Saved by a knight in not so shining armor(3)

After examining the bodies and discussing something with the merchant, Dusk could see that Paul had started walking toward him. Dusk was sure the truth was already out. With enough experience and insight, it's possible for people to accurately identify the cause of death for corpses. Paul took his time examining the bodies and from the looks of it, Dusk was sure the Knight knew what he was doing.

Dusk didn't really want to reveal his strength to others. His body is too young for him to have learned a decade's worth of skills. There was a possibility that people would find out about his existence as a reincarnator. Which might cause a great deal of drama and ruin his peaceful shut-in life.

Nipping the problem in the bud, by killing Paul wasn't plausible. The knight was strong enough to one-shot a troll. Dusk may be experienced and skilled in combat, but in the face of raw power, not much can be done. He would easily get defeated or maybe even killed if Paul turned out to be more merciless than he appeared.

He searched for a way to get out of this predicament but in the end he didn't there was one. Using too much mana had caused his thoughts to slow down. If he was in a normal state he would have created a more fabricated tale than the one he told Paul. Then more possibilities would have been open. In fact, a tale wouldn't even be necessary. Faking grave injury and forcing Paul to get him back to the mansion would have bought him enough time to think of a solution. But doing such things now would be pointless as the truth was likely already out.

"Young master Dusk..... We need to speak." Paul had arrived while Dusk was thinking.

"Can't we go home? I want to see Daddy!" Dawn started complaining. It wasn't strange for her to desire the warmth of her home. Especially after such a grim experience.

"I'm afraid I'd like you to stay as well, Miss Dawn. The matter concerns you as well." Paul said in a serious tone.

Dawn seemed to feel a bit uneasy as the atmosphere seemed to grow heavy.

"Young master Dusk....I'll be blunt. Did you kill the mercenaries?" Paul asked.

Dusk decided on what his answer would be. Although he knew this answer could cause some issues, it would help him out in one thing. Something he had been thinking of how to tackle since around 2 years ago.

The young man sighed.

"Yes. It was me. I was the one who killed those mercenaries." he spoke the truth.

"....I see. It's surprising but not only do we have a witness but that would also make your story more believable. At least the part where you held off the Troll." Paul rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression.

"Eh?! Dusk?! You were the one who....killed...them?" Dawn was shocked to hear the news.

"This time. Tell me the truth. I think you should explain the incident honestly to your friend as well." Paul spoke in a commanding tone.

"All right. This might take a while though..." Dusk said before explaining everything. He didn't tell them too much about the techniques he used. But he did admit to using fire magic on the Troll and using martial arts he learned on the mercenaries.

"The martial arts...where did you learn them?" Paul wanted to know as his curiosity had been piqued.

"Let's just say it's a Nightmoon family secret. " Dusk replied with a polite smile.

"...I see." Paul wasn't convinced but he didn't press any further.

"Then I'll ask you one more thing. Why did you kill the mercenaries? I'm not saying you shouldn't have, I just want to know your reason." Paul asked seriously.

Dusk remained quiet for a few seconds. He took a glance at Dawn as he felt his answer may very well irk her. He could see Dawn was in deep thought after she was told about the true events.

In the end, he decided to just get on with this interrogation and end this whole troublesome incident. He had a headache from using too much mana and couldn't think complex thoughts from mana exhaustion. So trying to lie his way through would likely fail and waste time.

"I didn't plan to kill them at first. At first, I only arrived here to ensure Dawn's safety as it would trouble me if she were to get hurt....." Dusk paused after saying that.

'So he does care about me!' Dawn remarked inwardly. Hearing Dusk's words, a cheerful smile crept up on Dawn's face that she hid by keeping her head down.

'Wouldn't want a scuffle with Lucius after all.' Unfortunately for her, Dusk would be troubled for a different reason.

Paul gestured for Dusk to continue with his hand.

"....Right. While my objective was to protect Dawn, I did want to test out my abilities on the mercenaries. So I provoked both of them to take me seriously. At first, they fought to knock me out. But as they got more desperate it got obvious that they were fighting to kill. Even then, since I was the one who forced them into that state I didn't plan on killing them. But....one of them targeted Dawn to get back at me." Dusk's eyes turned cold as he got to that part.

"It was all fun and games to me until they were about to destroy my main objective for coming here. I couldn't allow any risks that would result in the failure of my mission...So I killed them." Dusk's tone almost turned robotic while saying that.

'Objective? Mission? He speaks like a mercenary or an assassin on a job. Not to mention he killed them simply to reduce the chances of failure in his goals.' Paul couldn't help but think the boy was strange.

He let out a long sigh after Dusk told him everything.

"All right, I get it. I would have liked to spar with you and check for sure if you're capable of defeating Tier 3 mercenaries and holding off a Troll...but now's not the time for that." Paul said as he turned in the direction where the sound of fast-approaching footsteps could be heard.

"DAWN! ARE YOU THERE?!" The voice of a man could be heard. Lucius appeared in sight a few seconds after with amazing agility.

"Daddy!" Dawn shouted and ran towards her father. Time seemed to slow down as both of them ran toward each other with relief and happy tears spreading across their faces. They immediately embraced each other after getting close enough.

"A reunion between father and Daughter. Don't you think it's a sight for sore eyes?" Paul smiled as he asked Dusk.

"Looked a bit too cliche for my tastes," Dusk replied with a disappointed gaze.

"Cliche..?" Paul frowned but didn't pry any further. He just wanted to enjoy the sight of father and daughter embracing each other. It made his journey here worth it.

"Though I suppose cliches aren't so bad every so often..." Dusk said in a whisper that couldn't be heard.

"Hmm? You say something?"

"No. Nothing at all." He yawned as he gazed at the night sky. Today's ordeal was quite a tiring one for him. But he didn't dislike it that much.