kiefer’s sister’s dead? Now I got Kiefer angry, and even that girl before too…I…I’m not like Sion. I never thought of something troublesome like changing the entire country. But…I just continued to take naps. I never even hurt anyone…what can I do…so as not to hurt anyone?”
Once Ryner said this, he looked at his hand.
A bloodstained hand…
Ryner thought. Even if this hand acted against his will…
That hand scratched the hair that was messed up due to sleep.
“Oi, Kiefer. Why are you s.p.a.cing out? Did I say something weird?”
“Nothing…that…well, you’re the weird one, Ryner. Why all of a sudden…”
At this moment, a voice rang from outside the cell.
“Oi! Ryner Lute. 30 minutes’ up. What now?”
It was the prison warden.
Ryner smiled at him.
“Oh, almost done.”
Then, he immediately got up and forcefully pulled Kiefer up.
“Alright, Kiefer. Follow me.”
“Wait, heh? Heh?”
Ryner pulled Kiefer’s hand while she looked lost and troubled, and dragged her out from the cell.
“Eh? Ryner, wait…”
GACHANK!
Kiefer’s voice was interrupted by the closing of the metal gate.
Kiefer was outside the cell.
Ryner was inside the cell.
“…This is…”
Without any sense of tension and with a normal look, Ryner stared at the confused Kiefer.
“Congratulations on your release, Kiefer.”
“Ah? Re…lease?”
Kiefer was stunned, and Ryner seemed to find it interesting as he said to her,
“And congrats to me for being locked up. Now I finally found a place where I can take naps without worrying about intruding on others. And there’s free provision of 3 meals a day here.”
On hearing that, the prison warden chuckled.
“I say. Only a weirdo like you would think this way.”
Kiefer gave a look of disbelief at these two people,
“Wa, wait a minute! What’s going on? Why am I released? Why is Ryner…”
The warden interrupted her,
“Ah, it’s like this…according to this official doc.u.ment and investigation report, Ryner Lute was willing to enter jail, and in return, he requested to free Kiefer Knolles. Eh, Ryner, are you so savage to be able to haggle with the army? What in the world did you do? That part about taking too many naps was just a hoax, right?”
“I’m telling you the truth.”
“You liar! Oh well. It’ll be a long time here anyway. I’ll clarify with you slowly then.”
“How troublesome…”
Ryner said such casual words and didn’t look like someone who was being locked in at all. Kiefer went to him.
But because of the bars, she couldn’t get further.
She said with a trembling voice,
“Wh, why…why are you willing to do this for me, Ryner…? Why did you have to take care of me like that? I…I betrayed Tai, Tony, Fualu…I got them killed…”
“You’re wrong.”
Ryner stared at Kiefer with a sleepy expression and said,
“The ones who killed weren’t humans. They’re monsters, Kiefer. War is a monster. A country’s a monster. Desire is a monster, and I too…”
Ryner paused once he spoke till here, and then smiled at Kiefer,
“But you’re a human, Kiefer. You don’t have to worry so much. Do you understand? Then, let’s just treat this as the king of the kingdom of afternoon naps having arrived. You should do your best outside too, Kie…UWAH!?”
Immediately, Kiefer reached her hands through the gaps between the bars and grabbed Ryner by the collar before pulling him over. Though his face managed to avoid the metal bars at the last second and prevented the head-on collision…
Kiefer’s arms were wrapped around Ryner’s neck.
“Kiefer!? It hurts to have my face pressed between the bars…mu.”
While speaking, Ryner’s mouth was covered by Kiefer.
Her own mouth.
Of course, Ryner couldn’t say anything.
“………”
It was a long moment of silence.
The warden whistled.
After a while, Kiefer let go of her strength, and both of them pulled away.
As it happened too quickly, Ryner was dumbfounded and couldn’t say anything.
Kiefer stared at Ryner with teary eyes.
