The Arrow of Destiny Cuts Through the Night

#15

No matter how many times he heard it, it was a voice that bothered him.

Kain’s lime-green eyes turned towards the darkness.

The boy, who had stopped and come back at some unknown time, took a few steps towards Kain. As he did so, his figure, which had been barely visible in the deep darkness behind him, gradually emerged.

The sound of footsteps filled the space between them.

“An elf looking for Claude… This is too good to kill.”

And following that sound, what was revealed was someone like the dark night.

It was a boy with jet-black hair that seemed to melt into the darkness, contrasted by a snow-white face, and eyes as red as if mixed with blood.

“…!”

Kain’s eyes widened as they met the boy’s. Thump! He felt the mark above his heart move as if to warn him of something. What is this feeling? Kain frowned as he looked down at his chest.

As the boy watched Kain, who had frozen at the strange sensation, he swung his hand, and the legion sheathed their swords and stepped back with a snap. This cleared the space between Kain and the boy enough for them to face each other.

“Ugh!”

At the same time, Kain was forced to his knees, his arms restrained. Kain, who had been momentarily distracted by the sight of the boy, looked up with his chin raised.

The one who had subdued them with a single gesture strode across the space between them.

“I’ve become curious about the reason.”

A snow-white hand approached his face.

“…”

It grasped Kain’s chin. Though smaller than an adult’s hand, its strength was undeniable. Kain could feel the red eyes observing him, as if scanning his entire body.

Kain kept his mouth shut tight, his expression showing no sign of intimidation under that gaze.

In contrast, the boy’s soft lips slowly opened.

“Why are you looking for me?”

“…You?”

What kind of question is that? Kain’s eyes widened slightly.

It was then that a man standing right next to the boy spoke urgently.

“It’s dangerous. His identity hasn’t been confirmed yet.”

He, too, was dressed all in black like the human who had first brought Kain here. The ten knights in black armor gathered here now all blindly followed the boy’s orders.

Kain, his chin still held, glanced at the boy’s face once more. The boy waved his hand dismissively at the urgent knight, sending him away.

“It’s fine. Even if he realizes that I’m ‘that’ Claude, there’s nothing he can do.”

“…You?”

Is this boy really the Jersian Del Claude I’ve been looking for?

…He’s much younger than I expected.

The boy’s appearance was completely different from the image of the companion Kain had imagined on his way here. It wasn’t that he disliked the face, just that he had imagined someone more mature.

The bright red eyes flickered as if they would burn and devour him.

Kain stared at the boy’s cold face and swallowed. The informant had repeatedly told him ‘such a person doesn’t exist in this world’ when he was looking for Jersian Del Claude.

“I asked why you’re looking for me, didn’t I?”

The boy spoke in a cold, commanding tone, tightening his grip on Kain’s chin.

“There’s no way I would have forgotten a face like this…”

“…!”

It was a force that felt like it would crush his jawbone. Kain let out a groan, struggling not to bite his tongue.

“But you don’t seem to recognize my face either. Why were you looking for me?”

“…Let go of my chin first.”

Kain spoke with a muffled pronunciation, gesturing with his eyes towards the boy’s hand.

“…”

The boy checked this and then released his hand with a smack. Then, as if he had touched something dirty, he wiped his hand with a handkerchief handed to him by the man next to him. The whole process looked so natural.

Kain opened and closed his still-numb jaw, checking its condition.

“You’re asking why I’m looking for Jersian Del Claude?”

Fortunately, nothing seemed to be broken. After confirming this, he continued speaking immediately.

“It’s because the Galia Tree wishes it.”

“…I’ve never heard of the Galia Tree.”

The boy, who prided himself on knowing most things in the world, tilted his head. Do I have to start from there? No matter how much time has passed, it’s surprising that he doesn’t even know the name of the World Tree that supports this world. Kain, judging that he needed to explain from the beginning, added an explanation.

“Every elf has a destined partner from birth. The Galia Tree-“

“Hey.”

The boy snapped his fingers, interrupting. Leaning his upper body down towards Kain, he already looked bored.

“My time is expensive. Get to the point.”

The point, huh. How can I explain the concept of a destined partner more briefly to a human who doesn’t even know about the Galia Tree? All the humans Kain had met in the human realm were impatient, befitting a race with short lives.

Given this difficult request, Kain closed his mouth for a very brief moment before opening it again.

“But sometimes that destined partner can be mismatched, or difficult to find, so when elves become adults, the Galia Tree gives them a mark of their companion.”

