Cale Henituse.
Naru wondered if they might meet. He was a pretty minor antagonist in [The Birth of a Hero, but it brought goosebumps to his skin to remember how badly Choi Han had beaten him up.
He recalled a passage from the novel.
["Why should my father care whether or not some useless villagers are dead? This alcohol in my hand is worth more than all of your useless lives combined."]
["What an interesting thought. I am very curious to know whether you will change your mind or not. Shall we test it out?"]
During his first read of it as Kim Rok Soo, he had even felt a little bad for Cale. As Naru, his gaze traveled to the red-haired, confused but dignified expression of the young man standing across from him. His red hair was quite striking, not unlike Naru's so-called 'Uncle' in the Endable Kingdom, but their eyes were different and Cale carried himself like a true noble. The White Star's precise and sharp movements had seemed insincere to Naru, but Cale seemed totally at ease while giving off a natural air of sophistication.
Naru peeked at Choi Han, who didn't have any particular look on his face, before facing forward again.
'It's not really my place to intervene, but I don't want to watch someone get beaten within an inch of their life.'
It would have been easier if he avoided Cale entirely, but now Naru would just have to figure something out.
Cale looked bemused at the two of them. A strange man wearing all black and a little kid dressed like a noble. He would be lying if he wasn't curious.
"I didn't ask what you were doing. I asked who you were."
"...So you did."
Ugh. Naru hoped they could just answer his questions and get out of here.
'At least he seems more-or-less sober right now.'
When Choi Han first met him and beat him to a pulp, the young man had been too drunk to hold back his biting commentary.
"My name is Naru. This is Choi Han. We came from Harris Village to report an incident that occurred. Unfortunately, there was a very violent attack and a lot of people died."
This news did not seem to bother Cale Henituse at all. He simply nodded.
"Hm. Naru and Choi Han. You both are quite young?"
Naru barely managed not to snort.
'I'm 36, well, 151, and Choi Han is probably at least 100, but I don't think that's an answer he'll easily accept.'
"Yes. That is why we came. We needed someone strong like the Count-nim to rely on."
"Tch."
'Did he just scoff at me?'
Naru was amazed.
How long had it been since someone scoffed at him? He was weirdly nostalgic about it. Also, how did this guy manage to make such a sound seem elegant? Nobles really were cut from a different cloth.
"Choi Han."
Cale scanned the swordsman up and down.
"You at least look old enough to drink? Come drink with me, I've been bored recovering from an injury."
That's right. Naru remembered. Some days earlier, Cale would have gotten a scar from some incident involving a lot of alcohol and a table leg in one of the city taverns.
Choi Han was standing stiffly behind Naru, staring at the red-haired young man with a vacant expression on his face.
"No, thank you."
Naru was relieved. Even if Choi Han was a scary bastard, he seemed to be more focused right now than when he showed up all bothered [The Birth of a Hero]. His anger and annoyance was not misplaced into nearly killing someone with his bare hands this time.
Cale, of course, was shocked. He ended up simply blinking at Choi Han, like he had never been refused before.
'Well, that might actually be true.'
Brown eyes listed over to Naru with a spark of realization before looking back at Choi Han.
"Ho, right, because of the kid? Just bring him with you. He can go play with Lily, Hans can look after them. They're probably about the same age."
'Same age, my ass!'
Lily was 7. Naru was 'physically' supposed to be 12. He didn't know why the comparison bothered him so much.
Clearing his throat, Naru did his best to hide his annoyance.
"While it is a generous offer to drink with the first son of Count Deruth-nim's, we are very tired and I don't think Choi Han–"
"Hey, now, I wasn't talking to you. So why don't you just let your hyungs chat, hm?"
"Ha… you know, I'm also from a noble family. You should be a bit more respectful."
It was probably better to keep that to himself, but Naru couldn't just say nothing.
Cale began to laugh out loud.
"Is that so? Then shouldn't we be even more qualified to speak comfortably with each other? Go ahead. I prefer that anyway."
'...Maybe I should just let Choi Han beat him up?'
"Cale Henituse."
Naru decided to be nice. He slowly started to walk across the foyer and approached the red-haired young man with a polite smile.
"If you really mean it, then I will speak comfortably."
