Becoming a Monster

Chapter 567 - 566: No Secret Stays Hidden

Varkesh’s body immediately tensed, his gaze ever so watchful in case the people at the door were here with malicious intentions.

The slight haze from the alcohol vanished almost instantly as his hand instinctively moved toward his waist. Only then did he remember that his swords were gone.

Noah had never given them back, perhaps as a sense of insurance in case he decided to take the people’s side instead.

Varkesh remained silent. Whoever stood outside clearly knew he was there, yet they didn’t knock a second time or attempt to force a response. Instead, they simply waited with a patience that immediately put him on edge.

Several moments passed before a voice finally sounded from the other side of the door.

”Mr. Varkesh? Are you available to talk?”

The voice sounded young and surprisingly polite, which only made Varkesh more suspicious. After everything that had happened today, he expected accusations, noisy curiosity, or demands for answers.

Courtesy was the last thing he expected to hear.

He still didn’t answer. No, he didn’t want to answer.

There was no one left in this city that he desired to talk to. So whoever it was, unless they were here from the guild, he would ignore it.

The person outside didn’t seem bothered by the silence. If anything, they sounded as though they had expected it.

”My name is Ishii.”

A brief silence followed before the young man spoke again.

”I imagine you’ve had a difficult day.”

Varkesh frowned but remained quiet.

The statement wasn’t wrong, but that was precisely what bothered him. Nobody should have known what kind of day he had unless they were already paying attention to him.

After everything that had happened, he had become increasingly suspicious of anyone who showed interest in him.

So he opted to continue to ignore the voice. However, the voice wasn’t offended when ignored and continued speaking.

”I also imagine you’re tired of people telling you what you should have done.”

This time, Varkesh’s expression hardened.

Whoever these people were, they clearly knew more than they should. The meeting inside the inn wasn’t exactly a secret, but neither was it something a random stranger should’ve been aware of.

Either Ishii was around when his ex-group was here, or he spoke with them at that point.

Yet before he could decide whether to tell him to leave, Ishii continued.

”I didn’t come here to judge you.”

Varkesh almost scoffed; he didn’t believe that for a second.

Nobody sought him out after what happened unless they wanted something from him. Ever since returning from the forest, every conversation eventually led to the same place.

Someone wanted answers. Someone wanted to fulfill their own curiosity so they could tell the world. Or someone wanted reassurance that the monster wasn’t as strong as the rumors made it seem.

The young man seemed to understand exactly what he was thinking.

”I came because I believe your story.”

That finally earned a reaction. They were the first people since his return who openly claimed to believe him.

The tiger beastkin’s ears twitched as hushed whispers reached him from the other side of the door.

At that moment, he realized there was more than one person standing outside.

”I’m sorry, Mr. Varkesh, I forgot to mention that it isn’t just me here to speak to you. My group and I came together to find you because we’ve encountered something similar before.”

Varkesh didn’t know whether it was because of the young man’s openness or his consistently respectful tone, but he found himself readily accepting the apology.

And then, he focused on Ishii’s last statement.

It didn’t mean much if you considered that, as adventurers, countless of them had encountered monsters that proved beyond their ability to contend with.

Yet something about the way Ishii said it made him suspect that wasn’t what he meant.

Sure enough, the young man’s voice gradually lowered until it was barely above a whisper.

”We also believe the creature you encountered is connected to the creature we encountered.”

Varkesh felt his body grow hot. His body instinctively took a few steps forward to guarantee that he didn’t miss a thing.

”And if we’re right, then it’s possible that we know the identity of the monster you met.”

For a brief moment, his heartbeat seemed louder than the conversation itself.

Did they know about the plan?

Was it even possible that the monster they’re referring to could be the same?

The possibilities raced through his mind so quickly that he barely heard the next words.

”We only want to understand what happened so we can determine the creature’s identity ourselves.”

The tension inside Varkesh eased slightly, but he couldn’t easily believe them when his life was at stake. But at the same time, what if what they knew about the monster could help him? Could it help Gwen?

That’s the only reason he was going through with this. But if they knew what this monster was capable of, then perhaps they also knew if it was possible to revert what happened to her.

That way, he could tell the guild the truth, and they could kill the monsters and save Gwen in the process.

”If discussing that is something you’re unwilling to do after everything you’ve been through, then you’re free to send us away.”

”We have no right to demand anything from you.”

Ishii spoke with sincerity. The loss of an entire party should be devastating for anyone.

And to have to survive that, only to be atrociousized by everyone else just because you were the only one to live?

Ishii couldn’t imagine how that would feel. Just trying to put himself in the tiger-kin position made his gut crawl.

Even if they needed the information, Ishii didn’t feel right forcing it this way.

However, the judging silence behind him said differently.

Several people standing behind Ishii were staring at him in disbelief. That wasn’t what they discussed before coming here.

The entire reason they sought Varkesh out was because they needed answers!

An entire party of A-Rank adventurers had been wiped out. According to the rumors spreading, the story claimed the adventurers were overwhelmed so quickly that they barely had the opportunity to fight back.

And when comparing the story to what the mission entailed, the mission was just to discover the disturbance in the forest. Just how did it end up being a massacre?

That question is what brought about the internal disputes.

Paul, Ishii, and Amara refused to believe Noah had slaughtered an entire party without reason. They had spent enough time around him to know that violence was rarely the first option he chose.

Even when Noah was forced to kill, there was usually a reason behind it.

Bailey, however, disagreed wholeheartedly.

The memory of the mall still lingered within her thoughts even now.

Every time they encountered Noah again, he seemed further removed from the person they once knew.

His appearance continued changing into that of a monster. And his behavior became colder towards all humans alike. Even the way he looked at them was as if he didn’t care if they lived or died.

From Bailey’s perspective, it wasn’t unreasonable to believe that Noah had eventually stopped seeing humans as people altogether.

Jasmine wasn’t willing to dismiss the possibility.

And yet, she never took a strong stance either. Instead, she acted as a mediator since the two people who normally filled that role were gone.

The disagreement eventually evolved into a far more important question.

If Noah truly was responsible, should they tell the guild?

Bailey believed they should. She was adamant about it.

Her excuse was that the city was operating with incomplete information. If they didn’t say anything, then more adventurers could be sent into that forest and suffer the same fate.

Only they knew about Noah’s unnatural growth rate. And they believed that Varkesh’s group had died too fast for the guild to truly understand who they were messing with.

Paul and the others weren’t convinced. Because once Noah’s identity became public, there would be no taking it back.

If Noah was rightfully innocent, then they would only be ungrateful for everything he had done for them.

And what’s more. Telling the guild now, after they lied about the fact with Fenrir, could potentially come back to tie them together with Noah.

That disagreement was what ultimately led them here.

Yet instead of pressing for answers, Ishii had just handed control of the conversation entirely to Varkesh.

Now that it was done, they could only wait to see what Varkesh’s answer would be.

Although Bailey was already determined to go back to the guild if he didn’t talk.

The silence lasted longer than expected without movement. And it was only when they were about to leave that the door cracked open.

Varkesh was still skeptical. He had to see them first. He saw a group of young kids, and one powerful giant that gave him an unsettling feeling that was unnervingly similar to something he had encountered before that he couldn’t place his finger on.

—

The tiger-kin decided to hear them out, allowing the group of six to enter.

Only when the door closed did a shadow emerge from the other end of the hall that disappeared just as quickly, heading towards the guild in a hurry.