Free Web NovelChapter 12: Questions of a loyal servant
A day has passed since the commotion we caused at the cradle.
The guards who arrived after seeing the alarms that went off because of my critical condition were stunned to see me perfectly fine.
The device that monitored these vitals that we got when entering the cradle, however, was completely obliterated by the creatures who were in a frenzy.
’Lexie and I were being ’protected’ by our guide who explained the situation to the other guards after they calmed the commotion of the creatures brought to them by a little ’love’ dispute.’
Kiren explained that the creatures all liked me so much that they started fighting for my affection. And at the end, things played out in our favour.
Able was sent to his room through the connection of servants under Lexie, and we put the bastards that were with Able in my room, tied and ready to be tortured.
I was mentally preparing myself right now. They weren’t going to open their mouths easily, that much I knew.
"Are you certain, young master?"
Able may be young and crazy, but he wouldn’t get the idea of killing me out of the blue.
I’ve thought about it for a long time in my past life but Able wasn’t the kind of person who would want to kill someone just because he didn’t like them.
On the contrary, he was a twisted noble that wanted to uphold his values in all kinds of situations.
’I remember an incident from my past life where Able offended a royalty from a neighboring kingdom just because they were treating their servants better than servants.’
I mean, it may sound humane without context, but it turned out the royal family was being manipulated by those servants.
They even used magic and drugs on them to make them ’kinder’ and more ’caring’ of their people.
At the end of the day the plot failed in later years and I guess what Able did at that time may have helped them as well.
’He may be twisted but he isn’t inherently cruel.’
So, there’s no way he’d just get the idea of killing me on his own.
"Whoever’s behind this thing has made elaborate preparations."
When we scanned the bodies of the men we captured at the scene, we found out that all of them have <Detonating Larvae> implanted within them.
If they tried speaking about certain things, their bodies would explode and they would blow up the place.
’Thankfully, the tactics that are mainstream today will become an old thing in the next few decades.’
I already knew how to deal with those creatures so we were able to extract them out of their bodies.
Furthermore, I restricted their bond marks with a special technique that will seal their beasts.
’They are no threat to us anymore. And even if they try anything funny, there’s a powerful mystic keeping a close eye on them.’
After a little break, we will proceed with truth extraction. I have already prepared a ’truth serum’ drug, essentially a powerful hallucinogen that’ll work well with Felix’s mystic skill.
They will tell us everything even if they don’t want to. So, that much is sorted for now.
What bothers me, however...
"Young master."
Lexie was pretty quiet ever since we returned from the Cradle.
She seemed troubled about a lot of things. And from how she has a blade in her hand right now, I know what she’s thinking.
"You want to put that blade on my neck and ask me who I am but you already know in your heart that I’m the same person you’ve raised for so many years."
It was not a skill or a power. A mother and a guardian would always recognize their child.
She may not be my mother but she was the one that raised me alongside my mother.
"Lexie, I know you have questions. Countless questions."
Where did this bird come from? How can I have a bond mark? Why do I know so much about creatures I’ve never seen before?
She doesn’t even know how I formed the bond with Felix or she would have had even more questions.
She’s one of the few I can trust in this house. One of the few who was always there until they weren’t.
So... she should know.
"I died, Lexie." The moment I spoke those words with a bitter expression, her heart sank.
Her eyes widened and she looked at me, shocked. She could not believe what she was hearing.
"It happened sixty years into the future. I was an old man. I had companions. And we reached the edge of this world."
And then we died.
But she wouldn’t understand the details even if I somehow articulated them perfectly.
"That dagger. I was supposed to be the one getting hurt by it today."
Her deep blue eyes glowed in a certain manner.
If anyone was born with the (Eyes of an archer) they would see the black and white fishes swimming inside of her ocean like blue eyes.
"You died in a large-scale demon monster breakout that happened on the day I was supposed to prove my worth before the family at the test site.
There, you were greatly injured and died in my arms."
This hasn’t happened yet. But, her eyes must have confirmed that my words contained no falsehood.
There was an expression of terror in her eyes, something I really do not like.
"I’ve lived a terrible life of being a burden on countless others, Lexie. Countless others that I could not protect with my powerlessness."
My eyes wandered across the room, stopping on the little white bird that accompanied me into this new life.
"But I’ll change it all."
If there’s a cause there will be an effect.
In the grand singularity of the universe, if one thing changes, it consequently affects everything else.
’The butterflies of causality will correct what is supposed to be corrected.’
One cannot cheat [Fate]. But the fate in question is so abstract that no matter how much you try to understand it, you will never be able to do so with your finite mortality.
Thus, one should do what one can do.
’If the laws or equivalent exchange will take as many lives as I save somewhere else, then it is my burden to bear.’
I must take responsibility for it. And I will.
But I will still do what I must.
"Lexie I know what I said will not be enough to answer all your questions-."
I wanted to at least finish my sentence, but she shook her head and smiled at me.
"That is plenty, young master."
There was a smile of relief on her face. It seemed like a great burden had lifted off her chest.
"You must have been through a lot."
She came closer and hugged me, burying my face in her chest.
"I should have been there with you, at least-."
"You were always there with me."
My mother, Lexie, the people of this family that cared about me, my friends and students... they were always with me till the very end.
It’s just that, I wasn’t always by their side when they needed me.
"I see..."
She was happy with what I said.
"Haaaa."
Taking a deep breath and nodding meaningfully this time, she smiled at me warmly.
"So then~. Shall we go deal with the bunch occupying your precious bedroom, young master?"
There is still a lot we have to prepare before the big event in a few days.
We may also have to deal with the one behind this incident in the meantime, so we have to be on our toes now.
’Nix had been on his bird toes since earlier, trying to gobble that big piece of Mana ore.’
Sadly the chick was too small to eat the whole piece, but he was no ordinary bird.
-Thud.
He was throwing the big piece of the desk repeatedly since earlier, making it fall exactly on the angle where it would break it down into smaller pieces.
He had calculated the angle, the distance, and also the speed.
He was a smart one.
But watching him try his best was still the most adorable thing in this room.
"Felix, how’s it going?"
"Aikk!"
But it doesn’t seem like the captives found it any fun being stared at by the big eyed kitten.
They were terrified when we entered the room.
And they had all the reason to be in that state before this particular feline mystique...
