Running Hounds (4)

The dark clouds on the horizon recede.

The sun rose, the rain weakened, and a double rainbow appeared.

The monsters had lost their strength and were running away to the bottom of the sea.

…kwakwang! pungdeong! uleuleung-

The Kraken, the strongest enemy of the Tochka Alliance, lost all its tentacles and crumbled beneath the water.

In the distance, the Imperial Palace can be seen collapsing.

"Aaah! The black fog has lifted!"

"Vikir did it!"

"... Also!"

Tudor, Sancho, and Bianca shouted in joy.

But.

"Hmmm. I have a bad feeling about this."

Standing over the corpse of a large monster, Camus had been feeling uncomfortable since earlier.

The flow of mana was strange. There's a huge surge of mana, then it breaks off, and then it flows out again in a faint trickle.

This was a completely new type of energy that did not belong to Andras.

Furthermore, Vikir's aura was also fading, as if it were about to break.

It wasn't a matter of life force, but rather a feeling of being very far away.

"Camus, what's wrong, do you sense something bad?"

Morg Adolf loomed over the corpse of the monster across from Camus.

Camus answers her uncle's question with a simple nod.

" ...It's like a woman's instinct."

By this time, Aiyen, Dolores, Sinclair, and Kirko, all of whom are as capable as Camus, are also sensing something fishy.

kwakwang!

Camus sprinted across the surface of the water.

Four shadows followed behind her.

Aiyen, Dolores, Sinclair, and Kirko.

Their appearance made Camus turn around, irritated.

"What the hell! Why are you following me!"

"I've been keeping an eye on the palace since earlier. I had a bad feeling."

"Vikir might be injured, and we need to get him some medical attention as soon as possible."

"I'm worried about my brother. He deserves a cat's hand!"

"I was following him the whole time. Is there a problem?"

Just then.

Chaaaahhhhhhhh.

The sea surface parted, revealing a vast expanse of land beneath it.

Madam. It was holding out its back to the five women, including Camus as if inviting them to get on.

"Okay!"

Camus, Aiyen, Dolores, Sinclair, and Kirko climbed onto the Madam Baby's back and rode toward the palace.

And soon.

They witnessed a shocking scene.

Piggy had risen from the dead, and Vikir stood before the portal, covered in blood.

The first to let out a new scream was Camus.

"Where are you going! Hey...!"

In her panic and anger, a swear word escaped the tip of her tongue before she tucked it back in.

Camus pressed her hands firmly to her chest to control her anger.

"Huh... No, I can't, I've barely corrected my way of speaking, and I can't swear again, damn it!"

But she couldn't hold it in any longer.

She stretched out a trembling finger and pointed at Vikir.

"Where are you going!"

"...."

Vikir's eyes widened at Camus' sharp question, but he didn't say anything.

A few more moments passed before he finally opened his mouth to answer.

"Where I came from. I'm going where I'm supposed to be."

"Fuck! Where you're supposed to be is next to me, don't you realize that?"

The area around Camus' eyes was turning as red as the color of her pupils.

"...Do you always think about yourself?"

"...."

"Do you ever think about me when you're thinking about yourself?"

Camus spoke in a quiet voice.

"Who am I to break up all the gossip that comes into the house?"

"...."

"Because of you, I never had the love life that everyone else had, the school life that everyone else had, and I spent all my youth searching the jungles of the Red and Black Mountains, and then you turned my path to black magic and made it awkward with my uncle...."

"...."

"Didn't you know that I became a delegate to the Dark Hall just to meet you, and then I transferred to a school to meet you, and then you fell into the Hell Tree, and when you came out, you were tried and sent to prison, and when you escaped, you staged a sit-in in Tochka, and now you're in the Imperial Palace...."

"...."

"You bastard, who's the hound of House Baskerville!"

Camus was about to use her signature magic.

Vikir realized he couldn't handle Camus' anger in his current state, so he quietly raised his hands and stepped out of the portal.

Only then did the Camus' momentum slow down a bit.

Vikir suddenly took a closer look at Camus' face.

Time had certainly passed.

She was still the same little eight-year-old, but she had grown into a determined young woman.

He thought it was just a crush that would end after a while, but it wasn't.

Just then, another girl walked by Camus' side.

It was Aiyen.

"I'm sure you haven't forgotten your time in the jungle, or what happened in Nouvelle Vague."

"...."

"The first time I saw you was in a slave trader's cage. When you rescued me, I knew in my gut. I knew I would spend the rest of my life with you, and that nothing could separate us, not even the harshest of fates."

"...."

