HEO 53

Black Weasel flew into a rage.

[You little bastard! You hogging the harp all to yourself? Come here! I’ll finish you off!]

“Shut up, idiot! Just leave already!”

Silver stepped in front of Black Weasel.

“The clown’s rotating! How many rotation does it have left? Two? One?”

“Don’t stop me, Sil…! Rotations? I don’t know?”

[…Wolf. How many rotations does the clown have left?]

Silver massaged his temples and looked at Wolf. The latter had turned away, looking down at the stone spike.

[Four left.]

The voice spoke just in time.

〔The clown begins its tenth rotation.〕

“Right, Silver! How long did it take you to get here?”

Only then did Black Weasel ask with an “Oh! Shit!” expression. Silver glared at Black Weasel out of the corner of his eye.

“You’re asking that now? I got here in just one rotation. There’s plenty of time to go back.”

Silver nodded toward the rock pillars. Black smoke rose from various spots like fog.

“Over there. It’s a straight line all the way. Just eighteen jumps and you’re at the door.”

“Oh! That’s a piece of cake. Lead the way, Silver! Let’s run like the wind!”

Black Weasel spun one arm in a circle. Silver, who had taken a step forward, turned back. Wolf was still in the same position, his back to them while staring down below.

They crossed one swamp only to face another. Beads of sweat formed on Silver’s forehead. Wolf…

“Silver, give it up. That guy won’t make it all the way.”

Black Weasel snorted. He seemed to see right through Silver’s thoughts.

“We have to jump across without any acceleration. It’s easy for us, but it’s hard for that guy. He might make it three or four times, but he won’t make it all the way.”

[…Wolf. Just skip eighteen times and you’ll reach the door. Can you do it?]

Even though he knew he couldn’t, Silver asked the question. Wolf slowly turned around. His face was expressionless. His mouth was strangely twisted.

“Silver! Cut it out, you idiot!”

Black Weasel frowned.

“This master let it slide once for your sake. Not twice! If you don’t leave now, I’ll cut the servant’s throat.”

He wasn’t joking. Black Weasel aimed his axe at Wolf.

“Run. Now!”

[Silver. Leave first.]

Wolf opened his mouth as if to block Black Weasel. His subsequent words made Silver flinch.

[I’ll follow you. To the end.]

Silver couldn’t say anything. The same question kept swirling on the tip of his tongue. “Can you really follow me to the end?”

Black Weasel stomped his boot on the floor.

“Silver, I said don’t waste time! Run!”

[Silver. Leave!]

Wolf raised his voice too.

[I’ll follow you to the end! We’re… friends!]

Silver froze. The moment the word ‘friends’ came out of Wolf’s mouth, it felt like suddenly slipping on ice. Friends.

A fleeting memory surfaced. What he had said to Wolf, who kept urging him to leave for Atania.

–You’re overstepping your bounds right now.

To which Wolf had calmly retorted.

–Friends can overstep their bounds.

Now he understood. Wolf’s intrusive meddling, which had been a nuisance back then, now made perfect sense. His palms were sweaty, his breathing was rapid, and his chest was tight. He must feel the same as a man dangling from a cliff. Just like Silver now.

“Silver! Run! Leave that bastard behind!”

Black Weasel raised his axe.

“Final warning! Run on the count of three! Three―.”

This wasn’t a threat. There was no more time.

Damn it. Damn it.

Damn it!

Silver looked at Wolf one last time. The latter nodded vigorously to reassure him. In that brief, very brief moment, a whirlwind of thoughts swirled through Silver’s mind. The woman with the eye patch falling down the stone spile. The image of Wolf falling like that too. Yet he still hoped that Wolf would follow him to the end…

“Two!”

Silver took a step back. Two more steps.

Follow me. Wolf.

“One!”

He lowered his body.

The void passed beneath his feet.

***

Silver pierced through the black smoke and landed.

“Silver!”

Black Weasel landed beside him. The stone floor crumbled, spitting out dust. Silver turned his head. In the distance, Wolf jumping over the rock pillars came into view. His movements were more agile than expected.

