Moment of Farewell – Part 02
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Translator: Kell
The next morning, Secrecy went to check on Mercenary and Zero, only to find their carriage burned to the ground.
I underestimated him, he thought as he stood there dumbfounded. He had heard rumors about the man named Orlux, but he never thought the knight would be so bold.
“I can’t believe he ignored Her Excellency’s decision so easily.”
He thought something was odd last night. Orlux, who had shown extreme contempt for the witch and the Beastfallen, was too quiet, and all kinds of people kept asking him how Lutra and Wenias were doing, to the point where he didn’t have the time to slip out.
The people of Knox Cathedral, isolated from the rest of the world, were understandably curious about what was going on in the other towns. Or so he thought. The whole thing was simply a ploy to keep Secrecy occupied. The people who came to talk to him were not actually aware that they were part of some nasty plan.
Orlux Corr was known for using any means necessary to attain his goals. He was willing to ignore orders. He got to where he was today by backstabbing his superiors, kicking them down, and using them as stepping stones.
The only reason why such a wicked man could serve the Bishop of Knox Cathedral directly was because of his competence.
He was cunning, never letting anyone catch a sniff of his schemes until he achieved his goals.
Most importantly, the people liked him. He had a genuinely compassionate heart that reached out for the weak. He even offered his own life as a hostage to free a village occupied by bandits. Of course, he must have had a plan to survive unscathed, but in any case, he was very good at gaining admiration from those below him.
But Orlux showed no compassion to witches and Beastfallen. For Secrecy it was like seeing his past self, before he met Mercenary and Zero, which annoyed him even more.
I’m sure those two are still alive. Clicking his tongue, Secrecy headed to the Director’s tent. There had to be a reason why the Director, a demon with eyes that could see the whole world, did not inform him of the danger they were in.
And the reason immediately became apparent. The moment he stepped into the tent, he felt something odd. He sensed two people lying on the floor, and it didn’t seem like they were sleeping soundly.
“Are you tied up, by any chance?” he asked.
A muffled voice answered back. They’re gagged.
Secrecy transformed his staff into a scythe and cut the ropes binding them.
“Th-Thanks for the help. I didn’t expect to be attacked by my own allies. I let my guard down.”
“I don’t remember your name, but I believe you’re a knight as well. You couldn’t fight back?”
“My name’s Barcel, the Captain’s attendant. I’m an archer, so I’m not exactly physically strong.”
“Mercenary and Zero are gone. The carriage they were in was burned to the ground.”
“What?! Shit. That bastard!”
“Director, you can see everything, can’t you? Where are they right now?”
The Director looked hesitant. “They’re safe in the woods,” he finally said.
His answer was vague, but it was enough for the time being.
“That’s good. We have to bring them back somehow.” Sensing footsteps, Secrecy shut his mouth and silently stepped out of the tent, where he met Orlux, the root cause of the incident, face to face.
“Oh. Fancy meeting you here, Adjudicator. I heard you stayed up late last night talking to people. You should get some more rest.”
“I found a bloody arrow near the carriage. Did you shoot them with it?”
Orlux kept his smile. “A bloody arrow? I haven’t received any reports. That’s strange. With supplies so low, I’ve instructed my men to collect the arrows instead of leaving them. If there were arrows left, it was probably the work of someone other than the Knights Templar. My guess is that someone shot the beast for food.”
“So you’re saying that their carriage burning down was just an accident?”
“What? Their carriage was burned down? Oh, my. Are they all right? It was cold last night, so I told my men to bring them more oil. If it resulted in a disaster, then I deeply apo—”
Without hearing the rest of Orlux’s words, Secrecy brandished his staff, and with all his strength, smashed the knight’s knees. Orlux screamed as he crumpled on the ground.
The adjudicator pressed his scythe’s blade against Orlux’s neck. “I would appreciate it if you stopped spouting your terrible lies at me. Just listening to them makes me sick. Did you think that an adjudicator would not harm a knight? That we share the same goal and would understand each other? Then I have news for you. Dea Ignis doesn’t see the Knights Templar as anything more than expendable pawns—especially worthless trash like you.”
Startled by Orlux’s scream, Barcel dashed out of the tent. “Wh-What are you doing?!” Seeing that Orlux was going to be killed, he grabbed Secrecy’s shoulder. “Stop it! He may be scum, but he’s still the Captain of Knox Cathedral’s Noble Guards.”
“I see. But that ends today. With his knees shattered, he has no choice but to retire from his post.” Secrecy shrugged, seemingly nonchalant about the whole matter.
Barcel’s grip on his shoulder loosened. “Man, adjudicators are all insane!”
