"Nakajima Yusuke. He was one of the candidates in the war. He lived his desire and life on his codes. He participated in the war and wanted to taste divine pleasure for fun. ——I neither know why the Lord deem him to be worthy of this power nor I doubt the sight of my Lord. He was boasted by everyone over his fame as a killer. He soon became the godkiller. Illyrios heritage were so proud of him"
Illyrios! The name of the cursed family that Beatrice told me about. The cursed family from which that girl belongs to who fought me yesterday.
"He was welcomed among the high rank of the Illyrios family. They taught him the ways of the candidate and molded him into the best weapon for the war. They gave him a woman to produce a successor for the war"
"What happened next?"
He smiled at me like he was remembering a pleasant memory from the past.
"He was precise, careless, brutal and a cruel jester. He played with his enemies. He killed them after he got bored of them. He killed the candidates and made them beg for mercy while crawling on the floor, and shot them in the head. It was fun for him, a game in other words. He neither showed supremacy nor guilt after killing them. I am the only one who survived in a fight against him. Other participants were killed"
"What——?!"
"He killed his opponents by any sort of method. He can do anything to get his prey under his gun, even involving innocent people for the victory. He can use his enemies families as shield and even his own one as a ladder to claim the top"
He opened his eyes after talking about my brother.
"——"
"Are you not satisfied yet?"
"If he was such a killer.....then why did he betray the desire to become a god? What made him change his mind if he was like a cold blooded bastard!?"
"I understand it. Nakajima Yusuke's actions were something nobody but my Lord and Yusuke himself understood. Maybe he thought that he was not worthy of being a god. He is a jester in the war after all. No clown ever had claim or had sat upon the throne of the king and this throne is the sovereignty of the universe"
He gave me a cold stare and sigh.
"He betrayed the Lord and those who trusted him. Illyrios. War ended after he rejected the offer of becoming the God after killing all the participants but one who was me. Illyrios went underground for 10 years to prepare for this war. Hmm.....now, I think about it, they must had prepared after than anyone before when they knew that Yusuke would be in this war too"
"....."
I cannot accept the story of this priest. That my brother had a past like this and had a connection with some magical historical family. There is no way I can accept something like this! I want to deny this but all I can see is that the priest is not lying.
"——Skorzeny. Did you hate my brother?"
While he was talking about my brother. At that moment, I can see anger, happiness and several emotions during his narration. The man who did not show any interest but showed it when he was talking about my brother.
"Of course. We are natural enemies"
"Natural enemies.....?"
"We simply cannot ignore each other. He acts like he is the saint but he has killed beyond what I can count. If a person only has one year left to live then he will kill him right away for his reasons"
It is some sort of way to say why waste time when you will die in the end.
"He always lives in his dream world. Ignoring reality yet caring about reality. ——That contradiction. A contradiction vision is something I have as well, but it is not same"
"Why do you hate him so much if you guys are so similar in terms of pure desire?"
"Hmm. Tell me, if your father whom you worship and adore for attention suddenly gave all his attention and love towards a wrong man who does not deserve the grace of his. What would you do? It is the same here. My Lord blessed despite him being unworthy of that grace yet he betrayed the love of the universe(God). I decided to deal with him"
He closed his eyes as he muttered a small prayer to God. A man stained in blood and in hell while looking at heaven giving his prayer to the divine. He is the definition of contradiction. If he thinks that my brother is full of contradictions then he is also the same from my eyes.
"Let's see.....speaking of similarity, you both look different but same at same time. What a turn of events this is. Both brothers are in the same war. You guys are neither heroes nor villains. You both are idiots with childish dreams playing the role of villain or hero at the same time in order to make balance unconsciously. It is the act of evil killing evil in the end"
"What?!"
"In the end, your brother and in the future, you, both are unforgivable murderers who will have nothing but the blood of others over their bodies. Your brother already done and you will too"
"Hey! Are you making fun of me? What type of bullshit are you saying?"
A smile appeared on his face. It is more of a smirk. He is mocking me and my brother. Maybe not him but only me.
"Oh my. It seems you are misunderstanding me. I am welcoming you. It is such a complex feeling that you cannot decide whether to be excited or just do nothing"
The priest laughs silently. I don't know his true intentions, but he is not bored of mocking me.
"Then what is a true hero to you?"
He looked at me with the same expression. His smile has gone and been replaced by a calculated face.
"The important part is the mindset of the person. A proper hero is created through respect, good deeds, gratitude and guilt. You cannot become evil or fall into hell with good deeds and respect. But it is the wrong representation of the hero. If the hero is for everyone then he should be everyone's hero. He should have both good and evil within him"
"Both aspects?"
"Correct. Heroes have to be both a victim and criminal. They are created by society but never accepted by them. This is the truth of being a hero. Humanity created them as the wish for peace, a wish which cannot be fulfilled"
"I will not fall on your cheat tricks"
"——I see. So you are truly brothers to him, even if not blood related. Both are people with foolish dream"
He says this emotionlessly.
