Volume 5 Chapter 37 Protean
When we went to the hideout of the Rebellion Flame to kidnap Frain, we found him being carried like a princess by someone half asleep.
And then thrown to the ground.
"Ugh...!? What the hell, that hurts..."
The person who threw Frain seemed quite satisfied with himself. He was a big, bald man with muscles that seemed to stretch in every direction. He said, "Our leader is strong in a pinch. Use him as you like," and then withdrew into the background. Frain didn't bother introducing him, he was one of the three people who didn't get introduced.
"...Philia's treatment of Mudi was rough, but I wonder if this is normal for a party leader."
"I don't know, but if everyone treated me like this, I might cry a little."
"Not gonna happen!"
"...So, you guys wake me up, start messing around without even telling me what's going on, what's up with that?"
Frain looked at me with a really annoyed look in his eyes as Toxy clung to me.
I reached out to Frain and smiled.
"Frain. I'm going to buy a fight with Protean with hostages, so let's go."
Frain brushed my hand away and stood up on his own. Then, he said to me while glaring at me.
"You could have asked me when I wasn't tired, you know?"
"I heard."
"And then you're taking me today instead of tomorrow."
"That's right."
"...Alright, I get it. The hostage is."
Frain reluctantly nodded. It seems he'll come with us.
"My old man."
"Your old man? Oh, right, Wade, your old man was also involved with the Nightfather, wasn't he?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
When I asked, Frain said,
"My old man is the boss of the Nightfather."
"Huh?"
"Well, whatever. I wasn't planning to get involved even if he said he had someone already, but when it comes to my old man, it doesn't seem like someone else's problem. I'll go along with it."
"Haha. Frain, you're pretty good at taking care of things too, huh?"
"Of course."
And so, the three of us headed towards the ruins of the slum city.
Just like last time, the abandoned city was incredibly empty, with no people and only rubble in the desolate area. It was like a desert ruin. Since Karditsa is so vast, you can still live just fine in the other areas without this one.
"I wonder why this area ended up like this."
"I feel like my father used to talk about it. What was it? Something about a divine punishment in this whole area..."
"You know a lot about it, Toxy. Strictly speaking, Puppet Master embedded Protean with some weird magic, and then the divine punishment came down. But Protean survived. Since then, Nightfather has become the den of the most notorious villains in Karditsa."
As Frain spoke in a familiar tone, we fell silent. Protean. I thought he was a creepy guy, but he truly is an enigma.
"Frain, what kind of enemy is Protean?"
"Just as the name suggests, Protean is a magician who can cause anything and everything. There's no doubt he's the strongest man in Nightfather."
"...You seem quite confident. That's quite an assertion."
When I said that, Frain exhaled and said, "He has a track record, you know."
"In the past, there were gangs that moved from other cities to this area of Karditsa. They tried to take over Nightfather's business. That's when Protean stepped in."
"...And then?"
Frain spread his arms and opened his mouth in astonishment.
"It was like a scene from hell. Protean's incomprehensible magic turned those newcomers into a bloodbath. It was eerie how easily he tore humans apart with those thin arms."
"Well, at least we know it's dangerous."
"Tearing... that's terrifying..."
As we continued talking, it seemed like we were being careless, but we remained vigilant. I walked with my second eye, Ajna Chakra, activated. There was no one around us within a hundred meters who seemed aware of our presence.
The sun gradually began to set, and before we knew it, it was evening. The vivid sunlight shining through hinted at the end. Twilight. Nightfather, the empire without a night, is finally coming to an end.
And then, we arrived at that place.
It was a vast area. There were ruins all around, but not here. It was originally a plaza. And in the center, there was a figure.
"Oh, you've come."
Standing there, smoking a cigar, was a middle-aged man with white hair, dressed in wealthy-looking clothes.
Frain replied.
"Hey, old man. It's been a while."
"Hm? Hahaha! Frain is here too, huh? But I heard you were supposed to come alone."
Acting clueless, he laughed cheerfully. It was as if they were having a casual conversation. The boss of Nightfather. Frain's father.
I glared at him and said.
"Do you really think you expected me to listen obediently?"
"Hehehe. I guess the hostage wasn't worth that much, huh? In that case, I've only given away information. Right, Protean?"
From the back of the hut, dragged by Protean, my bloodied old man appeared. He was in a terrible state, barely recognizable.
"Wa... de... you came for me..."
Just hearing that, my old man started crying as if overwhelmed with emotion. I didn't know how to react, so I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Wade, you have every right to be angry."
Toxy told me. I remembered. As a parent, as a child, I couldn't help but love my crappy old man.
So, I should just act accordingly.
"You've really treated someone's old man quite poorly."
When I said that with determination, both the boss of Nightfather and my old man widened their eyes.
"...It's different from what I heard. Wade, right? I heard you've been through quite a lot with this pathetic father of yours. I didn't think you would say such things to his face, regardless of your character."
"Shut up. I've had enough of treating my crappy old man with a troublesome attitude."
I pointed at my old man and said.
"Give him back. I'll comply with your demands. But we will be the ones who win. Be prepared."
When I said that, the boss of Nightfather was at a loss for words, wide-eyed. Then, he burst into a cackling laughter.
"Fine then? In that case―――"
Nightfather's boss grinned and opened his mouth. And then, he demanded something from us.
Right before that, my old man spoke up.
"Boss, let's stop after all. It's getting embarrassing."
"...You wanna stop? Well, if you say so."
"Huh?"
My old man stood up as if he hadn't been restrained from the beginning. Protean easily pushed him aside without even trying to restrain him.
"What's going on? What does this mean?"
"―――Wade. You've become impressive. Really impressive. You're amazing. You jumped out from under my chaotic rule, became an adventurer, and in just one year, you've reached this level."
"Huh? ...Reached this level?"
The blood that covered my old man disappeared in no time. Not only that, it seems like his physique is gradually changing. The obese body that was there before now looks like a lie, and instead, the father is covered in muscular, daruma-like physique.
"Well, you know, I asked the boss for something like a retirement bonus at the end of Nightfather. 'Put on a show for me. Help me clean up.' But when I saw your impressive figure, I started feeling embarrassed."
"What are you saying, old man? What's happening?"
"That's why I won't lie anymore. I may have been a useless father, but I won't stoop down to being a cowardly scumbag. I'll face you head-on. So beat me down and pass judgment."
My old man grabbed his tattered clothes with a firm grip and ripped them off in one breath.
What appeared from underneath was an immense amount of magic seals. Magic seals that cover the muscular body entirely. But these were not just one attribute. Countless magic seals of different attributes were engraved haphazardly, invading and consuming each other.
And around the neck, a golden adventurer's emblem was shaking.
"Wade, I've decided to introduce myself as a golden torch adventurer."
My old man plunged his arm into the body of a seemingly Protean white man and pulled out a sinister sword. The skinny white man disappeared into mist.
"Golden Sword adventurer. The Puppet Master's masterpiece and worst failure. The god of patchwork. Nightfather, the commander of the directly controlled combat unit."
My old man placed the sword on his shoulder and took a big step forward with his left hand.
"―――'Protean', Weld"
"Old man...!"
I was astonished, but my past experiences allowed me to hold onto the sword even in the midst of turmoil.
Seeing that, he smiled ever so slightly.
"Wade, I challenge you. Show me your growth."
Ge discarded his usual sloppy face and said so with the face of a warrior.
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