Old People Don’t Hold Hands - Chapter 162



Only Krnovel

Episode 162, Truth (2)

When I returned after finishing my conversation with Nokin, it was already late at night.

So when we returned to the room, naturally, all four of us were getting ready to go to sleep.

… … To be exact, Diana came into the room as I entered.

“Mr. Declen, you’re a little late.”

He sat up again and looked at me.

Inogen was lying there, almost half asleep.

“Ugh, sir. Why are you so late?”

… … Biella was lying down and just waving her arms around, to the point where it seemed a bit presumptuous.

Nowen was watching Biella like that… … while sitting in her seat.

hmm?

As I was looking at Nowen, who was looking at Biella, a strange thought suddenly occurred to me.

So, for some reason, it seemed like the way Nowen looked at Biella had changed.

… … It’s a strange thought.

Now that I think about it, while visiting the labyrinth this time, Nowen and Biella got noticeably closer.

Besides, didn’t Nowen just say that in the bathroom?

[Just like you said back then, I just wanted to protect you!]

… … he said.

When I asked him if he wanted to protect us then, Nowen said:

[I want to protect you too, haha!]

… … and gave an answer that seemed somewhat questionable.

And you too?

Doesn’t it sound like the person you were talking about earlier who you “felt like wanting to protect” was one of us?

then…….

no way?

I stopped thinking and looked at Nowen again.

… … That is, I am talking about Nowen, who has been staring at Biella since a while ago.

As if sensing my gaze, Nowen also stopped staring blankly at Biella.

“Ah, ahem! DeClen, you’re finally here! I’ve been waiting for you!”

… … All he could answer was like this.

No matter how I look at it, I still have reasonable doubts.

Let’s ask about this little by little… … .

“It’s late, so let’s go to sleep first.”

As I tried to tidy up the place, Nowen looked at me restlessly.

It seems like he’s anxious because he’s trying to clean up after himself without properly finishing his conversation in the bathroom.

“Mr. Nowen.”

“Uh, huh? What’s going on?”

“… … After you’re all asleep, can we talk privately for a moment?”

“Uh… … , okay.”

Let’s say it like this, as if you had some idea of ​​what I was going to say.

Nowen also nodded.

“… … .”

Biella and Diana also seemed to have some idea of ​​what I was going to talk about with Nowen.

“Haam. Hey, humans. Why do you guys keep joking among yourselves? It’s not fun.”

… … Inogenman, oblivious, just yawned.

After we had made our arrangements, we quickly fell asleep.

… … To be exact, I don’t know if they’re pretending to be asleep, except for Inogen.

I got up quietly about 30 minutes after everyone else had quieted down.

As I sat up, I heard the sound of someone quietly waking up from the bed on the other side.

… … Probably Nowen.

I said I would talk quietly later, so he must have been waiting for you to wake up first.

I turned my body and looked there, and as expected, it was there.

Nowen stood there, hesitating.

Nowen looked back at Diana, Biella, and Inogen, who were sleeping for a moment.

“… … Oh, everyone fell asleep early today?”

“That’s right.”

As he was waking up and looking at those who were sleeping, Nowen’s gaze caught another’s eye.

“… … .”

It was Biella.

Even in a dark place like this, I see my gaze turning as if it were a habit.

I guess that might be true.

But if that’s true… … .

“Mr. Nowen.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“First, let’s move. To a place where there are no people.”

“… … Joe, that’s a good idea.”

***

After that, the place I arrived with Nowen was another empty room in the hallway on the same floor.

… … Because the matter was so sensitive, we couldn’t talk about it outside.

But it was a bit awkward to say that in Biella’s presence, so this was the compromise we made.

Let’s make sure there’s no one else there and take a seat.

Nowen also sat in front of me.

A small fire was burning between Nowen and me.

I lit the candle on the table.

I guess I’ll have to see your face to know what happens.

“I guess you called me here because of that story earlier… … .”

“Yes. But before we wrap up that story… … .”

I quietly handed something to Nowen.

“… … This isn’t blood!”

Naturally, what he gave to Nowen was the blood of the saint he had received from Nokin.

I nodded in surprise at Nowen’s question.

“This is what I bought today.”

“… … So that’s why you smelled blood, DeClen.”

At my words, Nowen looked at the blood in the glass tube with a serious expression.

“… … Let me get straight to the point and tell you what the blood is used for.”

“… … .”

“If you drink that blood, you will forget your memories for five minutes.”

“… … ! Remember?”

“Yes, and I would like Mr. Nowen to drink this.”

“… … !”

Nowen was surprised by my words and gripped the glass tube in his hand even tighter.

And yet, I just silently look at Nowen.

“When you do this, I’m afraid of what you might say… … .”

“… … I don’t mean anything bad. I just think that if the suggestion I’m about to make doesn’t work out, it would be better if you just forget about it.”

