“Could you please prepare some simple tea and snacks?”
The sight of him kindly speaking to the servant inside the mansion and welcoming guests with a familiar smile highlighted his character.
‘But why did he go and do something with those Tudogs?’
Plus, you have a daughter named Michelle, don’t you?
There’s really no need to create a Murder Hotel to kill people and supply them to those Tudogs.
Watching Michelle hold onto her dad’s hand tightly, I wanted to rush in and confront him right away, but I had to hold back and clench my fist.
Mikael Portren, who guided us to the old-fashioned reception room.
Heaven Len looked puzzled as to why he had to be treated like one of these kids—or rather, why he was being overlooked.
“……”
“It’s okay.”
Hayun whispered softly, sensing she was anxiously clutching my clothes.
Seeing that, Rin across from me also held onto my clothes and smiled contently.
“Take it easy on the romance, alright?”
Sen poked my back with her finger from behind. Shouldn’t we be a bit more vigilant, given we’re in enemy territory?
“Self, please have a seat.”
But for all the discomfort Heaven Len caused us, I was curious too.
It definitely seemed like there was something secretive that needed to be done with Heaven Len, yet he casually brought in strangers like us?
For now, I just awkwardly followed along.
Mikael sat down at the head of the table, making Heaven Len sit right next to him while pointing at the opposite seats for us.
Michelle was sitting on Mikael’s lap and was squealing with joy, definitely looking much happier being with her dad than with us.
“So, you came to Bethel because it’s vacation time from Aios Academy?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Huh, what year are you all in?”
“We’re all in third year.”
“I see. Heaven, if you have any questions, go ahead.”
Seeing Mikael suddenly address him, Heaven Len looked startled, but perhaps he saw it as a test because he was sweating profusely as he spoke.
“Are they really allowed to travel alone at such a young age?”
An utterly trivial question.
I don’t know Mikael’s intentions, but Heaven Len’s comment probably didn’t earn him any praise.
“Actually, they were granted permission to take in the wider world.”
“How wonderful, it truly helps children grow to let them go, but I can’t help but fear losing them if I let go.”
“I’ll stay in Dad’s arms forever!”
“Ha ha, alright, Dad won’t let go either.”
Mikael tightly embraced Michelle, who was leaning into him. A loving family sight that brought a smile just by watching it, but—
“Though, Heaven and the young lady over there have somewhat similar eyes, don’t you think?”
While holding Michelle, Mikael began poking at Hayun and Heaven with his gaze.
I felt dizzy at the certainty evident in his expression.
‘Does he know everything?’
I felt confused, thinking that Mikael Portren must have known about us already, but upon reflecting calmly, it seemed like he had probably gone too far.
“No, that can’t be.”
“……”
He probably only knows about the relationship between Heaven and Hayun. He would have learned about Hayun while investigating Heaven.
‘He must think Hayun is following Heaven.’
That’s likely why this man was so relaxed.
He assumed we were targeting Heaven Len and not him.
‘This could be…’
In a way, it might be a stroke of luck for us.
Meeting Heaven Len was just a coincidence, but—
‘Coincidence?’
I sipped the tea the maid brought in, trying to shake off the unsettling feeling.
Unsure if there was something added to it, I only took a quick sip, but it seemed fine.
Near the end of ongoing questions that felt like they were testing Heaven Len, Michelle stifled a yawn, declaring her boredom as we slowly stood up to leave.
“Sorry about that, but I guess such adult topics must be pretty dull for the students. I hope we don’t have to discuss this kind of thing again next time.”
He said with a smile, but it was a clear threat not to involve him again.
‘He’s saying he’ll protect Heaven Len?’
From the conversation’s vibe, it felt like Heaven was bowing to Mikael, yet in the end, Mikael wanted to guard Heaven too.
He needed Heaven too.
“Yeah, don’t worry about us.”
We exited the mansion with smiles.
“Didn’t that just subtly threaten us? Like, don’t dig any deeper.”
Rin asked, sticking close to me to confirm, and I nodded slightly.
“Yeah, but it feels like he has no clue he’s the target. Warping our motives because of Hayun must have him mistaken about our objectives.”
And he used us to test that man, Heaven.
We were being led around with the desires of the ones over there, but we could certainly grasp the relationship between the two.
There’s cooperation, but it seems Heaven is the one bending and giving in.
It seems Mikael, part of the Tudogs, wants to create a connection with Heaven.
“Ahh.”
“Wasn’t it okay to just kill them all before?”
Sen said bluntly.
Rin and Hayun viewed her with expressions as if they were thinking ‘Was she always like this?’ but I could only find myself unable to respond.
‘Michelle is the problem.’
Of all things, that girl is the daughter of that man.
From my standpoint, having caught a glimpse of what kind of life she would lead without her father, her sunny smile kept haunting my mind.
“For now, let’s head back to the hotel.”
