PASP Chapter 102

“Why didn’t you kill me?”

Mayfield clutched her right shoulder with her left hand.

“You looked ready to do it just now.”

Mayfield slumped down in front of the transportation portal, catching her breath. Blood flowed from her shoulder where the bullet had passed through. It wasn’t fatal, but she’d lost a significant amount of blood.

After breathing deeply for a while with his eyes fixed on the stone floor, Levian slowly raised his head.

“I can’t spend a lifetime being hated for something so trivial.”

Having said that, Levian tossed the gun aside and approached Mayfield.

“Where did you send him?”

“That’s hardly something to ask after putting a bullet in someone’s shoulder.”

Mayfield managed a strained sneer.

Levian continued his actions without any change in expression. His blood-soaked shoe pressed down on Mayfield’s shoulder.

“!”

Though she wanted to scream, Mayfield barely managed to bite her lip and endure.

A moment later, Levian removed his foot and pulled the lever on the control panel again. The transportation portal began to operate with a humming sound.

“Give me the coordinates.”

“I don’t know them either.”

“……”

The heavy shoe pressed down on her gunshot wound again.

“Urgh…!”

Mayfield tried to grab Levian’s ankle but couldn’t budge it. Despite the excruciating pain, she maintained her smile as she spoke.

“You can ask me hundreds of times, it won’t help. I sent him on random coordinates. The location settings reset…”

“I’m asking for the last time.”

Levian spoke again, his voice showing not the slightest hint of wavering.

“Tell me the coordinates.”

“I’ll never tell a common thug like you…!”

“Step away from Her Majesty the Queen.”

It was then that an utterly disagreeable voice reached them.

Levian instinctively tilted his head to dodge. A blade passed through the space he’d just vacated. If his reaction had been even slightly slower, he would have been sliced clean through.

“You again?”

Levian moved a couple of steps to the side and wiped his face.

“How tiresome.”

“That’s my line.”

D’Élysée responded coldly.

“Adults are busy, so scram, kid.”

“Drink this. It should stop the immediate bleeding.”

Completely ignoring Levian, D’Élysée handed a healing potion to Mayfield. After catching her breath and swallowing the potion, Mayfield looked up at D’Élysée’s back.

D’Élysée quickly removed his robe hood to improve his field of vision.

Smooth platinum-blonde hair was revealed above his broad shoulders. It maintained its vivid color even in front of the portal’s blue light.

“Is this your doing? The palace is in chaos, inside and out.”

D’Élysée pointed his sword at Levian. Levian scratched his ear as if uninterested.

“What, you want to help clean up?”

D’Élysée frowned as he surveyed the underground chamber, with bloodstains scattered everywhere.

“Now as before, you have no sense of propriety.”

“Rich words from an imperial dog who’s trespassing in a foreign palace.”

Levian laughed derisively.

“Whatever. Let’s cooperate for now. The person behind you knows where your brother is.”

“I’ve told you multiple times that I sent him with random coordinates, so even I don’t know…!”

“You wouldn’t have sent him without some way to contact him, right? He can’t take care of himself, so you’d need to get in touch later.”

“……”

At Mayfield’s momentary hesitation, Levian smiled knowingly. D’Élysée suddenly turned around and asked:

“Pardon me, but what is your relationship with my brother?”

“Fuck, playing the knight with your fancy manners.”

Levian seemed displeased by D’Élysée’s polite speech, which he was hearing for the first time. Regardless, Mayfield quickly answered.

“Best friends! The closest friends in the world!”

“I see.”

D’Élysée’s brow furrowed slightly. How could his brother know a queen of a nation? And best friends, at that? He couldn’t fathom what connection there might be.

“Best friends? Whatever. Step aside.”

Levian glanced at the gun he’d tossed away earlier, then wiped his face.

“You’re here looking for your brother too, aren’t you?”

“……”

D’Élysée didn’t move at all despite Levian’s words. Only one thought occupied his mind.

‘She may be a queen of a nation, but…’

If she was his brother’s best friend and knew his location, he needed to protect her all the more.

“You’ve got something else up your sleeve, don’t you?”

At this point, Levian seemed to notice something, narrowing his eyes. A cold smile spread across his blood-stained face.

“Let’s see. A mere Swordmaster who can only use low-level magic…”

Levian slowly looked around as he spoke.

“How did you get this far?”

“Hah, haah! You always leave me behind! You yellow, mean person!”

Just then, the sound of small feet padding down the underground stairs could be heard. A momentary flicker crossed D’Élysée’s lime-green eyes.

“So mean! Our legs are totally different lengths! You think I can’t keep up just because you say not to follow you?”

Tarn came down the stairs, dripping with sweat, and crossed the threshold of the basement.

