PASP Chapter 12

Egru’s eyes grew moist.

It didn’t take long to become immersed in nostalgic memories.

His younger brother’s once soft belly fat had vanished without a trace. Now all he could feel was the firm, sculpted muscle beneath. It was as if a layer of leather had been stretched over rugged stones. This was clear evidence of D’Élysée’s diligence and hard work over the years.

“Yes, yes, I’ve been hearing about your achievements, D’Élysée,” Egru said carefully.

“You might not want to hear this, but… I’m really proud of you.”

It seemed fireworks were being set off outside. The sound of explosions filtered into the makeshift bedroom from beyond the office window. The soft, scattered candlelight flickered in his pale green eyes.

“I have been doing well,” D’Élysée said. His lips seemed to tickle, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

“You wouldn’t believe how many marriage proposals I’ve received today. I’ve been pestered with them since the inauguration preparations all the way through the reception.”

“Oh, m-marriage proposals? You mean weddings?”

Egru swallowed hard. The wedding of his one and only brother.

“C-can I… attend as well?”

“As what?”

“As family…”

“Haha, well.”

D’Élysée laughed it off.

“What’s the point of talking about that now? Nothing’s been decided yet. Isn’t there anything else you’re curious about?”

“Ah, um. Right…”

Egru, who had harbored a small glimmer of hope, deflated instantly.

It was understandable that D’Élysée might be reluctant. Especially if it became known that he was acquainted with a demon-human hybrid, which could cause a lot of trouble.

‘Moreover, if the Holy Knights, who will likely make up the majority of attendees, shun other races…’

Yes, even as the commander, there would be nothing he could do.

“S-so what was it you were going to show me when we came into the room?”

“Ah, that… I need to tell you another story first…”

D’Élysée suddenly turned to look at Egru.

“Why did you stop? Keep rubbing.”

“Oh, right…”

As Egru diligently resumed moving his hands, D’Élysée finally began his story comfortably.

“It was the day of the deer hunting festival hosted by the Papal Headquarters. When I heard that those who placed in the top 10 would receive bonus points, I gave it my all. I was only an apprentice knight at the time.”

“I-I see.”

“I was hunting frantically when the end signal sounded. As I was about to return to the competition grounds, I luckily spotted one more deer. Seeing its long antlers, I knew it was a buck. Without a moment’s hesitation, I took aim with my bow. I actually prefer swords, but according to the competition rules, we could only use bows.”

D’Élysée touched his forehead with a smile.

“But you know, it was incredibly persistent in escaping. Even after taking three of my arrows to the thigh. Maybe because the distance was too great from the start, I just couldn’t catch it. It dodged so nimbly left and right.”

Egru imagined a leaping buck as D’Élysée spoke.

“In the end, it jumped through a thorny hedge and completely escaped the competition grounds. It had moss on its antlers and was small in stature – it must have been an outcast, unable to blend in with the herd. I could tell.”

Egru listened intently, gulping as he did so. He seemed completely captivated by the story. D’Élysée smiled slightly and continued.

“In truth, there was no absolute need to catch it. I had already caught over seventy deer by then. It was a new record. The reason I was able to become a Holy Knight was because I caught His Holiness’s eye at that time. Though it was regrettable, with my victory already secured, I forgot about the deer and returned to enjoy the award ceremony. That day was truly wonderful. There was an all-night banquet of venison, and we even popped celebratory champagne. I don’t enjoy drinking, but I do love the atmosphere, you know what I mean?”

“Ah, of course I do!”

Egru thought of the rowdy tavern that was always noisy even in the middle of the night. It was on his way home, so he passed by it every night. It was an establishment run by a pair of friendly human brothers. Originally an inn, it also served as a restaurant and pub. During the day it functioned as a restaurant, and at night it became a tavern.

Occasionally, when he heard the sound of raucous laughter, Egru would cling to the window and peek at the people inside. In those moments, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves without a care in the world.

As the younger brother handed over cups molded after oak barrels, the older brother poured and served the homemade liquor. Even knowing he could never fit in with them, Egru found himself smiling along for no reason.

He let his imagination run wild. As long as he, a demon-human hybrid, didn’t come out of the kitchen, couldn’t they be together like those people?

‘Someday…’

A tiny hope, even smaller than his little heart, took root. Leaving behind the torchlight illuminating the tavern, Egru trudged back along the dark path.

“Gavin got drunk and started dancing, even taking off his top? Right in front of His Holiness, no less. That’s when I first realized His Holiness was just another person too. He was startled like a rabbit woken from sleep. For someone who’s lived for over 400 years, he was surprisingly human.”

