The blade glittering beneath the chandelier’s light reflected Ren’s sleeping face. The reflected light, brighter than moonlight, shone white and lingered over Ren’s face. The sharpened edge looked as if it would slice through skin with the slightest graze.
The chill and desire crawling up through the sword’s hilt...
This sword wanted blood.
Giselle raised the sword and took his stance. His upper body sank low, the blade poised as if it could thrust at any moment, and his hair swayed quietly.
The sword moved without a sound, then stopped beneath Ren’s throat and trembled. The sword’s cry traveled straight up his arm.
Just when it seemed the sword would draw back, it changed direction and cut through Ren’s collar. With the chilling sound of fabric being sliced, the blade shivered as if delighted. A single line of blood flowed along Ren’s collarbone.
Bright red blood.
Giselle was observing the sight closely when—
“What the hell are you doing?”
Verdi’s horrified voice accused him.
“You’re awake?”
Facing those wide-open dark blue eyes, Giselle spoke as if nothing had happened. As though he had already known Verdi was conscious.
“Are you insane? Giselle? What are you doing right now? Ugh.”
“Don’t move rashly. You’re barely recovering, so don’t try to show off either.”
Giselle sneered and fully withdrew the sword. Only after seeing the blade slide back into its sheath with a shing did Verdi’s complexion improve.
“What on earth... You’ve gotten even stranger while I wasn’t looking.”
The eyes staring blankly at him held regret from the past. Giselle did not avoid that gaze, but the feeling in his eyes was nothing like Verdi’s, which was tracing back through old memories. Perhaps noticing that, a bitter smile hovered around Verdi’s mouth.
“Who is this kid? Why did you put him beside me? Don’t tell me he’s some kind of human sacrifice.”
“Well. Who knows how you woke up?”
“What?! You... ugh!”
“Stay still. Unless you want every wound to burst open and fall back into a coma.”
When Giselle gave a faint laugh, Verdi’s deathly pale complexion finally improved. He placed a hand on his chest, as if trying to gauge how deep his wounds were. Giselle could clearly feel Verdi infusing authority into his own body. The flow of air seemed to change, and then a small vortex was sucked into Verdi’s body.
“How the hell am I alive?”
Verdi looked utterly baffled. Giselle shrugged.
“So, how was I taken down?”
“Verdi. Is that not what I should be asking you?”
“I can’t remember. It’s like the memory got cut out.”
“If you rest quietly, it will probably come back. You were gravely wounded on your way back to the royal castle. Since you had nearly reached the gates, the soldiers were able to bring you in.”
“Hah. I don’t remember. Damn it!”
Verdi struck the bed with his fist. The furniture seemed to resonate from that light blow. His gaze was caught by the bed beside him, which trembled under the vibration, and Verdi’s expression turned sour.
“So who is this kid?”
There was a subtle awkwardness in his question. A nuance that suggested he hoped the boy was not who he was guessing.
When Giselle gave no answer, Verdi struggled to raise himself and looked down at the boy lying there.
Blood was still flowing from his collarbone, unstopped.
Blond hair dazzling enough to seem cut from noon sunlight and pasted there, and a face whiter than blank paper. A thin frame, skin barely clinging over it. A dry body and gaunt cheeks. But none of those things could hide the boy’s beauty.
Supporting his enormous weight with one hand as he lifted his upper body, Verdi’s face hardened. His dark blue eyes turned toward Giselle with faint contempt and anger.
“Did you bring in some pretty little bedwarmer? You crazy bastard.”
At the words that came out of Verdi’s mouth, Giselle’s body flinched for an instant. His gaze gradually turned pathetic as he stared hard at Verdi. Verdi, who had been glaring back into those eyes, finally flinched.
“Ah. No?”
“...”
“S-Sorry.”
Verdi groaned with an embarrassed look. Only then did his forcibly raised body seem to hurt. The bandages wrapped around his abdomen were stained with blood.
Smelling the metallic scent of blood drifting through the air, Giselle sighed.
“You have quite the sense for things.”
