LSK – Side Stories: Faking reality. (Part 4)

*Disclaimer note: This is merely a translation of the original Chinese version. I do not claim any part in the creation of the original story.

 

Damn it! Damn it all! Fucking necromancer! Fucking Creus!

He was trapped in darkness, locked up who-knows-where and about to become a necromancer's undead servant, but he had no way out. He had no idea how long he'd been struggling, how many times he'd cursed out loud at the necromancer and Creus, and just when he had given up all hope and was beginning to believe he would really die here in the darkness…… that light-filled person appeared and stretched out his arm towards him.

"Found ya!"

Jacques squinted in surprise, recognising the person. "Creus?"

Even though he wasn't really happy to see this guy, it was better than remaining in the darkness with no one to see and talk to…… anyone would do!

Creus' arm was stretched out towards him from above, but, there was something dripping down from his fingertips. When Jacques reached out to grab his hand, he realised with a start that it was blood. "Blood?"

"Oh, I had a little fight with the undead guarding the door," Creus replied offhandedly.

Jacques looked up and scrutinised the boy above him. There were cuts and bruises all over his face, he realised. He didn't think that it had been as simple as Creus had tried to pass it off. Jacques couldn't help asking, "Why did you come and save me?"

"What are you talking about?" Creus asked in surprise. "You're the little Blaze Knight and one of the future Twelve Holy Knights! Who else would I save if not you?"

Is that how it is? Jacques grabbed the hand and pulled himself out of the hole.

"Creus? What have you done to my cleaner?"

Both the boys gave a start at that. Jacques quickly looked around and his eyes widened in shock. The-the walls were-were pink! The floor was pink, the wooden table was covered with a pink cloth, and even the pink bed had a pink strawberry cake-shaped pillow on it! This looked totally like a little girl's room!

And sitting on a pink chair not too far from them was a little girl with an adorable face. But, her skin was pink too, and definitely not a skin colour seen on humans. He got goose bumps just from looking at that strange pink-skinned girl.

Jacques' jaw dropped open as he took in all this. A necromancer's house and the necromancer herself…… is this how they really look like?

"Oh, Pink, your cleaner was bullying me, so I had to defend myself!" said Creus with an innocent look on his face.

"He bullied you?" Pink snorted in disbelief. "I'd say it was the reverse! Didn't you attack him with holy light without giving any warning, and he attacked you in defence? Stop trying to hoodwink me, Creus. I saw everything."

"If you saw what happened then why didn't you come and help me? I was nearly killed, you know?" pouted Creus.

"Are you complaining to me? That was the most handsome cleaner corpse I had, and you've turned him into ashes with your holy light! How are you going to make it up to me…… Ah! It's alright. There's a fresher and more handsome one here!"

As she said that, Pink's eyes turned to look at Jacques, a mischievous little smile on her face. But when one took into account her words, her cheeky little smile suddenly seemed to take on a more sinister look.

Creus was immediately all smiles as he said to the 'not-human' on the chair, "Pink, the little Blaze Knight didn't really mean it! He would never have tried to expose you. And even if he had, it would have been pointless! You're the Church's specially-contracted necromancer, after all! So what do you say? Let bygones be bygones? You don't really want to go against the Church of Light, do you?"

'Threatening and entreating, all in one; this next Sun Knight is pretty interesting. It shouldn't be boring with him around, that's for sure,' thought Pink with an inner chuckle. But on the outside, she maintained her displeased expression and said, "Don't bother trying to threaten me with the Church of Light. I'm not afraid of them. If I were, would I have dared to stay here? Why do you think the Church suffers my presence here in their city?"

"Because they do not wish to go up against you……" Creus admitted honestly.

Jacques' face darkened when he heard his reply. Could it be that the Church of Light that he had pledged himself to and was going to stay with for thirty years, was actually afraid of a mere necromancer?! A furious inferno of flames lit up inside of him; if this is how the Church truly was, weak and cowardly, why should he pledge himself to them and stay with them?!

