Chapter 301 - 301: Favor
"Who is this boy you speak of, Charles?"
"H... Harvey."
Both Victoria and her dad looked at each other as Harvey slowly approached them. It was already a surprise to Charles that her daughter has ambushed her here, and knew where exactly where he would be landing... but to think even Harvey is here.
"Don't tell me..." Charles then blinked a couple of times as he looked at Victoria, "Did you tell him?"
"N--"
"None of you has to tell me something, Charles. Even if it was just for a brief while and seem like a time long past, but I was still trained by your mother-- my hearing is quite good," Harvey let out a slight chuckle as he placed his hand on Charles's shoulder, "And I am starting to think I know who this boy is."
Harvey then walked in circles as he let out a long and deep sigh, "I thought it was weird that you suddenly talked to me about Hermes's son... and to think it was something like this. I feel betrayed that you did not tell me, Victoria."
"Harvey... he knows nothing," Victoria said, "Father thinks he's only just arrived here."
"How long have you known?" Harvey said, "Have you talked to him?"
"No. I am the only one he has made contact with," Charles stepped in front of Victoria, "You can be rest assured, I have warned him personally not to get involved with the matters of this world."
"Don't you think this is something that should be decided as a group?" Harvey let out a sigh as he shook his head, "But I guess it's already done. I reckon you've told him about us?"
"Yes."
"Well, that's hard," Harvey then once again chuckled as he looked up, "What do you think he's going to do, Vicky? Do you think he'll try to find us?"
"I... don't know."
"He would," Harvey answered his own question, "If it's the same boy we know from years ago, he would definitely try to find us. It's just a pity that his search would be meaningless. The friends he knew from long ago are dead. Oh man, now I feel bad."
"Shouldn't we try to talk to him, Harvey?" Victoria then said, "You said it yourself, he will try to find us. Let him join our cause, he is still our friend, Harvey."
"Maybe," Harvey shrugged his shoulders, "But also maybe not. He is the son of Hermes, after all. If he comes to know the truth, which side do you think he would choose? Us, or them?"
"I know he would choose to side with us, Harvey," Victoria said, "It may have been a hundred years for us, but for him, it would have only been months since he last saw us."
"Don't tell me you still have feelings for the boy, Vicky?"
"No! He is alone, Harvey! At least when we got here we had each other!"
"You know what his kind did to my wife!? They tore her limb from limb in front of me!" Harvey stomped his foot on the ground, causing the earth to tremble for a few seconds, "They have to be stopped. If your brother was here, he would want the same thing. But right, he was also killed by them, ri--"
Before Harvey could finish his words, the sound of his face being slapped echoed throughout the glade, "Your brother is starting to sound like the better man."
"Well, my brother ran away when his wife got killed," Harvey lightly patted his face, "I chose to fight. If that makes me a lesser man, then so be it. Do not attempt to make contact with Hermes's son, he does not belong here. He will live for thousands of years, Vicky. Do not let him have the burden of the memory of his beloved friends attempting to kill him…
...Because trust me, I will try to kill him if I see him."
"Why, Harvey?" Victoria could only furrow her eyebrows, "He hasn't done anything to us. He was not the one who made us suffer."
"Because there is a possibility that he will join the gods, Vicky."
"How could you know that!?"
"Because we killed his family!"
The air once again trembled as Harvey's roar almost reached the sky, but Harvey's heavy breaths that came after still equaled it,
"Or have you also forgotten about that?"
"Ymir was a monster that terrorized this world for thousands and thousands of years, Harvey. Van doesn't even have any memories with him!"
"Then what about Artemis!?"
"That was an accident, she wasn't supposed to be--"
"How are you so delusional that you think things will still be the same? We're not children anymore!" Harvey waved his hands in frustration as he stomped his way back towards Victoria, "We have the blood of gods and mortals on our hands. We are at war, Van will just be a distraction."
"..." Hearing Harvey's words, Victoria could only close her eyes as she turned her head to the side.
"...I changed my mind," Harvey cracked his knuckles before looking at Charles, "I want you to go to the other bases and tell them about Van."
"Harvey?" VIctoria could not help but quickly turn towards Harvey as he said that. "What are you--"
"He is too dangerous to be left alone, Vicky. You and I both know that… I am truly sorry about this," Harvey let out a wry chuckle before letting out a sigh of disappointment,
"Tell the other groups about what he is capable of, tell them he is dangerous. From now on…
...Van is our enemy. I am putting a bounty on his head."
***
"Charles… was here?"
Back in Charlotte's tavern, the relief on each of Charlotte's breaths could clearly be heard by the few diners that were still left inside. Someone tried to call for her, but the only response the customer got was the giant barrel of alcohol being slammed into him.
"Yes… and he knows you're here too."
"W… what?"
"He has known for a very long time," Van could not help but let out a sorrowful sigh as he looked Charlotte straight in the eyes, "I don't know if Victoria knows--"
"My granddaughter is here as well?"
Charlotte's already wavering breaths completely stuttered through the air as she fell on the floor, "So they're alive… they're alive," Charlotte could not help but cover her face as the tears could not stop from falling from her eyes, "My… my babies are alive."
"What about Paris!?" Charlotte then quickly stood up, "Is she… is she also alive?"
"I… don't know, Charlotte. But didn't you hear what I said, Charles knew you were here, and he didn't even visit you once."
"Psh, Charles has always been like that, always thinks he is protecting his family in the shadows," Charlotte then wiped her tears as she waved her hand nonchalantly, "Did he tell you where they are hiding?"
"...No. I don't think they want to be found. I think there's something going on with them. Maybe we--"
"Drinks are on me!"
Before Van could even finish his words, Charlotte stomped her foot on the floor, causing the whole tavern to quake. But the diners, instead of feeling scared, all roared and cheered as Charlotte's words reached their ears.
"Miss Charlotte, why aren't you taking this seriously?" Van then started chasing Charlotte all over the place as she started having conversations with the customers one by one. But no matter how much he talked to her, it would seem she wasn't listening.
The only thing that Van could do was let out another sigh and try to wait for Charlotte to stop moving around. And finally, after a few more hours of noise, everyone either left home or was too drunk to even move a finger.
"Can we talk again now, Charlotte?"
Charlotte, who was still trying to find someone else to talk to, could not help but let out a sigh of her own as she could no longer see anyone moving. Afterward, she looked at Van, signaling for him to step out and follow her out, jumping on the roof of her tavern as soon as she stepped out.
"Sorry. I just wanted to celebrate," Charlotte laughed as she took a seat on the roof, "I just found out I still have family in this place."
"..."
"Even if Charles didn't visit me… it is enough for me to know that they are out there. And he is with Victoria, no less."
Charlotte then handed Van a bottle of alcohol, which Van quickly refused as he sat beside her.
"I am dying, Evans."
"...What?"
"I'm dying," Charlotte shrugged her shoulders as she handed the bottle of alcohol once again to Van, which Van quickly accepted.
"I could feel it. My memories all fucked up, I could feel myself falling into this deep ocean," Charlotte laid herself down as she looked at Midgard, "My body is alive and well... but I am dying."
"You seem pretty alive to me, Charlotte."
"Pft, stop lying," Charlotte almost hit Van on the shoulders, but he dodged, "I could see the look on your face whenever my mind starts to waver. I am dying, soon I will not even remember who I am…
...What is that if not death?"
"Char--"
"I want to ask something of you, Evans. It will be very hard… but only you can do it," Charlotte then closed her eyes as a single tear trailed from her eye,
"I am truly, truly sorry for asking you this…
...But I want you to kill me, Evans."