“Then who is he? It’s a face I’ve never seen before. I’ve been stationed at the royal castle for ages, so if he’s someone I don’t know, doesn’t that mean he has nothing to do with this side at all?”
Verdi frowned. Giselle looked at him with an unreadable gaze. Verdi knew perfectly well that he had crossed the threshold of death, and yet he was endlessly calm.
“He is someone who has become involved now.”
“Who is he? Some ‘secret weapon’ of the Heroes?”
Verdi grinned as though amused. He lowered his voice meaningfully as he mentioned a secret weapon, but he himself knew best. If such a thing had existed, they would not have been clinging to bodies that could break at any time. He was one of the few who properly knew the secret the Heroes had only guessed at.
“It would be nice if he could extend our remaining lifespans, at least. I’ve actually been interested in farming lately. If he could give me just ten more years, farming would be worth trying. Eating something grown from land I worked with my own hands. Isn’t that rather romantic?”
Deep regret was buried in his voice. Since Giselle could guess what lay behind it, he laughed quietly.
“It seems you want to wash the blood from your hands.”
“...Well.”
Verdi did not particularly deny it.
“Enough useless talk. So who is he? How long are you going to keep joking?”
A faint pain mixed into his voice. He was joking and speaking calmly as though nothing was wrong, but this was Verdi, who had gone to the threshold of death and returned. The pain from wounds that had only just begun to knit together must have been beyond imagination.
“Temar’s younger brother.”
“Ah, I see. Temar’s younger... what?! Temar’s younger brother? Ah...! I see! Good heavens!”
Verdi shouted so fussily that his face twisted badly, as if his wounds had opened further. But apparently he had no intention of lying down and resting; Verdi forced his upper body up and finally sat on the bed. Even that single action made cold sweat stream down him, and in that short time, his back became soaked.
His thick legs came down from the bed, and the soles of his feet touched the soft carpet. Verdi bent far forward and stared hard at the sleeping Ren.
“This kid is Temar’s younger brother? They’re too different, aren’t they? I’d sooner believe he was Luman’s younger brother.”
Seeing Giselle remain silent, Verdi shook his head.
“No way. That giant’s younger brother is this delicate? Can I touch him?”
Verdi glanced at Giselle, gauging his reaction. His hand, which had stretched out as though to take Ren’s, quickly changed direction.
“Wait. Why did you wound him? Your friend’s younger brother.”
Verdi brought up again the matter he had lightly passed over when he thought Ren was a stranger.
Verdi was probably the only one among the Heroes who could say the word “friend” so casually. The faint regret on his face was like the dregs of emotion that always clung to him whenever he mentioned that word. Giselle knew well enough that Verdi had mourned his comrades who had gone before him at every moment throughout his life.
At the look in Verdi’s eyes turning truly murderous this time, Giselle lied calmly.
“My hand slipped.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“It’s true. You had only just woken up, so you didn’t see properly.”
Hearing that, it did seem somewhat possible. If he had meant to kill the boy, he would not have done it right beside Verdi. Verdi looked at Giselle with suspicious eyes, then sighed. The sigh he let out with his head hanging low was extremely heavy.
“Treat him properly, then. That sword feels foul.”
Sweat dripped down the bridge of Verdi’s nose. He was holding a conversation with Giselle as if nothing were wrong, but his physical state was terrible. If not for the spirit of a strong Hero with immense resistance to pain, he would probably have been screaming his head off from the moment he woke.
“More importantly. Did everyone leave for the battlefield?”
“Yes. While you were sleeping soundly, everyone busily departed. In the end, even I got tied down here.”
“You really do mock people in such a kind tone.”
Verdi smiled bitterly.
“I’m sorry. I can’t even remember where I was attacked.”
“How careless.”
Giselle lightly scolded him. Verdi lifted his head and smiled faintly.
“It must be time to sharpen the blade. This may be the last.”
“That is for me to worry about.”
“Giselle. There’s no need to resist the flow.”
Verdi slowly shook his head.
