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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: A Deal with Cale
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"Are you two fighting again?"
I sat between them.
"Miss, not him, but..."
Zing.
Billy shut his mouth after receiving my glare.
"I'm so embarrassed because of you two that I can hardly lift my head. What are you grown men doing?"
"But Miss, he attacked first..."
Zing.
Billy quickly shut his mouth at my second glare.
We'd be seeing each other often from now on, so this atmosphere wasn't good.
"Of course, he was wrong. I saw him attack first. But Billy, he's a drunkard."
Billy and Cale's gazes met steadily.
"Yes?"
"If a sober guy like you acts on the same level as a drunkard, is that okay or not?"
"Not okay. Miss, I'm sorry."
Only then did Billy understand my words, answering meekly and reflecting.
While we talked, Cale watched with an incredulous look.
"What the hell are you doing in front of me?"
"I said it so you'd hear."
You say what needs saying to their face, not behind their back.
At my response, Cale sighed as if it was ridiculous and shook his head, then picked up his beer mug again.
It seemed like he wanted to drown his complicated feelings in alcohol...
Thud!
I quickly reached out and snatched the mug.
No way.
Cale's blue eyes glared at me.
"What do you think you're doing?"
It was weak power to fully stop him, but since I'd interfered anyway, Cale's voice wasn't pleased.
"I said let's talk. You're already drunk— what if you get drunker?"
"When did I say I'd talk?"
Gruffly speaking, Cale shook off my hand with a light flick.
His brazenness and annoyance reminded me of someone from before.
'Can I really leave these two together...?'
Suddenly, I worried if I'd made the right decision.
Wouldn't Luciano's personality, which I'd finally made more human, revert to being prickly?
'No, no.'
I'd tamed that prickly Luciano, so Cale shouldn't be hard.
No need to worry.
"If you don't want to deal with me, just go. I must be crazy to mistake a kid like you for an assassin..."
Cale deliberately tried to hurt my feelings, waving his hand as if shooing me away.
Smack!
A sharp sound rang out, and Cale froze like a broken machine.
What just happened was that I'd ruthlessly smacked the back of Cale's hand, which was making that sly move.
Cale looked at me in disbelief, and I gave him a bright smile.
Cale muttered in exasperation.
"Didn't you say violence is bad?"
"Violence? What violence?"
On the contrary, I widened my eyes as if he'd said something terrifying.
Cale let out a hollow laugh.
"Didn't you just hit the back of my hand?"
He growled, gesturing to the back of his own hand with his eyes.
You think that'll scare me with that threatening act?
"I was swatting away what looked like a mosquito."
I smiled even more innocently.
Cale stared at me with a speechless expression.
Then, as if the alcohol had lost its taste, he irritably set down his mug.
I perked up at his rough gesture and asked,
"Now ready to talk?"
He finally shot me a 'what the hell is this?' look.
Scratching his head irritably, he yelled toward the back.
"Hans! Bring me a big glass of cold water, filled to the brim!"
At his call, the man who seemed like the owner brought water and placed it in front of Cale.
Thud!
Cale gulped down the glass of water, set down none too gently.
After draining the whole glass, he let out a deep "Pah."
He took a few more deep breaths, then stood up.
"Let's talk outside."
Cale walked out without doubting I'd follow.
Even after leaving the tavern, his steps didn't stop.
His footsteps were steady, as if he had a clear destination.
"Miss, isn't this dangerous?"
As we headed to a more remote area, Billy worried.
"It's fine. It's fine."
I soothed Billy and followed Cale.
Only when we reached a quiet clearing did Cale stop.
By the time we arrived, the alcohol seemed to have worn off— Cale's eyes were clear.
'Hmm, this location and atmosphere feel kinda ominous.'
He wouldn't seriously want to fight here, right?
Billy, tense too, pulled me behind him.
Cale stared at us steadily, then spoke.
"How do you know me, and why did you come looking?"
He hadn't swung a fist again, but his wariness remained.
At least there was room for talk.
I pushed past Billy and stepped forward.
"That's not the important part."
Cale's eyebrow twitched in dissatisfaction.
"What's important is why you came to ask me a favor, right?"
"A favor? You want to ask me for a favor? So you're not here on someone's orders."
I could feel his guard drop a notch at my answer.
He must've thought we were after his life.
"Yes. I came because I have a favor to ask. Not because someone told me to find you."
"What kind of favor makes you seek out someone like me?"
"Would you teach me about one person?"
Cale scoffed.
His attitude said he couldn't believe I'd come to him for something so trivial.
"I thought it was something huge. Why should I?"
