#117
Carlisle and Seiz—now that’s a combination no one could have imagined. I’d seen both of them since they were young, but had I ever seen these two together, whether at school or in town? (Though come to think of it, Carlisle had never stuck around with anyone other than Raon.) From the atmosphere, it seemed like Seiz had been dragged here almost by force.
If there was any connection between the two… that’s right. It would probably be Raon. I’d heard that Seiz’s workshop, which had nearly reached the point of closure, was coming back to life recently thanks to Raon’s commissions. I’d actually witnessed the crowd bustling in front of his booth when I went to see the festival today.
What was this about? Had they been caught getting too close while working on Raon’s commissions? Had Carlisle barged in here to warn me along with disciplining Seiz? Had he given permission to enjoy the festival only to change his mind about that too?
But hadn’t they shared couple rings and held hands today, with the atmosphere at its peak? They seemed to be having a great date, but did they fight at the end? Were they trying to take their frustration out on us?
This was unfair. I had gone out of my way to avoid even catching a glimpse of Kang Raon today. I’d only watched from afar as they exchanged rings and acted all lovey-dovey. The mocking about their lovey-dovey behavior was really just for a brief moment, and deep down I was genuinely happy for them. If they fought, they should work it out between themselves, so why come all the way here…
Eira poked Seiz in the ribs.
‘What on earth is going on?’
When she mouthed the question, Seiz shook his head as if he didn’t know either. Eira also gestured toward the unidentified large backpack.
‘What’s that supposed to be?’
“…Equipment.”
Equipment? What kind of equipment? Item-crafting equipment? Why bring it here?
Thud thud.
In the midst of confusion, Carlisle suddenly threw something. I flinched and hunched my shoulders, thinking I was about to get hit, but the destination of the thrown objects was the table. And their identity was strange too. A cigarette case, a potion bottle, and several piercings… piercings?
I stole a glance at Carlisle. Now that I looked, several of the piercings that had been decorating his ears and eyebrow were gone. Had he removed the ones he was wearing? Well, whether he wore accessories or not, his handsome face remained handsome, but why bring these here…
“I explained to Seiz on the way here, but I’ll say it again. I’d like to make a request of you both.”
Carlisle began speaking with a dry expression.
“A request?”
He gestured toward the items on the table.
“I’d like Seiz to analyze the piercings, and Eira to analyze the cigarettes and potion.”
“Analyze?”
Eira was so bewildered that she kept stupidly repeating Carlisle’s words. And no wonder—what could Carlisle Lightinger possibly lack that he’d make such a request to someone branded as a criminal like herself? He was known as someone who could obtain anything item-related, so why would he specifically go to Seiz… Of course, it wasn’t that Seiz lacked ability, but he was just a small business owner after all.
While Eira stood there with her mouth agape in bewilderment, Carlisle suddenly threw off his jacket and began unbuttoning his shirt.
Eira’s eyes widened. Why was he doing this? Was he planning to put on a strip show in front of me? This shouldn’t be happening, right? If Raon found out… Of course, he wouldn’t resort to petty harassment like Carlisle, but he still wouldn’t be very pleased about it.
Come to think of it, had I ever seen Carlisle Lightinger’s bare body before?
Ah, I had actually. During high school, he used to throw parties in the summer at the mansion’s pool or private beach, inviting the kids. Of course, even then the purpose was to get Raon to come to his house. (Everyone knew this fact except Raon himself.)
But after growing up considerably, I hadn’t had the opportunity to see his bare body. However, just because I couldn’t see it didn’t mean I couldn’t imagine it. Carlisle’s physique had been exceptional even when he was a minor, but it couldn’t compare to after his growth was complete and he became a full adult. Even just looking over his clothes, his body was incomparably more… than before.
“Gasp.”
My wandering thoughts came to a halt. Eira covered her mouth. She hadn’t made a sound, but Seiz also had a rare expression as if his eyes might pop out.
Actually, Carlisle had only pulled down his shirt to show his shoulder a little. But that alone was enough.
“If the fact that you saw this now leaks outside.”
Pulling his shirt back up and buttoning it, Carlisle lifted the corner of his mouth.
“I trust you know what would happen without me having to explain.”
The voice saying this was as soft as velvet. Eira gulped.
‘He’s like a villain. No, he is a villain!’
“The cigarettes and potion are medicine to treat contamination and reduce pain, and these piercings are devices to suppress contamination as much as possible.”
Carlisle paused briefly before adding matter-of-factly:
“At least, that’s what I know. What I want to know is whether there’s anything else in addition to that.”
