“……Okay, I accept.”
“Phuh, that’s a relief. I was worried you might suddenly attack without any warning. Then, I just want you to stand aside and let the two of them go. If you do that, I’ll allow your daughter to leave from this place.”
Each word that came from Chain’s mouth irritated me.
I wanted to immediately swing my sword, but my cold reasoning stopped my emotions.
“…….
“……”
Done.
When I glanced up at the tree, Ruina, just as Chain had said, seemed to think it was better to follow along, quietly shaking her head at me.
So, I held my heated breath and nodded at Chain’s words.
“Alright, send those two first. But before that, I need to speak with that person named Kali. Is that alright?”
“Hmm, if it’s just talking.”
After a moment of thinking, Chain showed his acceptance.
And then, Kali, who had been chewing on Naila’s heart with a disgusted expression, looked at me.
Maybe because of the countless painful memories I had just experienced, Kali gazed at me with fearful eyes.
I gave Kali a sincere warning, wanting to prepare for something like today in the future.
“I’ll warn you in advance: don’t ever touch my daughter again. If you even think of touching her, it won’t just end with causing pain like today.”
“……”
“If something like today happens again, I’ll nail you to the wall, and every day will be torture until your life expires, and you’ll just be left breathing.”
“Ah, I understand… no, I’ll, I’ll remember…”
For a moment, Kali almost spoke in a polite manner unknowingly, but struggled to change her words and nodded.
And with that response, Kali and Naila disappeared as if engulfed by mana.
Finally, after watching the two disappear, Chain signaled to Asili, who had been standing behind me.
“Now, you can leave. There’s no need for anyone to distract us during this conversation.”
“……Master, then I will take the young lady with me.”
“Yes, take Elia to Zenre. Calm her down until I get there.”
“Understood.”
Neither Ruina nor I could comfort Elia, so the most suitable person in the kingdom right now was Zenre.
I would have liked to leave it to Ruina if possible, but this conversation might be very important.
Since Ruina had no reason to be here, and the conversation wouldn’t harm her, I didn’t insist on her staying with Asili.
Ruina seemed to have no intention of leaving me alone either.
So, when I asked, Asili immediately took Elia into her arms and flew off.
“I’ll go to Zenre first. Please return safely, Master.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll return safely, so don’t worry about it.”
After all, all we would do here was talk.
Since the other side said they didn’t plan to attack me first, and I didn’t have any confidence in defeating them in a fight, a conversation was a given.
So there was no real danger to my life in this situation.
I briefly watched Asili and Elia disappear into the distance, and when they were out of sight, I turned my gaze back to Chain.
“Well then… Shall we talk about what you wanted to talk about?”
“Hmm, let’s do that. But before we talk, let’s introduce ourselves. My name is Chain Iriar. I’m just an insignificant mage and researcher who coordinates and integrates various paths in the underworld.”
Chain bowed, introducing himself like this.
It seemed he didn’t intend to introduce the organization “Worst” yet, only revealing his own name.
Since I already knew about them, I didn’t want to unnecessarily raise suspicion, so I nodded and said,
“Well, I think I already know a bit about you… should we introduce ourselves as well?”
“No, there’s no need for your introduction. You’re already quite famous as war heroes, so I already know all about you. It’s impossible to not know about the people who are celebrated for ending the War of the Giants.”
I had already expected it, but Chain mentioned that he knew about us and skipped the introductions.
Of course, it would be strange if he didn’t know about us, since our names had already been widely known.
And most importantly…
“Also, seven years ago, you were the one who killed my subordinates in the kingdom, so it’s impossible that I don’t know about you.”
Since I had killed the executives of Worst seven years ago, there was no way Chain didn’t know about me.
However, how did Chain know that those two were related to him? I had only told Kali about it.
“Did you overhear my conversation with Kali?”
“I can check the situation of my subordinates whenever I want. While observing Kali, I accidentally overheard it. So, I’m curious… how did you know those two were connected to Kali seven years ago? They must have been dead before they could spill any information.”
Chain asked with pure curiosity, but his face was hiding a sly, serpent-like expression.
It seemed like he was trying to see through our psychology, throwing his question with a subtle smile.
