Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Nobody knew his past. And he didn't seem to live keeping tomorrow in mind either. A human with no past, and no future. So he had no name.

People called him Nameless, and since he just wrote X when signing a contract, he was just X.

Now he was like a tiger roaming the snowy field alone. Piercing through rough snowstorm, where is he going beyond the darkness without a single point of light.

But as if two small birds were lingering around the tiger fearlessly, two boys followed behind Nameless.

Driving snow beat the face. Had to hold the hood with one hand so it wouldn't come off. The tip of the nose became tingling soon.

Bori-bori walked ahead of Rickart holding a lantern swaying kiik, kiik repeatedly in the wind.

Because of darkness and snowstorm, Rickart didn't take his eyes off Nameless who was faint as if about to disappear soon. He must know they were following, but he never looked back.

One hour, two hours, walked continuously facing the snowstorm in the middle of the night. It was truly hard labor to the extent of being hard to endure.

Compared to Bori-bori who knew how to utilize Mana Drive quite properly now, Rickart was harder.

Since they walked over two hours, it was also hard to return to the tavern. Couldn't guarantee if there was a place worth resting ahead.

Even if there is, how much more do we have to walk? Should we keep going forward, or should we go back even now. Really could be isolated and die unable to go back or forth like this.

By the way, Nameless who was walking ahead collapsed peulseok powerlessly on the snow field.

"Uh?"

Rickart and Bori-bori approached him. During that short moment approaching, thin snow covered his back. If left like this, he would be buried in snow and die in an instant.

Rickart tried to hold his shoulder and raise him, but since he was so huge and heavily armed, he was too heavy to lift.

"I'll carry him."

Handing the lantern to Rickart, Bori-bori said.

As Rickart accepted the lantern, Bori-bori closed his eyes tightly and raised Nameless barely halfway saying kkeung, and with Rickart's help, carried him on his back.

Tremendous weight pressed down Bori-bori's body. So Bori-bori operated Mana Drive in earnest. Forgetting hardness with effort and concentrating mind as much as possible, he asked.

"Where do we go now?"

Well. Rickart held the lantern and illuminated the surroundings. To the extent that even a few meters away wasn't seen properly, the view was all darkness and fierce snowstorm.

Whee-e-e-eng......!

Even Rickart with excellent reasoning power had to leave it to luck now. Or, pray to God at least.

Was it wrong to chase him without distinct ground? No, if it weren't for us, he would have died. Whether it was prank of fate or guidance, have to go forward.

Rickart held the lantern and walked pushing through snow. Without knowing where I am walking now, and where I am heading. What I should take as a lamp was only my will.

It was so hard and tiring that 1 minute felt like 10 years, like that walked another one hour.

Because it was so hard, all sorts of idle thoughts occurred at first, then later really no thought occurred and only two legs moved. Then suddenly, felt the snowstorm weakened.

Precisely, they entered a forest and trees were blocking the snowstorm.

Rickart swept down his chest, and illuminated here and there with the lantern. And entrusted his body to some instinctive sense and looked around for a place worth resting.

Then truly like a miracle, reached a terrain where the ground protruded and seemed to wrap around.

"Let's lay him down for now."

Rickart said. Then Bori-bori, who followed silently without saying a word carrying that heavy heavily armed adult male all that while, finally put down Nameless on the floor.

Rickart held Nameless groaning kkingkking so he wouldn't be stuck in the ground or fall, and made him lean on the wall.

As soon as he put him down, Bori-bori lay down cheolpudeok in a sprawl on the floor. And closing eyes tightly, panted rough breath heok, heok.

Rickart hung the lantern on a tree root or branch that pierced through the ceiling and came down. The wind sound blowing around was like a beast crying.

"Good work."

"Ung......"

"Lie down. I'll light a fire."

Rickart rummaged the bag and took out dried leaves and flint prepared in advance and lit a fire.

Picked up stones nearby as they came and made a makeshift brazier, and picked up things like less wet branches and raised the fire.

The slender flame fluttered repeatedly as if about to go out, but exerted strength as he gathered hands to protect and blew huhu carefully.

Doing so, as it grew to some extent, it burned by itself like a properly independent adult. Hwalhwal.

Around that time, Bori-bori also raised his upper body and warmed himself at the fire. Took off shoes and gloves to dry sweat, and took out things to eat from the bag juseomjuseom.

As they took seats like that in their own way, Rickart looked back at Nameless. It seemed all the storms he had passed through were engraved on the helmet, armor, and all equipment.

"What do we do?"

Bori-bori asked.

In winter, it was unconditionally good to take off gloves or shoes and such to dry when resting. Because moisture forms due to difference with outside temperature, and hands and feet swell tungtung as they are, getting frostbite.

"Let's take off equipment for now and cover with a cloak."

"Ung."

Two boys stuck to Nameless like small birds eating bugs or parasites attached to a big beast, and tried to take off his equipment.

First taking off gloves and boots, next trying to take off the helmet, Bori-bori was startled heumchit.

"Hiik!"

Because his face was covered with terrible burn marks. Flesh melted down, and perhaps because of that, breathing seemed difficult. So ssaek, ssaek, sound occurred.

It was to the extent of not being able to believe he fought so roughly when his state was like this. Moreover, overwhelmed even against the majority.

As they took off the armor carefully, the whole body was full of scars branded with fire, scratched, stabbed and cut.

