Shuuu—
Cold gusts of wind. Setting sun beyond the blurry horizon. Tombstones marking the graves everywhere. The smell of death in the air.
Such is the scenery around me.
Yes, the location where Quinn wanted to 'meet' me was not some cafe or restaurant but a graveyard.
Yes, I put 'meet' in quotation because I doubt we'll have a peaceful chat here.
I mean, I get that he's a necromancer and all, but this is too on the nose, not to mention dramatic.
For protection, I have my [Null Attribute Light Arrows] with me. Yes, the very same ones which I used in VR.
And I also have my armor. So I don't think I'll die instantly if he were to attack me right here.
Of course, the question is will he attack me?
Phweesh—!
Suddenly, cold chills ran down my spine. My throat dried up, and my heart raced as I felt my skin crawl.
I knew this feeling very well.
It's something that acts as our instinctual defense mechanism, telling us to flee or fight immediately.
It was the feeling of fear. It was the feeling of death trying to embrace me.
Slowly, I turned around. I saw dozens of eerie creatures made entirely of shadows inhabiting the graveyard.
I was surrounded.
I was surrounded by the souls of the dead given form by shadows.
"You call me here and you come late?"
The creatures of shadow made way for their creator. A boy with short, messy black hair appeared amidst the crowd of shadow creatures, slowly walking his way toward me.
An ominous aura oozed off his figure, but his face remained unchanged. With empty black eyes akin to a deep dark abyss, he came face to face and stared down at me.
Wait, is he taller than me?! J-Just a couple of inches, I guess.
"Do you have your armor on under that clothing?" he asked, pointing at my chest with his chin.
I was wearing a thin black shirt. It was unbuttoned until my collarbone. If I had something underneath it, he would be able to see it.
So why did he ask? Is he stupid?
"Last time you seemed to have conjured it out of thin air," Quinn spoke. "Is it a compact relic that can change shape and size?"
Ahh, so that's what he means.
"Yeah," I shrugged. "You can call it that. Why do you ask? Do you plan to make me use it?"
"Depends," he replied.
"On what?" I asked.
Cling—!
"On you," he answered, taking out one of his daggers from the belt on his waist. "Answer me truthfully, and I will let you live."
"So you plan to kill me?" I scoffed. "Remember what happened last time when you tried to do that?"
"All I remember is you pulling some cheap tricks to fight me like a coward," Quinn bared his teeth like a dog. "But what will you do now? I called you on my turf this time. You have no traps here!"
I couldn't help but smirk as I heard him. "Cheap tricks, you call them? Sure. How do you know I haven't set up any traps here?"
"Stop bluffing!" Quinn barked out.
"Oooh, okay!" I raised my hand with a smile on my face. "But you still can't kill me. Aside from the fact that you have to break my nigh-impenetrable defense, our smart bracelets can send out a distress call to the Cadet Council and instructors if our heart rate stops. And there could also be witnesses nearby."
"Hah!" Quinn let out a scowl. "Do you know what this place is?"
I frowned and looked around. "Ahh, a graveyard? I know this is outer District 21, but why is there a graveyard here?"
"These graves belong to the cadets who graduated from this academy and went on to become soldiers in the Union Military," Quinn started to explain. "They were all orphans who had no one in their lives. Somehow, they managed to earn enough money or find wealthy sponsors to support them in attending this academy. Upon their passing, the academy carries out their wish to claim their body and bury them here, among their comrades – their family."
"I see," I said while raising an eyebrow since I was genuinely impressed. "Quite touching. I knew that by the way."
Of course I didn't know that.
This stuff wasn't mentioned in the novel. Or was it mentioned, and I just skipped the info dumps?
Anyway, attaining the financial means to enroll in the top military academy in the world or acquiring a sponsor so you can do that as an orphan requires an incredible level of talent.
I mean, even in my old world, how many people can say they attended their dream college with little to no financial backing from their parents or guardians?
So yeah, it's safe to assume that all of these people were probably high-ranking soldiers in their time.
