By Zephyria =======
This explanation was equally unconvincing, but Wolf decided to let it slide for now.
“I get it. I was treated like that by adults a lot too. It felt bad every single time. But why did Uncle do that to you?”
“Well.”
Silver frowned and held up his index finger.
“We were talking about the spruce tree and the birch tree earlier. In your language, human variants. But the Ice Armor Warrior said there was another male variant. Do you know about that?”
“Hmm?”
Wolf and Red Eagle looked at each other.
“I’ve never heard of any male variant other than those who can bear children. What’s the other one?”
At Wolf’s words, Silver didn’t answer immediately but stirred the water with his finger. Small ripples formed.
“According to the Ice Armor Warrior, that other male variant… is called the ‘ash tree.’ Do you really not know?”
“It’s the first I’ve heard of it. Hmm, maybe Uncle got something mixed up?”
Wolf groaned, resting his chin on one hand.
“Human variants from Stohl are incredibly, incredibly famous in Atania. I’ve heard there are quite a few scholars who specialize in researching them. If there were another male variant, it would have been known a long time ago.”
“Wolf is right. When it comes to human variants, you can trust an Atanian completely. In fact, Atania’s biology and ecology practically exploded in development while studying the people of Stohl,” Red Eagle added.
“When Stohl invaded, the appearance of demi-human races that were previously unimaginable made the Atanian biologists of the time… to put it bluntly, lose their minds. They say Stohl warrior corpses were traded frantically on the black market for research. For 150 years, that entire field went completely mad. If another male variant truly existed, they would never have escaped the eyes of Atanian scholars.”
“I knew it!”
Silver slapped the water with both hands.
“That bastard Ice Armor Warrior must have picked up some scrap of a legend and believed it wholeheartedly! Stupid prick!”
“Right. Folk tales are meant to be heard for fun.”
While nodding along, Wolf noticed a few things. Silver was more talkative than he thought. His fingers were long. His shoulders were a smooth, sharp right angle, like a cross-section of a cake.
For some reason, Wolf’s throat felt tight. Beside him, unable to speak, Red Eagle asked with sparkling eyes, “What kind of variant is the ash tree? Can they bear children too?”
“Tch, it would be a blessing if they could.”
Silver snorted. At the words that followed, Wolf and Red Eagle looked horrified, as if they had come face-to-face with an evil spirit.
“They don’t have a dick. They’re monsters cursed with the worst possible fate for a man.”
“What!”
Wolf’s eyes widened. Red Eagle also shouted in horror.
“A person without genitals! How is that possible!”
“You guys don’t believe it either, right? The argument earlier started because I asked if the ash tree actually existed, and the Ice Armor Warrior just started insulting me…”
“Wait, wait! Question!”
Wolf waved his hand and spoke.
“Pee! Where does the ash tree pee from?”
“Yeah. I’m most curious about that too.”
Red Eagle nodded. A wrinkle formed on the bridge of Silver’s nose.
“How should I know? They probably have a constitution where they don’t pee.”
“Didn’t Uncle tell you where they pee from?”
At Wolf’s question, Silver looked into the air for a moment and gave a light shrug.
“I don’t remember if he told me. Maybe they pee through their nostrils, their ass, or their nipples. Or maybe they have a separate hole for it.”
“You have to ask Uncle. I’m curious where they pee.”
“You’re curious about that? The ash tree doesn’t even exist anyway.”
“Even if a novel is a fictional story, you’re still curious about the ending. Silver, are you the type of person who doesn’t pay attention to things you think are useless?”
Wolf asked because he found it strange that Silver, who struggled to remember people’s names, had acquired a foreign language in just three years.
“I’ve heard there are many learned scholars who forget their own home addresses. Silver, I think you’d be incredibly good at it if you put your mind to studying. If you hadn’t told me you taught yourself the Atania language, I would have mistaken your mother for an Atanian. By the way, why did you learn the Atania language?”