“Anything else, you mean?”
For the first time, Seiz spoke in a trembling voice. Carlisle’s gaze turned toward him.
“For instance, manipulating memories, or suppressing the return of memories, something like that?”
“……”
Eira opened her mouth but no sound came out. It was Seiz who asked in a still trembling voice:
“Why would you ask such a thing…?”
“Do I need to explain that much?”
Carlisle smiled with a rough edge to it.
“I’ll tell you if you really want to know. Would that be alright? Don’t you think you’ve already learned too much?”
It was a clear threat. Eira gulped and shut her mouth.
Of course, there were more than a few strange things going on. But she wasn’t a cat, and she had no intention of risking her life out of curiosity. Carlisle Lightinger was still an unfathomable person to Eira, and if you looked at the boundary between good and evil, he leaned much more toward the evil side.
At least Seiz was a townsperson, so if he suddenly disappeared, someone might find it strange, but that wasn’t the case for her, having been exiled. Actually, was Seiz in the same boat? He was the type to lock up his workshop and stay holed up for months at a time.
In the end, both of us could die and disappear somehow, and no one would care. The only one who might have questions would be… Raon, perhaps?
Carlisle stood up, putting on his jacket.
“There’s no time. I’d like the results as quickly as possible. I have urgent business to attend to, but Taro will be watching here… It would be best to postpone rest until the results are out.”
A strange tension could be felt in his languid voice. Eira nodded quickly without a word, actively expressing her willingness to accept. But Seiz grabbed Carlisle, who was about to leave, and asked urgently:
“W-wait, just a moment. I have something I want to ask. Why did you borrow my underwater search item? And why the dungeon detector?”
“Underwater search? Dungeon detector?”
I wondered what this was about, but the two who made eye contact didn’t even look at Eira.
“……”
In Carlisle’s gaze toward Seiz, there was something like… a precarious feeling just before an explosion, but Seiz, uncharacteristically, didn’t back down despite being frightened.
“I, I was thinking on the way here, and if, if something happened to Raon…”
At this unexpected story, Eira’s eyes also widened.
“Raon? Something happened to him? What are you talking about?”
“If something happened, why?”
“What? Did something really happen?”
Eira raised her voice in surprise without realizing it.
The corner of Carlisle’s mouth twisted dangerously. There was a tension as if a taut thread might snap at any moment. Eira flinched. It didn’t seem like it was just because he didn’t like Seiz and her mentioning Raon.
Had something really serious happened? Eira’s expression also became serious.
“We’re friends, so if something happened, it’s natural that we’d be concerned!”
The world had become full of monsters, after all.
“If necessary, we’ll do whatever we can, so you need to tell us…”
“What you need to do right now is what I asked of you.”
Carlisle cut her off coldly.
“But…”
“I’ll be the one to find Kang Raon.”
But when he hesitated for a moment and spoke again, the coldness in his voice had considerably softened.
“If that feeling about being friends… is sincere.”
The corner of his mouth lifted subtly as he looked at Eira and Seiz again. It was an ambiguous smile, as if he both liked and disliked it.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d do your best with that feeling. If you get good results, I’ll grant you both one wish each in the name of Lightinger.”
Having said that, Carlisle disappeared into the darkness beyond the old door without giving them a chance to say anything more.
***
“Gasp, hack, cough.”
When I spat out the lump rising in my throat, bright red blood spread. Perhaps due to the purifying effect, even the seawater had become clear, making the spreading blood more vivid.
My body was a complete mess from self-inflicted wounds. The torn work clothes fluttered like the flesh of a skeleton ghost, and blood continuously seeped from deep wounds. Had the effect of the medicine made from tree sap worn off? The speed at which wounds healed on their own had noticeably slowed. I was even getting dizzy from losing too much blood.
The boss mob, the ghost captain, still hadn’t been completely defeated. In terms of simple brute force, there was still too much of a skill gap. But this fight had advantages for me too.
Scrape.
“Ugh.”
The skeleton captain swung his long sword, creating another deep wound on my body. But when blood spurted from that wound and spread…
“Graaah!”
The captain, touched by that blood, screamed in agony as if hit by sulfuric acid. Though he continued to attack me relentlessly as if eliminating me came first despite taking damage, attacking me simultaneously meant attacking himself. I too swung my blood-soaked sword ceaselessly, and the more my blood mixed with the surroundings, the clearer the water became, and the clearer water further weakened the skeleton captain’s power. Ultimately, the outcome of this battle was a matter of time—who could endure longer.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
