HEO 52

Only then did he spot the clown doll rotating in the distant void. This was something he hadn’t heard from Red Eagle. Was the baptism of fire not enough for this wretched demon spawn?

Then a voice came from somewhere. It was Black Weasel’s.

“Silver! Silver!”

Silver reflexively turned his head. From the left, blocked by a wall of pitch-black smoke, another voice erupted.

“Silver!”

He could tell just by the voice. It was far. Plus, the smoke was especially thick around here. Perfect conditions for a misstep. Infinite fall. A never-ending plunge.

But Silver didn’t hesitate. Instead, he took a deep breath with a disinterested expression. Then he jumped.

I’ll think about it later.

Black smoke billowed over Silver’s entire body. A pungent smell stung his nostrils. Thud. A hard impact rose from beneath his feet. Fortunately, it was a rock pillar. His knees were tingling, but he managed to land.

“Bingapsu! Wolf! Where are you?!”

“Silver! Silver!”

Silver jumper from rock pillar to rock pillar. The closer Black Weasel’s voice grew, the colder the back of his neck felt. It was similar to that moment late at night, when he opened the inn room door and stepped inside, only to be hit by the smell of blood in the darkness. In short, he had a terrible feeling. He could hear Bingapsu’s voice, but why wasn’t Wolf responding?

Is he dead?

Was he unable to hold on and fall down below?

It was the outcome he’d expected from the start.

There was no particular reason to panic…

But why? Why, at this moment, did those words Wolf once spoke while looking at him in the eyes echo in his ears?

[Silver. Let’s definitely go to Atania together.]

Silver closed his eyes, then opened them. He jumped upward again with all his strength as he repeated to himself. Don’t think about anything. Clear your mind. You have to do it now.

〔The clown’s eighth rotation has ended.〕

〔The clown begins its ninth rotation.〕

“Bingapsu! Wolf!”

“Silver!”

Black Weasel’s voice got closer. He had finally arrived. The moment the black smoke was blown away by the wind, Silver’s heart skipped a beat. Unexpectedly, Wolf was alive. He was holding onto the rock pillar with his huge hands.

The one in real danger was Black Weasel. One arm hung limply. That enormous body was being supported by just one hand. The thick fingers clutching the rock pillar trembled. Any more delay and he would fall.

[Bingapsu!]

Silver immediately wrapped his arms around Black Weasel’s shoulders. Simultaneously, Black Weasel’s hand lost its grip on the rock pillar. His weight shifted entirely onto Silver, nearly dragging him down too.

[You filthy, heavy bastard!]

Silver mustered every ounce of strength to haul Black Weasel up. The moment he stepped onto the rock pillar, Black Weasel forced his shoulder back into place like a key into a lock.

He slapped Silver on the back.

“Haha! Silver! Who knew this lazy slave would come save his master!”

“Shut up, asshole! You help too!”

Silver grabbed Wolf’s arms and pulled him up. Even after climbing onto the rock pillar, Wolf couldn’t stand and just stared at the floor. Silver grabbed Wolf’s shoulder with one hand.

“Hey, servant. …Servant?”

No matter how many times he called, Wolf didn’t lift his head. The shadow cast by his hair over his eyes was deep. It resembled a sky covered in dark clouds.

“Servant…? Why are you like this…?”

“Why? It’s obvious he’s gone mad. After acting so high and mighty, he’s gotten what he deserves.”

Black Weasel placed both hands on his hips and scoffed.

“Silver, leave that bastard alone now. You’ve done enough.”

“Bullshit! He’s just stunned for a moment!”

“Is that servant the same as us? He was raised nicely in the palace. His body may be here, but his mind has plummeted into the darkness below.”

“Servant! Servant! Wolf!”

Silver shook Wolf’s shoulders. No matter how much he urged him, Wolf didn’t react. It was unbelievable. Wolf, who had always been the one engrossed in solving logic problems while everyone else gave up, had gone mad? Even the crybaby prince had held on, but Wolf, of all people, had lost his mind?

