By Zephyria Still, the Emperor had been tall and broad-shouldered even when he was a Prince. No matter how much he hunched his body, he couldn’t hide the broad shoulders characteristic of a trained person. Even if one was easily fooled by Michael’s appearance and demeanor, who clung to that heavy mass as if it were precious, anyone with a keen eye would not have mistaken Rubel’s gender.
Thinking about how much the Second Prince had put on a show when he first saw Raul suddenly made me laugh again. But I knew I shouldn’t laugh now.
My gaze fell on Hugh’s serious face, and I forced myself to recall sad memories. Things like the face of the Oasis, bound tightly in Floyd and drifting in the water. Then, the laughter finally subsided.
Raul kept chattering.
“How many people do you think your brother acts so submissively towards? But well. The ‘Owner’ was backing the First Prince anyway, and an escort knight who lost their charge would have their honor and everything else fucked up, right? He was totally thrilled.”
“Owner, who the hell is that?”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t have any power or anything, but the Black magicians grovelled at him. Said he was the eyes of God… or that he came from another world.”
“…”
“Anyway, I just threw it out there because it was fucked up. I’m good at that, throwing away what I was doing.”
Hugh Benson looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. He stared at his fists, trembling with rage.
To land a punch, the hole would need to be a bit bigger. Should I pry the bars open more? Just enough for a fist to fit through, but not for that bastard to get out.
But instead of throwing a punch, Hugh endured it one more time.
“Dan.”
“Haha, you killed him.”
“…What?”
“Your brother disappeared so suddenly, and then he went out to confirm if your brother was really dead and it was over. How many people would follow a mercenary looking for a dead comrade? Kood also went with Dan then. Haha! Ask him. Uh, who is it. There’s a guy named Jack at the Mercenary Guild. He knows too. I told him not to go back then, but he…”
“…”
“It’s because of you, brother. Why did you go alone…”
Clang!
Hugh’s kick left a footprint on the bars. Staring at the man who flinched and shut his mouth again, Hugh sneered.
“Why is that my fault? How many mercenaries collapse while killing monsters? He died trying to make a living off monster byproducts honestly, unlike a bastard like you, not backstabbing others.”
“…”
“You slut, with so many holes, you talk so much, damn it. This is why you’re here. Well, what would you know? Live happily ever after, being pretty. I’m leaving.”
“You… you…!”
“Want to hear something fun? I’m living in the Duke’s mansion now, bossing people around. A knight who earned merit, as someone put it. You must be dying of jealousy, you bastard.”
That Duke’s mansion hadn’t even been built yet, but Hugh lied boldly. He giggled and even shook his middle finger emphatically. So I did the same.
After shouting at Raul, Hugh ran for a long time without a word.
I ran quite desperately to keep up with Hugh’s speed. After running like that, Hugh got a room at an inn in the middle of the capital. As soon as I paid the fee and received the key, I immediately ran upstairs. I followed.
And as soon as the door closed, Hugh collapsed into my arms and burst into tears. It was the first time he had ever poured out such intense emotions. Even after being together for so long.
His hot breath hissed, adding moisture continuously. I gently patted his dry shoulders, which were hot from crying so much. His voice, filled with agony, squeezed out resentment towards me.
“…I shouldn’t have come.”
“Yeah.”
“Damn it, I really didn’t want to know. That crazy bastard lied, lied.”
“That’s right.”
“…Why would he look for me? That’s impossible, it can’t be.”
“That’s right too.”
“What’s right, you bastard.”
Thump, I was hit.
When I stayed still without saying anything, I was hit again. A fist without aura was nothing; I could withstand a hundred blows.
At first, Hugh hit my upper chest with his fist, then he grabbed my forearm and shook me, and then he bumped his forehead against me several times. I endured this too, thinking it would hurt less to bump into me than into a wall.
Is it because his eyes are big? How can someone cry this much at once?
The sneering that I had pretended not to care about was indeed a lie. Hugh Benson cried with a sorrow so profound it felt like his eyes would melt, just like the day he heard Michael was dead. His shoulders kept shaking, so I held him tight, and Hugh also wrapped his arms around my waist. It smelled of tears. Salty, pungent, and cold.
I wish Dan had really been alive. Then he would have laughed instead of crying like this.
I covered his rough back of the head with my hand and stroked it, massaged his slender neck, and patted his bony back. Hugh Benson felt lighter by the weight of the tears he had shed. With a voice so weak it felt like it would extinguish if blown, he repeated his resentment.
After hitting, pushing, shaking, and clinging to me for a long time, Hugh asked, holding me tightly around the waist.
His voice was surprisingly muffled and deep.
“…But, really. Why did you ask me to come?”
