No Dark Secrets In This Book

Episode 87

An auspicious light that had my fingertips at its center was overwhelming the entire area. That light not only swallowed me and devoured Ryuseong, but also expanded its volume by engulfing the corpses of the dead black foxes and rushing to the treetops. Just when I thought the excessively extraordinary vastness was spreading beyond the horizon out of sight, it silently went out at some point.

It felt like I had been dreaming.

The mild sunshine was gently shining on my skin, and only then did I realize that the black fog that had filled this forest had disappeared.

I thought the realization that evil had been vanquished came from the sunlight that didn’t suit the bitter cold.

“…Oh, it seems to have ended well? But since I’m not an expert, it would be good to leave word with a nearby government office…”

“…Can I do the hemostasis now?”

When I heard a sound unlike Ryuseong, I turned around once. I felt it was unlike Ryuseong, who would have normally overwhelmed or grabbed me to forcibly do the hemostasis. Ryuseong, whom I turned to see, had finally stopped sobbing, and only had a pale complexion on his stiff face, with no other abnormalities.

Come to think of it, shouldn’t I be the one who’s pale from squeezing out blood like crazy? But I decided to stop, worried that if I said that, his already ashen complexion would turn pitch black.

“Just until I finish writing the letter.”

I lowered my hand to let blood gather on my fingertips, then took out parchment from my pocket dimension and wrote a message to send to the government office. At the same time, I kicked the pile of black fox corpses with my foot.

To be exact, it wasn’t a pile of corpses. There were one or two live ones mixed in.

I left only one that would soon die if left alone and opened its mouth wide. I dropped a few drops of blood between them and chanted a spell.

“Scale. Shovel and sickle. Pulse and breath.”

Then the black fox began to convulse. More precisely, the corpse became a zombie and twisted its whole body as if barking, drooling foam…and eventually submitted by kneeling and bowing its head.

‘Success on the first attempt. My talent is crazy.’

With self-praise and a sigh of relief, I tied the letter to the black fox’s back and sent it off. Now it can’t die until it completes the order. If it wants to die, it has no choice but to deliver the letter.

This was none other than my trick to report the raid without a cell phone, as I didn’t know the coordinates of the government office. I struggled to not show that I was nervous because it was a spell I was using for the first time, but it seems to have worked out somehow…

“…Now the business is over, right?”

I smiled a little in response to the somewhat impatient face.

“Yes. I’ll allow you to hug me.”

Anyway, Ryuseong was an interesting guy. He was enough to make me fall in love with him.

To be distressed just because he witnessed the other side of a hateful enemy. To be desperate because he couldn’t take care of the flesh and blood somehow…

‘Is it because he’s a genuinely good protagonist as if drawn?’

Then I should take the honor of pouring ink on the personality of the good protagonist.

That’s because Ryuseong had murderous intent in front of me a little while ago. Just as he was escaping from the memories.

‘You who said you wouldn’t harm humans no matter what.’

He showed indiscriminate murderous intent just because someone had harmed Cassice Demillang.

‘Because you’re like that, it makes me laugh.’

Because you’re like that, I…

***

Ryuseong prided himself on never having found all things so hateful again.

It was an amazing thing in Ryuseong’s life.

As everyone knows, Ryuseong had lived a rough life, and that time had ruined Ryuseong’s personality. All the grace that allowed him to think like a human being was received from Elder Jangmun. In other words, Ryuseong had to be educated on why he shouldn’t kill people in the first place.

“…That’s not a human child. Even if born as a human, he didn’t grow up that way. An untamed beast bites people, Elder Jangmun. Please…”

The elders who had to take care of Ryuseong’s childhood still find Ryuseong repulsive. Because they remember him trying to bite people to get food.

The newly rescued Ryuseong was a beast.

Even if given the food that humans eat, he didn’t eat it because he had no awareness that it was food. He kept starving and tried to eat the elder who wanted to teach him how to eat out of goodwill.

The young one born with a second name from birth had five stars specialized in murder.

