CHAPTER 53

  NOT KILLING WITH A BORROWED KNIFE

  “Woah! You really survived.”

  Hans raised his head. For days, he hadn’t seen a soul. Even food was delivered by working golems. So hearing , even from a prick like Zephyr, was music to his ears. However, he couldn’t just let this man gloat. “You sided with the Royal faction. Professor Aredhel would love to hear it.”

  “Go ahead and tell her.” Zephyr offered.

  “Nah! That wouldn’t be fun. Snapping your neck… no, tearing your chest up…no, that’s not it either… I’ll come up with something much more entertaining for you, Zephyr.” Hans said, contemplating.

  “Pft!” Zephyr chuckled. “You, a pipsqueak like you, threatening me—”

  “This pipsqueak just fought to death with that woman and came back alive. Even if I lack power, I’m a person of commitment and fucking sheer will. I’ll always see through what I say. Don’t ever step into the shadows. You might be greeted by ‘the Sad Death.’” Hans wickedly laughed as Zephyr turned back in silence.

  In all his life, Zephyr had always made rational choices, but when he stumbled upon Reina and heard her offer two months ago, he did something irrational for the first time. “The Sad Death, then I should stop hiding my power. Maybe it’s time for me to enter the top ranks.” He mumbled, inaudible, and went back upstairs.

  “Are you going to keep hiding, Nodemaster?” Hans said when Zephyr was out of his vision.

  “You knew I was here? Even Zephyr couldn’t sense me. I stopped my mana—”

  “Mana this, mana that… you people have forgotten that there are many more things that don’t include mana. The sweet, citrusy smell you carry around. I have a nose of a hunter. Do you think I couldn’t detect a change in this damp prison?”

  “If you are this smart, then why did you fall for the trap, idiot?” Hera questioned.

  “Because I wanted to.” Hans responded, embarrassed. “I was genuinely curious.” His words left Hera quite baffled. She was startled, didn’t know how to respond, so Hans turned the conversation. “You’ve heard our talk. Are you going to protect Zephyr? He is the prodigy of Concordia, a member of the Blood Monk—”

  “He crossed the line when he thought of harming you,” Hera interjected.

  “Aw, I’m touched,” Hans gently touched his chest, bowing a little.

  ”You are no better either, son. Stop that grin.” Hera was serious.

  “I apologised already,” Hans pouted, complaining, “My apology is very costly, Nodemaster. Let me out of here; the silence here is killing me.”

  “Then talk. What happened there? I want to hear from you. Who attacked you? Who saved you? Whom do you meet?”

  “Over my dead body…” Hans said with all seriousness, but the next moment his expressions turned goofy. “But dead don’t talk, so I think this proverb is flawed—”

  “Hans, quit it—”

  “Ms. Hera, you are really a good person, and honestly, I like you quite a lot. That is why I’m saying, ignorance is bliss. Just write in your darn report that Hans was so curious about red demons that he found a way with his dwarven tech and breached the barrier through transportation— an opening underground. There was no Zephyr, no other person too. I bet my everything; everyone would believe it without a second thought. I’m a reckless idiot after all.”

  “But, I can punish them, trust me.” Hera pleaded, asking Hans to rely on her.

  “Believe me, there is nothing cleaner than to use a borrowed knife to do the dirty deed, but I like getting my hands dirty, and this is quite personal.” He emphasised.

  “So you don’t want my help at all?” She was dejected. “At least get this Zephyr bastard—”

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Ma’am, you weren’t here, period. Now please get me out of here.” Hans requested, and Hera brought him to the upper floors. His classmates were already back in Concordia, and he was two days late. The three-month volunteering work was already over, and it was reported that Hans had broken rules of the node and was being punished there, so he couldn’t go back on the designated date.

  She didn’t give the exact details even when Concordia administration asked her to, but she couldn’t keep going on forever. She reported back as Hans wanted, and then Hans got a call to Nodemaster’s office.

  “Well done, brat. You are so eager to die. Return right now, and I’ll kill you myself.” The communication orb almost burst with Rudolf’s furious voice, and the connection got disconnected.

  “What— what happened?” Hans questioned Hera, baffled.

