Chapter 244

Clatter, clatter…

The train clattered along at an unhurried pace.

Outside, the scenery drifted by slowly.

Inside it, Javier Asrahan stood in silence with his arms crossed.

His head was bowed, and he was quietly biting his lip.

And yet, his eyes were not on the floor.

They were turned to the side.

Toward the place where two voices were coming from.

Toward the next train car.

From there, the voices kept coming.

Both were all too familiar.

Both were Lloyd Frontera’s voice.

Listening to them, the silver-haired knight finally understood.

The doubts he had occasionally harbored but never voiced.

The questions he had often wondered about but never asked.

The suspicions that had surged up suddenly, only to be suppressed in the end.

He had learned the answer to all of them.

The real and the fake.

The one who was robbed and the one who took.

The wastrel and the diligent one.

The one who decayed and the one who rebuilt.

The despicable one and the respectable one.

They were not the same person.

And no one knew it.

Javier alone now knew.

‘Lloyd-nim.’

He bit his lip until it turned white.

And yet he did not know which Lloyd he had just called.

He truly did not know which Lloyd it was that he had spoken to in his heart.

Was it the real Lloyd Frontera, who had inspired resentment through his scoundrel ways?

Or was it the fake Lloyd Frontera, who had revived the family through endless schemes and effort?

Which one had he called?

Which one had he served?

Which one did he want to remain by his side?

He truly, truly did not know.

And so Javier was plunged into anguish.

‘……’

Should he simply cut him down?

Should he execute the fake right here?

Would that not be the proper course, in principle?

For an instant, a bleak killing intent flashed in Javier’s eyes.

But it vanished even faster than it had appeared.

The silver-haired knight roughly shook his head.

‘No.’

For some reason, that did not feel right.

Was it because he liked this fake Lloyd Frontera?

No.

Javier was not a foolish man who mixed personal feelings into matters like this.

Now that he had finally learned the truth, there was only one standard by which he could judge.

The one to whom he had sworn lifelong loyalty.

Count Arcos Frontera.

What would truly be for his lord?

What choice might become a betrayal of his lord?

Which decision would be the path of loyalty to his lord?

Javier tried to judge the situation based on that standard alone.

It was a cold, calculated judgment, stripped of emotion as much as possible.

And because it was such a cold calculation, the conclusion was even more bitter.

‘I’m sorry, Lloyd-nim.’

He decided to abandon the wraith of the wastrel Frontera.

And to leave the current fake Lloyd as he was.

It was an unavoidable choice.

The conversation between the two Lloyds.

Listening to it, Javier realized that it truly was unavoidable.

‘It seems the real Lloyd-nim has already become a wraith.’

He was already in a state no different from death.

And it seemed his efforts to reclaim his body had all been futile.

In other words, there was no way to bring the real wastrel Lloyd back.

But what if he were to cut down the fake Lloyd right now?

What if he were to execute him on the spot?

Then the situation would become an unsolvable disaster.

‘Nothing would improve. No, it would only become far worse.’

Whatever the truth.

Whatever lay at the core of it all.

That fake had been living boldly and naturally all this time as though he were the real one.

No, he had done far more brilliantly than the real wastrel Lloyd ever could have, even saving the family from the brink of ruin.

So even if Javier cut down such a man…

It was clear that nothing good would come of it for the family.

Rather, just like a building collapsing after losing its main pillar, it was obvious that the family, which had barely managed to endure until now, would once again walk the road to ruin.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Realistically speaking, that was the truth.

Who currently held Queen Alicia’s trust?

Strictly speaking, it was not Count Frontera but that fake Lloyd.

And who received the capital tax from the neighboring Lacona Viscounty?

Who managed that aqueduct?

Again, it was that fake Lloyd.

And what about Bibeong, who kept monsters from crossing the eastern mountains into Frontera Estate?

Again, he was a mystical creature that fake Lloyd commanded as though he were using his own limbs.

And beyond that, there were the Ondol facilities and the coal mines within the estate.

The management and maintenance of the apartments that had become homes for the refugees.

Solitas, the dragon in charge of sludge treatment for the Grand Aqueduct.

All those countless businesses and interests.

Every last one of them was entirely revolving around that fake Lloyd.

So what if that fake Lloyd disappeared right now?

Nothing in Frontera Estate would function properly.

‘……’

At this point, Javier had no choice but to admit it.

That Lloyd was clearly a fake.

But he had already become a fake better than the real thing.

No, he had become someone absolutely necessary to the estate.

Javier released the hilt of the sword he had unconsciously been gripping.

