Murky Darkness – Part 06
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Translator: Kell
Thirteenth was dead. It was extremely hard to believe. Even I, who despised him from the bottom of my heart, was quite shocked.
Zero listened to what happened, her expression completely still.
“I see.” That was all she said.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
“Of course. Thirteenth protected the lass and gave her his power. He died the way he wanted to.” Her voice held a matter-of-fact tone that it always had.
“But isn’t Thirteenth your brother?” the priest said softly.
“Blood ties do not matter to witches. Thirteenth killed our fellow students in the first place. I do not care the least bit that he is—” Zero staggered and looked at her feet.
Lily was clinging to her leg. “You must feel sad,” she said, her shoulders quivering.
“Stop it. I do not feel sad at all. Not even a little…” A tear ran down Zero’s cheek and landed on Lily’s head.
Surprised, Lily lifted her head. Tears began dripping on her face. Even Lily looked like she was about to cry.
“Tears…?” Zero wiped the tears away with her fingertips. She stared at them, stunned by the fact that she was crying. She pulled away from Lily and stumbled a few steps. “Why? So what if Thirteenth is dead…?”
Unable to hold back the burst of tears, Zero covered both eyes with the palms of her hands, curled up, and began sobbing.
“What is this? Haha. This is surprising. I cannot stop the tears. It is like I am broken.”
Zero’s knees buckled, and I quickly caught her. She clung to my shoulder, her nails digging into my skin, and started bawling. She probably never experienced the stream of emotions raging inside of her.
She didn’t realize that she was heartbroken until she burst into tears. I couldn’t even laugh at how slow she was.
The Zero from a year ago probably wouldn’t have cried. She would have quietly accepted Thirteen’s death, believing it was just natural, and that would have been the end of it.
But Zero had learned attachment. She learned the emotion of love, and that death was a painful and sorrowful farewell.
Zero exhaled. “Mercenary,” she said in a shaky voice. “Were you in this much pain when Theo died? Princess. Did it hurt this much when you lost Argentum? Lass, when the Mooncaller died…”
“I’m sorry, Zero… I’m sorry! I was supposed to die. I was supposed to be the one killed!”
“Stop it, kid. It was Thirteenth’s decision to protect you. You have nothing to apologize for.”
“But…”
“Crying will calm her down. Isn’t that right, princess?”
The princess didn’t know the man called Thirteenth. Nor did she know that he was Zero’s brother. Still, she was smart enough to guess that someone important to Zero had died. She knew the pain of loss from when her master, Argentum, was killed.
“Apologies and encouragement are meaningless in the face of death,” she said. “Stay with her, Whitey. We’ll give you some space, so go somewhere quiet.”
“Is that the best thing to do?” I forced a smile, mimicking her catch phrase.
The princess gave a faint smile, turned around, and walked away. Raul followed her, while the priest shooed Lily and Albus away with his staff.
I picked Zero up and walked towards the river. She would need cold water to wash her tear-stained face. Even a Beastfallen who had never shed a tear before knew that much.
With Zero in my arms, I sat down at the edge of the river. I didn’t put her down, and neither did she pull away.
Even after I settled down, Zero didn’t say anything. I didn’t talk to her either.
But I didn’t feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t like I wanted Zero to stop crying, and she didn’t want me to comfort her either. I held her in my arms as she continued to cry, waiting quietly for time to pass.
All I could hear was the murmuring of the river and the occasional sniffle from Zero. If I strained my ears, I could probably hear the priest talking to Albus about matters, but I wasn’t in the mood to eavesdrop right now.
The sun had set before I knew it, the light from the moon casting my shadow on the ground.
Night already, huh? I looked up at the sky to find a magnificent full moon.
“It’s so bright,” I muttered.
I wasn’t expecting a response. It was just an impression.
Zero’s shoulders twitched, and she looked up at the moon. “True.” Her eyes were red, her eyelids swollen.
I held a piece of cloth to her nose. “Here, wipe yourself.”
Zero took it and blew her nose like a child. “You did not even offer a single word of consolation.”
“Were you expecting one?” Surprised, my tail perked up.
She gave a weak laugh and shook her head. “Not even a little.”
“That’s good to know.”
“But what if I was?”
“Hmm?”
“How would you console me?”
Wearing the biggest frown, I looked at her. Her face was a mess from crying. Her eyes seemed expectant, yet also resigned.
“You know I never liked Thirteenth.”
“Harsh. I would have a hard time evaluating that kind of consolation.”
“I thought he was an immortal monster.”
“I thought so too.”
“Who killed him?”
A bright flame flickered in Zero’s eyes. She let go of my clothes and straightened herself. “That is not consolation, but instigation. If my thoughts go there, I will not have time to grieve. I will have no choice but to work my brain.”
“I don’t really know any other way to do it.”
“You insensitive man.” Zero gave me a light punch on the chest. “Mercenary. As spiteful, devious, prejudiced, and annoying as he was, Thirteenth was my only brother. He was my other half. I have no right to say anything about the manner of death that he chose for himself. But…”
“Yeah?”
“I feel sad. Unbelievably sad.”
“Understandable.”
I couldn’t even imagine how special Thirteenth was to Zero. But I was aware of the unconscious affection she showed whenever she talked about him. There was definitely a strong bond between Zero and Thirteenth that I couldn’t even begin to fathom.
“Hey, witch. Did you realize something?”
“Hmm?”
“Now that we’ve imprisoned Sanare, I no longer have any reason to go after Cestum.”
Zero’s eyes widened. “Is that really something you should be telling me now when I am grieving?”
“Just hear me out. I don’t know if this is any consolation, but…”
I suddenly felt embarrassed halfway. Feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, I grabbed the back of her head and pulled her to my shoulder.
“I’d fight for you.”
It was probably a once-in-a-lifetime admission for me.
I felt ashamed that it was all I could say for all she had done for me, but unfortunately, it was the best thing that I could come up with.
Zero kept her forehead pressed against my shoulder and stayed silent for a while. Suddenly, her shoulders began shaking.
“I-It’s not funny!” I said. “I know I’m not really that strong. I can’t replace Thirteenth.”
“No, that is not it. You have it wrong.”
“Wrong how? You’re clearly laughing.”
“How can I not laugh? Just a moment ago, I was sad. But now I feel as much joy as sadness. Because I have finally become someone special to you. Isn’t that right?” It was more of a confirmation than a question.
It wouldn’t matter what I said. She was already convinced. Not that I would deny it.
“I thought that I could destroy the world for you. If you are willing to fight with me, saving the world is an easy matter.”
Zero stood up from my lap and dipped her hand into the stream. I thought she was going to wash her face, but contrary to my expectations, she buried her head in the water.
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