Queen and King 36

# Chapter 36

Could he have changed his mind? Zenon’s face, which had once said ‘not anymore,’ flickered before Kay’s eyes. A face covered with guilt and despair.

Perhaps what Zenon had wanted to say was about the spy.

If only this operation had ended successfully. If it had, maybe they wouldn’t have been separated like this.

There was a bitter taste in Kay’s mouth. But now wasn’t the time to be held back by such thoughts. Leaving the irreversible past behind, he moved his feet to get outside.

He desperately hoped this wouldn’t be their last encounter.

Not long after he started running, a passage leading upward appeared. The problem was that it was too high to climb up.

“Over there! Catch him!”

But there was no time to hesitate. He applied force to his hind legs to build momentum. Then he leaped up in a single bound.

Before losing balance, he used his acceleration to land on the passageway of the next level. And with that force, he jumped up again, continuing to advance upward.

Before he knew it, he was approaching his destination. If he kept going like this, escape wasn’t impossible.

Finally, his feet reached the first floor ventilation duct. All he needed to do now was get out of this place. With that hope, he dashed toward the exit.

With a loud bang, the cover blocking his way fell off. Fresh air enveloped him, replacing the stuffy underground atmosphere.

Judging by the trees obscuring his view and the well-maintained flowers, this seemed to be Peace’s garden. He had finally escaped.

Catching his breath, he moved his feet again. This wasn’t a safe zone either. He needed to leave as quickly as possible before being discovered.

But such thoughts were soon to be erased.

The cool breeze that had been blowing with a sense of liberation suddenly stopped as if cut off. A faint vibration sound came from the ground.

Starting with that, transparent walls began to form around him. By the time he sensed the danger and tried to flee, it was already too late.

The transparent walls blocking him on all sides instantly nullified his superpower. All strength drained from his body, and he reverted from his wolf form back to his human appearance.

Just in case, he punched the wall hard, but the fragile human strength couldn’t even make a crack in the wall.

What was going on? He’d never heard of such walls before. Just as he was trying to assess the situation, a familiar voice broke the silence that filled the space.

“That area has a prison that activates automatically when superpowers are detected. The walls absorb superpowers, so no matter what kind of superpower user you are, you can’t escape.”

Kay’s expression soured at the researcher’s voice echoing through the space. Judging by the way he was speaking, he was undoubtedly enjoying this situation.

“Fenil should be controlling the system…”

As if sensing Kay’s doubt, he immediately continued.

“This is managed separately. Even if you hack it, controlling it is impossible.”

The trap wasn’t shown on the floor plan. Who would have thought there would be a trap installed in an office building where ordinary people frequent?

Watching Kay caught in the trap, he spoke in a sing-song voice.

“Now you’re like a mouse in a cage. Wait there. I’ve been quite curious about your superpower too.”

With the end of those words, silence enveloped the space. Whether it was his intention to frustrate Kay or not, he was right.

There was nowhere to run. If things continued like this, he would certainly be captured. Without any good method coming to mind, he put the in-ear device back on.

The cold sensation was inserted into his ear. Opening his hesitant mouth, he reported the current situation.

“…I’ve made it outside, but I’m trapped.”

The words were spoken expecting Fenil to be on the other end.

—Kay, is there a way out?

But it was Boss who answered.

Kay had thought it would have changed by now. He didn’t expect Boss to still be listening. It probably meant he considered this operation important. Although Kay didn’t know why Boss had given up on rescuing Alice.

Following Boss’s orders, Kay shifted his gaze around. Only a few lights illuminated the surroundings in the pitch-black night. But nowhere could he see a suitable escape route.

All he could see was the thin membrane-like wall. This wall, which enclosed everything including the ceiling and floor, was completely sealed without even the slightest imperfection.

No matter how much he looked, there wasn’t a glimmer of hope in the situation.

“There isn’t one at the moment…”

Breaking the silence, Kay carefully spoke. If things continued like this, he would only be captured by Peace and die. Knowing that his ability was regeneration, they would force him to talk using violence.

The taste of blood began to circulate from his tightly clenched lips. He had to find a way. He didn’t expect to escape. At the very least, he shouldn’t be captured by Peace.

