Chapter 18
Telecus, completely unaware of what I was thinking—and unaware of his own fate next month—kept rambling on.
“Everyone fears you! Ha, of course they do. You are an utterly alien and powerful being. The people around you don’t know your worth. No—no one knows your worth! Ha, hahaha!”
I leaned back in my chair and looked at Irix.
Irix grabbed the backrest and straightened the chair again.
“You possess hidden talent… the authority to overwhelm this world. You are far too extraordinary for this world! I—I came here, ha! cherishing your talent as something precious, ha!”
So many “ha”s were pouring out that I couldn’t even find the right timing to throw him out.
Just throw him already, please, Irix. Throw him out! He followed you here, so you should take responsibility and toss him away.
Telecus continued.
“Come with me! Ha, I can offer you a new path, a chance to be reborn as a new existence. I will turn you into someone everyone reveres! Ha!”
Now. Do it. Throw him.
But Irix’s eyes darkened.
No—what now?
Telecus’s words could only be divided into nonsense and complete garbage depending on the criteria, but something among them seemed to have struck a nerve in Irix.
I had no choice but to look at him suspiciously, leaning my chair back even farther.
Irix grabbed the backrest again, set it upright, and tightened his grip.
“Stay still.”
“……”
Meanwhile, Telecus kept talking.
“I am the one who will let you be reborn. With my help, you will be reborn. You will become the most powerful being in the world! And I shall become that Lord’s foremost apostle!”
Ah. Right.
That was it.
There was an important truth hidden in those words:
The fact that Irix was an alien existence born from the marriage between a duke and an outsider woman.
Duke Verkardt, head of one of the Empire’s most prestigious families, had one day suddenly declared he would marry—and brought home a woman no one had ever seen or heard of.
Everyone was horrified. A man who could have negotiated marriage even with a princess had chosen an outsider woman as his bride.
Even when the family opposed it fiercely, the duke pushed the marriage through.
It would’ve been nice if they had lived happily ever after.
But they didn’t.
One day, Irix’s mother suddenly disappeared, leaving Irix behind.
The duke never searched for his wife. He didn’t even dissolve their legal relationship.
He lived as though she had never existed, never speaking a word about her.
And the child she left behind— Irix—was treated like an object.
No affection. No interest.
Irix was utterly alone.
Just like Room 301.
That boy, whose existence brought joy to no one, who was only alive because he hadn’t died yet…
He and Irix were alike.
Of course they were.
This Irix was the boy’s mirror, his alter ego, the incarnation that carried out his rage.
“Irix.”
I tried to lean my chair back again, but it didn’t budge.
Hm. Irix really is strong.
“I told you to stay still.”
I asked quietly,
“You… you were tempted by what that pervert was saying, weren’t you?”
“…Do you think I’m insane?”
…Fair point.
But I couldn’t say anything more.
Crash!
The window suddenly shattered with a violent sound. Glass shards scattered everywhere. Wind roared inside.
Telecus laughed loudly.
“Oh, an intruder! But Lord Peregion’s power protects you and me. Behold His greatness!”
Telecus’s enormous hand wrapped around us.
He probably only wanted to protect Irix, but since Irix was gripping me tightly, he had no choice but to protect me too.
Ah, correction. Not me.
The back of my chair.
Glass rained down, and massive gravel-like chunks poured in, pounding the giant hand relentlessly.
The identity of those things was quickly revealed.
Paper birds.
Belonging to the Order.
Weren’t they on the same side?
Why were they attacking?
But the birds looked wrong.
They weren’t the sleek, irritating shape they used to be. Lumpy masses clung to them.
Irix’s eyes widened.
That’s not a good sign.
Irix being shocked is a bad omen.
Bang, bang, bang—
The sound was like a train slamming into stone, like желез pounding against iron plates.
The train walls dented again and again, then tore open like foil.
The screech of ripping metal was deafening. My ears rang.
Through the torn metal, wind howled in, and an enormous swarm of birds flooded inside.
Everything was covered in them.
The speakers crackled, and an urgent announcement rang out.
—Passengers, right now… th-this train is under attack by magical beasts.
Telecus’s eyes widened.
If even he was startled, this was truly bad.
—The beasts of the canyon… the beasts are attacking the train. Everyone evacu—
“Aaagh!”
The corrupted birds attacked the black hand wildly.
The hand swelled up, crushing birds against the walls.
While the hand dealt with the new enemy, the soldiers who had been blocked were freed.
The swiftest, Maimon, rushed in first.
“Young master! Are you unh—”
Irix cut him off.
“Stop. Maimon, listen carefully. The train is being attacked!”
“Is this that man’s doing?”
Maimon pointed at Telecus.
“No. That trash wouldn’t be capable of something like this.”
Disgust dripped from Irix’s voice.
“It’s a beast.”
“A beast? You mean… the beasts of the Great Canyon?”
“Yes. A corrupted type. Those birds—the ones the Order brought—have been infested with corrupted monsters.”
Irix pointed at a bird flying, covered in brown lumps.
Maimon’s gaze hardened with resolve.
“Is this the work of a mage?”
“If it were a mage, it’d be better. At least the one using it would still be sane.
That’s not magic.
That’s a naturally occurring beast swarm.
It’s no different from a crazed plague of insects.
They won’t stop until they’re all exterminated.”
Even as he spoke, the mad birds continued their rampage.
The train shook violently as birds crashed into it.
Baemi whipped its head around.
At last, birds it could freely devour had appeared—but the birds dodged Baemi first.
Baemi snapped at nothing but air.
Maimon hurled a chained dagger at the birds.
The black blade connected to the chain turned into a ball of flame.
Birds struck by it burned up instantly.
Other birds dove for Maimon’s back.
“Danger!”
Irix shoved Maimon aside.
A bird slashed across Irix’s arm.
Blood dripped down.
Irix staggered.
I caught him before he fell.
Irix flinched as if shocked.
“I’m fine. Let go. Now.”
“Hold still.”
I grabbed his hand.
Blood was streaming from the wound.
My god.
Irix got hurt saving someone.
I decided to give more weight to the “same-name Irix” theory.
I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and pressed it firmly to the wound.
Conveniently, it was clean cotton.
Thank goodness Elphini was the prepared type.
I quickly wrapped and tied the injury.
“You’re really good at that.”
Irix said in admiration.
“I’ve done it a lot.”
“Where the hell have you been that you’ve done this so many times?”
But I couldn’t answer.
Kwa-rung! Bang—
A massive wave of birds surged in again.
Windows shattered. The roof of the train was torn away.
Not just this carriage—other carriages were being bombarded too.
Each collision made the train lurch violently.
It looked like they meant to destroy it completely.
Telecus shouted,
“Lord Peregion, protect us!”
Whoooosh—
The black hand grabbed a huge fistful of birds.
Baemi smacked its lips in envy.
Crunch—
The birds were crushed.
The corrupted flock hesitated for a moment… then began concentrating their attacks on the giant hand.
As their assault intensified, the carriage shook even harder.
Finally, the train, pushed by sheer force, slammed into an iron bridge.
The bridge’s frame bent.
The birds kept attacking, and the carriage was shoved farther and farther outward.
Beyond the torn-away wall of the train, the Great Canyon came into view.
This wasn’t just a “Great” Canyon.
You’d need to add “Great” five times over.
It was immense.
Then again—
KWAANG!
Even more birds poured in, slamming into the train.
Both Irix and I were thrown upward at the same time.
“Senior!”