“…A mark?”

The boy’s eyebrows shot up.

If he had started with the main point from when he first came here, it wouldn’t have taken this long.

“So?”

Slightly interested now, the boy tilted his head slightly and urged Kain to continue. His red eyes gleamed like pomegranate seeds in the darkness.

Kain made eye contact with the boy and spoke.

“Is your name really Jersian Del Claude?”

It was a low voice, almost a whisper. Among elves, nothing was more disgraceful than showing one’s mark to someone who wasn’t their destined partner, so he needed to confirm.

“How dare you!”

The knight right next to him tried to step forward, but the boy just raised one arm to stop him. Then, after a very brief silence, he answered.

“What if it is?”

“If so, Jersian Del Claude. You are my destined partner chosen by the Galia Tree.”

“…”

“…”

Silence hung between them for a moment.

“Just kill him.”

I’ve listened to this nonsense for too long.

The boy frowned deeply. It looked like the knights with swords might swing them at any moment.

This must be a difficult concept for humans. But regardless of that, Kain briefly furrowed his brow in frustration.

Even if humans have forgotten the Galia Tree and don’t understand the meaning of revelations, to not believe the information freely given and to make threats instead. Not even listening to the end of what was being said.

Dodging a sword that came flying at him, Kain hurriedly continued speaking.

“I told you about the mark!”

“…”

The boy raised one eyebrow at those words.

“Untie my arms for a moment. I’ll prove it to you.”

Kain’s arms were still restrained behind his back. Jersian looked down at Kain, who was kneeling and looking up at him.

As if he had made many kneel before him like this, the boy seemed very natural in this situation.

“Your arms?”

“Lord Jersian, it could be dangerous.”

“Let’s untie them and see. I want to see what this evidence is.”

“But…”

As the boy turned his gaze to the objecting knight, the knight closed his mouth tightly.

Pak! The knight holding Kain’s arms suddenly released them.

They’ve been restrained for so long, my shoulders feel stiff.

Kain frowned as he rubbed his arms with his palms. The surrounding knights drew their swords from their scabbards with a sliding sound, wary of Kain.

It meant they would cut him down immediately if necessary.

Ignoring the knights with their swords drawn, Kain untied the string of his robe.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

As he slightly lowered his eyes, Kain’s snow-white eyelashes cast shadows on his face.

Since his identity had been revealed anyway, the tattered and cumbersome robe was no longer needed.

There was a rustling sound as the robe slid to the floor. With that, Kain’s long platinum blonde hair fluttered briefly before slowly settling.

“…What exactly are you trying to show?”

The boy in front of Kain muttered at his unusual movements. It would be strange to suddenly take off the robe after saying there was something to show.

Moreover.

Kain, still kneeling, lifted his white tunic up to his chest. With a soft sound of fabric rolling up, Kain’s taut bare chest was revealed. Under the white moonlight lay smooth skin and toned abs without a trace of excess fat. Kain’s gently lowered eyelashes partially covered his emerald eyes, adding to the mysterious atmosphere.

Hm?

The eyes of the knights waiting behind, except for the boy facing Kain, widened in surprise. Jersian, not taking his eyes off the sight, muttered.

“…Is it your body you suddenly wanted to show?”

His view was filled with the elf’s noble and elegantly straight body.

“Are you trying to seduce me with your body? Sorry, but I’m not into men.”

Even if you are an elf.

The boy continued after scanning Kain’s chest with his red eyes. Despite saying he wasn’t interested, there was a hint of lingering curiosity in his gaze.

Ignoring the boy’s sarcasm, Kain pulled up his tunic further.

“Wait. Look here.”

Then he pointed with his finger to a spot just above his heart. At the tip of Kain’s finger, letters were engraved in a cursive script.

What does it mean?

The boy narrowed his eyes and closely examined the spot the elf was pointing to with his fingertip.

“That’s…”

It wasn’t a pattern.

The boy’s eyes widened shortly after.

“It’s a name.”

Jersian Del Claude.

The boy silently repeated his own name.

What was engraved on the body of the suddenly appeared platinum-haired elf was none other than his own name. The name that he had never dared to utter aloud or even write with a pen himself.

However, if he had ever written that name on paper, he thought it would have looked just like that, so similar to Jersian’s own handwriting.

Why is my name…

The sharpness in Jersian’s eyes softened slightly. Why is it there?

“Yes, this is the proof that you are my destined partner.”

Kain Starchis showed the mark to Jersian with a noble gaze.