Seventh – Part 02
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Translator: Kell
Only Zero was calm, smiling at her own brother despite his shocking entrance.
“There you are, Thirteenth. I knew you would be nearby, but you were closer than I thought.”
“Too damn close!” I roared. “How long have you been there?! And why the hell did you hit me?!”
“It is the servant’s duty to bear the master’s fault.”
“I’m not Zero’s servant!” I barked.
Zero came in between me and Thirteenth. “He is right. Mercenary is my irreplaceable, one and only friend. That has not changed. You are unbelievable. You must have been hiding for some dramatic effect, but I know exactly what you are thinking. Unfortunately, I do not have time for your games.”
“You seem to be in good health.” Ignoring Zero’s words, Thirteenth touched her cheek and pinched it. “You are receving proper nourishment.” His voice was as monotonous as ever.
“Priest,” Zero called. “As you can see, he is a suspicious man, but he is not dangerous at the moment. You may relax. And Rat, come over here.”
“I don’t think I can relax around this man.”
“H-He hit big brother. He’s scary.”
“I understand how you feel,” I said, “but there’s no point in being cautious. If Thirteenth meant us harm, he would have killed all of us except Zero the moment we entered the town.”
That’s just how he is.
He doted on her sister. He would not care if the rest of the world was destroyed, as long as Zero was happy.
The priest brought his scythe down reluctantly.
The red-haired witch chuckled. “That was a rather silly entrance, Thirteenth. I was supposed to lead them to the lair.”
“Because you can’t keep your mouth shut.”
“I don’t get a lot of opportunities to learn about your past. It’s better to have as many dirt as possible on a stubborn and perceptive mentor.”
Smiling, the witch named Sept sauntered seductively towards Zero and grabbed both her hands. “Can you tell me more about Thirteenth’s past? He never talks about himself.”
“A small price to pay if you provide information about Cestum.” The air suddenly grew tense. “I did not come all this way to reminisce about the old days. I came to ask you what is going on. Why is the lass so distraught? What is happening in this kingdom?”
“If you wish,” Thirteenth replied. “I will answer all your questions to the best of my understanding. That is essentially why I summoned you to this place. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen effects of the Mooncaller’s ward, I was unable to summon you to the targeted destination.”
Apparently, unable to stand the sight of Thirteenth’s anxiousness, Sept came to pick us up the other day.
“So you were indeed the one who summoned us. What in the world is going on, Thirteenth? Forced summoning is a spell that only you can use, but someone else who is able to use it has appeared. I have also heard that a silver-haired sorcerer is gathering Mages to overthrow the Chief Mage.”
“A silver-haired sorcerer?” Thirteenth asked, puzzled. He then pressed his forehead and heaved a sigh. “I see. So it has turned into this.”
“You sound like you have an idea who they are.”
“Why, of course.” Thirteenth suddenly removed his hood.
Dazzling silver hair cascaded down, glistening in the wind.
“That silver-haired sorcerer is me.”
If I remembered correctly, Thirteenth had black hair. At least, he didn’t have silver hair that reached down his waist like this, tied up in silk and swaying in the wind.
That wasn’t even the most important part. In fact, his hair didn’t matter at all. He could’ve grown it out and bleached it. It could even be a wig.
No. The issue was his face.
“Wh-Who the fuck are you?! I thought you were Thirteenth!”
I didn’t recognize the man’s face at all. I had not forgotten what Thirteenth looked like, and no one would ever forget a face like this.
He possessed the kind of beauty that would be etched into one’s memory forever. A leer from him would make all women of the world prostrate before him. One glance at his face, and I’d have nightmares of it for the next ten years.
“It is Thirteenth,” Zero replied.
No, no, no.
“Are you forgetting that I already met Thirteenth? Sure, the way he talks is just like him, but I’m pretty sure this dude’s not Thirteenth! No fucking way!”
The terrifyingly handsome man frowned. “Whether you believe it or not does not change the fact that I am Thirteenth.”
“Indeed,” Zero said. “Speaking as his sibling, this is definitely Thirteenth.”
“That’s right,” Sept agreed. “As far as I know, this is Thirteenth.”
When the sister and the disciple confirmed his identity, I could no longer deny it.
I looked at the priest and Lily for help.
The priest scowled. “How would I know what he looks like?”
Lily glanced at Zero and then Thirteenth. “They look alike.”
