SWY 128

“Oh, Sharhan! It really is you. You’re alive. I’m so glad… truly glad.”

His uncle’s voice was full of the kind of joy one might feel when reuniting with family after a tragic separation.

“……”

Sharhan stared at him with a sneer. His uncle squirmed like a worm, struggling to sit up and move closer.

“Come here, help me untie this.”

He held out his bound arms and legs, asking Sharhan to free him. Sharhan approached slowly and crouched down.

How many years had it been? Three? It had been a long time. His uncle’s face was gaunt, covered in grime, and reeked of filth and sweat.

Sharhan recalled the last time he’d seen his uncle, draped in expensive robes, flaunting himself like a high noble while sitting in the seat that had once belonged to Sharhan’s parents.

“And why are you here, exactly?”

Sharhan had always imagined that if they met again, he’d be overwhelmed with rage and beat him to a pulp. But now, face to face with him like some ambushed prey, Sharhan’s mind was colder than ever.

Though an icy chill radiated from Sharhan’s body, his uncle didn’t seem to notice, or maybe he was desperately pretending not to.

“The moving corpses overran the castle. Alec and I, along with a few knights, packed what we could and fled. But then the damn knights turned on us, stole our supplies, and ran off on their own! Can you believe it? Knights abandoning their lord! I barely escaped with my life, only to be captured and dragged here by these bastards.”

As his uncle raged bitterly, Sharhan could only laugh, bitterly. It was heartbreaking. He had expected things in Katun to be bad, but hearing it for himself twisted his stomach.

‘The castle… it must be full of the undead now.’

And if the castle was like that, how much worse must things be for the people of the territory? Sharhan clenched his eyes shut, then opened them.

“You didn’t think traitors would betray you again? Crying over disloyal knights, how ridiculous.”

“B-betray? What do you mean, betray? When did they ever–?”

“They stood behind you instead of the rightful heir. That’s betrayal.”

“Y-you’re talking about yourself? But I’m your uncle. And you were still a child then–”

“You think that excuse still works on me?”

Sharhan smiled coldly as he watched his uncle stammer, eyes darting in search of something to say. Then Sharhan stood and kicked him over by the shoulder, stomping on his chest.

Thud. His uncle coughed violently, the first sign of fear appearing in his eyes.

“I-I’m your uncle–”

“You’re my enemy, Frank Kaios. Do you think I don’t know you faked an accident and killed my parents?”

His uncle swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing visibly, and began to tremble.

“I-I didn’t do it!”

“I’m not naïve enough to believe that. You’re worse than vermin. You betrayed the parents who took you in as a blood brother, faked their deaths in an ‘accident,’ and stole the family that should have come to me. You even tried to harm Iris. You destroyed everything.”

Sharhan pressed harder with his foot, crushing his uncle’s chest. The man gasped, on the verge of suffocation, and Sharhan sneered as he watched his face twist with fear.

“P-please… spare me…”

“Why would I? I’m not merciful enough to let my parents’ murderer live. If I killed you right now, it still wouldn’t be enough. And you’re begging for your life? Have you no shame?”

“Sharhan… please, I’m your uncle…”

“Oh, you said you escaped with Alec, right? Is Alec dead?”

“……”

The way he clamped his mouth shut meant Alec was alive.

“Maybe I should capture Alec and kill him right in front of you. That way, you’d understand a little of what I felt losing my parents.”

“Don’t you dare touch Alec!”

“You call yourself a parent? But since you took someone precious from me, I should kill someone precious to you. That’s fair–”

“N-no! It wasn’t me! It was the Marquis of Ailun who did it! I… I only followed his orders–!”

Just then, Lestel approached, having finished untying Derry.

“Sharhan.”

Lestel’s voice was calm. His uncle turned to him. Upon recognizing the silver-haired figure, his eyes widened in shock.

“Lestel Ailun?”

“I don’t think this is the time for pleasantries.”

Lestel’s voice was filled with disgust as he looked down at the man. His uncle stared back at Sharhan and Lestel standing side by side, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“You… you two, together–how…”

“Is it so strange that I’m with Sharhan?”

Their conversation faded into a distant buzz, like a swarm of bees in Sharhan’s ears.

‘It wasn’t me, it was the Marquis of Ailun!’

What had his uncle just said? That his parents’ deaths had been orchestrated by the Marquis of Ailun?

Sharhan had suspected as much, but hearing it aloud shook him like a rockslide crashing down from above. He couldn’t breathe.

It was the warmth at his fingertips that brought him back, Lestel’s warmth. He looked down to find Lestel firmly holding his frozen hand, gently squeezing it.

“Your hand’s freezing.”

Lestel’s voice was as gentle as ever, his touch warm. But Sharhan instinctively pulled his hand away.

“Sharhan.”

“Later… we’ll talk later. Not now… I need to deal with this first…”

Barely managing a few words between ragged breaths, Sharhan turned away and clenched his fist tight.

‘I have to ask. I have to know.’

He had to find out if Lestel already knew that the Marquess of Ailun had orchestrated his parents’ deaths. Now that the name had come out of his uncle’s mouth, there were no more excuses, no more delays.

‘Why… when my uncle mentioned your father, you didn’t even flinch… I have to ask.’

As if someone had blocked his nose and mouth, Sharhan struggled to breathe and finally took a deep breath before heading toward Derry. The water had helped, Derry looked slightly better than before.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m alright.”

“You don’t look alright. You can be honest.”

“…Actually, I’m in pain.”

“They beat you?”

Derry nodded, took another sip of water, and said,

“They must’ve been afraid I’d use magic. They kept hitting me to keep me unconscious. Sometimes they’d say they’d let me live if I joined them, but when I refused, they beat me again. I was out of it most of the time… I couldn’t cast anything.”

His nose turned red as if he were about to cry. He had clearly lost a lot of weight from malnutrition.

“You did well.”

Sharhan hugged Derry and patted his back before standing. The storehouse was full of sobs. Families who had found each other wept in each other’s arms. Those who hadn’t found theirs clung to fellow hostages and cried. Ardelle was counting the children over and over, sobbing loudly in relief. Fortunately, none were missing.

“We’ll need to stay here until morning, won’t we?”

Samson, eyes red from crying, approached with a smile.

“Yes. From the sound of things, more corpses are approaching.”

Outside, they could hear shouting.

“They’re coming! Shit, run!”

“Looks like everyone’s starving… Should we feed them first? Thankfully, there’s plenty of food.”

On the opposite side of the room, a large pile of supplies was stacked up. The crying had died down, and many were now glancing hungrily at the food, hesitant to move without permission.

“Let’s do that. Samson, tell them.”

“Me? Alright. …Everyone, there’s food over there. Please, help yourselves.”

Samson’s voice was kind, but no one moved. Embarrassed, he repeated, “It’s alright. Eat as much as you like.” Only then did a couple of people slowly stand. When they saw the first two open a sack and start eating dried corn, the rest rushed forward.

“I’ll bring some for the kids. Stay here.”

Ardelle dashed off and gathered food, handing it out to the children. She also called over the ones without families, offering them food with a kind smile and filling their tiny hands.

Sharhan brought two potatoes to Derry. He knew eating raw potatoes on an empty stomach could cause trouble, but they had no fire. Even so, the storehouse grew quiet as people focused on eating.

Everyone’s faces gradually lit up with relief and satisfaction, except one.

Sharhan turned away from his uncle’s desperate, pleading stare, a look filled with both despair and a faint glimmer of hope.

“Why did you take the children?”