By Zephyria =======
Only then did he notice the Jester doll spinning busily in the distant void. This was a detail he hadn’t heard from Red Eagle. Was the barrage of fireballs not enough for you, you ghostly bastard?
Just then, a voice flew in from somewhere. It was Black Weasel.
“Silver! Silver!”
Silver turned his head reflexively. Another voice erupted from the left, blocked by a wall of pitch-black smoke.
“Silver!”
He could tell just by the sound. They were quite far. Moreover, the smoke was exceptionally thick in this area. It was the perfect condition for misstepping. Infinite descent. Endless falling.
However, Silver did not waver. Instead, he took a breath with a look of lost interest. One deep breath. Then, a leap.
Thoughts can come later. Later.
The black smoke slammed into Silver’s entire body. A pungent smell stung his nose. Thump. A solid impact surged from beneath his feet. Fortunately, it was a stone needle. His knees tingled, but the landing was a success.
“Ice Armor Warrior! Wolf! Where are you!”
“Silver! Silver!”
Silver leaped across the stone needles in succession. As Black Weasel’s voice drew closer, the back of his neck grew cold. It was similar to the moment one steps into a hotel room late at night and the scent of blood wafts from the deep darkness. In short, he had a damn bad feeling. He could hear Ice Armor Warrior’s voice, but why wasn’t Wolf answering?
Did he die?
Did he fail to hold on and fall down there?
It was the result he had expected from the start.
There was no particular reason to be flustered, but…
Why was it that in this moment, the words Wolf used to say while meeting his gaze flickered past his ears?
‘Silver. Let’s make sure we leave for Atania together.’
Silver squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. He leaped forward with all his might, repeating to himself: Don’t think about anything. Clear your head. You have to do that right now.
〔The Jester’s eighth rotation has ended.〕
〔The Jester begins the ninth rotation.〕
“Ice Armor Warrior! Wolf!”
“Silver!”
Black Weasel’s voice was now right in front of him. He had finally arrived. The moment the black smoke was pushed away by the wind, Silver’s heart sank. Unexpectedly, Wolf was alive, holding onto a stone needle firmly with both large hands.
Rather, it was Black Weasel who was in a precarious position. One of his arms hung limp. His massive frame was being supported by a single hand. The thick fingers gripping the stone needle were trembling violently. If he delayed any longer, he was bound to fall.
「Ice Armor Warrior!」
Silver immediately grabbed Black Weasel by the shoulder. At that moment, Black Weasel’s hand slipped from the stone needle. His heavy weight shifted entirely, and Silver almost fell with him.
「Waaaaagh! You damn, heavy, bastard—!」
Silver squeezed out every ounce of his strength to pull Black Weasel up. As soon as he landed on the stone needle, Black Weasel shoved his shoulder back into place like a key into a lock. A loud crack echoed.
Black Weasel slapped Silver on the back.
“Haha, Silver! To think this lazy slave would actually come to save his master!”
“Shut up, you bastard! You help too!”
Silver grabbed Wolf’s arms and pulled him up. Even after getting onto the stone needle, Wolf could not stand and only stared down at the ground. Silver grabbed Wolf’s shoulder with one hand.
“Hey, Attendant. …Attendant?”
No matter how many times he called, Wolf did not lift his head. The shadow cast by his hair over his eyes was deep. It looked like a cloud-covered sky.
“Attendant… what’s wrong with you…”
“What do you mean? It’s obvious he’s gone mad. He acted so high and mighty, serves him right.”
Black Weasel sneered, placing both hands on his hips.
“Silver, just leave him be. You’ve done enough.”
“Cut the crap! He’s just dazed from the shock!”
“Is the Attendant the same as us? He was raised delicately in the court. Only his body is here; his mind has fallen into the darkness below.”
“Attendant! Attendant! Wolf!”
Silver shook Wolf’s shoulders. No matter how much he urged him, Wolf did not react. He couldn’t believe it. Wolf, who used to immerse himself in solving logic problems when everyone else gave up, had gone mad? Even that crybaby Prince endured, but Wolf, of all people, had lost his mind?
It felt as if his entire body was burning. His fingertips trembled as if he had run out of alcohol. Without realizing it, Silver suddenly hugged Wolf tightly. The thought that something was wrong continued to loop incessantly.
