Published at 22nd of January 2020 5:31 pm

Volume 8: The Directionless and Ungrateful, Chapter 1: Pure Intentions, Ulterior Motives

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

“…So?” Luke Stokkart prompted quietly.

He was a twenty-five year old man with a calm expression. He had light green eyes, and his hair was already white despite his age.

His calm eyes stared into the darkness.

He was in a dark alley, the sort that light didn’t reach.

“Who are you and what do you need from me?” Luke asked.

“……”

The darkness didn’t answer.

Luke shrugged. “Well, if you don’t want to answer, then I suppose that’s your ch—”

“I have Milk Callaud in my posession.”

Luke narrowed his eyes. “Hmm… and?”

Six men appeared from within the darkness. They lacked a real sense of unity, each wearing a different set of plain clothes - the kind one could buy anywhere.

“……”

But Luke understood who they were as soon as he saw their posture. They were people who had undergone the Roland Empire’s military training. And they’d gone through quite a lot of it, too - they didn’t move more than necessary, and they didn’t leave any gaps to be attacked from.

One of them spoke in a deep, oppressive voice. “Won’t you come with us, Luke Stokkart?”

“Hm. What would you do if I refused?”

“…I wouldn’t be able to guarantee Milk Callaud’s health or life.”

Luke smiled bitterly.

The way these men appeared, the way they responded to him… everything was going exactly as he predicted. The second Milk disappeared was the second he’d realized what was happening.

He’d gone to her room before to ask if she might want to go somewhere tomorrow only to find that she wasn’t there. She hadn’t asked for their permission before leaving, and she wasn’t the type of girl to go out in the middle of the night like that. She was honest, brave, and kind… well… that wasn’t really relevant right now, though…

She didn’t have anyone to escape in the middle of the night with, and she’d already agreed to polish their plans for tomorrow with Luke then. Her running out in the middle of the night on her own free will despite all of that was impossible. But she hadn’t been in her room, so several possibilities for what might have happened naturally came to mind…

1. She’d gotten into an accident of some kind.

That wasn’t likely. Because on top of being a good, honest kid, she was also very capable, and… well, no, better cut that off there for now. The point was that it was extremely unlikely for her to have gotten into an accident that she couldn’t deal with herself.

Onto the next possibility, then.

2. That questionable fellow Ryner Lute had appeared and led her astray.

That was… the most likely scenario. Chief Milk was energetic, smart, and a good listener, but that guy - Ryner or whatever his name was - was going to steal her from them someday. It wasn’t… impossible… that she’d keep running away even if they chased after her if that happened…

“……”

But that couldn’t be. Because he knew Ryner Lute’s location. That was his real job, after all.

Ryner Lute had left the inn he was staying at in the dead of night in order to head to the Eris residence, his face full of urgency. That was when Chief Milk would have had to have contact with him, and she wasn’t there.

Onto the next possibility.

3. She was abducted.

But why? There were three potential reasons.

One: She was abducted to act as a lure for Ryner Lute.

Two: She was abducted to act as a lure for Luke Stokkart.

Three: She was abducted to act as a lure for Rahel Miller, head of the Taboo Hunters organization.

Now he just had to decide which reason.

The least likely out of the lot was the third possibility - one would not normally think of doing this to lure him out, and besides, Luke knew how great Miller was most of all. A plan to lure him out with this would certainly fail.

The worst case scenario was the first option. Because it was possible for it to all take place somewhere that Luke couldn’t reach.

That was why…

Luke turned around to look at the plain… no, that was too kind… the dirty inn that Ryner Lute had stayed at. He’d come here to examine the possibility that the people who had kidnapped Chief Milk might attempted to ambush him here…

“…Maybe they did have business with me after all,” Luke said, the relief evident in his voice.

If their goal had been to get to Ryner Lute, then Lear Rinkal, who Luke had instructed to watch Ryner, would have ended up confronting the kidnappers himself.

However.

“……”

Luke’s eyes returned to the men. Their combined power would be a little tough for Lear to fight against alone. No matter how capable he may be, they were a tough enemy to face unexpectedly.