  “His communication orb must’ve cracked—”

  “That geezer will really kill me this time.” Hans mumbled and turned to Hera. “Maybe I should stay here for a couple of days.”

  “You know what to call me if you want me to act—”

  “No, not gonna happen. When will you let this charade go, Ma’am?” Hans scowled.

  “Not gonna happen too.” Hera imitated Hans’s tone.

  “I need to think of something else. Even Grandma will be on his side this time.” Hans mumbled, and Hera informed him he would travel to Concordia the next morning. A brief farewell party was thrown in his departure from the Node to Concordia. He had remembered quite a few faces here and befriended many people in his healing and recovery sessions. Everyone cheered him on except his said-to-be close friend, Zephyr.

  It was the middle of the night, and Hans requested to see Hera. “You weren’t sleeping, nodemaster?” He asked her when he knocked on her open door.

  “With a troublemaker like you around, sleep is the least of my worries, son.”

  “Then can I return now instead of in the morning—”

  “This is the dead of night, Hans. Do you really want to disturb so many employees?”

  “Hmmm… yes. I’m a jerk, that’s what I do.” He stretched his smile narrow and pleaded. So Hera brought him to the transfer Spacedoor.

  “Be healthy and stay out of trouble.” She patted his head warmly.

  “What? I thought I’d get a hug at least—”

  “I’m still angry, you know.”

  She couldn’t even finish her words, and Hans hugged her. “Thank you, ma’am. You’ve been really good to me.”

  Hera couldn’t resist further and hugged him back. “Always stay on your toes, child, and don’t think. Just ask for me when you need something, right?” With a gentle touch, she unclasped her pendant and fastened it around Hans's neck. “This will keep you nimble.”

  Hans nodded and stepped inside the grey void of the spacedoor. He waved goodbye and disappeared.

  CONCORDIA, MIDLANDS

  “Run, idiot, run! Who’d have known? Grandpa got alerted the moment I stepped in here.” Hans flew as quickly as he could. There was only one person who could save him at this point. He stopped right at their doors and banged it hard, “Wake up, you sleepy elves.”

  The doors opened without a creak, and Delimira came into his sight, still rubbing her eyes. “The hell are you doing here in the middle of the night—”

  “Move it, winters. Or tomorrow you’ll attend my funeral.” Hans barged in and shut the door behind him. Not a moment later, there was a roaring thunder in Concordia’s sky. “Phew, I’m saved.” Hans mumbled and finally took a look at the two pairs of eyes staring him down, as if asking him what the heck he was doing here.

  “I just need a place to lay low, at least till his temper goes down.” Hans asked, embarrassed.

  “No, two women live here.” Delimira pointed to the door, “Go back.”

  “You cold-hearted witch! You just want to see me beaten black and blue, don’t you?” Hans questioned.

  “I can’t deny that—”

  “Hey, Deli.” Hans interrupted, scanning what she wore from top to bottom, “I thought you hated pink?”

  “Get the hell out of here.” Delimira forced him to the door, flushed.

  “Sorry, Zilong. I don’t want to be beaten to death.” Hans flicked the scale in his pocket to the silent observing Aredhel, “This is my rent for tonight.”

  Aredhel caught it and fell back on her seat. She was stunned to see what was in her hand. Her head tilted upward, as if asking for what she thought to be true, and Hans answered her with his eyes. Silence hung heavy in the room. Only Delimira shuffled her sight to and fro from her mother to Hans.

  However, before Aredhel could break this eerie silence, Hans widened his eyes and his finger pressed gently against his lips, “You aren’t in that future, so don’t become a variable professor.”

  “Understood.” Aredhel nodded, her eyes welled up, but her lips didn’t part any words other than he could stay the night here. As a clairvoyant, Aredhel knew that too much involvement in Hans’s destiny would ruin the chances of her husband coming back.

  “He… that person is not well, Professor. But he will be soon.”

  “Thank you. Thank you…” Aredhel kept mumbling the gratitude while Delimira grumbled, but she knew she had no say when her mother was acting that oddly. She didn’t see what Hans threw at her but wasn’t an idiot who couldn’t understand whom they were talking about.

  “So you met?” She looked disinterested, but her tone gave away how she actually felt. “How was he?” She asked.

  “Very ugly, just like you.”