D’Élysée closed his eyes and chuckled. Hearing his brother laugh, Egru couldn’t help but smile too. This moment of listening to his brother’s experiences in such a comfortable setting felt unbelievably happy.

“But you know what, brother? When I finally lay down to sleep as morning was approaching, it kept flashing before my eyes.”

“Wh-what did?”

“The buck I had seen in the afternoon seemed to be leaping across my pillow. To be honest, I had liked the shape of its antlers. I’d just been trying to ignore it. In the end, I got up alone in the middle of the night, grabbing my scabbard. I went back to the forest where the hunting festival had been held, but it must have fled far away by then, as I couldn’t find a trace. It was hard to even find a single drop of blood. There must have been a wide-range restoration spell cast. But you know what? It happened to be the summer vacation season.”

D’Élysée shrugged, looking up at the ceiling.

“After tracking for four full days, I finally found it.”

“Wow…!”

Egru exclaimed in admiration.

“What do you think it looked like?”

D’Élysée asked, turning on his side. His sun-tanned cheek pressed against the white pillow. His pale green eyes, shining like a child’s, looked straight up at his brother. With a pounding heart, Egru answered:

“Was it gr-grazing on grass? Or maybe sleeping?”

“Bzzt, all wrong,” D’Élysée said, turning his head back with a smile.

“It was being eaten alive by a brown bear.”

The hand stroking his brother’s stomach unconsciously stopped. D’Élysée continued speaking nonchalantly.

“Bears have blunt teeth, so they tear their prey apart while it’s still alive. Its moist eyes were open as it was being ripped to shreds. It must have been in so much pain that it couldn’t even scream.”

“……”

“So I couldn’t salvage much. When I checked later, the quality of the hide wasn’t great anyway. Even if I had taken it whole, it wouldn’t have fetched half its usual price. Still, I sold the bear hide for quite a bit. It was enough to cover all my remaining vacation expenses and then some. In any case, I was really lucky to find the buck again.”

“…Huh!”

It was then that Egru was startled out of his wits. D’Élysée had patted his shoulder. Though it was a light touch, it felt as if his internal organs had dropped.

“Look over there, brother.”

“Huh?”

Egru tried hard to hide his shaken emotions. His heart, as big as a fist, was fluttering wildly. D’Élysée extended his long index finger with a smile.

“That deer head hanging on the wall over there is from that buck. It’s a bit ugly because of the bear’s teeth marks, isn’t it?”

“……”

“Come on, you need to turn your head to see it properly.”

“Ah, y-yeah.”

Egru barely managed to creak his stiff neck. Like a rusty machine that hadn’t been oiled in a long time, it simply wouldn’t move. Perhaps he just didn’t want to see it. He was inherently terrible with scary and cruel things.

Though inwardly trembling, Egru searched for the mounted deer head.

‘He must have wanted to show me so badly, after working for days to get it…’

He didn’t want to disappoint his brother’s expectations.

Egru’s gaze followed D’Élysée’s outstretched finger.

“It’s still quite a sight, isn’t it, brother?”

Egru unknowingly held his breath. The deer head was mounted on the wall opposite the bed. Why hadn’t he noticed it earlier? It was positioned so that one could comfortably view it while lying down.

His amber eyes carefully scanned the mounted head. His dilated pupils trembled anxiously.

As D’Élysée had said, there were stitched marks here and there. However, as if touched by a skilled taxidermist, it had an eerily lifelike quality. The more he looked, the more vivid the deep black eyes and the erect dark brown fur appeared.

For some reason, the buck seemed to have something to say. As if it might come back to life at any moment. But even if it did, it certainly wouldn’t look healthy.

“What do you think is the lesson from the story I just told you, brother?”

“Huh?”

At his brother’s question, Egru finally exhaled his held breath.

“Think about it carefully. There might have been a different ending.”

D’Élysée spoke, counting off on his fingers.

“If it were me, I might have shown mercy and let it live. I might have raised it in a luxurious mansion so it wouldn’t have to worry about predators anymore.”

Pale green eyes stared intently at Egru.

“Even if I had it stuffed, not just the head but the whole body would have remained intact. And not patched up like that, but in a form that anyone would admire.”

D’Élysée slowly grasped Egru’s wrist, taking care not to startle him. The shirt sleeve covering the pale green wrist was loose. The worn-out tailcoat didn’t fit Egru’s skinny frame to begin with.

“I said there were conditions for lending you money, didn’t I, brother?”

“Y-yes.”

“Cut ties with Levian. Don’t ever meet him again.”