Return of the Fallen Volume 4 Chapter 103
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Author: Blue_Rat
ch103
“Ladies and gentlemen, would that be all?”
A young woman finished placing a large platter of food on a long outstretched table. Surrounding said table was Kazuki and the others. Although foo was suggested and everyone agreed to sit down and have a nice meal together, the quiet gloomy atmosphere had taken hold of them.
The woman serving them wondered if she had done something wrong but Kazuki realized no one was answering her and simply told her things were fine for now. The woman gave a small bow before taking her leave, still thinking she may have messed up somewhere.
On the table, there was an assortment of food. Large plates of fish either steamed with a variety of vegetables or baked with herbs and spices. A large platter of meat sat in the middle, braised in a sauce that left a lingering sweet yet savory scent in the air. Soups, bread’s, and much more. This was a literal feast, all on Degra. He wasn’t there but he had told them to come to this restaurant if they were hungry and to simply mention his name.
Kazuki didn’t mind spending Degra’s money but it was obvious what Degra was trying to do with something so lavish. He was interested in Kazuki. Though not only him but everyone else as well. Degra had seen the battle and had gotten an excellent look at everyone’s abilities. It wasn’t difficult to understand after all of that, Degra wanted to recruit them. Even if he only managed to get a single one of them to join him it would all be worth it.
Degra’s plans however would all be in vain.
Everyone sat around the table silently and downtrodden. Eyes avoiding one another’s, no one spoke.
Kazuki didn’t know what to say either but he was indeed quite hungry. Even if none of them were, he would eat.
Kazuki picked up a fork and stabbed a nearby piece of meat and putting it on his plate. He was just about to take a bite when Kimi scoffed at him.
“Hmpf.”
Kazuki and everyone else turned in her direction.
“Is something wrong?”
Kimi was chewing on her bottom lip, glaring hatefully at Kazuki.
“I was just curious.”
“About.”
Kimi shrugged her shoulders and spoke with a condescending tone.
“I just don’t understand how you of all people can sit here and eat with us. Do you not feel any responsibility? Do you feel no shame? I know, dumb question, right? There’s no way you could feel shame because you’re shameless. There’s no way you could feel responsible because your irresponsible with everything you do.”
Sam placed a hand on Kimi’s shoulder but she shook him off.
“What, are you trying to defend him Sam. You know what he’s done, why are you trying to stop me?”
“I’m not, I just think now isn’t the time.”
Kimi gnashed her teeth.
“If not now then when. Why do I have to bite my tongue and not say what we’re all feeling, what we all think. Kazuki, because of you, Danny is dead and now your just gonna sit there and have a meal like everything’s coming up roses. It makes me sick. You and everything you do infects people and the sooner your gone, the sooner…”
*Bang*
Nunully slammed her delicate hands hard on the table and screamed.
“That’s enough! owww*”
She started to rub her hands in pain but she did this while yelling out.
“It’s not his fault and you know it! Triska killed Danny and you’re pissed because you know you can’t go against her, none of us can. Even when we all ganged up on her, even after crushing her with a mountain of ice, we still couldn’t defeat her and that pisses you off. For some reason though, you keep turning all the blame to Kazuki when he had nothing to do with that. Before we ever came here, Degra, Triska, and the city lord were already at one another’s throats just waiting for an opportunity to stab the other in the back. They were already going to come to a head someday so that’s not on him. Kazuki this and Kazuki that but last I checked he didn’t put a blade to your neck. He didn’t force you to do anything or to go anywhere, you decided all of it on your own, yet you still blame him. You want to talk about responsibility, then where the fuck has yours been.”
Nunully quickly covered her mouth after that, shocked at her own voice.
(Did I just say all of that!)
Kimi’s eyes narrowed in on Nunully.
“Responsible, so are you claiming it’s my fault my arms gone. It’s my fault Danny died. I didn’t rip it off myself. That fat bastard Abura did it.”
Nunully nodded.
“That’s right, it was Abura who did it but by your logic, you won’t blame the real one who caused all of this. Was it not king Garn who ordered Muteki and Abura and the rest to go after us all.”