“Now I know why I like you, Ryner. I thought that it’s because you lack the will and enthusiasm, so I thought that I didn’t need to be wary about you…I thought that it’s because of you that I felt safe…that’s what I thought. But I was wrong. In fact, you’re a kind and understanding person. You’re stronger than anyone else. So…so, you’re not a monster too. I a.s.sure you. If you dare call yourself a monster again, I won’t forgive you for that.”
Kiefer rattled off a long series of words, and yet Ryner couldn’t respond.
“You’re no monster, Ryner. At least I don’t think you’re a monster. I’ll live on. Thank you, Ryner. And also…I’ll definitely…”
She stopped talking here, then shook her head and prompted the prison warden to lead her to the exit. At this moment, Kiefer’s eyes lost all the despair she had.
Her face was full of determination.
“I’m going.”
And thus, the prison warden may or may not have grasped the entire situation as he just looked like he saw a good show as he nodded his head and led Kiefer away.
Ryner continued to remain silent, until he couldn’t see either of them. Then…
“Haa…I was kissed the moment I wanted to exhale…I nearly thought I was going to die there…”
He still had his lifeless expression on. It’s hard to tell whether these were his real thoughts…
Part 5After that, a few days later,
“Oi! Uncle warden! Come over for a while!”
A lazy voice still rang inside the prison cell.
On hearing the voice, the warden came over with a tired look.
“I say…just do whatever you want. Don’t call me every single day! If there’s something, just clear it all at one go! And whenever I look for you for something, you’re sleeping…”
“What? You’re the one who said that I could call you at any time.”
“There’s a limit to everything! And you often ask for such ridiculous requests, like that super-large pillow or 5 meals a day.”
“Oh yeah, as for what I want today.”
On hearing that, the warden sighed.
“Something again…say it. What is it today?”
“I want paper and a pencil. Also, isn’t there a school called the Roland Empire Royal Military Inst.i.tute? I want to borrow books from the library over there.”
“Books? I can do so. I can help out with such minor things.”
“Really? Great! I tried investigating before, but I felt that it was troublesome, so I gave up. But now that I’m really too bored, I was thinking that maybe I can try this out.”
“Ah, never mind! I know you’re bluffing yourself. Just say what kind of book you want to borrow.”
“It isn’t just one, you know?”
“Well, I can borrow some books for you. Just say it. I told my kid that I will come back early to play with her.
“Oh…you have kids, uncle?”
“Un. 7 years old. She’s at her cutest now…”
“Un~”
On hearing that, Ryner sat down on the floor, folded his arms and said,
“I say, uncle.”
“What?”
“You don’t wish for that kid to go and fight, right?”
On hearing that, the prison warden twitched his eyebrows.
“Of course. Which parent would allow their children to enter the battlefield? War…haa, 7 years ago, I was on the battlefield…that was the worst…my best friend and comrades all died…so…when the higher ups offered to upgrade me to a squad captain, I refused, and came here to become a sentry soldier of sorts. But I didn’t regret it at all. During that time, I had my kid…un, war isn’t to be fought by humans.”
Ryner heard the warden’s words and nodded his head.
“Didn’t I say it? No one likes to fight wars~ alright, looks like I have to ask you to work harder, uncle warden. Then, please help me borrow 10 books. They’re all really heavy. I’ll leave it to you then.”
“Haa? What sort of logic is that? Even if you didn’t come up with such ridiculous logic, I would have gone to help you borrow these books. You’re the only one I can talk with in my work place.”
“I’ll leave it to you then, uncle.”
“Oh yeah, what sort of book do you want?”
“That’s why I want to borrow paper and pencil from you. Can you remember all 10 of them? These books have very long names, you know?”
On hearing this, the warden frowned.
“Hold on a moment then. I’ll go get some papers and pencils now. Really, even if I’m not helping you recently, I had to come home late and get told off by my wife…”
Ryner didn’t look like someone who was asking as he just laid down on the ground and waved at the warden who was grumbling and leaving.
“I’ll leave it to you then~”
And then he stretched his back.
“That’s right…War isn’t something nice….Ahh…looks like I have to investigate that thing again…”
Recently, Ryner’s got used to life inside a cell, and he had more and more chances to talk to himself.
