ALL NOVEL Chapter 514: Coming Clean
****(POV)
Right next to me is a man dead drunk. He is slovenly collapsed, his head and chest both resting on the table directly. From time to time I can hear him mutter something about a fire starter. What kind of inferno did that Sun guy show him to deserve that title?
I still have cold sweat whenever I remember the Sun Young Master. He was able to decimate all my Gus easily while smiling. This isn't something normal humans can cope with. The tavern keeper comes nearby. I pay my companion's staggering drinking tab before requesting a room.
The man simply nods and installs us in some extra room he got without even asking for anything else. He nods in understanding. To the people, Sun is a hero. This guy who apparently knew him is one too because of it. He kept emotionally talking about the loss of his friend all night long. They clearly knew each other for many years.
The more I see of this companion of mine, the more puzzled I become. He seems to hold so many secrets. He seems to be presenting this fake goofy persona to the world, but behind it lies a serious and scheming man.
Even right now as he lay slumped on the bed, he is turned in a perfect position to fight would-be invaders. He seems extremely deep asleep and vulnerable, but it obviously isn't that easy to take advantage of him.
I can't help but wonder if I should tell him all that happened. I did fight the sun guy but…How will he react? If I tell him the truth right now, he may have reservations against me, perhaps be angry since I tried killing his friend.
But if I keep mum and he learns about what I "did" from someone else it could be even more troublesome. At first, I agreed to guide him to the water sect to keep watch on him but now I'm not sure who is keeping watch on who anymore.
Can I even ditch him if I wanted? How would he react? This is so troublesome. I just feel like sleeping and thinking about it later. Is this some kind of test life is giving me?... Oh god. What if it really is a test?! What if this man knows perfectly who I am already? What if he is just waiting to see my reaction to know how he will deal with me?!
Suddenly I'm wide awake. He clearly knows I'm a Gu user, that much is obvious. He did an exaggerated display down in the tavern as if a show. I shiver as I understand that this is all a test. Here goes nothing. It takes me all I have to utter "I have something to confess…"
I'm worriedly awaiting his reaction but all he does is sleep. He slightly nods and keeps sleeping. "Should I tell you now or later?" That's when he turns on the side, facing away from me. I understand we'll talk in the morning. He is thoughtfully giving me time to collect my thoughts.
As I lay down for the night, I am wondering about how he'll react exactly. Still, I think I did the right choice by admitting. Now I think he will at least listen to my version of the facts. For some reason, I get the feeling I came closer to death today than I did in this mortal Combat against Sun.
At some point, it seems I fell asleep. I'm not even sure when. There he is silently sitting on his bed seemingly wisely pondering about something. Then he begins speaking.
[About yesterday….]
This is the decisive moment. I shouldn't hold any information back.
"Yes, as I was saying, the Sun Young Master is still alive. To my knowledge, at least. We fought but then he simply let me leave alive. I have no idea why, but I believe he wanted to fake his own death. That is how and why I began running. I'm currently trying to head back to the Gu Meadow right now…"
I have been as truthful as possible. Now he will hopefully forgive me.
[Let me get this straight. He is still alive, and you are a friendly Gu user?!]
Why is he acting so shocked all of a sudden, even shouting?
That's when I hear a sound *TING* as a platter of food falls straight to the floor. At the room entrance, our host is looking at us baffled. I was so shaken that I let my guard down! Well, that and my scouting Gus are all dead. I'm so used to receiving passive feedback after all.
Still, that explains it all. That's why he was so loud! He wasn't saying that to me but to our audience! I'm lucky to have him back me up. Without his intervention, I probably wouldn't have noticed at all. Then I would have unknowingly become this village's enemy.
The tavern keeper freezes for a second, but then he seems to remember the man's advice from yesterday. Instead of screaming and starting a Gu User hunt (that would end up with their deaths) he nervously chuckles:
"How clumsy of me. I'm very sorry. I'll come back with breakfast right away."
Somehow, I don't doubt that he will remain silent. Did he already know this would happen? Why else would he utter such precise advice yesterday? This is but something very simple, but he managed to convince someone to turn a blind eye to a Gu! This is so damn impressive!
[Alright, how about you start from the beginning?]
I start recounting. How we fought in the Gu village, how he chased me all the way to a cavern, and I even admit that I seriously tried to kill him. Except, in the end, he was stronger and managed to play me completely. From the very beginning, he had been using me to fake his own death.
I share the fact that beyond what happened I am really ignorant. That is when he lowly chuckles before declaring confidently.
[Well, no need to worry. He probably quit his sect to come become the official fire starter of my sect.]
This is a foreign term to me. It is clearly related to arson but it's more of a title than a position. Seeing me confused he elaborates.
[It's someone that is in charge of starting campfires in order to cook barbecue.]
What the hell?! That's such a lowly job?! He'd be leaving his exalted champion status for something like that?! Wait, no. It doesn't make sense. I can't help but mutter.
"But he'd have to renounce worshiping Hellios to do a clean break away from the sect!"
[Oh yeah, about that. Ever heard of The Unnamed God?]