Chapter 125 – The North (9)

“Dad. What’s the matter?”

“…Dad?”

Number 5 looked at Alice and me alternately, then frowned. Then he glanced at Alice’s face and she nodded her head knowingly. Alice didn’t notice No. 5’s gaze, and she only looked back and forth between me and No. 5.

Number 5 laughed and patted me on the shoulder.

“Let’s go up and talk. Those girls get a separate room. It’s been a long time since we met, so there are many things I want to talk to you about.”

There was sparse frost on the wooden planks. Faced with the floor, I nodded, and No. 5 climbed the stairs without making a single footstep sound, like a person without weight. Lorena whispered to Alice while looking at Number 5.

“He’s like an assassin. There is no gap in gait or movement.”

“It looks like my dad’s friend, but it’ll be okay if you don’t be too vigilant.”

Lorena nodded her head at that, but kept her eyes on the end of the stairs.

I was still in a daze. I didn’t expect to meet someone I knew in the North. Also, seeing an acquaintance who I thought was dead in the past greeted me with a normal and healthy face, I wondered if I was drunk.

“Dad, who is that?”

Alice asked me a question. I said scratching her head.

“An old friend. But, it’s a bit old. That… He was someone I knew when I was a slave, but I thought he was dead, but he…”

I was so flustered that I couldn’t speak properly. Even as I explained about my friend, I was rambling useless information. Both Alice and Lorena nodded when they saw my expression,

Alice hugged me tightly. The frantic beating heart and the fever that boiled up to the head subsided as if a blanket were covered in flames as they faced her warm warmth. I stuttered and reached out to her and hugged her tightly.

Said Alice.

“Dad. We can do room procedures and simple investigations here. Dad, go upstairs and talk.”

I hugged her Alice and nodded her head. I brushed her hair and thought how fortunate I was to have such a kind daughter. Then, taking a deep breath, I grabbed her stair handrail. Even though I clearly saw with my own eyes that No. 5 had gone up, I still couldn’t feel the reality.

It was because it seemed that if I went up the stairs, the figure of No. 5 would suddenly scatter like a snowman. Just as I kept his face intact when I was young, No. 5 also kept that cool look and blue hair back then.

Even though no one was asking too much of me, I stared into the air and shook her head. I took a deep breath and let out a laugh. How should we describe this reunion? I blinked and finally climbed the stairs.

Creak

The stairs were older than expected, soaked with northern moss and the stench of snow-soaked. I climbed the stairs slowly, avoiding the hole, and saw a room with a door wide open. And through the door, I saw Number 5 sitting.

When I confirmed that it was not an illusion, I laughed again. Was I a person who likes to laugh like this? I entered the room laughing as if it was in my ears, and No. 5 motioned for me to close the door.

“Oh, sorry. Habitually.”

“Are you okay.”

That hand gesture that a superior would give to a subordinate actually made me feel better. Because slavery was a habit that could never be tolerated. It was like confirming that No. 5 was doing well in his high position. Number 5 pointed to the bed on the other side and said.

“Sit down. I asked the waiter for some simple tea and alcohol. Let’s talk a little longer today.”

Number 5 was a face that looked really happy. At first glance, I saw a subtle shade pass across his face, but he tried hard not to show his emotions. Number 5, blinking, asked me.

“You seem to be doing very well. To come to the north with two women, if I had known they would get along like this, I would have looked for them a long time ago.”

“You seem to be doing well too. That… I thought you were dead. How have you been?”

Number 5 raised its head in response to my question. He rolled his eyes slightly and tilted his head.

“While I was being beaten and dragged away, a trainee knight bought me and even freed me as a slave.”

“A knight trainee?”

It was surprising to hear that a knight trainee, not a knight, had done such a thing. It was because the knight trainees had a lot of trash as much as the knights had a lot of bullies.

These were would-be killers who hadn’t met the academy entrance age and were learning martial arts at home or at training grounds. He had a high nose because he was just getting into knives and could beat up the bullies in the neighborhood.

