Time flowed like running water. In the perpetually cold Arius, one couldn't properly feel the passage of time, but the outside world was different. Trinity's streets were already full of autumn leaves, and the unique scent of fall was filling the lanes.
That was understandable. It was already mid-October, wasn't it? The point where only two months remained of the year.
Coming to Arius feels like just the other day, but time really passes quickly. Thinking so, Kenji put a cigarette between his lips. The acrid smoke swayed here and there in the blowing wind. Some of the particles invaded his nasal cavity. The thick peach fragrance and nicotine penetrated deep into his lungs.
"……"
He looked down with an expressionless face. The sight of Arius students, including the squad, gathered in the city area for joint training entered his view. Even at a glance, it looked tough. The squad members, whose stamina had somewhat increased through recent high-intensity sparring, looked okay, but the rest didn't. Most had expressions that seemed to be rotting away.
It wasn't anything worth paying attention to. Kenji exhaled smoke with a hoo and stared at Saori, then slowly rose from the railing.
His hair fluttered in the blowing wind. His bangs stung his eyes, and the ponytail tightly tied back slapped his cheeks. Kenji grimaced and grabbed the hair tied back.
'Is it too long?'
It was certainly long. Since there was no hair salon in Arius, he had to cut his hair himself, but he was afraid of messing it up, so he hadn't touched his hair at all. He only roughly cut his bangs with scissors; the rest hadn't received any touch, growing continuously over months. If he untied his hair, he thought it might come down to his shoulder blades.
But it wasn't that he disliked it. Why, isn't there a saying? Long hair is men's romance. In Kenji's opinion, that saying was truly correct. Moreover, if not now, it didn't seem like he'd have a chance to grow his hair.
Anyway.
Kenji roughly flicked the cigarette to the ground, then stepped on it to put it out. Then he began slowly descending from the building he was on.
A cold wind brushed past his cheek. The already cold air had grown even colder by October. It wasn't to the point of biting his skin, but it was enough to be called a biting wind. Kenji zipped his jacket up a bit more and moved his steps.
Because the Arius students were training as a group, his role was currently in limbo. But since there were absolutely no leisure facilities, there was no proper way to kill time. At least by smoking and wandering around, no thoughts came to mind, so the mood itself wasn't bad.
On days with strong wind like today, it was especially so. Should I say that facing the wind directly gives a strangely refreshing feeling? And since this was almost the only leisure activity possible in Arius, there were no other choices anyway.
'If the internet worked, I'd mess with my smartphone at least.'
Unfortunately, this place had no signal at all. There were places where it occasionally connected, but finding such a spot itself was like plucking stars from the sky. And even if found, the speed was so slow it would be frustrating to death. Better to just wander around. Thinking so, Kenji took out another cigarette and put it in his mouth.
He took out his lighter. With a crisp sound, the cigarette cover opened, and a flame sparked. It was a flame of a color similar to the fading sunset. Come to think of it, was it already evening? Kenji sucked on the cigarette, ssip, and gazed at the sky. A deep sunset was spread beyond the horizon.
It was a beautiful sight. It would have been, if not for the voice that suddenly came.
"……Executive Park Si-Woo."
It was a familiar voice. Kenji clicked his tongue and turned his head toward where the sound came from. One of the Arius executives Beatrice had attached as Kenji's monitor was bowing her head to him.
Her name was clearly…… Miya, perhaps. Or maybe not.
It didn't matter. Kenji stared at her with an expressionless face, then exhaled cigarette smoke, hoo, and spoke.
"What is it."
"Madam is looking for you, Executive. She says to have dinner together……"
"Ha."
Kenji scoffed.
It was clearly a sneer.
"Poisoning?"
"Ex, excuse me?"
"Or assassination? Have you hidden executives not participating in the current training?"
"……I don't know what you're talking about. I merely conveyed Madam's words as they were."
"……Ssip."
Kenji inhaled the smoke. The peach fragrance filled his nasal cavity. He repeated inhaling and exhaling the smoke a few more times like that, then smiled snortingly and nodded.
"Fine, I'll bite."
"……"
"Lead the way."
He motioned with his chin. The Arius executive, 'Mina', nodded, then began walking toward the Basilica where Beatrice resided with tense movements. Kenji followed behind her, composing his expression.
The words 'evening meal' were at least not incorrect. Kenji looked down at the splendid food laid on the table and let out a hollow laugh. He slightly raised his head and stared at Beatrice sitting across from him.
"Where did you get this stuff again?"
"There are ways."
"The kids outside are starving to death, and you're eating this alone?"
"Aren't you the same?"
"At least I look after my people."
"How unfortunate. I have no people of my own."
Beatrice said while lifting a knife. Kenji stared intently at that sight, then clicked his tongue and sank deep into the chair.
"Eat. It gets tasteless when cold."
"Just facing your mug is disgusting enough."
"……Words not worth getting angry over."
Beatrice answered while letting out a deep sigh. Kenji scoffed and crossed his legs.
He looked down at the food. Properly cooked steak and salad, pasta, complexly shaped grilled fish, etc. The variety of food was truly diverse. The quality also seemed superior to that of any ordinary restaurant. But in Kenji's eyes, those delicacies looked nothing but poison-laden trash.