“…”
“Damn it, I chased after you because I couldn’t let go of that fucked-up hope. What did you expect when you asked me to come?”
“…If you don’t know it’s the end, you keep waiting.”
“What?”
“Because that’s too hard.”
The face buried in my chest lifted. His swollen face, with eyes half their size, was cute like a desert frog perched on water lettuce. I liked how my hand, reaching to wipe his tears, covered half his cheek.
Gently wiping away his tears, I continued,
“I wanted you to be less tired.”
“I’m incredibly tired right now?”
“But I’m by your side now.”
“…Because you, …because you’re here, well.”
“You let me hit you and hug you.”
“…Damn, that helps a lot. You crazy bastard…”
Hugh’s voice kept faltering. Breathing in ragged gasps, Hugh then lightly bumped his forehead against my chest again. Thump, thump. After bumping his head a few more times to organize his thoughts, he pushed me away with both hands on my shoulders.
I let myself be pushed away willingly, but somehow felt a little disappointed.
“I’ve lost all my capital now. Do you have anything?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of bastard are you…”
On the way back to Duke Ernhardt’s Territory, we killed many monsters.
Not just near Dunmel Canyon, but any monster that caught our eye nearby. Of course, that didn’t help find traces of Hugh’s old acquaintances. Was it revenge then? For what?
If Hugh simply pointed his index finger and said, “Let’s catch that,” I would draw my sword and go. If he said, “Let’s go here,” I would follow him meekly. If he said, “Let’s run,” I ran, if he said, “Let’s walk,” I walked, and if he said, “Let’s rest,” I rested. Just as I had done for the past few years.
Hugh, who had been gloomy for a few days, quickly cheered up. He laughed more than before and picked fights unnecessarily, just like before. He started gripping my shoulder or leaning on my arm a bit more, but overall, he seemed fine. When I seriously told him I would lend him my embrace anytime he wanted to cry again, I got hit eight times.
Today, we caught a Troll Mutant. While regular Trolls can have their byproducts used, the bodies of Mutants are useless.
As we dragged the Troll corpses towards Dunmel Canyon, Hugh brought up the words he had whined about again.
“Do you really have nothing?”
“…Mmm…”
“What is it? Did you think of something?”
“I don’t know.”
“This bastard is playing with me now.”
“Haha.”
“You’re laughing?”
It was a trivial argument that went on for several minutes. I answered thoughtlessly and kicked a Troll corpse down into Dunmel Canyon.
Hugh, who had been watching me for a moment, quickly grabbed the edge of the cliff and peered down. What was down there? I also lowered my head and looked down. In a place where my vision couldn’t quite reach, something was hollowed out.
“I’ve been here before.”
“Huh?”
“With Patrick.”
“…”
“Want to go?”
“Yeah.”
The cave, close enough to enter by grabbing the top of the cliff and using momentum, was small. It could barely fit one or two people. Monsters that could sit inside a cave of this size couldn’t withstand the Mana Concentration of Dunmel Canyon.
Without hesitation, I stepped down the cliff first.
The damp, sticky rock pressed against my back. Dark moss covered part of the inner wall of the cave, making the texture soft to the touch. The floor was flat, and the ceiling was round. It was too low for me to stand, and when sitting, about a hand’s span remained above my head.
Can both of us fit? I don’t think so.
But Hugh entered faster than I exited. Without hesitation, he burrowed into my embrace, and I awkwardly held him.
Usually, we sat side-by-side, not like this, curled up together. Hugh’s fidgeting to spread his legs wider by gripping my knees and to lean his back comfortably against my chest, making himself at home, was disconcerting.
Suddenly, my body felt hot. It really seemed too narrow. As I tried to sit up, Hugh, who had stretched out his limbs and was leaning his full weight on me, suddenly started telling an old story.
“Once, we almost got wiped out right in front of here. Near that cliff that’s dug out in a triangle shape.”
“…Yeah.”
“There were eight Orcs. Honestly, at first, I thought that was a piece of cake, but damn it. I had forgotten that the ones this close to Dunmel Canyon were incredibly strong. We should have stuck together and run to survive, but the chief Orc in the middle, swinging his mace around, looked so strong I felt like I was going to shit myself. Everyone was screaming, scattering in all directions…”
“…”
“Patrick grabbed my hand and ran.”
“…Yeah.”
“And we came in here. He said he saw this place once when he was cleaning up monster byproducts and threw some unnecessary internal organs down the cliff. He shoved me into the cave first, fighting for our lives, then came in himself and held me tight, asking if I was okay.”
“…Yeah.”
“Suddenly, I thought…”
“What?”
“I wish Patrick were my dad.”