The man, Roni, insisted his Purpose was to drive Kysa from the castle. It sounded repulsive since they knew for certain Kysa wasn't in the castle.
Yet, Roni was certain that was what the system asked of him. He didn't have to kill Kysa, but according to his own principles, if Kysa made his life miserable, he wouldn't have hesitated to kill her.
That was a bold claim.
This old fart couldn't talk without breaking a leg, but spoke too confidently.
Halo suggested they turn him away since Kysa wasn't in the castle, but Liam was too noble to be harsh. He let the man in without hesitation, and the man ended up spending the night.
However, Halo feared the weight of Roni's words. If Kysa was indeed alive and was in the castle, then where was she? Could it be that Liam was right all along by considering her sooner return?
The gods and their malicious system didn't lie. With absolute control, they had no reason to resort to such trivial deceptions.
Just like Halo's Wish, the promise was that he would learn truths about this world. Nearly two weeks had passed since then, and they'd told him nothing. Yet he believed wholeheartedly they would reveal it when the time was right.
They wouldn't have summoned Roni to the castle if Kysa were absent. This confirmed Halo and Seraph's intuition, the castle was hiding itself from them. Worse, mysteries lay beyond their comprehension.
***
"What, don't you see? I came looking my best for Kysa. I've heard legends, so either I make her my bride… or I take her head."
It was early in the morning, and due to Roni's presence, Halo couldn't train at all. He couldn't fathom the possibility that Kysa, the strongest Knight ever to exist, still lived in the castle with them.
However, the moment he and Light trailed everyone to the Grand Hall to try to clear the mystery in the air. But upon their arrival in the hall, they were welcomed by a disgusted stare from Roni, who sat amidst Liam and Seraph.
"What are you? You smell funny…"
Halo frowned and turned to Light, supposing Roni was speaking about Light since it was a shadow. But he was met with a lazy look.
"Are you one of those bastards born in this world?"
When Roni spoke again, Halo realized he was the target. Ordinarily, Roni's words would've triggered him, but this time, he found them intriguing.
What did he mean, Halo smelled funny? And more importantly, the old fart had touched on something that had been bothering Halo for a while.
He took a seat and sat right before Roni, his blue eyes staring intensely into his eyes as sweat began forming on Roni's brow.
"What do you mean?"
The old man clenched his teeth and attempted to move backward, but before he could, Light was already behind him, its hand resting gently on his neck.
Roni gulped.
"Uhm… ah, sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude! My ability just… it lets me smell things. Like when a Sinner's pretending to be human, or when danger's close. But you… your smell's different."
Halo's mind calmed a little, though his expression grew further beyond grim, forcing Roni to shiver in his seat.
Halo went there for something different, but Roni hit on something about himself he hadn't considered.
What was he exactly? Was he human? Unlike his clone Light, he breathed, felt pain, experienced emotions, and all the markers of humanity. But he'd been murdered by his best friend. Shouldn't he be a ghost or something?
He sighed. He was probably resurrected and brought into his world. But still, he wondered if that was within death's reach.
"I mean, people born in this world aren't seen as human. That's why I asked. And your hair… it's strange too."
Halo raised an eyebrow with his head tilted slightly.
"Really?"
"Yes… I haven't seen one myself, but apparently that's why everyone refrains from giving birth in this world."
Roni added with an awkward smile.
Halo nodded. He'd been wondering about that too. Tens of thousands of people lived in this world, and most would eventually fall in love. That didn't even include the followers of the god of lust.
He reluctantly put a distance between himself and Roni, and Light also let go of him.
"I didn't know you could be that deadly…"
Halo's head snapped to his left, and he locked eyes with Seraph, who practiced her usual mannerisms.
"Uhm… Roni, can you tell them what you told me?"
Liam said with a hesitant tone and seized everyone's attention. His hands were firmly gripping his seat.
"Ahhh… what exactly do you want to know? That I got this Purpose three months ago?"
The words left Roni without a care in the world. But the reaction it got wasn't something he had anticipated.
"What the fuck?!"
The words left Seraph and Halo in perfect unison, both bore a daunting look that made Liam and Roni's skin crawl.
Three months was the deadline for how long someone could go without attending to their Purpose, but he seemed oblivious.
"I… I got this Purpose three months ago?"
Roni added, his body shifted to the edge of his seat. He seemed only a thought away from running. Halo, however, had calmed down after his cursing outburst. Instead, he paid attention to Seraph.
He watched as she clenched her fists, her grip trembling with frustration. He wasn't the only one who'd gone sleepless with Kysa's threat in mind.
"Why did you take so long? You had us believing Kysa was actually in this castle."
Seraph said, and the moment she did, her grip loosened and her usual calm demeanor returned.
Roni smiled awkwardly and began scratching the back of his head.
"About that… all I wanted was enough Sin Fragments to dress well. If I were going to kill Kysa, I might as well look good doing it."
Halo gave him a lazy look, and his shoulders shrugged low.
"Are you kidding me? We could have been killed because of your ignorance."
"I'm sorry…"
Roni apologized casually, though he struggled to meet Halo's eyes.
"But… but you know this means you've failed your Purpose, right?"
Liam asked, his sweaty hands fidgeting in each other's comfort.
Roni's expression darkened, and his head dropped low.
"Of course I knew. This Purpose was too much for me. Kysa's an immortal monster. How could someone like me order her around? I knew it from the beginning, but I walked this path anyway."
He raised his head with his expression growing steady and confident.
"Facing Kysa too soon would've meant a quick, meaningless death. So I stalled. Gambled, ate, drank… I tried to feel alive. But now? There's nothing left worth staying for. Goodbye's the only thing that feels right."
Seraph reached for the man's hand and flashed him a smile. "That was brave, Roni. You chose freedom."
Liam also nodded energetically.
But Halo refused to accept this. He'd been terrified of Kysa for days. When he'd finally scraped together some confidence, this bastard had obliterated it with his carelessness and lies. He couldn't even fucking work out because of that.
"Don't tell me you want to die here. You need to go back to Mirror Steppe, you bastard."
Liam turned to Halo with a grim expression.
"That's rude, Halo. He can stay here as long as he wants."
Halo gave Liam a sarcastic look. The person he feared was the hero was acting heroically.
Roni turned to Halo and spoke: "If I turn into a Sinner in Mirror Steppe, I'd be turned into livestock. My misery would never end."
"How the fuck is that our problem?"
The moment the words left Halo, Seraph rose to her feet and grabbed him by the arm.
"You must be hungry. Let me prepare you some steak."
Seraph's aura remained calm as ever, but that creepy smile left no room for doubt.