PASP Chapter 24

“N-no! It wasn’t me!”

In the center of suspicious gazes, Egru frantically waved his hands.

“Are you saying I’m making this up?”

The man who lost his pocket watch sneered.

“Or are you implying that the culprit is among my dear friends?”

“N-no! That’s not what I meant…!”

Egru backed away, sweating profusely. It was a terrifying situation where something he hadn’t done was becoming an established fact.

“Are you daring to suspect us?”

“Those with demon blood are always suspicious.”

“What do we lack that we’d steal a mere pocket watch? Anyone can see there’s only one thief-like person here.”

“Ah, ah…”

What should I do? Egru’s shoulders trembled violently. His legs felt weak from the atmosphere that seemed ready to wield clubs at any moment.

“What’s going on, everyone? You’re surrounding my guest.”

It was then that Count Randall intervened.

“Randall! My pocket watch is gone! It was an imported one made of platinum!”

“Calm down. You might have lost it due to your carelessness. Don’t jump to conclusions that someone stole it yet.”

“Hmm, well. You have a point.”

Egru couldn’t help but be amazed. The man who had been fiercely lashing out was persuaded surprisingly quickly. Randall then turned to Egru.

“Look for it, Egru.”

“Pardon?”

“I’d like you to find it. You’re an expert at these menial tasks, aren’t you?”

“Ah, understood!”

Egru was infinitely grateful. Wasn’t he the only one believing in his innocence?

“Would you search over there too, Egru? Next, we should check the food disposal area.”

“Yes, yes!”

Egru rummaged through every trash can at the banquet with his bare hands. Randall merely gave directions, covering his nose with a handkerchief.

But as time passed, Egru became desperate. He had examined everything, even tissues with spit, but there was no sign of the pocket watch. Randall tilted his head and said:

“Strange. Did someone really steal it? Is it even possible for it not to turn up after all this?”

“I-I’ll check behind the furniture too, Count Randall…”

“No, that won’t be necessary. You’re a busy person too, Egru. We should send you home quickly.”

“Ah… if you do that, I’d be truly grateful…”

“Strip, Egru.”

“?”

For a moment, Egru doubted his ears.

“W-what did you just say…?”

“I said strip. From head to toe. If nothing turns up, I’ll let you go.”

Egru looked around, trembling like an aspen. No one seemed inclined to intervene. Of course. Egru was the only demon hybrid at the party. There was only one person he could ask for help.

“Egru. Can’t you hear me telling you to strip?”

And it was that very acquaintance who was ordering him.

“Why? Is there a reason you can’t strip? For example, if there’s a pocket watch in your back pocket…”

“N-no! Please, please believe me…!”

“That’s why. If you don’t strip and prove it, how can I believe you?”

“Ah, ah… Y-you…”

Egru was afraid even as he spoke. Was it okay for a lowly commoner to say such things to a noble?

“You said you liked me…”

“Ah. That’s right.”

Randall suddenly covered his mouth and lowered his head.

“You want me to believe you because I like you? Well, well.”

Randall, his shoulders shaking slightly, unexpectedly straightened his posture.

“I like you, Egru. Really.”

It was the first confession he had ever received. The voice was affectedly sweet. It was a far cry from the joking tone he had been using until now. Egru felt like he might cry.

But before he could answer, the corners of Randall’s mouth wriggled like a caterpillar.

“Because I really like you, strip for me! I need to check the quality before deciding whether to keep you alive or not!”

A burst of laughter erupted from Randall’s mouth. Egru stiffened, his eyes wide open.

“There’s a limit to being crazy! Who would like someone like you?”

“Hey, Randall! You should have kept acting until the end, why did you give it away so soon!”

“Sorry, sorry. I just couldn’t hold it in anymore.”

Randall looked around, giggling. It was then that Egru, who had been unconsciously backing away, was firmly grabbed. Egru looked up at Randall with trembling eyes.

“C-Count Randall…”

“Where do you think you’re going, mongrel? We’re not done yet.”

What happened next was hard to remember. The only thing that clearly came to mind was the incessant laughter.

“How about it? Shall we check inside his underwear too?”

“Ugh, is that necessary? If the pocket watch was in there, it wouldn’t be that small!”

“Hahaha!”

Among the spectators, Egru was stripped naked except for his underwear.

Of course, there was no pocket watch. It was just a staged situation for their amusement from the beginning.

“During wartime, weren’t these mongrels rejected by both sides?”

“Was it because they were too strong? They said they would go berserk and kill indiscriminately! But why is this one like this?”

“That’s why we can play with him so amusingly!”

“Exactly! Shall we set his head on fire and see how far he can run?”

“Let’s put him in a small boat and shoot arrows at him! See how far he can escape by rowing!”

“Wait, wait. Everyone, calm down.”

It was then that Randall calmed the excited audience.