Cale raised a brow, but he didn't seem concerned as much as he was amused by Naru.
"Yes, I meant it."
"Then. Hyung."
Naru did his best to sound as juvenile as possible, grabbing Cale's billowy sleeve and giving it a slight tug.
"Can I tell you a secret?"
The teen's reaction was to laugh again, like he found Naru's behavior to be very funny, maybe even endearing. He bent down and gave Naru his ear so the child could whisper.
Naru's voice became cold.
"Choi Han has a very bad temper. If a trash bastard like you keeps talking down to us, he might kill you. I won't be able to stop him."
He drew back with a pleasant smile and patted Cale's shoulder.
"But since I'm feeling nice today, we're just going to be on our way. Okay, hyung?"
"...Ho."
Disbelief colored the young man's face, gaze flicking over to Choi Han before moving back to Naru. They were still roughly at eye-level, but Cale's brown eyes soon disappeared into half-moon crescents.
He looked positively delighted, which Naru found to be very weird.
"That was a good attempt, but I feel like I was just threatened by a bunny. Sorry, little kid. You said your name was Naru? You'll have to do a lot better than that if you want to look down on me, Naru."
Cale patted the top of Naru's head with something almost akin to affection, or at least playful mischief.
"Ha…!"
Naru couldn't help but release a slightly disbelieving laugh. His lips were twitching, threatening to form a smirk.
It was quite similar to the smirk that Cale Henituse was wearing at the same moment.
Cale's singular encounter with Choi Han in [The Birth of a Hero] had been one characterized entirely by inebriated ill-will, but beyond being a little annoying, Naru thought he actually didn't mind this trash. At least while sober, his obnoxious behavior was tolerable.
It reminded him of Duke Fredo a bit?
'Insufferable but also amusing.'
Whether or not Naru had previous knowledge about a person, he was quite adept at identifying their weaknesses. Sometimes they were self-evident, other times it required a bit of patience and reflection, but it was always there.
Cale Henituse was an odd example in which his weakness was obvious but it wasn't exploitable.
For trash, the rules and values were different. Besides his life, Cale didn't value much. Even in that respect, he was surprisingly fearless. After Choi Han beat him up in [The Birth of a Hero] to the point that Kim Rok Soo had to wince and stop reading several times, he never compromised on his convictions. He could have stopped being beaten at any point if he just admitted to Choi Han that he'd been wrong, but he was stubborn until the very end. He lost consciousness, and Choi Han had not been able to change this bastard's mind or shake his convictions.
Even if they were trashy convictions, at least he was consistent.
'But it's not like I can put that to use.'
The alcoholic tendencies combined with his laziness and generally self-destructive behavior would not make him very helpful in breaking the White Star's 'machine', so Naru saw no value in sticking around to entertain this self-important punk. If anything, he would just slow them down and make his life harder.
"Well, as fun as this was, we are going now. Maybe next time you'll get to see that side of Choi Han."
"Next time, hm? So you're going to pay your hyung another visit? Maybe Choi Han and I will drink together that time. You should just stay home, kids don't like that sort of thing."
Cale ruffled Naru's hair like he was truly his hyung. Naru could feel the veins rising in his forehead.
'Forget about Choi Han, I want to beat this guy up myself.'
"Wow, adorable. You look so angry! How old are you, anyway? Seven?"
"I'm–"
Naru grit his teeth.
"I'm… actually… twelve."
He couldn't go around telling people his mental age or Naru's actual age, but admitting this out loud to someone like Cale Henituse….
"Hahaha. No, I don't suppose you could drink at your age. Too bad, you really are a funny child."
Perhaps it was his instincts as a swordsman, but Choi Han felt goosebumps rise on his arm all of the sudden. It was like the room temperature dropped several degrees, and judging by the way Naru was viciously smiling at Cale Henituse like he wanted to smack him, they might have more problems than just Arm to deal with if this continued.
Moving swiftly, he picked Naru up and turned away from the young master with forced politeness.
"Excuse us. We… Naru-nim, we really should be going."
Cale didn't move to stop them, but his eyes were practically dancing with mirth.
"It really is too bad, but I find no pleasure in forcing others to drink with me if they have no desire to do so. You may leave. But if you're staying in the city for any length of time, call on us again, won't you?"
