“… Elias?”

Common Zhang’s hand stopped in the course of wrapping the white bandage on my hand.

“Yeah…” I nervously seemed away, avoiding his shocked gaze. I imply… It should’ve sounded so absurd to him. A brand new, suspicious particular person like me who appeared out of nowhere, turned out to be all buddy-buddy with the infamous edgy prince who had been on their radar for lengthy, “I perceive your shock. I would be suspicious of me, too, if I used to be you.”

“No, I am not suspicious of you,” he denied whereas frowning, “slightly, I am extra involved about your relationship with him. We’re speaking about the identical Elias right here, proper?”

“I suppose so. Have you learnt every other Elias apart from the one we met within the serpent’s lair?” I questioned whereas tilting my head. What was so bizarre about our relationship… Ah. Eli misplaced his recollections of me, proper. That made my story one-sided.

“No, he is the one Elias I do know,” his frown deepened, “… However I believed he was the identical type of particular person as myself.”

“Huh? What do you imply by that?” I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“I imply, the kind of particular person that does not have—”

He immediately paused as his eyes widened ever so barely and his respiration stopped, as if snapping out of one thing,

“—by no means thoughts,” he continued, “do you… Care about him?”

What was he going to say? Ack, now I used to be curious, how unfair!

“I—I suppose so. However, I do not assume he remembers me…” I seemed down in unhappiness, “I do not know what occurred, however… Now I am a stranger to him. And the present him someway felt like a stranger to me, too.”

Common Zhang saved his mouth shut and noticed me as I clenched my fists till the bandage was crumpled, and he gently grabbed my hand to calm me down.

“He actually would not appear to be the sort to look after others,” basic Zhang continued bandaging my wound, “however I consider your story. One thing should’ve occurred, then.”

“… You do?” I gasped, “wow, you consider my absurd, filled with plot holes, proofless story?”

“It is exactly as a result of it is so absurd, filled with plot holes, and proofless that I feel your story is just too dumb to be made-up. Tee-hee~”

‘SMACK!’

“Ow, ow, little cub, cease hitting me along with your injured hand,” he pouted, “I used to be kidding~ I imply, half-kidding, no less than. The opposite half, nicely…”

I glared at him whereas getting my fist prepared for an additional smack as I waited for him to proceed. I swear, if he was going to say one thing silly once more…

“… I simply wished to belief you.” He continued.

Upon listening to that, I immediately held my breath as my face was beginning to flush. It—it wasn’t an on a regular basis incidence to listen to that somebody wished to consider somebody like me… Somebody who solely knew kill others within the battlefield.

Simply as I used to be about to open my mouth, he opened his lips quicker than mine.

“Apart from, I am stronger than you. What are you gonna do in case you lied to me anyway, kill me? Get stronger first, little cub~” He giggled and poked my cheek a number of instances.

“Yeah, you are gonna remorse saying that when I develop robust sufficient to defeat you, eel,” I scoffed and pinched his cheek again, “oh, proper. How are you aware what sort of particular person Eli is, anyway?”

“Hmm, we even have our personal historical past,” he defined vaguely and slapped my newly-bandaged hand, “there. One hand accomplished. Now give me your different hand.”

“Yeowch! You are hitting an injured particular person! Unhealthy!” I grumbled, however nonetheless prolonged my hand in direction of him regardless, and he gently took it in his, “what historical past did you imply?”

“A shady one.” He replied concisely as he began cleansing my wound and making use of this and that on my hand, which made me yelp now and again.

“Gee, I informed you my story and all I get is a one-two phrase about yours.” I rolled my eyes, teasing him.

“Advantageous, high quality. I am going to entertain you,” he chuckled whereas tending to my wound, “what do you need to know?”

“Hmm, I solely need to know what you need me to know. I do not like pushing somebody’s privateness. Besides if it is somebody I do not care about.” I shrugged.

Nicely, if I needed to at all times respect others, then how would I survive in these wars? Like, if I noticed a suspicious determine organising a landmine, ought to I simply go, ‘ah, sure. Privateness. Have a great day my dude’? It could be good if we might all respect one another, however that is actual life we have been speaking about.

Folks’s rights, privateness, and wishes have been sure to conflict towards each other. The choice you made to avoid wasting somebody, most likely costed another person one thing. There was simply no technique to save everybody.

“Nicely, you already know that he is a infamous man round right here,” basic Zhang began explaining, “and there is a cause for that.”