But there wasn’t a suitable method. As he was aimlessly scratching his neck, his fingertips touched the choker. The choker that had become like a part of him.

At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind.

“I’ve thought of one way.”

—What is it?

If others knew, they would surely think he was crazy. But this was the only way. A method to minimize damage to ‘Alice’. Along with that, a method to inflict maximum damage on Peace.

“We can detonate the bomb.”

He just needed to die.

—…You can’t be serious.

Boss immediately understood the meaning of Kay’s words. If he activated the bomb on Kay’s neck, they could avoid this situation. And if the timing was right, he might even take a few Peace members along as companions.

“You know, don’t you? This is the best option right now.”

Boss didn’t know that Kay’s body was at its limit now. He believed that even if the bomb went off, Kay would regenerate again.

Boss knew this was the best method in this situation. There was no way he wouldn’t activate the bomb.

—Is there… no other way?

But for some reason, Boss didn’t seem to welcome that choice. It was strange. It was always he who had said the bomb should be activated if something like this happened.

“No, this is the only way.”

There was no other method. Rather than being captured and killed, he wanted to die by Boss’s hand. He didn’t want someone else to take his life.

“Isn’t this what I’ve trained for?”

Although he had never trained for death. He clenched his fist to hide his trembling voice.

The death he didn’t want to reach had finally approached his feet. Despite the weather being cold enough to see his breath, his body was full of heat due to his pounding heart.

It felt like his entire body was struggling to reject death.

Boss’s voice, which had been maintaining silence, seeped into Kay’s ear.

—I haven’t given you an answer about your confession yet.

Kay barely managed to block the emotional current that was about to burst beyond the dam by holding his breath.

Why was Boss saying this at this moment? Surely, Boss wouldn’t know about his death. Boss’s words sounded like someone who knew about Kay’s impending death.

Kay exhaled slowly. He wanted to tell Boss everything. That if he activated the bomb, Kay would die. That he actually didn’t want to die. That he wanted to live together with Boss.

“…I know.”

But that was an unattainable wish. It was selfish enough of Kay to want to die by Boss’s hand.

If he said such things, even Boss, who had no interest in him, wouldn’t be able to just let it go.

Kay hoped that Boss would remember him, even if it was out of guilt.

But as death approached, that emotion naturally faded away.

The only feeling Kay had was that he wished for Boss’s happiness.

It was fine if Boss forgot him. It was fine if Kay didn’t live in Boss’s memories.

So, I hope you’ll be happy.

—So, make sure to come and hear it.

Just as Kay thought that, Boss’s suppressed voice was heard.

He couldn’t keep Boss’s words. It was impossible to hear the answer. It was a future that only Kay knew about.

“I under… stand.”

But Kay told him a lie. Calming the surging waves, Kay conveyed his last words to Boss.

As a member of Peace approached Kay, something began to fall from the sky.

It was the first snow, just like when he had met Boss. A smile formed at the snow falling as if to comfort his death.

With that memory, a deafening sound that Kay couldn’t even recognize rang out. Along with it, his vision closed.

Thus, the death he had so desperately wanted to avoid finally came to him.

* * *

Today, everything would finally end. The long journey would come to a close.

This was certainly a situation to be happy about. However, Boss’s expression showed no signs of brightening. A gentle ripple stirred in his emotionless, sunken eyes.

The direction of that tremor was not toward Alice. The operation didn’t exist in his thoughts right now.

Only Kay filled his mind.

Like a solid lock had been fastened, Boss continued to think about Kay, unable to process any other information.

“Last words…”

From the memories flowing like a panorama, Boss carefully spoke the words Kay had said.

It was certainly a term he should be familiar with. But just by mentioning it, it felt like an unfamiliar word that didn’t exist.

Why had Kay spoken such words to him? Amidst the unsolved mystery, Boss looked at the spot where Kay had always stood, which had now become a rule.

Kay, who had always maintained his position like a solid wooden figure, never deviating.

Although Kay had been gone for a long time, Boss could easily picture him. He recalled Kay’s appearance from his memories.

Light brown eyes, almost golden, positioned beneath dark brown hair. Eyes that seemed indifferent at first glance but changed moment by moment.

He liked reading Kay’s emotions by looking into those eyes. Whenever he met Kay’s gaze, he could always see the affection directed toward him.