And letters like messy scribbles were revealed engraved as tattoos. But strangely the sentences were engraved upside down.

Thinking quietly why he engraved upside down, it seemed he engraved like that to see it himself, not a tattoo to show others.

Among tattoos engraved crookedly ppittulppaetul, the content of the biggest phrase crossing the chest was like this. Since it was written upside down, read slowly.

Rickart and Bori-bori were overwhelmed momentarily and lost words. Looking again, the letters engraved crookedly seemed to blaze like fire.

Recovering mind soon and examining other phrases, they were all someone's name or clue, appearance, activity area, things like that.

X marks were drawn with a knife on many names. It seemed to mean revenge was achieved. His body was a death note bearing grudge terribly.

On one looking like a relatively recent scar, 'Lily – Traitor' was written. Is it the woman who was in that carriage?

And there were a few names for which revenge hadn't been achieved yet, and one among them caught the eye.

Rickart was convinced intuitively that this Steiner was the leader of Ehrenberg 5 and one of the Empire's 9 Swords, that Steiner.

Meanwhile, Bori-bori's mouth became round and he blinked his widely opened eyes quickly. Because he saw such a terrible and gruesome, and also pitiful body for the first time in the world.

As revenge was achieved, scars increased. Thus it seemed to gnaw at his own remaining life faster. It was a body where those traces were revealed plainly without any concealment.

Bori-bori took out a towel from the bag unknowingly, wet it in the snow piled around the cave, and melted it by the bonfire. And wiped Nameless's body making it warm enough.

Each name knotted, each phrase dwelling vengeance......

While doing so, Rickart roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes on fire, took out jerky and such, and prepared a meal simply.

Bori-bori wiped Nameless's body, and chewed herbs he packed tightly with mouth and applied chideokchideok on the scar on Nameless's forearm.

Then looking up suddenly, Nameless opened his eyes and was looking down at himself quietly. It was light blue eyes resembling the sky.

"Hiek!"

Bori-bori was surprised and threw the towel, falling on his butt.

Rickart also poked with a skewer to see if the potato was cooked or not, then flinched umjjil along. Looking back wondering what happened, Nameless was awake.

"Uh...... Hello? Since you were collapsed on the road......"

Greeted with courtesy in his own way, but it was a very awkward situation. Nameless leaned his back on the wall and only turned his eyes to look at the two boys.

Awkward silence continued, and Rickart spoke calmly.

"By any chance that, we are trying to kill people called Leto and Erze among Ehrenberg 5 now? If Mister is planning to deal with Steiner, how about holding hands with us for a while?"

Rickart spoke pointing to his tattoo with gaze. Since work overlaps, wouldn't we be able to help each other.

However, Nameless turned his head and just closed his eyes. He seemed to ask for sleep, but should call this whole situation a bit strange, it was very strange.

Couldn't know if sleeping so defenselessly like that was because he looked down on us, or just because he trusted. Even if looking that young, possessing weapons.

"Ma, seems he can't speak."

Bori-bori said. Could be. If abnormality occurred in vocal cords when getting burned.

"Looks a bit gross and scary, but doesn't seem like a bad mister."

"Bori, he might be able to listen even if he can't speak."

"Uh? Is, is that so?"

Bori-bori realized he made a slip of tongue and looked back at Nameless. However, he was only staying still turning his head.

"What to do? S, should I apologize?"

"Forget it. Cover him with a cloak. You cover with me."

"Uh, understood."

Bori-bori took off his cloak, approached carefully and covered Nameless. Organizing well in his own way. He was just staying still.

Bori-bori came next to Rickart and sat covering with the cloak together. And ate taking care of each other.

"Must be hungry......"

Bori-bori said glancing at Nameless side for no reason. However, he still had no reaction.

Finishing the meal, Rickart and Bori-bori decided to stand guard alternately and spent the night. Not preparing for raid or beast, keeping the fire was more important now.

Like that, a somewhat scary, awkward, strange night deepened. Snowstorm raged all night long.

Whee-o-o-o......!

Next day dawn, two boys were sleeping sticking close sharing one cloak.

Nameless, whether he slept properly, got up from the seat quietly and packed and wore his equipment.

Leaving the cloak borrowed unintentionally on the seat, he was about to leave, but Rickart who he thought was sleeping spoke.

"What happens if you die without achieving revenge completely?"

"......"

"Look back well once. Whether you are moving really for revenge, or just punishing your own self. You look precarious as if you would collapse right now."

Nameless wore the helmet covering the entire face unique to him, looked back at Rickart slightly, then just left.

"Bori. Bori. Wake up."

"......Uh? Uh......"

"Mister just went. Let's chase."

"Uh? Ah, right. Uh? Really went? Let's go let's go."

Rickart and Bori-bori also packed luggage hurriedly, turned off the fire rubbing with feet which cooled down coldly, and set out on the road.

The snowstorm crying like a sorrowful beast during the night had stopped. But since it was still dawn, the world was all dark.

Rickart and Bori-bori left the forest and walked following the whitish black silhouette going ahead over there.

Time passed and the day brightened gradually, and today's sun started to rise from that far horizon. As magnificent sunlight spread on the snow field, eyes were dazzling.

Two boys walked following the path Nameless pushed through and passed, playing with each other occasionally. It was like two immature baby tigers following father tiger.

The sun rose more and more.

Chapter 35. End.