Chapter 125: In Search of a Scream (2)
“This is the village where I surrendered myself.”
It was a scene vividly etched in his memory. This was the village where, after Ronan had killed a certain individual, he surrendered himself, and was then taken to the Punishment Squad.
Ronan slowly surveyed his surroundings. Puddles of water dotted the streets, perhaps from the rain the day before. Ronan squatted by one of the puddles, looking at his appearance.
‘…I could easily be mistaken for a beggar.’
Ronan chuckled, recalling the events that had happened just awhile ago. The clothes draped over his body were tattered, however the holes didn’t even stand out due to them being covered in muddy water.
During his days of wandering, this was his usual attire. His face seemed a bit sharper, perhaps a result of the years he spent in the Punishment Squad. He never expected that it would change not only his surroundings but also his body.
‘Everything seems just like back then. What was the name of this village again?’
The village was well-constructed, with bustling streets and plenty of pedestrians. At the end of a road that extended further outside the village, a castle stood tall.
Although it was laughable compared to the imperial palace, it was still a castle nonetheless. Ronan, seeing the family flag hanging on the watchtower, snapped his fingers.
‘That’s right. This place was ruled by Baron Dantel, I think.’
Memories flooded back as he recalled going there to complete the enlistment process for the Punishment Squad. There was also a scene of the Baron, who was usually occupied with affairs, as came by and went on a rampage, demanding that Ronan be killed with his own hands.
‘If the recruitment officer hadn’t intervened, I would’ve killed that bastard too. Nostalgia.’
Ronan twisted his lips, recalling the past. Since he had also killed the Baron’s son, it wasn’t particularly unusual.
“What are you trying to show me this time?”
Ronan stood up. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself. The slightly humid air carried the savory scent of bread being baked.
Perhaps because it was a more powerful curse, the Mental World seemed much more intricately detailed. Just like when he first entered Nimberton, it was challenging to distinguish between reality and this realm.
“Hey, what are you doing in the street, you filthy bart?”
“If you don’t want to get beaten until your pants are soiled, go back to where you came from.”
“Heeik…! This is why beggars these days…”
Even the disdainful gazes from passersby toward his beggar-like appearance felt overwhelmingly real. Ronan’s gaze, scanning the surroundings, halted at one particular spot.
“Hmm?”
“Hehe, eat a lot.”
A little girl in an apron was crouching down. She looked about seven or eight years old.
Each time she grinned, it revealed the tooth missing from her front teeth. However, what caught Ronan’s attention wasn’t the missing tooth.
“Hmm?”
A well-built dog was eating bread in front of the girl with its head down. Its elegantly wagging tail hinted at a familiar presence. Ronan chuckled.
“Where have I seen that dog before…?”
The slim back seemed oddly familiar. Then the dog, who had finished eating the bread, raised its head.
“All done? Good boy.”
“…Huh?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. It couldn’t be helped. With a sharp, wolf-like face and a left ear which was half cut off, the vivid blue eyes, too striking to befit a dog, left no room for doubt. The dog began licking the girl’s face.
“Ahaha, it tickles!”
Ronan couldn’t have imagined meeting like this. He managed to utter a few words after standing dumbfounded for a while.
“…Cita.”
“Woof?”
The dog that was licking the girl turned to look at Ronan. Seeing the dumbfounded look in its eyes, Ronan became absolutely certain that this darn dog was indeed Cita.
Cita, Ronan’s original companion, who once roamed alongside Ronan for about a year, met his demise at the hands of poachers. In a way, he was one of the main reasons for Ronan’s enlistment in the Punishment Squad.
“Hey, you…”
It was a reunion after several decades. He was trying to say something when a loud, woman’s shout came from afar.
“Hey! Camilla! I have some errands for you to run. What are you doing there?”
“Ah, coming!”
The startled girl got up. Across the street, a middle-aged woman, seemingly her mother or employer, stood with her hands on her hips, eyeing the girl. The girl, stroking Cita for one last time, ran towards the boulevard.
“Hehe, I’ll go now. Bye!”
She skillfully navigated through the bustling street, filled with numerous carts and people. Cita, done with the bread, quietly sat next to Ronan.
“…How have you been?”
“Woof.”
“You little bastard. While your owner was getting beaten by beggars, you’re comfortably eating bread.”
“Woof woof.”
Cita pretended not to hear and scratched her ear with its hind leg. Ronan chuckled. He had momentarily forgotten that this was how this fellow always was.
