Chapter 289: The Last Member (6)

Loretta and I entered the castle without hesitation. As I somewhat understood where he was, I led Loretta and walked through the castle's hall, feeling his boundless mana in the surroundings.

Mm, this is...

"He has two true names, huh."

When I murmured, Loretta tilted her head curiously.

"Two? That's impossible. Kain... Kain Zerahard only has one true name."

"No, he has two. He either hid one, or he must have obtained one afterwards."

[I'm surprised you found out.]

After his voice rang out in the communication channel, a wall in the hallway rose up like a curtain. Almost like a hidden room from the movies, beyond the wall was a small room.

Kain Zerahar greeted us, half lying on a giant sofa that seemed to serve as his bed.

"You're..."

When he saw me, he opened his mouth, then closed it soon after. I took this time to examine him closer.

The first thing I noticed was his clothes. Translucent silk-like clothing covered his body, shining with all sorts of colors. The tiny bit of skin he showed on his neck showed how pale he was.

He had a long and slender neckline, and he was beautiful enough to be considered a woman. I thought Lin was pretty, but Kain Zerahard even surpassed Lin. Left alone for a long time, his hair was longer than an average girl's and that seemed to add to his charm. I finally opened my mouth.

"How handsome."

"Indeed, you're handsome."

Almost as if he was copying me, Kain Zerahard commented on my appearance at the same time. Realizing that we talked over each other, we both closed our mouth. An awkward silence descended.

... I began to doubt whether Loretta judged people based on their appearance.

Soon, he eyed Loretta and spoke briefly.

"It's been a while."

"Yes, it's been a while."

That was it. It must have been centuries from the last time they saw each other! Of course, I wasn't generous enough to happily watch Loretta talk to her first love, and since Hwaya must be fighting one of the kings even now, I moved the conversation forward.

"My comrade... A precious person of mine is in a life-or-death situation where a single second is important. Please, your power can save her. We need Odin's Gungnir."

"So you want me to use Gungnir?"

"Yes. If you want something in return, I would be happy to anything as long as it's within my ability."

Even as I spoke, I knew in the corner of my mind that he wouldn't accept this request. He had lived in a secret room of his castle for centuries while hiding having a god's true name. I felt like I knew what this meant.

Even so, I came to see him because I had a card in hand. In the process of coming to meet him, I became certain of its usefulness.

"I refuse. There's nothing I want."

As expected, he replied instantly.

"There's nothing you want?"

"That's right. Everything I want disappeared long ago, and there's no way to turn back time."

'As I thought.' I murmured inwardly. As I had heard about him from Loretta and others, I knew what he meant.

He was the last survivor of his world. In other words, he abandoned his dying world and escaped with the world's power. It had to have been hundreds of years ago."

"You should know what I mean. What do you think I'm doing right now?"

"You're hiding."

"Right, I'm hiding."

When was the last time he moved his body? He raised his long and thin fingers.

"I lost everything I had to protect and escaped cursing everything. As I have no right to live, I'm simply waiting for death to come take my life. Unfortunately, my boundless mana won't allow me to die easily, so I've been waiting for a long time. Perhaps, I'll have to wait eternally."

"I don't think I'll be able to change your mind... but you're wrong."

Loretta spoke out. Her voice was filled with faint anger.

"Do you see me, Kain? Do you see what all administrative guilds are doing? If you help, we can save countless others who are in the same position as you. Even just a little bit would have been fine. The dungeon always cheered you on, and everyone supported you. But you..."

"You don't understand, Loretta."

"What don't I understand!? I experienced the same things you have! Everything I wanted to protect! Everyone I wanted to protect! I lost everything that supported me! Parents, siblings, friends, comrades! My world and all lives living in it! You're telling me I still don't understand!?"

"I lost the woman I love, the one person I cared for more than the entire world."

At his calm tone, Loretta retorted in a frighteningly quiet voice.

"Yes, if there was one thing I didn't understand, it was the feeling of losing a lover. Is that why you taught it to me? How kind of you."

"..."

"I didn't want to make Heroes of other worlds face the same reality I did. That's why I accepted Lord's offer and helped create the dungeon. I create pathways to countless worlds being attacked by worlds' enemies and helped explorers walk the right path. At first, you were one of them, Kain."

All explorers were indebted to the dungeon. There was no doubt about it. By entering the dungeon, we obtained the power to resist our enemies, and we grew stronger by relying on the dungeon's power.

