174 Nowhere to Return to

According to that man, the Vengeful Spirit and the Professor fought intensely for the key to the legendary Blood Path. In order to fight, the Professor hired the Butcher, but even the Butcher had been defeated by the Vengeful Spirit.

In the end, the formerly undefeated Professor miscalculated and died in the Vengeful Spirit’s hands. After Holmes killed the Professor, he offered the body to Satan. The entire Asylum was turned into demonic territory.

Even the Round Table Knights had been startled. The knights Lancelot and Galahad worked together to attack Holmes, but Holmes had fought back and played an ancient score from the East. It was called the Xuanyuan Sky-breaking Melody or something scary like that. He wanted to completely destroy Avalon. But god bless Avalon. The Royal Musicians activated the enchantment, called forth the pure white moon and purified him!

"Hey, I was there when it happened and I saw everything!" someone else said with exaggerated features. "You were wrong about the Vengeful Spirit. After he called up Satan’s power, he escaped!"

Everyone burst into laughter. Another witness revealed that this guy had been hiding in a doghouse and almost peed his pants. How could he have seen the Vengeful Spirit? As they laughed, no one noticed that the door was pushed open.

-

Outside, someone opened the door and entered. The sunlight outside the window shone on his white hair and prosthetic arm. He quietly passed through the hall and sat down in the corner. He put on an apologetic expression for the friend who had been waiting.

"Sorry, I’m late." He sighed. "I haven’t gone out in a while and got lost…"

"It’s okay. I’ve just arrived too," the muscular man across from him said. The man’s burliness was over the top. It seemed as if his entire body was covered in bulging muscles. Even his face was muscular and fierce, and he seemed unapproachable. The people around him all kept their distance subconsciously. They did not even dare to speak loudly, in fear of angering this guy and getting beaten up.

Seeing Abraham arrive, the giant man quickly put out his cigar. Rising, he raised his arm in salute. But when he raised his arm halfway, he finally realized what he was doing and sat back down awkwardly.

Relieved sighs sounded around them. Everyone was worried for the old man who sat before him.

"Is that guy going to hit him?"

"This place is regulated. He wouldn’t, right?" someone replied quietly. "It looks like the leader of a gang coming to extort money. Look how scared the other guy looks."

"No, I think he looks respectful. Look, he laughed."

"Of course he’d laugh if he got money! I think that old guy sold everything to get this money. Otherwise he’d get killed on the spot."

"Yeah, I heard…"

"…" As if he had heard all the murmurs, the burly man’s expression darkened. He clenched his fists which were bigger than a jug of beer. His joints popped and cracked, scaring the onlookers and forcing them to look away.

Abraham cast a soundproof wall between them and the voices became unclear and distant. The corner was quiet again.

"Long time no see, Seton." His expression was worried. "You haven’t contacted me in a long time. Did something happen?"

Seton shook his head quickly. He sat straight as a rod with his chest puffed and head up, like a studious little kid. Hearing Abraham’s words, he pulled a book from his pocket and offered it up with both hands.

"General, I finished reading this book. I can return it now." In his hands was a thin pamphlet—Collection of Anglo Fairy Tales. It was obvious that the reader had treasured it. Even the corners of the pages had been flattened carefully and preserved its original state.

"Seton, you finally learned how to read? That’s great." Abraham became happy. "I’ll get you some more books. Don’t worry, they won’t be too complicated. I’ll find ones that suit beginners. You’ll like them."

"General, I…I don’t want to read anymore."

"Why?" Abraham was stunned and a bit confused. "These are all good stories. Look how interesting they are."

"General, what’s the point of reading these things used for fooling kids?" Seton mumbled, avoiding Abraham’s eyes. "Stop forcing someone who can only kill to read those things."

Abraham stared at him for a long time before finally understanding something and growing dejected. "Okay, I know. Some things don’t work even when forced." After he took the book, he looked up and saw Seton’s dark eyes.

"Old George died a few days ago," he said. "I went to his funeral."

Abraham’s expression darkened and he nodded lightly. "…Becoming free after living so many miserable years is a good thing."

"He was mocked until he died. Those people didn’t believe him. All his life, people thought he was a liar who could only fantasize." Seton hung his head. "General, these years...these years, we’ve all been sad."

"Everyone has a hard life." Abraham’s eyes were dark. "Not many things are difficult, compared to living."

"General, aren’t you the same?" Seton said in a hoarse voice, gazing at him. "We live in the cages that the country made for us every day. They draw the circle and don’t let us take a step out of line. Every breath we take has to be investigated. Every word we utter has to be harmless. Even if we want to buy a razor, we have to make a request and record it. What is this? How is it different from being a prisoner?"

"Seton…"

"I know, I shouldn’t think like this. I know!" Seton interrupted. "At least we’re all alive. At least we don’t have to go onto the battlefield and return to that dark world…but are we only living?

"No, we’re also humiliated and looked down upon. We’re like wild dogs in a cage for people to look at! Why is it like that? When Gaius defected, he dragged us all down!"