"But that does not mean that the Church of Light is afraid of you!"

Creus' loud cry cut through Jacques' fury, and he turned to look at him.

"This is the capital city with millions of people living here. If we were to really go up against you, it would result in a great number of casualties. You may not care about them, but the Church does! So as long as you are not harming the people, the Church will allow you to remain here. But do not even think for a second that you may do as you please here! Should you dare to do anything that would harm anyone, the Church of Light will never, ever let you go unpunished! This is the promise that I, Creus, the next Sun Knight, make!"

Jacques stared at Creus in a daze. The latter's words had stunned him. He had never thought about it that way…… that the Church had the people's safety in mind. The Church allowed the necromancer's presence…… for the sake of the innocents?

Pink merely chuckled at Creus' declarations and said indifferently, "It's only a little Blaze Knight; he's not even one of the Twelve Holy Knights yet. The Church won't bother to get up in arms against me about this. After all, they already have back-up knights just in case. Creus, this one doesn't seem to be very obedient, why not replace him with a better one? I'm actually helping you!"

"Replace him?! Brothers can't be replaced!" yelled Creus passionately. He then continued on in a soft but determined voice, "If you dare to kill my Blaze Knight, you better be prepared to kill me as well, for I swear that I will kill you to avenge his death!"

A fifteen year old boy without the slightest capability of harming her dared to stand there threatening to kill her; this would have been very funny, but for some reason, a thought flashed through her mind……

Even if she were to kill him as well, he would probably come back as a Death Knight to avenge his little Blaze Knight's death, huh?

How interesting!

Pink looked up at Creus, the current little Sun Knight. She was really looking forward to seeing how he would turn out in the future as the real Sun Knight.

Pink smiled faintly as she made her decision.

~O~O~O~O~

Two boys in their awkward teens were walking along side by side under the rays of the setting sun. One had hair as red as fire, the other a head of hair as golden as the sun.

"Creus." Jacques suddenly stopped and turned to the boy beside him. "Thank you for coming and saving me."

The boy, Creus, was licking his blueberry-flavoured lollipop when he saw the red-haired boy's serious expression. He hurriedly put down his lollipop a little embarrassedly and replied equally as serious. "Don't mention it! While you've been missing these past three days, everyone's been looking all over the city for you. Everyone was really worried! And especially your teacher; he hasn't slept in three days! I just happened to come across you. And Pink only asked me to get her ten strawberry lollipops and a beautiful corpse as an apology, and she let you go, so you see, I hadn't really done anything!"

Jacques merely looked at the other boy quietly. The latter had cuts and bruises all over his face. It was obvious that he had had an intermediate level healing spell cast on himself, but the wounds had yet to completely heal. He knew that that showed how serious the wounds had been.

How had this guy – infamous for his lousy sword skills – managed to defeat that undead?

Jacques had kept quiet for quite some time, and just when Creus was getting a little confused and was about to question him, he finally spoke.

"Creus," he said carefully and solemnly. "You are also my Sun Knight and my brother. The irreplaceable kind."

Creus stared at him in puzzlement and said matter-of-factly, "Duh! What else?"

When he heard his reply, Jacques smiled.

"Let's hurry back! Your teacher was really worried!" Creus reminded.

"Okay."

As the two walked further and further, their conversation could be heard faintly……

"Do you want a lollipop? I have blueberry, strawberry and chocolate flavours! Which one do you want?"

"I don't want that kind of stuff! I'm the little Blaze Knight! I eat meat and drink booze; who would want to eat lollipops!"

"So you don't want them? Ecilan's going to be pretty sad though. He made them all himself! He loves making sweets and desserts. He told me that his father is a very famous baker!"

"…… Shouldn't you be sworn rivals with the Judge Knight and the rest on his side?"

"Er, well, that's true, but Leithe's a really great guy! He always helps me beat up those who bully me, and runs out to the store to get my blueberry pies, and he even helps me chase off those fierce dogs!"

"…… I'll take the chocolate-flavoured one."

 

~The End~

 

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