Vol 1 Chapter 2.2 (2/2)

After Valica jumped onto the roof, he turned around to wait for Shuis. Once Shuis landed on the roof, he walked to Valica’s side and asked in confusion, “Why do you suddenly want to know about my family situation?”

Valica frowned, and Shuis continued indifferently, “If you won’t talk, I won’t either.”

It was just a few simple words, but Valica was fully aware of Shuis’s stubbornness. Since he had said so, then almost no one would be able to force him to speak… Probably only Big Bro Elaro could do it.

Valica chewed on his lower lip and turned his body to face the setting sun instead of Shuis’s face. Only then did he feel he could explain his reasoning.

“In the past, I always thought that you had a home you could return to, an entire family of people, yet you didn’t know how to treasure them. You refused to get along with your family and instead came to fight with me over Big Bro Elaro…”

When he heard this, Shuis snorted coldly, but Valica did not grow resentful like always. Instead, he felt rather ashamed.

“Why can’t you go home?” Unable to be deterred, Valica asked once more. If he had to, he would even ask a thousand times just to get his answer!

A noise came from behind him. When Valica turned his head, he saw that Shuis had sat down by the roof’s ridge and was looking at the faraway setting sun as well.

Valica hesitated for a moment. Then, he turned his head and sat down next to Shuis. Together, they gazed at the setting sun in the distance. He didn’t have any deep thoughts such as, “life waning like the setting sun,” and merely thought that he was being rather foolish. He began to regret his initial action of turning to look at the sunset, and he was even more resentful toward Shuis for copying him.

Shuis said dully, “My parents tossed me at the Holy Temple and told me that the Holy Temple would be my home from then on. I was not allowed to go home.”

“Why?” After Valica asked, he felt that another question was also important. He hurriedly added, “Why can’t you tell me the reason why you can’t go home?”

With Shuis’s personality, if no one asked, he indeed would never bring it up on his own accord. But it was a little strange that Judge had asked before and received “I can’t say it” as an answer.

Shuis fell silent, but Valica did not press him with more questions. He merely waited quietly.

“The answer to these two questions is the same.” Shuis’s lips quirked up as he said, “It’s because my father is the Silent Eagle of the Cathedral of the Shadow G.o.d, the top subordinate of the Demon King.”

Valica stared at Shuis with wide eyes. When Shuis saw this expression, his heart sank, but he felt no surprise. After all, this matter involved the “Demon King”!

Actually, it wasn’t that he absolutely couldn’t talk about this matter. The teachers and Elaro all knew about it already. There was no point in keeping it from his companions who would become the Twelve Holy Knights with him. Even the Storm Knight had told Shuis to do as he saw fit, but in the end, Shuis had chosen to conceal it. He didn’t want to see… a reaction like the one Valica had just had.

Valica was stupefied for a long while before he finally reacted by shouting in alarm, “Then, you’ve seen the Demon King before?”

Shuis was taken aback. He shook his head slowly and said, “No. I might have seen him when I was really young, but I came to the Holy Temple early on, so I don’t remember anymore.”

Valica let out his breath. “Thank goodness. The legends say, a single glance from the Demon King is enough to transform you into an undead creature!”

Shuis snapped back, “Nonsense. My father and mother are both alive and well, and the dark knights in the Demon King’s Castle are all alive, too! My parents even gave birth to a bunch of kids. Don’t tell me undead creatures can have kids?!”

Valica smiled awkwardly. “That’s what the legends say… Come to think of it, just how many brothers and sisters do you have?”

“I’m the youngest of triplet brothers, and I also have three younger brothers and four younger sisters.” As he answered, Shuis peered at Valica, unable to believe that his reaction would be so… calm.

“Ten kids? And you’re part of a set of triplets?” Valica was flabbergasted. He had heard before that Shuis had a lot of siblings, but he didn’t think it would be that many!

“When I left home, there were only six.” Shuis added dully, “I’ve never even seen the youngest four before.”

Even though he said this, he didn’t even remember the appearances of his twin brothers. He only vaguely remembered that the two of them looked practically the same, while only he looked different.

He’s never even met his brothers and sisters… Valica suddenly felt that something didn’t add up, so he asked, “How do you know that four more younger siblings were born later?”

Shuis’s face immediately fell. “You’re suspecting that I have private dealings with the Demon King’s Castle?”

Valica opened his mouth and stuttered, “No, it’s just that, I… Sorry!” Although those were his suspicions, once he voiced the question and saw Shuis’s expression, he felt extremely guilty. It was probably because even he didn’t believe that Shuis would side with the Demon King.

Shuis said calmly, “I don’t know why, but Father is always able to send letters to the Holy Temple. My teacher also knows about it. Often, he is the one who hands the letters to me.”

When he heard that the Storm Knight also knew, Valica felt even guiltier.

Shuis emphasized, “Other than receiving letters, I don’t have any contact with the Demon King’s Castle. I haven’t even replied to any of those letters these past few years.”