“My personality really isn’t suited to work hard…well, what to do…”
At this moment,
He got up.
He looked around, and obviously there wasn’t anyone around. All he saw were stone cold walls and bars.
At first, he felt that prisoners who were all locked in separate cells were a luxurious thing. But…according to the warden, any prisoner who was locked up for a week without being able to talk to anyone, move or remained in the empty s.p.a.ce of the cell that didn’t change would become tame within a week no matter how noisy they were. After being locked up for a week, all the inmates seemed to have…
Gone crazy.
In this place that was full of despair and madness, Ryner folded his arms and moaned,
“U~n, a month…really, has it been a month? Getting out from here seems to be a really small and tiny hope of luxury…well, since I have lots of time, I’ll just take my time with my investigation. But before that…”
He shut his mouth and continued to lie down like usual.
“Just let me take a nap first…”
After saying that, he closed his eyes.
Part 6Many people went their separate ways just like that.
People would lose many things. However, time still proceeded.
Don’t you feel that it’s a sad thing?
The days worth remembering were soon gone.
Even if we can’t be certain about whether the new things will be better than the old…
The wheel of time will continue to move…
Everyone is still being forced to move forward.
But even so, at least we still wish for a better future…
Those with ambition.
Those who remained where they were.
Those who looked at the past.
And those who only know how to take afternoon naps…?
There’re still lots of different people in this world
Anyway—
Time continued to tick on slowly but surely, by minutes, by seconds.
Part 7During the first year, n.o.body knew that a change had happened. They only knew that an enemy country was gone. Everyone was feeling as delighted as if it were a New Year celebration.
But it was a little different in the second year. The king once again declared that they were going to war against the Nelpha Empire. During this time, a revolution took its chance and rose. Because of the residents’ intent, the king was forced to abdicate the throne, and a new king was born. The process of this revolution was completely unimaginable. Soon after, n.o.bles started to disappear one after another, and this year could be said to be one having the most drastic change.
However, Ryner, who was locked inside jail, couldn’t tell what was going on outside…
Just like that, 2 years pa.s.sed.
In that place, sunlight couldn’t enter.
The light of day couldn’t enter, and neither could moonlight.
Thus, if one stayed here for a long time, it’s unlikely that he would differentiate night from day.
This should be something painful. This pain couldn’t be imagined by others.
However…
Let’s not talk about this for now. Right now, it was midnight.
No, if it wasn’t midnight, he wouldn’t be here in such a place…
“…”
He narrowed his eyes and looked forward.
At the narrow s.p.a.ce between the stone walls and the metal bars.
This cramped s.p.a.ce was thoroughly filled with books and doc.u.ments. The stacks of books filled up the floor, and the stone floor almost couldn’t be seen.
No matter how one would try to describe it nicely, this place couldn’t be called neat.
This was a place that didn’t match his high-cla.s.s standing. If those people around him saw this, they would definitely be shocked by this.
However…
He didn’t bother about this.
That’s because he knew that the value of humans weren’t decided by such trivial things.
Recently, people had been saying that he liked some strange things.
Maybe.
Even after looking at such a messy place, his lips continued to show a smile that wouldn’t disappear…
He reached his hand out.
Right in the middle of the bars that were dirtied by rust.
Even after dirtying that seemingly simple black-based clothing, which only a certain group of people with the eye for it could tell was clothing of high cla.s.s, that thing had no value to him.
Just like that, he grabbed a stack of doc.u.ments in the mess…
And glanced through it.
“I see.”
He seemed to be really impressed as he muttered,
“Is this the path you choose?”
He used the term ‘you’ to call him.
However, it seemed there wasn’t anyone inside. One could only see a large number of books and doc.u.ments written neatly.
However, he seemed to be talking to someone as he continued.
“…I thought that you would continue to take naps when you were hiding here. Looks like I was here…I worked hard and came all the way here, and yet…you’re hiding here and enjoying yourself. I really can’t accept this difference. I won’t allow myself to be the only one worrying about everything and anything. You’re my personnel. I’m going to make use of you.”
