306 Work here
“You will be working here since today.”
“Pardon?”
Aaron’s jaw dropped down to the ground. Kairen was no different from him. Both of them stared at the team leader’s face with bewildered expressions.
“Kairen will work here since today. There is no one to watch over you and Claire.”
“...”
“So you will be coming here with him from now on.”
“...”
“You too!”
Team leader Dains pointed at Claire with a finger.
.....
“What? No!”
The teenager gasped and took one step back. With an exaggerated disgusted face, she glared furiously at team leader Dains.
“I will never ever work for you fucking dogs-”
“Then go back to jail.”
“W-what is my assumed job, sir?”
Claire smiled politely at the team leader and clasped her hands.
‘You changed colors way too fast?’
Kairen could do nothing but stare at the girl.
“You will work under deputy team leader Bray.”
Team leader Dains pointed to his right, where the deputy team leader’s office was. They were inside the man’s office so they couldn’t see deputy team leader Bray’s office, but no one pointed that out.
“Are you being serious?”
But Aaron couldn’t stop himself from asking that question.
“Why would I joke about something like this?”
“We literally used to work for you enemies! How can you let us roam around one of the special units’ offices like this?”
“...”
Team leader Dains sighed.
“Didn’t you say you were only doing the master of Philomns some favors?”
“Yes...?”
“Then, this time, do us some favors.”
“....”
Aaron tilted his head.
“What the hell!”
“You are under the commander’s law, you haven’t forgotten about that, right?”
“...”
“So I’m pretty sure we will immediately know if you try to do something fun!”
The team leader shrugged his shoulders and sent a glance at Kairen, making him flinch. His words made Aaron’s expression change from a bewildered one to an angry one.
“You bastards!”
Kairen glanced at his brother’s clenched fists. If they weren’t in SMF’s headquarters and if it wasn’t for the law applied to Kairen, he was sure that Aaron wouldn’t resist himself and jump on the team leader to beat the shit out of him.
Thinking about the possibility of something like that happening made Kairen kinda happy that Aaron was scared of the commander’s law and would restrain himself.
“We also have to talk to you.”
“Haaaa!”
As if unfazed by the angry Aaron, the team leader calmly continued to talk. Aaron heaved a sigh and unclenched his fists.
‘Yeah! You are too young to have anger management issues, brother!’
Well, Aaron wasn’t young but... anyway.
“Talk about what?”
“You’ve spent some time in Philomns and I’m sure you know a lot of things about them. You didn’t talk at all in the interrogation room but... now things are different.”
“....”
Aaron clenched his fists again.
“Ahem, so what is he supposed to do while here?”
Team leader Dains looked at Kairen who had meddled in their conversation right before Aaron could actually jump at the other man and beat him.
“He can just stay at the hall... He will find things to do if he does.”
“Ah, sure!”
Kairen grabbed Aaron’s arm and dragged him back.
“Thank you very much, sir!”
“What the hell are you thanking him for!?”
“Let’s go, brother!”
“Wait!”
Aaron was definitely stronger than Kairen... but he got dragged away anyway.
Clack
“....”
“....”
Claire and the team leader stared at the closed door of the office for a second when the teenager opened her mouth without looking away from the door.
“Where should I go?”
“The door next to my office.”
“Okay!”
Claire also left the room.
“Sigh!”
The team leader heaved a sigh and leaned back in his seat.
“How troublesome.”
It was troublesome. These people were troublesome. His job was troublesome. Life was troublesome. Being alive was even more troublesome.
. . . .
“Hoooolyyy shiiiitt!”
Clack
Serria gasped, the pen she was holding fell out of her hand and rolled on the table.
“That hottie over there is your brother? Seriously???”
Serria pointed at Aaron who was sitting on a table with his arms folded and was busy glaring daggers at each one of unit 5 members. She almost yelled those words out loud but was fortunately ignored by the others.
“Yes, that hottie- wait what?”
Kairen realized what she said just now.
‘H-hottie?’
Did she just call his brother... a hottie? Someone she had seen for the first time?
Well yeah... his brother could be... considered to be... hot? Maybe? Kairen didn’t know what was considered to be hot but... Aaron had good looks so...
“How the hell? Isn’t he that scary big powerful mystery man with that cool black cloak with big tits who controlled soil and worked for Philomns? The same guy who beat the shit out of you? That dude who came out of nowhere all the time?”
.....
Kairen nodded his head with a blank face.
“Yes, he is the same scary big powerful mystery man with that cool black cloak with big tits- Serria what the hell!?”
Kairen once again realized Serria’s words a little bit late.