To be precise, the five stars were like that, but the fate was different.

‘Then what are the five stars and what is fate?’

The five stars refer to intelligence, and fate refers to the fortune of a lifetime.

In short, Ryuseong was born with the intelligence to slaughter people. As for fate, well. Although it was rough, it wasn’t a thousand killing stars.

The problem was that he wasn’t even a human child.

“Look at my forearm here. Does the one who bit this look like a human or a beast to you? Does biting a human forearm this cruelly look like a human? Elder Jangmun! This can’t go on like this. Do you think this guy can respect his elders and teachers? Why should our disciples hang out with this guy? It can’t be, Elder Jangmun! Absolutely not!”

The elder made an impassioned speech but couldn’t persuade Elder Jangmun.

But that day was vivid. At the time he heard it, he didn’t realize anything, but later, only after the elder passed away trying to protect him.

It was deeply engraved in his heart. Human.

‘Humans…must not be killed…’

He had harmed too many lives. He had taken too many lives lightly. It couldn’t go on anymore. If Ryuseong took human lives more lightly than now, he would once again become the worst of human beings who chose to kill just because it was convenient. Killing people just because it was beneficial, that kind. He didn’t want to become trash that killed people for the satisfaction of desire, not even for self-defense.

Ryuseong wanted to remain human.

‘…Human…’

But are those things human?

Those damn things that abused a child to this extent, ruining a grown adult to the point where he couldn’t even recognize what happened to him as pain.

…Those things that incite their lover to assassinate the other person…

‘Are they really human?’

Suddenly, Ryuseong wanted to tear apart and kill the past where he hated Cassice Demillang like breathing.

He wanted to kill the Demillang clan even more than that.

‘The things that trampled on you…’

The things that made you accept this kind of thing like it was nothing.

‘If I crush them all.’

Would you smile then? Properly.

His head was just full of that thought.

***

The night air was cold and the darkness was deep. We were walking towards the station ahead of the train along the tracks.

But suddenly I thought, Ryuseong must be wearing a cheap robe that doesn’t keep him warm right now.

Is he okay?

“If you’re cold, tell me. I’ll change your robe.”

“You wear a lot yourself.”

“You must have been cold for a while, right?”

“I’m not cold with just this much.”

“Stop bluffing.”

When I pointed out the truth, Ryuseong frowned as if annoyed and was about to snap at me, but then his face crumpled as if something came to his mind again. But I have a bit of a strange taste, so I liked it when he acted arrogantly. I’d rather have him be arrogant and criticize me than be timid and tremble like this. I’d welcome it as an occasional event, but if he’s like this every time, it’s a turnoff.

“I know what you’re thinking. But for me, it’s all in the past.”

How many times do I have to say it for you to understand? When I looked up while being hugged, I could see the side of a person’s face, and your face was colored with sorrow and melancholy.

But still, I don’t know what’s so sad. I saw the same thing, but I didn’t shed tears as much as Ryuseong.

Isn’t being forced to be separated from parents something that can happen to anyone? What happened afterwards is painful, but as people live their lives, they come to accept that not everyone can be normal. If someone can be normal, can’t someone else be abnormal?

It just happened to be concentrated on Cassice Demillang, what could have happened somewhere.

It’s just that the elements that would have been a moderate tragedy if laid out individually were gathered together.

‘Is that so sad? Is it that.’

I felt again like I was broken. It was a feeling I didn’t like. I didn’t want to carry this sensation, so I decided to bring up another topic.

“Everything will be solved once I become the head. You better cooperate well.”

Huh? Ryuseong’s eyes changed at these words. I guess the topic change was effective?

I was excited that my words worked. I was smiling brightly and saying something else when it happened.

“So there’s no need for you to be concerned…”

“I’ll cooperate with all my power from now on.”

“Huh? Ah, thank y-…”

“When is the next raid?”

“I haven’t decided y-…”

“Decide quickly.”

“…”

Why is this crazy guy more enthusiastic than me?