Choi Han gave a slight bow in Cale's direction before turning around and practically running out of the estate. Cale just smiled and waved pleasantly as if they were neighbors who had just stopped by for tea.
'Call on us again?'
Naru hoped they never saw each other again.
Of course, Cale was thinking the opposite.
For Cale, the problem with Rain City was that it was boring. He was someone who had everything and wanted for nothing, and he drank to fill the time and it helped him to deal with the headaches of his dysfunctional family. The alcohol was a habit he'd developed quite simply because it was fun, and Cale liked to enjoy himself.
But everything was predictable. Those who weren't strictly required to stay close like Ron or Hans would flinch and turn tail the moment he appeared, which was at least a mildly amusing sight to see while drunk. He wasn't complaining. At least that reaction was more enjoyable than someone trying to have a conversation with him while sweating anxiously and looking miserable.
That was why Cale felt a bit happy about these unexpected visitors, watching them leave with a slight smirk. Especially that kid. It felt like ages since someone walked up to him of their own volition, and then to make such a snide remark right in his face while calling him hyung? It was adorable and hilarious at the same time.
Who would have thought a smart-looking child would have such a sharp tongue? And then there was that Choi Han, who on his own looked intimidating but that scary presence was greatly dulled when he was standing next to a child that resembled an innocent bunny. The contrast between them made the whole encounter that much more entertaining.
To Cale, things that were beyond expectations were rare, and much more fun than the simple monotony of the everyday.
Ah, he wanted to drink already!
He needed to track down Ron and finally ask about that alcohol from yesterday.
Cale had a strange dream after binging that delightful drink, which is why he wanted to figure out what it was. His ever-thoughtful butler had transferred the drink into a decanter from its original bottle so that it was easier for him to carry, but that meant he also didn't know the name. He really wanted to drink it again!
There wasn't much he could recall about the dream, but he did remember feeling oddly happy when he woke up despite a mild hangover. He had been talking to someone with dark skin and darker eyes about something, and he thought maybe he had been gambling and won a prize, but the details were fuzzy. He considered the possibility that maybe drinking the same alcohol again would make him remember.
"Ho!"
Cale, who had been standing still in the foyer, gasped as he recalled the fading threads of the dream. It was because of those two–the way he laughed after teasing that child named Naru had made him remember.
His anger!
That was why it felt familiar.
Hans had come over and looked very troubled.
"Young master-nim, what is it? Are you alright?"
"No. I mean, yes. I am perfectly well. I just remembered something from a dream I had."
Hans blinked. "A, a dream?"
Nodding, Cale adorned a refined smile and laughed smoothly. Hans wasn't sure he had seen him look this pleased… ever, actually.
"Yes. It was very peculiar. I don't usually believe in the meaning behind such things, but the funniest thing happened in the dream. Seeing those two finally made me remember something about it. Perhaps it was a masquerade…?"
The young master walked away, mumbling to himself with an unusual pep in his step.
Yes, a masquerade. That made sense.
He remembered drinking, gambling, and chatting with a man with dark skin and black eyes who had taken the seat beside him at the table. Cale had ended up racking in a lot of money, that was why he had been so happy when he woke up. It was like committing grand larceny but in a totally legal fashion, who wouldn't be happy in a dream like that? And all of his winnings, it was money he stole right out from under the person who had brought the most chips to the table.
That was why he figured it was a masquerade or something. Why else would his opponent have been wearing such a stupid white mask?
Definitely an unusual dream, but Cale wanted to win against that man again.
"...Seriously, where the hell is Ron?"
Choi Han felt a little uneasy watching Naru speak with the innkeeper. He still hadn't fully made up his mind on what to make of the Vampire, only that he at least seemed reliable, but right now, the way he was smiling…
'He really looks evil.'
No, maybe like a villain?
If Duke Fredo saw it, he would have laughed before probably pretending to cry. He would have annoyed Naru about how his 'cute son' looked 'too scary'.
It was not a smile any noble would be caught dead wearing, anyway.
Naru, who did not know any of this, tilted his head to the side as the innkeeper grew paler and paler.
"A-Are you quite sure, young sir? The entire building?"
Had he not spoken clearly? Perhaps he should repeat himself.
