Gun of Ashes

Usually, this living room only had Lorenzo, Mrs. Van Rudd, and Hig. Due to their different schedules, it was hard for the three of them to gather together. The last time there were so many people was on the Divine Birthday, when Selyu came here to celebrate the holiday with Lorenzo.

It had been so long that Lorenzo felt a bit dazed, as if everything had happened yesterday, yet yesterday was unattainable.

After the merriment, the living room gradually sank into silence. Eve seemed truly exhausted, drowsily leaning aside. The others were silent too, even Polo had calmed down, curling up soundlessly at the bottom of the cabinet.

”This reminds me of the days we lived together before.”

Red Falcon suddenly said, looking up at the gray-white ceiling.

Lorenzo knew what he meant; he had lived with Red Falcon and a few others in Merlin’s ancient castle for a while. In that haunted place, they had to rely on themselves for everything, and Lorenzo spent each day chopping wood.

”Ah... I wonder how Joey is doing now.”

Red Falcon missed Joey a bit. As the Lucky Red Falcon, he saw colleagues coming and going quickly. Except for Joey, they worked together for a long time, and Red Falcon even believed Joey had broken this cursed fate. But in the seemingly endless storm, Red Falcon still lost this friend.

He knew little about Joey’s specific situation; when fished out of the waterlogged wreck, Joey still had some breath left, but heavily eroded, like Galahad before him, he entered Black Mountain Hospital and was never heard from again, as if he had died.

Red Falcon’s words made the atmosphere rather heavy. After enjoying ease and joy, sad matters came flooding in, most deeply felt perhaps by Lorenzo.

This house welcomed many new guests and lost some familiar faces forever.

As this thought occurred, Blue Jade walked in with a steaming platter.

”It’s ready to eat.”

”Oh oh oh oh!”

Red Falcon immediately let out a wild shout and flipped off the sofa, his movements quick and agile, making one wonder if he had really been feeling sentimental just now.

”You sure are easy to raise,” Eve remarked.

”What else can you do? Just eat more and slay more demons,” Red Falcon said, sticking a piece of meat directly into his mouth.

”Try it yourselves; I’ve actually not cooked in a while, usually solving it at the outpost,” Blue Jade sat on the armrest of the sofa, maintaining his usual indifferent demeanor.

Though the Purification Mechanism was a black-hearted factory, in order to better exploit the value of its employees, it provided lodging and meals, along with free medical care, of course, accompanied by death contracts akin to those of Heracles.

”Should I say something?”

Heracles asked, crawling up as well. He hadn’t felt such lively atmosphere in a long time; recalling the past, Heracles, like a mouse, hid in dark corners, with only Polo to talk to.

”You think of something?”

Selyu said to Lorenzo, coming from the kitchen with cups for everyone, and opened a bottle of wine she brought from Duke Stuart’s house, far superior to Lorenzo’s cheap fare.

”Me?”

”Aren’t you, after all, the owner of this house, shouldn’t you?”

”Ah...”

Lorenzo fell into thought; he was truly stumped, fleeting words passing through his mind, all dismissed.

Eradicate demons? In such joyful times, saying such words would kill the mood, so what should he say? A toast to Joey and the deceased? That didn’t seem right either.

Lorenzo looked at the faces before him, recalling the days on the cruise ship, where they lived under the same roof, reading books and chatting nonsense. At that time, Lorenzo felt great, sometimes even having an unwarranted longing, a wish for such tranquility to last forever, for the voyage to never end...

”To the present.”

Lorenzo thought of this, raising his glass.

...

”What did you...say?”

Bola didn’t understand Arthur’s words, feeling that his supervisor was rather baffling now.

”Do you remember when you first interacted with Lorenzo? Comparing him to now, has he changed?” Arthur asked.

”Change?” Bola mumbled, recalling the past, ”I guess he’s become more human?”

Bola still remembered Lorenzo from the beginning, an outright maniac, with a terribly dark personality. Even as Bola’s super-efficient tool, Bola didn’t want too much interaction with Lorenzo. But now he wasn’t as averse, feeling like a criminal reforming.

”Bola, at first I really feared Lorenzo. At that time, we negotiated once atop the Broken Dome, about the train dilemma. Based on his response then, to eradicate demons, he would sacrifice everything... Though not much has changed now, it was difficult to see him as a good person then, more like a demon that specifically killed demons?”

Arthur rambled on.

”I think something must have restrained us. Even when we turned into monsters, Lorenzo didn’t have such restraints then. He proved this in subsequent battles.”

Thinking of this, Arthur couldn’t help but feel a bit angry, but it was momentary.

”Back then, to counterbalance Lawrence, Lorenzo nearly killed Eve... Later came Duke Stuart’s affairs, which I mocked him for a while, calling him a vile person, whose grand principles were merely hypocritical facades. When the train came, he was also indecisive.

Despite saying so, deep down I was quite pleased; it proved Lorenzo wasn’t a complete monster. At least Duke Stuart somewhat became his human restraint.”

Reflecting on experiences with Lorenzo, Arthur found most of these memories downright awful.

Squinting, he asked again.

”Now thinking back to that night, Bola, do you think Lorenzo would still sacrifice Eve lightly to balance Lawrence? Not just Eve; this target could be any other. Do you think he’d still do it?”

Bola fell silent, pondering for a while, preparing to speak but interrupted by Arthur.

”I don’t think he would anymore.”

Arthur said firmly.

”I’ve seen Eve’s mission report of the Maruri Port situation, just surviving was a blessing, but Lorenzo didn’t let anyone die, everyone returned unharmed, and Lawrence was also present then.”

The voice resonated in the small carriage, leaving Bola somewhat stunned, not expecting so much to change over time.

”Ultimately, whether it’s ideal or desire, pursuit or goal, these things are merely our desires’ ultimate forms, differing only in descriptive vocabulary. Before this, Lorenzo was a slave to his desires, unconcerned about becoming a demon or a being more terrifying.

Unfortunately, this can’t be avoided; everyone is a slave to desire. But now, at least, we’ve slightly changed Lorenzo.”

Arthur gazed at the brightly lit office, his primary reason for granting leave.

”He was once a cold-blooded demon, but now he’s imprisoned by a cage of happiness.”

”Why...are you doing this?”

Bola didn’t quite understand. The present Lorenzo was good, making interactions more at ease, but he couldn’t fathom why Arthur was so intent on changing Lorenzo... It seemed he had been trying to change Lorenzo all along.

”For this world, for all of us.

Now Lorenzo has tasted the good; to sustain these, he’ll stop at nothing to prevent darkness from encroaching. That’s enough.”

Arthur’s voice was icy and ruthless.

Was this a conspiracy? Or a scheme? Bola couldn’t quite comprehend it now, but felt it should be good, a good deed.

The Demon shed his Scale Armor, revealing innate humanity.

For some reason, words became scarce now, Bola struggled for a long time, unsure what to say, only wanting to escape this conversation quickly.

”I’ll be going.”

Bola said, pushing open the car door, entering the office, while Arthur, as before, silently gazed at the office, listening to the joyful laughter coming from within.

The more the beauty rises, the heavier the cage becomes, and the imprisoned Lorenzo, willingly.