Childhood Friend Of The Zenith – Chapter 1262

The air settled cold. I had to hold my tongue at the Cheolryong Vice Captain’s words.

‘…You can’t eat monsters unless you’re an Apostle?’

For an instant my mind froze. Was that a thing?

‘It shouldn’t be, right?’

As far as I knew, no. I clearly remembered even tearing into monsters in my past life.

Of course it might be impossible in reality, but in this world it had been possible.

But—

‘Here, it’s not?’

I’d taken this as the same world, and yet here that was said to be impossible? It was the kind of statement that made me pause for a moment.

Could that be? A gap opened because it clashed with what I knew.

While I was thinking how to fill it—

“It was a lie.”

“What?”

“The mood was bleak, so I tried spitting out a lie once. Your reaction is refreshing.”

Saying that, the Cheolryong Vice Captain turned his head and walked on.

‘Huh.’

Watching him, the corner of my mouth twitched.

‘Unbelievable.’

He probes me like this? Thanks to that, my reaction lagged.

A one-year blank—and the problem born of wondering if this might be a world I don’t know.

‘This got troublesome.’

I was walking forward as if nothing were wrong, but that man’s head was full of suspicion.

And my response just now had practically thrown fuel on the fire.

‘Irritating.’

There was a chance he’d try some move.

What should I do.

I weighed it.

A way not to get found out? That wasn’t the question.

‘Should I kill him?’

Whether to kill him or not—

that was the dilemma that sprang up.

We pushed in a little farther past the surface.

Even having entered the interior, nothing had changed to the eye.

‘The same.’

Withered trees and parched ground—no big difference.

For a place called dangerous, it looked the same.

‘Then—’

it meant a great many monsters were hiding somewhere around here.

‘That’s even stranger.’

In this wide-open landscape, where exactly were they supposed to hide?

A doubt rose.

“How far do you intend to go?”

First, I asked Cheolryong Daeju our objective.

“A little farther.”

“You’ve said that how many times now.”

“…Just a bit farther.”

What could there be if we go just a bit farther from here?

At a glance it’s just flatland.

“Monsters showed up last time too—won’t it be dangerous for just the two of us to go?”

“If it looks like things are about to blow up, we flee.”

“Easy for you to say.”

And after it blows up, how exactly are we supposed to run?

Ah.

‘He’s fast, so maybe it’ll be fine.’

Yesterday the other personnel were the issue; at the vice captain’s level, retreating would be doable.

‘But that’s not the objective—that’s the problem.’

I already knew the Cheolryong Vice Captain’s goal wasn’t exploration and reconnaissance of the west. His aim was clearly me.

‘What trick is he planning, exactly.’

What does he intend to do? While that question lingered—

“Let me ask just one thing.”

Cheolryong Daeju put a question to me.

“What is it.”

“I heard you fended off an Apostle’s assault.”

“Yes. I did.”

“How did you stop it?”

“…How else do you stop it? It charged, so I beat it down.”

“…That works?”

“Yeah. Why? You can’t?”

“Apostles aren’t affected by a warrior’s qi.”

“Hmm…”

This was something I’d heard beforehand from Dokbong.

Because a warrior’s qi doesn’t work on Apostles, they were said to be hard to handle.

‘That’s just like the traits of red-class monsters.’

Red monsters that go around wrapped in their distinctive qi-veil.

It was quite similar to their traits.

No wonder everyone kept busy running from the things called Apostles.

“But, well… when I fought, it worked.”

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

“……”

“……”

The conversation cut off again. By now I had to let out a long sigh.

“…What’s your point?”

“……”

“Why do you keep testing people—testing me? What is it you actually want to do?”

I was getting tired of the vice captain’s antics. I wanted to go along with it, but when he kept being this slimy about it, I didn’t even want to do that.

“Do I look like an Apostle to you?”

I asked it outright.

“Yeah.”

This time, Cheolryong Daeju answered plainly.

“I think you’re an Apostle.”

“Oh, yeah? Even though I said I’m not?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because every circumstance says so.”

“…Hmm.”

Circumstances, huh. Hard to refute. But—

“Even so, you deliberately came with me?”

The more he talked, the less I understood him.

“If I really were an Apostle and we came out here alone like this, I might kill you.”

There’s no need to keep around someone you suspect. If you came out with me, you could just kill me; why take an unnecessary risk?

At that, the vice captain spoke matter-of-factly.

“If you intended to kill us, you would’ve already wiped us out. You had plenty of chances yesterday, too.”

“…So I won’t kill you now either? Yet I’m an Apostle?”

