HEO 92

Only then did the two slow down. Wolf glanced sideways. Silver’s face was hidden by the hood of his robe. He hesitated, but quickly dismissed the thought.

Push forward. They say unexpected trials foster solidarity.

“Speaking of earlier.”

Wolf stared casually, nonchalantly, as if he was talking about the weather.

“You dug out fish guts from the drain with your bare hands. You were very diligent. Though you are running away like this now.”

Silence.

“You seem to know the tricks of the world. Much more knowledgeable than I am. You avoid washing dishes, but you execute the labor of scooping water perfectly. Should I say you are good at choosing?”

Silence.

“By the way, you said you were going to bury me in the ground, right? Why? Is it because you don’t like the way I speak?”

Silence.

Say something, you jerk!

“Isn’t that too much? I just tried to speak to get closer to you. …But, you stopped by the quarters last night while I was sick then left, right? It was pouring rain, so where did you stay…….”

“Shut up.”

Silver cut him off.

“If you say one more word, I’ll shove your head into the ground first.”

“I get it. So you just hate my voice.”

Wolf waved his hands and quickly stepped back.
Operation failed.

He was a fool to expect solidarity from such a narrow-minded fellow who wouldn’t even understand a sick person’s weakened state.

The hill drew closer. Houses with crooked roofs lined both sides of the road. From every house, the smell of burning narcotics wafted out the windows. In the distance, the cries of seagulls flew through the dark clouds.

Once they went over that hill and a hundred steps, they would reach the new recruits quarters. And at the beginning of the hill, there was a fork in the road. The gray brain inside Wolf’s head spun coldly. He had to speak to him again. He had to stop Silver before he left at that fork in the road in a different direction from the quarters.

Do it, even if you don’t want to.

“I know you hate hearing my voice, but…”

Wolf said quietly.

“But I have to say this. Thank you for earlier.”

Silver’s pace slowed. Almost unnoticed. It was closer to a brief hesitation, perhaps due to the slippery muddy ground.

The robe hood covering his head turned toward Wolf before returning to its original position.

“What?”

“You came back to the quarters because you were worried about me. And then, unfortunately, you ran into the senior pirates. Isn’t that right?”

A snort came from the robe hood.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. The order is reversed. I was unlucky enough to be spotted by the senior pirates, and I got caught by those bastards and dragged back to the quarters.”

I know that much.

“Really? I can’t believe it! Anyway, you’re sleeping at the lodgings tonight, right? If you’re already staying somewhere else…”

Silver didn’t reply. Wolf also stopped speaking and looked straight ahead. About thirty steps to the fork in the road.

Slow down here. I’ve done enough, so I’ll step back. There is plenty of time ahead.

The drizzle grew heavier. A fishy scent of seaweed wafted from the raindrops as they grew thicker. Suddenly, a memory flashed through his mind. The scent of irises. That fragrance that poured into the room like a snowstorm the moment the door opened.

Wolf paused for a moment.

It’s autumn. But irises bloom between spring and early summer.

It can’t be that he sprayed on iris perfume before coming back? A guy who used to just roll around haphazardly in a shipwreck-like lodging wearing perfume…?

It seemed his sense of smell had been temporarily messed up from the fever. That was entirely possible. Besides, there wasn’t even a speck of iris scent emanating from Silver right now. It was indeed an illusion caused by the fever.

In the meantime, they were at the fork. Unexpectedly, Silver trudged up the hill toward the quarters. Wolf was actually surprised by this sight.

He hates hearing my voice, yet he intends to share a room?

He couldn’t tell what he was thinking. It was highly unlikely, but perhaps he had developed a sense of camaraderie, even if he hadn’t shown it because things were awkward last night?

Damn it, I don’t know. For now, I’ll keep a safe distance and watch.

The new recruit quarters came into view small down the slope. It was a shabby house leaning [unauthorized copy]slightly to the left. Strictly speaking, it was a wooden box that looked like a house. If there was anything to praise, it was the window, which was miraculously intact.

Wolf and Silver walked down the hill in silence. Silver’s footsteps were light and precise. It was the gait characteristic of someone accustomed to dangerous activities.

As soon as they entered the quarters, Wolf headed straight for the fireplace. Silver took off his robe, threw it on the floor, and sat on the bed.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

Wolf unfastened the leather strap secured at the back of his head. The human skin mask squeaked and fell off his face.

“I feel relieved now.”

Wolf glanced at Silver.

“Aren’t you taking your mask off?”

Silver silently pulled the blanket up to his waist to cover himself. Wolf carelessly tossed the human skin mask .

“You know, I never used to appreciate dry clothes. But now, I miss dry clothes just like people crave their ideal type.”

Silver remained silent as he leaned his back against the wall. Wolf reached out his hand toward the fireplace. The light cast deep shadows on the slits of his abs, and on the thick veins wrapped around his forearms.

“Are you really not taking it off? Doesn’t it feel stuffy?”

Indeed, Silver’s mask revealed only his eyes and mouth. Aside from his eyelids and philtrum, no skin was visible. Compared to Wolf’s human skin mask, Silver’s was like a keyhole while Wolf’s was a wide open window.

It was then that Wolf realized something. It came to him suddenly, the way ripples only appear once a stone finally hits the water.

