Ganesha Tripathi kept his eyes fixed on the battle, carefully observing the combat style of the Turncoat, Pawn.
The reason he thought Pawn's fighting technique seemed human was simple.
It's one thing to blow away a group of five beasts at once using a TITAN-17 Anti-Behemoth Rocket Launcher—that's not particularly difficult.
But what about taking down five beasts at once with a single, ordinary bullet?
Incredibly, the Turncoat Pawn was executing the latter almost perfectly.
Rather than just overwhelming the enemy with sheer firepower, he was concentrating his strength precisely where it was needed, using every ounce of power efficiently.
Ganesha Tripathi recognized this fighting style.
In the Rose Line, there were countless strong fighters, but the beasts and monsters they had to face were even stronger—and far more numerous.
That's why those fighters had to strictly adopt the human way of fighting—the way of the weak.
It was a fighting style that overwhelming monsters wouldn't use.
Of course, given the special nature of Skull Turncoats, they could mimic human traits depending on their host.
But even considering that possibility, Ganesha couldn't help but believe what his eyes were telling him.
'He's not a monster...'
If that was true, then everything Pawn had claimed so far might actually be the truth.
That he wasn't a Skull Turncoat—or even a Skull Knight.
'It's not impossible.'
Ganesha was familiar with bone equipment created through bone parasites.
Although crafting bone equipment required capturing a live bone parasite and harvesting a live beast's heart—an immensely difficult task—the result was undeniably powerful.
'Still... that level of strength isn't something mere bone equipment could achieve...'
No matter what it was, he figured he could just ask directly later.
Bang—!!
Screech!
Lost in thought, Ganesha witnessed the head of a Grade-7 Named Beast—the apparent leader of the pack—being blown apart.
With that, the remaining beasts, as if suddenly remembering their survival instincts, began retreating cautiously.
But Pawn wasn't about to let them get away, firing at the fleeing creatures without hesitation.
'Ark-15 automatic conversion rifle.'
As a standard issue for the Ark, it was too common to trace his identity through it.
Screech!
Amidst the wails of the retreating beasts, the battle became less of a fight and more of a one-sided slaughter.
'He knows every single movement the beasts make.'
It wasn't just about eyesight or reflexes—it was more akin to insight born from experience.
After all, Pawn had been moving even before the beasts could initiate their attacks.
Screech!
Squeal...
Finally, the nighttime battle was over.
Covered in sweat and blood—some his own, some from the beasts—Ganesha Tripathi looked around.
Corpses. Corpses everywhere.
Pawn had single-handedly protected Ganesha Tripathi by annihilating hundreds of beasts.
Looking at the heaps of beast carcasses, Ganesha couldn't help but shake his head.
Even if they were just beast corpses, the sight of a mountain of bodies was far from pleasant.
"Are you alright?"
Unexpectedly, Pawn was already approaching, appearing completely calm and unbothered.
Despite the intense battle, aside from the blood splattered on him, he didn't even seem to have broken a sweat.
Compared to Ganesha, who was drenched in sweat from just running and hiding, Pawn's composed demeanor was almost surreal.
"...I'm fine."
"Sorry, but there's no time to rest. We made a lot of noise, so more beasts will be swarming in soon."
Despite just finishing a fierce battle, he was already thinking about the next step—as if living as a human outside the Ark for countless years had been his way of life.
Gazing at Pawn with a newfound sense of clarity, Ganesha Tripathi slowly opened his mouth.
"...Pawn, I will trust you."
Whether the battle had triggered some change in his mindset or for some other reason, Ganesha's face appeared unusually calm and relieved.
"So, please tell me. Who you really are—and why you became a Turncoat."
* * *
Pawn couldn't hide his confusion at Ganesha Tripathi's sudden change of heart.
It wasn't that rare for people who had faced death together to develop a bond, but the change was so abrupt that it seemed unnatural.
'Did he see something?'
If Ganesha truly saw something that changed his perspective, it might mean I needed to reassess him—not just as a naive noble but as a promising young council member of the Rose Line.
"You said you didn't trust me."
"I've done a lot of thinking."
Ganesha, who had been so stiff and tense earlier, now smiled lightly as if it had all been a bad dream.
There was no way a man as faint-hearted as him could fake such a sincere reaction—he genuinely believed I was human.
'Hmm...'
It wasn't a lie.
I could tell just by looking into his eyes.
Though I didn't possess any mind-reading abilities, I had seen that kind of look enough times to recognize it.
'Well, there's no harm in it.'
As Ganesha suggested, I decided to tell him a few things—nothing too sensitive, just enough to gauge his reaction.
"I'll tell you."
And so, I revealed to Ganesha a few truths—except for the fact that I was Carl Marcus.
Especially about why I had become a wanted Turncoat to the Ark.
"So... why did you steal the Experimental RoundGHOST-157? Don't you realize what it means to be wanted by the Ark?"
"I dislike the word steal. Let's just say I picked up something the Ark lost."