As I my ears and tail flopped, shoulders slumped in overwhelming defeat, Zero tapped me on the chest with a smile on her face.
“Lighten up, Mercenary. He is indeed Thirteenth, but not the Thirteenth that you know. That is him before he made a deal with a demon and gave up his beauty. In other words, the original Thirteenth.”
Standing around talking in the middle of a ruined town would only draw suspicion, so we decided to travel to Thirteenth’s lair.
And by travel, I meant walking a short distance from the street to the church. Apparently there was a “witch’s path” that would take us to the lair in an instant.
“There used to be a witch’s path that connected to the campus, but now it connects to our lair,” Sept explained. “It just so happens that one of the entrances is here. We’re not using Latette as a lair.”
To be honest, it was nice to have Sept explaining everything smoothly, as Thirteenth didn’t even bother.
“She’s a great woman,” I murmured. “Too good to be Thirteenth’s disciple.”
Zero looked at me with a displeased expression. “You should learn to see the true nature of things, Mercenary.”
“What? You’re saying that she’s actually a nasty woman?”
“That is not what I meant.”
“Then what?”
Zero didn’t answer, and when I looked at Sept, she just gave me a significant smile.
“Only Thirteenth can open the path,” she continued. “A witch’s path is fascinating. Though the entrance is right here, the actual lair is in a completely different place. So even if you find the entrance, if you can’t open it, you can’t find the lair. Perhaps putting the entrance and the actual lair in different places is what allows witches to escape witch hunters.”
Thirteenth walked up to a pillar by the church’s aisle and bit his fingertips. The blood dripping from his hand formed intricate symbols on the pillar, and his whole hand was suddenly buried inside. Eventually his whole body was sucked in.
My eyes grew wide. All of a sudden there was a gaping hole in the pillar. Beyond it was a quiet study.
“What’s this? It’s freaky! We’re not going in there, are we?” I moved a few steps back.
“We are,” Zero said. “It is nothing compared to a forced summoning.” She pushed me from behind with both arms.
I planted my feet firmly on the ground. “W-Wait! Stop! I need to prepare myself mentally!”
“The priest and Rat do not seem to need it.”
“What?!”
Sept was leading Lily by the hand into the other side of the pillar, while the priest entered the witch’s path calmly.
How can you be so calm?!
“If you are afraid, I will take your hand,” Zero said in a soothing tone.
I straightened my posture and started walking towards the hole in the pillar. I have my pride as a man. I didn’t like the idea of walking through it with Zero holding my hand. But actually going through it was still creepy and took a lot of courage.
This better be safe. I stooped and peered into the hole. Looks hazy inside. Please don’t tell me I’m gonna die if I touch that.
“Mercenary.”
“What?”
“Hurry up and get in.”
Zero kicked me with ridiculous force, causing me to tumble forward into the hole. She then followed me.
“What the fuck are you doing?!” I howled.
“I simply thought that some things needed a push. And the path was about to close. If it closed halfway in, I would have to face your vertically sliced corpse. I wanted to avoid that, so I panicked a little.”
“You should’ve told me that first!”
“If I did, you would have been even more reluctant to enter. There will be no problem if you simply walk in.” Zero looked away. “But fear could turn a non-existent danger into reality. Oh, the irony.” Her voice took in a somber tone.
I got up and was about to smack her on the head, when I stopped. Thirteenth was glaring at me viciously, his face expresionless.
My instincts were telling me that if I tried to hurt Zero in any way, I would be turned into charcoal in an instant.
“Why are you holding back?” Zero asked. “You would have hit me by now. I kicked you, so you may hit me back. Come now. Do your usual thing.”
“Wait, wait, wait! You know what would happen if you said that in front of Thirteeth!” I turned to Thirteenth. “I didn’t always hit her! Only sometimes! Please believe me, my dear elder brother!”
“You are not my younger brother!”
Oh, shit. He’s gonna kill me.
Sept tapped Thirteenth’s head. “They’re just joking around,” she said. “Don’t be so overprotective, or Zero will hate you. Come now. I’m sure you’re all exhausted. We’ll serve them some meal, then we can start discussing matters. Does that work for you? I’ll take care of the food, you take care of the guests.”
Wow. This lady’s a force to be reckoned with.
I didn’t think there was any woman in this world other than Zero who would be allowed to hit Thirteenth on the head without any repercussions.
Frowning, Thirteenth pressed his head, then took off his long cloak, and flopped down on an armchair by the fireplace.
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