CH 76

A Brother’s Betrayal

Gray was taken to a separate room less than a few minutes later. He walked confidently with the envy of people.

The Legendary Lord was in the recital room for guests. It was a room with a black carpet and a large piano in the center. Gray, who found him, strode into the room, paused and stepped back 

A man who was looking out of the window in a posture akin to a deer. The lord looked perfect. It wasn’t until Gray saw the Legendary Lord who was a man that was overly handsome that he was overwhelmed.

‘I never thought I’d run into you in a place like this. If I win the favor of the Legendary Lord, my father will no longer be able to give me a title, right?’

Gray stepped back. In his head passed every sophisticated and witty greeting he knew. Such Gray’s vision caught something by the window.

‘Chess piece?’

It was a white king made of ivory. The Legendary Lord was staring at it with a rather habitual gaze.

Gray blinked, then stepped forward with a confident smile.

“Do you like chess?”

The black and elegant man’s head slowly turned to Gray. Gray stood opposite him, gesticulating deftly.

“I like it, too.”

The Legendary Lord grabbed the king that he had put on the window instead of answering. As the blue mana shone, the chess horse soon disappeared out of the blue.

[Gray Buchanan.]

“Yes!”

[Tell me about your sister.]

The Legendary Lord said as if he were singing. It was like a song, but it was close to the sound of a stringed instrument with a loud echo.

‘How can a person have a voice like that? Oh, aren’t you human?’

“Anyway. What are you curious about?”

[Do you siblings have any connections other than Elsus?]

“Oh, you know that Elsus is our hometown! It’s a nice neighborhood.”

Gray laughed softly.

“But a connection, I don’t know. Actually, I lived in Sel Arellano early on. Or on the estate.”

[I heard Elsus was your hometown?]

“She was in Elsus. With my mother.”

[Why?]

Gray blinked a few times with his large blue eyes under dark eyebrows.

“Because she’s affectionate.”

A moment of brutal light flashed through those blue eyes.

[Ah.]

Gray was convinced of his choice, because what came to his lips at this time was cynicism.

‘There was a problem with Kyrie.’

But it still lacked something he wanted him to show his hand completely. He decided to be a little bolder. Gray raised the corners of his eyes slyly.

“Kyrie wanted to take care of her mother. She said she wasn’t very well back then…”

[Zhenya Hartwood.]

“You know? Yes. My mother was originally a scholar who studied the apocalypse. Because of her pregnancy, she had to stay away from academia, but she says. Father’s permission-.”

[So?]

“Yes?”

The Legendary Lord said with a slightly tired look.

[I hate asking twice. Where would Kyrie Buchanan go?]

Gray paused for a moment with a smile on his face.  Sometimes silence is better than words.

‘A little bit more.’

“Excuse me, but why are you curious about Kyrie……?  Did my sister do something wrong?”

[Wrong.]

The Legendary Lord didn’t even blink. He didn’t seem like the kind of person who would say ‘It’s wrong to be too pretty’, so Gray closed his doubts with those words. Kyrie had done something wrong, and it was clear that the Legendary Lord was angry about it. A faint wretchedness appeared on his face, as soft as a wet swallow.

“Oh…..Is that so? I apologize for my sister’s mistake, Your Grace…. It’s not really that surprising.  In fact, there are many places where she is a little lacking.”

At that moment, Gray felt that the focus of the Legendary Lord, who had been thinking of other things throughout the conversation,  became focused on him.

[Yes?]

He even seemed to be having fun. It was really strange. The Legendary Lord started to smile, but the air got tighter.

[Keep talking.]

He took a step closer with a hint of strangely encouraging the Legendary Lord. Gray took a step back without knowing why.

“Uh… Your Grace?”

[This is an interesting story. It’s really fun. Yeah, it looked pretty good to my eyes.]

“Is that so…?”

[So tell me more.]

The Legendary Lord lowered his eyes and whispered,

[I wonder what type of story will come out of your mouth.]

“Yes? Hmm.…”

After a moment of silence, Gray regained his confidence. If it was to win people’s liking, it was his specialty.

“If you’ve met Kyrie, you’d know that, but first of all, she is not an ordinary person. From being too stubborn… Well, she did listen to what my father said.”

[She is not afraid of anything.]

“Right. Because we’re a family, it’s true that she has to cover up her teeth, but anyway, that’s the case! How could she have thought of doing something wrong with the Legendary Lord?”

The Legendary Lord smiled. Gray laughed too.

“You seem to be looking for her, can I get you a present?”

[It’s fun. I also have something I want to get from you.]

Before he knew it, the Legendary Lord was holding a cane. He looked like he was holding a sword. Somehow it bothered him terribly, but Gray decided to focus on something more important. Words that couldn’t hide their expectations popped out.

“Then would you like to meet Kyrie?”

The smile disappeared in an instant.

Gray didn’t know the whole thing. And he thought he had misheard him, so he said again.

