Chapter 105: Perhaps
- Reira ☾⋆⁺₊✧ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁
- Nov 5, 2025
- 8 min read
“The Grand Duke’s pursuit was fiercer than I expected. One misstep, and we could’ve been killed.”
Fenrir laughed brightly, pulling off the hood he had been wearing.
“How can you laugh right now?”
“We were lucky, so it’s worth celebrating.”
“You call this lucky?”
Gritting his teeth, James thrust out his left arm.
Though an arrow was deeply lodged in James’s arm, Fenrir’s expression as he looked at it was unnervingly calm.
On the contrary, he looked very pleased.
“We were indeed lucky. Life is more precious than an arm. If losing just one arm meant staying alive, I’d call that a fair trade.”
“A fair trade? You’re seriously saying that right now?”
“Oh dear, don’t get so angry. You need treatment anyway. One more wound won’t make much difference. Still, we should probably remove the arrow before seeing a priest.”
“Remove the arrow? How? There’s no physician here.”
“It’s fine. As it happens, I’m quite skilled at this sort of thing.”
Fenrir gave a wink and pulled a dagger from inside his coat.
James alternated his gaze between Fenrir and his wound, then went pale.
“You’re going to treat me?”
"Removing an arrow isn’t that difficult."
Fenrir smiled cheerfully and grabbed James’s arm.
James struggled to free himself, but couldn’t break Fenrir’s firm grip.
“Di-disinfect it…!”
“There’s no way there’s any antiseptic here. Anyway, the priest will properly treat it later, so let’s just remove it for now.”
“At least light a fire!”
“The Grand Duke’s pursuit squad might be nearby. We should avoid any actions that could draw attention.”
“You can’t just pull the arrow out!”
“I noticed before that the arrows used by Schwarhan soldiers have a peculiar tip. If you recklessly pull it out, it’ll rip the flesh right off.”
Fenrir answered calmly and restrained James.
“Aaaaaah!”
"Getting all shaky over something so trivial? You really do scare easily."
“Sh-shut—argh!”
“Endure it. You can’t go around with an arrow still lodged in you. We’re fugitives, so we have to stay hidden.”
Fenrir chuckled as he looked at James’s flushed face, then finished removing the arrow.
He had removed arrows many times before, so it wasn’t all that difficult.
Rather, what was unfamiliar was the man’s frantic screams.
“If there had been just one more arrow, I might have gone deaf.”
“...”
"While I was in Schwarhan, I thought it was nothing but a baseless rumour, but it turns out the talk was true: the Imperials are so sickly pale, there’s no thrill in fighting them at all."
"Are you actually trying to pick a fight with me right now?"
"Of course not. I just wanted to lighten the mood because you seemed so tense."
Fenrir lightly shrugged and tossed the arrow he had been holding to the ground.
He was still smiling cheerfully.
“…Aren’t you even afraid of the Grand Duke of Schwarhan?”
“I happen to know the Grand Duke’s secret.”
“...The Grand Duke’s secret?”
“Why? Are you curious?”
Fenrir’s eyes curved gently.
Instead of answering, James glared at Fenrir.
But that was as far as it went.
Even behind that radiant smile, James still couldn’t tell what the man was thinking.
・・・・・
"You cannot do this to me, Your Highness. I am clearly a guest—"
“Guests are welcomed, not chased.”
At Cabelenus’s gesture, the soldiers’ blades pressed against Cher’s throat.
Cher gritted his teeth, unable to say another word.
“Choose. That foolish young master of yours, or Roaquin’s safety.”
“I….”
"Just so you know, I don’t have much patience.”
Cabelenus stepped closer.
Cher instinctively swallowed hard.
Though he had always considered himself a battle-hardened warrior, as he stood before the Grand Duke of Schwarhan, all he felt was helplessness.
It was as if he had been reduced to a child.
“…I will personally step forward.”
"Step forward? How?"
"I will capture Fenrir Roaquin with my own hands and present him before Your Highness."
“You can’t call that a proper deal. If you run away like that brat, that’ll be the end of it.”
"I will not betray Roaquin."
“Anyone can say that.”
Cabelenus took another step forward.
Cher lifted his head and stared at the golden eyes glinting ominously from the shadow above.
The thin, beast-like pupils made the Grand Duke of Schwahan’s notorious reputation seem even more convincing.
“Then, what exactly do you want me to do?”
“Your son is a general of Roaquin, isn’t he? Have him chase that foolish young master.”
“I don’t have anything like a son…”
“When you try to hide something precious, it only makes it more obvious. Especially someone who’s getting special treatment without any real backing."
“...”
Cher squeezed his eyes shut at the piercing gaze that seemed to know everything.
Cold sweat ran down his spine.
“After all, the bloodline of the Roaquin family flows in your son as well, doesn’t it?”
"...You seem to know far too much."
Cher slowly opened his eyes that had been closed.
Cabelenus was already wearing the smile of a predator.
“Don’t overthink it. Just think of it as an opportunity. You were conflicted anyway.”
“...”
“The child you took in and raised when he was little, and your biological son who appeared later. There are two children, but only one position.”
"Do not speak carelessly."