As he said up to this point, he smirked,
“Whether you like it or not.”
“…”
There was still no response…
However, he nodded away in a satisfied manner and turned his back on the bars.
And he left.
Part 8The next day.
That cramped s.p.a.ce was just like yesterday.
The books that were messily stacked up and the doc.u.ments caused the entire place to be buried.
And from the pile of books…
“A…u…uu…uu.” A moan rang in a ridiculous manner,
“Uwa…aaa…ahh…”
At this moment,
“UWAHHH!!?”
A young man’s voice rang as he got up from the pile of books.
His shoulders were moving up and down as he continued to pant and look shocked.
“Haa haa…that was bad…I fell asleep while buried under the books and nearly suffocated there…”
The man gave a serious expression as he said such useless words.
He had black hair that was disheveled due to sleep and a pair of lifeless eyes.
He was Ryner Lute.
It’s been 2 years already, and yet the lack of will he showed never changed at all…
Let’s not mention whether this is good or bad for now. Ryner looked like he just had a good sleep as he stretched his back.
“Fuwaaa. Still not enough sleep…let’s sleep some more…”
After saying that, he laid down again.
While remaining in this position, he continued to flip the pages of the book in front of him.
“I researched this book thoroughly too. A little sick of it…oh well, let’s have breakfast first. Then I’ll think of what to research on next…”
After saying that, he tossed the books aside and continued to sort his thoughts out. He probably thought that it was already sorted as he waited for breakfast to come…
Having spent 2 years building the body clock inside him, he was able to grasp the correct moment when it’s time to eat, and he knew that it was breakfast.
“Who knows what it is today…that meal yesterday was bad. If today’s worse than yesterday, I might create an uproar…”
He continued to enjoy such humble expectations as he brought his face to the bars and waited for the warden to bring him breakfast.
“Still not here yet…I’m going to sleep if he doesn’t show up…”
And—
Just as expected, he heard footsteps.
It was the footsteps of the warden who came to serve breakfast.
Ryner stood up,
“Morning, uncle!”
He said h.e.l.lo to the warden who he was acquainted with for 2 years. Both of them would continue to chatter, and the uncle would bring what he need. This was a daily thing already. However…
“…”
There was no response.
Ryner tilted his head in a puzzled manner.
“Oi, uncle. What’s wrong? Why so lethargic? Did you just quarrel with your wife again?”
“…”
There was still no response.
Ryner felt suspicious and peered through the bars and onto the corridor. That familiar warden was trudging slowly and moving over here.
However, he just looked weird. He lowered his head slightly, and looked really lethargic.
No, that wasn’t just it. The warden wasn’t holding onto breakfast which he would normally be holding and sending over.
Seeing this, Ryner tilted his head in a puzzled manner and again sat on the floor, or rather, the books.
“What the heck?”
Ryner looked completely lost. This time, it took a slightly longer time for the warden to walk this short distance before standing in front of Ryner.
“What’s with you today, uncle? What happened?”
However, the warden wasn’t looking at Ryner at all, and even looked like he was deliberately looking away.
This action puzzled Ryner even more, and he continued to remain dazed and silent. If he had no interest, it would be troublesome to find something to talk about…he thought about these things that lacked will.
“…”
The warden didn’t speak.
“…”
Ryner didn’t speak too.
“……uu.”
“………Uwah, I really want to sleep now…”
“………ARGH!”
In this battle of silence, the one who lost was the warden. For some reason, he said with an intense tone,
“Why aren’t you talking!? It’s really uncomfortable when you don’t say anything like that!”
“What? Who asked you not to talk, uncle? I thought that you wouldn’t dare to talk much because someone introduced your daughter to a blind date and made you feel unhappy!”
“WHAT NONSENSE! DON’T YOU KNOW THAT MY DAUGHTER’S ONLY 7!?”
Ryner then smirked.
“10 year olds now are really amazing, uncle. Don’t you know that?”
“WH WHA, WHAT, AMAZING!? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? OUR, OUR DAUGHTER DEFINITELY WON’T!”
“That’s what every parent says.”
