Gun of Ashes

Chapter 1000 - 44: The Hedgehog

The atmosphere, which had just managed to relax, stiffened once more. Lorenzo’s expression was quite peculiar; he seemed to have something to say, but in the end, he sighed helplessly.

Still... it’s really an acquaintance.

Lorenzo felt a headache coming on. He wasn’t sure if Bola knew this information, but theoretically, as an advisor for this operation, Bola couldn’t have been unaware of it. So when he was explaining his exploration of the Silent Sea, he also knew that they would run into the Shipbuilder Froki again in the future.

Now Lorenzo somewhat understood Bola’s complex emotions at that time. He kept stroking the Funeral Bell, and rather than finding a sense of security from the firearm, it was more like he was harboring his hatred.

A decade of anger and hatred continued to ferment and grow in the dark corners of the heart until it could no longer be contained and broke free from its cage...

The thought of it was terrifying.

Lorenzo quickly shook his head. He could deeply empathize with such emotions because he too had once been controlled by endless hatred.

Thinking of this, Lorenzo felt a bit dazed. He looked at Selyu, the girl staring at him with a puzzled expression, not understanding what kind of madness this guy was having again.

For some reason, Lorenzo suddenly felt very tired, perhaps thinking of Bola. He put down the Winchester in his hand, leaned casually against the clutter behind him, and slumped into a heap.

Being dominated by hatred...

Sometimes Lorenzo wondered if he had broken free from it. It seemed like he had—he had become more like a normal human, no longer constantly brooding. He even had quite a few people who could be considered friends, who had gathered with him for a feast at the office shortly before their departure.

Familiar faces appeared one after another in his mind. Whether good or evil, alive or dead, these were people Lorenzo had come into contact with in recent years, not just strangers crossed in passing, but those whose names he could truly remember.

So... had he really stepped out of the darkness?

Lorenzo questioned himself.

It seemed not—just like the conversation with Watson at the train station. Lorenzo was a slave to fate; he had broken through the shadow of the Night of the Holy Arrival, only to have a greater darkness engulf him, as if mocking him from destiny.

"What’s wrong?"

The guy in front of him suddenly grew silent, and Selyu looked at Lorenzo with confusion.

"Nothing."

Lorenzo spoke as he lifted his head, meeting Selyu’s gaze, and his clear eyes reflected Lorenzo’s face.

"Just suddenly realized how much time has passed!"

Lorenzo suddenly became playful again, speaking with a face full of laughter.

"Look at that, the greatest investment of my life!"

He spoke while cupping Selyu’s face with both hands, babbling nonsense.

"From a beggar to a Duke, my kind of investment could practically be written into textbooks!"

Selyu’s face remained indifferent as she reached out to smack Lorenzo’s hands away.

"I think you could be nailed to the pillar of shame in detective history... are you really a detective? You’d be more suited as a mercenary, wouldn’t you?"

Winchesters, Nail Swords, Folding Blades, and some other weapons that Selyu couldn’t quite identify were scattered throughout the room. Sometimes she even got the impression that Lorenzo lived inside an armory.

It felt like a beast’s den, not only messy and chaotic but also filled with the bones of prey.

"Well, there’s no helping it. Just because someone was once a Demon Hunter, why can’t they be a detective? Who made those rules? At most, you could just say I’m versatile—versatile, understand?"

Lorenzo repeatedly emphasized, steering the conversation toward a joking matter.

"Are you still afraid of something?"

Selyu suddenly shifted the conversation, completely ignoring Lorenzo’s nonsense.

This wasn’t a casual remark but rather a very serious question. Selyu was full of momentum, her slender form sitting honestly in the chair, yet it was as if a wall blocked Lorenzo’s path.

"Huh?"

Lorenzo’s smile stiffened; he began to feel that things were not going well.

Unlike many of the people he had known before, the Blue Jade might remain silent when hitting an impasse, secretly drawing weapons to assassinate you. Erin would be full of flowery words, leaving you ensnared, while Eve would take direct action, stabbing you before you could react, perhaps with more than one stab.

Selyu was different; she was a very special, ordinary yet extraordinary person, as if imbued with magic power. A strong soul was hidden within her slender body.

She would stare into your eyes, dragging you into a strange atmosphere, questioning you like a judge, leaving you with nowhere to hide.

"You’ve said that some people carry weapons at all times, not because they’re psychos but because they’re cowards, afraid of something to the point that they always need to hold a weapon."

Selyu spoke while drawing a small dagger from her sleeve. It looked harmless, but it was enough to slit a throat.

"Hmm... You often keep it under your pillow."

Lorenzo remembered this dagger. For a long time after being accepted by the Stuart family, Selyu habitually kept this dagger under her pillow.

"Do you think I’m still afraid?"

Selyu played with the dagger, her fingertip gently pressing against the sharp point.

"You..."

"Actually, I’m not afraid anymore. Keeping it around is just a habit—a habit of having something like this nearby, like a memento, commemorating the past."