In the end, we had no clear answers and had to return to the hotel.
Since I had assigned some tasks, the four ruffians of my army weren’t in the hotel. With Rin’s capabilities as the head of the army, they wouldn’t even think of running.
“There are many rooms, so just pick any.”
The sky had already darkened.
After a simple dinner, we each decided to take our rest.
‘They might strike at any moment.’
This hotel was a double-edged sword for us at the moment.
They’d suspect that not having bodies delivered here for a long time was odd if we stayed too long at the enemy’s major stronghold, which would likely bring either Mikael or the Tudogs.
But conversely, it also meant we would inevitably face an assault.
Thus, in the spacious hotel lobby, I swung my sword lightly to stretch and awaken my senses when Hayun arrived down the stairs.
She appeared to be deep in thought, gripping her sword—looks like she wanted to train too.
“Are you going to move a bit?”
“Yeah, I’ve got too many distractions.”
“Huh, then how about a simple duel?”
“……Sure.”
After stretching slightly, Hayun drew her sword in front of me. A truly beautiful blade.
It was a sword made specifically for her Eastern swordsmanship, said to be the only item gifted from her uncle, Heaven Len.
I also drew the sword my sister gifted me and took my stance, and just like that, our blades clashed.
Since we controlled our strength, the duel extended quite a bit, and afterward—
Wiping the sweat with a towel, I offered advice as I watched Hayun.
“Do you know that your sword becomes unstable according to your mental state?”
“……Yeah.”
Just like back in the king’s game when she teamed up with Ares against me, it’s the same now.
Whenever her mind wavers, her sword also trembles greatly.
I’ve heard that her Eastern swordsmanship values not only physical strength but mental strength as well.
心剣
The clarity of heart held by the swordsman is said to manifest in their sword.
Though she stated it’s possible for one to reach such a state where their heart and will embody the sword.
In any case, for a swordsman, simply swinging a sword isn’t enough; their inner state is crucial, and Hayun particularly has strong fluctuations.
“Was meeting your uncle really tough?”
“……Yeah, it was much harder than I thought.”
“……”
With a face that seemed like she wanted to vomit, Hayun unloaded her weaknesses.
“When I rebelled through the Communication Orb, I felt fine, like I had overcome it. But when actually facing my uncle today, my mind went blank.”
“……”
“I think my uncle harmed our parents. He must have schemed something in the background, and there’s no guarantee that hand won’t reach me. Especially since I’ve severed ties now.”
Hayun subtly began to unbutton her top.
Having had a similar experience with another woman in Yggdrasil, I wasn’t taken aback this time.
A mark that started from her shoulder and extended down to her chest.
Though covered by her clothing, it appeared to wrap around the entirety of her body.
“Remember when I told you about the mark that distinguishes between lies and truth?”
“Yeah.”
“Right now it’s nothing more than a tattoo since I’ve escaped my uncle’s grasp, but each time I see this, it feels like I’m still standing in the palm of that person’s hand.”
“……”
“Sorry for complaining so pathetically.”
As Hayun gripped her sword and turned to head back to her room, I continued the thought I was about to say earlier.
“When you’re gripped by fear or confusion, you don’t even show half of your abilities. That’s a big problem for a swordsman.”
“……”
Did she think I was provoking her? She stopped in her tracks and glared at me, and I responded with a small smile.
“But on the flip side, if you could just learn how to regain control of that heart, you’d definitely become the strongest swordsman among the students at the academy.”
“……!”
“Of course, I’d be excluded.”
“Ugh, annoying.”
She said that but smiled slightly as she returned to her room.
“Ugh.”
There were just pitiful kids everywhere.
Hayun, who was convinced her parents were killed by her uncle, was marked and ultimately severed.
Sen, who had been involved in nothing but dirty things dealing with assassination and espionage since she was a child and had her hair turned white by drugs used to enhance her body, rendering her emotions dead.
Rin—a once ordinary countryside girl—who, despite receiving an inexplicable selection by a strange god, rampages at moments and ultimately seeks to destroy humanity.
“Let’s not even mention Michelle, whose beloved father creates a Murder Hotel to supply corpses.”
It’s heartbreaking to think how all these kids ended up in one place, but no matter what, there were limits to what I could do for them.
‘Still, I’ll try my best.’
Lining them up like this, I realize the extent of tragedy, pondering what to do next as I lay on my bed.
Knock knock.
‘Ah, I just lay down.’
Just like that, the thought of trying to be nice vanished from my head, and I considered pretending to be asleep, but the knocking was more insistent than I’d expected.
“Okay, coming out.”
Curious to see who was there, I opened the door to find Rin in her pajamas with a pillow tightly hugged.
“Don’t.”
Seeing the obvious request, I tried to close the door, but Rin already had one leg in.
“……”
“I want to sleep with you.”
Please don’t say it in a forlorn, whiny tone.
