Chapter 109 Hatred
A bit embarrassing.
The two sides, who had just been at loggerheads, huddled together in a small town restaurant, the hoarse, humorous notes of an old accordion filling their ears. Nova was about to wipe his glasses, which had become steamy from his steaming cream of pumpkin soup, when he looked up to see the other three staring at him.
“…Something?”
There were not many people in the restaurant, just a few sitting in the corner. No one knew what the God-favored Ones were doing, so no one came to disturb them.
"Soup, it's all over your face." Azuka sighed softly and handed him a handkerchief, motioning him to wipe the stain off his face. Before someone could even start, the assassin leader's eyes were already incredibly strange, as if he were looking at an octopus waving its tentacles at the dining table.
Today, the meat sauce poured on the mashed potatoes actually contained pickled mushrooms. The professor was picking up those soft, earthy-smelling things bit by bit with the rigor and concentration of dissecting a corpse, and only after completing this magnificent project did he scoop up a spoonful of completely "clean" mashed potatoes with satisfaction.
When he looked up again, he saw the group still staring at him strangely. Nova was silent for a moment, then explained in a serious tone, "Eating poisonous mushrooms can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, hallucinations, and other poisoning reactions. In severe cases, it can even be life-threatening. Historically, Mario, King of Forlos in the Far North, died after his kitchen staff mistakenly ate a highly poisonous white toadstool for an edible one."
"Of course, there's also a theory that the king's nephew deliberately mixed poisonous mushrooms into the mushroom sauce he used for mashed potatoes." He added expressionlessly, "That's the kind of sauce we eat now."
Everyone was in a dilemma: "…"
The unfortunate king even had a name that, when translated, would be a hell of a joke, but unfortunately, no one here understood the punchline. The professor stuffed the safe mashed potatoes into his mouth and finished his lecture contentedly: "To sum up, eating mushrooms is dangerous, so—"
The assassin leader interrupted him rudely: "If you're picky about food, then so be picky. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"
It's just like someone being stubborn when dealing with insects.
...For the second time. Nova looked at him sinisterly, but before he could spray venom, Azuka, who was sitting next to him, smiled and called out, "Ore."
Ole stared at him warily: "What?"
The guy's smile widened, and his voice was so soft and pleasant that no one could find fault with it: "Would you like some hot peppers?"
Even eating can't stop your mouth.
Ole: “…”
...Okay, now you two are in the same group, he angrily stuffed a large ball of mashed potatoes into his mouth.
Daniga sat silently by the side, chewing on his spoon, feeling as if he were witnessing something truly extraordinary. Mr. Nova's personality was completely different from what he had imagined. Judging from the text alone, he had imagined the editor-in-chief of the Limin Daily to be a stern and upright gentleman. He had never expected him to be so... uh, lively?
...So, those things that the boss and Mr. Nova mentioned before, which made him seem to understand but not quite understand, but inexplicably horrified, were they really just a prophecy?
The door of the restaurant was suddenly pushed open, and the wind and snow rushed in. The oil lamp on the ceiling at the door, which had almost no oil left, shook a few times, and the lingering flame was extinguished.
In the dim light of the snow, three people came in. They were covered in snow and wrapped in black leather cloaks, covering themselves up so tightly that not even their faces were exposed. They immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the restaurant.
Ole couldn't help but look at Azuka - look, the unnecessary person appeared.
The spell was still working; the newcomers seemed oblivious to their presence. The leader spoke to the terrified boss, but he quickly became dazed and sleepwalked back to the kitchen.
Ole's face suddenly darkened. Nova saw him mutter a few words in a low voice, and the spell flowing like a dark river flowed along his fingers under the table, spreading silently to the surroundings.
The assassin leader snorted coldly, "That guy is casting a puppet spell on everyone in the restaurant."
The professor watched him cast the spell with great interest, which made the hair on his body stand on end. He took the opportunity to glare back fiercely.
Knowing it was pointless to argue, the assassin leader angrily blamed his friend: "Didn't you teach him not to stare at a warlock he didn't know while he was casting a spell?"
"Gaze is a prerequisite for many spells. This is almost provocative and can easily cause unnecessary trouble." My friend's tone was calm, yet also quite demanding. "But I'm here now."
——So there is nothing that can be called "trouble" here.
How could this guy be like a doting parent? Aole's eyes twitched, and he simply turned his eyes away, ignoring the annoyance, while still taunting him sarcastically, "Fine, you're the princess, you have the final say."
