The dark and gloomy forest—due to the dark clouds—was unusually noisy. Wind caressed the leaves violently, as if heralding the rain, while the gloomy and creepy atmosphere grew each time it did that.

    Darkness wasn’t the only reason why a night at the forest was so dangerous. It was also because of its unique ferocity that only grew stronger at night.

    However…

    “This is the perfect weather to hide corpses.”

    As if this gloom and ferocity was familiar to him, a man, who was lying down on a rock as if it was a bed, found the gloomy forest comfortable.

    Pitter-! Patter-!

    Then, the rain began to fall. Before the man knew it, the raindrops’ intensity grew stronger, and the light drizzle turned into a downpour. However, he welcomed the rain. After all, this rain would trace both his sound and traces perfectly.

    “My luck is quite good today.”

    He muttered softly, enjoying the rain and the smell of the forest with his whole body.

    Step-!

    “There you are, all alone. Do you love your me-time that much?”

    But, the sound of muddy footsteps entered his ears, signifying that his alone time was over. He wasn’t surprised though. After all, he had already expected the owner of the footsteps to stop by.

    “Finally, you’re back. You’re late.”

    “…That’s just too much. I was out there working hard, while you’re here idling around.”

    “Each of us has our own roles to fulfill.”

    “What a glib tongue you have.”

    “…”

    The man didn’t criticize his colleague’s rude response. In his ears, it sounded like nothing but the chirping of a sparrow—something that he had always heard all his life.

    Of course, he wasn’t this generous to everyone.

    “You brought him here?”

    “Just his body.”

    “Still, that’s an amazing feat. You’re as great as always, Number 2.”

    The woman had wonderfully recovered the ‘priest’s body’ that he originally thought was lost underground, unable to be recovered. Though the priest was dead, considering the power in his body, it was still worth recovering even if it was a dangerous errand.

    ‘Treat those with ability with the same level of treatment and kindness.’

    That was the man’s motto, and the reason why he showered the woman with praises.

    However, the one who actually received that kindness could only react bashfully.

    “Call me Second Apostle. It’s been a hella long time since we changed our names, you know?”

    “Has it been so long already?”

    Time really flies…

    He muttered quietly to himself while the woman—Second Apostle—shook her head. This was something that she noticed but, sometimes, this man would do things that scholars would do, while other times, he’d act like a priest who gave out his earnest sermons.

    This was why his kind atmosphere and intelligent eyes didn’t fit in with the organization. Especially when his faint smile was incredibly attractive to look at.

    People who didn’t know who he was would probably show him favor and approach him with friendliness, but if they did that…

    …They will become like that.

    Thud-!

    Thud-!

    At that moment, a different sound from the falling raindrops echoed.

    A much slower sound that could send chills down one’s spine.

    “How many people did you kill?”

    “It’s easier to count how many I kept alive.”

    “…True.”

    …That sound was caused by the blood flowing from the various lumps of flesh that were used to be humans. The man just stared at them indifferently, as if they were inorganic substances, as if the thing he had done wasn’t killing living beings, but playing with ‘mud’ that happened to be able to speak and bleed.

    …I swear, I’ll still be terrified of him no matter how many years have passed.

    Second Apostle felt chills run down her spine.

    Just how could he still wear such a gentle and kind expression after causing such a disaster…?

    In truth, if he wasn’t her comrade, she wouldn’t even try to approach someone so creepy.

    Then, to the woman who secretly felt uncomfortable around him…

    “Is Drak… Is Fourth Apostle dead?”

    The man asked such a question.

    Hearing that, Second Apostle immediately opened her mouth as if she had never thought of anything strange about the man.

    “I couldn’t retrieve his body. It’s either his body has been completely destroyed, or he has been taken prisoner.”

    “Hmm, which one do you think is more likely?”

    “The latter. If it were me, I would take him alive to extract some information.”

    “Really? That’s fortunate.”

    “So… You’re abandoning him?”

    “Don’t put it that way. I did not abandon him, it’s just his fate.”

    “…I see.”

    “It seems like you don’t believe me.”

    Second Apostle snorted at him when she saw him shrugging, as if he found her reaction unfair.

    Drak. One of the twelve apostles of the organization. It was unknown whether he was dead or alive. He had been left behind in the Tunnel for over ten years and had been given the important task of raising troops and monsters all by himself.