Of course, that did not mean all his anguish and worry had disappeared.

One enormous concern still remained.

‘Then… should I inform my lord of this truth?’

The judgment he had made here and now was not the final one.

He had only decided, for the moment, not to carry out an execution on the spot.

The final judgment in this matter should be made by his lord, Count Frontera.

And so Javier agonized.

‘Clearly, the right thing would be to inform my lord immediately.’

And yet, for some reason, he hesitated.

Even though hiding the truth he had just learned could itself become a form of betrayal toward his lord.

Even though he understood that better than anyone.

He still hesitated to reveal the truth.

He himself did not know why.

The answer came soon enough as he continued listening to the conversation between the two Lloyds in the next car.

“…So I’ll take good care of those two. Sorry.”

– It’s fine, bastard.

“And later, I’ll definitely tell them myself. About you and me.”

– ‘……’

Once again, Javier bit his lip hard.

And he thought.

Why is that fake saying things like this? Why is he saying things that weaken a man’s resolve like this?

‘For now… perhaps I should give him a chance.’

That one remark from the fake Lloyd.

Javier could feel the sincerity inside it.

It might be hypocrisy.

But even so, he wanted to believe those words.

That the fake truly felt remorse toward the Count and Countess.

That the day would come when he would reveal the truth himself.

That perhaps waiting for that day was the right choice.

‘……’

Had he gone mad?

Javier forcibly suppressed the thought that briefly surfaced.

At the very least, that fake had not turned his back on the real Lloyd.

He had helped the real Lloyd, who had become a wraith and wandered lost, all the way to the end.

He carried that kind of remorse and was trying to take responsibility for it.

And because of that, Javier felt he wanted to watch him a little longer.

At the very least, he thought it was right to give him the chance to reveal the truth with his own mouth.

‘My lord, forgive me.’

Javier closed his eyes.

Hoping his judgment would not harm the family.

Struggling to suppress the confusion and turmoil rising within him.

Meanwhile, the train continued to rattle onward.

Steadily.

Slowly.

Methodically.

And at last, it arrived at the terminus of the railway, Hell’s End Station.

“Hooah.”

Lloyd stepped off the train, rubbing his butt.

The ride quality that reminded him of a six-wheel military truck really could not be passed off as mere nostalgia.

This thing seriously makes your ass tingle.

Even your back aches in a way that feels almost refreshing.

‘In short, it’s ride quality from another world.’

Lloyd gave a bitter smile.

Still, since it had been built to transport souls efficiently, he figured this much was acceptable.

Besides, ride comfort was not what mattered right now.

There was something far more important.

And something he needed to be careful about.

‘Javier isn’t around here, right?’

The moment he stepped onto the station platform, Lloyd immediately began looking around.

Worried Javier might be nearby.

Worried he might see the wraith of Frontera.

Like a child secretly taking a thousand-won bill from his mother’s wallet, Lloyd nervously scanned his surroundings with meticulous care.

Only after quite a while did he finally relax a little.

‘Doesn’t look like he’s here.’

He had definitely told Javier to stay here and guard the area while he went to Hell Castle to report the project’s completion.

Had that guy gone off to do something else?

Or gotten bored of waiting and fallen asleep somewhere?

Fortunately, Javier was nowhere to be seen in the open area around the station.

‘Now’s my chance.’

If he wasted time here, Javier might show up.

And if that guy saw the wraith of Frontera, things would become very troublesome.

In the worst case, Javier might treat him like a criminal and attack him.

At that thought, Lloyd wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Then he hurried the wraith of Frontera along.

“Hey. Get off already. Hurry up.”

– Ah, shit. You’re being ridiculously pushy.

“It’s not pushy. It’s called moving quickly.”

– So now that your business is done, you’re telling me to hurry up and reincarnate, is that it, bastard?

“Ah, come on, it’s not like that.”

– Bastard. Are you scared? Worried Javier might catch us?

“…Hooah. Correct.”

– Fine. Then let’s move fast. I don’t want to run into that guy either. He ruins my appetite.

“Ruins your appetite?”

– Yeah.

At Lloyd’s question, the wraith of Frontera nodded.

Then he answered in a tone as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

– Isn’t that guy basically cheating as a human being with a face like that? It’s infuriating. Every time I see him, I get annoyed and start feeling unfair for no reason. Ever since my father assigned that guy as my escort and stuck him to my side, I’ve never once felt comfortable anywhere I went.

“…Hey, you too?”

– Yeah. Me too.

“Damn.”

