Chapter 263: Reunion and Sacrifice

They said if he died, to at least bring back his body, but it’s been so long now, even that feels like a hopeless task.

Guess it’s time I buried my brother in my heart too. Shaking off the bitter feeling, I finally lifted my gaze, which had been fixed downwards for who knows how long.

‘More importantly, once this is over and I get back, I have another lesson with Mr. Iram…’

What was left to teach, anyway?

I remember covering all the concepts, just fine-tuning left. Pretty much taught him everything. Just need to give examples to warn him against misusing it… Hmm?

Paul, lost in thought, shifted his focus. As the crowd thinned, a familiar face caught his eye. He froze, then straightened up.

“That kid…”

“…Chief?”

…

“Sir Paul?”

He heard his guards calling from nearby, but he couldn’t answer.

It was as if he’d turned into a fool. His mind locked onto a single point, pushing everything else out of his awareness. Paul took a step, dazed and almost hypnotized.

‘…It’s definitely him.’

Time had passed, he’d grown, but there was no mistaking him. He’d pictured and relived that face in his mind so often, the certainty was absolute.

The kid stood there expressionless, cloaked in an aura that didn’t fit a child. The heavier atmosphere than before was unsettling, but this kid was definitely my brother.

“Sia…”

One step. Then another. He moved towards the child.

Just to see a face, he’d come so far, taken so many detours. How long had it been?

His sudden move made the guards nervous. They urged him to step back for his safety. Ignoring them, he took another four steps, maybe.

“Chief!”

Someone yanked his arm back. And at the same instant—KABOOM!

A deafening roar exploded. Red flames erupted in his vision, followed by a blast of scorching wind. It was late summer, supposed to be cool, but this wind was hotter than the peak of summer. The guard who’d grabbed Paul recoiled instantly.

“De-se.”

…There was an operative.

The guy who’d tossed the bomb into the crowd grinned wickedly at those rushing to apprehend him. Seeing their hesitation at the ominous sight, he shrugged off his coat without a second thought.

…!

“Crazy bastard…!”

The guy was covered head to toe in bombs.

Some of the Revolutionary Army pulled back the recruits while others moved to contain the bomber. Seeing one of the guards reporting the situation, his own escort urged Paul to move, keen to fulfill their duty.

“Let’s get out of here while we have the chance!”

“N-no, wait a second…!”

“Chief, you’re the heart of the Revolutionary Army. We can’t let you die.”

“But…!”

My brother’s over there…!

Guards, prioritizing their Chief’s safety above all else, pushed him back. Paul, dragged back against his will and struggling to resist, had a sudden premonition—if he let Sia go now, he’d never see him again. On impulse, he shouted his brother’s name.

“Sia!!”

…!

When they should be slipping away quietly, what the hell is he doing…?

The guards flinched. A child’s head whipped around, searching for the source of the shout. Sia’s face lit up as she spotted a familiar face amidst the hulking figures.

“Paul!!”

That cry, that voice… It was definitely my brother. But…

Paul’s face twisted with complex emotions, a distorted mix of a smile and a cry.

Sia beamed and ran towards him. Guards stepped in front of him, warning of danger, but he brushed them aside and caught the child in a wide embrace.

“It’s okay. He’s my brother.”

…

“Ah, but you guys should probably step back a bit.”

With one arm, he held the child close, as if in a hug. With his other hand, he reached for something stuck to the kid’s back.

“This kid… he’s rigged with a bomb.”

“…Huh?”

“I apologize. As Chief, I should’ve made the call, but I failed.”

But I don’t regret it.

Paul tightened his grip on Sia. To minimize the blast radius, he pulled the child closer, cradling him in his arms. And then…

BOOM!

The sound of life snuffed out.

…

‘Truth is,’

I knew it was dangerous. I knew something was off. The timing was too convenient.

I don’t know who’s behind it, but they probably intended to draw attention elsewhere, then send Sia here to take care of me. In a chaotic situation, a little kid wouldn’t be high on anyone’s list of threats.

I knew all that… but how could I turn him away?

You, who I hadn’t seen in ages, were running towards me with the brightest smile I’d seen maybe once a year.

‘Right, Sia.’

Paul whispered with a smile.

‘You didn’t want me to cry for you, did you?’

***

The slums had an unspoken rule.

A rule created to help people hold onto their sanity and survive in a harsh life.

[Be friendly, but don’t get attached.]

***

I’m trash. I probably won’t even get a decent afterlife. Sia scoffed.

It was too late. By the time I realized what was happening, I’d already been swept up in events and signed a demon summoning contract. Who would have thought that just doing what I was told would end up being a demon summoning attempt?

It was too late to turn back. I’d given up on everything, just letting myself be pushed around. I even thought maybe dying would be better, but there was someone I couldn’t leave behind.

Then, when I received my last mission…

[You want me to die with the Revolutionary Army Chief?]

[Yeah.]

[Who’s the Revolutionary Army Chief?]

[Paul.]

…!

I was shocked, but I didn’t refuse.

‘Paul is the only one who would cry for me if I died.’

I’m trash. No one should cry for me when I die.

Paul is secretly soft-hearted, so he’d definitely cry if I died. If I remained missing like this, he wouldn’t give up and would keep searching. I couldn’t let him waste his efforts and suffer like that.

So, I willingly strapped on the bomb and ran towards Paul. Before running, I’d subtly shifted the bomb from my stomach to my back, but still, I ran.

‘Look, Paul. I’m such a bad kid.’