Silver glared at Wolf in silence. Then, he stood up abruptly and trudged out of the hot spring. Wolf was greatly shaken by the sudden cold shift in atmosphere. Did I get too close to Silver too quickly? Silver, don’t turn your back on me. I just find it fun to chat with you…
His mind understood that he should back off here. However, his gaze followed Silver. In the background blurred by the steam of the hot spring, Silver alone looked vivid, as if dyed in primary colors. The white body wrapped in a towel around the waist was slender for a man, but not fragile. It was like the edge of dry parchment. The kind that would slice through fingertips with just a slight graze.
So, step back now. If you don’t want to get hurt.
“Silver.”
However, his voice escaped his lips of its own accord. Just as he was about to shut his mouth, unable to bring himself to say ‘Don’t go, let’s keep playing together,’ Silver turned his head toward Wolf.
“What.”
Huh…?
Wolf was actually flustered by Silver’s reaction. The atmosphere had been so cold he thought Silver wouldn’t even pretend to listen, yet he was responding to him?
“What is it. Why are you silent after calling me over?”
“Uh, well… Ah, do you have a comb? I need a comb.”
Wolf blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Silver frowned and used the towel to shake out his hair.
“Comb? What’s that.”
“You don’t know what a comb is? For combing hair. Like this, like this.”
Thinking Silver didn’t know the word ‘comb’ in the Atania language, Wolf mimicked the action of combing his hair.
「This bastard is really stupid!」
Silver threw the towel at Wolf.
“Who said I didn’t know what a comb was? I just don’t use those things, you idiot! There are no combs here!”
“I-I meant that?”
Wolf’s face flushed hot. Then again, if Silver used a comb, he wouldn’t be walking around looking like he’d just woken up after tearing at his hair all night.
「Idiot! A bastard stupider than the Ice Armor Warrior!」
Silver spat out Stohl words repeatedly as he dressed. Thanks to that, Wolf learned one Stohl word. Ditoy. It probably meant fool or idiot. Yes, the dumbest person among the Stohl people might just be Wolf Bell.
Once dressed, Silver walked away briskly.
“Where are you going?”
Even as he asked despondently, Wolf thought that another 「Ditoy!」 would probably come back. After all, no matter which way he went, it was still a cave.
However, the answer that returned was:
“To get some sunlight.”
* * *
Silver didn’t tell them to follow, but Wolf and Red Eagle hurried to dress and followed him. After walking for a long time from the hot spring, light appeared.
In the center of the towering cave ceiling, there was a hole like a well. The falling sunlight pooled on the floor like a spring. He had guessed there must be a gap somewhere since the airflow was smooth, but he hadn’t expected such a large hole…
Wolf placed a hand on his forehead and tilted his head back. He saw a grey sky. It wasn’t a blue sky with white fluffy clouds, but for some reason, his eyes welled up at the sight of a mere grey sky. When he lived in Atania, the sunlight was like the paving stones he stepped on every way to school. That sunlight, whose presence had been as insignificant as weeds or ants, was now more beautiful and precious than anything.
“Haa.”
Silver lay down with his arm as a pillow. Following suit, Wolf and Red Eagle sat down awkwardly. Silver, with one knee raised and his leg draped over, spoke bluntly.
“The Ice Armor Warrior won’t be here for a while.”
“Huh?”
Wolf and Red Eagle looked at Silver side by side.
“You mean Uncle… left this place? When is he coming back?”
When Wolf asked, Silver let out a laugh.
“Do you think I’d answer that?”
“I’m worried about the Prince…”
Wolf’s voice trailed off as his mind raced. Since Black Weasel had left the hideout, wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity to escape? By coaxing Silver along. No, that was a rash thought. There was no way a seasoned assassin wouldn’t account for that when leaving.
If so.
“Isn’t it dangerous? That room at the cave entrance. If the pursuers are determined to search the forest, they might find it soon. It’s not easy to enter because of the cloud bridge. There’s even a large entrance here…”
“There are no pursuers.”
“What?”
Wolf lifted his head. Silver flicked the leg draped over his knee.
“Are you a fool? If there were pursuers, would the Ice Armor Warrior and I have been drinking?”
“But in the forest…”
“Ah. That.”
Silver glanced sideways at Wolf.
“Well, I just wondered. Anyway, there are no pursuers.”
“I see… Are you absolutely sure?”
“I’m sure. Don’t ask twice.”
20 – Hell Execution Order