“Oh proper, I am curious as to how that rumor unfold.” I leaned ahead, able to take heed to the story.

“It began not too way back, just some years previous to your arrival,” he continued as he began wrapping the bandages round my hand, “do you know that… We as soon as had 6 generals?”

“Huh? That is information to me…” My eyes widened upon listening to that as I gulped. Was this a delicate subject? Ought to I ask the place the opposite basic went to? I imply… In tales like these, the dude ought to’ve gone to the afterlife, proper?

“Yeah, and we was separated into squads. Every basic received one, besides me as a result of a squad would simply be a trouble to me. I am hella robust already even with out a squad~” He hummed fortunately.

“… Then why did you guys ditch that system?” I fastidiously selected my phrases to not hit a sore spot.

“We did an entire revamp of the system ever since our quantity went down to 5.” Common Zhang defined.

“Alright, that basic’s toast, aren’t they?” I lastly gave up attempting to be well mannered and went straight to the purpose.

“Positive is. He is positively lifeless now,” basic Zhang nodded in affirmation, “and as you may’ve guessed, that Elias has one thing to do with it.”

“Then, what—”

“However I do not assume it is my story to inform. You possibly can strive asking Jean-jean, she may inform you,” basic Zhang minimize me off with this unreadable expression on his face, “I can inform that Jean-jean likes you. Maybe you possibly can assist her in…”

“In…?” I tilted my head in confusion.

“… Nothing. Anyway, my a part of the story is not that. It began shortly after.” He shook his head and continued on together with his story.

Though I actually wished to know the small print, I bit my lip and shut my mouth. Maybe at some point when Jean-jean trusted me sufficient, she would willingly inform me about that.

“So, what occurred in your finish after that, uh, factor?” I nervously requested.

“Nicely, after the bloodbath that day, one thing occurred to me.” He defined.

“Bloodbath? There was a bloodbath!?” A shocked gasp escaped my lips as I exclaimed loudly. Whoa, so not solely that poor dude died.

“Ah, I slipped. Oh nicely, that half is public data, anyway. Tee-hee!” He grinned casually, as if that phrase have been one thing you used usually in your day-to-day life.

“I am not part of the general public. I am the clueless stranger that simply appeared at some point!” I huffed and pouted. Nicely, now issues have been getting somewhat bit difficult. Eli was concerned within the bloodbath? However… He was actually towards mindless killing. No no, Chae. Why did I assume Eli was on the giving finish. He is perhaps on the receiving finish for all I knew.

“Anyway, after that day… I spotted that he and I had one thing in frequent. A mutual aim, in case you might,” basic Zhang shifted the subject so fluidly, “and that is why I approached him first.”

“You guys are buddy-buddy? How did you even discover one another, anyway? He appeared to simply seem out of nowhere… Wait, was he initially a resident at Alistair!?” I gasped once more. Might or not it’s that he was ostracized?

“After all not. That outdated geezer has by no means expelled anybody, ever,” he replied together with his downcast eyes, “if something, he was protecting anybody from getting into.” He spoke, nearly muttering.

“Huh? What was that? Folks cannot enter?” I tilted my head.

“One thing like that, I suppose. That Elias was by no means part of our city. No person actually knew the place he got here from. I, myself, am not likely positive about his origins, however why ought to I care?” He shrugged, “our relationship is only a contractual, mutually helpful one, anyway.”

“What precisely are you two planning?” I raised an eyebrow as my thoughts was attempting to digest the truth that each of them someway knew one another, and each of them have been planning one thing.

However man, they have been each so hush-hush about the whole lot! I solely knew bits and items about basic Zhang’s plan from Elena, in the meantime I received to know that Eli had some kind of imaginative and prescient by means of that bastard Erenduill. Why did it really feel like I used to be an NPC of their story?

“… One thing private. You will know at some point, little cub.” He defined merely.

“You at all times say that, however why would I do know, man? I’ve nothing to do with you guys.” I sighed and stretched my again when he was lastly accomplished caring for my hand, “hnggg—” Ahh, stretching felt so good.

“Cease moaning, little cub. What if somebody walks in~?” He giggled like a maniac.

“Oh my god you soiled boy!”

‘Smack!’

“Ow ow… So violent, little cub.” He rubbed his head proper on the spot the place I bonked him for being a unclean boy.

“Behave.”

“Geez, okay, okay… By the best way, you need not fear.”

“Why?” I requested, nonetheless frowning.

“Since you’ve been part of my plan from the beginning.”