To him, Wolf was just someone he would pass by for a short while—that was all—yet in this moment, an absurd, extremely strange sensation rushed in like a black mist. A terrible and vivid agony, as if raw flesh were being torn and the spine ripped out. Like a being that had been one since birth was being split in half. Truly ridiculously.
Wolf, no. Don’t leave me. Don’t go!
“You can’t collapse here, you bastard! You have to meet the Prince! I found the door too!”
Despite Silver’s shout, not a single fingertip of Wolf moved. A glint flashed in Black Weasel’s eyes.
“Silver, what did you just say? You found the door?!”
“Wolf! Wake up! We can escape!”
“You idiot, you have to say it in the Atania language for the Attendant to understand. Did you really find the door?”
「Wolf, I found the door! The Prince is alive too! We can go out together!」
Even when he shouted in the Atania language, Wolf remained silent like a scarecrow. Black Weasel suddenly grabbed Silver’s arm.
“That’s enough, kid! Can’t you see his face? I told you, he’s gone!”
“He’s not! He’s just dazed for a moment!”
Silver shook his head violently. His vision was blurred. Fuck, am I crying?
Black Weasel glared at Silver with a hardened expression.
“…Silver. Look at reality. If we keep this up, you and I will die too.”
“Just wait a little longer! Wolf will wake up soon.”
“You don’t know that, do you? What the Attendant needs is a peaceful death.”
“He’ll wake up soon!”
“There’s no food or water here. It’s so narrow as a needle’s waist that more than two people can’t even lie down. We have to leave before our strength drops further. And—.”
Black Weasel stopped talking. His grey eyes looking down at Silver were as cold as snake scales.
“This isn’t like you. The slave I know would have cut the Attendant’s throat himself. You’re not the type to wait like this. Why on earth are you doing this?”
“Because I want to wait, you fuck!”
“Your way of speaking is certainly like you. Hmph, be honest. It’s because the Attendant smells like freshly brewed liquor, isn’t it? Am I right?”
“What nonsense is that? Such a good smell…”
Silver instinctively sniffed Wolf’s cheek. There was only the smell of blood and sweat.
“He smells like total shit. Anyway, hanging off a cliff must have been mentally taxing for a delicately raised Attendant. Let’s just wait while counting five hundred sheep.”
“No.”
Black Weasel pulled out the axe from his waist.
“The Attendant is a waste, but it can’t be helped. Get up now.”
“Five hundred sheep!”
“Not even five! Die, Attendant!”
The axe swung down. It was as swift as a bird diving through a torrential rain. It was the instant Silver spread his arms to block the way in front of Wolf.
“Huh…”
Black Weasel’s eyelids flickered. The rapidly charging axe came to a dead stop in mid-air. Silver also doubted his eyes. At some point, Wolf had leaped up, firmly gripping the wrist of Black Weasel who held the axe. It was as if the process of moving had been erased, appearing suddenly without even the sound of kicking off the ground. That was how fast he was.
Black Weasel’s pupils rolled left and right.
“Attendant. You were fine after all?”
Wolf slowly lifted his head. In his amber eyes, there was a cold light he had never shown before.
「Don’t touch Silver.」
Wolf’s voice was as sharp as cutting metal. Black Weasel’s gaze sharpened.
「Look at this guy. Attendant, did you just give me an order? Fine, let’s say I’m trying to kill Silver. What the hell can someone of your status do… Ah! Oh dear.」
Black Weasel let out a hollow laugh, glancing at his arm held by Wolf. Wolf’s fingers were squeezing his wrist so hard it felt like it would be severed. Silver quickly stood up.
「Stop it, Wolf! It’s enough now that you’ve woken up!」
「Put the axe down.」
「This won’t do. Attendant, you die here.」
「Ice Armor Warrior! Hold back! Wolf, you back off too!」
No matter how much he shouted, Wolf did not let go of Black Weasel’s wrist. Silver placed his hand on the back of Wolf’s hand and looked him straight in the eye.
「Wolf. Stop.」
Only then did Wolf’s pupils tremble slightly. Wolf looked down at Silver’s hand resting on the back of his own, blinked a few times, and then shifted his gaze upward to glare at Black Weasel. His breath reached Silver’s cheek. It was hot as fire.
Eventually, Wolf lowered his head. He let go of Black Weasel’s forearm and stepped back silently.
53 – Hell Execution Order