They were strong, had a perfect stance, and weren’t arrogant enough to make mistakes.

They’d kill Luke instantly in a straightforward fight. They all knew that perfectly well. That was why they began to approach him. “Come with us, Luke Stokkart. Resistance is fu—”

He stopped. Looked down.

“…Wh-what? This is bullshit…”

Luke smiled, as calm and collected as ever. “It’s a magic trap. Do me a favor and stand still, okay? Otherwise you’ll lose your legs and just be pre-separated cuts of meat.”

“I-impossible. You shouldn’t have this…”

Luke turned his back on them, tuning out the rest. He took a knife he’d hidden in the inn, then turned back to point it at them. “Hey, you guys in the back! I said don’t move! If you do, the inn’s roof will blow right off.”

“Wha…”

They all stopped, unable to do anything but stare at Luke in shock.

Luke nodded and smiled. “Good, you stopped just in time. It appears that no one is staying on the second floor right now, but… I’m sure they’d get fewer guests if their roof blew up, so I’m glad it didn’t. You’d have to pay for the damages, you know? But…”

Luke looked back to the man who was stuck in his magic trap.

“I’m sure you guys would have it covered,” Luke said. “After all, we’ve both entrusted ourselves been trained in Roland…”

The man shivered. “H-how did you…”

Luke shook his head. “No one told me or anything. But it’s a simple conclusion to arrive at, knowing that you are strong enough to kidnap Milk Callaud and make contact with me - now, who might have a private army strong enough for you?” Luke wondered out loud.

Several possibilities came to mind - four nobles and two people among the military’s higher ups. Among them…

Luke sighed softly.

“…Miran Froaude?

Fear instantly rose to the men’s faces.

Luke smiled. “Bullseye, huh? I see. Marquess Froaude’s son. He’s awfully flashy, to the point where his movements become transparent… well, I do understand what he wants to do, though…”

But to think that Froaude could capture Chief Milk…

Luke tilted his head as he thought.

“So His Excellency Lieutenant General Miran Froaude is calling me, is he? Not Major Rahel Miller, but me? He does know that Miller is my boss, doesn’t he? What could he possibly want with me?”

“…We were ordered to bring Luke Stokkart.”

“I see.”

Luke considered the possibilities for why he might have been called instead of Miller.

“…It doesn’t seem like we’ll have a productive conversation,” Luke mumbled and sighed. “By the way, the magic traps are fake, so you guys can go ahead and move. I planned on going with you from the beginning. I just wanted to clarify a few things first. So thanks for helping me with that.”

The men moved their legs experimentally. The magic circle below them didn’t do a thing. Having realized that it was indeed a dummy, they looked back up at Luke with obvious hatred.

Luke smiled mischievously. “By the way, can you guys keep this a secret from Froaude? It’d make me feel a lot better.”

With that, Luke was captured and put into a jail cell.

A month passed.

---

A light lit up the dark, making the cell dazzlingly bright. Well… cell might be pushing it. Honestly, it was far too nice to be a cell. It had a table, bed, and a bookshelf with a fairly interesting selection of books.

It was actually more like a respectable hotel than anything.

There was even something of a kitchen system - he could order however much of whatever he wanted to eat or drink for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and he could have anything else he needed, too… The service was more than satisfactory.

But the doors didn’t open.

There were two doors - one was fixed with metal bars, and the other was the one he’d come in through. It was a thick iron plate of a door, with seven locks on it. It was impossible to open from the inside. The security was too rigid to even bother making a fuss trying to escape.

So in the end, it was a jail cell…

The door opened to show a lone man.

“…I wonder if it makes any difference if this light is on or off?” He wondered in a cold, detached tone.

Luke looked up. He was a peculiar man. He had pretty and long black hair, delicate limbs, and a model-thin build. He wore an unusual black ring on one of his long fingers. His eyes were like a demon’s - they were dark blue and cold as ice.

“……”

Ah, they were just amazing.