    …In other words, he got abandoned because he isn’t helpful enough to carry out the mission.

    In truth, he was a poor guy who was abandoned by his peers. Thanks to his radical and bad personality, it was worrisome to send him somewhere, so they decided to distance him away from the organization under the guise of a mission.

    As a result of that…

    He only knows things from ten years ago…

    Even mountains and rivers would change in ten years. Ten years was enough time for an organization led by men to change ten times over. Even if they captured Drak and tortured him to get information out of him…

    It would be useless.

    At best, the information they could get from him was about the Apostles or the Blood Cross. But even that was useless.

    “Drak would be surprised if he were to see us now. Our faces, body shapes, and voices changed. That would surprising enough, but some of us even changed our ‘gender’.”

    “…Right.”

    At that point, even the man, who was always relaxed, paused for a moment. Even being the calm guy as he was, when he found out that his colleague, Second Apostle, suddenly appeared as a ‘woman’, he was also shocked beyond belief.

    “Why are you looking at me like that? Am I too pretty for you?”

    “…”

    “…Sorry.”

    “Why are you apologizing? More importantly… It’s time to return.”

    The rain was getting weaker. Once it stopped completely, he wouldn’t be able to stop the smell of blood from spreading anymore.

    Therefore…

    “Let’s return.”

    “Finally, some good news.”

    “Should we abandon the passage?”

    “Of course.”

    “Then…”

    The man suddenly turned his head. He looked at the corpses strewn about, then he…

    “-Tell me your dying wishes. You shouldn’t have any regrets about this world, as you’ll end up in hell anyway.”

    He gave the corpses one last chance as if he was showing mercy.

    But, why did he say so when they were already dead?

    Was he mocking them?

    Whatever his reason was, the man…

    “I see, so there’s no answer. Regrettable.”

    Took it as them not responding to him. As his soft muttering ended, something that looked like black fog rose from his body. The mass gradually took the shape of a beast, clumping together with the rain-soaked dirt.

    Whaaak-!

    [——.]

    The moment the beast took shape and its eyes flashed…

    “W-Wait, wait! A-Ah, I-I mean s-spare me, please…!”

    The corpses, or rather, those who were pretending to be corpses, raised their bodies with a jerk. When they felt the presence of the beast, fear engulfed their hearts. After all, they already knew how many people had died from that beast, and how vicious and cruel it was.

    “Why didn’t you kill them?”

    “Just to clarify, I wasn’t trying to mock them. Some of them just pretended to faint before the battle even started, while some ran away.”

    That was why he left them alone. He was curious about what kind of ‘will’ they’d leave behind when they woke up.

    “…You need to fix that bad habit of yours.”

    He nodded slightly as soon as he heard Second Apostle’s assessment.

    It was a bad habit, she was right.

    However…

    “Mustang de Varga. One of the culprits who destroyed Britain. I want to ask you something.”

    “A-Ask away. A-Ask as much as you want!!”

    Mustang de Varga, a man who was once a general in Britain. He was so incompetent that the enemy kingdom called him an ‘honorary citizen of Pendragon’, as he was the main culprit of dozens of Britain’s defeats.

    Even the people of Britain would shudder in anger at the mention of his name, but Mustang was a shameless man to the point that it was ridiculous.

    ‘What do you mean we lost because of me?! It was because the soldiers were incompetent!’, ‘Responsibility?! Ha! Why should I take responsibility?! It was the knights who should—!’, and so on. He wouldn’t hesitate to utter such outrageous words that would make even his enemies furious.

    Honestly, considering the sheer number of people who held a grudge against him, it was surprising that he survived until now.

    He was so arrogant and shameless that Arren would look like a good guy if compared with him. This guy couldn’t even perceive the fact that he was at fault at all.

    But, that same man was now on his knees, crying and begging for his life.

    And to him who was like that…

    “So you’re alive, huh? I never thought you’d run away using that guy—who was it again? Roy Bant? Yeah, him. You used him as a shield, huh?”

    “…”

    “I thought you’d have some camaraderie with the other guys since you were all in the same position; just waiting for your deaths. But seeing you like this makes me realize that it was stupid for me to even expect something like that out of the likes of you.”

