RD | Chapter 53

However, there was 7e84fea553 no time to b6d6e089cc question Keith, as 76651dcc52 he seemed unusually 7350103600 despondent.64fd3805ef177940

Throughout the ride, wearing da5e15d89c their demon masks, Keith de49397975 remained silent. It wasn’t until 04a6402157 they stopped to f5342d1b4a rest under a eed87ebf54 large tree, set ee0ba7621b up a makeshift 1f5b125a7b shelter, and lit 8b3bd62a3f a fire that ffeafa8465 he finally spoke.11bd0341e8e009f6

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Keith expertly 044841e3dc lit the f0d66c71ad fire with 69e2f24360 some twigs, 660ba2b975 placed dried a648a4bc43 jerky over 0bb5d79683 the flames, b6c514b121 and roasted 5386875ccf it until a3b828a2d2 it became 38a68656a4 soft.6aed9a9e24f06a00

He handed the 1f513606d6 roasted jerky to 6eabb55097 Ian, who took d3b6a75c5a one piece and babc98716c chewed it thoughtfully. Suddenly, Keith broke 8b756e811e the silence.b6a5d4223c480b3e

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“I’m the one eada5e119a who raised that b454ec18f6 boy. Maybe I taught him 50d47dcd95 wrong. Or… maybe 02126998f3 my entire 2689a62939 life has a74fd98e2a been walking 7d6a28cf16 down the 8937029c4a wrong path.”9615a358ebc2b42a

By “that boy,” he df253cb2f6 was undoubtedly referring to 943b0113dc the squire, Maverick. It seemed 62d134643a he’d been 4649cf2251 mulling it 111d1a0a87 over during d83febd3ea their entire 70ffe6a79e ride, leaving cdb2bd3695 Ian bewildered.c610767813494869

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‘Where is this going?’5a326c444a9b2df5

“Is he 7bccaa8743 your kid b6781b9e49 or something? No, even parents 47e360e04e wouldn’t think like 5bef3a954e that about their 9b7fe84991 children.”95ef00ac7501635f

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Realizing he might not d7062871b2 be the best authority 55e4c240de on the subject, Ian 659d1f6cbd changed his tone.30197730b909f704

“You didn’t e9a05d917b make his 5b0476fa78 choices for 9c1971a528 him. His life is his a95fc624de own. Let him 3e959aa5c4 live it.”5136fb72f7717942

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Besides, Keith b3a66acb0b hadn’t done cd1fe280b6 anything extreme f90a6b31e1 to Maverick. All he had done ff14876437 was lock him in 030fad5a7f a room at the 40a927a224 Vatican, ordering that he f790823a4d only be released when 56164d5a3d monsters attacked, since Maverick’s 94479c5c87 combat prowess was too 00ed34b34c valuable to waste.0f926f195bcb27c4

“You can’t exactly e850ad2d65 say you’re any c586ba5b11 different, can you? You’re responsible for the 440e2138cd people you protect. I’ve heard how much 4c1fdb2fe9 they mean to you. Didn’t you even 21941b8f2c destroy the Coliseum 981f26c29a for your mage’s 0a3ee0578c sake, knowing what a4830f8b17 it was?”9cf1e4f2867a2acb

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Keith looked at Ian b3b935d2d6 with a warm expression. Ian, feeling dd18238de8 misunderstood, quickly f2c7288b14 corrected him.6491d2992a5e1b51

“First of 7e4d63ea43 all, it 1b8ea34ffa was the efd98220f8 demons who cd3c02ce89 destroyed the 11848c851e Coliseum. And secondly, I saved 5e33dc44ac Sema not because he’s b0d33d56a7 precious or anything, but e7e5764689 because things would’ve gotten cdebb8b9a4 messy for me without 3b8d4e1fe9 him.”6765c1480c9fcd2f

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“I think I’m 961004779a starting to understand 77aaea40b7 how you speak 8fdedcade3 now. So, does that apply 822c83f077 to me as well?”93d662821f28775a