"Yes, I am requesting a reservation for the entire building for the next five days. Of course, anyone who currently has a room can stay. I won't turn people out of their rooms."
"That, rather, how can—?"
"I am the son of a wealthy noble from a different kingdom. Or is my money not good here?"
Naru loved spending other people's money. He hadn't gotten to do this since Solena took him out to tour the different parts of the Von Ejellan Duchy, and he couldn't buy everything when she was monitoring him. Now, the opportunity to spend as much as he pleased was finally here.
He dumped five million gallons onto the reception desk.
"Will this be enough?"
The old man who kept the building almost fainted.
They were by no means luxurious accommodations, but Naru did not want to be bothered having to keep up his disguise and repeatedly employing sound barriers every time he felt like talking about something to Choi Han. The nicer establishments were in the central part of the city, closer to the Count's estate, but Naru wanted to stay somewhere nearer to the western edge. He hadn't picked a place directly in the heart of the slums, but it was noticeably less polished than some of the inns they passed on their way here.
If he could not have quality, Naru would at least make up for it with quantity.
That's why he bought every room available, and pre-reserved the ones that already had guests so they would become his the moment the people checked out.
"Is this really okay?"
Choi Han awkwardly stood in the center of the largest room on the second floor while Naru laid on the bed with a happy sigh. His hand rested on the pommel of his sword, like he wasn't sure what else to do.
"Yes, this is perfect. I have plenty of money. I'd prefer not to be bothered by people."
Naru untied the cloak he'd been wearing all day and tossed it aside before returning his ears to their normal appearance.
"That… I understand."
Choi Han stiffly walked towards a table and chair that were positioned by the window. He sat down and looked outside.
He thought about how isolated he had been in the Forest of Darkness, struggling for tens of years. Forget about regaining a connection to society, he had barely managed to survive. What had it been like for Naru, who had been alive for just as long but could not be allowed to connect with others? To have been a part of society but not able to participate in it?
'It must have been hard.'
Naru had no way of knowing that Choi Han was thinking such incorrect things or else he would have fixed his assumptions immediately.
The young Vampire was busy thinking about other things.
His plans for the next several days.
The Indestructible Shield.
It was the only ancient power that had been mentioned in [The Birth of a Hero] that did not end up being claimed by anyone. He wanted to take it since he was here anyway, but there were many variables to consider.
First, could he even own it? An elf had earned the 'Fire of Destruction' in [The Birth of a Hero] and several of the White Star's non-human subordinates in Arm had ancient powers, so he knew they were not strictly limited to humans.
'But that's not the problem.'
It was the fact that he could use magic.
Mages could not wield ancient powers in the novel. Was he technically considered a mage?
Even if Naru could take the power for himself, there was also another problem.
Naru already had an attribute.
Darkness.
He thought about what Duke Fredo had told him about the White Star's unbalanced plate and the fact that his body was always being pulled apart by his powers. It sounded miserable and he did not want to invite that kind of trouble to his life, even if having a sturdy shield would be nice. It wasn't like he couldn't use the shield spells the Duke had taught him, but his excursion this morning had shown him how exhausting it could be to use mana.
There were also ancient powers that did not have any attributes. Would he be able to take those?
Naru sighed, thinking about how much he had to do before he could go back to Endable Kingdom.
The initial step was basically done. Find Choi Han. Connect him with Ron and Beacrox Molan.
The second part would be to show Choi Han that Naru's information was reliable. That way, he could give Choi Han instructions and not have to be directly involved anymore.
The third part would be deciding which of the White Star's plans to ruin first. Many things were going to start to happen soon. Most of the information between the events of the novel and what Duke Fredo told him coincided, although Duke Fredo told him much more than the novel ever did.
The Plaza Tower Incident. The Section 1 fire in the Jungle. The whale's war with the mermaids. The Northern Alliance.
All of these threads were already unraveling. A cat's cradle, Naru could see them crossing each other in his mind.
He thought about Abe Rowley and his tiny infant daughter, Marjorie. They were both supposed to be dead.
Subconsciously, Naru voiced his thoughts in the quiet room as he blankly stared at the ceiling.
"I won't let it happen. Not again."
He absolutely would not let the White Star have his way.