“Don’t act all high and mighty. After all, it’s an issue that had to be settled sooner or later.”
Cabelenus glanced back at Gazeff.
Gazeff nodded once, then scattered the documents he was holding in front of Cher.
“After learning the identity of your biological son, you did many things behind the young master’s back.”
“...”
"Choose wisely. We have no interest in Roaquin’s internal conflicts. We only care about getting what we need."
“...”
"As long as you properly uphold what we want, we won’t care at all if the contractor changes."
Cher stared blankly at the documents strewn across the floor.
The documents detailed every single thing he had done in the past.
・・・・・
After carefully checking on the sleeping Michael, Alicia went to the table beside the bed and sat down.
She had interpreted all the writings in the hidden room and even compiled them into a single book, but it still wasn’t enough.
There were still many parts she couldn’t understand just by reading.
‘It would indeed be faster to meet them in person, but…’
Alicia swallowed hard and idly fiddled with the innocent book.
Cabelenus had also said it was fine, and now there was even evidence that the monsters might not be their enemies after all.
Even so, she still couldn’t summon the courage to meet them.
The possibility that the monsters might ruin Michael’s life was something she had always feared.
More than anyone else, Alicia desperately wished for Michael to live as an ordinary human.
But now, she could no longer just hold onto a desperate wish.
Her body was continuing to deteriorate.
Not only were there more and more days when she would suddenly fall asleep, but her legs kept giving out, and she was so afraid someone might notice her condition that she had to be careful even when walking.
‘Maybe it would be better to at least free him from the shackle before I die.’
If her condition worsened any further, she might not even be able to undo Cabelenus’s shackle.
It might be better to give up on empty hopes now and make a more realistic choice.
‘…But I don’t want to die. I want to live.’
Alicia buried her face in her hands.
It felt like she might burst into tears at any moment, but she didn’t want to cry.
The moment she shed tears, it felt as though she were admitting she had given up on everything.
‘No. It’s not that I want to live — I will live. I will survive, no matter what.’
Veins bulged on the back of Alicia’s hands.
Even the faintest thread of hope was enough.
If only she could live, and if only she could stay by the side of the people she loved, she could do anything.
「…Reached, at last.」
It was then that a familiar cry reached her ears.
Alicia’s head jerked up reflexively as she scanned her surroundings.
And then, when her eyes met those golden ones, she instinctively drew in a sharp breath.
“No, don’t touch my child.”
「No harm. No reason to. Just need it. For us. The passage.」
Michael, or rather, the monster inhabiting the child’s body, muttered.
The monster’s voice was clumsy, like an old memory, and at the same time, eerie, like the scraping of metal.
Alicia bit her lip and slowly stepped toward Michael.
“Starting with Michael—”
「Do not. Command.」
“What?”
「We, cannot reach. If you do not want.」
“What are you talking about? Right now…”
Alicia stopped mid-sentence and froze in place.
Looking back, something similar had happened before.
When she was pregnant with Michael, the child had hidden itself because the mother didn’t want it to appear.
“…You all — you couldn’t show yourselves until now because I didn’t want you to?”
「 We cannot defy. Your will. We all, promised.」
“...”
「 This child carries our blood. That makes it possible. Even so, we follow your will. If you do not wish, we cannot reach you.」
“I don’t understand what you're saying right now.”
Alicia frowned.
Even in that moment, the monster was just staring intently at her.
As if it didn’t want to lose sight of her for even a moment.
It was an unbearably relentless gaze.
And at the same time, it reminded her of someone.
Alicia clenched her teeth.
・・・・・
“…Alicia?”
“...”
“Why are you sleeping here like this?”
Cabelenus’s hand brushed against her cheek.
Out of habit, Alicia pressed her face against that hand.
Though the man’s hands were rough, his touch remained as gentle as ever.
“I’ll move you to the bed. If you’re tired, you can sleep a bit longer.”
“I’m fine...”
Muttering in a hoarse voice, Alicia buried her face in Cabelenus’s neck.
It was strangely difficult to overcome sleepiness.
Her body felt exhausted, as if she had done hard labour, and her eyelids were heavy.
“Don’t push yourself. Rest beside Michael.”
“…Michael?”
The familiar name stirred her drowsy mind back to awareness.
Alicia hastily pushed Cabelenus aside and searched for Michael.
Michael was fast asleep on the bed, breathing softly.
“...”
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“I’m not sure if it was a dream or reality…”
Alicia’s words trailed off as she locked eyes with his golden gaze, freezing in place.
She didn’t want to admit it, but the man’s shining eyes reminded her of the monster.
“Alicia.”
“...”
“Did something really happen?”
“Well...”
Alicia’s fingertips trembled.
She should tell him she had encountered the monster, but somehow the words wouldn’t come out.
Despite his worried gaze, careful touch, and the warmth of his presence, each filled with unmistakable affection, she still felt doubt.
She couldn’t shake the thoughts that had come to her the moment she faced the monster.
If Cabelenus had gradually lost his emotions because of the monster’s blood, then perhaps, conversely, he could feel them because of it.
Perhaps... Cabelenus didn’t love her for who she was.
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