“How could- where did you- since when did you have a brother?”
“Since the day I was born?”
Serria didn’t seem to care about Kairen’s answers as she kept on blabbering nonstop.
“He worked for Philomns- Wait is that why he helped- And he rescued- He was this dude’s brother- They captured him but he is now- Hooolyy shitt!”
Serria seemed to be about to pull out her hair.
“Why was he hiding that beautiful face until now? Why shadow the light of the sun like that? Why ban us from glimpsing at that angelic face? Why forbid these lowly creatures from washing our dirty eyes by staring at that painting-like look? Why? Oh god, why?”
“S-Serria?”
“Whhyyyyy?!”
“....”
“What’s wrong with her...”
Even Reyan couldn’t stop himself from staring at his friend as if she had gone crazy. On the other side, Elsie was...nodding her head? She was nodding her head with each word that Serria said...?
‘What is... going on...’
“Why...”
Serria shook her head.
“Why is the world so cruel...”
“...”
“Why would fate arrange things like this? Why should I meet this esteemed sir in a place like this? Just why would he work for Philomns and not here? Why him but not this dude? Why didn’t their places swap? Why do I have this fool as my friend but not... Why would you give such an esteemed sir have a fool as his younger brother?”
“.....”
“.....”
All sounds in the hall gradually died down and now Serria was the only one talking, like the lone player of a theater, a drama show. Even Aaron couldn’t keep ignoring her and was looking at the girl with a frown and slightly scared face. He kept glancing at Kairen while listening to Serria’s bullshit.
“Ah, poor Kairen!”
Serria shook her head again.
“Your older brother must’ve stolen them all...”
“....”
Kairen glanced at Serria, then at Aaron, then back at Serria.
“Stolen what...”
“All the good genes that your parents had... He has taken them all for himself and none were left for you.”
“....”
“Ha, my poor friend.”
“....”
“....”
“....”
Everyone in the hall was now glaring at Kairen.
Kairen...
“Why didn’t you tell me the truth sooner, my friend?”
Kairen wanted to cry.
‘She is right though...’
Kairen held back his tears.
‘Ron is... the best...’
She was right. She had the right to act like this. His brother was really the best.
“....”
Glancing at Serria with a scared face, Aaron slowly moved his hands and pulled up the hood of his cloak, hiding his face.
“Noooo!”
SLAM
The girl slammed the table.
“How could you do such a- MMPPHH!!!”
“That’s enough, you bitch!”
“MMPPHH!”
Serria showed her middle finger to Reyan, the one who was covering her mouth.
“We are here to work, have you forgotten?”
“MMMPHHH!”
He and Serria started to struggle, each pulling the other’s clothes.
“Glenn said we had to rearrange the archives. Let’s go!”
Reyan smiled at Serria and forcefully dragged her away.
“MMPHHH!!”
She was still showing her middle finger to Reyan. It was actually more than showing, she was trying to dig out Reyan’s eye with that finger of her.
“This wild bitch-”
CLACK
The door of the archive was closed shut.
“....”
“....”
“....”
Everyone in the hall was still silent. They all stared at the closed door of the archive room before turning to glance at Kairen and Aaron. Since Aaron had come here, they mostly sent hated or wary glares at him but now... the look on their eyes has changed a little bit.
Pat Pat
Someone was patting Kairen’s shoulder. Once looked up, Kairen could see Rai’s smiling face. His smile was bright as always but he... was looking at Kairen with pity?
“Don’t mind her words...”
Pat Pat
“We all know she is... kinda...”
“Crazy!”
Alan completed the words that Rai was struggling to say.
“And now she is a simp!”
This time, Asa commented. Elsie nodded at her words and mumbled to herself.
“Totally... understandable...”
. . . .
“Why did you come here?”
Aaron glared at Kairen with a mixed expression of anger and worry. He was completely different from a few seconds ago when he was busy talking and laughing with Kairen and stared to glare at him instead as soon as they entered the hospital.
“I told you to wait for me at the office until I came back!”
“I asked why are you here!?”
“Sigh!”
They were still walking in the hospital while busy arguing.
“I came to meet someone, okay? If you don’t like it, wait outside!”
“Meet who?”
“Kain.”
“....”
Aaron opened and closed his mouth a few times, pointed at the air, lowered his hand and then raised it again, shook his head, and opened his mouth again. He did all those in just a few seconds.
‘Did he crash?’
He didn’t. He was just struggling to... find the proper words to say.
“That bastard?!”
But he couldn’t.
“I told you not to talk about him like that!”
“What else should I say?”
“Ron!”