"Naru-nim. I think I will take a walk."
He raised his head to see Choi Han wearing a rather scary expression. It was the kind of expression that made Naru want to say: absolutely, yes, please go away. Far, far away.
Instead, he dropped his head back onto the mattress and muttered something vaguely nice.
"...Sure. Be careful."
Choi Han exited the room. He had decided to seek out the innkeeper.
There had to be some place around here he could practice his sword art.
After hearing Naru's proclamation in a wistful voice, the final few of Choi Han's lingering doubts were resolved. He knew better than anyone how appearances could be deceiving, and while Naru may look like a bright-eyed child, he had the mind of an adult who was carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders.
Choi Han wanted to get his revenge for the villagers who had died, but additionally, he thought Naru might be the first person who understood his complicated state of exhaustion. He was also much older than he looked, and he knew the desperation of being too weak to do anything in the face of tragedy.
It seemed obvious now why Naru limited Choi Han's questions to three.
Every piece of information was precious when he was risking his life by being out in the open, and telling Choi Han about his identity could have been as good as signing his own death certificate. He risked his life just by coming here, all for the sake of trying to relieve some of that burden from his small shoulders. To stop a ruthless group that killed others without a second thought in the pursuit of their own goals.
Naru said he was not a good person.
'If he isn't qualified to say he's a good person, then who is?'
Choi Han made up his mind. He would become stronger so what had happened today in Harris Village would never happen again. Just like Naru said.
Of course, Naru did not know any of this. He was still thinking about the overlapping threads of the White Star's plans, trying to imagine the most effective way to undo that bastard's thousand years of hard work.
There were also two threads that were not like all the others. Those were the ones that bothered Naru most of all.
They were the only parts of the story that did not add up. The only parts of the secret organization that did not align with his conversations with the Duke. These inconsistencies were constantly tapping against the windowpane of his thoughts, like they needed his attention, like they wanted him to figure it out.
'The Blue Wolf tribe and the black dragon.'
In [The Birth of a Hero, the Blue Wolf tribe would be completely destroyed by Arm. Lock was the only survivor and would go on to be one of the key players in Choi Han's party.
But Duke Fredo insisted that the White Star was gathering the children of the tribes, not killing them outright. When Naru questioned how he knew this, the Duke had smiled in a way that Naru found did not suit the usual playfulness of Fredo the First. His lips were turned up, but he seemed quite fatigued when mentioning it.
'I know because I have seen them with my own eyes. Solena, the knight captain, and myself. We all work in a rotation to try to rescue the children. We've managed to fully relocate two tribes and are working on a third. It's very difficult to erase records of people, however, so we have to do it extremely slowly.'
Naru frowned while recalling the Duke's last words on the subject. He sounded pained.
'...They really are only children. Some of them are as small as you.'
No matter what the reason, Naru would not let the White Star abduct any more children. Wolves or otherwise, he was an absolute bastard.
Then, there was the other inconsistency…
The black dragon that Choi Han was supposed to kill roughly 10 days from now.
That was weird for a different reason.
Duke Fredo had not mentioned a single thing about it. Naru knew his memory of [The Birth of a Hero] was not mistaken, so there were a few possibilities.
It always came back to information.
If Duke Fredo didn't know, then the White Star rather didn't tell him, or he himself did not know about it.
Was its existence something the White Star kept under such strict security, not even his most trusted subordinates could know? But why would he keep the dragon in the first place when he was regularly feeding the dragon half-blood the hearts of dead dragons? Maybe it needed to reach its growth phases before the half-blood ate the hearts… If that were the case, why the hell was he keeping it in a random cave on the Western continent? The Stan family was not mentioned by Fredo either, beyond that they were easy to manipulate due to their constant internal struggle for power, so why would the White Star use them to torture it and try to tame it?
Something about that black dragon's existence did not make sense. All Naru knew for certain was that it ends up dying a terrible death after living a short and joyless life.
So Naru decided he would just free it.
Like Choi Han, it could become another headache for the White Star if the dragon he'd been painstakingly keeping secret escaped. Or, if it turned out that bastard actually didn't know about the dragon, that was even more of a reason to let it be free.
