章 25: 28
Exhausted and wounded, Nero Lucifer stood in the aftermath of his battle with the stray devil. Blood dripped from his open wound in the abdomen, and weariness weighed heavily upon him. His first priority was to ensure the safety of those who had disappeared, starting with the unconscious priest, Xiang Him.
Nero approached Xiang Him cautiously, placing a finger on the priest's nose to check for signs of breathing. Relief washed over him as he felt the subtle rise and fall of the priest's chest. Determined to find the other missing individuals, Nero mustered his remaining strength and ventured further into the old inn.
The house creaked and groaned under Nero's weight as he opened one door after another, revealing the scattered bodies of the eleven children and seventeen adults who had fallen victim to the stray devil's influence. In addition to the expected number of people, he found some bloody rooms with cut and bloody clothes, probably earlier victims not reckoned among the city's missing people, who perhaps belonged to the village itself. In these rooms the blood was dried, as if a long time had passed.
With each door he opened, his vision grew increasingly blurry, and dizziness threatened to overcome him.
Having located all the unconscious villagers, Nero retraced his steps, heading back to where he had left Leonardo, the young boy who possessed the Sacred Gear Annihilation Maker. As he traversed the village, his vision darkened further, and his steps became unsteady. The strain of his injuries and the depletion of his demonic powers were taking their toll.
Finally reaching Leonardo's side, Nero let out a relieved sigh upon finding the boy unharmed. The exertion proved too much for him, and he collapsed beside Leonardo, succumbing to unconsciousness.
When Nero regained consciousness, his eyes remained shut as he listened to the sound of voices – those of an adult and a young person – engaging in a heated discussion.
The adult was condemning Nero as an evil devil who needed to be purged, while the young voice defended him, claiming he was their savior.
As Nero lay unconscious, he could hear the voices of Xiang Him and Leonardo engaged in a heated discussion about his involvement in the stray devil incident. With his eyes closed, he listened intently, preparing himself to find the words that would shape their perception of him in a favorable way.
Xiang Him's voice resonated with an air of seriousness as he spoke, "Child, you must understand. This devil is a creature of darkness. He may have deceived us all with his actions, but make no mistake, his intentions are far from pure. He must be purged."
Leonardo's voice, filled with conviction, quickly rose in defense of Nero, "No! You're wrong! Nero is not our enemy; he's our savior! He defeated the stray devil and went to investigate, possibly even eliminate the threat! He risked his life for us!"
Nero's ears perked up at Leonardo's fervent defense. The boy's words struck a chord within him, causing a flicker of surprise to cross his face. He had shortly known Leonardo as a reserved and emotionally guarded individual, yet here he was, passionately defending a devil – an unconscious one that may not even know about his actions.
Xiang Him remained firm, his voice unwavering. "Child, you don't understand the depths of evil that devils are capable of. We cannot afford to trust him blindly. The stray devil's presence itself suggests that Nero must be connected to it. I've already allowed you to wrap bandages around his abdominal wound as first aid, but I don't think we should keep him alive."
"Why do you insist on the idea that he was involved?" Leonardo placed himself between the priest and the "unconscious" devil in a protective way.
Xiang Him sighed and started to explain his point. "Stray devils are reincarnated devils who disobeyed their masters and fled from their peerage. If this Nero is here there are only two possibilities, the first one he came to eliminate the being which I don't believe because these jobs are usually given to the local managers of the region and this region is not owned by the devils, neither the responsible from the region is connected with them to the point of delegating this task."
"How do you know that? Maybe he was really tasked to save us." The young man speaks with a tone of uncertainty.
"Those responsible for this kind of task in this region are my Xiang family, I doubt they are lazy enough to send a devil to do their job of coming to support me. Well moving on, in the second hypothesis he is involved with this stray devil, I'm tempted to believe that after all, this devil you call Nero doesn't seem to have strength so much greater than the stray to be able to eliminate alone a being that even I wasn't able to kill."
Leonardo's voice quivered with emotion as he continued, "But priest, can't you see? Nero saved us! He fought with everything he had, risking his own life to protect this village. He's not like the other devil."
Nero, still pretending to be unconscious, couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude and admiration towards the boy. The young boy's impassioned defense pierced through his preconceptions, and he realized that Leonardo's previous lack of emotional reactions might be more than just his normal character – it could be the stray devil's influence attempting to possess him. As the realization dawned upon Nero, he silently admired Leonardo's resilience.
In that moment, he made a silent vow to protect Leonardo and the rest of the humans in this village, to ensure their safety path to the city. However, he also couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment towards Xiang Him, who seemed blind to the truth that lay before him based only on preconceptions.
Nero thought 'This guy is truly ungrateful. I'll make a complaint to Buddha when I go back.'
With his eyes still closed, Nero attempted to move his body, causing a slight rustle as his iron-clad chains shifted. The noise caught the attention of the pair in the room.
