[13] A Familiar Face?

"That potion. Were you chosen by the Gods?"

Honestly, out of all the questions that I anticipated, this wasn't one of them. Hence the reason for my momentary silence.

Seeing the patient look in his eyes was what snapped me out of my daze. I answered awkwardly, "I- um... yes. I didn't come from this world."

The fear in his eyes was replaced with awe, shimmering as he saw me in a new light.

Unsure of how the situation will unfold, I didn't say anything, opting instead, to check Holly's condition. He didn't seem to mind, turning back to the injured woman with a wide smile, looking like a child that had gotten everything he wished for that Christmas.

"Holly! She was chosen!" He told the woman, excitedly. As if she hadn't been there and heard everything that was said.

Someone must have casted some sort of spell to the boy. He easily switched his perception of me just like that, without further prompting. Were those that were chosen truly favored that much? If so, why didn't I get that same kind of treatment before?

Nevermind that, nothing could have possibly changed my past. They all hated me now and without me there as a constant reminder of their negativity, I will be reduced to nothing but an afterthought.

Holly squeezed Ezekiel's hand, using him as leverage to pull herself up. I moved and assisted to help her stand and cleaned her up for any kind of dirt, being extra sure around the areas of her bandages.

"We should get going. In case there are any more bounty hunters coming, changing our positions could be crucial to our survival." She said, her eyes flitting to the direction we came from before turning around.

The worry she had for the rest of her companions was palpable. I couldn't help but feel guilty. If I had known, I would have tried my best to save as many people as possible. For now, this was all that I could do and in the honor of those fallen Knights, I will do my best to service them and protect them from any harm that may come.

"Are you sure you could run properly, Holly?" The young master could really see the heaviness behind each of Holly's movements, in contrast to his.

I doubted that Holly was subjected to a day of training her body, this kind of exhaustion was normal. However, in this situation, it could mean life or death.

"We don't need to go anywhere," I said. "Rest up and don't worry about anything else. Here. After this, we'll go back to the location of the ambush and check if we could salvage anything from the burned." I handed them a container of pre-prepped meals, originally intended for food that I ate in case that I'll be stuck in a battle with some hard to kill monsters.

At first they were confused by the food's appearance but after a while they gave in, their stomachs betraying their skepticism. I also handed them water.

I would have started to use my detection method and make sure that nothing was currently spying on us when Ezekiel spoke.

"Aren't you going to eat as well?"

"I already ate." I replied, curtly.

From his frown, that was not the kind of response he wanted. I was sure that he wanted to question me about my life after being chosen. There was no space for that in this time and place, however, there were still corpses to burn and the leader as a threat.

That reminded me of another thing. Glancing at King, I saw him sniffing over a patch of grass in the direction where we came from. From the looks of it, he had caught whiff of an unfamiliar scent. My suspicions had been confirmed, someone was currently spying on us and is waiting for an opportunity to launch an attack. I could use this to my advantage.

The duo ate peacefully. Holly scolded and performed her duties while Ezekiel, trying to lighten the mood, disobeyed. Their bickering was adorable.

It took a second before I could come up with a decent plan to counter our current problem. If they had been there for a while, then they would have undoubtedly seen what I'd done to their comrades. I could use that hesitation and fear to my advantage.

"King?" The young bear immediately moved toward me, standing on his hind legs upon coming close. "Stay with them for a while, alright?"

His unsure face surfaced. I understood that he knew what I was planning and now he was expressing his protest against said plan.

In response, I gave his head a little pat. "I'm gonna go take a dump. Stay behind and stand on guard, alright?" He shook his head, his frown now in the process of being a glare. 

After a small glance behind me, I was sure that they heard me at that moment. From their confused faces, they didn't understand what I meant. I belatedly remembered that there are slangs that these people didn't know. Taking a dump was one of them. 

Deciding that it wouldn't be good to keep acting in front of King, I lowered my voice. "You've smelt it as well as I've suspected it. I don't want those two to vomit what they're eating, it would be best to deal with whoever that is discreetly."

King didn't want to agree to sound logic, nudging his muzzle against my calf to say so.

"Come on, King. Don't be so stubborn, I can handle myself."

Seeing his tactic fail, he huffed and angrily made his way to the two.

Holly welcomed him and even fed him some of her food. His foul mood immediately did a 180 as soon as he chewed. I noted the behavior mentally for future use.

Without another word, I walked in a 'random' direction, whistling to myself.

I was surprised that as soon as I broke through one of the bushes, I came face to face with the leader of the bounty hunters, who seemed equally surprised to see me.

In unison, we both brought out our weapons. 

He was severely injured and from the looks of it, exhausted in his pursuit to follow after the fleeing young master and his servant. The man was in no condition to fight, and the surprise on his face indicated that he didn't think he would need to.

I parried his first strike, closing in and grabbing him by the neck before hauling him over my shoulder and throwing him as far as I could. I made sure to check if any of the others noticed the sudden commotion, breathing a sigh of relief when I only saw King's worried nose looking for me as he laid on Holly's lap.

Without wasting any more time, I ran after the body, readying for a fight. When I arrived at the scene, I found that the anima was still stuck in the position he had been thrown in, coughing up blood.

I was honestly disappointed, I didn't think there would be much of a battle considering his wounds but I also didn't take into account just how exhausted he had been.

'It's a good thing, I guess.'

I kneeled down to his level, pushing his chin so I could see his eyes. Despite the exhaustion, he glared at me murderously, a promise to make me feel thousands of years worth of pain if he had the opportunity to.

All that intimidation was for naught. As soon as I took my hand away, his head couldn't fight off the pull of gravity, rag-dolling without a mere fight.

"I... know you..."

I tried not to be surprised. Even after all these years, was I still on the bulletin board?

"You're that brat that k-killed the George Brothers..." He started chuckling, interrupted only by his own coughing. "What the fuck are you doing here...? Don't you... don't you have that village-"

I stabbed him in the shoulder, making sure he felt every inch of it breaking through his flesh and veins. I shimmied at the edge of his bone, relishing in his painful groan before muttering, "Who hired you?"

"You'll find out over... over my dead body..."

I sighed, there was no point in torturing them. From his sustained injuries and his current presence, I have no doubt that he had already killed Sir Karl.

"How disappointing. This is the second mission you've failed to fulfil for your God. The second mission your hunters failed because of me. Tell me..." I carved open the palm of my hand, thick black blood dripping to his thigh. Just this once, maybe I could use them just this once.

Darkness formed around the wound, wriggling shadows jumping around at the fresh air.

[ You've removed restrictions: Shadow Being ]

I felt every inch of my body being crawled on, akin to insects finding a place in each crevice. It was familiar and uncomfortable at the same time, like that small feeling you get when you ride a bike after a long time of those muscles without use.

My body told me to stop but seeing this man and his uniform triggered a part of my mind I suppressed.

Just this once. I reasoned with murderous glee.

"I sure hope you're not afraid of the dark."