The Laughing Swordsman

Talon had prostrated with his forehead on the cold stone ground. His fists were clenched tightly, while his pair of scissors rested on his back.

Talon was still quietly crying, unable to accept this turn of events.

Eventually, he was able to pull himself together, albeit just barely.

Talon slowly stood up and looked at the door with his slightly puffy eyes. He swallowed before turning around to leave.

His steps were slow and lethargic.

But suddenly, he collapsed to his knees.

Talon grimaced in pain and clutched his heart tightly.

"W-What?"

There was a strange squirming feeling from inside his heart, as though some sort of parasite awoke and attempted to take over his body.

Beads of sweat formed on Talon's forehead.

The pain was unlike anything he had experienced before. He had been whipped countless times, developing sturdy skin. However, the same couldn't be said for his insides. After all, it wasn't like he could just whip his internal organs.

Talon's eyes bulged as a muffled groan of pain escaped his clenched teeth. He immediately clenched his chest muscles in an attempt to suppress whatever this thing was. Unfortunately, the effect was limited.

Talon felt a sudden loss of motivation, as though he couldn't be bothered by this pain. It was as though something sedated him, sapping away his will.

His expression dulled, while the hand clutching onto his heart began to relax.

However, like a raging fire, Talon's will stormed through, waking him up.

He clenched his teeth and held his heart once more. Whatever this thing was, it had spread out from his heart.

In the brief moment Talon lost his motivation, this thing already expanded greatly, nearly covering the entirety of his lungs.

Once Talon recovered himself, the thing no longer festered as much. However, the pain was still strong and fresh. After steeling himself, Talon slowly removed his hand from his chest.

He looked down, only to see a wriggling mass of black flesh on his chest. Talon's pupils constricted.

"I've... been lied to."

Although Talon was never directly involved with the experiments, he had helped out before. That's why he immediately recognized what the black flesh on his body meant.

He had been prepared for the experiment as well.

Which meant... the last resort of the empire had been activated.

Talon had one hazelnut eye and one yellow eye with the pupils of a snake. That yellow eye began to glow brightly, then Oddryl's voice echoed through the halls.

"Haha, I do not recall lying to you. At most, I have hidden the truth."

Talon frowned.

"You... you never intended on trusting me in the first place."

Oddryl's ethereal laugh resounded throughout the halls.

"That's the kind of person I am, remember? There's always a failsafe..."

Long ago, Oddryl made Talon go through an eye replacement as part of his ascension to one of the giants.

Although Talon was suspicious, there was little he could do in such a situation, as it wasn't truly a choice for him to make. And so, one of his hazelnut eyes had been replaced by the yellow one.

Oddryl never said anything about this eye, but Talon intuitively guessed what they were for.

In essence, it was a monitoring device. One that closely watched every single action he performed.

Talon suspected this, thus acted accordingly. He stuck to his personality as best he could and did not show too much affection to his sister. However, it didn't seem like it was enough.

Talon's eyes narrowed.

"...You used the eye surgery to also prepare me for your sick experiments?"

Oddryl's confident snort echoed through the halls.

"Every single villager on the outside has already been prepared since birth. From the beginning, you lot were always sheep, while we at the top were the shepherds."

Talon smiled bitterly.

"So inviting me to join the giants was always for show?"

Oddryl's laugh reverberated.

"Of course. As you can probably tell, I've activated the last resort."

Talon's tone dropped, while his expression dulled.

"...That much is obvious."

Oddryl's voice became sinister, as though the devil were whispering.

"That means your sister is already gone, transformed into a monster. While you are about to join her."

Talon remained silent for a moment.

Yet, without warning, he burst out into laughter.

Talon smirked confidently.

"Is that so?"

Oddryl's tone clearly showed confusion.

"...It is exactly so."

Talon continued laughing. It was as though he won the lottery.

"Oh, Oddryl... why are you lying to me?"

After a moment of silence, Oddryl's flat voice came through.

"And in what capacity am I lying? Is it not clear you will be transformed into a monster?"

Talon felt his mind blaze like a blistering inferno.

"Don't you remember how long I've been under you, following your every command?"

Oddryl scoffed.

"What does that have to do with your current situation?"

Talon chuckled.

"Just answer the question."

Oddryl seemed reluctant, but continued.

"...Nearly five years."

Talon clutched the side of his face with his hand.

"And don't you think I've gotten to know you over these long years?"

Oddryl snorted.

"Isn't that natural?"

Talon smirked.

"Why yes, it is."

Oddryl laughed.

"You sound so confident, yet that hardly changes the fact you will become a monster."

Talon was not discouraged. In fact, his momentum grew further.

"Oh really? How come it sounds like not even you believe that?"

Oddryl's tone became mocking.

"And how exactly do you know what I believe?"

Talon took a deep breath.

"Oddryl... I know the way you work like the back of my hand."

Oddryl didn't seem concerned.

"So what?"

Talon smiled brightly.

"I know... that you are a man of efficiency."

He got up to his feet.

"That means if an enemy is thoroughly dealt with, you will no longer bother with them."

Talon began cackling, as though he figured it all out.

"The only situation where you would taunt me over my misfortune..."

He snickered.

"....is if you're afraid of something."