“…”
Azuka, who accidentally bent the spoon, slowly raised his head and stared at him with a half-smile: "You want to die?"
——It looks like he’s going to be beaten to death.
While the people here were still bickering, the three who had arrived later occupied another table, remaining silent, with no interaction at all. Nova stared at their backs for a moment, then lowered his head in boredom, poking at the remaining mashed potatoes with his spoon. He could hear the others discussing the identities of the three men.
"That man's skill in casting spells is pretty good, at least better than most people I've seen."
To receive such an evaluation from the second male lead, it is obvious that his ability is not "good" in the conventional sense.
"A lot of important people have come to White Tower." The dessert was baked apples with butter. Azuka pushed her portion toward the professor, who didn't seem surprised at all. "Including the priestess?"
Ole snorted softly: "Why do you think I came to this damn place?"
Raising an army to question him was just a side issue - as for that kid Daniga, he was so excited when he heard that he was coming to Baita Town that he lost his mind. Anyone with a discerning eye could see what he was planning.
Ole knew that even if he refused, the boy might find a chance to sneak over someday. It would be better for him to have some contact with someone under his nose. When the idol image collapsed and the fantasy in his heart was shattered, he would naturally understand a truth - if he didn't listen to the boss, he would be cheated.
...But the tyrant's casual remark about "dead men" had already made his nerves tense. Thinking of this, Orel suddenly turned to the young man beside him and said, "You will leave Baita Town tomorrow."
Daniga suddenly showed an extremely frustrated expression, staring at his boss eagerly: "Huh? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"There's no reason," Ole said to him fiercely with a dark face, "Because I'm your boss."
The boy still didn't give up and pleaded pitifully, "Then, then, can you help me get an autograph?"
Nova, who was eating a baked apple, suddenly interrupted casually: "If you want him to die, leave him alone."
The surroundings suddenly fell into silence. Ole slowly stood up, half of his face hidden in the shadows, revealing only a pair of iron-blue eyes.
"……What's the meaning."
Nova stared at him expressionlessly, not saying a word. After a long moment, he saw the other man take a deep breath and forbearingly lower his head before him. "Please, please teach me?"
"I know a lot of people don't want to listen to me." The professor put down his knife and fork and slowly wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. "Because I can always see through their clumsy disguises and concealments, making them act like brainless fools."
Ole gritted his teeth: "I want to listen now."
"Just because you want to hear it now doesn't mean I want to say it now."
"...Don't push your luck!"
"Then please learn the most basic manners first," the guy gave him a quick fake smile, "For example, don't interrupt me while I'm talking."
“…”
Ole shut his mouth in frustration, and glared at his bad friend who was sitting next to him watching the show - the other party was gracefully supporting his face with a faint smile on his face, watching him suffer a setback without any expression.
"Very good." Seeing that no one said anything, the professor nodded with satisfaction and gave a few instructions with great compassion: "It's actually very simple. Think about who your enemies are recently."
His number one enemy was this bastard in front of him, that was Ole's first reaction. But he soon realized that something seemed to be wrong, and his expression gradually became serious.
The man looked at him calmly, his voice was very soft, as if he had already seen through everything. Something extremely familiar to him, as if falling into a spider web, slowly crept up the assassin's back.
"--For example, did you really get rid of those Silver Helmets?"
…
The assassins quickly left, presumably to clean up their mess. The remaining two left the restaurant and were immediately plunged into the snow. The streets were deserted, and the warmth from the food could last for a while. Nova looked up, staring at the heavy snowflakes that were falling heavily, but just as they were about to touch his hair, they were blocked by an invisible barrier.
"Aren't you going to help?" he suddenly asked.
"Ore can handle it himself." The other party gently pulled up his scarf.
"He is your friend, a very good friend." Although the two of them bickered fiercely and mocked each other mercilessly, the tacit understanding and trust that came from time could not be concealed.
"...What do you want to say?" The savior's fingers paused slightly. The other party rarely tested him.
"Ore Asaqi hates me." His nemesis turned his head and stared at him through the snow. "Obviously, in my previous life, my stance was different from his. So, to achieve my goals, I would harm the interests of him and those close to him, without considering his feelings. It's only natural that he would hate me for this."
"But what about you? Why don't you hate me?" Nova stared closely at every slight change and tremor on that perfect face: "--Or do you hate me, but can rely on reason to make the right choice?"
"I've been unable to understand your emotions for a long time." His voice was distorted, as if he was trapped in a snowstorm. "But I need your answer so I can make the right judgment."
"…whatever that is."
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