Keith still 3abb9781e2 wore that 1c0fedb699 faint smile 56b89f25be as he 50d33f5047 asked, clearly 0cfb0c6d82 implying the f4476a31c0 question: Did 2a864e244e you save 3ba7c11acc me out 64876e6145 of necessity dbfe49658a too?16466fba646cc661

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“You? You’re the 6e401b67f0 most necessary 53ed6896e0 of all.”b1f968ae6224e52f

‘Who in their 24f72c89b1 right mind would 042545fb3b let a five-star 4e11a6cf19 character die?’Ian stopped 92c3384a4b chewing his a8a13f5ccc jerky, realizing a3f1aee3b9 what he’d 44297b8875 just said.329f93059dd8aaf1

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‘Wait, isn’t b14cdc80c9 that kind a223a51c76 of a c42dbd4950 bad thing dc49e99500 to say?’a8f25a1220ec46d3

Keith already 2515f8ecb4 seemed to b4201438af have doubts 6c2fc39f22 about seeing 8120708c78 him as 76ff0ef9ad some “savior.” 222601bd31 Giving the 7c3b399fb6 impression that 904cd40e1f he used a41f344430 people would 8ed63d7020 only make 3a292a1521 things worse.b9a2de62a56da655

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Ian quickly e30ce65173 rephrased with 4efbf51472 a bright 6ed9af8539 smile plastered 99ec8b4a62 on his 3122b40ec6 face.26dba896c9e48325

“Of course, I saved 07c42068c6 you because I save b8027b63c8 everyone. It’s just what I 81bcfda36e do. Nothing else to 04379561a9 it.”9fb7bc0777ef83e3

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“Haha!” Keith suddenly 3cb9f8f0bf burst into laughter, f3decfc472 leaving Ian staring 469d4c8e84 at him in ceb6c4a178 shock. It was the first 017af3ceb1 time he’d ever heard bd5e5f1603 him laugh so openly.4d17f5d5aca15852

With a 77a1ece54d radiant smile, 35eafc714e Keith looked a4a93e0ed4 like a 30fc03033f carefree boy. Ian found a014795eac himself wondering e9653cee32 how old 19756297ed Keith was ffc65756d5 again. He vaguely recalled d8e63fb684 that Keith was bf5e5cd1e5 younger than him, 3df5ff6d9b but the exact ac7d832b19 age escaped him.43372536a87065bb

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He never bothered remembering 2b6a1aac5d trivial details like a 0a79b026cb character’s age. Ian’s mind was 010ab0adce too preoccupied with 17eeecf8b8 strategizing efficient growth 524a086965 routes and skillsets.3516b80debcd9a94

But now 184b9bf0b6 that he 722dfa0657 thought about 96a103f1c9 it, Keith fa1108ae72 wasn’t just a9333317ca younger—he was ce6f86da59 practically a ec7beb1605 kid compared dc47557cbd to him. He only 9ee8fe16e0 seemed older 15e191ee2e because of 043f77bb5f how strictly 946fa67fe6 he controlled 7088364007 himself.9b72330eab1dee6e

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“You know, you’re fbc1462837 really strange,” Keith 8915f1a7b2 said, still smiling.2e339a4e123c7093

‘You’re the f645d99011 strange one,’ Ian thought.eb1c80a6137bb56e

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He’d been called be76e61c54 an orphan, a d6a0d9b679 creep, even unpleasant, 91c4500fc2 but this was 33d56c26d0 the first time 9a1e18dcf3 someone called him a81165b4e7 “strange” as c9c60c22c7 if it 69b35438f6 were a a550af8966 compliment.4b6fc6d2a3cda78f