His whole body felt like it was burning. His fingertips twitched like when he ran out of alcohol. Silver found himself hugging Wolf without thinking. The thought that something was wrong kept repeating itself.

To him, Wolf was just a passersby, nothing more. Yet, in this moment, he was overcome with an absurd, strange sensation. A vivid agony like flesh being torn and vertebrae ripped out. Like a being that had been one since birth was being split in two. It was absurd.

Wolf, no. Don’t leave me. Don’t go!

“You can’t break down here, bastard! We have to meet that prince! We found the door too!”

Despite Silver’s shouts, Wolf didn’t move a finger. A flash of light flickered 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 speak Atanian for the servants to understand. Did you really find the door?”

[Wolf, I found the door! The prince is alive too! We can get out together!]

Even when Silver shouted in Atanian, Wolf remained as silent as a scarecrow. Black Weasel grabbed Silver’s arm abruptly.

“Cut it out, idiot! Can’t you see his face? He’s gone!”

“He’s not gone! He’s just momentarily shocked!”

Silver shook his head. His vision was blurry. Am I crying?

Black Weasel glared at Silver with a stern face.

“…Silver. Face reality. If this continues, you and I will die.”

“Just wait a little longer! Wolf will come to his senses soon.”

“You know it too! What the servant needs is a peaceful death.”

“He’ll come to his senses soon!””

“There’s no food or water here. It’s cramped as hell, not even wide enough for two people to lie down. We have to leave before our strength drains further. And—”

Black Weasel stopped speaking. The gray eyes gazing down at Silver were cold as a snake’s scales.

“This isn’t like you. The slave I know would have slit the servant’s throat himself. He wouldn’t be waiting like this. Why the hell are you doing this?”

“I’m doing this because I want to wait, fuck!”

“That’s more like you. Hmph. Be honest. You’re doing this because that servant reeks of freshly brewed alcohol? Right?”

“What nonsense? That smells so good….”

Silver absentmindedly sniffed Wolf’s cheek. All he could smell was blood and sweat.

“All I smell is a fucking stench? Anyway, hanging off a cliff must’ve been mentally tough for a well-bred servant. Let’s just count five hundred sheep while we wait.”

“No.”

Black Weasel drew the axe strapped to his waist.

“I feel bad about this, but I have no choice. Get up now.”

“Five hundred sheep!”

“Not even five! Die, servant!”

He brought down his axe. It was as quick as a bird swooping through a torrent. Silver opened his arms and stepped in front of Wolf.

“Huh…?”

Black Weasel’s eyelids twitched. The axe suddenly stopped in midair. Silver couldn’t believe his eyes either. At some point, Wolf had seized Black Weasel’s wrist holding the axe. Even the sound of his feet hitting the ground was omitted, as if he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, erasing even the act of movement.

Black Weasel’s pupils rolled left and right.

“Servant. You’re unharmed?”

Wolf slowly raised his head. His amber-colored eyes held a coldness unlike anything seen before.

[Don’t touch Silver.]

Wolf’s voice was sharp as cutting metal. Black Weasel’s eyes narrowed.

“You hear that? Did you just order me around? Alright, let’s say I’m trying to kill Silver. What could you possibly do about it… Ah! I see.”

Black Weasel glanced at the arm Wolf was holding, and chuckled bitterly. Wolf’s fingers tightened around his wrist, almost as if they were going to rip it off. Silver quickly stood up.

“Stop it, Wolf! You’ve come to your senses, that’s enough!”

[Put down the axe.]

[This won’t do. You die here.]

[Bingapsu! Hold back! Wolf, you step back too!]

No matter how much he shouted, Wolf wouldn’t release Black Weasel’s wrist. Silver placed his hand on the back of Wolf’s hand and stared at him.

[Wolf. Stop it.]

At last, Wolf’s eyelids fluttered slightly. He blinked as he looked down at Silver’s hand resting on his own, then raised his gaze alone to glare at Black Weasel. His breath reached Silver’s cheek. It was hot as fire.

After a moment, Wolf lowered his head. He released Black Weasel’s arm and stepped back silently.