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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣ ⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣Silver was kidnapped by the giant of a man. Without even a moment to mourn his mother’s death, he learned how to throw knives from an assassin and was taught the trick of sleeping with one eye open at night. Two months after his abduction, he reached the point where he could sleep with both eyes open. A year later, he had figured out the inner workings of the contract killing industry.

The assassin was nothing more than a tool. The mastermind was the one paying. Once he understood this dynamic, Silver’s desire to kill the mastermind steadily grew. If it weren’t for that bastard, his mother and her lover wouldn’t have died. He wouldn’t have fallen from being the stepson of a wealthy merchant to a rat at the bottom of the barrel.

This was why the mastermind became his number one target for revenge. Compared to him, what Wolf had done was relatively minor. After all, he had only killed Black Weasel; he hadn’t destroyed Silver and his entire family.

For a month before being washed ashore on Pirate Island, Silver tracked down the mastermind. After three years of digging into the existence of his biological father and himself, he found no answers, so he shifted his focus back to revenge. He wandered through dead ends, false leads, and the back alleys of the docks. He found a clue relatively quickly.

The wealthy merchant had a younger brother born of the same mother. He was the sole heir who would inherit everything unless his older brother married and had children. He currently resided in Atania with his Atanian father.

Inheritance. A motive as clear as a light in the darkness.

Silver boarded a ship bound for Atania without hesitation. Then it sank. When he opened his eyes, he was on an island. Damn it!

The tiresome autumn rains were finally coming to an end. The pirate ship would set sail within ten days at the latest. He would leave then, without fail.

Goodbye, King Stuffy-Nosed Mouse.

After dealing with the mastermind, it would be Wolf’s turn. Since Black Weasel was partly to blame, the plan was to settle for cutting off a finger or ear. Though, once he actually saw the bastard, his emotions might get the better of him and he might end up slitting his throat.

Suddenly, a foul stench wafted out.

“Die!”

Something darted out from his left. A greatsword plunged toward his abdomen. Silver took a quick half-step back.

The blade sliced through his belt. The severed belt fell to the floor. At the same moment, the attacker came to a sudden halt. Hot blood gushed from a dagger that had been thrust into his carotid artery. Only after enough blood had spilled out to fill at least three wine glasses did the attacker slowly collapse. In that instant, Silver’s eyes widened, and he reached out.

“No!”

He was a second too late. The attacker’s head brushed past Silver’s fingertips and thudded against the floor. It landed on the severed belt pouch. Silver pushed the body aside and picked up the pouch.

“Starry Eyes!”

Inside the pouch, the mantis fairy lay crumpled. One leg was bent, both wings were folded, and its body was half-crushed. ​visit our site​Even its black eyes, which had always shone, had turned a dull brown.

“Starry Eyes! Starry Eyes!”

His precious friend didn’t stir in Silver’s palm. A feeble sound escaped from its tiny mouth.

〔I… I’m broken… Ƨᴉɼʌԍʁ…〕.

“Starry Eyes!”

〔Automatic repair… one day… close to a warm place…〕.

“I’m sorry! It’s my fault!”

Tears poured down. His guilt was overwhelming. If only he had listened when Starry Eyes told him not to go out. If only he had taken one more step back when they were attacked.

Don’t leave me. You’re my only family.

If you leave too, I’ll have nothing left. You’re the only one in the world who remembers me. If even you disappear, I’ll become nothing.

“Silver! What’s going on!”

The sound of the kitchen door opening came from behind. Silver came back to his senses. This wasn’t the time to be crying. He had to move Starry Eyes to a warm place as quickly as possible. He stumbled as he scrambled to his feet.

The pouch he’d carelessly tossed aside while pulling out Starry Eyes was rolling around in the mud. A few scattered silver coins, some jerky, and a glass bottle broken in half came into view. Everything was covered in muddy water. Every last bit. Even the pills Silver had to swallow once a week.

Stuffy-Nosed Mouse grabbed Silver’s shoulder. He said something, but Silver couldn’t make it out clearly. The half-melted pills floated away in the muddy water.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣ ⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠8 .

Lightning flashed in the distance. Silver was crouched before a corpse, hot blood gushing from its throat.

