HEO 67

Silver clasped his hands behind his back, lost in thought. It was time to deliver the bad news to Wolf. He had to tell him when the prince wasn’t around.

No… Maybe it would be better if the prince knew?

After all, if he understood the situation, Red Eagle would probably beg White Deer to spare Wolf. But the chances of that plea working were slim. To White Deer, her son was nothing more than a piece of old furniture she wanted to get rid of immediately.

But he had to do something.

[Hey, Wolf. Bad news.]

[Huh?]

Wolf looked up. Red Eagle, who had been fiddling with the loose threads on the hem of his robe, also turned to look this way. Just then, the ceiling thudded and shook. Silver unclasped his hands and got to the point.

[Bingapsu demanded you, Wolf, instead of coins for the payment.]

[What? Why?!]

Red Eagle’s eyes widened. The blood drained from Wolf’s face.

[It’s a long story. Anyway, this is bad news.]

[Could you at least tell me why that old man wants Wolf…?]

[He plans to drag me off to that murderous old hag, have the two of them torture me together, and eventually bury me in a pit.]

Wolf interjected in a flat, monotone voice. Red Eagle gasped.

[What on earth are you talking about, Wolf! A murderous old hag?]

[Like Silver said, it’s a long story. The point is, that old man wants to kill me.]

[Wait a minute!]

Red Eagle raised a hand.

[Silver, let me ask you one thing. Did my mother accept the request?]

[Gladly. That’s why I said it was bad news, you broken cart.]

[Ah…]

Red Eagle swallowed dryly.

[Alright, I’ll persuade my mother. Silver, you translate for me.]

[That won’t be hard. But your mom might refuse. We need to secure an alternate escape route.]

[An alternate escape route?]

Wolf replied in a whisper. Silver scratched the dusty floorboards with his fingertips.

[That murderous old hag’s lair is close by. A week by ferry? I’ll look for a chance to escape while we’re heading that way. Wolf, you just keep running without looking back. Prince, if you have any valuables, hand them over now. We need money for the fare.]

Red Eagle pulled out his pocket watch without hesitation.

[Wolf, take this. From now on, it’s yours.]

[You’re going to run away with me too, right, Silver?]

Wolf abruptly asked with his gaze fixed on him.

Silver couldn’t speak. It felt as if his tongue had turned to tar and stuck to the roof of his mouth. How could he not even manage a simple “No”?

Wolf’s gaze never left Silver’s eyes. Silver didn’t look away; he met his gaze. Wolf’s eyes… were searching for something. No, he was trying to extract the answer he wanted. He’d learned somewhere that if he stared with unwavering eyes for long enough, his opponent would eventually falter.

Judging by this, Wolf wasn’t just some guy who begged for mercy. He knew how to push his opponent to the limit, as long as he stayed within the boundaries. Quietly, yet with an undeniable pressure.

But unfortunately for him, his opponent was Silver. A gutter beast who spent every day locked in stares and verbal sparring with a hired assassin.

He pushed. He pulled. He pressed down.

He shoved. He held his ground. He fought back.

In the end, Wolf didn’t get what he wanted. The light in his eyes faded. His shoulders sagged like a worn-out sail.

[Hey!]

Only then did Silver speak.

[I have to keep an eye on Bingapsu. If you get caught while running away, you’ll die right there.]

[What about you? You won’t come out of this unscathed either.]

[I won’t die.]

Silver replied firmly. He hoped he sounded confident to Wolf’s ears.

[I’ll get you out of here as fast as I can. If you follow the river, you’ll reach Morgan in ten days. You understand why I can’t leave with you, right? Your destination is obvious. Bingapsu will get there first and be waiting for you.]

[Wolf. I’ll wait.]

Red Eagle gripped Wolf’s hand tightly.

[Let’s go to Atania together. We promised we’d be together when we return.]

“……”

After a moment of silence, Wolf spoke.

[Wait just ten days. If I haven’t arrived by then, forget me. You must erase the existence of your foster brother, Wolf, from your mind.]