"Seton, enough," Abraham ordered, raising his voice.

"General, do you still not understand?" Seton roared in anger. "That despicable old b*stard insulted our loyalty and belief. He’s the culprit for destroying our glory and breaking apart the Dragon Riders! Do you still believe that he’s going to save us? He didn’t appear when we were like dogs without a home. He didn’t come back when we were captured and killed one by one. It’s been ten years. Do we still have to believe that trai…"

Bang! The table was flipped over and a crude metal hand tightened around Seton’s neck. It lifted him up and threw him against the wall in a cloud of dust. Dust fell from the ceiling into a furious eye.

"Seton," Abraham uttered, emphasizing each word, "I said, enough."

No one expected this old man to be so terrifying when angered. Seton was like a little kid before him. He did not even have the chance to react before he was rolling on the ground and hacking, trying to catch his breath.

But he still pulled himself up stubbornly. His eyes were forlorn. "General, are you really content?" he asked hoarsely. "We sacrificed so much for the country, put in so much, but this is how we’re treated. We…we were heroes!"

Abraham was stunned. After a long while, he dejectedly sat back into his chair. "Seton, that is all in the past," he murmured, as if talking to himself. "It’s all in the past."

"As long as we’re still alive, it’s not the past." Seton held onto Abraham’s shoulder, his eyes full of anticipation. "General, the Dragon Riders haven’t died out. They can’t keep us caged. We can break free and take back what we’ve lost. Even if there’s no place for us in Anglo, it’s okay. Even if we go back to the Dark World as mercenaries, it’s okay! We just need your word, General! Just one word…"

But Abraham did not reply. He just lifted his hand to remove the hand on his shoulder and made Seton sit again.

He waved the terrified server over to clean up the mess, turn the table over and change the cups. Everything was returned to its original state.

"Seton, we were soldiers, obedient killing machines. We started learning the cruelties of this world since birth. They taught us how to use daggers, spears and poison and taught us how to kill people or monsters. But no one taught us how to live like a regular person." He sighed dejectedly.

"To be honest, even now, I’m still confused by this world. I don’t understand their trendy jokes, and I don’t know what the mood of a room is. If someone speaks a little less than straightforward, it’s hard for me to comprehend it.

"Sometimes, when I sit in a banquet, I feel like I don’t belong there. When I sleep, I wake up with a start, thinking a beast will come in. I’m scared without a weapon. Sometimes, I want to return to the battlefield. That’s where I belong. But then I realize that even if I go back, it’s meaningless.

"Hadn’t we spent the first half of our lives there? There is no death or life there…There’s nothing in the Dark World, other than darkness. So, I’m sorry, Seton. I want to stay here." Softly, he said, "There’s still something here that I must do."

Seton was stunned. He saw the sharpness in Abraham’s eyes disappear. Dim light fell onto his face, illuminating the wrinkles. He had returned to the submissive man. Insipid, wooden, and slow, he was as harmless and as average as a fallen leaf on the ground.

He often rambled when he spoke. Now, his voice was slow and gentle. "You know, Seton, I have a really troublesome kid. When he was little, he often had nightmares and would cry softly when he woke up. He’d get scared when I wasn’t around. I raised him and now, he’s still troublesome and often gets beat up.

"Now, I have a smart student. He has white hair and is stubborn and brave when deciding his future. He likes to cause trouble too. I have another student. She’s a girl who likes to cut class and go play. She’s innocent, cute, and carefree. She’s going to be a beauty when she grows up. But she likes to cause trouble too.

"To be honest, they’re all children that make me feel helpless and worried, but when they call me ‘professor,’ I feel happy." He looked up at Seton and asked quietly, "What will they do if I leave? Who will take care of them…"

"But…" Seton stared at him, unable to speak. "But…"

Abraham shook his head and did not say anything else. And so, it was a long silence.

Finally, the time-telling bell rang in the distance, outside on the street, and resounded through the city. The sun had traveled across the sky without either realizing and descended into the ocean. The sun had set.

-

"We haven’t met in such a long time and things turned out unhappily. I guess I really don’t know how to talk," Abraham said. "I’m sorry, but I must go. It’s almost time for class."

Speaking of class, he could not help but chuckle. The chuckle and smile were filled with substantial happiness, as if he had finally found a home. Seeing the smile, Seton remained silent. There was nothing more he could say.

Abraham rose. Giving one last glance at Seton, he turned to leave. But for some reason, he stopped after two steps.

"Seton, you have to look forward. You can’t live in the past." He bid farewell quietly, not daring to look back. "The Dragon Riders…are something eliminated by time."

The door closed. All was silent.

Seton stared blankly in the direction Abraham had gone. He stared at the door, as if he was waiting for Abraham to return. But the figure did not turn back, even after a long time. It was as if he had disappeared forever.

After a long, long time, Seton finally understood something. He hung his head listlessly and his shoulders shook.

Everyone in the café turned in shock to look at the lonely figure in the corner—the burly beastly man was crying? He was crying like a child. Beasts would cry too, when they realized that they had nowhere to return to.