Chapter 645: A Royal Mindset
Chapter 645: A Royal Mindset
Jono stared at the youth before him, who dared to mock a royalty. However, even after breaking his arms, the young man called Oren did not flinch or cower. Instead, he grinned.
"I have gotten under your skin, huh?" said the man whose hair was half white, half brunet. There was a crazed glint in his eyes that made Jono reconsider his evaluation of the man. "I am sorry for breaking the news for you, but you lose."
"Do not underestimate the soldiers I have sent, kid," smiled Jono at him. "One of them is our kingdom's greatest swordsman, and the other is a spatial monster."
"A spatial monster?" muttered Oren with a frown.
"Did you think that Tinto was a normal human?" smiled Jono. "She can eat everything, quite literally. So whatever her opponent can do, she will devour it and turn it into energy."
Jono knew that even with these monstrous capabilities, their mission was too important to rely on those two. However, he held this man captive to lure his master and his younger sister.
There were several presences inside the underground tunnels at the moment, and even if he couldn't tell whether Melania was among them, he believed that to be the case. The only issue was that the man before was irritating him, and Jono lost his cool.
"Whether it is a spatial monster or a walking storage ring, we will not lose," said Oren with a smile. "This is our world, and there are tons of things we can use against you."
"Hoho, like what?" muttered Jono with interest and a raised brow. Then, the youth seemed to lose focus and look elsewhere before looking back at him again. "Your swordsman… is dead."
"That cannot be…" muttered Jono with a frown before realizing that one of the presences inside the runes had disappeared. His eyes shook as that presence came from the direction Kino had gone, but it did not make sense. No one in this city could kill him. "What… have you done?!" shouted Jono as he raised his hand, and the clouds crushed Oren.
"Cough," blood spurted from the youth's mouth, but a smile was on his face. "I don't understand it myself, but we are not alone in these tunnels."
Jono was further enraged when the clouds behind him parted, and a figure appeared above the two. He raised his eyes with shock, trying to see who managed to slip through his clouds unnoticed. Jono found a girl with short hair and a mole on her chin.
"Who… are you?" glared Jono at the woman who disappeared and reappeared between him and Oren. The woman landed on the ground gracefully before turning toward Oren.
"I am glad you are safe, Oren," said the woman with a smile. "I was worried that I would be too late, but it seems I am too early. You are still fairly alive, huh?"
"Just barely."
"I asked you a question!" glared Jono at the woman who ignored him. But then, she turned around to meet his eyes, and then he realized it. "Those eyes… and that mole…."
"Not my favorite thing about how I look," said the woman as she took a stance. "After all, it reminds me of that cold-hearted woman."
"You are Melania," muttered Jono as he lowered his guard, and a smile appeared on his face. "It is no wonder you look so similar to mother, but I guess that's also proof. I am…"
"I know that you are her son," said Melania with a frown, but her coldness did not disappear one bit. "This is why I will treat you just the same as her: an enemy."
"An enemy?" muttered Jono with surprise. "We are family, Melania. I came here to take you back to our world, where you belong."
"Is that so?" asked Melania before disappearing and striking him in his chest. Jono could feel his ribs breaking because he failed to guard against such an attack. "Good luck, then."
The air in his lungs got knocked out, and Jono was sent flying toward his clouds, where he crashed into them. It did not make sense to him why Melania would attack him so suddenly since the two of them were family.
"What is the meaning… of this…?" asked Jono as he held his chest, and Melania stared at him with a blank look. "Why are you attacking me, your flesh and blood?"
"Flesh and blood are overrated, dear brother. I cannot feel a connection or a bond based on that. My family is those I lived with ever since I came to this world, not the one who tossed me away."
"We never tossed you away!" shouted Jono a bit louder than he intended, but he managed to calm himself down. "I have looked for you ever since I knew of your existence. I ventured into the calamity gates and sought the Shin Theocracy in this world, but I did not find anything about you. So when we finally managed to locate you, we came here!"
"It does not seem like you want to have a simple chat," Melania took a step back while looking at Oren. "You came here and attacked my family, city, and life. I doubt that I was even on your agenda."
"We only managed to find you through the Scholar, who demanded that we finish this mission!" said Jono in a hurry, but Melania did not seem to understand. Instead, she raised her hand toward the clouds and clenched her fist.
Jono watched with amazement as the clouds turned into light, and Oren fell to the ground. The rays seeped into Melania, which she used to heal Oren's broken bones. The amount of concern and care she looked at the youth was different from the one he received.
Jono realized the reason that he hated Oren and was cruel to him earlier. He knew that Oren was a part of his sister's life, but not Jono. It was jealousy, as childish as that could be. However, when he saw Melania heal Oren, the envy reappeared.
"Is that the family you have?" muttered Jono with gritted teeth. "A bum that you picked up from somewhere and spent your time on training?"
"This bum is a better family than you have ever been," Melania coldly replied, stabbing into Jono's heart. The man took a step back, feeling his vision narrow. "Oren is the closest I had to a brother."
His goal has always been to save his little sister, who must be alone in the world. However, he never considered the possibility that his sister had replaced him with someone else. So then, what has he been doing all this time?
"I know that you help to gain the favor of the creator because when the time comes, and the vessels appear, you are just as scared as us," said Jono after taking a deep breath. "A relationship like that is not family!"
"That is how your sick mind works," muttered Melania while crouching beside Oren. "I only met the outsider a few times, and he seemed to be a different entity from our world. I never considered him family, but Oren is different. I watched him grow under my guidance and felt proud. If that is not family, then what is?"
Jono was silent as Melania healed Oren and stood up, turning toward him with a sad expression. Then, she raised her hand and muttered a few words that tore his heart apart.
"Please answer me, as I never knew what a family feels like."
A great light exploded from her hand that pushed Jono back, his feet leaving trails across the pavement. Jono used the clouds to protect himself, but it seemed as if the light wanted to evaporate them.
However, Jono did not try to attack. Instead, his teeth gnashed against each other until his mouth started bleeding. The expression his sister had as she said those words were stuck in his mind, like a memory that kept replaying.
"What a family feels like?" Jono has never questioned his relationship with his mother because he was raised with the single goal of working for his family. When you are royalty, family means everything.
However, now, his sister was hindering their mission. This mission determines the fate of their kingdom and whether they will suffer the wrath of the vessels and the calamities. Amelio was a god capable of flattening kingdoms, not to mention theirs.
Jono felt torn between defending his family and his sister. But then, his thoughts ceased running as he reached a decision. He was the heir of their kingdom, and he would gain everything. His kingdom needed to be saved, and so did his sister, and Jono did not plan on abandoning either.
The clouds disappeared from the underground reservoir and solidified in front of him. The light coming from Melania started to fade at last, and Jono decided it was time to counterattack. However, when the light disappeared, he was the only one left.