Chapter 2: I'm So Popular, Don't You Know? (2)

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“Get off the ground, loser!” Reo shot up in shock.

Eyes adjusting to the light, he ignored the voices. He was hurting all over. His torso felt strangely wet. Blood. The pain was so sharp!

But he couldn’t concentrate. Some idiots in his peripheral kept shouting something.

“Haha, serves you right!”

“Disgusting!”

“You should be dead already, Wahahah!”

Reo wondered who had pissed them off to the extent they would say something like that? Were they crazy? Or maybe idiocy was airborne here.

“What was that?!”

“This puny kid!”

...? He turned his head slightly.

“...Ah, I said out loud.” He said.

“Obviously!” they shouted angrily.

Suddenly, the ground started rumbling.

“What is this feeling?” one guy exclaimed in fear - then another guy clutched his shoulders while grinning. “Hey new guy, you don’t know yet, but that’s our Big Brother!”

Then, he turned towards Reo. “You! You might have a big mouth with us, but I wonder if you can keep up that attitude with Big Brother? Our Brother Zelthar, who can break rocks with his shoulders alone!”

"Brother Zelthar is here?!"

"The cornerstone of our group, that Zelthar-sama is...!"

And the rest of the guys, twelve in total, started giggling amongst themselves.

Reo was pissed.

He tried to move, but he was stopped by the bandits. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay where you are, blackneck!"

"Yeah! Stay where you are, so our brother can take care of you!"

Reo didn't understand what they were talking about. Blackneck? What was that?

But more importantly, he thought it was extremely strange how a busy street like this was suddenly ignoring them. Even though those bandit guys were super loud. Coincidence?

He didn't think so. Either these bandit dudes were much more scary than he thought, or...

Reo shook his head. That couldn't be it.

The bandits words were ridiculous. Normally, he's just leave, but his injuries were hurting bad.

He was confused, in pain, probably on the verge of dying yes, but his anger won out against all those feelings. He had just had a crazy encounter with a delusional stalker, and now this?

So instead leaving, he waited with them. Waiting until that pile of lard reached their destination.

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After a while, he finally arrived. That rumored man fell onto the cobbled road. He was a bald giant of incredible weight. Zelthar, as he was called, was a tan man decked in gaudy jewelry.

His footsteps boomed all the way until they reached him.

“So you are the famous Bell? I expected more,” he said while chuckling. “Aren’t you ashamed? Of being so weak. I'll make this quick. Even though you're so weak...”

Instead of answering him, Reo’s focus was on the water puddle by Zelthar’s foot.

“Oh no!” he exclaimed.

Zelthar puffed out his chest. “So, you realize now? The trouble you’re in.”

Reo started to tremble. “I-is this...my face?!” he screamed in shock. It was a girlish scream too, but Reo didn’t care!

‘Face...?! What is he talking about?’ thought the bandits in shock. This ambush was going nowhere!

Reo fell to his knees, hands shaking. How could his face look so drastically different? His gorgeous golden hair (colored), his mysterious sea-green gentle eyes (fake), his trademark earring (clip-on)!

How could he have been reduced to...such bland features?! His hair was black, his eyes were black, his clothes were battered, and you guessed it, black! His skin was totally done for. He looked so ill!

‘N-no...I can save this. I just need a proper skin-care routine, yes, that’s right! This body (ignoring the blood) is just a bit malnourished, that’s all. I just need to care for this skin! Skin is life!’

Turning towards the confused giant, he yelled.

“Hey you, giant man!”

“Eh-ah, Yes? Yes! Finally you acknowledge us!” Zelthar liked to act like he didn't care, but the truth was, getting ignored really hurt his feelings. He perked up after realizing Reo called him.

“Enough with that! More importantly, you...”

The bandits came closer. “Us...?”

Reo stared resolutely, before letting the desperation show in his face.

“You...got a lotion I could borrow?”

“LOTION?!”

The bandits fell onto the floor. “It was about cosmetics!”

Zelthar’s subordinate, Kin, hoisted himself off the floor and glared. “You! Why would you ask about something so insignificant to our boss! The disrespect!”

Reo felt ticked. “Hey, either you have it or you don’t. Why should I care about your boss’ feelings?”

Kin: “Of course we don’t have it, we are bandits!”

Reo: “Ah..That’s right.”

Kin: “You see!”

Reo: You guys...look terrible. My bad. Asking you was insensitive, wasn’t it? I’m sorry.