“THAT’S NOT WHAT I’M SAYING!”
Once the warden said that, his expression darkened.
“That’s not it…not this…”
“Well…why do you look so downcast? What happened? Oh yeah, what happened to my breakfast..?”
That was Ryner’s main point.
But the warden ignored him.
“It’s been two years… since you came here…”
The warden said, and for some reason, was actually looking at Ryner with teary eyes.
“Uu…wh, why are you looking at me like this…I, I don’t have such interest, you know…?”
He felt a dangerous presence and inadvertently backed away…
However, the warden didn’t care about Ryner’s ridiculous action. He took the key and opened the gate of the cell.
“Thinking about it, you’re the only one I could talk to in this workplace…”
He said as he walked into the cell.
On seeing this, Ryner said,
“No, no way!? Wait wait! Calm down first, uncle! Think through this calmly! You have a wife and a cute daughter…don’t do this! GYAHH!! SOMEONE’S GOING TO RAPE ME!!”
Ryner shouted without any restraint, but on seeing the sad expression on the warden’s face, he went silent.
He felt uninterested as he pressed against that disheveled hair.
“What’s the matter, uncle? Feeling down today? It’s boring for me to act alone like this. Hm? What’s wrong? What happened today?”
On hearing that, the warden looked hurt as he looked away from Ryner.
“…I didn’t want to say it…”
He stopped at this point.
He realized it.
“Is that so? Don’t worry. It’s alright if you don’t want to say it.”
“…”
The warden went silent again.
But Ryner still continued,
“It’s about that, right? My death sentence has been decided already, isn’t it? Mine.”
Ryner merely said that in a casual tone.
The warden lifted his face and looked at Ryner’s face…and saw that even as he said this, his face was still sleepy and dazed, and then frowned.
But Ryner said with an energetic voice,
“I say, uncle. Can I ask you something?”
“…What is it?”
“Can I, run away? Didn’t we say before…that I shouldn’t die easily. If I can try hard to live on…”
“Tha, that…”
The warden minced his words, and then…
“I…”
Before he finished, Ryner waved his hand and interrupted the warden.
“Un, yes, yes, I got it. That’s right. If I run away now, it’ll bring you trouble. And you have your beloved wife and daughter. I know, I know. If I want to run, I’ll run when you aren’t around. That’s right. When will my execution commence?”
“Well……tomorrow…”
“So early!?”
Ryner couldn’t help but scream out. No one could really blame him anyway. It’s likely that n.o.body wouldn’t scream on hearing such news…
The warden seemed to be trying to explain himself as he said,
“It was too sudden. This notice came so early in the morning…”
“Ah, it’s alright. I know it’s not your fault, uncle. But…tomorrow…that’s rather quick…un? What should I do?”
“As for the entire schedule for today, the official doc.u.ments stated them clearly, so you just have to follow me, and settle them. Well, it seemed that they want you to enjoy some luxuries before your death…”
“Oh…luxuries.”
“Un. A bath for you first, and then some grooming, and then some suitable clothing for you, and then eating at a high cla.s.s restaurant…”
“Ah? What’s this anyway? Is this something a country does for a death row convict that’s about to die?”
“Nope…”
This time, the warden looked even more depressed.
“This is different from usual. For some reason, the king seemed like he wanted to witness your execution…so, a few people said that since you have to be in front of the king, you have to be dressed up suitably even if you’re a death row convict…you’ll be handed over to the king’s subordinate tomorrow…”
Ryner then understood everything.
I see…
So the king is really scared of the ‘Alpha stigma’.
And he had to witness me being killed or else he wouldn’t be able to sleep…
Maybe that’s the reason?
“Fu~n. In that case, my life as a pet is over already, I guess?”
“…Then, shall we go?”
On hearing the warden’s words, Ryner panicked,
“Ah, ah, hold on a moment. Can I take back the research report I investigated up till now?”
But the warden still gave a depressed look as he said,
“That won’t do. The official doc.u.ment stated that you’re not allowed to bring anything out…”
“Man, really? Please! Don’t just see me as a carefree guy. I’m rather serious too…alright? Just let smuggle it out…”
“I said no. And I’m not the only one inside…”
As the warden said this, he waved his arm, and several st.u.r.dy looking men stepped forward.
