TEB Ch 24

“Liev Carter!” 

As usual, when someone called him by his full name instead of “Researcher Carter,” Liev sighed and looked up. What do they want now? While preparing to divide the hay into the feeding trough, Liev, distracted by the voice that prevented him from concentrating, glanced in the direction of the sound with an expression that did not hide his displeasure. 

Liev, with his hair grown uncontrollably until it almost touched his shoulders, pulled back into a ponytail, and large glasses pressed against his face, had a vague impression. There was nothing notable about him other than his height. His hair was always messy, covering his face in a somewhat gloomy manner. Despite the researchers pointing it out many times, Liev deliberately maintained a nonchalant and indifferent expression.

Even if he tidied up neatly, his appearance was nothing extraordinary that would stand out anywhere. In a place like this, there was nothing to gain by standing out with your face. It’s better to quietly listen, he thought, suppressing his breath.

During the moment of thinking about this, Liev heard a more urgent call becoming louder than usual. He tilted his head to the side and headed in the direction the researcher was calling.

“Where were you and what were you doing? Hurry up and come quickly!” 

Contrary to what he expected, the researcher seemed strangely excited, as if he had been thrilled by something unusual. What is it? Grumbling inwardly with a bad mood, Liev approached the researcher and there was someone unfamiliar next to him. 

“What’s going on?” 

As Liev stood there with disheveled hair and bits of hay stuck in it, he didn’t bother to straighten it out. He asked, and the professor quickly replied.

“This is Researcher Carter. And this is a Airen official who came from the Royal Palace.” 

It was absurd to treat the researcher so politely after calling him by name repeatedly a while ago. Whether he said something or not, the researcher seemed to be looking at the official sent from the palace with his unique mustache, as if trying to make a good impression. Liev responded with his usual dry voice. 

“Hello. I’m Liev Carter, a junior researcher at the Lobelia Research Institute.” 

Anyway, this person would not have any interest in him. He is probably just asking a few things to the institute and then would be sent back. When Liev looked at the official with an indifferent expression, the man looked at Liev with shining eyes. Just as Liev was about to take a step back, he suddenly felt an ominous feeling. The official unexpectedly asked.

“Is your name Liev Carter? Liev Carter, who entered through Herman Lambert’s recommendation, right?” 

Now, why would he ask him about that? Even the Count, who had issued an order to capture him, had already met his downfall. Despite a desperate attempt to escape, he had been defeated. A sense of unease began to spread from the bottom of his feet, pondering why this unexpected visit from the palace had occurred.

“Yes, that’s correct, but…” 

Could it be that the search order was still valid even though the Count had fallen? Liev still didn’t know what his crime was. Destruction of property? Theft? Concealing a wanted criminal? Various assumptions cluttered his mind. Behind the smiling official, footsteps were heard. At the sight of someone approaching from behind, the official said with a wide smile:

“Oh, Lord Renard! I found him. He’s the right one!”

At that moment, hearing a name he hadn’t heard in ten years, Liev’s whole body shivered. He had to escape right away. Instinctively, his intuition warned of danger. He had to quickly leave, run away, and hide somewhere. Despite the warning sirens blaring in his mind, his body remained frozen like a mouse caught in a trap. He stared at the ground, unable to react or move. At that moment, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice rang from above his head.

“You’ve hidden well in a place like this.” 

Liev flinched at the low, chilling voice that scratched at both his heart and bones at the same time. Even without lifting his head to see his face, he could recognize it. How could he forget? His breathing, his way of speaking, his mannerism, all he learned from him. He was the one who followed him, even down to the smallest detail. Unable to say anything, Liev heard the voice again from above. 

“You seem to have been doing well. Perfectly fine with nothing wrong.” 

Although the voice was human, it sounded like a beast growling. Liev desperately began to make excuses. 

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Could you be mistaking me for someone else?” 

As he answered, beads of sweat dripping down, a dull, heavy sound of thick leather material was heard, expressing dissatisfaction.

“Lies. There’s no way you wouldn’t recognize me. Did you decide to shamelessly deny it now?” 

The young man’s face, which still looked as if he had just reached adulthood, twisted as his voice grew sharper. The young man, dressed in the luxurious uniform that only the elite knights of the kingdom could wear, and the researcher, clad in the shabby robes.  It was a strange combination to start with, but the strangely human-looking young man didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Could you be mistaking me for someone else? 

Backed against the wall, unable to escape, Liev’s gaze slipped beneath the rims of his glasses, and the young man spoke, flashing a horn that rose gracefully above his head, a horn that looked as if it had been finely crafted from obsidian.

Even without hearing his name, it was impossible not to recognize who he was. The face that he had longed for, whose future appearance he had imagined in his head for a very long time, was looking down at him.

“So that’s how you’re going to play it? Can you still deny it after seeing this?”

As the young man removed the gloves covering his hands with a dissatisfied expression, a scar that looked as if it had been cut by a knife was revealed on the back of his large hand. In addition, numerous rough scars on his sturdy forearms clearly showed that he had suffered some gruesome torture in the past.

“It’s what you did. You’re not going to say you don’t remember this either, are you?” 

Liev resigned to the young man’s attitude, knowing that no matter what he said, it would not work, so he looked down at the ground with a long sigh. Why hadn’t he healed it immediately? Even if the experiment marks were from when he was very young, the wounds on his arm could have been easily healed with healing magic. No matter how he looked at it, the young man—no, Renard—didn’t seem likely to believe him. Not that Liev had ever expected it to work in the first place.

It’s not like I wanted this to happen…

Even if he tried to explain, it probably wouldn’t get through. Ha, Liev sighed deeply again, touched his forehead, and then just stared at the floor.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Why don’t you at least make an excuse? 

I won’t. Liev clasped his fingertips. Is it because of his resentment back then that he has been looking for him all this time? Why bother doing something like that? His breath caught in his throat and in his head as he imagined things like this and that.

“Say something, anything!” 

Now, even Renard seemed a bit desperate. Why are you making that expression? Right now, he was the one who wanted to cry. As Renard’s emotions began to overflow, his vertically split eyes, like those of a reptile, glowed like burning flames. 

“I told you to say something!” 

As Renard shouted sharply, the wooden building, where the conversation was taking place, began to shake. The lower-ranking knights who followed Renard shouted to the researcher, not knowing what to do. 

“Liev Carter! Lord Renard is asking!” 

The moment Liev flinched his shoulders, Renard turned to the lower-ranking knights and shouted, 

“Don’t shout at Liev!” 

Who is making the loudest noise right now? The lower-ranking knights were left speechless, unable to say anything. However, even if he acted like a child, they couldn’t resist the orders of their superior, especially the words of the kingdom’s only guardian dragon, so they kept their mouths shut. 

Liev couldn’t say anything. He didn’t know why Renard had come looking for him, but he always thought that if Renard were to swing his blade against the person who had caused him pain, he wouldn’t escape unharmed. 

So, let’s accept it. After all, he was very fortunate to have been able to live a second life in a body that would have died early anyway. It wouldn’t be strange if he were to be torn to death by Renard’s claws. Just as Liev braced himself for the worst, what came out of Renard’s mouth was something he could never have imagined.