Kairen was done with his brother’s actions! He didn’t understand anything when they were related to Kain! Kairen huffed, pressed his lips on each other, and fastened his steps.
“Wait!”
“Stay here until I come back!”
“I don’t want to!”
“You are really- Haaaa!”
Too bad he couldn’t actually slap this bastard.
“Tsk!”
How strange. Kairen was willing to do anything to meet his brother again only until a few weeks ago. He even entered a freaking military organization to find a way to go back to Earth to be with him, but now that they were together, he really... wanted to slap his face! This bastard! Why didn’t he understand Kairen at all? He was making Kairen so furious just by... existing! This dude! This bastard!
“Do whatever you want!”
He looked away from the bastard and stomped towards Kain’s room. He could feel Aaron following behind him soundlessly.
SLAM
Kairen slammed the door of Kain’s room open, but couldn’t close it as a certain someone was standing there by the time he turned back.
“Tsk!”
“Hmph!”
Ignoring that bastard, Kairen placed his butt on the chair beside Kain’s bed.
“Ahem, hello!”
He greeted the man in the same way he usually did.
“....”
“.....”
“....”
“...”
But couldn’t talk to him the way he used to talk before. It was because a certain someone was still leaning on the door frame, staring at him.
It was just... too awkward.
“What’s wrong with him though?”
Aaron nonchalantly commented.
“....His soul was taken.”
“What?”
“His soul was taken away after overusing the... power of an ancient artifact.”
Aaron raised an eyebrow.
“The same artifacts you mentioned before?”
Kairen nodded his head in his response, making Aaron raise another eyebrow.
“So is he dead-”
“NO!”
POW
Kairen punched the bed mattress angrily. His intense reaction made Aaron flinch and take a step back. He waved his hands in the air and smiled awkwardly.
“Alright alright.”
“Don’t say that again!”
Kairen was not satisfied with Aaron’s answer.
“A-alright!”
“Get out!”
“....”
“GET OUT!”
He pointed at the stairs in the hall.
“...O-okay!”
Aaron turned around and left the room. He looked somehow sullen when he left but Kairen didn’t care. He deserved it!
“Ahem so...”
Kairen pointed at the closed door of the room.
“Did you see that bastard that just left? He is my brother! It is actually obvious that we are brothers as we look alive... No... rather... She said he had better genes... yeah... he has... But that doesn’t matter! Our eyes and hairs have the same color so we look alike! He is older than me and is also older than you, so when you wake up, call him older brother! ...I think that might be a little dangerous though... He migh... like... punch your face a little bit... and beat you up probably? He might also beat me up as well... No wait, I will beat you up first... like, how dare you! I will be so envious if anyone else calls Ron ‘brother’! Is that why he wasn’t to beat you up so much? Hmm... Anyway! That doesn’t matter.”
Kairen was babbling nonsense and he knew that... And he was happy with it!
“Ahem. I’m... not really taking good care of your son... like, I left him alone for weeks! I’m a total bastard, Kain. How could you even think of leaving your son with me? Are you dump? Wait, you are! YOU ARE! How could I forget??? Bastard!”
CREECK
Kairen jumped up.
“Why am I talking to you? I hate you!”
He stepped away from the bed, pointing at the sleeping man furiously.
“Fucking asshole! Why did I even come to meet you? I HATE you! Get lost!”
BANG
He slammed the door open, making Aron who was pacing around in the hall jump up in surprise.
“Wha-”
Aaron rushed to Kairen who was stomping away from Kain’s room.
“What happened?”
“What could even happen? We had a fight!”
“....”
Stomp Stomp
“You what?”
Aaron glanced back at Kain. He was still asleep.
“You had a fight with a... sleeping man?”
“Yeah? So what?”
“....”
Aaron closed his mouth.
‘Maybe I should’ve left him alone for long...’
His little brother’s mental health... it was... worrisome...
Stomp Stomp Stomp
But there was nothing he could do now so he... just followed Kairen, and they walked home together.
. . . .
Clack
The elevator’s doors opened and a bunch of people walked out of it.
“It was fun!”
“I know right? I haven’t spared with anyone like that in a while!”
“Right!”
About half of unit 5 members were chattering excitedly while walking out of the elevator. Some of them were whipping the sweat off of their faces while some were drinking water. Their weapons were dangling from their waists as they walked into the hall.
“You know quite a lot of techniques. I like it.”
Darren nudged Aaron as he snickered.
“Thank you.”
Aaron just politely thanked him.
“Wow, that was so cool!”
“Sir Aaron is always cool!”
Everyone ignored Serria’s comment.
“....”