“There’s a fitting punishment for petty thieves, right? The rest comes after that, don’t you agree?”

Randall grinned.

“S-stop, stop…! No…!”

The next location was the basement storage. Laid on the cold floor, Egru frantically pushed someone away. It was probably Count Randall.

The flickering light filled his amber eyes. A large iron hammer was raised high.

Bang.

Egru couldn’t even scream. Bang. Bang. Until three long, thick nails were driven into his right ear.

“Haha, you should be grateful!”

“Uu… Aah…”

“We’re being merciful by nailing your ear! Usually, thieves get their hands nailed, right?”

“Reflect on your actions! In the place most fitting for a mongrel!”

The spectators high-fived each other and left in a hurry. As the basement door closed, darkness fell all around. The sound of laughter faded into the distance.

“Huff… huff…”

Even then, Egru breathed hard, just as he was doing now.

Tears flowed. He didn’t know why they were flowing. There were too many reasons to sort out.

In the end, he concluded it was probably because his ear hurt. If so, it was time to move now.

‘O-one, two…’

Three.

He tried his best to pull out the nails, but they didn’t budge. His bare hands gripping the sharp metal were stinging and wet. It seemed blood was flowing from his palms too. His body, clad only in underwear, shivered.

In the ice-cold darkness, Egru felt his pointed ear. There was a solution that came to mind. He had the will to execute it.

Belatedly, he considered it fortunate. Wasn’t he used to pain? Like the sun rising and setting every day.

The next moment, Egru turned his head sharply to the left. His pointed ear tore lengthwise, and finally, a moment of freedom arrived.

“Sniff.”

Egru smiled, gathering his tattered ear. Now he just needed to find an escape route.

As he searched through the darkness, the flowing blood soaked his right shoulder. There wasn’t even a small window in the basement storage. But by the time his right side was also getting wet…

“?”

He heard a noise. The sound of water flowing deep underground. A sewer.

Egru felt the floor. It wasn’t difficult to find the manhole cover. But the size was a problem.

Whether he could fit in or not. Even with his small body, he couldn’t be sure. But if he stayed until the basement door opened…

“Shall we set his head on fire and see how far he can run?”

“Let’s put him in a small boat and shoot arrows at him! See how far he can escape by rowing!”

He didn’t know what would happen to him.

“It’s, it’s okay.”

Hadn’t he once been in charge of cleaning underground sewers? Surely he could find a way out.

Trembling, Egru squeezed his body into the small hole. Flesh tore on the rough edges, but his body still slipped in bit by bit. Finally, as he raised both arms in a victory pose…

Splash.

That day, Egru had to return home soaked in filth. To an empty and unfamiliar space, now without even his brother.

***

“Just looking at you makes me sick, you mongrel!”

At the shrill cry, Egru opened his eyes again. The old memory scattered, and reality came back into focus. Though his vision was narrow due to his swollen face like a sausage.

The back of his head was damp. His face was hot too. Even if someone had pressed a heated iron to it, it wouldn’t have been this bad.

‘Why, why are they doing this to me?’

Egru thought the same thing now as he did back then.

‘What did I do so wrong?’

It was a question without an answer no matter how much he pondered. He blamed his own ignorant head. If he knew what he had done wrong, he could fix it.

“What’s this, cheese? I wondered what you were hugging.”

“Ugh, uugh…”

His groans didn’t form into words. Egru reached out towards Randall, swaying. But before he could reach him, the cloth pouch was thrown far away.

“It’s too good for a worthless mongrel like you.”

As pieces of cheese scattered on the dirt ground, Randall grabbed Egru’s head.

“Hey, we’re not done yet.”

Randall panted with the thrill of defeating Egru.

“Your demon bloodline deserves to die. Someday, I’ll… your entire kind…”

“Yawn.”

Randall suddenly turned towards the source of the sound. It was just a few steps away in the alley.

‘When did he get so close?’

A man with red hair was leaning against the wall, yawning languidly. In his thick hand was a lit cigarette.

“What? Go on, finish what you were doing.”

“How dare a vulgar commoner like you order me around? In front of a noble, no less…!”

“Debt increase confirmed! No, was it being sold off this time?”

The man lightly ignored Randall. He glanced at his wristwatch and grinned.

“What? As if I would ever borrow money from the likes of you!”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

The man took a long drag on his cigarette. He looked down at Egru with eyes that seemed to say, ‘Want a puff?’

“U-pu…”

Egru barely managed to make a sound. It was unintelligible, but he probably wanted to call out a name. The pronunciation was slurred due to the bloody foam in his mouth.

“Hey, look.”

Yet, he seemed to have understood. The dropped cigarette butt was extinguished under a sturdy boot sole. Levian smiled as he adjusted his leather gloves.

“I’m the only one who comes when you call, aren’t I?”