Kin: “We don’t need such an insincere apology!”

Zelthar's face darkened. No, it was more accurate to say he was smouldering with rage. His shoulders shook as his fury sprang to life in his voice, "You!"

"Do you think you can just do whatever you want? I am Zelthar, the man who will defeat you!"

He picked Reo up by the collar. "You, this country's lowest being, dare humiliate me? This Zelthar? The tallest and strongest man in Traum?"

The bandits stood on the sidelines, cheering. "That's right, that's our brother Zelthar!"

Zelthar turned back to Reo. "Meanwhile you, son of the bastard Dark Raven Unou, doesn't even know your place! Do you know how many yearn for your death? Why haven't you escaped? Why haven't you gotten stronger? I don't understand!"

He threw Reo against the wall. He spurted blood, but said nothing. Zelthar's irritation spiked.

"Why? Why won't you answer my question!"

Reo was so confused. He was furious, sure, but he was mostly confused. This Zelthar could kill him. He could really, really kill him. But even so, Reo felt something was off. Why was Zelthar, as strong as he was, not advancing? Reo was extremely weak.

If he had a grudge against Reo, he could easily do away with him.

Any one of Zelthar's men could kill him. Yet, Zelthar didn't do it. Why? Why was he giving him such leeway? He was obviously angry at this body's original owner. But it was not a hateful anger. It was oddly regretful.

"Zelthar." Reo began. He didn't know this guy, but Zelthar believed there was a connection between the two, so...

Reo improvised. "You said it yourself. Why should I?"

Zelthar's eyes widened.

Reo chuckled. "It is as you say. I, the son of Dark Raven Unou, will be hated no matter what I do. Lesser men in my position would get stronger, or hide. But I," Reo shouted. "I will do no such thing! I would rather die!"

The bandit ring was shocked.

"If I were to do such a thing, the worms who orchastrated this farce will eat well and sleep nicely." Reo smiled a deadly bloody smile.

"Who said they could?"

Zelthar's eyes, once smoldering in resentment, finally ceased. He looked at Reo in awe. "You mean to say your true aim is...to return?!"

Reo didn't know. But he had to act natural, or this guy would kill him for real. "Yes. That is my aim." to make it seem more authentic, he asked, "And what of it? Will you join me, Zelthar? And cast your die in along with mine?" Reo didn't know why he decided with the Shakespearean vibe, but it must've worked, because he heard faint sobbing amongst the bandit ring.

"So manly! To think all along, the Dark Raven's son was like this...!"

"I misjudged him!"

"The continent will shake from his quest!" Reo stopped. 'Eh? Quest?

He directed his confusion towards Zelthar, who was also shedding quiet tears.

Reo couldn't believe it. 'EEH? He's crying?!'

"Yes...yes! I was lying to my own heart. I never wanted to kill you. I wanted to understand why you would let yourself be whipped without fighting back! Those evil men who banished you that fateful night and blamed everything on your father! I didn't understand! I left the guardian post and became a lowly bandit, cursing that day. I was just a boy! But I wanted to know what was behind your resilience. When I heard you had let yourself be whipped everyday for 12 long years, I had to set out and see your answer! And I have heard it."

Zelthar grunted. "Bell Lotharion, bastard son of Dark Raven Unou, let me join you! Take this giant body of mine and use it as your shield! Make use of me until I waste away! That is my final wish!"

His eyes shone with fervant determination. "Use me, and use me until my last breath! Wahahahah!"

Bandit 1: "Boss!"

Bandit 10: "This is the mark of a true man!"

Bandit 1-12: "Big Brother!"

Reo put a hand on his shoulder, and shook his hand.

"So that's your answer? So be it. Welcome, my brother-in-arms," Reo smirked wryly. "Let us depart."

While this moment must look quite good to the bandits, who all seemed excited and awe-filled, it was worse for Reo. Reo, who was a master of improvisation (read: lying).

Reo, who was the type to go with the flow. Even he could attest that this was too much, even for him. Of course, everything he said was fake.

Where were they going. Eh? Did he die? Did he enter some shounen-protag nonsense? Dark Raven? What was that? And more importantly, why was this scary-looking giant guy swearing allegiance to him.

Why did they become comrades? No, how was this possible so fast?

Reo screamed in his heart. '...Someone, please...save me! Just what kind of ridiculous story did I fall into?!'