Kairen stood on his spot, blankly staring at the group chatter, and walk away.
‘They have... gotten close so soon?’
What the hell was going on? These people... sparred and trained with Aaron almost every day... and that... in groups! All of them wanted to train with him without any exception.
‘Look at these people! They ignored me and glared at me furiously after our confrontation with Ron back then, saying that I was working for Philomns, but now they are playing around with the same person they ignored me for!’
No! Kairen was not envious at all! He didn’t care anyway! They were matters of the past, he wasn’t bothered by them anymore! And... it wasn’t like he wanted to train with Aaron as well! Why would he want to spar with his brother? Hmm?
Nevermind!
“Kairen, what are you doing? I asked you to bring those files to me quickly!”
“Ah, coming!”
Kairen picked up the papers from the table and walked to Glenn’s office.
“But why are you covering one of your eyes with your hair?”
Kairen couldn’t see them as he was entering Glenn’s office, but he knew that Elsie was the one who was talking.
“I’m more comfortable like this.”
“Hmm?”
Clack
Kairen closed the door of the office and walked to his desk.
‘Why do you cover your eye though?’
Kairen had asked a similar question from his brother some time ago.
‘I’m not used to it.’
‘Not used to what?’
Aaron had pointed at his covered right eye.
‘This.’
‘....’
Kairen didn’t really understand his words, but he just accepted them and didn’t ask about it again like all the other subjects about Aaron that he avoided answering.
“Did you find what I wanted?”
Kairen nodded his head.
“Yeah. I contacted the intelligence branch and asked them to send the data you were looking for. I also brought the papers you asked for from the archive.”
“So?”
Kairen placed the papers and some extra files on Glenn’s desk.
“We were right. There have been huge transitions of supplies to Bordkly from an unknown source in the past few days. They were moved mostly by trucks, but there were some cases where disturbances were detected in the country’s non-teleportation barrier.”
“...They’ve teleported the goods from within Hainston?”
“Probably. And there is no saying if it was only goods that were teleported.”
“Hah!”
Glenn picked up the papers and examined the marked locations on the map.
“Aren’t these...”
He tapped the paper.
“The possible locations of some of Philomns’ bases?”
Kairen nodded his head while glancing at another map that was on the desk. There were several red marks on the map, some black ones, and some orange ones. It was a map created by Aaron. He had marked the Philomn’s bases that he knew on it with black, some that he wasn’t sure about with red, and some places that had some kind of connections with Philomns with orange.
The man wasn’t completed. Aaron said that as he was a new member, he didn’t know much about their secret hideouts and other bases, but still, to manage to gather this much information about them in such a short time was amazing.
Using the information Aaron had given them, the team started to uncover and locate the said bases one by one and attack them. They had managed to take down four bases so far. It was incredible how Philomns managed to build and hide so many bases inside the country... and it was even more surprising how SMF hadn’t found any of them so far.
With the rapid operations and the huge number of captured criminals, the commotion about SMF’s incompetence and its incapability in protecting the citizens of Hainston has died out a little bit.
It was really fortunate that the information Aaron had given them was not incorrect.
“What are the goods they are transforming?”
“It isn’t known. The trucks were never checked on the borders and the teleported ones were not accessible.”
“How can they not check the goods? First of all, we’ve closed all borders and transits to Bordkly.”
“They don’t transmit them to Bordkly.”
Kairen opened another map and spread it on the table.
“Here.”
He drew a line with his finger.
“The goods are shipped here, then transformed through a ship to Ongetion, and then the goods are moved to Bordkly, again through a ship.”
Glenn silently frowned.
“Why are they... Helping Bordkly... Or maybe helping Philomns?”
Ongetion
That was one of the neighboring nations of Hainston. The nation was actually a collection of small and bit isles, with the largest island as its capital. The nation didn’t have close relationships with Hainston, but they weren’t on bad terms either. Overall, it was a peaceful nation that liked to live quietly.
“I don’t know.”
“They weren’t checked in out borders either?”
“They weren’t.”
“That means they have some people among the border guards...”
“Yes.”
Glenn stared at the map with a frown. He examined all the routes that were drawn in it before commenting again.
“When is the next attack.”
“Tomorrow.”
Glenn nodded his head.
“So it seems like Philomns is transporting goods, and maybe other things to Bordkly to help them fight against us. Considering the probability of them also being behind Bordkly’s attack on us... this isn’t something unexpected.”
Kairen nodded his head as he picked up the papers one by one. Glenn stood up from his seat and took the papers from Kairen.
“I have to relay this information to the team leader. It might affect their next missions. You keep searching for any signs of those two suspicious men until I come back.”