It wasn't that the White Star's motives somehow justified the terrible life of subjugation it had lived, but at least there was some thin veneer of reason behind that… if the White Star didn't know and the dragon was just chained up because of some sadistic attempt by Venion Stan to try to tame it, then all of its suffering had truly been for nothing.
What kind of life was that? A life that had no meaning whatsoever and then ended with violence and a painful death? It was far beyond cruel.
Naru didn't want that.
Even if he gained nothing from it, he would free that dragon.
The next morning, Naru set out from the inn and was planning on going to the nearest bakery, but he stopped when he found Choi Han sitting on the ground behind the building.
He was playing with some kittens, which Naru thought did not suit his scary demeanor whatsoever, but then he remembered the original events of the novel.
'This guy cherishes small animals, doesn't he? He's weirdly affectionate.'
Just before Naru could greet him, he noticed the bags under Choi Han's eyes.
"Hey, you. What do you think you're doing?"
"Oh. Naru-nim. These kittens came over this morning. Aren't they cute?"
"They're fine, but why do you look like that?"
Choi Han looked at himself and didn't understand Naru's meaning. There was a bit of dust on his clothes from practicing his martial arts, but it wasn't like the first time they met. He was pretty clean, though he should probably go inside and take a proper bath soon.
"Did you sleep at all? You look terrible."
"Ah. That."
Choi Han hadn't even thought about sleeping. He'd been training so thoroughly all night, sleep had been the farthest thing from his mind.
"Yes, that. What's the matter with you? Don't you know you need to sleep properly?"
"Well, I. I guess I wasn't very tired?"
If Choi Han were being honest, every time he closed his eyes for more than a few seconds, he was transported back to the village. The sight of blood and broken bodies was still fresh in his mind. It hadn't even been a full day, and he knew it would go away eventually, but his thoughts of overcoming the obstacles in front of him were the only thing strong enough to drive away the despair. He wanted to work harder, not sleep.
"Just… whatever. Have you eaten yet?"
Choi Han felt like he was about to be scolded again, so he avoided Naru's gaze and continued to play with the kittens.
"Ha… why would… Nevermind. Stay right here. I'll be back in ten minutes."
"Okay."
Naru's gaze strayed to the kittens who seemed curious about him. They started to approach and meow with interest, but Naru turned away. Choi Han was right, they were pretty cute, but he didn't have a strong affection for animals.
He sighed and began walking towards the nearest bakery.
Didn't Choi Han at least know he needed to sleep? How did that bastard survive all of that time in the Forest of Darkness if he couldn't even take care of himself properly?
It wasn't like Naru didn't sympathize. Choi Han's mind was probably sparking like a live wire right now, but his body had to be exhausted. Even if he was strong, Choi Han was a human being and needed to sleep. Naru, no, Kim Rok Soo, thought about his juniors who would try to work overtime for no good reason with exasperation.
'What's the point in working hard if you can't even rest properly?'
He dismissed the train of thought as he approached the entry of a homespun bakery. The storefront was rustic and charming, and the smell of warmed yeast and scrumptious bread greeted him from outside.
Breathing in the mouth-watering scent, he released a satisfied sigh when stepping inside.
"Good morning! Oh, aren't you just precious?"
A plump woman with a crooked but charming smile approached him from behind the counter.
"Good morning, Auntie. Thank you very much. I'm told I take after my Father quite a bit."
The woman was totally smitten by the little boy and patted him on top of the head. It was rare to see a child so smartly dressed and well-mannered in the neighborhood. Though pale, he was quite adorable.
Naru didn't even mind since he was probably about to inconvenience her.
"Now, what can this Aunt do for you?"
"Well. If it's not too much trouble, are you able to prepare some kind of breakfast with what you have? It looks like you primarily just have freshly made bread, but it all smells so wonderful, Auntie, I thought I would bring back some breakfast for a friend of mine. Is it possible?"
The woman placed a hand on her cheek and audibly cooed.
"Of course, let me whip something up. I've got meat and cheese in the back, I'll fix your friend something right up. Goodness, you must make your father proud. To think there's such a well-behaved child!"
Naru tried not to laugh.
'Well-behaved? Is that what I am?'