If he keeps this up, he might make it all the way?

“Don’t look back. If you’re unlucky, you might see the servant fall off the pillar. –Jump!”

Black Weasel leaped through the air. Silver clenched his jaw and followed.

“Wow! This feels great!”

Black Weasel flailed his arms as he soared through the air. He landed with a heavy sound.

“But this sucks. I wasn’t trying to kill Silver, I was after that bastard. Now he’s got this stupid misunderstanding. Does that servant think I’m some kind of monster?”

“Like hell. You think he sees you as a saint?”

“What I mean is, he sees me as more than just a bad guy.”

“That’s right. You are more than just a bad guy.”

“That’s true.”

The two exchanged idle banter as they jumped the five or six paces of the distance. Sweat gradually formed on Silver’s forehead. His thoughts drifted backward. Was Wolf still keeping up? Or had he fallen? Had he lost his footing and fallen into the darkness?

Silver’s chest heaved. His body trembled and his breathing grew rough, like a rookie warrior facing his first battle. Black Weasel raised one eyebrow.

“Silver, you again… Fuck, I told you to stop worrying about the servant! Cut out the useless thoughts and make a bet with me instead.”

“I’m not in the mood for that.”

“I’ll make you feel like it. Will the servant make it to the end, or not? What do you say? I’ll bet ten gold coins he would.”

“……”

Silver looked at Black Weasel the corner of his eye. The latter was leaping to the opposite stone spikes, matching Silver’s speed.

“This is easier than I thought. Much simpler than scaling cave walls. Plus, we’ve got plenty of time. With four turns left, the servant has ample time to catch his breath and follow. Heh!”

Black Weasel landed on the stone spike and glanced at Silver.

“I’m winning this bet no matter what. So you just keep guiding the way diligently. Got it, you filthy disobedient slave?”

“…Hmph.”

Silver spat out a curse. Black Weasel was trying to reassure Silver with his bet talk. Shameless bastard, acting like he’s some kind of father figure.

“Fine.”

Silver jumped with all his might as he spoke. Beyond the smoke swirling in the wind, the rock pillar on the other side, barely visible, drew dangerously close. In the blink of an eye, his foot landed on the rock pillar.

“But switch sides. You bet he won’t make it. I’ll bet that he will.”

“Damn it, let’s just make a different bet then. How many rotations it’ll take the servant to arrive. I say three.”

“I say two and a half, plus half a rotation more.”

“Whoa, precise! Switch bets with me! I’ll take two and a half plus half a turn too!”

“No way, bastard.”

As they bickered, the door drew nearer. Red Eagle standing on the stone spike came into view.

Red Eagle raised both arms and shouted.

[Wolf!]

Silver flinched at the sound. Just as the thought of something occurred to him, a cold wind blew past his side. A fluttering black shadow obscured Silver’s vision. Without even a moment to blink, the shadow plummeted down and stood on the rock. It was Wolf.

No way!

Silver’s eyes widened in shock. Black Weasel’s expression probably wasn’t much different. The moment he landed on the rock pillar, the voice spoke.

〔The clown’s tenth rotation has ended.〕

〔The clown begins its eleventh rotation.〕

[Wolf! Wolf!]

Red Eagle hugged Wolf and wept. Wolf smiled while stroking Red Eagle’s back. Before the touching reunion of prince and servant, the assassin and his assistant were forzen like portraits on the wall. They were so stunned they couldn’t speak.

Before the clown could even complete one full rotation, Wolf had already made it.

Was this what it felt like to charge into enemy lines with an axe, only to find the enemy had already taken the fortress and planted their victory banner? Only the question ‘How?’ spun round and round in Silver’s head.

How did Wolf get ahead of us? How did the guy who started last manage to…? Strange, he was far worse than me at climbing cave walls? Did I accidentally step on one more pillar midway? Huh, maybe… that guy changed direction and took a shortcut…? But was there even a shortcut here?