'Poisoning.'
It didn't seem like Beatrice would use such an obvious method, but being careful wouldn't hurt.
If that bitch used poison, it definitely wouldn't be ordinary poison. Cyanide? Laughable. It was more likely she used something stronger, an extreme poison. Beatrice was a bitch, but she wasn't a beast down to her head. If she intended to kill with poison, she would definitely use something surefire.
Of course, all these hypotheses were for when Beatrice had ordered a poisoning. Still, it wouldn't hurt to be suspicious. Thinking so, Kenji glared at Beatrice with cold eyes. She noticed the gaze but calmly cut a piece of steak and brought it to her mouth.
-Jjeojeojeok.
Her closed mouth opened. A red thread connected her upper and lower lips like saliva. The torn mouth corners stretched enough to reach her ears, creating a bizarre sight. What was visible beyond the parted lips was also too strange to be called human.
But Kenji felt no particular sentiment. He only realized it once more.
'That is not a person, but a monster.'
The fist hidden under the table trembled with murderous intent. He still felt a strong aversion to killing itself, but Beatrice was an exception. Humans must not hesitate against monsters. If they do, they'll be eaten instead.
You must kill before being killed.
Absolutely.
"So."
Kenji first pushed the rising thoughts into a corner of his mind, put a cigarette in his mouth, and spoke. At that action, Beatrice's brow furrowed, but he paid no mind and lit the cigarette. Then he continued.
"What's the reason for suddenly calling me."
"Didn't the guiding child tell you? To build camaraderie by having a meal togetherㅡ"
"Enough."
Kenji cut off Beatrice's words while wearing a fierce smile. He exhaled cigarette smoke toward her, hoo.
"Reason."
"……Because you're insolent."
Beatrice's mouth opened. She stared at Kenji with dozens of eyes and spat out. To anyone seeing, it was a gaze and voice filled with hostility.
"There's a limit to what I can tolerate."
"……Ssip."
"Removing Royal Blood's mask and making her use her voice. That much I could endure. Since her value wasn't that high yet, with a little time, it could be quickly restored."
Royal Blood. In general cases, a term meaning royalty. Beatrice called Atsuko that. The exact reason was unknown, but he had no intention of digging deep anyway.
Atsuko is royalty? So what does that mean? Before being royalty, Atsuko was his student, and that status wasn't planned to change going forward. Therefore, what Kenji reacted to wasn't the term Royal Blood, but the single word 'value'.
"What value."
"Do I have an obligation to tell you even that?"
Beatrice sneered and said so, and Kenji also smiled slightly as if agreeing and nodded. Though relying on the same organization, the two were in positions where they could never build friendship. Since each wished for the other's death, it was natural.
Kenji exhaled cigarette smoke, hoo*, and slightly tilted his head.
"Other reason."
"Pulling out the Squad's fangs."
Beatrice continued speaking in her still leisurely voice.
"The Squad are Arius elite soldiers I selected. As such, I had high expectations for them. But with your appearance, they became tigers with pulled fangs."
"……"
"Still…… yes, honestly, I could have overlooked even this much. Losing some ferocity can be replenished later."
"……"
"There was just one thing I couldn't tolerate."
Beatrice spoke in a tone as if a beast was growling.
"That you tried to arbitrarily twist Arius's doctrine."
"........"
"That is clearly crossing the line."
Hearing that, Kenji spat out a hollow laugh and hardened his gaze coldly.
Arius's doctrine is nihilism. Since everything in the world is meaningless, your lives are also meaningless. Everything is void, forcing such ideology into brains was Arius's doctrine. Encourage that damn thing sincerely and teach the kids nihilism?
Bullshit beyond bullshit.
"The doctrine you created is brainwashing."
The doctrine itself might have originally been an existing passage, but the one who defined its meaning was Beatrice. Did she truly establish a beneficial meaning for Arius students? That monster who wouldn't be satisfied even if ground up and drunk?
How could that be possible.
Kenji didn't trust Beatrice, nor was he friendly with her, nor even treated her as human, but he acknowledged that her mind was exceptionally sharp, to an abnormal degree. He also recognized that its direction was twisted.
Beatrice was a bitch who valued her own safety and her own goals above all else. Would such a woman take a direction beneficial to all? Even a passing dog would sneer at such nonsense. Kenji glared at Beatrice with eyes sharpened like blades and extinguished his cigarette by pressing it onto the table.
A small spark jumped onto the tablecloth.
"At the very least, my people are protected by me. I can't leave them to be brainwashed according to your taste."
"……It's not a doctrine you can arbitrarily change just because you dislike it. Damn outsider, would you mind not interfering with what I do?"
Beatrice spat out in a murderous voice. Kenji stared intently at her, then contorted the corner of his mouth and answered.
"Fuck you."
"……You'll regret what happened here today."
"A warning?"
Beatrice affirmed silently. Kenji recited with a snorting laugh. But his eyes held no vitality.
"I will definitely kill you. I'll pluck out every single one of those disgusting leaves covering your head."
"……A warning?"
"No."
Expression disappeared from Kenji's face.
"A declaration."
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register