39화
Chesha had suspected the Basilian Count’s estate had some connection to the backworld.
But she hadn’t imagined they’d be familiar enough with Zahan, the Master’s direct subordinate, to exchange such casual conversation.
Even as the enchantress Lichesia, who’d roamed the backworld for years, Chesha had only met Zahan and the Master once.
That’s how rare it was for Zahan to make an appearance.
He only stepped in when the Master issued a direct order or when an incident was significant enough to reach their ears.
Chesha had encountered Zahan only because of the major event when Hailon, revealing himself as a Holy Knight, had invaded the backworld.
Yet here Zahan was, intervening in a mere street brawl.
And having such a conversation…
The sheer breach of common sense left Chesha speechless.
“If it were just the two of you, it might’ve been overlooked, but you’ve brought company. This time, it won’t be brushed off easily,” Zahan declared dryly.
Karha and Ishuel groaned in unison.
“Caught, huh?”
“Probably…”
As the twins grumbled, Zahan’s gaze turned to Chesha.
His eyes were covered with cloth, making his expression unreadable.
Yet somehow, Chesha felt he was looking at her with surprising warmth.
It was a stark contrast to the demeanor he’d shown when facing Lichesia, so unfamiliar it felt awkward.
For a fleeting moment, she even wondered if he might be Zahan’s identical twin.
It was a ridiculous thought.
She still didn’t fully grasp what was happening.
But fostering his goodwill could prove useful in many ways.
As Zahan stared, Chesha decided to greet him first.
“Hewwo…?” she said timidly.
The moment her small greeting left her lips, the grumbling twins fell silent, and Zahan, who’d been staring, parted his lips slightly.
After a brief pause, the twins rushed forward, making a fuss.
“Oh no, the baby said hi!”
“Don’t just greet strangers like that, little sibling!”
It was just a simple “hello,” but they scolded her as if she’d said ten things wrong.
Her ears practically rang from their nagging.
‘They were just chatting with him themselves!’
They were only making a scene about Chesha.
She flailed her tiny hands, trying to calm them down.
“But he kept wooking at me…”
“Don’t look! Stop looking at our baby!!”
“Next time, cover your whole face, not just your eyes!”
Their commotion was beyond chaotic.
Honestly, it was a bit embarrassing.
Fortunately, Zahan ignored the twins’ outburst.
He stepped closer to Chesha, disregarding Ishuel’s annoyed expression.
“It’s an honor to receive your greeting,” he said, placing a hand on his chest and bowing lightly.
“I’m Zahan.”
Since he shared his name, Chesha, ever the polite baby, introduced herself too.
“I’m Chesha! Chesha Basilian.”
The twins’ lips turned down in identical frowns.
They clearly didn’t like her talking to Zahan.
Surprisingly, despite his subtle friendliness, Zahan didn’t seem eager to prolong the conversation either.
“I’m pleased to meet you. But I hope we don’t meet again.”
In this situation, wouldn’t most people say, *Let’s meet again*?
Maybe it was his backworld mindset that made him so peculiar.
Chesha tilted her head.
“Do you not wike me?”
“No,” Zahan quickly denied, adding softly, “Seeing me is never a good thing. This greeting will be our first and last.”
It was a short sentence.
But the deep-rooted emotion within it struck her profoundly.
It was self-loathing.
Caught off guard by glimpsing something she hadn’t meant to see, Chesha was a little stunned.
‘I didn’t think he was like this.’
His emotionless demeanor had made her assume he was numb to everything.
She couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him.
Kindly, she told him, “Even so, I think it’d be nice to see you again! I’ll say hi next time too.”
“…”
Zahan fell silent.
He opened his mouth as if to speak but closed it again.
Then he retreated.
“You should head home now.”
As abruptly as he’d appeared, Zahan vanished.
The dusty street was left with only the twins and Chesha.
His whip, usually smooth, could turn razor-sharp with hooks when Zahan willed it.
In the right moment, it became a lethal weapon, tearing into flesh.
“Argh, spare us, please!”
Zahan pursued the fleeing slave hunters, their blood dripping as they ran.
Each swing of his whip cost them the use of an arm or leg.
His movements were dispassionate as he rendered dozens of men unable to fight or flee.
There was no hesitation in his strikes, slicing flesh and drawing blood.
To any onlooker, it was a scene of a predator overpowering the weak.
Yet Zahan felt he wasn’t as focused as usual.
His mind was tangled with stray thoughts.
He’d heard the stories for a while.
The newly adopted baby of the Basilian family.
A singular pink-eyed presence in a household of red-eyed gazes.
A small flower blooming in the Black Forest’s serpent domain.
He’d been quietly curious, secretly wanting to see her someday.
A creature like him, meant to live in the shadows, had thought he’d never meet her.
But thanks to the twins’ reckless actions, he’d seen her face.
That alone was more than enough.
“Hewwo…?”
The tiny greeting, delivered with pursed lips.
He’d never imagined receiving such a warm gesture.
“Even so, I think it’d be nice to see you again!”
Her bright, innocent smile was as harmless and tender as a spring bud.
The pure little baby offered nothing but kindness.
“I’ll say hi next time too.”
How long had it been since someone asked to see him again?
Not since twenty years ago, when he’d first covered his eyes.
She was just a naive child, speaking without understanding.
Knowing that, Zahan’s heart still raced.
It was a rare feeling—joy.
In the backworld, he was a symbol of calamity.
A harbinger of misfortune, bad luck, ill omens.
For someone like him to meet such a precious child was already an ill-fated event.
He shouldn’t see her again.
He shouldn’t even wish for it.
Yet, despite knowing this, Zahan couldn’t help imagining a reunion.
Someone who smiled at him was so rare…
Wanting to see her just once more was an impulse he couldn’t suppress.
“…”
Zahan retracted his whip.
The slave hunters who’d attacked the Basilian twins and baby lay writhing on the ground, bloodied.
As he steadied his breathing, leisurely footsteps approached.
A man in a pristine suit, out of place in the filthy alley, strolled forward.
He leaned on a cane with one hand, humming a jumbled lullaby.
The rhythm and pitch were off, but he sang it with carefree delight.
“Master,” Zahan called softly.
The man smirked and asked, “Cute, isn’t she?”
There was no need to ask who he meant.
Zahan pictured the pink-eyed baby with rosy cheeks and replied, “Yes.”
The man burst into laughter at the unhesitating answer.
After chuckling for a while, he slowly surveyed the scene.
“Just ordinary slave hunters. I had higher hopes.”
Muttering that there was no need for interrogation, he prompted Zahan to kneel on one knee.
Blood soaked into his pants, but Zahan bowed his head without care.
“My apologies.”
“Oh, that wasn’t a reprimand,” the man said, lightly patting Zahan’s head.
Zahan lowered his eyes under the touch, a gesture of complete submission.
The man smiled faintly.
“I’ll handle the cleanup.”
He snapped his fingers.
A crisp sound echoed through the alley.
After a brief silence, blood sprayed like fountains from all directions.
The gray-brown walls were quickly drenched in dark red.
The man who’d ended dozens of lives in an instant gazed at the carnage with indifferent eyes.
Zahan rose slowly.
The man brushed back a stray lock of hair and asked casually, “The enchantress?”
“Her whereabouts are unknown since then.”
“Hmm… Not the type to stay quiet.”
Tapping his cane thoughtfully, the man spoke again.
“Find out where she is and what she’s doing.”
“Yes, Master.”
“A fairy the esteemed Inquisitor personally seeks…”
He laughed gleefully on the blood-soaked street.
“I’m sure she’ll come in handy soon.”