[Wolf! Don’t say that!]

[I don’t have the confidence to protect myself from him.]

A bitter smile twisted Wolf’s lips.

[He’s strong. You saw that yourself, Your Highness.]

[Don’t give up so easily. We can just team up! The two of you can take him down!]

A combined attack. At that single phrase, lightning flashed before his eyes. The gears in Silver’s head screeched to a halt, then immediately began turning in the opposite direction. Fuck! Why didn’t I think of that sooner?

Silver slammed his fist into his own thigh.

[That’s not a bad idea! Wolf, you’re a good fighter. ]

[Huh?]

Wolf’s face, as he flinched, looked strangely pale. Silver stretched one arm out into the air.

[Just once! Let’s make that guy hit the ground just once. If you try to win, your greed will get the better of you and you’ll end up making a mistake, so let’s set a modest goal. You know that, right?]

[I don’t… know about that… Silver, I really… can’t fight…]

[Save the modesty for after the feast. Now’s not the time to be humble. Bingapsu isn’t stupid, he’ll expect us to team up. I’ll attack first. Then you jump in. The moment he lands on his butt, you run!]

[You can do it! If you work together, you can take him down!]

Red Eagle clenched his fist and shouted. Wolf lowered his head as if he were a man heading to the gallows. Silver slapped Wolf’s shoulder.

[I know, our opponent is Bingapsu. Your big balls must have shrunk to the size of walnuts by now. But don’t be scared. I’ll handle all the hard parts.]

[……Silver. If I were stronger than him, everything would’ve been over a long time ago. No one would’ve made an issue of it, right?]

[This is Stoll.]

Silver shrugged.

[Even if I cut off Bingapsu’s head right now in front of the warriors, it wouldn’t be a problem. Though someone might complain about who’s going to clean the blood off the deck.]

[Even if our combined attack succeeds… you won’t run away with me.]

[Hey. As for that issue, I already explained…]

[Let’s kill him together.]

[Huh?]

Silver blinked. Did I just hear that wrong?

No, that wasn’t it. Red Eagle covered his mouth with one hand while his eyes rolled from side to side. Silence. Only the ceiling beams creaked in time with the deck’s vibrations. Fine dust floated like a swarm of fish in the lamplight.

[Let’s kill the old man together.]

Wolf said it as casually as if he was reciting the evening menu. He meant it. There was no doubt about it, naked murderous intent pierced through his voice. Sharp as a butcher’s knife that could sever bone in a single stroke.

Silver turned to look at Black Weasel through Wolf’s gaze. A murderer. One who splits a human skull with an axe as casually as cracking a boiled egg for breakfast. If he were a man of Stoll, he’d slit anyone’s belly and never lose a wink of sleep for the rest of his life. Yet there was something odd about seeing a stuffy Atanian boy display such intention to kill.

[Have you become a Stoll already? You adapt quickly.]

Silver spoke with feigned jest. Wolf’s face remained expressionless.

[If we just kill him, you won’t face retaliation. I can travel to Morgan Harbor with peace of mind. It’s a rational solution in every way.]

Logically, he wasn’t wrong. If Black Weasel weren’t his biological father, Silver would have been the first to suggest killing him to Wolf.

[I won’t beg you to come to Atania with me. I’m just saying we should kill him. Still not interested?]

Silver’s lips trembled, then closed. His voice felt like a fishbone. Every time he tried to speak, it caught in his throat.

Wolf stared silently at Silver. The lamplight distorted the boy’s face into a strange relief. His jawline grew sharper, his eyes buried in shadow. The veins winding around his firm neck stood out more prominently. He looked like a different person from the one Silver met today.

A stifling silence followed. Even Red Eagle, like a spectator at a duel, held his breath. Silver gripped the hem of his robe tightly. He had to say something. Quickly. Anything.

The solution was simple. “Bingapsu is my biological father.” Just saying those words would end it all. But…

It’s humiliating! How could I possibly tell Wolf that the man trying to kill him is actually my biological father!