Until now, Silver had never once taken off his mask. Not on the warship, not on the beach, not in the kitchen, not even when walking or running together in the rain. All that had been in Wolf’s gaze was a pair of eyes and lips.

Wolf blinked and ran his palm down his shoulder. The warmth of the fireplace gradually drove away the chill that had gripped his body. This thawing revived a rather useless emotion he had long forgotten. A wretched curiosity, similar to the fierce urge for engineering observation that surged whenever he saw things like pocket watches or music boxes during his teenage years.

He wanted to take off Silver’s mask. He wanted to examine the face hidden beneath it closely with his own eyes.

“I get it! You’re actually really handsome. You’re not taking off your mask because you’re afraid of being summoned to the captain’s room, right?”

He raised his tone slightly to make it sound nonsensical. Once again, Silver did not react. He was like a wagon wheel buried in the mud, unable to budge.

“Go ahead and remove it. It’s safe here. Do you think the captain would barge into a shabby house like this?”

Wolf tapped his cheek with his fingertips.

“See, I removed it too. Even I, who was recognized as top-tier by the seniors.”

Still silent. Wolf, too, closed his mouth. A [stolen content]sudden, taut tension swept over him. His nerves were so frayed that the monotonous sound of rain coming from outside sounded like the rumbling of the earth.

This tension was caused by Silver. The more his gazes met those pale blue eyes, the stranger he felt.

Looking back, it had been like this ever since their eyes first met on the ship. There was something about Silver. Something like a torch that attracts moths. Something that made people’s nerves stand on edge without needing to wield a dagger. Something that kept drawing people to become obsessively conscious of Silver. Something like a centripetal force.

Is this the charisma Father spoke of, or something like that?

Bronze-Billed Hawk said in passing, “Charisma is quite a useful weapon for a king. It pushes fools to march to their graves voluntarily.”

The next moment, all of Wolf’s thoughts froze. Silver’s hand moved.

Toward the leather strap secured to the back of his head. It was a movement that neither hesitated nor hurried. It made a sound similar to peeling a tightly wrapped bandage from the skin. The mask fell onto the blanket.

Wolf’s whole body grew cold.

The face Silver had hidden beneath the mask.

It was a ruin.

His entire face was covered in burns. Some places were taut and smooth, while others were wrinkled and rough. It looked as if half-hardened iron grease had been smeared on his face. One side of his mouth was pulled toward his ear. The tattoo on one side of his eye was distorted, looking as if charcoal powder had been rubbed in haphazardly. Only his pupil, completely undamaged, shone dimly amidst the ruin.

Wolf could not find the words to say. Not even as the candlelight burned out halfway.

Silver tilted his head slightly.

“Are you satisfied now?”

It was a voice barely holding back a burst of laughter.

“Aren’t I pretty handsome? Tell me what you think.”

He finally came back to his senses. Wolf quickly urged himself on. Say something, you bastard. There are plenty of things to say in a situation like this.

Plenty? Why can’t I think of a single thing?

“It’s finally quiet. You noisy woodpecker.”

Silver added as he lay down and pulled the blanket up over his head.

“Go to sleep now.”

Wolf stood in front of the fireplace for a long time. A draft crawled through the gap under the door and wrapped around his ankles.

He only headed to the bed after the candle had melted halfway. The wooden floor creaked with every step he took. He sat on the edge of the bed for another long while before lying down next to Silver. The bed [stolen content]was so narrow that his shoulder touched Silver, who was wrapped in the blanket.

Wolf stared at the ceiling. The light from the fireplace flickered like a ghost.

Sleep eluded him. The thought wouldn’t leave him either.

So that’s why he hid it.

Silver’s face spoke volumes. Especially his personality.

To him, with ruins etched onto his face, every human gaze must have felt like a blade. Every whisper must have sounded like a mockery. He must have felt as though he were always being judged. Wolf understood that feeling, at least to some extent. Even though his own burden was infinitely lighter than Silver’s.

To think that absurd brute strength and a wretched face were paired together. A life of being despised despite possessing great power. What kind of life is that?

That’s enough. Stop right here.

Wolf frowned and closed his eyes. What are you doing? Are you some kind of friar of Atania indulging in frivolous pity?

To drive out the darkness from the room, he needed to light a candle. Wolf quickly scanned the storage room of his mind. The candle he had chosen to chase away thoughts of Silver was the memory of a certain victory party.

It was about two years ago, after his father, Bronze-Billed Hawk, had personally charged into enemy lines leading only thirty warriors, including Wolf, and achieved victory. As a reward for his warriors, Bronze-Bilked Hawk summoned female and male prostitutes from the brothel and threw an orgy party. Wolf merely watched. Unlike his days as a novice who had just set foot in the stall, he watched with an emotionless gaze.

Skin glistening under the lamplight. Squelching friction. Intense moans. Some prostitutes had two or three warriors clinging to them [visit our site]at once. Thick drops of sweat trickled down their firm thighs, leaving small stains on the wooden floor. The scent of alcohol, perfumes, hallucinogenic smoke, sweat, and body odor filled the tent.

Even as drowsiness gradually overtook him, Wolf felt puzzled. Had his memory been romanticized? Why did that orgy scene, where he had actually held back his yawns, feel so lewd now?

He could no longer string his thoughts together. Darkness descended.