They were eyes filled with despair for the whole world. Eyes that had lost all ability to hope or look forward to anything. Luke had seen him from a distance before, but never this close.

“…You must be His Excellency Lieutenant General Miran Froaude?”

Froaude nodded, then looked at him with cutting, cold eyes that seemed to look down on the rest of the world. “I apologize for coming so late, Sergeant Luke Stokkart. My hands were a bit tied in moving a piece of mine.”

A piece…

Luke tilted his head. “A piece, huh… Might you mean Ryner Lute?”

Froaude’s eyes widened a bit in surprise. He smiled. “My, my… I should expect no less of you. Conversing with intelligent individuals is always so pleasantly simple. Might you also know the reason I have called you here, then…?”

The reason.

The reason that he had called Luke rather than Rahel Miller.

Luke didn’t even have to think about it. That was easy.

“To have me kill Ryner Lute?”

Froaude smiled happily. “You are truly amazing.”

So he was right. Froaude had called him here to kill Ryner Lute.

Luke’s expression clouded over as he recalled the orders Sion had given him.

1. Find any Heroic Relics that the Alpha Stigma bearer Ryner Lute overlooks and fails to collect.

2. Monitor the Alpha Stigma bearer Ryner Lute.

3. Should the Alpha Stigma bearer Ryner Lute go berserk outside of Roland or show signs of betraying Roland, exterminate him.

Those orders were the reason he’d been observing Ryner Lute. The three orders were his formal duty. There was also an additional order that he understood to be true in the moment he was given the first three: Take measures to prevent Ryner Lute’s existence as an Alpha Stigma bearer, a feared and loathed monster, in Roland’s service from being exposed.

Eventually, Luke realized that Sion had no desire to kill Ryner Lute in any scenario, no matter how disadvantageous it may be. And now Froaude was telling him to kill Ryner Lute. Luke understood why.

“…You don’t think he’s very good taste.”

“Personal taste is in no way are capable of making the country move,” Froaude said.

“That may indeed be so… but who says that the lives of the many are always more important than the few who might be sacrificed for their sakes?” Luke asked.

“I cannot see the worth in allowing the single life of Ryner Lute to cause so much pain. His life has been devoid of worth since the very beginning.”

Luke grimaced. “The way you speak is a bit—”

“A bit… what?” Froaude interrupted. “Sergeant Stokkart, do you truly believe that Ryner Lute is better off alive?”

“……”

What could Luke possibly say to that?

“His life has been devoid of worth since the very beginning.”

In other words…

“Because Ryner Lute is a dangerous Alpha Stigma bearer, feared and loathed by all, his life has been devoid of worth since the very beginning.”

Froaude didn’t mean it as commonplace discrimination. He acknowledged Ryner Lute’s worth more than anyone, after all. That was why he was so fixated on him. If he wasn’t obsessed, then he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to call Luke in an elaborate plan to exterminate Ryner.

So he wasn’t being discriminatory. He was speaking the truth - that Ryner Lute’s life was intrinsically worthless.

Luke gazed up at Froaude. “Have you thought of the great effect that Ryner Lute’s death would have?”

Froaude stared at him with those cold, dead eyes of his, seeing right through him. “Has the thought truly never crossed your mind?”

Luke was silent.

Froaude continued. “You are not the only one who has thought of it. Major Rahel Miller and I are all of the same inclination… are you telling me that you have come to a different conclusion than us?”

Luke didn’t answer.

His thoughts were racing for a different direction altogether.

He wasn’t in the best situation right now.

Miran Froaude was far more upfront than he’d expected. He’d expected to have to feel around for his intentions, but… The fact that he had been so honest from the beginning…

“…I see,” Luke said. “So that’s where Roland stands now…”

Froaude nodded. “If we should leave things as they are now…”

His voice trailed off. But Luke understood.

Roland would be destroyed. Another country would swallow it whole.

Froaude had approached him sincerely in order to avoid that.

“……”

Sincere…… was he.

“I refuse,” Luke said.

Froaude’s deep blue eyes met his own. “You should know best of all that you cannot refuse.”