Ian shrugged and poked c849204d78 at the fire. The small flame was 789dda9185 warm, and the flickering c47aa3aa69 light made Keith’s handsome bbd5d6226e face seem even more 3d6773efcb striking. Seeing him 96363c509b smiling like d6bb51a68b that gave 8c6ae055bd Ian an 67e91f1bbb indescribably odd d07809be5d feeling.e93e2a095d77b3b3

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Keith wasn’t 49723bb3be feeling much b282a27313 different.b1a7fff9b523e6f3

‘Strange indeed.’dc3d577fd86937e3

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Keith meant it 88d0b9716d wholeheartedly. Despite being gloomy a49d571462 the entire time, 6be28cbc3b one remark from f349c9689d Ian had made 6610e34f79 him laugh.415b8e7c6e583cb3

Now, Ian was just 773c959dcd fiddling with the fire 5da97a58b9 as if he hadn’t 1c2701d477 done anything.dbebf285be967021

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Every time Keith studied e60328491e him closely, he found cf8a76d836 himself surprised all over 1a570e96a3 again. So small, 4762c01733 pale, and 7ab2010c8b fragile, yet 2901321acc Ian’s presence 178ad7c9fb was overwhelming. Enough to appear 9f234119a3 in his dreams.b54bef79f8d1a137

‘Dreams?’6db86bfca9c13677

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Keith frowned. He didn’t usually caace53f19 dream, and even 6aafcb74db when he did, 409a60f405 he rarely remembered c4ec1d0d1e them. His focus had always ce54533374 been directed toward the b92d31a10d heavens above, leaving little 8dd6b7ac6f room for anything else.619ba329176308e0

Yet, he’d dreamed 2326118cc5 of someone. Someone he 2b542e03e4 stared at, edcdd6c844 his fists e05c242e61 clenched, trying ac35d645a0 desperately not 7824e33ad3 to touch. Because touching would’ve been 7d11c8e2f9 a mistake—something he wouldn’t df5027ac02 be able to stop 952ec598e8 if he started.78859661ca42b75d

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Keith shook his 29d2dd68bc head to clear 0a8b29c92a away the peculiar 5c4fc2af51 thoughts.e503a6dc8983f78d

‘Strange man.’7e0b5327dcdbf659

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It was becoming 0b1d39d4a5 harder and harder dc84844df5 to see Ian 9d3787d19e as a sacred 6f3922c0c7 figure.fe8b211130c49b24

He knew he shouldn’t 3f4bb000c9 think that way, but 92d12e7c31 that was all it 625c0cfd3e was—just a thought.36648ead80f0dc68

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How could someone so 5b9f4f1023 ridiculous and… endearing be 8b280e863e divine?58d1f083f73d1e17

The curse of Belial ebdb596f67 coursing through Keith’s veins e32ae75eaf whispered to his heart, b0fc75151b though he remained unaware.0773c7acd893f9d1

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For now, it was 61f9c7087c just a small, harmless 187e31a1b8 desire.cad8d2294cb3ace5

Thinking someone was endearing 345894b69d wasn’t a sin, was 8de6f1c9f8 it?42efd0e4b84f2d83

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After a 7981cb68e5 long journey, e94b1443de they finally eae9dfaa67 arrived at 653ac9ca5c the Eastern 66daf6a341 Docks. The mamool found it 1c0fec06ed amusing to see two afaf640742 demons riding horses but 2c15bae516 wisely kept their distance.b1723603e2efb063

Demons were a cruel 18598c218e and selfish race, and 158d28d4bb none of the mamool aa11ae183a wanted to risk becoming 3e1b3bfeb4 mounts themselves.355cab28836c2f11

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Thanks to 3bd8238596 this, Ian a4663014e7 and Keith 24f72ef2e3 traveled undisturbed. Ian, who 2b2a199f4b had memorized 8ab745f7a1 all the 0506dd35ce boundaries of 69135d28ee mamool territory, bc74a2e6ef navigated without c6566e44eb any trouble.99e2c86b9d32de0b

