ALL NOVEL #8
#8
Thud! Kain’s hand, freed from the handcuffs, struck Peter’s neck. “Ugh?” Peter staggered, his body tilting to the side. “No, what… is this…?” He widened his eyes in surprise, then immediately closed them as he fainted. Thud, Kain caught Peter’s falling body in his arms and slowly lowered him to the ground. He would probably be unconscious for a few minutes like this.
It seemed the two had known each other for a long time. Peter would never have imagined that this side would do such a thing to him.
But. “I’m sorry.” Kain muttered in a flat voice. This hand had already been stained by taking innocent lives. Betraying someone who completely trusts him was something he could easily do. Of course, it always left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Clink, swish. Kain took the bundle of keys from Peter’s hand, which lay outside the bars. Unlike the usual servants who brought meals, Peter had brought the bundle of keys. He must have come at the command of Jersian, so Kain thought it likely that he also had the keys to this prison in his hand. And fortunately, Kain’s judgment was correct.
Click—squeak. The iron-barred door opened. “…” Kain looked down at Peter, who lay unconscious at his feet, and smiled bitterly. He was a subordinate of Jersian, and once Jersian found out that he had escaped, he would face severe punishment. It was a harsh treatment for someone he had known for several years.
After a moment of contemplation, Kain took off the knight’s cloak that Peter was wearing and draped it over his bare body. Under the cloak, he hastily tied a tablecloth that had covered the untouched meal. It was a way of wrapping himself in the white cloth commonly used by elves in the Fiokhim Mountains. He wanted to move barefoot, but his feet would be exposed under the long cloak, making it obvious.
…Just borrowing it for a moment, then tossing it at the boundary of the mansion. Then it would surely be discovered by the patrolling knights. Kain, with a clear conscience, took off Peter’s two shoes and put them on. They were a bit small, but he was in no position to complain.
Finally, with a swift motion, he pulled the hood attached to the cloak over his head, and Kain looked just like one of the knights from the Gerold Marquis family on the outside.
Kain stared at the dark end of the corridor. Where should he go once he leaves here? The faces of those he had left behind when he departed from the Fiokhim Mountains flashed before his eyes. His family, upon learning that his fated partner was in the human realm, mourned for him and advised him not to leave recklessly.
Now that he thought about it, he had never sent news since coming down to the human realm. They must have assumed he was doing well, thinking he would surely be fine over there. At one time, Kain had thought it was fortunate that he had come down to the human realm against their opposition. When he met Jersian Del Claude and found the other half of himself that he had been curious about for a lifetime, the satisfaction was beyond what he could explain to others.
It was incredibly difficult for an elf to welcome a human as a fated partner, but feeling the waves of emotion flowing from Jersian throughout his body was ecstatic.
“…” If the story had ended here, he would have been happy. Kain twisted his lips into a bitter smile. The burning and disappearance of the Galia tree was a tragedy no one had anticipated. That shocking event must have affected the Fiokhim Mountains as well. How unfortunate that I am out here at such a time.
Kain, who had been smiling bitterly, lifted his head. Yes, it was not the time to be here like this. “…For now, should I try to get out?” He muttered, stretching his slightly stiff shoulders.
* * *
It was when he was carefully making his way out of the Gerold mansion after leaving the underground. He heard the sound of someone running quickly toward this place, and Kain pressed himself against one side of the corner wall as much as possible. It was a dimly lit corridor, so there was a shadow there.
What was going on? Most of the servants in the Gerold mansion were well-trained and skilled, never running through the corridors or making loud noises. As Kain held his breath and stood there for a moment, the owner of the presence suddenly shouted loudly as he rushed past.
“It’s an emergency!”
Clack, clack, the sound of military boots worn by the knights echoed through the corridor.
An emergency? As the presence faded away, Kain revealed himself from the isolated corridor. In the distance, at the corner where the main corridor turned, he saw the long hem of a knight’s cloak. It was the same as the one Kain was currently wearing.