    The reason the man spoke to Mustang was because he was ‘convinced’.

    ‘These people are beings that don’t deserve to live.’

    That kind of conviction.

    And so…

    “Thank you. For teaching me that my choice wasn’t wrong at all.”

    “S-Spare me! S-Spare me! I’ll do anything if you spare me! A-Aren’t you curious about where the hidden wealth of the Varga Family is!? A-Aren’t you curious about the secrets of Britain’s Royal Family and the hidden funds they’ve hidden?! J-Just say the words, I-I swear I’ll tell you everything—!!”

    ─Crunch!

    “Kkaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

    However, Mustang could not continue talking.

    At some point, [the beast] bit off his lower body.

    He writhed in pain, but the man leisurely enjoyed his screams, as if he was planning to toy with him before finally killing him.

    Crunch-!

    Crunch-!

    “Ah… Ahh?!… AHHHHHH…!!”

    His time of suffering felt like eons, and at some point Mustang’s body sagged. Death, the thing he had been avoiding so desperately, was approaching.

    Thud-!

    Then, the rain stopped at that moment.

    The dark clouds quickly cleared by the strong wind, revealing the faint moonlight it had been hiding. Thanks to that, Mustang was able to see the man’s face that he couldn’t previously see due to the darkness for the first time.

    And then…

    Heup!

    As he checked the man’s face, Mustang came to realize a lot of things. It was like he was having some kind of enlightenment, as if he was getting closer to a secret that no one in this world knew.

    He called out to the man, as if leaving his dying will.

    “Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince—”

    “Hahaha, it’s been a while since I’ve heard someone call me that.”

    Crunch-!

    However, the other person had no intention of listening to his dying words.

    The beast bit his neck without hesitation.

    Stab-!

    Mustang died with his eyes wide open, while the man just shrugged his shoulders.

    “I never thought there would be people who still remember my face. Was he of a higher rank than I thought?”

    “…The Vargas used to rein on top of Britain’s military. You probably met him a few times.”

    “That possibility is not zero.”

    “…How can you know less than me when you were born in Britain?”

    “That’s just how it is.”

    Crunch-!

    The sound of the beast biting its prey echoed again. With that, the remaining survivors died with their necks bitten off in an instant—just like Mustang.

    However, the two did not care whether they died or not.

    Although, Second Apostle…

    “Still, we practically raised these guys. Would it be okay if we ended up not using them at all?”

    Felt regrettable for the Half-Demonic Humans they had raised for the past ten years.

    However, the man just firmly shook his head.

    “We have no need for these failures. The thing that’s important to us is the experimental results we obtained from their bodies. With that, we can make as many soldiers as we want. Time is on our side, so don’t worry too much, Second Apostle.”

    “…If you say so.”

    The Second Apostle expressed her regret, but she decided to believe in his words. After all, he was the wisest person she knew.

    Just like that…

    “Let’s go back, Number 1.”

    “Hahaha, how mischievous of you. Call me First Apostle.”

    The two disappeared in the blink of an eye, like dark clouds above that came and went quickly.

    Four days later, the corpses of the Half-Demonic Humans prisoners which had turned into pieces of meat, were discovered by a hunter who later reported it to the knights stationed around the area.

    **** * ****

    …Lee Han swallowed his breath.

    Just why…?

    Why do I have to come here the moment I return…?

    …I want to rest at home, dammit.

    Unfortunately for him…

    “This lady is disappointed.”

    …The other party seemed unwilling to let him rest.

    “It’s fine if you fail, this lady doesn’t care if the Tunnel collapsed, but—!”

    Isis Elaine de Pendragon glared at him, gritting her teeth.

    “How dare you fight against a Northerner and only get a draw…! You!!”

    “…It’s not a draw.”

    “Listen! There’s only one thing you can lose to the Northerners at, and it’s their vodka! Other than that, it’s unacceptable! How can you disappoint your sister like this?!”

    “…Why are you talking about vodka all of a sudden?”

    “Oho?”

    “…”

    …Lee Han decided to just keep his mouth shut.

    He knew that his boss’ nagging would never end until she was satisfied.

    So he…

    I should try some of their vodka later.

    Let his mind wonder about the aforementioned vodka, as even his haughty and arrogant big sister acknowledged its prowess.


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