“Who knows what purpose you have. Which is why—”

Clack.

The Cheolryong Vice Captain grasped the hilt at his waist.

“—I’ll just have to find out from here on.”

“…Mm.”

I scratched my cheek.

“…That’s a poor choice.”

If he insisted on fighting, it was a poor choice.

‘I don’t want to kill him, though.’

Knowing he kept suspecting me and scratching at me, part of me did want to kill him.

‘…Mi Hyoran is the snag.’

Mi Hyoran weighs on me. After all, he’s someone who gives her his full loyalty.

What’s more—

‘If I kill him here—’

I might not be able to return to the Central Plains the way I did in my past life.

Until I’m sure about that, refraining from needless killing is right. I really do want to, but—

“Why keep doing this, making things a hassle?”

My hand moved first.

Clench.

“…!”

With my body springing forward, I pushed into his sword.

“Don’t draw it.”

“…What…?”

“I’m asking, in my own way. If you draw that, even I won’t be able to help it. Let’s just get along, yeah?”

If he drew the sword, I would kill him.

So this was the last chance.

“……”

Grit—

Strength kept gathering in his hand. He seemed set on drawing it no matter what.

“Tsk.”

I grimaced. If it’s come to this—

‘Should I just knock him out.’

Better to drop him before it gets more troublesome. It’s a shame I won’t see farther inside, but time spent bickering with this guy is a bigger waste.

Thinking that, I went to clip his chin with my hand when—

Wuuung.

‘Hm?’

I felt something—from the Cheolryong Vice Captain’s upper body.

Sensing the oddity, I shot my hand out.

Snatch!

“…Hah!”

I dragged something out of his chest. Looked like a bead.

“…What is this?”

“…How did you—!”

The vice captain’s face changed; he was clearly shaken. What was this?

‘Plainly not just a bead—’

If it wasn’t some ordinary item—

‘No way.’

A spirit artifact?

I narrowed my eyes. I didn’t know what kind, but it looked like this was the measure he’d prepared.

“What is this? Planning to tell whether I’m an Apostle with it?”

“…Hand it over.”

“Hand it over? Why would I give it to you? It looks suspicious at a glance. What is it?”

I opened the distance. As I slipped back with the bead in hand, the Cheolryong Vice Captain lunged straight at me.

Shrrring—!!

He drew his blade and charged me.

I frowned at that.

Shiiik—!!

The sword came slicing in. I traced its path and moved my hand.

Ppak—!

“Kuk!?”

Hit on the wrist, the Cheolryong Vice Captain faltered. He didn’t drop the blade. The man’s grit was impressive. But—

“I told you.”

A half-step forward.

His torso staggered from the impact. I closed right under his nose.

“Don’t draw your sword.”

I drove my clenched fist into his flank.

Ppak—!!

“…Ghk!”

With a groan, he let out a pain-soaked grunt.

Thud.

“Huff… Huk…”

Clutching his side, he sank to his knees. The Cheolryong Vice Captain was busy forcing out ragged breaths.

“Why don’t you listen? I clearly said I wouldn’t let it slide if you drew your sword. You really can’t take a hint, can you.”

“…Krrk… Gah…”

“And what’s this bead? It seems different from the cuffs…”

It looked different from those cuffs that could identify an Apostle. What effect did this thing have?

“…Give it back…”

The Cheolryong Vice Captain stretched a trembling hand toward me.

Trying to take it back?

“…Ahjussi. You’re stubborn as hell, huh?”

Annoying.

“Ah, seriously.”

I tried to hold down my temper, but even that wasn’t easy. If I let it slide this time, how many would that make? Twice, three times? I didn’t know anymore.

Should I just kill him?

Fwoooosh—!

Killing intent surged out.

“…Kuk!!”

The Cheolryong Vice Captain bled.

It seemed his insides had been shaken by the murderous aura. Watching him, my eyes cooled.

“…Ahjussi.”

Through the raging killing intent, I reached a hand toward him.

Then—

Whoosh—!

I grabbed his collar and yanked him behind me.

“Looks like we’ve got company.”

I turned my head. This killing intent wasn’t mine.

An immense murderous aura poured down all of a sudden. Feeling it, I stared up into empty air.

“…Huh?”

My eyes widened.

“…That—”

Something wavered in the reddened sky. That—

“…Flame?”

A gray-hued flame.

Something that seemed to flicker calmly was releasing a tremendous killing intent.

At the sight, my heart—

Thump…!

beat low, setting my blood to simmer.

It resonated.

My body began to resonate with that flame.

Slowly—roughly so.