“Enlighten me.”

“We have taken Milk Callaud hostage, and can only guarantee her safety if you listen to what I ask—”

“That is not true,” Luke said and shook his head. “You intend to kill Milk Callaud after I have killed Ryner Lute anyway, don’t you?”

Froaude didn’t answer. He just stared with those cold eyes of his.

“You believe that is what would give you the best effect, don’t you?” Luke asked. “You have decided that the best way to crush the foundation of Sir Sion’s heart and nativity is to kill both Ryner Lute and Milk Callaud at once. Am I wrong?”

Froaude was quiet once more.

Luke stared right into his eyes. “You need to guarantee Milk Callaud’s safety. I won’t listen to anything you say before you do.”

Froaude looked a bit troubled, his eyebrows furrowing. “Hmph. I see… I understand what you are trying to say. Fine, then. I promise to not kill Milk Callaud.”

Luke smiled bitterly. “But you’re just lying, aren’t you?”

Froaude didn’t hesitate to nod. “Yes. Of course that was a lie. I might kill her, or I might not… but you have no choice but to take my word for it. The card called Milk Callaud is in my hand, after all. Not yours.” His eyebrows furrowed deeper, contrary to his words. “But… you aren’t such a fool that you wouldn’t already know that… so tell me. How might you take Milk Callaud from me?”

“How about… I trade your life for hers?”

Luke glanced around the room. He was currently standing by the bed. Froaude was on the other side of the room, standing in the entrance. They were six steps away from each other. That was close enough for Luke to jump forward and kill Froaude in one swoop.

Froaude’s expression became even more troubled. “You are saying that you will kill me if I do not guarantee Milk Callaud’s safety…?”

Luke nodded. “I suppose that’s what it has come to, yes.”

Froaude smiled faintly. But his smile seemed to ice his expression over altogether - it was even colder now than it had been before, when Luke first saw him today. His left hand moved over his right hand so that his fingers could caress his peculiar black ring. “Sergeant Luke Stokkart… I am well aware of how powerful you are… as well as the fact that your power rivaled Crimson-Fingered Claugh Klom’s during the rebellion.”

Luke shook his head. “No, no, you’ve got it wrong. I’d die in seconds if I challenged Claugh to a fight.”

And that was the truth.

He was inferior to Claugh when it came to magic, hand-to-hand, and reflexes.

Luke had tried to fight Claugh honestly once, and…

“……”

It was such a pitiful memory that he didn’t even want to remember it.

Anyway, Luke really didn’t feel like he could win against Claugh in a fight. Because Claugh was a genius when it came to battlefields. In comparison, Luke was only a little more capable than the average person.

However.

“…You are a different type of genius,” Froaude said. “Your ability to understand situations towers far above the rest… no, those words alone are not suitable to express it. The documents that I pulled on you detail twelve battles of yours, all twelve of which you won. And they were not equal matches. You were horribly disadvantaged in each and every case… One could call it miraculous. You have earned the right to be called a genius of tactics…”

“…Enough praise. But I do appreciate that you did your research,” Luke said. “My real name isn’t what’s listed for most of my battles, but you managed to find me anyway… Won’t you accept my original offer for a trade, knowing that?”

Froaude shook his head.

“You cannot kill me… no matter how much of a genius you may be,” Froaude said. He continued to stroke that black ring of his as he spoke. “You are, at your core, human… and therefore no match for me.”

“Oh? You make it sound like you’re not… ah, you aren’t?” Luke said. Come to think of it, the look in his eyes was awfully inhuman. But maybe that was a rude thing to think.

“No, no, I am human. But you are unable to kill me, being human yourself.”

“…You say some pretty peculiar things… A human who can’t be killed by humans, huh…” Luke said, then drifted off into thought for a moment. “Well, enough chit-chat. I see now that our conversation won’t go anywhere until I prove that I can kill you.”

“I am telling you that you cannot.”

“I wonder. Why don’t we fight for a minute to see—”

Luke didn’t get to finish his sentence.

Froaude smiled and raised his right hand. The hand that bore that strange ring.