But Quinn's head shook in dissent.
"It's not touching; it's tragic," he said. "The fact that they have to fight in wars is tragic alone, but to secure their survival in these wars, they need to spend money.
"They shouldn't be required to do any of this! Why can't they live a regular life? Why can't any of us live a regular life like those bastards who can't use mana?! We are mere children, for heaven's sake. We didn't start this, nor did we ask for any of this!
"And the most terrible thing is that unlike in the past, this war isn't being fought for trivial reasons such as land, wealth, or fighting against oppression, prejudice, or injustice.
"No, this time we're fighting for our survival, so there's no one to blame. All we can do is just keep on fighting and hope to make it out alive so that we can retire and put this burden on the next generation! This world… is just so cruel."
Yeah…
Umm, this is awkward now.
I didn't expect him to give me such a lengthy speech about the tragic world condition at all.
Should I say something?
I should say something…
But what should I say?
Damn it, it's been so long since I spoke that if I try to say anything now, it'll be even more awkward.
"...."
No, no, anything would be better than this awkward silence!
Come on, you dumbass!
Say something! Say anything!
So finally mustering up the courage to break this awkward silence, I spoke: "So what do you think about pink handcuffs?"
"....."
What?!
What?!
What does that question even mean?!
What do you think about pink handcuffs?! The fuck does that mean?!
Arghhh! I'm an idiot! Or maybe Kent's idiocy is rubbing off on me!
"Anyway, my point is," thankfully, Quinn ignored my remark and began speaking again. "Since these are the graves of the orphans, no one comes here to visit them."
"So you mean to say that if you kill me here, no one will witness anything?" I asked.
"Exactly," a blood-curdling grin formed on Quinn's lips. "By the time the Cadet Council or the instructors will arrive here, you'll be dead. And I'm pretty sure from this range I can cast a spell fast enough to kill you before you can use your relic."
"Yeah, good plan, but we've had this talk before," I shrugged. "If you kill me, the Cadet Council will know about her– about Shiya."
"And that's why I'm hoping we won't have to resort to that," Quinn responded calmly. "Answer my questions truthfully, and I'll let you live."
"No, no. Don't try to go back on your words now," I raised and shook my index finger. "Remember our bet. We agreed that if I defeat you, you will become my ally. Oh, and guess what? I did defeat you."
"You said pawn, not ally." Quinn gave me a scornful look.
"What?"
"You said I'll have to be your pawn, not an ally."
"What! How could I ever?! I'm pretty sure I said ally."
As nerves bulged on his forehead, Quinn took in a few long deep breaths to calm himself down. Seems like he was barely holding himself back from hitting me.
Hehe.
Okay, maybe it's not a good idea to pester a necromancer when his shadow slaves have me surrounded from all sides, but hey, I can't help myself.
Besides, I could swear I said ally and not pawn.
Ahem. Anyway.
"I'll decide whether I want to work with you or not after I hear you out," Quinn said, massaging his eyes. He then removed his hand from his face, revealing a mad glint in his eyes. "Of course, if your answers don't satisfy me, I'll give your name to Kai Wiseman."
"Hmm?" I frowned. "Kai Wiseman?"
Is he already after me?
The Mock War only ended today. I expected him to make a move soon but didn't this it would be fast.
It's fine though. This doesn't interfere with my future preparations.
I'll move as I had planned and ignore Kai for now until I get strong enough.
But to do that, I'll have to shut this guy's mouth.
"If you don't know him, ask around. He is furious that some mysterious person has ruined his plans. Although he hasn't discovered your identity yet, I could just tell him about you any time I want. If you think you're smart, it's because you have never met him– you don't know what that guy is capable of."
For a second, I saw a tint of fear in Quinn's eyes.
Fear?
Why would he, Quinn Darkstar the Calamity Bringer, need to fear some run-of-the-mill side villain like Kai Wiseman?
No, no, I must be seeing things.
Shaking my head, I dismissed such stray thoughts and agreed. "Fine," I said to Quinn. "Ask your questions."
