Chapter 32 : WAR BEGINS

The same answer as last time.
I could accept it usually, but this time, I couldn’t let it slide.

“Why can’t we?”

Resolved to storm in alone if he didn’t give a convincing reason, I waited for Lycan’s words.

“Let me ask one thing.
Is that old man worth throwing everything away for?”

“…What?”

“Let me be blunt.
Your sister, Red Dog, or the dead old man—if you had to choose one, what would it be?”

His question baffled me.
Unable to grasp his intent, I floundered, but Lycan spoke with cold, steely eyes.

“The moment you choose revenge, you might lose the rest.”

“Why are you acting like this?!
Are you scared of them?!
Just wipe them all out!”

“It’s not that simple.
If we act rashly, we hand them a pretext.”

“They started it!
They killed Marco in broad daylight, in the middle of the market!!”

Lycan answered with chilling detachment.

“He’s not Red Dog.”

“They did it to provoke us!
They saw me with Marco and planned it from the start!”

“Then we especially can’t fall for their trap.”

“…Is this who you really are?
I thought you were just and kind.”

“If I was, I wouldn’t be living as a merc.
I’m not the good person you think I am.”

“What are you so afraid of that you’re holding back?
Huh?”

As I pleaded, he hesitated for the first time.
After a long pause, Lycan slowly spoke.

“It’s hard to explain clearly, but things lately feel off.
Suspicious movements around Rusty keep cropping up.
For now, laying low is the best move.”

Rusty.
The merc team second only to Red Dog in Rat Town, with considerable clout.
Known for their brutal, aggressive nature, they’d clashed with Red Dog often, making them a prickly rival.

But no matter how tough they are, they’re nothing compared to Red Dog.

As I tried to probe further, the door opened, and Mary spoke hesitantly.

“Sorry to interrupt an important talk, but we have a guest.”

“A guest?”

“…Yes.
From Fowl Roach.”

News* that made me doubt my ears.
The killers of Marco, coming here on their own?
That meant they were sure we couldn’t touch them.

Lycan’s face hardened at the news, his gaze shifting to the hall where the guest waited.

“We’ll finish this later.
First, we deal with that cockroach.”

With nothing resolved, we headed to the hall to face Fowl Roach.

A bald merc grinned at us.
Suppressing the urge to put a bullet in his vile face, I stood behind Lycan.

“What a fine day.
Judging by your faces, you’re having a great time too.
Heh.”

“What do you want?”

“Whoa, calm down.
Why so hostile?
Someone might think we did something wrong.
Get me a drink.”

“…Bar’s closed today.
If you have no real business, you’d better leave quietly.”

“Tch.
That’s a shame.
I was hoping to share some good news over a drink.
You’d probably be shocked to hear it.”

His overly cocky attitude.
He saw how furious I was, yet instead of fear, he seemed to enjoy this.

“Oh, you heard that rumor?
I wondered why the sheriffs were snooping around so *much.
Turns out, there’s a pretty shocking reason.”

I flinched involuntarily.
Why was this topic coming up now?
Could it be…?

“An Ikazuchi bigwig was killed in this neighborhood.
Surprising, right?
No clue who the culprit is, but they’ve put Rat Town on the brink of chaos.”

“…”

“Man, no reaction?
That takes the fun out of spilling this.
Here I am, graciously sharing info with the great Merc King Lycan for free.”

Where did this secret leak from?
No need to wonder.
Only one suspect came to mind.

Reaper betrayed us.
Realizing that, something boiled deep within me.

Was trusting that bastard my mistake from the start?
I couldn’t even pinpoint where things went wrong—just thinking about it hurt my head.

Just when things seemed to be falling into *place.
I was finally envisioning a happy future with *Ruby.
Why now?

Fleeting questions surged and faded.
Muddy emotions flooded my chest, then dissolved.

Amid it all, Lycan asked steadily.

“Who’d you hear this from?
Who else knows?”

“Who knows?
What’s clear is shutting my mouth won’t solve it.
Heh.
Haha!
The mighty Red Dog, crumbling like this.
How’s it feel, huh?”

Unable to hold back, I drew my gun, aiming at him.
Lycan raised a hand to stop me.
The bald merc sneered vilely.