“Yes.”
Kairen watched as Glenn left the room. He sighed and plopped down to his chair.
‘It’s boring...’
He liked helping out Glenn and actually preferred to do this job rather than go around and attacking Philomns’ bases, but it was really boring to only search for some locations and dig out information these days.
Especially when the others sparred with his brother all day! He was here, suffering alone!
If this kept going on, his brother would be stolen from him!
“Hmmm...”
Click Click Click
He continued to check the things he was asked to do while daydreaming in the process.
‘When will my mana get normal again... I wonder...’
It has already been more than a month, nearly two months since his confrontation with the holy saint for the first time. Shouldn’t he get better by now? As much as he knew, this kind of symptom would get better after four to five weeks, but he was still the same as before.
‘It’s because of that power again.’
Everything in his life, every single problem, was because of that damned power.
‘Just how did I get such power? I can’t just be... born with it! There should be a reason behind it...’
Kairen couldn’t find that ‘reason’ behind his power.
‘But that man had a similar power to mine...’
Both the holy saint and the red-haired man’s powers looked alike yet different. He knew that the red-haired one had power more like Kairen’s. He wanted to talk to him if possible as he... kinda felt familiar himself.
But the man was nowhere to be found since the day he vanished.
‘Did that crazed bastard call him ‘prince’?’
...Which country’s prince was he? Wouldn’t people know him and his face if he was a prince? Kairen had checked everyone and everything, even the previous kings and princes that have lived all around the world, but the man was not among them.
‘Did he dye his hair?’
No. Even if he dyed his hair, his face would still remain the same-
‘Plastic surgery!’
“....”
Kairen let go of the mouth, leaned forward, and covered his face with his palms.
‘What the hell am I thinking about.’
What plastic surgery what dyed hair? That dude was the one who had given that stone to Aaron, so he could move between worlds. It was possible that he wasn’t even from this world.
‘How am I supposed to search for him?’
There was no way!
“Hufff!”
He lowered his hands and leaned back in his chair.
‘I’m bored.’
Click
“Hey, Ren!”
The door of the office opened at that moment and someone poked their head in through the gap.
“Can I come in?”
“Yeah.”
Aaron opened the door and walked into the office.
“What are you doing?”
“I donno.”
Aaron glanced at all of the papers scattered on Kairen’s desk before starting to pick them up one by one.
“So, your team leader called me to his office.”
“What? Why again?”
Hasn’t he already done enough? He had told them everything he knew so what did they want from Aaron this time?
Aaron organized a bunch of papers and placed them on the bookshelf beside the desk before moving to organize the pile of maps on the desk.
“He asked me to participate in their missions from now on.”
“Yes?”
Kairen snapped his head towards Aaron so fast that his neck hurt.
“Yes? Pardon? What?”
Did he hear it wrong? The team leader had said what? Aaron nonchalantly repeated his words.
“He asked me to take part in the missions from now on.”
“What the hell?”
Slam
Kairen slammed the table with his fist so hard that his own hand hurt. All of a sudden he was feeling so angry that he wanted to burn the whole room down to ashes. How could he not get angry when others were treating his brother like that? Kairen had not said anything about the way that the commander made Aaron work for him so far, saying that it was fine as long as Aaron was not in the prison, but he couldn’t help but get angry at the situation.
Frowning deeply, he glared at his brother.
“...Why are you overreacting like this?”
“I am overreacting? Do you even understand what you are saying?”
Kairen didn’t know when he had stood up from his seat, and he didn’t care. He just stomped towards the door with hast steps.
“Where are you going?”
“To the team leader’s office. Where else?”
“What do you want to do?”
Aaron grabbed his brother’s arm and pulled him back. The boy got swayed around easily like a small piece of paper.
“Huh? Why are you light-”
“Let go! Gah!”
“Why don’t you listen to me when I tell you to eat more-”
“Ron!”
Kairen’s loud yell made the other man close his mouth in shock. The younger one struggled to pull his arm out of Aaron’s grasp, but he failed miserably, making Kairen feel even angrier.
“What are you so angry about?”
“What do you mean what am I angry about?”
“Lower your voice!”
Kairen was yelling so loud that everyone in the hall could clearly hear his voice. The others stopped working, startled by the loud yellings coming from Glenn’s office, and were now peeking inside the room. Aaron let go of Kairen and hurriedly closed the door before turning to look back at Kairen with a blank, confused face.
“Shh! It’s a family issue!”
“Yeah... It isn’t right to listen to them!”
But they soon resumed doing their own jobs.
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