“Insane? Who, me? Or the man who drove away Zero and Mercenary, the key to our defense, because of his filthy prejudice?”
“Both! People should talk first before resorting to violence.”
“Talking to the voiceless is violence. Do you think Mercenary and Zero left without saying a word? Without explaining themselves?”
Barcel’s face darkened.
“If you think about it for a moment, it becomes clear. They were forced into a situation where they had no choice but to fight. So they left, without killing anyone. Do you know why?”
“Because if they fought back, they would win.”
And if they won, they would be forced into an even worse situation. So they chose to run away.
Secrecy was seething inside. He was furious at the Noble Guards for attacking them, and at Zero and Mercenary for leaving without a fight.
“They should have killed them,” the adjudicator said. “No one would’ve held them responsible for rightfully defending themselves. I would not have allowed anyone to put the blame on them!”
Mercenary and Zero ultimately did not believe in anyone else. Not the Church. Not the people. Not even Secrecy. The fact that it bothered him a little made the adjudicator mad at himself.
“You should be thankful you’re still alive, Captain Orlux. I’m guessing Zero was furious, but Mercenary stopped her. Otherwise, this town would have been destroyed last night. Your actions would have resulted in a tragedy. You ignored Her Excellency’s decision, turned a powerful ally into an enemy, and put the town in danger. A death sentence wouldn’t even be enough!”
Secrecy spat in Orlux’s face and turned his scythe back into a staff. The knight was sobbing in the snow in pain, hugging his crushed knees.
After a long hesitation, Barcel picked Orlux up. “I’ll take him to a doctor. I understand where you’re coming from, Adjudicator. But I still don’t think this is acceptable.”
“He’s right!” Orlux shouted, clinging to Barcel’s shoulder. He had recovered somewhat from the shock of having his knee shattered. “Foul Dea Ignis! Her Excellency and the people will not let you get away with this! You will be stripped of the life you were given by the end of the day!”
Secrecy ignored him, and Barcel heaved a sigh. “See? You can’t let people like him live,” the attendant said. “You should have killed him while I wasn’t looking.”
Orlux let out a small shriek.
“Don’t worry,” Barcel added. “I’m a member of the Knights Templar. I don’t kill defenseless people.”
“Priest!” An urgent voice pulled Secrecy back into the tent. The Director, who was calm until a moment ago, pointed toward the forest, his pale face turning even whiter. “I-I always pay back what I owe. Always. Y-You helped me.”
“Is this really that important?”
“Y-Yes. H-Head to the forest. N-Now. I-If you wish to save your friend, g-get a horse and t-take me with you.”
When I woke up, the rising sun was just beginning to melt the fresh snow.
Slowly I lifted my body up. Zero was in my arms as usual, except she was not wearing any clothes.
“Uh…”
It wasn’t a dream. I actually did it. With Zero. What could be more terrifying and mind-blowing than this? We didn’t just cross a line. We leapt over it.
All this time I insisted that our relationship was just employer and employee, nothing more. But I could no longer say that.
While I was at my wits’ end, Zero also woke up. She chuckled, her eyes half-open. “What is the matter, Mercenary? You have copulated with a gorgeous woman. You look as if the world had fallen to ruins.”
“That’s exactly how I feel! God damn it, what am I gonna do? I didn’t mean for this to happen between us!”
Zero quickly put on her clothes. She was extremely calm.
Last night… No, forget about what happened last night. Okay, done.
“It was not as bad as I thought it would be,” Zero said. “It was quite a good experience, Mercenary.”
“Aaaaah shut up! Don’t give me feedback! If it wasn’t bad, then that’s great, damn it.”
“Cheer up. Simply think of it as a good memory,”
“What?”
Did she just say memory? Does that mean there’s no next time? That’s a bit of a shame.
I turned to Zero. Her eyes were cold, as if she was looking at a toy that no longer fascinated her. She picked up my stuff. My large knife, which fit comfortably in my hand, looked like an awfully big and terrifying weapon in her small hands.
“Witch?”
“You have fallen for me at last,” she said. “Playtime is over, Mercenary.”
A familiar black pattern appeared on my knife. I recognized the spell. A chill ran down my spine. I knew what awaited me, and I refused to acknowledge it.
“You’re kidding, right?” was all I could say.
Zero leapt into my chest, the tip of the black knife pointed at my heart. There was a small thud.
No way. This isn’t happening. This can’t be how it ends.
“Farewell, Mercenary. I am terminating my contract with you.”
No.
The words stuck to my throat.
I thrashed about in the snow, ghastly screams escaping my mouth as intense pain ripped through my whole body.
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