Right now, among the gang that bullied me when I was young, there was a guy who boasted that his relative was a knight trainee, and among the guys who boasted that he was a knight trainee from an aristocratic family, there was a guy who openly killed people and was banned from entering the academy.

“That’s interesting.”

However, since you saved No. 5, I decided to think that there are good guys among the knight trainees from today. No. 5 also smiled and nodded his head, as if he knew that my words of wonder were filled with arrogance.

“Yeah, it’s amazing. After all, he’s kind of… It’s because it’s become an article that can’t be said to be good.”

“Are you working for him?”

“Okay. I destroyed the slave documents, but I decided to continue following the man who rescued me. Not a bad job I pay a lot of money, and there are people I can work with in my own way.”

“Awesome. You succeeded.”

I felt that his life was far from the ‘life of helping others shine’ that No. 5 originally dreamed of. The way he nodded at my words didn’t look very pleasant.

“Excuse me.”

A waitress came in and put down the drinks and snacks. He said it was a salad made with dried meat and cheese, which are often eaten in the North. No. 5 ate the salad with a fork and pointed his finger at the plate.

“Eat it. This is the best thing here.”

The texture of crunchy vegetables and the harmony of beef jerky and cheese that are softer than expected. As I chewed, I nodded at the flavor that filled my mouth and gave a thumbs up. Number 5 smiled at me, nodded again, and said.

“You don’t seem to have changed.”

I gulped down my food and shook my head.

“I have changed a lot too. It’s not enough to be alive like this, so even women wear them.”

“Yes. You’ve changed a lot too. That… I really didn’t expect to meet you like this. What happened?”

For a moment, I thought about telling Number 5 that I was a devil. However, he soon realized that this was nonsense and shook his head. He used to be like family to me, but he wasn’t family anymore.

Interests change over time. Even if you face the past and ask for understanding, people living in the present cannot understand. So, I chose to hide the fact that I was a demon.

“I was just lucky. He was sold as a slave to an aristocratic family, and even took the name Evan, because his husband was just a piece of trash. He always beat me and Isabel, my wife now.”

The moment I said that, Number 5’s eyebrows twitched slightly. He nodded and said.

“Keep talking. Continue.”

“That’s why me and Isabelle, we depended on each other so much. Then love blossomed. Each other… Affair? I had a similar relationship…”

“It worked?”

“It looks like your husband, Carlson, was actually a devil worshiper. He invited the priest, but was caught and expelled on the spot, and Isabel and I got married.”

“It is a turn of events. Congratulations.”

And No. 5 offered me a glass. The northern liquor tasted sweet and was poisonous. It passed smoothly like honey until it passed down the throat, but as it flowed down the esophagus, gradually raising the temperature, it turned into a ball of fire when it reached the stomach, turning the inside upside down. After taking a sip, I shook my head and said,

“Oh, this is so toxic. I can’t eat.”

“You are weak in alcohol. Evan. Then, that woman is your daughter…”

“Therefore. She’s not my real daughter. Did you look at Alice a lot earlier? Well, it’s just confusing. I would have been a bit surprised if you brought along a woman of the same age as me as your daughter.”

Number 5 laughed at that. He laughed and nodded his head, poured another glass and drank. I poured her tea into my glass, prepared her assortment, and toasted him and her. When the sound of clinking glasses rang, we moved on to another story, as promised.

Number 5 asked me.

“So, what are you here for? You don’t usually come to the North.”

I had no intention of telling Number 5 about the current operation.

“I heard there’s a tanner who makes amazing fur coats here. It’s Isabelle’s birthday soon. I want to make one.”

So I lied

“Okay. Right.”

No. 5 smiled and nodded his head. I also asked number 5.

“What brought you to the North?”

Number 5 answered my question like this.

“I’m here to hunt. Did you know that northern reindeer meat is delicious because it has a lot of fat?”

Interests change over time.

Even if you face the past and ask for understanding, people living in the present cannot understand it.

We faced each other and laughed. Without words.