“Silver, are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Wolf shook Silver’s shoulder. Silver didn’t respond. He simply stared into the distance while cradling the mangled body of the mantis fairy in both hands. Where his gaze fell, an old belt pouch, a broken glass bottle, silver coins, and a few pieces of jerky lay scattered in disarray. He could also see dozens of something submerged in muddy water.

Is that fish food? Did he make friends with the fish in the mountain pond too?

“Are you hurt? Calm down, Silver. Your bug friend… yeah, it’s unfortunate. But…”

Before he could finish speaking, Silver jumped to his feet. His movements were so fast he looked like a spring. The next moment, Wolf rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

What…?

Silver, who had been right in front of him just a moment ago, was running off into the distance. With every blink of his eye, Silver grew smaller and smaller, from the size of a pinky finger to a pea, and finally to a tiny dot. Stunned by the absurd sight, Wolf froze completely. What the hell?! Did wings sprout from his legs or something?

He suddenly remembered Flea’s explanation.

〔Second, speed. Capable of accelerating to the point where it’s difficult to track with the naked eye over short distances.〕

Was it really that fast?

By then, Silver had vanished from view. Wolf brushed the dust off his knees and stood up.

“It’s impressive, but…”

Silver, where did you go?

***

Late at night.

In front of the hearth, Silver didn’t budge an inch. He just stared at the mantis fairy resting in his palm.

The place Silver had headed to was none other than the new recruits’ quarters. Since he had only recently recovered from his fever, it was a natural choice. Failing to realize that obvious choice, Wolf had the foolishness to fill his stomach in the kitchen and then search every nearby mountain and hill while getting soaked to the bone. When he returned to the lodging empty-handed, Silver was clutching the mantis fairy and wailing.

Even after Wolf arrived at the lodging, Silver cried for the duration of two candles burning down before finally calming down. After that, silence.

Wolf sat on the bed while staring at Silver. He’d been in that state until late into the night. It was shocking enough that an adult – and not just any adult, but a Thunder – was shedding tears over an injured insect friend, but the atmosphere, as if the world’s every dark cloud had descended upon them, left him dumbfounded.

That mantis fairy is beyond saving…

Half its body was crushed. Any ordinary insect would have been dead by now. If he were to say, “It’s not like it had a cold or the flu, how is warming it up going to help?”… a dagger would probably fly at him.

If he were to suggest, “Let’s just give up on this and work together to make some food for your fish friends in the mountain pond”… a dagger would still probably spin through the air at him.

“Why don’t you eat something?”

He repeated the same line for the umpteenth time. Next to Silver was a lunch basket filled with bread. Wolf had stepped out briefly to fetch it from the kitchen.

Silver remained silent. Wolf clasped his hands and bowed his head. It felt like he was talking to a wall. More importantly.

What is this?

Fuck, what is this?!

Am I going crazy? Or is Silver under a spell? Which one of us is messed up here!

Wolf closed his eyes, then opened them again. He slowly lifted his head and looked at Silver, harboring the usual, futile hope that this time would be different.

Silver’s face was bare. He had torn off his mask while crying. Well, that much ​Read on​was natural. The problem was…

Why that face?!

It was the face Wolf had caught a glimpse of last night. The flawless and beautiful face that had suddenly appeared and vanished in the darkness. Only this time, it didn’t fade away. It remained exactly as it was. The burn scars were like a curtain, and it was as if someone had pulled them aside.

Perfect. It looks good. It’s almost mesmerizing.

But it’s bizarre!

Is this some kind of reward? Maybe the skeleton granted Silver the ability to change his face however he pleases. If that’s the case, then both that pretty face and the one covered in burn scars could be fake.

Wolf blinked and rubbed his chin. He never imagined in a million years that he’d have such a bizarre experience. Hoping that getting thoroughly soaked in the rain might make the illusion disappear, he even deliberately left the lodging, grabbed a meal at the kitchen, and returned, but Silver’s face remained the same.

He was going out of his mind wanting to ask about this strange phenomenon. But in front of someone plunged into deep sorrow, even trivial words must be chosen carefully out of courtesy…

Wait a minute, isn’t that Atanian etiquette?

He felt pathetic for having mocked Red Eagle and asking if he hadn’t “shaken off the Atanian influence.”

Fine, fuck it, I’ll just barge in the Stoll way. Waiting until late at night was polite enough, even by Atanian standards. But what should I ask?