"Because the reward will please you."
"No reward you offer will move me. Go. Don't bother me anymore."
He showed annoyance at the pointless conversation.
As if he'd said his piece, he coldly turned away.
That expression would change soon.
Because, as a possessor, I knew what he desperately wanted.
"Revenge."
He halted mid-turn.
Cale's blue eyes gleamed even brighter as they poured onto me.
"Don't you want it?"
Seeing him grit his teeth, I smiled triumphantly.
"Revenge? What nonsense is that?"
Even though his eyes had just changed.
Cale pretended nonchalance, acting calm.
"If you know the name Cale Pedro, you must know everything, right?"
He was from the Imperial Knight Order.
But officially, no one named Cale Pedro had ever been in the Imperial Knight Order.
So, just knowing his name meant I knew a lot about him.
Cale's gaze sharpened.
"How much did you dig into my background?"
Truthfully, I didn't know Cale's story perfectly.
I only knew roughly that he'd started teaching Luciano for revenge.
"As much as I needed."
'Sometimes, you gotta bluff.'
I smiled meaningfully, and Cale let out an exasperated sigh.
"Fine, it's a tempting offer."
A positive answer came, contrary to his attitude.
'Easy like this?' I thought, excited that the protagonist buff had finally kicked in after so long.
"So, you'll accept my request?"
"As if."
Of course.
Nothing I do ever goes smoothly.
I'd gotten ahead of myself.
"You said it was tempting. Isn't the reward satisfactory?"
"It is. It's what I've wanted my whole life— how could it not tempt me? But little miss, what makes you think I can trust you? Do you even have the ability?"
I nodded slowly.
"You're right. Right now, I can't do anything."
At my honest admission, Cale smirked mockingly.
"Impossible now, but possible later? Aren't you writing a bad check?"
"Exactly, a bad check. Because we're weak right now."
I didn't avoid Cale's gaze.
"You're awfully brazen."
"But who else would step up to help with your revenge? Must be a weak feeling if you can suppress it and live with it."
I poked at him, knowing he burned with revenge enough to live as a drunkard.
"Watch your mouth."
As expected, Cale's eyes blazed blue as he growled.
His fierce aura made it seem like he'd tear me apart as if I were his enemy.
Compared to before, the energy was incomparable— I felt Billy stiffen beside me.
"Don't take out your anger on the wrong person. The one you want revenge on isn't me."
I just stated it coldly.
Cale's face twitched, but he didn't lunge.
He hadn't lost his reason, it seemed.
He recognized himself that he'd vented on me.
He took a deep breath to calm his emotions.
Then ruffled his hair.
"Damn, what am I doing arguing with a kid? Feels like I've been possessed."
He grumbled belatedly, as if he couldn't believe this situation of bickering with me.
His drunken haze was completely gone.
"What's a kid got to do with having a conversation?"
I didn't like his tone.
"Why doesn't it? This conversation is weird."
"It's not weird at all. Kids can have conversations like this."
At that, Cale looked to the sky and down at the ground a few times in disbelief, then let out a long sigh.
"Hey, little miss. You aren't like, living a second life or something, are you?"
Gasp, sharp!
Did he know something?
No way Cale was a regressor?
Romance fantasies these days had other possessors or regressors, so the suspicion popped up.
"Th-that couldn't happen."
Not knowing the situation, I denied it first.
"Right, that couldn't happen. But your speech isn't childlike. Ah, seeing all sorts now."
I'd widened my eyes in surprise to observe, but Cale just grumbled to himself, as if tossing it out casually.
'Almost got hooked. Gotta be careful.'
"The more I talk to you, Miss, the more my head hurts. Feels like the alcohol hasn't worn off."
Since Cale's aggression seemed to lessen, I decided to step back.
"Shall we talk again later?"
It'd be better to converse when he's fully sober anyway.
"How about this? Bring the person I have to teach. I'll decide after seeing them. What do you think?"
An unexpectedly positive response— I narrowed my eyes, scrutinizing Cale.
I couldn't believe this guy, who wouldn't cave easily, was agreeing so readily.
"I'll only teach if they're worth it."
Then I saw Cale's smirking face and understood his thinking.
He planned to reject me by saying there's no talent.
He didn't know it wouldn't work on that person.
Luciano would become the world's strongest.
"Okay."
I declared confidently.
It was fortunate Luciano would have a teacher, another person to rely on.
I was thrilled there'd be no more humiliating defeats.
That was then.
* * *
"What’s this old man?"
"What’s this brat?"
That was before the two met and voiced their impressions of each other.
