Published at 3rd of January 2021 05:10:04 PM
Chapter 13
In Evan’s unconscious state, he unexpectedly had a dream . He dreamed of an Abyss Dhole dashing towards him, drooling and eager, inviting him to a lambada dance . And so, he woke up in fear . The moment he opened his eyes, he found that he was face-to-face with an Abyss Dhole which had an unusually ferocious expression . He was close enough to examine the face of this legendary devil-ranked derot—instead of fur, its face was a thick scale of armor that looked extremely firm . There was also a pair of gigantic fangs that peeked out of its mouth, glinting eerily .
“I won’t agree! Like I would dance with a derot,” Evan thought numbly—with his brain cells being constantly overworked, it was already a little abnormal .
Behind him, a voice said weakly, “Why are you staring at that buck-tooth dog so mesmerized?”
Seeming to wake up from the dream, Evan sat up sharply on the ground . He scuffled one meter away, commenting in some disbelief, “We… We finished off an Abyss Dhole!”
“Mhmm . ” John’s voice seemed a little hoarse . He continued slowly as though he couldn’t muster up strength, “Yeah, you even finished off its buttocks . ”
“Oh, no…” Evan held his face, disheartened . “Stop bringing it up . ”
He remembered how he had passed out, so he cautiously lowered his head to stare at his feet, not daring to even shoot a peek at John . “Can you walk? Do you need me to carry you?”
John seemed to have already learned his lesson, and had long wrapped up his wound properly . He glanced at Evan with a false smile . “What, you want to check my wound?”
Even imagining it caused his face to pale . He started stumbling over his words again, “I… I-I, that…”
“Slow . I can still walk—Alright, I’ve covered it up, you won’t see blood again . But let me hold onto you!” John painstakingly stood up . His other hand pushed his scattered hair behind him . Bending over slightly, he slowly walked .
Evan hesitated for a moment, turning back to grab the Abyss Dhole’s corpse before dragging it along with him .
John turned to shoot him a glance, lifting his eyebrow in confusion .
“It… It’s like this . Since the Barrier, derots are no longer commonly seen by humans . Our jobs became a secret,” Evan explained, “So we have to collect the derot corpses everytime, and… this is devil-ranked, so it can be turned into a specimen and placed in the Creepy Museum . ”
“Creepy Museum?”
“It’s opened for the kids . It’s completely dark and placed with all kinds of terrifying derot corpses . There are even guides telling you all sorts of ‘fairytales’ about demons . ” Evan paused before adding, “It serves as entertainment for the children to explore . And of course, you need an entrance ticket . ”
“Ah hah, making people spend money to observe dead derots . ” John’s footsteps paused, continuing to speak with that slow, weak tone, “Alright, this is truly the most brilliant thing I’ve heard of . ”
It was already nearly ten at night when they reached home . Mr . Good originally thought they wouldn’t be back in time and nearly excused himself .
John had uncontrollably fainted in the car, so Evan could only carry him after parking the car .
“My Goodness! What in the world happened?” Jel and Mr . Good rushed over at the same time, putting Mr . Cleric on the sofa, panicked . “Should we call a healer?”
John had already woken up from all the noise . He waved in dismissal, mumbling without a care, “It’s nothing . I just fell asleep earlier . It’s just a light scratch . I can deal with it myself . No need to call for someone . ”
“What is going on here, Evan?” Mr . Good asked .
“We pursued an Abyss Dhole… “ Evan was not too afraid of Mr . Good . The normally amiable Archbishop looked far less scary than Instructor Margarett .
Jel and Mr . Good let out a sigh of relief at the same time .
“It’s in the trunk right now . Maybe you’ll like to see,” Evan added .
Curled up on the sofa like a dead dog, John snickered, “No need to make such a big deal . Sirs, there’s only one . ”
Then, he pushed himself up with the sofa arm support, extending a hand to Mr . Good . “Then, I assume you’re the current Archbishop?”
“Yes, it’s my honor to meet you . ” Mr . Good shook hands with him .
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“No, no, it’s my honor . ” John laughed . “I heard you are a person of virtue and prestige . ”
When the absolutely shaken Jel and Evan lifted the genuine Abyss Dhole’s corpse into the living room, Mr . Good could not help standing up too . Exclaiming in wonder, he crouched down to examine it closely, “To be frank, in my age, other than those ancient specimens and books, I’ve never seen a real Abyss Dhole before… Oh, look, it has a pair of buck teeth!”
Evan suddenly thought, the Archbishop and John must share many topics .
Mr . Good tidied his clothes, combing his hair with his plump hands before telling Jel lightheartedly, “Jel, could you take a photo of me with it? I’ll cherish it forever . ”
…Even if he was a respectable sir, he still had some habits that others find unacceptable— such as his terrifying habit of taking photos .
When Jel helped John reapply his medicine and fixed his bandages, John was already dozing off . Mr . Good thus did not disturb him any longer . Before he left, they agreed he’d visit again when his body had healed some .