“That’s what I’m saying. Garn only made them go after us after Kazuki killed his subordinate. It all comes back to him.”
“And why did Kazuki kill that man. Do you not remember?”
Kimi thought back for a moment to recall but Nunully went ahead and reminded her.
“Kazuki was sent to that prison because he was buying something illegal.”
Kimi felt like Nunully had just put herself in a corner and admitted it was Kazuki’s fault in the end and jumped on to push it.
“Ya see, so in the end, it’s still all his fault. If he weren’t buying anything illegal then none of that would have happened and we’d all be fine back in Tresta.”
Nunully shook her head.
“Have you already forgotten? I was there that night when Kazuki was captured and I was captured and arrested as well. Are you just acting like an idiot or do you really not see how foolish your blame truly is. I was the one selling something illegal to Kazuki so in actuality it is my fault that things turned out the way they did. As a matter of fact, Kazuki had a chance to leave me the night I was captured. He could have escaped then and there and left the country right away but instead, he stayed behind when they took me, hostage, to try and save me. They threatened my life and so he stayed behind and ended up getting captured as well. The blame you’ve continually pushed on Kazuki, everything that’s led up to this point, it’s none other than the results of my dumb actions. All of it, everything you hate, it can all be traced back to me.”
Kimi became flabbergasted and her tongue became tied and rooted. Everyone hadn’t thought like this up to this point but following that logic, it would indeed be all on Nunlly’s shoulders. All eyes shifted between Kazuki, Nunully, and Kimi. Up until now, they had all accepted that Kazuki was the problem, they had all willingly fed into the disgust and hatred they felt for him and it was only natural.
He didn’t explicitly make them follow him nor did he lie about what they were getting into but had they known what the future held, could they claim that he didn’t explain things properly. That argument could easily be made and so they pushed it all on him but looking at it now that wasn’t necessarily the case.
Not only that but to put blame on Nunully, they’ve only seen her as something fragile and sweet. Something that absolutely needed their protection and guard. They couldn’t look at her like it was her fault. They couldn’t put the blame on her shoulders. In line with that thinking, how could they just put it on Kazuki then?
A conflict of emotions and thoughts swirled in each of their heads, as they really had to contemplate and reevaluate what they thought and believed up to this moment but Nunully still wasn’t done and threw more facts out left and right.
“Even after we were captured, had Kazuki done nothing and just allowed himself to be tortured in that cell, it could have all ended there. The thing is though, they had already declared my death sentence.”
Everyone again took this news like a hammer blow to the head. Mei became upset and asked with concern.
“Big sis, they were gonna kill you?”
Nunully nodded.
“They were going to. Once they found out that I had elf blood mixed within me, they really were planning to kill me. Kazuki however risked his life and he killed that information officer. That is what really started it all. Kazuki killed that man to break out of there and save a total stranger such as myself. He took me out of that place and brought me back home but that wasn’t enough. If I stayed in Tresta, I would have been killed. SO once more, Kazuki risked his own life and promised my mother he would take me away from there and escort me to the Rin mountain range where I would be safe. Kimi, I’d like to ask you, even after knowing all of this now, just where does the fault lie? Just what do you think Kazuki meant when he said to help me would be risking life and death? Did you think he was joking about that? Did you think this world was just one big game? Kazuki saved me from death but does any of that make sense in the first place? They wanted to take my life just because I’m not fully human. Should he have just sat back and done nothing then and allowed me to die? Should I have stayed in Tresta and waited for them to kill me?”
The room became quiet once more and no one quite knew what to say to all of this.
Nunully then stood up and walked slowly toward Kimi. Kimi didn’t know what she wanted but before she cou7ld even ask, Nunully fell on her knees before Kimi and bowed until her head touched the floor.
“Up to this point, everything that you’ve gone through, it all started because of me, because I’m not pure-blooded. Your arm, Danny’s life, all of it, it’s all my fault.”
Tears began to stream down Nunully’s face as though a river were coming out from her. Kazuki came over and tried to help her up but she brushed him away and stayed in that position.
“Kimi, everyone, I’m so sorry.”
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