The men stared at Ryner.
“Is this guy the death row convict?”
“Looks skinny and frail. Doesn’t look like someone amazing anyway.”
“Why don’t we just kill such a person immediately?”
Everyone started to yap away.
On hearing this, Ryner dejectedly lowered his head.
“Haa…I know. I have to give up on these reports, right…”
“Sorry.”
“Why? I know it’s not your problem, uncle~”
“Shall we go?”
“Un.”
Thus, both of them trudged on and started to move forward.
Those muscular men were following from behind.
Ryner saw everything and gave a lost expression as his mind continued to think.
His execution was tomorrow.
But he couldn’t run away when the uncle warden is working…
In other words, he had to run away from those extraordinary people, the subordinates of the king tomorrow.
“Haa…”
That was rather easy to him.
In fact, if he really wanted to run away, even with 5 or 6 powerful mage knights, he had the belief that he could run away easily.
He was forced to learn this ability in that orphanage.
And besides, these eyes were…
Thus, Ryner yawned as he patted the warden on the shoulder.
“I say, uncle. Don’t show such an unhappy look. Just settle this once and for all today. Did you say a bath just now? How is it like? You said a luxurious bath…is there a pillow provided as well?”
His voice was as carefree as ever.
That luxurious time was really so short that it was over like the blink of an eye…
Part 9The next day.
After leaving the abnormally luxurious hotel yesterday, Ryner narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky.
The sunlight shone down on him from the sky.
The weather was really too good, and he couldn’t help but grumble,
“Isn’t this~ a warm sunlight too suited to carry out executions~”
These words made the warden, who was behind him, grimace.
Ryner gave a wry smile to him as he continued to move his limbs and stretch his back before grooming himself.
After a while, he will be moving his limbs that he hadn’t moved for 2 years. He had to face off against direct subordinates of the king, but he hoped to escape.
If he couldn’t even do such a small thing…
“Hn, un, heh~ this clothing looks rather extravagant, but kinda easy to move in.”
The warden handed Ryner some strange clothing yesterday, and he flipped the cloth that reached his waist.
Uu, this clothing couldn’t be called normal clothing, could it? It was a strange medieval armor that had a white helmet with blue ropes.
This was a unique battle armor given to the mage knights of Roland.
It was easy to move in, and highly durable in defensive ability.
Ryner really couldn’t understand why this would be given to a death row convict…anyway, since this was given, perhaps he should accept this happily? He put on the clothing obediently.
No matter what, it looked like there would be a battle…
At that time, this battle outfit would come in handy.
“But…”
Ryner said. He yawned. No, he’s always yawning…
He yawned loudly again.
“Fuu…this is the first time I’m sleeping on such a high cla.s.s bed ever since I was born. I nearly couldn’t sleep well.”
On hearing Ryner’s rambling, the warden said,
“Liar! Didn’t you sleep earlier than me? You know that you’re about to get to the guillotine the next day and yet you’re able to sleep so soundly…I couldn’t sleep at all!”
“Oh? Uncle, why couldn’t you sleep?”
“You…that’s because…”
After saying that, the warden gave a depressed look. Ryner smiled at him and said,
“Ah, I got it, I got it. I’m about to die. This is something big…”
“You…don’t say something like this so easily…”
The warden just looked stunned, and Ryner shrugged his shoulders.
“Haa, don’t look at me like this. I’m rather bold too. Maybe I’m that kind of person people say who don’t fear death?”
In fact, he had no intention of dying at all…
On hearing Ryner say this, for some reason, the warden seemed amazed as he nodded his head,
“I, feel that it’s an honorable thing, to be friends with you.”
“Eh? Ah…re, really? Ah, ahaha!”
On hearing this, Ryner was really moved as he couldn’t help but give a dry laugh.
Both of them were talking so easily, and this would be the last time.
As time pa.s.sed, the warden’s words reduced, and a