It was only then that Jel exhaled a sigh of relief . He glared at Evan, “Careful . Mr . Good closed his eyes this time because of John, but interns are not allowed to move independently . Do you want your license to be revoked before you even get it?”
Evan, “S…Sorry . ”
“Come on, Jel . ” John played with his camera, accidentally pressing the shutter and getting a shock from the flash . He nearly threw away Jel’s “money-making guy” . “I was the one who brought him there . You guys can’t always prevent him from seeing the world . ”
“Allow me to be forthright, sir . ” Jel “Nanny” Shelton immediately directed his barbed words at him . “Even if it is a formidable hunter as you, the activities an injured party should be doing are only a light stroll and a comfortable chat . Bringing a novice to chase an Abyss Dhole is clearly not a good idea . ”
John’s eyes curved, and he gave him a guileless and adorable smile .
Jel, “…”
He… H-H-He actually dared to act cute!
“Alright, alright… Come, give me your arm . I’ll help you up to your room . ” Jel sighed .
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“Mushroom lamp, mushroom lamp!” After John entered his room, he climbed onto his bed in excitement, adjusting the miserable lamp . “How do I light it up?”
Jel pressed the switch, and the lamp emitted a gentle glow .
“Perfect!” John said, “I love to sleep with lit candles . ”
Jel looked at the cleric rolling around on the bed, and suddenly felt as though he was raising a grown son .
Such a person… actually came from the same era as his ancestor .
“Oh, right . ” Jel remembered the question he had the whole time, speaking up softly by the door, “Since you came from time of the war with the Black Robes, have you ever met the real Karlos Fraruitt?”
In a slip, John fell onto the floor from the bed . Sitting on the floor, he asked with a blank face, “What?”
“Karlos Fraruitt”, Jel said, “The great hero who killed Parola and ended the whole war in the legends . ”
“What… hero?” A rare display of confusion came from John’s pretty eyes . “You said he ended… the war?”
“Of course . Calculating the time you came from, you might not have witnessed the end of the war . If there’s any information you wish to know, there’s a “History Prior to the Barrier” under the bedside table . You can consult it . ” Jel’s eyes held a hope of anticipation . “So, you have seen him in person, yes?”
John got up with slow movements . He sat on the edge of the bed, nodding after a momentary hesitation . He prudently chose a neutral description, “Karlos Fraruitt certainly did return to the Temple in the final fight . I saw him, but… I’m afraid we were not close . ”
“But your name…”
“John Smith?” John laughed slightly . This quiet smile had dissipated all of the energetic, childish spirit from the man’s face . In that instant, Jel felt that he was looking at a green-eyed Archbishop Aldo . Mysterious… and distant . “Don’t tell me you think this is a fake name? In reality, this is a very common name . In that one year I entered the Temple for my studies, there were two boys in my cohort who had this name . ”
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“So, you mean that you really are not close to him . ” Disappointment flashed from Jel’s face . “Then you don’t know what kind of person he was at all? I was thinking that you’ll know how he looks like at least . ”
John gazed at him for a while, and spoke slowly, “I only know that he was a hedonistic and pampered son from a rich family before he left the Temple . As for after he left the Temple… Who knows? As for his looks, I think he looked a little like his older brother . But his many years of vagrant life gave him a habit of hiding himself under a giant hat . Even when he returned to the Temple a second time, he still had this habit . ”
After finishing, he narrowed his eyes and asked a little dubiously, “Why do you want to know about him?”
“My mother’s last name is Fraruitt . ” Jel shrugged . “Since the first day I entered the Temple, I had to carry the name of ‘the Fraruitts’ descendant’ . ”
In that moment, John’s expression cannot even be described as astonishment . He looked like his soul had already left his body .
Jel broke into laughter . “What, we don’t look alike at all? That’s normal . After all, it’s already been a thousand years—alright, the injured should rest well . We can talk about this a few days later . Regarding the Temple a millennium ago, I do have many questions . ”
“Good night . ” After finishing, Jel lightly closed the door for him and left .
“Wh… What?” It was after Jel had left for an unknown period of time that John uttered this like a lost soul .
The entire room was extremely quiet . John sat by the bed, suddenly recalling the sense of familiarity he felt when he first saw Jel’s face—peculiar, as though he had seen him somewhere before . He stood up sharply, standing firm in front of the mirror in the wardrobe, carefully examining his youthful appearance in the mirror .
He had never looked at himself so clearly before—in their era, they did not have such a magical mirror . Moreover, he was not someone who liked to frivolously dress himself up in the mirror .
The man in the mirror had a pale face, and could be described as a little miserable . But the eyes as green as deep waters were shining .
“His… nose . ” John’s brows quivered slightly, as though in wonder, but also with some fear . “His nose looks a lot like mine . His chin too . His side profile looks…”
He took two slow steps back, stumbling slightly as he fell down on the soft carpet on his butt . Then, he let out a sorrowful, silly laugh, shoulders softly quivering along .
John held his face with a hand . No one could tell if he was crying or laughing . “My God, he is… the descendant of the Fraruitts . ”