Becoming a Monster

Chapter 570 - 569: Fated Omen

The group finally all turned to leave.

Just as Ishii was the one about to leave, Varkesh suddenly called out.

”...Wait.”

Everyone stopped to quickly turn around. Not a second went by before Bailey’s head quickly peeked out from the doorway.

Seeing everyone abruptly turn towards him, Varkesh found himself entirely certain why he had spoken.

He didn’t believe that he would see any of them ever again. There was no reason to care about what happened to them after this.

But Ishii left a part of him that wanted to warn them.

If the guild eventually marched against Noah, then he wanted to tell them not to go.

More specifically, he just wanted Ishii not to go.

He wanted to tell him that whatever connection they believed they shared with the demon, they still didn’t understand the monster that now lived within that forest.

And if they thought they understood him, then it was better not to take the risk. They could go after all of this was over.

He didn’t want another person’s death weighing upon his conscience, especially someone like Ishii.

But his gaze slowly pandered towards the door, eventually settling upon Bailey.

Throughout the entire conversation, she had never truly hidden what she was feeling.

If anything, she was the easiest person in the room to read.

Every time he spoke about the demon trying to avoid a fight, the others looked relieved.

She didn’t.

Every time he admitted that the demon gave them an opportunity to leave, the others seemed to relax as though they had just been reassured that the person they once knew still remained somewhere beneath everything he had become.

She only looked more unsettled.

To anyone else, it would’ve looked like nothing more than a frightened young woman desperately searching for the truth.

Perhaps that was exactly what it was.

Yet Varkesh had spent too much of his life around people whose expressions never matched what they truly intended.

His instincts had kept him alive for too many years to dismiss the feeling now.

It wasn’t enough to accuse her of anything. However, it wasn’t enough to distrust her completely either.

But it was enough to remind him that trusting Ishii also meant placing that same trust in every person standing beside him.

He couldn’t bring himself to do that.

Because of that, the warning gradually disappeared before it ever reached his lips.

Several moments passed before Varkesh quietly shook his head.

”...I only wanted to thank you.”

”For believing me...”

A faint smile appeared across his face, one that carried more regret than joy.

”And... I hope this world never changes you.”

Ishii processed the words quietly to himself. Even he couldn’t make a promise that he would remain the same. He had already changed so much.

There was a time when he believed every life deserved the same respect.

A time when he believed that even his enemies should be treated with dignity.

But that version of him had been left behind long ago.

Too many people with power had proven themselves unworthy of it.

Too many innocent people had suffered because those responsible for protecting them chose convenience over responsibility.

There were even moments now where Ishii found himself wishing certain people would simply disappear from the world altogether.

It wasn’t a belief he was proud of.

But it was one he could no longer deny.

A garden couldn’t flourish if no one was willing to pull the weeds.

Rather than offer a promise he wasn’t certain he could keep, Ishii lowered himself into one final bow before following the others out of the room.

After the door finally closed, Varkesh returned to his seat and reached for the bottle once more.

The liquor tasted better than before. Or perhaps it was simply his mood.

A faint warmth settled within his chest as he replayed the young man’s words.

Ishii had reminded him that people like Gwen weren’t as rare as he once believed.

—

The walk back to the others was quieter than normal. No one was interested in discussing the things they had just learned.

For some, the information was a lot to take in, leaving them with far more to think about than they had anticipated.

Whatever decision they eventually reached regarding Noah, it wasn’t something any of them wanted to decide while emotions were still running high.

For others, it was simply because too much of what they had heard wasn’t meant to be spoken about so openly.

As a result, the group quietly made their way through the crowded streets, each person occupied with their own thoughts.