But Kain holed up in Beyond's Residential Are with the power he received. Simply put, he had washed his mouth clean after being treated. Even after hundreds of years, he was the strongest explorer. If he joined an administrative guild or worked as a Dimensional Mercenary during this time, he could have saved many worlds from ruin.

Still.

"He's not obligated to do anything, Loretta. No one can force someone to do something... Even if Loretta did in the past."

"Yes, I was the one who disappointed myself. Because I believed in him, I received more shock when I realized the truth."

Through Kain, Loretta learned that excessive trust only led to her getting hurt.

... How she acted in an inexplicably exaggerated manner around me and how she told me to escape if things got hard surely had something to do with her trauma from this incident. Because she didn't want to be hurt, she had lowered her expectations.

To be honest, it was quite absurd. This weakness and softness shouldn't have been the charm she felt from me.

"... Loretta, there's something us guys have to talk about."

I spoke out before she became more emotional. Not only Loretta, but Kain Zerahard also widened his eyes. It seemed he didn't expect me to do this.

"There's nothing else I need to hear. I just wanted to see what you were going to say. If you know my circumstance, you should know I only have one answer for you."

"Kain, help Shin-nim! You should be able to do this much! It's not like you'll suffer a loss... Ubub!?"

I blocked Loretta's mouth.

"Loretta, thank you for helping me get here. You did what you needed to. From now, I'll be fine on my own. I can convince him."

"S-Shin-nim...!?"

Loretta made a funny expression like she couldn't understand what I was thinking. Although her flapping ears were adorable, as I wasn't in the best place to show her my affection, I simply nodded my head for now.

"Leave it to me."

"... Y-Yes."

In the end, Loretta nodded with a flushed face.

"T-Then I'll see you later. I'll go back for now! Kain, Sikatra says hi! Make sure you help Shin-nim!"

Loretta then turned around and left as she frantically fanned her reddened face. Seeing her leave quietly, Kain muttered.

"Thanks."

"It's nothing you should be thankful about. I love her and she loves me. That's all there is to it."

"... You're right."

After murmuring in agreement, he spoke up with a stiff voice.

"But I still refuse."

"Really?"

"There's nothing you can say that'll convince me. Leave me be."

"Is it the feeling of loss that's controlling you?"

"No, it might have been for the first two hundred years, but it's been a long time since I got over that."

After hearing him, I took a quick breath. Then, I quickly added.

"Then it's the feeling of helplessness."

Kain's eyes widened slightly. It wasn't a laughable situation, but I couldn't help but grin slightly.

"Are you ready to talk to me now?"

"You're a rookie who just entered Beyond... You know about it?"

"I don't mean to brag, but I'm about to enter Beyond's 31st floor. I'm on the First Dungeon's 81st floor too."

Though I was the one who said it, I felt proud. I had come this far. So many things had happened on the way, and thankfully, I had grasped onto many things without letting them go.

It seemed I wasn't the only one who thought this way, as Kain spoke dumbfoundedly.

"... You already surpassed me in Beyond. In such a short time too... Are you really human?"

"I've been doubting it recently, but I was indeed a human when I was born."

"Talent... Is this what they call talent? How ridiculous. In my long life, this is the first time I've seen someone like you."

I smiled at his murmuring.

"Of course, compared to the years you've lived, mine must feel as light as a feather. But Kain, ah, I can call you Kain, right?"

"You have the qualifications."

"Kain, my feather is a bit big. Perhaps, it's so big that even you won't be able to see it in its full."

My Evil Eyes were shining on their own. Depending on their user's mood, Evil Eyes sometimes activated on their own. That was one of the flaws of Evil Eyes, but it didn't matter as Kain was not so weak as to be affected by my Evil Eyes.

"Let's talk, Kain, as quickly as possible if possible. I promise to give you something I can give, so lend me your power."

"Something you can give... you say."

"How I can be so certain even after realizing the same thing you have. That's what I can give you."

Sorry, but I can't guarantee anything. I'm just doing my best.

Kain also saw through my little bluff, but surprisingly, he broke out in a smile.

"I can see why Loretta fell for you."

He got up. His hair fluttered, and even after hundreds of years, his silk clothes covered his body softly and tightly. After standing on his feet perfectly, he took a light breath and infused life into his body.

Then, he stared at me.

"Let's hear it then. No one can bother us here, so rest easy and show me your everything."

"My pleasure."

And that's what I did.

With that, Kain joined Revival.