After waiting a few minutes, the woman returned with a simple but aromatic sandwich. It had been toasted and had fresh meats, cheese and herbs with some kind of buttery sauce rubbed into the surface of the bread–which, of course, was also freshly made.
"Wow, this is perfect. You're amazing, Auntie."
"This is nothing, nothing at all. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Well. Actually."
Grinning, Naru took out two gold coins and set them on the counter.
"I'd also like to buy everything you have."
Ten minutes later.
Choi Han had not moved, as promised. The kittens had grown even more fond of him in the meantime, as the red one had crawled onto his shoulders while the silver one curled up in his lap.
Looking at them more closely this time, Naru thought their coloration was a bit odd, but this was a fantasy world, so there were all sorts of strange things that didn't really warrant overthinking. Dragons, ancient powers, crazy bastards around every corner–what did he care about some oddly colored cats?
"Here. Eat and then go inside and sleep."
He passed the specially prepared sandwich to Choi Han, who unwrapped it with a look of confusion.
Naru just could not understand him. What was there to be confused about? It was a sandwich.
"What? Is there a problem?"
"No, it's just–you aren't going to have any?"
"I already ate. The innkeeper prepared breakfast. If you had come inside and slept at all last night, you would know."
"Ah."
Choi Han actually looked sheepish. Naru was baffled that this guy was capable of making such a face.
"...Thank you."
"It's nothing. You shouldn't skip your meals."
Choi Han did not answer and instead began to eat. Satisfied, Naru gestured to the bag he was carrying.
"I'm going out. Don't follow me. Sleep when you're done and eat when you wake up. I should be back this afternoon."
"Okay."
It did not take long to find the spot as described in the novel, and soon, Naru stood at the western end of the slums, looking out past the city walls. The weather felt like it reflected the general mood of this part of Rain City, quiet and fog-covered, like a cloud had descended from the outer atmosphere to wash out everything in shades of gray.
At the top of a hill, Naru could see a tree. It seemed to be in terrible condition, branches dry and cracked, surrounded by nutrient-stripped soil. The appearance was like something out of a scary children's bedtime story, and that was enough to keep most people away.
Of course, Naru knew the truth behind this tree. He fixed the bag of bread over his shoulder and began to walk…
He made it all of two steps before someone called out for him.
"Hey, little kid!"
Flinching, Naru turned and was surprised to find himself in the company of two children. They were huddled near the western wall, still within the city but within sight of the tree, and had seemingly appeared right beside him out of nowhere.
The one who called out to him had sounded like a boy, but the one who spoke next was a girl.
"You shouldn't go near that tree. It eats people. Children like us should stay away."
Almost as a reflex, Naru said, "I am not a child."
"You should listen to your noona, little kid! You'll be eaten if you go over there. It's a man-eating tree."
Naru grimaced.
'Noona? I'm at least 36, if not 151.'
Though he hated to admit it, this little girl was taller than him. She also had silver hair, though hers was bushy and uncombed. From a distance, she could probably have passed for Naru's sister.
However, she was obviously the sister of the other boy who was closer to Naru's height. His hair was a shock of ruby red, equally messy but shorter than his sister's. Their facial features were extremely similar, the boy's eyes a bit wider and the sister's nose a bit thinner, but there was no doubt they were siblings.
"Thanks for your concern, but I will be fine."
The red-haired boy grabbed Naru's wrist when he tried to move away
"Hey! Didn't you hear what noona said? It's dangerous!"
Naru bit back a groan. Being treated like a child by adults was one thing, but being treated like a child by other children…
Given their ragged appearance, Naru assumed they were beggar children. It was a bit sad, but what could he do about it? Wasn't it enough he was already trying to stop an evil bastard from taking over the damn world? He wasn't really in a position to fix poverty… Well. He could probably work with Duke Fredo on some plans to make sure economic inequality was kept at an all-time minimum in Endable Kingdom later, but that was not his concern right now.
Without thinking too much about it, Naru reached into the bag he'd been carrying and handed both children two giant loaves of bread. They both looked at him with wide eyes, the confusion visible on their expressions. He thought about how Choi Han had a similar reaction.
'Why does everyone in this world seem so amazed by the idea of eating?!'
Food was great. It was one of Naru's favorite things. That, and sleeping. He couldn't imagine skipping out on either unless he absolutely had no other choice.