"If you have any other questions, make it short"
I want to ask him several questions but I do not trust him. My preparation for war and how I should handle the pressure. He will laugh at me if I ask for his advice. I do not trust him.
"What is your desire, Skorzeny? Why are you in this war? I am sure that you are not in this war for the sole reason of getting love from God. Everyone have desire in their heart especially someone like you whose past is filled with dark pages of history"
"You do not need to understand it. I desired peace. Isn't it very simple for this complex world? A miracle which exceeds the human power to allow this to happen only belongs to my Lord. A world without conflict is not possible until you surpass the authority of humanity"
A world without conflict.
It is hard to believe that someone like him whose past is filled with the darkest chapters of humanity holds the wish of peace. Third Reich.
"That is all. I answered your questions. If you have any other questions, make it short"
There is something else I want to ask him about.
He looked at him with his emotionless eyes and smiled as if he had read my mind.
"Aren't you concerned about the Illyrios family? I got the news that you were attacked by a person from Illyrios family. They want you dead since you are related to Nakajima Yusuke"
"Yeah! It's about them! Who they really are?!"
"How much do you know about them?"
"I know one thing is that they are cursed family whose ancestor was a hero"
He closed his eyes.
"So, you heard the story of Cadmus and curse necklace. Very well, it will save my time"
He opened his eyes to look at me with a sharp intensity. His presence is something else. He is a priest now. Before becoming a priest, he was an Austrian. If he carries himself with this sort of presence then I cannot imagine.....if the Austrian painter was still alive and his presence. My mind goes numb whenever his gaze falls upon me. His stare towards me and eye contact make my heart stop.
"They are very well cursed. It says that none of the family passed the age of 25 in their life. They meet their death before anyone else. Tragedies always stuck them. Nobody knows the history of theirs except themselves. All the mythical families are isolated from the outside world and are very secretive. No one can guess their next moves"
Wait.....
"You said all mythical families?! Does that mean there are more families who are associated with ancient tales, really exist in real life?!"
He nodded his head with a small smile.
"Indeed. All of them exist but no one knows where they are. In the end, they do not like to show themselves to everyone. Rumors say that Illyrios family is one of the still alive oldest families who have participated in this war for several generations. They want to end their curse after all. They took outsiders in their family to break it but it did not work. From forbidden taboo to greatest sins.....they suffered always in the end. After Nakajima's betrayal, they surely want their revenge on him for his betrayal. After all, they can take down both brothers"
It is true. They would not let any of us freely because my brother betrayed them. I will come after us to kill us——to kill me at any cost.
"What if I refuse to take part in this war and run away?"
"Then do it"
Without wasting any second of time, he spoke without hesitation. He did not even take time to think before answering to my question.
"It will not change anything"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"It is the curse too. Nakajima Kazuya. No matter how much you run, one day, you will be here again. Running forever does not exist in the rules of this war. You are walking time bomb who will bring disaster wherever you go"
He gave me a small smirk to mock me. He is mocking me and my way of thinking.
"You can ask for help. I will give you advice enough to survive few days before ultimately being killed by the hands of someone"
"I refuse. I would not come for your life even if my life depends"
I turned away and this time, I left the chapel. I leave the church. Sraosha appeared as soon as I came through the door.
"Have you done with your inquiry, master?"
"Yeah. The history of my brother with that family and I have to be careful or I will be dead. This is too much for my brain"
"Huh? H-he spoke from his heart?!"
Does she want me dead?
"Master?! Did something happen when you were inside? Why haven't you summoned me?! I would have taken heed of his, as his hands are ill intended and his heart treacherous. He will bring nothing but ruin and lie to you!"
She came closer to me and touched my cheek. She is so close!
"You can tell your servant, master? I am here to be your sword and shield in this war"
I laughed. I cannot control it.
"Master——?"
Oh crap. I was trying hard to control it. I could not hold it. My laughter spilled out.
"Master!"
"Sorry! I couldn't help but laugh at this. This is the first time you acted like a girl since yesterday we met"
I look down. She let go of my T-shirt that she was gripping to the point that it would have ripped off. Her face was shocked and angry.
"This is no time for jesting, master!"
Her voice was filled with anger and embarrassment. I can only smile at her. The divine figure is now looking like a girl of my age.
"W-what is that look? Even if you are my master, there are some limits and bounds you should not forget. You should act wise and mature for your age"
"All right, all right. I understand, so don't get mad. I am glad that you are with me"
I held out my right hand. There is something I wanted but was not able to do because I was seeing her divine figure at that time. I have to make a promise to her.
"Master.....?"
"This is the only way I know how"
Without a word, she walks over to make and shake my hand.
"Will you fight with me?"
"My oath remains unchanged. I am your sword"
Her hand is warm. She is my ally who will help me in this dark time. She is someone whom I can trust to fight alongside me.