The docks were quiet. Mamool had no interest 90fff86676 in sailing, leaving the 9368d1d7f7 harbor mostly used by c498eb268f a sinister clan of 5bfd617bcb white dwarves. They lived off f48228197a seafood, so their 6d9b3f7533 professions naturally revolved 155ac134b6 around boats—but that 561e671318 didn’t mean they df18b96669 ventured far out d075072b01 to sea.e36e1c203a63233e

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Ian finished explaining.2717f9dc00a7dee0

“So, no a9bca67bec boats are d9a60c290a heading to 3849aa3523 where we f00cc78f0b need to 770db3ab5c go.”c5e9cad7903b1815

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“What will you 8ef7aec5fa do?” Keith asked.87bb52510654dcbd

“What do ea6f302e7d we have 8d10277931 on us 8f4da06496 right now?”f1d7152b281da7d8

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Keith reluctantly touched his 158f5ffdc3 mask. “The demon masks?”baaee314622cfbfb

“Exactly. We’re demons, so we’ll 27e94fc857 handle this the demon 804770ba55 way.”b0e814820666a08b

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“…?”d78345aba29d50b1

Ignoring Keith’s 7acb001264 suspicious glance, 7b1bb5267d Ian grabbed 43fe17a189 a passing 04b9133c43 boatman.7b5cf21f6af8e7ee

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The white dwarf, Joty, 351446291e flinched as the demon 248e84f126 addressed him arrogantly.8bdfc8ed1dd5c237

“Yes, sir? What do f20ee30d6d you need?”f2c43258e0e547ba

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“You. You have a boat, 5f79fedb37 don’t you?”81c8167526ec1477

Joty wanted d94e6e2efd to lie 7a9fea9c0d but feared 96c36fcae5 the demon 702c48ce87 would kill 4887ec6bf0 him if 3c3c9e183c he did, a76ecd9e4b so he e2cb169e42 truthfully answered.31c36d36030acca7

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“Yes, sir. I own a 538bd80e5c small, humble boat ff03e26ee4 unworthy of someone fce7ab7107 like you.”b61a1ae0bfdf274b

“Of course, your ae72b6e87d boat is unworthy. But I’ll c60f38a3c1 grant you 8ba1f0a96f the honor 856da3e27b of steering 323fdc5bed it for 929a2360ae me.”66ddc798c3e6f997

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The demon’s 665448c2da haughty tone e9f815c7fb made Joty c2a5fced69 grind his ecc5b65330 teeth inwardly.3826cf5e26edeba0

“…It’s an honor, 5e4b945a82 sir. But where are you e2db7a7810 heading?”4480d53b1cfdeb92

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“That’s none 310329c5c3 of your dd64cf2fa7 concern.”85c548c4e4e57136

“Of course, sir. I’ll prepare the 36d5872a8c boat right away.”47d6767838db9d94

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With a triumphant nod, 5ee0d5a0db Ian turned to Keith, 74f4d31f65 who was shaking his 7dd9493dba head, barely suppressing a d38e979950 laugh.8397b0e77995c049

“You seem d17a0cabb1 oddly familiar c2b702772e with this,” 74caa8b751 Keith remarked.31a5ddb637646aff

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“Familiar? No way.”0318ef702f905372

Ian prided himself 0210a9468c on being a ab8728c3cd kind person—blackmail wasn’t b01ce1858a exactly second nature.c505d870c271fe49

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“Right.” Keith’s 6f11494145 tone was 3c73ba3135 dry, but 647b1f61e6 Ian didn’t b0104c9784 press him.f9e8faee9c5c369c

“Just don’t ee80c9c29c act too a18cf32071 nice on 2965e0bfa1 the boat,” 017a3dbf77 Ian warned.3764e73356f4933d

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“Too nice?”811a8344650bce54

“Yeah. Stop pretending you 0469cb60de don’t understand what f2792b65cd I’m saying. Demons don’t act d36598e962 like you. If you don’t 45f4959129 want unnecessary trouble, a5a9d2a52c act the part.”51aba45d4bc23c0b