Although they traveled together due to mutual convenience on their journey, they didn’t have a master-servant relationship. If he wanted, he could have been more of an unassuming travel companion, always ready to take his own personal actions. Even this shamelessly audacious demeanor seemed adorable in its own way, a reminder of how much he missed the old days.
Conveniently, there was a butcher shop nearby. Ronan bought a few sausages with the coins he took from the pig and offered it to Cita. Even though his tasks were already set, there was no harm in enjoying it along the way.
“I’ll give you this, so help me out.”
“Woof!”
Cita barked as if telling Ronan to trust him. Ronan picked up a stick and switched his power source. Thankfully, his abilities remained intact even without a sword. Sparkling mana climbed up the stick.
“Find the one that smells like this.”
“Woof.”
After allowing Cita to sniff the scent, Ronan changed his steps. He didn’t think tracking like this would work, but it didn’t hurt to try. He just wanted to be with this damn dog.
Ronan strolled with Cita through the village created by the Mental World. After devouring the sausage, Cita pressed its nose to the ground, diligently following the scent.
The true perpetrator of the curse had not yet revealed themselves. Ronan twisted his lips as he watched Cita’s back.
“By the way… The fact that you’re alive means that event hasn’t happened yet.”
“Woof?”
Suddenly, Ronan’s expression darkened. The incident that led to his enlistment in the Punishment Squad had occurred in this village.
“Even thinking about it again makes me mad.”
Though it was a distant past, the memory remained vivid. The sixth day of the crescent moon under the blue pine trees. It happened when Ronan was separated from Cita while they were in this village. It all started with witnessing a hasty carriage accident.
A crowd of about a hundred people gathered along the main street, bustling. A magnificent carriage stood in the middle of the road. A woman who seemed to be a mother clutched a torn sack with blood, crying inconsolably.
– Aaaah! Aaaah!!
It took Ronan a few seconds to realize that it was a person. The face and body of the child trampled by the horse’s hoof were barely recognizable.
Beside it lay Cita, pierced with arrows, lifeless. Four men and women were the ones who shot the arrows. They were giggling beside a young man who was kicking the stablehand’s groin, complaining about the carriage being dirtied. The disgusting conversation still lingered in Ronan’s ears.
– Why did that damn dog suddenly rush in? Could this be the dog owned by that woman?
– I don’t know. You owe me the beer since I hit it on the head.
No one among the onlookers extended a helping hand. Judging by the elegant attire, the young man seemed to hold a high position. Ronan, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, slowly approached. One of the archers narrowed his eyes.
– Huh? What’s this beggar doing now?
He couldn’t recall what happened next. All he remembered was that corpses were scattered around. The sword he held was completely shattered into pieces.
There were no spectators left. The heads of the young man and the archers were rolling at his feet. The bodies of the arrow shooters bore the emblem of the poaching organization, Kaliborro, symbolizing the chaos.
– Kaliborro…
Ronan began to loathe poachers since that incident. There were about nineteen armored men’s bodies lying around. Their armor bore the same pattern as the flag in the distance, pinned on the castle.
They were private soldiers of a noble family. That was when Ronan realized the young man was the son of Baron Dantel. Ronan stomped on the young man’s head, bursting it open, and then picked up Cita’s body.
It was the moment he buried Cita in the woods near the village. Suddenly, several guards appeared. The terrified voices flowed from their mouths as they aimed their spears at Ronan.
– D-Don’t move…! You monster!
Ronan dropped the sword without hesitation. Subdued without resistance, and recognized for his talent, he was spared the death penalty and was sent to the Punishment Squad instead.
“Damn it.”
It had been a while since he recalled that unpleasant story. He wasn’t sure how the Mental World would play out, but if he didn’t take any action, the incident might soon reoccur. Ronan shook his head.
“It’s not like it’s real anyway.”
If he moved with intention, there was a good chance he could prevent that accident. However, his goal wasn’t to toy with the past.
Just like before, all he had to do was wander around and when he found the culprit, eliminate them. As long as Cita stuck around, nibbling on sausages.
‘I won’t die in reality anyway. The future has already changed.’
After Ronan’s return, the Empire was undergoing significant changes. As Nebula Clazier’s viciousness rose to the surface, the noble world also experienced large-scale changes.
Nine out of ten incompetent bastards like Baron Dantel were deprived of their rights as lords. Accidents happen by coincidence, so the girl would not have died.
‘So, it has nothing to do with me.’
With that thought in mind, Ronan resumed his steps. The village under the blue sky was remarkably peaceful.
The scent of baking bread grew stronger. One step. Two steps. Ronan took exactly ten steps before stopping in his tracks.
“Ah, fuck.”