"I never forgot you, not even during the Red Death epidemic or when I was trapped in the Hell Tree. I even traveled into Nouvelle Vague myself to rescue you."

Aiyen's face flushed a rare shade of red.

"And I'm already married. You've seen everything I've seen and everything I can't, even urinating....."

At that moment, the word urinating came out of Aiyen's mouth, and the person next to her blushed bright red.

Dolores was wriggling her fingers.

"...I, I am"

She hesitated for a moment, then gathered her courage.

"I've been working so hard to be of help to you, Vikir! I've studied soul resonance so I wouldn't be a nuisance as your soul mate, I've followed you on demon hunts, and I've even formed an organization called the Night Walkers to fulfill the mission you left for me...."

Dolores looked up at Vikir with tears in her eyes.

"I've done a lot for you, and it's not fair that you're leaving without giving me a compliment...."

And beside her stood another woman who had been with the Night Walkers all along.

Sinclair.

She looked up at Vikir, her eyes wide and clear.

"Do you remember what you said to me before?"

"...."

"You said it was entirely up to the individual to decide what to see, what to believe, and what choices to make."

"...."

"You're right, brother, and that's why I'm going to make a decision that's solely my responsibility."

"...."

"I want you to go out with me, brother, seriously, like marriage! We promised each other when we were having midnight snacks in the dorm, and one day, when you get everything you want, you'll take me as your bride!"

Camus, Aiyen, and Dolores' eyes narrowed at Sinclair's bombshell.

A fifth voice broke through the bickering among them.

It was Kirko.

"Garm. No, Vikir."

"...."

"I'm still stunned. Why you saved me, and what was going on in Garm's mind. Everything is just confusing."

"...."

"So I want to follow you for a while longer, to find the meaning of my life, what I have to live for."

"...."

"I'm a body that has already died once. If it weren't for you, I would have no ties or regrets in this world."

"...."

"This may sound a bit brash, but... you're the one who saved me from disappearing with my hometown, so I think you owe me that much,

so take me with you. To where you originally belong."

Camus, Aiyen, Dolores, Sinclair, and Kirko.

They were giving Vikir as determined a stare as he was.

Vikir spoke, his voice cracked and hoarse.

"Where I came from is a devastated place."

All five women nodded.

"I know. I can guess that from your personality."

"What kind of environment did you grow up in to have such a bad personality?"

"Seriously, Vikir, you need to reflect."

"Brother, do you have a personality problem?"

"It's worse than Nouvelle Vague, so... I'm a little curious."

Vikir said again.

"I am a terrible human being. I carry a heavy burden... and I'm old."

All five women nodded once more.

"I know you're a terrible person, and you should be grateful that you know that because that's why we love you."

"You did seem older. The way you talked and acted."

"Our Pope said you seemed old in spirit from the beginning, which is why she called you an old man at first...."

"The carrying part reminded me, brother, do you remember when we were in the Hell Tree, you kicked me for taking on the fist of a Demonic Dragon? I'm secretly behind you~ I'm going to make you regret kicking me."

"How much age difference is appropriate between a man and a woman? I don't know because I've never been in a relationship, but is it weird if there's... Is it strange if we are 50 years apart?"

They walked up the stairs, spouting off one comment after another.

And then.

Camus, Aiyen, Dolores, Sinclair, and Kirko stood behind Vikir.

Just as they had always done.

Of course, their faces didn't change at the sight of the landscape beyond the portal.

"I can't send you to such a horrible place alone, remember? You said you'd stay with me through death's door."

"I'll go with you. I want to help my tribe, whoever might still be alive on the other side."

"I saw your inner Vikir in the Hell Tree of Cimeries. You said we were colleagues. Let's share the burden, Mr. Choco."

"Wherever my brother goes, I will definitely follow. Don't you dare leave me behind."

"It's an interesting place. Did the Nouvelle Vague over there collapse too? I'd still like to go there."

Eventually. Vikir couldn't help but sigh.

"Do as you please."

Vikir turns toward the portal.

Camus, Aiyen, Dolores, Sinclair, and Kirko follow him.

And as Piggy watched them all, a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"...They are good people."

And with that, the portal closed.

Beyond the blazing flames, Vikir threw himself into the twisting space.

The Hound of Baskerville, the Night Hound.

He returns to where he came from, having fulfilled all his duties.

Tsutsutsutsutsutsutsutsuts...

His vision began to spin.

Every sense in his body is twisted.

The clockwork was ticking backward.

And blooming between the first and second hands, The last words of a friend who left a long time ago and who is now letting go of him are disturbed.

'Have a great trip, friend.'

That was his last time in this world.