Volume 1 Chapter 22 ACT.20 Sucking Mud, Crossing the River of Blood (I)
'Where has my disciple, Rai Conwell, gone!?'
Wait a minute, what should I do about this situation?
Suddenly stepping in for Rai now is not a wise move.
Then again, it's not good for me to keep showing up in his place either.
Thinking this, I remove the helmet, revealing my true face.
"Master, oh, it's me. I'm Rai."
'No, it's not.'
Even with his true face exposed, Aslan's attitude didn't change.
If anything, he might have become even more rigid.
'Certainly, the appearance is Rai's own. However, the way you stands, your gestures, your aura, the tone of your voice. In every aspect, you are different from Rai.'
"Then, how do I explain this face?"
'If you're a Reincarnator, it's not strange for you to be able to alter your appearance.'
In a calm ── yet simmering with indiscernible anger ── voice, Aslan speaks.
'This is your last chance, tell me honestly. ──Where's Rai?'
This is bad.
If I were to spin lies or try to deceive him, I'd be cut down immediately, even without mind-reading.
No matter what I do, I'm cornered here.
If it's Aslan, if it's the master, he might help if he knew Rai's circumstances.
Since I'm stuck either way, I might as well go all in.
"Oh, m-my true identity is──"
Here, I began to tell Aslan the whole story, my relationship with Rai and everything.
* * *
'Wha-, what do you mean──'
After hearing everything, Aslan utters those words, holding his head with his right hand.
"Do you believe me?"
'It all adds up. If you know things that only I and Rai should know, there's no room for doubt.'
Then, he looks up at the sky.
'God, how cruel a fate have you bestowed upon us'
He prays thus, then turns back to face us.
And with his left hand, he draws his sword from the shield he was holding, pointing the blade at me.
In his eyes, there was determination.
'Take up the sword, the other Rai.'
I was taken aback by the answer Aslan gave.
"──Why?"
'Because I am a Purge Knight.'
In a stern and commanding voice, Aslan speaks.
'I have hunted many Reincarnators up to this point. Some of them were innocent children. ──Yet, I still cut them down. Do you know why?'
"That is..."
'That is because I am a Purge Knight──one who chose to wade through the muck and cross the river of blood for the future of the people.'
His sharp gaze unwaveringly pierces through me.
Even my cheat (special ability) could sense a strong resolve──one so profound it felt like tasting blood.
'And, I must not betray. I cannot spare the Reincarnators who have been sacrificed as the foundation for peace. They too wished to live, but I kept killing for the sake of others.'
At that moment, Aslan swallows his words.
──And, as if squeezing out the words, he continued.
'Therefore, as your beloved mentor, I cannot create exceptions due to personal feelings. ──Only I must not do that!!'
'Thus, take up your sword, Rai Conwell. From here on, only one of us will live to leave this tomb.'
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There are various types of Purge Knights.
Like Rai, the 'Avenger'.
Like Leone, the 'Fanatic'.
And like Aslan, the 'Pruner'.
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