His foot didn’t move, as if glue was stuck to his soles. Even if it meant feeling dirty, he felt like he had to prevent that accident.
The problem was, he vaguely remembered the place, but he didn’t know what day it was. Then a familiar figure appeared, walking like a skeleton. Ronan’s expression brightened.
“Ahaha.”
He was the boy who was in cahoots with the pig that had been beaten by Ronan. Ronan crept closer and put his arm around his shoulders.
“Yo.”
“He-heeik! You, you!”
The skinny boy’s face turned deathly pale. He struggled hard to break free, but he couldn’t escape Ronan’s grip. Ronan tightened his arm around the boy and growled.
“Shut up. If you don’t want to end up like that pig, answer me properly. What day is it today?”
“Ke-keuh… what is this all this sudden…”
“What day is it?”
“Ugh…! I-It’s the fifth day of the crescent moon! Yes! That’s right!”
“What?”
Ronan furrowed his brow. It was the day the incident occurred.
‘No way.’
The worst scenario flashed through his mind. It could have been a simple mistake, but the girl who was giving bread to Cita seemed similar in stature to the woman holding the bloodied sack.
‘If that’s the case, then the reason this brat rushed in was…’
Cita might lack manners, but he was one to repay kindness received. Suddenly, Ronan realized the resemblance between the woman who was calling the little girl and the woman who was crying at the place where the incident had occurred.
‘What shitty luck.’
Ronan thought to himself, and threw all the remaining sausages in front of Cita.
“Wait here.”
“Woof.”
Cita obediently settled in place and began eating the sausages. It was a truly miserable development. Ronan immediately turned and started sprinting back to where the accident had occurred.
“No matter what damned curse it is…!”
Fortunately, it wasn’t too far away. The scenery around him quickly passed by. It was as Ronan turned a corner that screams erupted.
“Aaaaah!”
“Hey! It’s dangerous!”
A massive carriage was hurtling down the street, remarkably faster than the other carriages. The coachman, wearing a deeply pressed hat, was spitting curses at passersby.
“Ahahaha!”
“Fuck”
Ronan’s face stiffened. No matter what, fate always caught up with people. Along the road, not too far from the carriage’s path, the girl he had seen moments ago was collecting the bread scattered on the ground.
“One… Two…”
The distance between the carriage and her narrowed in an instant. The girl, belatedly hearing the hoofbeats, turned her head.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, a looming shadow covered the girl’s face. It was a shadow cast by the running horses.
“What’s this kid doing?”
The coachman spat out insults as if he had found an annoying stone. Clearly, there was no intention to stop. Ronan, who had just reached the main street, shouted with all his might.
“Stop, damn it!”
But his voice was drowned out by the screams of the crowd. It was too late to intervene directly. With all his strength, Ronan picked up a rolling stone from the ground. His arm disappeared from sight.
“Huh?”
Bang! The thrown stone hit the coachman’s head. The coachman fell from the carriage, leaving him unconscious. Kachwak! The sound of bones breaking rang out.. The reins were pulled, altering the carriage’s course.
“Neghhhh!”
“Watch out!”
The startled horses began to rampage. Though the speed slowed somewhat, it was still too far to rescue the girl.
‘Could it be that I can’t save her again this time?’
Ronan gritted his teeth. A shadow that had suddenly darted out passed by his side.
“Cita?”
“Woof!”
Rushing like the wind, Cita reached the girl in an instant. Just as the horse’s hooves were about to fall on her head, Cita bit the girl’s neck and threw her toward the roadside. Thud! Cita, hit by the horse, flew far away.
“……!”
Ronan’s eyes widened. The body of the flying dog tumbled on the ground. The girl, whose life he narrowly saved, rushed toward Cita.
“Woof!”
“Hnng… hmmg…”
Blood was flowing beneath the whimpering Cita lying on the ground. Something snapped in Ronan’s mind.
“You…”
It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a while. Anger reached its peak, feeling like water was boiling in his stomach. At that moment, the carriage came to a stop. An irritated voice came from inside the carriage.
“Why did we stop? What’s going on?”
Creak- A splendid door swung open, and a woman stepped out of the carriage. Surprisingly tall for a woman, she had a disgusted expression upon seeing the blood on the carriage.
“Disgusting.”
Her expression resembled that of someone observing a bug. As Ronan confirmed her face, he froze in place.
“What…”
“Tch, what’s with that beggar?”
The woman clicked her tongue as she made eye contact with Ronan. Her straight black hair reached down to her waist. Her outfit was different, but it was clear she was someone he knew. Ronan’s mouth opened quietly.
“…Sunbae?”
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