For a brief moment, the two Lloyds shared the same grudge against the world’s facial geniuses (?).

Meanwhile, they quickened their steps.

The Gate of Rebirth lay at the far end of the platform.

It had been built that way so the transported souls could get off the train and head straight into the Gate of Rebirth from the platform.

Hoo.

Now that the Gate of Rebirth stood before him, was he trembling?

Or was he excited to finally end his wandering?

The wraith of Frontera paused to catch his breath.

Then he turned this way and gave a chuckle.

– Well then, I’m off.

“Yeah.”

There were no especially grand farewells.

No emotional final words.

No, there had never been any need for such things between them in the first place.

The wraith of Frontera.

And Lloyd, watching him.

Both of them knew that very well.

So they simply waved.

Like people who had idly wandered around together all day and were parting in the evening.

As if casually saying goodbye without a care, expecting to see each other again tomorrow.

An ordinary farewell.

An ordinary reply.

With a gesture carrying no great significance, they sent each other off.

Then, at the very end.

At the moment he truly took his final step toward the Gate of Rebirth.

The wraith of Frontera briefly turned and looked back.

– …….

His lips moved very softly, like a whisper.

But Lloyd could not make out what he had said.

And that was the end.

His figure disappeared.

‘……’

Lloyd stared blankly at the Gate of Rebirth.

For some reason, his heart felt complicated.

He did not know how to describe what he was feeling.

After letting out a small sigh, he turned around.

Then he trudged back and boarded the train again.

He plopped down on the hard, rattling floor.

Then stared blankly across from him.

At the place where that guy had been sitting just moments ago, talking to him.

Now, only the empty canopy flapped pointlessly in the wind.

And then the train departed.

Still rattling along without a care.

Slowly.

Steadily.

Leisurely.

It moved on, pushing the scenery of Hell behind it.

During that entire time, Lloyd sat there without saying a word.

And he thought.

Hell really is a shitty place after all.

The air is acrid, and there’s volcanic ash everywhere, so your eyes sting every single day.

He rubbed the corners of his eyes several times with his sleeve.

Only after quite a long while did they finally arrive at Hell Castle Station.

And as soon as he stepped down onto the platform, an unexpectedly welcome face greeted him.

“…Huh? Javier?”

“Have you returned now, Lloyd-nim?”

“Why are you here?”

Lloyd looked at Javier in confusion.

He had clearly told him to stay behind and wait at Hell’s End Station.

So why was this guy here at Hell Castle Station?

As Lloyd stood there puzzled, Javier gave him a bitter smile.

“I came because I was uneasy.”

“Uneasy?”

“Yes.”

“What were you uneasy about?”

“I was worried you might really abandon me, Lloyd-nim. So I came all the way here on my own. But when I arrived, I was told you had gone to inspect the train operation.”

“So you waited here for me to come back.”

“Yes.”

“…Ha. You really must have hated the idea of swimming home to Frontera Estate from a polar region.”

“Yes, I hated that very much. But now that I am standing here looking at your face, Lloyd-nim, my thoughts have changed a little.”

“Changed? How?”

“I’m thinking it might be better to live without seeing this face.”

“……”

“It’s a joke.”

“Yeah. It sounded true enough.”

“Was I found out?”

“Maybe?”

Lloyd chuckled.

It was fortunate.

Because Javier had acted on his own.

Which meant he likely had not seen the wraith of Frontera heading to Hell’s End.

Because he had unexpectedly come all the way here to meet him.

Because they could still exchange such trivial jokes.

Because thanks to that, Lloyd could force himself to smile like this.

Yes, it really was fortunate.

“Then let’s go. We need to report the test-run results to the King of Hell.”

“Understood.”

Lloyd went ahead with a somewhat lighter heart.

Javier watched Lloyd’s retreating back with a meaningful gaze.

‘……’

It was fortunate.

Because Lloyd had believed the lie Javier had made up.

Because that allowed him to continue treating this person as usual.

Because they could still exchange such trivial jokes.

Because thanks to that, Javier could pretend not to notice the faint puffiness around the fake Lloyd’s eyes.

Yes, it really was fortunate.

‘Lord Lloyd, I sincerely hope your new life will be peaceful and happy.’

The silver-haired knight prayed with all sincerity.

The real and the fake.

The one who was robbed and the one who took.

The wastrel and the diligent one.

The one he had once served and the one he served now.

May the futures of both be peaceful and happy.

May all the days that remained for both of them be peaceful and warm.

For the one who left and the one who remained.

For everyone.

Javier prayed.

And silently followed behind Lloyd.