âWe did it,â Asmond said as he stabbed his sword on the road and leaned on it, and chuckled with disbelief. âWe defeated all the demons,â he continued as he looked back, but his smile disappeared the moment he saw hundreds of people laying on the sidewalk dead.
âYou have done a great job, Asmond,â Kastor said as he patted Asmondâs shoulder.
Asmond didnât say anything and just kept staring at everyone carrying the dead bodies of strangers and even their own friends. There were no smiles or laughter, everyone looked depressed and devastated even though they won the battle against the demons.
âDonât think about it too much,â Kastor said as he sighed and looked at those people. âLet them mourn because thatâs the only right thing to do. If you want to see smiles and laughter, we need to get stronger than this so something like this wonât happen again,â he explained as he tightened his grip on Asmondâs shoulder and shook him gently.
âMaster, why the Guild Association donât help us? I know that we made a mistake and it was despicable, but letting these people die, arenât they just as bad as us?â Asmond asked while looking at Kastor with a frowned expression.
âIâm sorry, Asmond, it was all my fault. You canât blame them and I understand why they made such a bold statement because even I was furious and devastated when I heard the news,â Kastor answered and looked down while taking a deep breath. âAll of this wouldnât have happened if he didnât make a bet with him,â he said quietly.
Asmond looked at Kastor and was confused by his statement but before he could ask about it to him, Kastorâs assistant came. âMister Kastor, I have received a message from Enma and she said that Caesarâs condition is stable now,â
âI see, I will visit him once Iâm done here,â Kastor replied with a gentle smile on his face. Her assistant nodded with understanding and then left. âLetâs help these people, Asmond, they need our help physically and mentally,â he said as he walked to the sidewalk.
âItâs finally over, right?â Jeanne asked.
âYeah, I think itâs over,â Gunnar answered as he nodded his head. âYour friend is amazing, Jeanne, heâs the reason why they could ward off all the demons from destroying the city,â he continued as he stood up.
âWhere are you going? Rozan asked while staring at Gunnar walking past him.
âI need some fresh air after watching all that,â Gunnar replied while he waved his hand and walked to the door.
âDo you have to go somewhere after this?â Mykel asked Lyneth who had been busy with her phone.
âYes, I have some business with the government related to the damages, Iâm planning on covering all of the damages,â Lyneth answered while keep staring at her phone.
âI see, well then, Agnez and Lillith will be your bodyguards,â Mykel said as he grabbed Agnez and Lillithâs heads from behind. Agnez gave him a thumbs up while she keep watching the news.
âHmm? Do you have a plan?â Lyneth asked and looked at him.
âIâm going to accompany, Gunnar, he looks like about to cry from watching the breakout,â Mykel answered as he grabbed his blazer. âJeanne, Gerrard, Rozan, you guys bring those three to the gym and give them the same training that I gave you guys,â he said as he walked to the door.
âGot it, boss,â Rozan said as he stood up. âCome on, we donât have time to waste,â he said and looked at those three.
âI knew you would be down here,â Mykel said with the Blazer over his shoulders.
âBoss?â Gunnar asked with a full glass of gin.
âMake some space, your body is getting bigger and bigger now,â Mykel said as he looked at the sofa that should be enough for three people but Gunnar almost had it for himself.
âWhat are you doing down here, boss? I thought youâre going to be with Miss Lyneth,â Gunnar asked and then drank the gin.
âHow can I leave when I see you like this,â Mykel answered as he leaned and stared at the ceiling while putting a cigarette in his mouth. âCan I ask you something, Gunnar?â he asked.
âSure, boss,â Gunnar answered.
âAm I a bad guy?â Mykel asked as he stared at Gunnar from the corner of his eyes.
âI donât believe youâre a bad or good guy, boss. Youâre just doing whatâs best for your own good, thatâs what I think,â Gunnar answered.
âWhat if people called me the bad guy, are you still going to follow me?â Mykel asked and stared at his cigarette in between his fingers.
âItâs too hard for me to answer, boss, but I want to keep following you because Rozan and the others are my new family now. Not to mention we got three new recruits,â Gunnar answered as he poured himself another full glass of gin.
âI see, I hope that you forgive me if I didnât meet your expectations, Gunnar,â Mykel said as he leaned her body forward and poured a glass of gin.
âWhat are you talking about, boss? Youâre making me feel bad now for saying that,â Gunnar replied while looking at Mykel who barely made any expression.
âJust enjoy your alone time, you can come back whenever youâre ready. Oh, also those three are in the gym now if you want to mess with them. Iâm going there now,â Mykel said as he patted Gunnarâs back then stood up and left.
âEh? Really?! You should have told me earlier, boss!â Gunnar said as he ran toward Mykel and joined his walk.
Asmond and Kastor went to the hospital where Caesar was treated. Asmond looked at his surroundings and so many Awakeners were being treated. He couldnât bear to see those people with heavy injuries all over their bodies and kept walking next to Kastor.
Kastor entered the VIP room and saw Caesarâs face was covered with bandages and Enma sat next to him. âHowâs he?â he asked Enma as he looked at Caesarâs condition.
âHeâs doing better now, he had a few broken bones and stitches all over his face and arms. The doctor said he will be okay thanks to his skills that helped him stay alive and recover from the injuries,â Enma answered as she kept staring at Caesarâs face.
âHow about his face? Is it really that bad?â Kastor asked as he sat down on the other side of the bed.
âThe doctor said they have fixed it but it wonât make his face back like how it used to be because so many parts of his face were fractured and crushed that it was hard for them to fix. Caesar said that it wasnât necessary as long as he could see with his both eyes,â Enma replied as she sighed and frowned.
âIâm glad that heâs doing okay,â Kastor said while he looked at Enma.
âIf the Guild Association didnât send medical supplies, they said they would lose him. Thank goodness they got the supplies the moment we came in here,â Enma said and started crying.
âYeah, I heard they are going to cover all the damages and medical expenses. I knew that she wouldnât abandon us, sheâs the Lyneth I know,â Kastor said and started to smile.
âI told you to stop crying, Enma,â Caesar said weakly as he slowly turned his head toward her. Enma nodded and sniffled as she wiped her tears.
âHey Caesar, how are you feeling?â Kastor asked as he stood up.
âI feel like shitâ¦â Caesar said and tried to chuckle but he coughed instead which sounded so painful.
âI think you shouldnât be talking and just get some rest. We came here to check your condition, thatâs all,â Kastor said as he gently patted Caesarâs chest.
âIâm fine, donât worry about me, itâs just quite hard to breathe with this thing in my nose,â Caesar said. âAh, youâre here as well, Asmond, Iâm glad to see you here,â he continued as he slightly raised his hand.
âHi, sir, Iâm glad that youâre okay,â Asmond said with a nervous smile.
âI told you to stop calling me sir, just call me Caesar like the others. We arenât strangers anymore, you know?â Caesar said and then he stared blankly at the ceiling. âI heard that you guys killed the demons in District 11 and District 12, I also heard that you cut the minotaur in half, Asmond. You know that youâre a fucking hero, right?â he said as he looked at Asmond.
âNo, I donât think Iâm a hero, Iâm just doing my best to protect everyone and killed the demons, thatâs all,â Asmond answered while chuckling and scratching the back of his head.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âThatâs what a hero does, Asmond, youâre the hero of the story,â Caesar said while he pointed his finger at him. âI can see that we have a bright future with Asmond with us, Kastor, I can see it,â he continued and coughed again.
âYes, I believe so too,â Kastor said as he looked at Asmond and nodded in agreement.