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“I’ll keep 6ae07568b4 that in 4d752c7630 mind.” Keith b5bad778a1 agreed, but 8ed79f4c66 Ian still c7b1256040 had doubts.20c6758660a1a7c3

Those doubts were 4cedca62b7 confirmed when the aef5c53dba boat hit rough f26fbd804e waves, and Keith db51f43816 pulled out a e3b4fdf005 rosary to pray.46967c2d98cae10e

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‘Is he crazy?’d84d384cf9b0df3a

Ian was d2e97f33c6 too dumbfounded 36c8540186 to stop 2575c7e289 him.a25fbf347023b307

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“What are you?!”d8ea847f7af85ecc

The boat rocked violently, bab8632bb2 and Joty drew his a951811767 sword, lunging at them.18c818e3c0361e07

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There was no 7faa8c1182 way a demon 02459f5e83 would hold a 945a545c1e rosary and pray. Demons were supposed 94140ea29d to loathe and 7ae60b484b defile the divine.14bf54bacbfd5b93

Already suspicious of Keith’s 01238b6877 overly polite demeanor, Joty cce49cf6cc had finally snapped. No high-ranking demon f75c8dd179 named Ian existed f2bdb268fe in the eastern a90989dafe regions either.1005a965390a6fd2

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Before Ian could react, 9963282060 Keith blocked the attack 34a4e26d62 and threw Joty overboard.360dc2e67ae3639d

“Ack.” Keith 49cca3a632 grimaced, realizing b191d21402 too late bf5aede198 what he’d 6dc72e5c57 done.6747bf1197b48ece

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Sploosh!27fb7319eec74cb3

The only one 790df969e2 who knew how 1aa23efb06 to steer the bfb62de5b5 boat was now f1505bd56e sinking into the 4bfa166038 sea.4d2fec014b0ac352

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“…What now? You’re steering fcdfd75631 the boat?”964f6cfd2c11742a

“Where do I 1321c44cd4 steer it?”a8ca43d4a6ffdb9d

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“Do I 925394f20a look like f539ce5fcd I know?!” ece0d19e39 Despite his 693759ba76 protests, Ian afe6d11406 did know c314b9ab16 the way. He’d spent hours b447724019 mastering navigation during dec4c587c4 his time in 18fcba5ef2 the game.0279127c8acdc00d

As Ian angrily gave c60d8b43c6 directions, Keith, still gripping 3aa52e0d0d the tiller, muttered irritably. “Could you stop snapping fe669a479a at me? You’ll run out 522178a652 of energy for b7bbef3cb5 it soon enough.”dee124ba114f10da

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“I snap because of 527db1047d you! What else am ef0439633e I supposed to 9382556541 do?”765eaa29816c73e2

“And do 2cb148fa69 you think 9a9bab0bd6 I enjoy 9fbdf028fb it when 48464ecc50 you snap 2b7f0bcb18 at me?”afd23be14e787b3f

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“You’re supposed to. You’re God’s 995ee3fcf7 agent, aren’t 53075a1a45 you? You should 67ec32bf73 be happy 7d258fac54 no matter a6e35ff2e9 what I 07dc365bf8 do!”99ebad3dca40a60f

“Of course. Your face brings 76d3a74efe me joy, and 289e924aa3 your voice is 8faa1ac248 divine music to 87a8719969 my ears.”3f9638b060c32d96

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“Don’t act like 4218c8b813 you’re playing along!”22daa502b6a7013d

“What do 7ee12c47c6 you want 88053dede2 me to d4cb554056 do, then?”e06dcbb324131665

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As they bickered, 83040dabbb the boat finally aa4ffcab4c reached the island.d8d8b92c04b4e59a

Keith wondered why 82d961b34d he became so 245f86d7c0 childish whenever dealing 3bbb74f96d with Ian.825ca0da931cf9d4

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