NOVEL WEB Chapter 187
I didn’t have a huge complaint about being a prisoner, but I still wondered how long I’d have to live like this when, finally, I heard the news that we’d stepped on the tail of the Evil Society.
“It looks like the operation will start within a week. Or maybe even earlier. They’ve informed us too, so by now they’re probably in the final adjustment stages.”
Minho opened the can of smoked herring I had asked for and passed it to me.
With my hands still tied, anyone seeing me might suspect I was being teased, but thanks to my slimy hand, neither him nor I thought much of it.
Meeting him was almost always like this. He didn’t act awkward around me, and neither did I make a big deal out of it.
We’d casually walk to a nearby PC room or restaurant, casually remarking, “Wow, this guy’s still alive, huh?” just since we hadn’t met in a while.
This happened because we both shared the same background, after all.
“Well, this isn’t as tasty as I expected. Tsk. It’s the same brand as what we had at the hideout.”
“The circumstances are different, and so is the condition. How could the taste possibly be the same?”
True enough. As I kept teasing the slime and shoving herring into my mouth, I realized there wasn’t even a tiny crumb left.
Did I eat it all already? Even if it tasted a little different, it was still delicious, which was a bit disappointing. As I regretted it, he seemed like he had something to say, staring at me intently.
“Blanca. Just asking, but… you don’t want to escape, do you?”
Suddenly suggesting I’d run away caught me off guard.
I blinked slowly, trying to wrap my head around what he was saying. I mean, this was the same guy who fought so hard to capture me and now wanted to let me go?
Is this really Minho? I shot him a suspicious look, thinking maybe he was a Mimic dressed up as him, but no matter how I looked at it, it was definitely Minho.
This made it even more confusing. Why suddenly? Why now?
“Did you take the wrong medicine? Or maybe eat something you shouldn’t have? After all that fuss to catch me, and now you want to set me free?”
I finally asked him what was going through his mind. Was he out of his mind? He just told me to answer whether I’d do it or not.
“No, even if you ask me to say that suddenly, it’s too abrupt. Do we really have to decide now? That’s just unreasonable. Hmm, no thanks. I’m tired of this.”
“Is that so?”
He said that and plopped down on the floor, mumbling to himself about how he’d have to come up with an excuse for the kids now.
“By the way, why are we suddenly talking about escaping? There’s still a lot left for both of us to do.”
After moving the shackles closer to him, I sat down on it and asked him what his sudden escape talk was all about.
“It’s the same as the others; I just don’t want to see you die.”
“That’s it?”
If that was the reason, there should’ve been other alternatives. Why propose such an extreme solution? I couldn’t help but ask.
He usually had much better, more clever ideas. At least, he was the type that thought things through.
He knew better than anyone that such a plan wouldn’t last long. So, why suggest this nonsense?
“…You’re the only one I can talk to about that world.”
When I pressed him, he finally revealed his true feelings. He didn’t want to lose someone he could share stories from that world with.
His expression was something like, “Wow, look at this kid, he’s just a person too.”
He wasn’t a main character, nor was he possessing someone, just a friend worried about another friend.
“Pfft. What is that, man? Acting all juvenile. You know it’s not something you can just do just because you want to.”
I knew it probably wasn’t the time to laugh, but it was just so funny I couldn’t help chuckling a bit.
“Hey, just so you know, I was older than you back there, okay?”
With the mood suddenly turning awkward, Minho stared at me as if baffled, but also a bit disgruntled.
“Oh really? You act like it’s a given that I’m younger! How old were you to bring age into this?”
“Uh… twenty-five?”
Minho seemed hesitant at the boldness of my claim, but still, judging by himself, he declared, “You’re way too young! You’re a total kid, then?”
In reality, I already knew my age ahead of time and said it confidently, but I pretended like this was the first time revealing it.
“Uh… wait a second. So what’s your actual age? I told you mine, you have to tell me yours!”
He fumbled for a moment, seeming unsure, before finally asking for the actual number once he was done thinking.
“I thought about it and figured whatever age you were there doesn’t really matter, right?”
As he said that, trying to sneak away, I shot back, pretending to be shocked. “Hey, that’s not fair!”
“Heh, just kidding. I guess you’d be more like ‘older sibling’ material. But what’s the big deal? It’s just a few years anyway.”
Minho seemed not to trust me because of my past deeds, but he still recoiled and muttered, “I guess it doesn’t really matter.”
Seeing that made me feel a bit smug, wagging my invisible tail in triumph.
“But hey, isn’t it a bit embarrassing to bring up age and then whimper like that in front of an older one?”
That slight jab made Minho lose his grip a bit, protesting how silly it was I would think he’d know any better.
“No matter how irrational I get, in the end, the body has its own ways to respond. So, it’s no surprise I become childish. If there’s a body that goes insane, there’s no way an insane mind exists without it, right? Well, maybe there’s one here.”
Realizing I had just recalled a spirit’s existence somewhat awkwardly, I waved it off, hoping he’d catch my drift.
“If it hadn’t been so unpersuasive, I would’ve dismissed it as nonsense.”
Minho couldn’t logically refute my assertion, merely stretching and loosening up his body.
“…Anyway, I get what you mean. You don’t plan on escaping. But that doesn’t mean you intend to do anything specific either. After your revenge is complete… I’ll try my best to make sure things work out as best as they can.”
With that, Minho said his goodbyes and mentioned we’d meet again in a few days.
“You’re jumping the gun, aren’t you? Whether we’ll capture that guy or not is still in question.”
“We will catch him, I’m sure. The Heros Company is gearing up, and you’re in on it too.”
And the look on his face as he said they’d fight earlier than expected, convinced they wouldn’t be nearly as strong as they’d be in the story’s latter half.
For a moment, it felt like I’d traveled back to those carefree times when I played with my friends without a care in the world.
“Heh. I don’t know what to expect from a traitor, but don’t get your hopes up too high. I’ll do what I can, but don’t expect miracles.”
“I’m not expecting anything like that. Well then, I’ll head out.”
Waving my tentacles, I sent Minho off, then absently muttered while thinking about the upcoming confrontation.
“Arman… right. You mentioned Justitia is still captured.”
Even if I were to subdue Justitia without a scratch and kill Arman to free her from mental control, a bright future wouldn’t be waiting for her.
While I’d hear offers from everyone around, doing what they could, she wouldn’t have that at all.
Besides, as an adult, much harsher punishment would probably await her.
She might not die… but isn’t it better to kill her than have a future so grim, it’s hard to imagine?
Having reached the rankings and even awakened, the Heros Company would obviously flip their lids and conduct all sorts of experiments on her.
That was beyond my help, but if I could do anything, it’d be to meet her on the battlefield and put her down as mercifully as possible.
That was about all I could do.
I had no idea if she wanted to die or not. Still, I could only guess that she might.
Being called Justice, she must feel awful being used by the villains like this.
In that case, I’d better end it myself. If not, then she’d have to deal with it on her own.
That was all I could do for Justitia.
I wanted to save her as much as possible, but if she didn’t even have the will to live, what could I possibly do?
…Hmm, have the kids treated me like that until now?
They wanted to save me, but I couldn’t help them when they didn’t want to be helped.
Should I be thankful that I can now understand the kids a bit, or does that just mean I’m a cold-hearted bastard?
I had no idea which it was. I just went on preparing for how to deal with Justitia while gathering venom.
At the moment of confrontation, when everything would be laid bare, that’s when everything would be decided, so until then, I’d prepare thoroughly to leave no room for regret.