I’m a worthless person who isn’t even worth crying over, so just think I died well this time and get over it.

‘Thank you for… taking care of me so I wouldn’t die until now.’

Looking back, he always offered me a helping hand. Even when I didn’t want it, and even when I was rude to him, he still did.

I hadn’t seen him properly since the Salvation Church days, but did he think I wouldn’t know? It was obviously irregular, but food kept appearing consistently so I wouldn’t starve. And even strangely, I never encountered any trouble like robberies or other dangers.

Swallowing the unsaid goodbye, I ran towards him. Paul greeted me with a smile and embraced me. I felt his hand on my back beneath my coat, and felt him clench his fist as if trying to tear off the bomb. I could feel his arm trembling as he strained.

Then, realizing it was impossible to remove, he spun it around to my stomach. He grabbed my small body, which was trying to recoil in shock, and pulled me into his arms.

His arms, which held me securely, seemed to ask.

Did you think I wouldn’t know?

“N-no, wait…!”

An involuntarily flustered voice escaped me.

No… no. This wasn’t the plan. I’d considered Paul getting injured in the plan, but never his death.

I only wanted to die and end it all, not this…

“It’s okay.”

Was it my imagination, or did I hear a whisper?

The moment I paused, BOOM!!

An explosion erupted.

…

Before dying, Paul smiled as he held me tightly, preventing me from pushing him away.

It’s okay. My death is solely my fault. You don’t need to feel guilty because I died.

This is my way, Paul’s, the Revolutionary Army Chief’s, of cleaning up my momentary lapse in judgment. It’s also the decision of a person who cherishes his brother, Sia.

Paying for a wrong decision with just one life is a cheap price, and more than anything, I couldn’t have lived with myself if Sia had died in front of me.

We’re not blood-related, but he’s my only family.

Ever since I heard the news of him missing, I’d been searching for him. Even when I tentatively concluded he was dead, I couldn’t bring myself to bury him in my heart, clinging to lingering hope for so long.

And that kid suddenly reappears and dies before my eyes? Sia was naive if he thought I could witness that and remain sane.

The bomb was tightly wrapped around her back. Impossible to remove.

If this continued, she would definitely die, and those around us would also be heavily injured. I, too, would sustain considerable injuries. But I would survive.

In that case, it’s better to turn the bomb towards myself to minimize harm to those around us and ensure we die together.

So, I acted.

‘You seemed to not want me to cry for you, but wouldn’t dying together be more certain?’

Smiling silently, he patted the child’s back reassuringly as Sia struggled to push him away, looking flustered.

And so, on this day.

Sia died with the only person who would cry for him.

***

Well, that wrapped up nicely!

The Commander of the 11th Corps, who had successfully completed the task requested by Dan, turned to the Commander of the 2nd Corps with a satisfied expression.

“Develania, thanks for the information.”

“Well, it’s because you asked…”

Develania, who had stopped sending information to Deon Hart sometime ago, nodded casually.

“Killing the Revolutionary Army Chief in the Human Realm… It must have been for Sir Deon, right?”

“Yes!”

“Hmm… Lirinel. This is just out of concern for you…”

Lirinel particularly followed Deon Hart. You could say she was captivated by his unbelievable face and strength.

She hesitated for a moment whether to say this, but then she spoke, looking at Lirinel with an expression like she was watching a child being sent out into dangerous waters.

“Maybe it’s best not to trust Sir Deon too much.”

***

They say the Revolutionary Army Chief is dead.

We haven’t even done anything yet, what the hell happened? Deon tilted his head, puzzled by the slightly perplexing news.

“Dan, do you know anything about this?”

…

Silence returned to his casually thrown question.

His attitude of turning away without answering signaled that there was a hidden story. A chill ran down Deon’s spine, and he immediately rose from his seat. The chair fell back with a loud noise, but he didn’t care.

“Dan.”

…

“I think… we need to talk.”

It didn’t take long for Dan to open his mouth.

They had built up some familiarity and treated each other comfortably, but their relationship was clearly defined by rank. Dan quickly confessed under his superior’s interrogation, and Deon was extremely angered when he heard the hidden truth.

Slap! Dan’s cheek was struck, and his head snapped to the side.

“Are you insane?! Why the hell did you do such a thing?!”

A roar erupted.

He was someone who always expressed his anger with suppressed madness or cold fury, even when enraged. Dan, licking the inside of his mouth where it had burst, lifted his eyes at this unfamiliar sight.

Red eyes, burning fiercely with anger and another emotion mixed in, were visible. Like flames flickering in the wind, his pupils were trembling slightly.

“Why are you angry?”

“…What?”

“I just proceeded with things and dirtied my hands on your behalf because you seemed to be hesitating. You should be praising me instead.”

His attitude was excessively confident. Deon, momentarily speechless, moved his lips.

“…Who asked you to act on my behalf?”

“That’s true.”

“There were other ways.”

“But didn’t you think of a more efficient way than what I did? We just needed to cross the last line as humans. You’ve already abandoned your conscience, so why couldn’t you cross that one line?”

No.

In an era of war, I admit it’s easy to confuse it with conscience, but the difference clearly exists.

Abandoning conscience makes you a ‘bad human,’ but crossing the last line Dan mentioned makes you ‘something not even human.’

“Master.”

…

Dan looked into Deon’s eyes, who had completely closed his mouth. His chillingly soft voice continued.

“I follow ‘Deon Hart,’ but before that, I prioritize following ‘Disaster.’”