"You looked hungry. Now leave me alone."
Before either child had a chance to stop him again, Naru turned around and quickly left the city. He really hated having to hide his presence, he wanted to use flight magic and just be at the top of the hill–climbing was even more of a hassle than walking. Maybe he would have Choi Han carry him if he had to come back here.
Once his short legs finished the laborious task of trekking to the top of the hill, Naru barely nudged the fence that surrounded the base of the tree and the rotted wood collapsed. Now that he was closer, he studied the tree attentively. There was a gaping hole at the base of the trunk, and it was definitely big enough that someone small could probably fall into it. That would be bad, seeing as he was rather small.
"This is no joke."
He sighed before straightening up and taking a step back.
"So the grudge needs to be resolved in order to obtain the power… Hey, you can hear me, can't you?"
After receiving no response, Naru produced a loaf of bread from his bag and tossed it into the hole.
A disturbing cry could be heard underfoot, but there was still no proper response.
'I'll definitely need more.'
He dumped about half the contents of the bag into the hole and the crying sound became more intense, like a ghost that had been disturbed after a centuries long slumber. Naru shuddered and raised his voice again.
"Aren't you hungry? I'll give you more bread if you talk to me."
…I don't want to.
"Ho."
Naru released a slight gasp, pleasantly surprised that the spirit answered after only giving this much. The holder of the grudge, the origin of the ancient power. Her voice was just as the novel described: young, female, and a bit sad. Weak from starvation.
The priestess who was excommunicated for her gluttony. The Indestructible Shield.
Her response was not the same as in [The Birth of a Hero, however.
["...More, give me more."]
That's what it said in the novel. But this…
"Why not? You don't want to talk to me? Is the bread not very good?"
You remind me of dirt.
"… Excuse me?"
Naru was speechless. He looked down at his appearance and thought he seemed quite presentable. Hadn't the baker Auntie just told him he was precious?
"But I just washed this morning? Maybe those children…?"
It seemed unlikely, but could those impoverished children have somehow made him seem dirty? Was it like a scent that the power could sense or something?
No. I just don't want to talk to you.
"But you'll accept food from me."
I'm hungry, okay! Those bastards made me eat so much dirt that I died! It's not your fault, but still! It makes me so mad!
Naru put down the bag next to his feet and rubbed his temples.
'...This is driving me crazy.'
"You're a tree. Don't you primarily eat dirt?"
I meant when I was human. Wait, why am I even telling this to a dirty kid? Go away!
"You're very rude, you know. I was trying to share some bread with you and all you've done is insult me."
…Sorry.
It actually did sound remorseful.
Naru sighed and closed his eyes, crossing one arm over the other and tapping his fingers in a steady rhythm.
He was thinking.
This outcome was both surprising and unsurprising. He thought being a Vampire or being able to use magic would be what disqualified him from obtaining the powers, but the tree's words were awfully cryptic. What did it mean, he reminded it of 'dirt'?
Elves and Beast people could obtain the ancient powers in addition to humans, but maybe it wasn't possible for him.
He might be able to fool most people with his appearance, but the ancient power within the tree must have been able to recognize he wasn't qualified to receive the power for some reason.
While debating what to do, the grudge of the spirit raised its voice again.
The bread was really good… I just don't want… Have someone else bring me bread. If you want.
Why did he think the voice sounded hopeful? This damned tree insulted him and it still wants to take his food?
Gluttony really was a terrible thing.
Naru returned to the inn and made sure Choi Han was sleeping before dropping off the remaining half of the bread in his room. There was still some time to deal with the ancient power, but for now, he wanted to go meet someone else.
He noticed the cats that had been sticking beside Choi Han this morning were sitting outside the front of the inn when he left, like they'd been waiting for him. It was odd, but maybe they were fond of Choi Han and wanted him to play with them again.
"He's sleeping. Go away."
While walking off, Naru remembered that he never understood people who talked to animals. Now he was such a person.
"Meow!"
The red cat's tail flicked back and forth, but the silver cat got up and started to leave. At least one of them listened well.
Naru headed for the little tea shop located in the square of Rain City's market district, [The Fragrance of Tea with Poetry]. It was time to spend some of his father's money again.
Notes