Whatever the situation was… it might be a perfect opportunity for Kain, who needed to evade the knights’ eyes. After opening the corridor window, Kain swiftly threw himself outside the mansion.
* * *
The Gerold mansion was surrounded by a large garden. The vast land made it look more like a forest than a garden.
Thud, thud, thud, Kain ran quickly inside while wearing the knight’s cloak. He lightly dodged and jumped over the irregularly placed trees and bushes, moving forward with his eyes fixed ahead. Once he escaped this mansion, he would be out of Jersian’s influence.
“Hmm?”
At that moment, a deer came bounding toward him. It matched the speed of Kain, who was running quickly. Usually, when elves moved in the Fiokhim Mountains, they would see foxes or raccoons following along playfully, but deer were rare. Moreover, flowers and branches were tangled in the deer’s antlers. It was undoubtedly someone’s familiar animal.
“Who are you?” Kain asked without stopping his run, locking eyes with the deer. The deer blinked once, then opened its tightly closed mouth.
“Kain. You’re safe! I’m so glad. I’ve sent spirits several times, but I was worried because I couldn’t get in touch.”
A deep voice that was completely uncharacteristic of a deer flowed out.
“Are you okay?”
“…!” The owner of the voice was someone he was glad to hear. Kain’s eyes widened. He slowed his legs, which had been running at full speed, and replied.
“Father?”
“My goodness.”
It was Kain’s father who had contacted him through the familiar animal. The deer looked at Kain with its small, bright eyes and continued to move its mouth.
“…What on earth happened? Did you not meet your fated partner after all?”
He must have noticed Kain’s pitch-black hair, which had darkened.
“That’s not it… but the situation is a bit complicated.”
There was no time to explain everything now. As Kain answered briefly, a voice filled with concern flowed out.
“I see…”
The deer matched its pace with Kain, who was running quickly, and fell silent for a moment. Kain could imagine what kind of expression his father was making in the Fiokhim Mountains.
“Anyway, I’m glad to have made contact. It’s the same for you and your fated partner… but just recently, the Galia tree passed away, and it was quite chaotic here. Still, there is one hope.”
Kain glanced sideways at the deer, who was running straight ahead.
“Hope?”
“Fortunately, the elder has one seed from the Galia tree, and they are organizing an expedition to find a place to sprout a new world tree. Kain, if you had still been in the Fiokhim, you would surely have been included in the expedition. There’s no elf as skilled with a bow as you.”
“A new world tree…”
Kain smiled bitterly as he spoke.
“Is that really possible?”
The Galia tree had been there for thousands of years. He could hardly imagine another world tree in a different place.
The deer’s large eyes looked at Kain’s face right next to it.
“Nobody knows. The elder also said the possibility is low. But still, it can’t be helped. After all, the world tree is ultimately a tree. It’s just… it’s time for our generation to meet a new world tree.”
“…”
His father’s voice was as calm as always. That sense of stability slowly calmed Kain’s heart, which was hastily leaving the grounds of the Gerold mansion.
“When is the expedition scheduled to depart?”
“They will probably leave from here in about two weeks. But why do you ask?”
“…”
Two weeks. Kain’s expression darkened. If they set off now, he would just barely be able to meet the expedition team coming down from the mountains. If they succeeded in sprouting a new world tree… perhaps the marks of Jersian and himself would return once again. All this chaos was ultimately my fault for coming here in search of my fated partner. It was an opportunity to properly rectify the mess I had made myself.
Kain pressed his lips together and pondered for a while.
“Kain?”
And… the faster the world tree grows, the sooner the intertwined fates will find their way back to their rightful places. Kain’s eyes, which had found a spark of hope in the pitch-black underground, shone brightly. His father’s voice called out to him as he was lost in thought. Kain Starchis slowly met the gaze of the deer beside him.