“…O darkness…”

An oppressive feeling spread out from Froaude as he spoke. Call it a murderous aura, or call it dread itself - it didn’t matter. What mattered was that it was unmistakably dangerous. It wasn’t Froaude himself, either. It was the presence of something else. No, several something elses. One, two, three, four… they just kept coming.

Luke’s eyes flicked across the room, towards the presences that had appeared. But there was nothing there. They were shapeless, formless.

“…Appear.”

Shadows sprung up from the ground, each hurling itself into the air and taking the shape of a beast.

“……”

Luke watched the beasts, but he didn’t move.

He grasped the situation with ease.

Black beasts made of shadows appeared to be Froaude’s power - to be more precise, it was probably his ring’s power. He could cause the beasts to spring up and then manipulate them freely, from the looks of it. So he could probably also manipulate the form that they took.

“…Better get some distance between us,” Luke said to himself and took a step back.

“It’s too late for that,” Froaude said. He moved his fingers just so as he spoke.

That little movement appeared to be an order to his beasts - they responded to it, leaping up and shooting at Luke…

It was over.

Something bright and sparkling fell from the ceiling and crashed with an incomprehensible sound. The shadow beasts were cut up and destroyed.

“Wha…”

That was Froaude.

Luke took the opportunity to run right for Froaude.

Froaude scowled. “Shit. O darkness—”

A little whirring sound accompanied by a light that wrapped its way around his raised hand.

“Move that finger of yours another inch and I’ll rip your whole arm off,” Luke said.

Froaude looked at his arm. His scowl deepened. “A… string…? But—”

Luke tugged, wrapping Froaude’s chest up, too. Then he used the strings to throw him forcefully against the iron barred door.

“Gaha…”

Luke didn’t stop even at the sound of Froaude groaning. He pulled a knife from his pocket, then pressed it against Froaude’s neck. He spoke in a deeper and darker voice compared to his normal cheery tone. “Just try and touch Milk Callaud with any one of your dirty fingers. I can kill someone like you without looking back.”

Froaude’s eyes met Luke from his place pressed up against iron bars. “Hm. You are usually so calm and collected, and yet… Is this an act to portray the fact that killing Milk Callaud would result in you killing me?”

Luke smiled, perfectly composed. The knife dug deeper into Froaude’s neck. Blood began to pour from the wound. But that didn’t stop Luke from pressing the knife in deeper, deep enough to have hit an artery if Froaude hadn’t tilted his head just so to avoid it.

“…It’s not a fucking act,” Luke said, that same smile plastered on his face. “We don’t forgive people who hurt our family. Don’t even think about hurting them without a death wish. Blink once if you understand. If you don’t, then we’ll fight this out. In other words, you’ll die.”

“……”

Froaude blinked once. So Luke removed the blade from his throat.

“…So sorry about that,” Luke said. “Did it hurt?”

Luke might not have hit an artery, but there was still enough blood dripping from Froaude’s neck for him to press his fingers to it just to make sure that the damage wasn’t too major. “I see… yes, if you are this powerful, then of course your trade becomes a meaningful offer… You can kill me, so you would like me to hand over Milk Callaud in exchange for my life… is that correct?”

Luke nodded. “Yes, that is indeed correct.”

Froaude’s eyes looked around the room. “So…. the weapon you used earlier was… a string?”

“It was.”

“Is it one of the Heroic Relics, the likes of which Ryner Lute authored a report on?”

Luke nodded. “I was granted permission to use one of the relics that he failed to retrieve.”

“What is your relic’s ability?”

Luke dipped his hand into his pocket to pull out a tiny needle, so thin that it was hard to see. He held it up for Froaude to see as he explained. “It doesn’t… exactly have an ‘ability.’ But it can’t be cut, despite how thin it is. This needle can fire an endless amount of unbreakable string. That’s its ‘ability,’ so to speak. It doesn’t do anything else.”

Luke didn’t think it was originally made to be a weapon. It was probably intended to be used for sewing.