“Would you like to meet her?”

[What?]

“Kyrie, you know. I have her.”

At that moment, there was a big lightning strike outside the window. The white light shone on the body of the Legendary Lord. 

Gray, who was overly intoxicated with his directing skills, did not notice that the shadow of the Legendary Lord was too big at that moment. The black pupil between the blue iris began to change shape like a reptile and a goat.

[Here?]

It sounded like a tight bow demonstration.

Gray put the bow down with a nod.

“Yes, here she is.”

***

“I’d rather have snow. What kind of crazy weather is this?”

Residents of Clásico grumbled. People looked up at the sky. Clouds accompanied by thunder and lightning were revolving around Clementz’s Castle, as if a huge manpower were working.

“Shouldn’t we evacuate?”

“But there was no evacuation order.”

“It’s the Lord’s birthday banquet! Would you look outside?”

“Still, let’s keep an eye on things a little by the way.….”

At that time, someone pointed to the sea.

“Wait, what’s wrong with the sea?”

The eyes of those who were outside to look into the sea. A child in his father’s arms spoke in an innocent voice that did not suit the situation.

“Dad, it’s Yong Oreum! Wow!”

(T/N: An ‘Oreum’, located in the east of Jeju Island, is a Jeju-dialect which means a parasitic volcano.)

From the distant sea, there were several Yongoreum, smaller than a finger.

But unlike children, adults were looking elsewhere.

“……The sea is draining.”

The sea, which had been boiling over due to the storm, was silently retreating. Sea-men didn’t know what it meant. People’s faces turned white.

***

Kyrie gasped, looking down at the fallen soldier.

‘I didn’t expect it to work.….’

If you compress the arteries in a person’s neck and cause hypoxia, even the most robust person will faint within 10 seconds.

She had been hit by Gray under the name of Fainting Play when she was young, but it’s the first time she had actually done it on a human being. It was also the first time she deliberately tried to hurt others. Kyrie’s hands trembled. She felt like a demon.

‘Sorry, I’m sorry…… but I have to run…….’

Kyrie frantically groped the arms of the soldier. She found the handcuff key, uncuffed it, and put it on the soldier’s arm. The conversation passed by.

‘Check the drain and the back door carefully.  There’s a storm. The back door eventually flew away the other day…..’

Kyrie started running deeper into the dungeon without looking back. She lost strength in her skinny legs and fell over and over again, but she didn’t feel the pain.

When she saw a light from afar, a ray of hope shone on Kyrie’s face. As she held her rough breath and ran towards the light, the world suddenly became brighter in that moment. Kyrie, who had closed her eyes because of her light, let out her groan of despair.

What unfolded before her eyes was a distant cliff.

***

Gray’s face turned cold in surprise at Nathaniel’s surprise.

‘Is it that much of a surprise?’

Besides, he didn’t even realize that Nathaniel’s shadow was just weird, but he definitely got the feeling he ‘saw something he shouldn’t have seen’. Because it was the realm of instinct.

“Well..…. Did I say something wrong?”

Gray spoke carefully and took a step back. Then Nathaniel took a step closer.

[How?]

It was a hoarse voice. Gray felt the muscles all over his body stiffen.

“I found her on Redroute. The way she was running was suspicious, so I caught her….”

Gray answered with a clumsy smile.  It was clear that something was wrong with her.

In Nathaniel’s blue eyes, which grew slightly in surprise, the expression on his face did not change, only emotion disappeared. It was great pressure.

[Guide me.]

“Yes?”

[Where Kyrie is. Where did you put her?]

Gray met his gaze and licked his lips with his hair, which had become somewhat dull.

“However…Are you sure you want to go like this?”

Unfortunately, Kyrie’s insight on Gray was correct.  He lacked resourcefulness. He was quick-witted, but overconfident, and friendly, but that was one of the things that didn’t work for Nathaniel the most.

“Of course, I want to guide Kyrie right away, but… In the first place, isn’t it essential that these things save each other’s face?”

The only thought in Gray’s mind was that he had to somehow make use of this opportunity.

‘I can’t just hand over Kyrie. At the very least, if I get a promise to reciprocate, even verbally, it’s worth it.’

Gray took a breath.

“And I’m not comfortable helping you find my sister for something I don’t know why.”

The original Nathaniel would have accepted with a faint cynicism. But now Nathaniel couldn’t afford it. The moment Nathaniel’s mouth opens, or before, or after that. Anyway, it was almost simultaneous.

Gray’s face cracked horizontally. Gray didn’t know it until the blood from the wound fell on his collar, and later made a stupid sound.

“……Huh?”

His hand slowly climbed up and felt under his eyes. Only then did he realize that his skin had been cut very shallowly in a straight line. His mouth opened for a scream. The white blade came into his mouth as if he had waited for it.

[My patience isn’t that long, and I’m more thirsty than you think. Show me where she is at this time.]