The answer I chose to that question was one.
“Do I really have to show my cards? If the topic of the conversation is that, then there’s nothing more to discuss.”
Silence.
That was the answer I chose.
I had tried to hide the fact that I knew about them to avoid raising suspicion, but I never thought Chain had overheard my conversation with Kali.
Of course, even if he hadn’t overheard it, now that Kali was alive, it would have been discovered eventually.
My past mistake was just plain foolish.
‘Next time, I need to keep my mouth shut better.’
I berated myself inwardly, vowing to not be swayed by unnecessary anger again.
And after my response, Chain stroked his chin and nodded.
“Hmm… I understand. I wouldn’t want to reveal my cards either. I get it. And since the topic I wanted to discuss wasn’t that, let’s move on from here.”
“Then I’d like to wrap up this conversation quickly. It looks like I’ll have a lot to do because of you.”
“Haha! Alright then, Kael, let me ask you just one thing.”
Chain’s gaze turned toward me.
Within it lay an emotion so cold and bottomless that it sent shivers down my spine.
What kind of question could warrant such deep curiosity?
The answer soon came as Chain’s lips parted to ask the question.
“How… did you obtain the power of immortality?”
“…What?”
I unconsciously asked back, caught off guard by the unexpected question.
The fact that I do not age and live eternally is already a well-known story among those who know me.
And as time goes on, it will be a story that no one remains unaware of.
After all, while I clearly maintain the appearance of a human, I will continue to live without aging.
At some point, I might have even revealed this information about myself first.
But I never expected to hear this question from Chain now, so I found myself asking back.
“Humans have a set lifespan. No matter how long one lives, reaching beyond 90 years is as difficult as plucking a star from the sky. And unfortunately, I was born as one of those inferior humans.”
However, Chain didn’t seem intent on answering my question directly.
More precisely, he began explaining why he had just asked that question.
“There are many things I want to talk about… but you don’t seem to be in the mood for a long conversation today, so I’ll leave the unnecessary details for another time. So, let me be brief. I have a great ambition that I am willing to sacrifice my life for. But in order to achieve it, the fate of humanity inevitably collides with the limits of lifespan.”
A fleeting anger passed over Chain’s expression as he spoke.
It wasn’t an act or pretense but genuine anger.
The fury of someone who resents the limits of their own lifespan was clearly visible.
“I started researching lifespan extension before anything else related to my ambition. I went through countless trials and errors. And then… one day, I discovered something. I found the only person who had already reached the endpoint of eternal life that I sought.”
“You’re talking about me, aren’t you?”
“…Exactly. That’s why I asked you. How did you obtain the power of immortality?”
Once again, Chain threw his question at me.
But unlike earlier, when I had deliberately remained silent, this time, I truly had no answer to give.
Because even I didn’t know why I had this kind of body.
The only hypothesis I had was that this body was originally a game character.
But there was no way I could just say that outright.
“…”
So, when I remained silent, Chain shrugged his shoulders and let out a sigh.
“Silence again, huh? Well, I expected this answer, so it’s not much of a shock.”
“…So, is that all you had to say?”
Either way, I had nothing to tell Chain.
So, as I tried to end the conversation, Chain nodded and spoke.
“I may not have gained anything, but simply having this conversation with you was not a bad outcome. I hope we meet again next time.”
“…Who knows? I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
“Hm? What do you mean by that?”
Chain tilted his head in confusion as he slowly dispersed his mana.
And I, in response, swung my sword with full force, wrapped in sword energy.
Slash—
A single arc of light cut through the air and rushed forward.
In an instant, massive trees in its path collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash.
At the same time, Chain’s water barrier, severed by the strike, exploded violently.
BOOOOM—!!!
A deafening explosion erupted, swallowing the area in razor-sharp water blades and chaotic bursts of mana.
Once the dust storm settled, I looked at Chain’s dumbfounded expression and spoke.
“Do you still want to see me again after this?”
A warning—implying that if we meet again, I will kill him.
“Hah… In that case, I guess I should just send a clone next time.”
His response was a lighthearted joke that soon dissipated along with his illusion.
Only the slight tremble in his voice betrayed his unease.