“That may be its only ability… but it becomes quite powerful depending on its user,” Froaude said. He glanced up at the ceiling, then to the room’s light. “You made it so that you could activate your trap on the ceiling by stepping back, and when you did, it shocked my shadow beasts… that is what happened, is it not?”

Luke looked like he found this all a bit tedious. “I don’t expect the same thing to happen twice.”

Froaude’s expression didn’t budge in the slightest. It remained dark and cold. “Relics can become very dangerous depending on their user… so we don’t have much time.”

“…Are you referring to Gastark?” Luke asked.

Froaude didn’t respond. But he was making a face that said ‘you should know without me saying it.’

True, there was no real need for him to say it at this point. Luke was well aware of their current situation. It sucked.

Gastark already had countless relics and was using them to conquer the continent. They were still in the far north, seperated from Roland by an entire continent… It might look like it was all too far to have anything to do with Roland, but it really wasn’t. The truth was that it mattered a lot, even now.

Only one country needed to move to change the world. And the world was currently moving towards war. A war that would affect even Roland.

Roland had annexed the Kingdom of Estabul after a long history of war. Now it was time for it to start looking at uniting the rest of the Southern Continent in order to amass enough power to defend against the north, even if their king didn’t will it. Even if the other Southern COntinent countries, Runa and Nelpha, didn’t want it.

They needed to start preparing for what the rest of the world would do.

They had to form alliances with Runa and Nelpha before it was too late. They had to do something before it was too late, because the gears moving Gastark to conquer them were already moving too fast to be stopped. They needed to get to perfecting their own gears.

Luke recalled something that Froaude had said earlier, when he’d just entered the room.

“My hands were a bit tied in moving a piece of mine.”

And that meant…

“So you had Ryner Lute leave the country?” Luke asked.

Froaude smiled happily. “No… something occurred that exceeded my expectations. Ryner Lute was taken out of the country by a new Alpha Stigma bearer, betraying Roland in the process.”

“……”

So that was why Froaude took so long to get to Luke. But that didn’t matter now. What mattered was that Ryner had betrayed Roland, putting one of Sion’s orders in effect - to exterminate him.

“His Majesty will likely return in a week,” Froaude said. “Please leave the country to take care of Ryner before His Majesty has the time to withdraw his order.”

Luke nodded.

If he was going to kill Ryner, it had to be before Sion returned.

Luke recalled a page of Ryner’s report that Sion had showed him some time ago.

I hate it when people die.

I also hate killing.

I hate crying and I hate being made to cry.

What’s the feeling called when you know you can’t choose your life? When your family dies? What about when the person you love dies?

Nobody wants those things to happen, and yet this world wishes for pointless sadness, laughing all the while.

I’ve never wanted to change things. I know it’s futile. But I’ll keep being sad if things don’t change, and I don’t want to lose anything else…

This is a pain to write, but… I think it’s about time to move forward. I’ve averted my eyes from the past until now, but if it’s necessary, I’ll look at it. For the sake of making a world where nobody will lose anything anymore.

A world where that kid and Kiefer don’t have to cry, where Tyle, Tony, and Fahle don’t have to die, where Sion doesn’t have to torment himself over the state of things.

To a world where everyone smiles and it’s okay if all we do is nap.

Ryner Lute

Luke thought it was wonderful. Truly wonderful.

A word where no one lost anything, one where everyone grows up smiling. He’d gladly lend his power to creating such a world. Everyone would be happy, and he’d be able to protect Milk’s smile…

He’d really offer his life for the cause… if only such a world could exist.

But it couldn’t. It was incompatible with reality; an illusion, one that everyone dreamed of at one point in their lives.

The more powerful someone was, the father away that dream became. They all wanted to chase after that illusion, no matter how far it was. To the point where they killed people.

As for Ryner Lute…

“…He… is quite capable of breaking Sion’s heart,” Luke said.

Froaude smiled, satisfied. “It is so reassuring to me that people like you are here in Roland.”

Luke’s expression turned a bit sad. “I understand… I will kill Ryner Lute,” he whispered.

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