"...Regardless, it's still theft."
"You want to know why?"
"Yes."
"The Ark can't mass-produce it."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. The Ark doesn't have the technology to mass-produce GHOST-157. It was a fluke, not a technological breakthrough."
"...Even if that's true, it still doesn't justify you taking it. It belongs to the Ark."
Ganesha didn't back down, and I felt oddly relieved by that.
If he had just blindly agreed with me, it would have meant he didn't truly believe what I was saying.
"GHOST-157 is a special round. Among compact equipment, it's practically the only thing that can damage ether-based entities like the Phantom Class."
GHOST-157 was certainly special, but it wasn't the only weapon of its kind.
The Ark had developed large-scale devices that could deal with ether-based entities as part of Project Ghost.
However, due to the inherent nature of ether-based beings like phantoms, using large equipment against them was inefficient, only offering limited defense at key locations.
That's why GHOST-157 was crucial—it was the core of Project Ghost.
"...You know all that, and yet you took it anyway?"
"As I said before, the Ark doesn't have the technology to mass-produce it."
"Then what are you saying—"
It was then that realization dawned on Ganesha's face.
His eyes widened, and his expression froze in disbelief.
"No way... Are you saying... you can?"
"Yes."
"...Earlier, you said you had no affiliation. Were you lying to me?"
"I never lied."
For a moment, Ganesha Tripathi looked completely dumbfounded.
It was understandable—what I had just said was nothing short of outrageous.
"...Then are you saying you accomplished it alone? Something even the Ark couldn't achieve?"
"That's right."
Seeing that words alone wouldn't be enough, I decided to demonstrate.
"Watch."
I pulled out the HE2050 handgun from my waist, swapped the magazine, and aimed it at my own temple.
Click—
"W-What are you doing!"
There was no need for more words.
Bang!
The gunshot echoed, but there wasn't even a scratch on my temple.
"The experimental round GHOST-157 has almost no physical impact on anything that isn't ether-based. At most, it's like getting hit by a rubber bullet."
Of course, not everyone seemed to agree with me.
["Aah! You almost shot me!"]
I ignored Esther's whining and continued speaking.
"...Isn't it just a blank round?"
It was a reasonable question, but there was one thing Ganesha didn't know.
"Even a blank can be deadly at point-blank range. If you'd like, I can demonstrate by shooting you."
"That's...!"
When I swapped the magazine again and pointed the gun at Ganesha, his face turned ashen.
Indeed, blanks fired at close range could be lethal.
Especially those produced by the Ark, which were designed to deal with beasts and monsters. They packed far more power than ordinary blanks.
"S-Stop! I believe you. I really do."
"Doesn't look like it."
"I'm telling you, I believe you!"
Esther snickered from the sidelines.
["You really think he'll trust you after threatening him like that?"]
It seemed she was still holding a grudge from almost being hit by the experimental round.
'She would.'
["Huh? Are you serious?"]
'Yeah.'
The reason I was so confident was simple.
Even though I came off as half-threatening, Ganesha didn't have any grounds to deny my claim.
"...Alright. But if you really possess such technology, why not just make an agreement with the Ark?"
As if that were possible.
I didn't really have the technology in the first place.
"There are circumstances."
So, I just brushed it off with a vague response.
There was no need to worry.
Based on what I had seen so far, Ganesha Tripathi wasn't the kind of person to pry into personal matters too deeply.
"...Fine."
That was the end of the conversation.
Since there was still plenty of time left, there was no need to rush.
"Let's move on."
The journey continued.
*
The path to the Ark was rough.
There was no helping it—outside the Ark was pure wilderness, and the distance between Heshbon and the Ark was immense.
But it wasn't all bad.
Perhaps thanks to the long journey, Ganesha and I ended up having plenty of conversations.
"Is that really true?"
"Yeah."
"Incredible..."
There wasn't any specific topic—it was mostly Ganesha asking questions or initiating conversations. Occasionally, I spoke first as well.
"Haha. That's funny. Ah, not that I'm laughing at you."
"It's fine."
Gradually, Ganesha's attitude toward me became more relaxed.
Which, honestly, wasn't a bad thing.
"Pawn, if I make it back safely, I'll definitely repay you."
"Of course you should."
"Haha."
And finally...
The long, arduous journey came to an end.
"There it is—the Ark."
On the horizon, I saw the massive city walls and sprawling cityscape.
The Ark.
"From here, you can go on your own, right?"
"Ah... Yes. Of course."
He understood that exposing myself to the Ark's gaze like this wasn't an option.
There were no more beasts on the path leading directly to the Ark, so it wasn't a problem.
"Pawn."
When I turned to look at him, he held out a pendant.
"What's this?"
Feigning ignorance, I asked despite already knowing what it was.
A triangular shape with stars engraved at each vertex—the emblem of the Tripathi family.
"It's the symbol of the Tripathi family. If you ever find yourself in trouble, show this emblem and come to our family."
Ganesha Tripathi added in a quiet voice.
"My friend."