“I haven’t even got to the real juicy part, and you’re already like this?
I told you, I came with good news.”

His claim that more was coming made my heart pound wildly.
Should I pull the trigger now?
If I silenced him, would it erase this mess?
Absurd* thoughts swirled.

“We caught the culprit.
A Stoner, huh.”

“…Stop.
Shut up.”

“Shamelessly stole Ikazuchi’s Stone, used it to kill Ikazuchi’s Inspector General.
If not for that b*tch, others might’ve suffered too.
Lucky break, right?”

“SHUT UP!!!”

“Red-haired woman.
By now, she’s probably…”

BANG!!

A deafening crash cut him off.
Lycan lunged, grabbing the merc’s head, slamming it into the table.

The metal table crumpled like sponge, the bald man’s face sinking into it.
Lycan yanked him up by the back of his head—his nose smashed, teeth scattering in a pitiful state.

An enraged wolf, Lycan growled into his ear.

“Tell me where they are now.”

“Ughh…”

“SPEAK!!”

BAM!
BAM!
BAM!!

Drenched in blood, his face barely recognizable, the bald man gasped a single word.

“Rusty…”

CRUNCH!!

Hearing the answer, Lycan deemed him worthless, gripping his face roughly, ripping his head off with brute force.

As the merc’s severed head rolled on the floor, I stared, stunned.

Lycan, barely containing his fury, panted heavily, uttering one phrase.

“I’m going.”

“…I’m coming too.”

“No.
You stay.
Franklin, Mary, and me—we’ll go.”

“Why…!”

“Without a Stone, you’re useless.
Stay here and protect your sister.”

I wanted to protest, but his bloodshot eyes silenced me.

Not me, but Lycan had spent the most time with Karen.
And I couldn’t argue that without a Stone, I was nothing.

I lowered my head, and Lycan brushed past, heading out.
Franklin and Mary, standing a step back, checked on me, then followed him slowly.

“If she hasn’t already been handed to Ikazuchi, she’s still alive.
Uh, we’ll bring her back, so don’t worry too much.”

“Franklin’s right.
While we’re gone, there might be a surprise attack, so be careful.
…It’ll be okay.
Everything’ll work out.”

With them gone, I was completely alone.
Frozen in place, staring blankly, how much time passed?

“…Ruby.”

Maybe she’d overheard from hiding, but once everyone left, Ruby approached me slowly.
Seeing her worried red eyes, I fully grasped the situation.

Because of me, Karen was in danger.
She might die taking the blame for my deeds.

How could I stay still in this *mess?
Protect my life for Ruby’s sake?
Karen was just as precious.
The lives of loved ones aren’t things to weigh on a scale.

Above all, I couldn’t face Ruby living in such shame.

I know better than anyone that without a Stone, I’m nothing.
But I wouldn’t use that as an excuse to hide and cling to life pathetically.

I’ll go, even bare-handed.

I knelt, meeting Ruby’s eyes.
I didn’t want to imagine it, but this might be our last goodbye.

“I’ll be back soon.
Can you wait for me?”

Ruby hesitated, grabbing my clothes, whispering.

“Can’t you stay…?”

“…I’m sorry.
But I promise—I’ll come back safe.”

I had no intention of dying here.
I’d return safely with everyone.
One day, we’d laugh about this moment as a memory.

Ruby, realizing my mind was set, nodded slightly, then said.

“Come with me quick.
I have something for you.”

Ruby led me to the weapons storage.
There, she handed me an armful of inventions, including the bluebird.

Then, teary-eyed, she hugged me tightly.

“…Sis.”

“Yeah.”

“When you come back, read me a storybook.
Like before…”

“I will.
I’ll read it as many times as you want, until you’re sick of it.”

It was time to go.
Since I couldn’t use a Stone, I prepared thoroughly.
Bulletproof vest, guns, and Ruby’s bombs.

I asked merc allies of Red Dog to watch over Ruby.
Their complicated looks hinted that rumors had already spread widely.

Maybe I could never return to the life I once wanted.

That’s okay.
Everything’ll be fine.

Repeating that to myself, I set out alone toward the enemy’s lair.