After that entire ordeal, it would take me a couple of hours till I arrived at the border of Cadensis. Soon, I'll be able to get some much deserved sleep… Before that, however, I decided to catch on with some of my readings…
Dropping low, I hid my presence, using that chance to try to read the book. Opening its cover, I took a glance at the first chapter.
However, for my dismay, it was like the letters just kept moving, forming words that didn't exist in any language I knew of, almost like its secrets weren't for my eyes to witness.
Sighing, I glanced upwards, grimacing.
Soon, the sun would rise.
I must go back before the timer hits zero. Stowing away the book in my back pocket, I ran faster than anything, my steps as swift and slight as the wind. After being sure I got into the town's border, I slipped past the guards and stopped trying to hide myself.
Taking off the cloak, I allowed my muscles to ease a bit and walked towards the old church. Nodding to the security, I entered and went to a small corner, knocking in an uncanny rhythm. After three seconds, the door opened, and I passed from the warm and holy atmosphere to the cold, sinful one.
After that, I went straight to Baron Drott's office, ignoring the feeling of being seen through. Seriously, why the hell does Herr Doctor insist in following me with that eye of his?
I tried to ignore the Ether construct that kept glancing, but the way it dissected me, as if I'm a corpse in a morgue, creeped me way too much.
And I could just imagine what he might be thinking.
After that little test of his, he was oddly silent. Somehow, he didn't strike me as someone who works from the shadows, especially given how he almost killed me on our first meeting.
He was practical, I can see that. Back in my old world, when I was a young lad, one of my first jobs had a selection process where both me and Albert would have to fight in a Battle Royale style tournament against multiple other teams, just to make sure we would get the job.
Those who failed were either killed or silenced in some other way, so I don't fault Herr Doctor for his methods. If you are going to pay someone you never contracted, it's only natural to try and see if he was the real deal.
That applied both in Mercenary work and in here.
Afterward, I got in front of the double doors and knocked.
With my Esper senses, I could see the sound of Drott writing something, until there was a pause of roughly ten seconds, almost as if he was trying to remember if he had anything scheduled for now.
"Enter" he said, wary. Sighing, I opened the door, noticing the small shift in his posture, as well as his eyes widening for a fraction of a second.
He didn't expect me to survive?
Somehow, that's more insulting than all other things he said to me so far.
"Quit gawking there" Picking the stashed papers, I placed them in his table, using that chance to sit down on his guest chair. "Mission accomplished. The target's dead. Those are the documents he had on us."
And he was already reading the damn documents.
Great.
"You did well…" He said, his voice oddly subdued as he kept studying the document. "Your reward will be five thousand coins. Is that acceptable?"
Honestly, it's way more than I expected. Coins here are the currency that the human kingdoms adopted after the war against the demons started. A coin has the value of ten nickels. And, considering you could have a healthy breakfast with eight nickels, I'd suppose I'm already pretty well off…
However, this means nothing.
Glancing in his direction, I called for his attention one last time, my patience running thin.
"Look, while I thank you for the money, there's something else I need."
"And that is?"
"THE ANTIDOTE FOR THE BLOODY POISON, YOU GODFORSAKEN WANKER!"
The man clearly wasn't happy to be yelled at, but I didn't care. The time was ticking, and I seriously needed a rest from all this.
Gesturing to the tea pot, he spoke, in a low, animalistic growl. "The antidote's in there. Just drink it and get out of my sight."
"No need to tell me twice." Picking it, I drank like a man lost in the desert would, and only then I realized how dry my throat were. It was hot, sure, but I felt my body cooling down, almost like the flames were meant to cleanse myself.
Glancing at him one last time, I walked away, going to the bathroom to take a piss.
Normally, when you drink the antidote like I did, you'll need to piss the solution after a few hours, but, considering how close I was to actually dying, I felt a lot more anxious.
It was honestly baffling how paradoxical I felt about it. While no one likes to not be in control, I couldn't help but admire the sensation.
Almost like I was a young lad again, living to the fullest, enjoying the simplest things in life.
Honestly, I missed that.
The feeling of going with the flow, the freedom you can only experience when there's no need for control. When you simply… are.
Sighing, I silently took off my robes, deciding to take a bath.
By doing so, I was able to smell myself, and grimaced.
Yeah, a bath is definitely a good idea right now. Entering in the bath chamber, I used the Ether around to shift the shower faucet and entered in the bath a few seconds after the water began to fall down.
Immediately, I felt a sharp pain from my right side, the hot water assaulting my tender flesh.
I forgot…
The feeling of freedom, of happiness, immediately vanished as I was pulled back into reality once more, my deformed body a sore sight.
Some say that a man's worth is determined in what he earned or overcame before his final moments, but that's a lie. Placing my entire right side on the water, I hissed, embracing the pain.
A man's worth is determined not by what he has, but by his ability to take the injustices and challenges life throws his way and using them as stepping stones. He doesn't run, nor hide, from it. He takes all bullets, all blades, allowing them in his scarred chest, using them to rise above others.
I'll use this pain as a lesson, a strong reminder of what happens when you're too weak to do anything.
And I'll never allow myself to be weak again.