“Egru’s not here! He suddenly disappeared! We need to chase after him quickly… Huh!”

Tarn froze in place upon seeing the scene underground. A heavy tension hung in the air as the three confronted each other.

“Hey, kid. Do you know where this Egru guy is?”

“Don’t answer.”

D’Élysée cut off Tarn’s response to Levian’s trick question. The moment he turned toward Tarn, Levian moved simultaneously. When D’Élysée hesitated, Levian also stopped.

Levian was smiling. His expression seemed to dare D’Élysée to make a move, causing the latter to clench his teeth.

He wanted to bring Tarn to his side immediately, but the injured Queen of Röwugor was also behind him. If he carelessly left his position, one of them could become a hostage.

As he was carefully considering how to resolve the situation, Tarn asked with a confused expression:

“Who are you? Are you friends with Egru? I’m really close with him…”

“Me?”

Levian rolled his eyes once, then smiled amiably.

“I’m Egru’s friend too. From what I hear, you’re looking for him as well?”

“Y-yeah, but…”

“I told you not to answer.”

D’Élysée raised his voice slightly to stop Tarn. Levian snickered and gestured toward D’Élysée with his chin.

“I guarantee I can find him faster than that punk.”

“Huh?”

“If you just help me with your ability.”

“……”

Tarn finally closed his mouth, belatedly. Levian raised one eyebrow.

“Since you’re not denying it, I guess you really do know where he is.”

“Eek!”

The frightened Tarn turned to look at D’Élysée with accusing eyes. ‘He figured it out even without my answer!’ His look seemed to reproach, and D’Élysée wiped his face with one hand.

“No, I don’t know. I-I don’t know anything.”

Tarn turned back to Levian as he spoke. His saliva went down in a large gulp due to the tension that seemed to freeze his body.

‘Blood smell, gunpowder smell…’

This was a person he instinctively wanted to avoid. A dangerous aura emanated from him, like the unfathomable deep sea.

‘Egru’s eyes are soft and warm just by looking at them, but this man, despite having a similar color…’

When those darkly gleaming golden eyes turned toward him, Tarn lowered his gaze.

‘D-D’Élysée is cold and no fun for being Egru’s brother.’

Still, this time he could forgive him. It definitely wasn’t because he was scared of the man before him.

“Hwak!”

As Tarn was creeping sideways toward D’Élysée like a crab, he suddenly jumped up.

Beep-beep-beep—!

It was because a communication device in Levian’s pocket had started ringing.

[Salvanel]

Seeing the unwelcome caller ID, Levian thought for a moment, then said to D’Élysée:

“Don’t you dare move from that spot.”

Levian pointed at Tarn and made a throat-slitting gesture. D’Élysée’s face crumpled as Levian answered the call.

“What.”

• How is it that you’re so unreachable, Levian? Is it reasonable for a guild master to leave the guild empty for so long? You’re not using this business trip as an excuse for a vacation, are you?

“I’ve been fucking busy.”

Levian glanced at the transportation portal where Egru had disappeared and continued.

“And I’m about to get busier, so just tell me what you want.”

• I don’t know what wind blew today for you to actually answer my call. I’m also busy and don’t want to worry about you.

“Hanging up.”

• Don’t be hasty. It’s related to the Hero.

“Your Hero is right here.”

• …What did you just say?

“Your Hero is right in front of me. Though I don’t know why you let him roam outside.”

Levian stared at D’Élysée intently.

• Ah, could it be…

Laughter flowed from the communication device.

• Is the canine beastkin child with you too?

“Yeah.”

• Where are you now, Levian?

“Underground transportation portal room in the Demon Federation’ palace.”

• How did you end up there?

“……”

• You just missed him, I take it?

“You don’t know anything.”

• Oh, I always know more than you do.

The caller paused briefly, as if thinking about something.

• Don’t harm anyone and leave there, Levian.

“What?”

• If you come to the Empire and behave yourself, I’ll arrange for you to meet him soon.

“Fuck, do you think I’d trust your word?”

• Then stay there. That’s fine by me.

“What are you saying…”

• If you want to know the reason, you know what to do.

“……”

Levian’s hand holding the communication device trembled.

“You bastard…”

Though the situation was untrustworthy, desperation always outpaced reason. Levian finally ended the call and moved toward the exit.

“Eek!”

Levian passed by the rigidly tensed Tarn. Ignoring the child who had become so tense he was standing at attention, Levian left.

Tarn, who had been trembling from the chilling aura, quickly ran to hide behind D’Élysée.

“W-what was that person?”

D’Élysée watched the retreating Levian as he climbed the stairs, not lowering his guard.

“You don’t need to know. We won’t meet him again.”