Xiang Him looked down at the seemingly unconscious Nero with a touch of disdain in his voice. "Oh, how convenient it is for this devil to feign sleep," he scoffed, his tone laced with mockery. "Do you really think I am so easily deceived? I know the true nature of your kind, you were listening to our conversation to find something you could use to save yourself, weren't you?"
Nero, realizing that his ruse had run its course, decided it was time to dispel the misunderstandings and engage in a conversation with Xiang Him. With a deliberate movement, he got up sitting on the floor and opened his eyes, meeting Xiang Him's gaze. Upon realizing the action of the two, Leonardo remains in silence watching.
Nero tries to untie the iron chains that had restrained him, but the chains have a golden glow similar to the whip invoked by the priest. He then tightens the chain in his hand feeling the burning and tries the same trick as in his fight, corrupting a fraction of the shackle and breaking it. Then he gets up and greets the priest.
"You're right, Xiang Him," Nero began, his voice calm and composed. "I have been feigning sleep, but only to gauge your intentions and address the doubts you harbor. I assure you, I had no involvement with the stray devil that plagued this village."
"Your words alone are worthless devil." The priest directs a stern gaze to Nero.
"You may not believe it but in fact, I came here under the direct orders of Buddha to investigate and resolve the situation."
"You're only saying that because you associated my dress with the followers of Buddhism." Xiang Him was skeptical but starting to believe after all his robes were ceremonial but too classical for a non-faithful to recognize.
"In addition to the orders given by Buddha, I also got to know your family and received the Xiang family's request to rescue you." When Nero finishes his words, the priest frowns.
"You were eavesdropping on my conversation with young Leonardo, clearly you overheard my family name and are making this excuse."
Xiang Him's skepticism still lingered, but Nero continued, hoping to establish a connection. "During my journey, I happened to meet your father, Xiang You, at the family dojo. We had a deep conversation about identity. I also encountered your nephew, Xiang Me, who exhibited great potential in his grandfather training martial arts and oratory. And in my search for more information, I stumbled upon a place called Pub of Who whose owner is Xiang Who, also know as your brother and my conversation with him shed light on the hidden village's location."
Xiang Him's eyes narrowed as he processed Nero's words. Doubt still clouded his thoughts. "And how do I know you're not merely associating yourself with my family's name and using that knowledge to manipulate me?" he questioned, his voice laced with suspicion.
"Come on, if I wanted to manipulate someone, my target would be Leonardo because he has the most potential here. I wouldn't have submitted myself to talk with your family if it wasn't necessary for my mission." Nero frowns and the priest bursts out laughing.
As the words sank in, Xiang Him's gaze softened, and a flicker of trust emerged. "I apologize for my earlier mistrust. Perhaps... perhaps there is more to you than meets the eye, Nero," he admitted cautiously. "I will reserve my final judgment until we have resolved this matter. But know that I will be watching you closely."
"No problem, as long as you don't make fun of the name Him like your family does with their own name."
"Oh you talked with my family. With who exactly?" He wipes away a tear that slipped out while laughing.
"Please, do not make a joke with the name Who." Nero stares into Xiang Him's eyes with a menacing gaze.
Xiang Him does not react noticing that the devil is not trying to fight but was the victim of something similar to what he went through in his entire childhood.
"I swear it wasn't my intention." The priest smiles upon realizing the familiar joke he almost made.
"To answer your question, I talked mainly with your father, Xiang You, and your brother, Xiang Who." Nero massages his own forehead remembering the old man in the dojo.
"Did they talk in cryptic ways using You or Who to refer to themselves and confuse you?" Xiang Him calmly approaches the young devil.
"Yes." Nero responds calmly and the priest smile at the devil's response.
"Oh I see. They were teasing you on porpuse."
"Why?" Nero shows a confused expression.
"I'm a budhist priest because of my beliefs in Lord Buddha, but my father comes from a long family of chinese cultivator. He and my brother may know you are a supernatural being, more specific a devil, so they were teasing you to annoy you."
"So they already knew... that damn old man was messing with me." Nero is enraged and receives a hug from the priest.
"I understand you my dear child, we are both victims of this troupe of confusing names." Xiang Him speaks.
"At least Him isn't making fun of Himself." Leonardo comes to the side of the two making the forbidden pun. This results in the devil and the priest shivering as they remembers the old man from the dojo.
"Even you Leonardo." Says Nero.
"I expected more from you child." Says Xiang Him.
"What did I do so wrong?" Leonardo tilts his head. "Guys, why are you two staring at me?" Leonardo scratches the back of his neck, smiling.
"So much potential, but succumbed to the path of perdition. Lord Buddha, forgive this sinner, Amithaba." The priest prays looking at Leonardo.
"By the name of Lucifer, don't go down that road. Even in hell there are limits and that old man at the dojo broke my previous limit definitions, do not follow his steps." Nero puts his hand over his eyes covering them.
"Okay, enough teasing, how about we discuss what's important now?" Leonardo tries to divert attention, but he still gets the judgmental stares.
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