“Why aren’t you replying to the letters?” Valica was suddenly dissatisfied upon hearing this. Although he didn’t want Shuis to have anything to do with the Demon King’s Castle, family was still family. How could he ignore them just like that?

Shuis furrowed his brows, anxiety coursing through him. “It’s because I-I don’t call that place home anymore!”

Valica suddenly recalled the words that Shuis had been saying just now.

He was too young back then. He doesn’t remember them at all. He has four siblings that he has never even met before…

“If we’re talking about parents, only my teacher comes to mind! Although I can still remember Father’s and Mother’s appearances, they’re very blurry…”

Valica empathized with this rather well. Although in his case, the Leaf Knight was actually more like a… mother. Not that he would ever let his teacher find out!

“My brothers and sisters… I don’t remember their appearances at all anymore, and I even have four siblings I’ve never met before. They threw me at the Holy Temple to be the Storm Knight-in-training so unfathomably, and then they stopped caring about me!”

Having heard the truth, Valica calmed down. It was now Shuis who was agitated.

“For all these years, I’ve never been able to understand. Even if Father doesn’t want me to be the Demon King’s subordinate, why are all my other siblings allowed to remain in the Demon King’s Castle? Why did I alone have to be tossed here?”

“You want to go home?” Valica was really worried. If Shuis replied that he wanted to go back, then Valica had to stop him with all his strength… Right! He hurriedly said, “If you go back, you might not be able to return. Then you won’t ever be able to see Big Bro Elaro again!”

“I don’t want to go back.” Shuis shook his head and said, “Teacher is my father, Elaro is my brother, and the Holy Temple is my true home.”

Although he received an answer that put his worries to rest, Valica did not sigh in relief. Shuis’s answer had been very resolute, but a trace of grief had appeared on his own face.

If he had a home, but had to leave it when he was young and could never return, was there any difference from not having a home at all?

Although Valica didn’t know why his parents didn’t want him, at least he could always make something up. Maybe they had gotten into an accident, or maybe he had been kidnapped by bad guys when he was young; it wasn’t that they had abandoned him… Since he would never know the answer, there were a thousand “maybes” he could conjure.

However, Shuis didn’t have any “maybes” he could console himself with.

Shuis vehemently said, “I don’t want to return home, but one day, I will definitely personally ask my father why, out of all of my siblings, I was the only one who was forced to leave home.”

Hearing this, Valica thought for a moment but did not dissuade Shuis. Instead, he seriously said, “When the day comes that you want to go and ask this question, I’ll go with you.”

Shuis was stunned but immediately protested, “No way. My father is the number one subordinate of the Demon King. Do you want him to kill you?”

Valica said nonchalantly, “If you don’t agree to it, I’ll go and tell everyone the truth right now. And I will even warn them that you might secretly sneak home. I’ll have everyone keep an eye on you together!”

“Y-You… why do you want to go with me?”

Shuis panicked that the secret would be leaked for a moment. Since Valica’s relations.h.i.+p with him really wasn’t very good, if Valica didn’t want to keep his secret, it wouldn’t be out of character… But wait! What Valica meant was that as long as Shuis let him go with him, he wouldn’t reveal anything? Doing that didn’t benefit Valica at all. In fact, it would endanger his life!

Shuis was puzzled once more. He said bluntly, “Valica, you’re really weird today!”

Valica replied snappily, “The Demon King’s number one subordinate’s son will become the Storm Knight. Isn’t that weird?”

“Very weird.” Shuis glanced at Valica. “But your reaction doesn’t seem to imply that you think it’s weird that I will become the Storm Knight.”

“You’re just the son of the Demon King’s subordinate. That’s nothing! Did you know, novels often have main characters with extremely bizarre backgrounds? I’ve even read a novel about a prince who went undercover. He followed the army to crusade against the Demon King, and met a powerful mage companion. Along the way, the adventurer team’s camaraderie grew deeper and deeper, until in the end, the mage actually turned out to be the Demon King himself!”

It was rare that Shuis actually laughed out loud. “You actually believe that? Stuff in novels is all fict.i.tious.”

Valica’s face reddened. “But Teacher Cloud said that that book was real!”

“To even believe in stories like that! When you read, you’re really different from the usual you. You’re like another person.” Shuis shook his head and stood up, planning on finis.h.i.+ng the half hour of training he had missed.

Valica hurriedly stood up as well. “Wait, what we just talked about—”

“I got it.” Shuis didn’t even turn his head to reply.

Valica stilled and then said, “Just saying ‘got it’ isn’t enough—”

“Fine, just come with me then!” Shuis yelled somewhat angrily. However, his tone changed right after when he turned and said, “Valica, come here and take a look at Dili and Rhonelin.”

Valica took a step forward and lowered his head to look. He only saw their backs as they hurriedly left the training grounds. Their steps were rather hasty.

“The direction they’re heading in is—”

The Judge’s Complex!

The two of them exchanged a glance. Although they usually fought endlessly, their rapport was very high at that moment. They jumped down from the roof together and chased after the two vice-captains.

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