At my words, Nowen just fiddled with the glass tube without saying a word.

“… … I see. It’s not right for me to come all this way and not trust you.”

Immediately after saying that, I opened the lid of the glass case.

He drank the blood of the saint inside in one gulp.

“… … You drank it all. So tell me.”

Looking at Nowen, who was swallowing his saliva as if he was nervous.

I leaned my upper body forward and adjusted my posture.

“Before we get into the details, I have something to ask Mr. Nowen first.”

“Th, what is that… … ?”

“Mr. Nowen.”

“Uh, um!”

“Do you like Mr. Biella by any chance?”

“… … .”

Strangely enough, Nowen showed no reaction to what I said.

… … That’s exactly what I thought.

I raised my head as there was no response.

Nowen’s face turned bright red like the candles lit between them.

He was looking at me with a blank expression.

When I see this kind of reaction, I guess… … .

“You like me, Mr. Biella.”

“How did you know that? I, I really never showed it… … .”

… … This guy, what is he, a lover?

My eyes go in that direction without warning.

Saying that there is someone who will protect you.

Even though I chased after you.

… … Did you really think I wouldn’t notice this?

“D, DeClen, you’re also quick-witted. … … Amazing!”

… … Huh.

“Well, let’s say that for now… … .”

Anyway, that’s not what’s really important.

“If you like Mr. Biella, there’s something you should know, so I wanted to tell you.”

“… … That, that’s right. What is it?”

“We are all manifesters.”

“… … !”

“The same goes for Mr. Biella.”

At my words, Nowen opened his eyes wide for a moment, as if he was surprised.

“Actually, I kind of expected it… … .”

……what?

“As you know, the power of hiding is extremely rare. Only a priest would be able to use such a strong power.”

“… … .”

“But… … , when I listened to what Biella usually said, she didn’t seem like she was from a priesthood at all. So I was thinking that maybe… … , that might be the case.”

……aha.

When I heard stories about Biella’s usual behavior and past, I thought that even if he died, he would not become a priest.

So, from there, I had a rough idea.

So I wasn’t really surprised by the Biella story.

“But… …, it’s surprising that you, Deklen, are also a manifestation. Weren’t you the successor of Lord Revalo?”

“No, I am also a manifester. Strictly speaking, I can… … use the powers of those I have killed.”

“Then, what about Lord Revalo’s power…?”

“Yes, it wasn’t my intention, but it belonged to the person I killed.”

At my words, Nowen’s expression darkened noticeably.

… … Well, I thought that Nowen wouldn’t be too pleased with it, given his personality that prioritizes justice.

Still, there is one thing to be thankful for.

The thing was that Nowen didn’t leave the room and still tried to listen to my story.

… … I took this opportunity to briefly explain to Nowen what had happened.

How did you erase the slave mark that Nowen had noticed when he first saw me?

How I obtained these powers all along.

After finishing all the stories like that, Nowen was silent for a moment.

“So then… …, the powers you possess ultimately belong to those who tried to kill you.”

“You could see it that way. It was the strength I gained from wanting to live.”

At my words, Nowen fell silent once again.

Finally, he looked at me and answered like this.

“At first glance, yours seems similar to my power.”

“… … Mr. Nowen’s power?”

“That’s right. Didn’t I also kill the successor who had the same power and steal the power?”

… … Oh, right.

Come to think of it, Zenrir’s power also had a similar system.

Because of Zenrir’s mission of ‘fighting’, Zenrir’s successors had to fight and kill each other to gain strength.

“I too was just a poor and insignificant person at first. After I gained power, I had to fight.”

“… … .”

“I naturally became stronger as I tried to protect myself from those who were after me, a worthless person. … … Of course. I killed those who tried to kill me and absorbed their strength.”

“… … .”

“I don’t think the power you’ve gained now is wrong, since I’ve become that strong myself. However… … , I have something to ask you.”

“… … What is it?”

“Anyway, you are no longer the powerless slave I first saw. You are now a true Fourth Count adventurer.”

“… … That’s right.”

“Where do you plan on using that power to become so strong?”

I was silent for a moment at Nowen’s question.

I looked straight into his eyes.

Nowen’s face turned red when he was caught with a crush on a woman.

He was looking straight at me with a serious face.

… … That is, it is like the strong being polite to the strong.

“Because we are manifesters, we cannot use this power publicly. In the first place, we would have to live our entire lives with our identities hidden.”

“… … I do have an identity card, but I guess that’s the only way it can be.”

“So we want to change the world.”

“… … !”

At my words, Nowen was surprised and looked at me with his eyes wide open.

I looked straight at Nowen, with the same determined expression as before.

He conveyed his words with strength in each and every word.

“To be exact, I intend to create a world where manifesters no longer have to live in hiding.”