Nathaniel spoke low. His face, behind the white lightning, was horrifyingly pale.

Gray felt a fishy taste of blood on the metal on his tongue. It was his own blood. If he moved a little, he would cut his mouth.

Nathaniel also did not forget to warn a little more gently for the heady hair animal.

[I don’t think you know, but guidance doesn’t have to be with normal limbs.…….]

The white sword slipped out of its mouth like a snake. It significantly touched Gray’s shoulders and knees, then became a black cane.

Nathaniel stood upright with a cane, staring at Gray. Gray slowly smoothed the blood flowing from his face. The wound was cut too delicately, stung a bit.

It was scarier.

“……I’ll guide you.”

Gray gently relinquished his escape from the black torrent before his eyes.

As they stepped out into the hallway, he heard the sound of a Colorado soprano somewhere. Gray and Nathaniel headed to the dungeon, listening to increasingly climaxing songs. And just in time, he ran into Neveah looking for him.

Neveah belatedly found a man beyond Gray’s back, and gently clung to him.

“……I’ll escort you.”

It won’t help much, but just being on his side was a little reassuring.

Nathaniel said nothing when he saw Buchanan’s servants joining him. Gray wiggled his cheeks with a confused face.

‘I don’t think he has a grudge. It’s over if he knows I stabbed Kyrie in the back.’

But now it’s too late to cope with something. The moment he tries to escape the sight  of the Legendary Lord, or the moment he makes a suspicious move, he will become disfigured. There was such confidence.

Gray hoped Kyrie would do something about this frustrating situation. She was a tough kid to her family, so he had no choice but to hope that she could hang on somehow.

But when Gray went down to the dungeon, the prison was empty.

***

“Oh, where’d she go?”

She could hear Gray shouting furiously over her head.

Kyrie stood inside a drain dripping with water and held her breath. The water was waist-deep, and high above the head, there was a lattice drain lid.

The castle must have a secret passageway to be used by the lord in an emergency situation. And if there is no retreat built on a cliff like Clement’s Castle and exposed outside, the secret passage is usually a ditch.

‘Gray wasn’t interested in that knowledge, and it wasn’t in Nathaniel’s time. You won’t find it.’

“Neveaaaaaah!

“It looks like she ran away.”

Buchanan’s female servant, who was under Gray, replied in a hoarse voice. Kyrie listened to the conversation between the two below.

“Fortunately, the soldier is alive.”

“Wake up!” 

Soon there was a slap in the face.

“Hey, wake up.”

“Uhhhhhhh.

“Where’s the lady?”

“Huh…? You’re Buchanan’s……?”

“What happened?”

“Uh…? That woman, her hair wasn’t brown……?”

“Damn, that’s a magic stone!  Tell me what you know!”

Gray started running a little more. The soldier’s spirit was dead.

“Sorry, I’m sorry.  I can’t remember ever since I was strangled by a chain of handcuffs from behind….”

“You choked? Kyrie? That smart kid? It’s happening again!”

“Aww, it’s a bit like treating women carelessly, so at the moment when you miss it….”

Conversations in the order expected. Kyrie rolled her eyes down. She seemed to have relaxed her tension a little later. She squeezed in between them, and a voice that was seldom heard intervened.

[Where is she headed?]

Kyrie’s body, which had been relaxed for a moment, tensed up. She covered her mouth with her palm to keep her from making a sound.

“Once again, there is another door on the other side. If not there, maybe in the castle…?”

“Ah, sir! Damn it, Neveah. Take care of this! I will follow the Legendary Lord.”

“I understand, Master.”

After that, the sound overlapped and could not be heard well. Buchanan’s servants, including Neveah, were busy moving over her head, and they took the soldiers and left.

Now all that was left was Kyrie. She looked up at her, exhausted, unable to make a specific expression. She was worried about the soldier’s condition and stayed there for a while, but there seemed to be no problem.  Fortunately for her, no one noticed that she was here.  Even Nathaniel.

Kyrie leaned against her wall and closed her eyes for a moment. Her heart felt hot and cold.

[Where did you go?]

The faint nervousness in his voice was unfamiliar. A laugh came out. It seemed that nothing could break Nathaniel’s leeway, but he did it himself.

She wasn’t happy. She was just tired. She just wanted to fall down and sink into the water. But now her accustomed hallucinations pushed her back.

‘Run away without looking back.’

“I know, MarryAnne……”

Kyrie struggled to open her eyes and looked at the dimly lit drain. When it bends, it somehow becomes large enough for a person to carry, but it is unknown what will be at the end.  But she had to hurry. If it’s Nathaniel, he will quickly notice her trick.

‘You have to get out of the castle as soon as possible.’

Kyrie finally looked up at the light above her head, and then she turned back. And walked out into the darkness. 

***

The author’s fan art of nathaniel, her twitter username is given below, feel free to follow her~