-Vol 4: To The North Pole!-

-Vera’s Surprise!-

Kenshin and Vera sat facing each other while the snow bore hung in the middle above the fire. The atmosphere was a bit awkward with neither trying to start a conversation. At this time, Kenshin really felt uncomfortable about this weird silence. Even though he wanted to break it, he didn’t know how. Fortunately, Vera decided to start a conversation and end this odd silence.

“Kenshin, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“After I lost my consciousness, what exactly happened?” she was very curious about this and also that purple streak that saved her from being stomped to death. Although she knew except her and Kenshin, no one was around, but still, she wanted to confirm her speculations. But in her heart for some odd reason, she wished that purple streak to be Kenshin. She wanted to hear that it was him who saved her.

Hearing her question, Kenshin stiffened a little. He knew this question was coming ever since he saved her and was mentally preparing for it all this time. For his plan to succeed he needs her help, and to gain her trust it was necessary for her to know about everything. But Kenshin simply couldn’t tell her about his uncanny abilities, neither he could tell her that he had killed one of her summons approaching level 150.

For one she wouldn’t believe him. And even if she by chance believed him and in a later date pass on this knowledge to some high official, his future would be miserable. In the worst case scenario, he would be captured and become one of the test subjects to some lunatic scientists. After all the gap that separated those below and above level 100 couldn’t be surmounted merely by having a powerful skill. And until now nobody had succeeded in this endeavour, not even the famed Aoi, and she got a Divine Skill at her disposal.

Before coming here, he heard the news that Aoi Yamazaki was now level 99, on the verge of taking that colossal leap that would separate her from ordinary mortals in the world. She would officially become one of the powerhouses that had the qualification to make a decision regarding the world as a whole.

If even she couldn’t surmount that gap then how can anyone else? If the world suddenly has to know that there was a person who could overcome this gap where even Aoi had failed, their reactions won't be as hospitable as what it was to Aoi. Besides after gaining the power himself Kenshin came to realize one thing, in this world, Aoi might not be the only Divine Skill user. There must be others with the ability, but due to this exact reason, they choose to hide it, like how Kenshin was doing. At this time even Kenshin began to suspect the origin of his System.

He was afraid that Divine Skills weren’t as simple as they look. There might be an underlying reason behind its appearance. Like how his system and its quest function works. All those compulsory quests that appeared till date, Kenshin realized that one way or other it helped the world to avoid some kind of crisis. Its as if he had become some kind of lackey to some god that wanted to make the world balanced.

In summary, he had become an uninterested hero that was forced to save the world time and again.

And if his system was a Divine Skill then what about others? What was their Divine Skill? What purpose did they have to serve? And in the end what was Aoi’s Divine Skill? Till today nobody knew about it, not even the senior officials of DCB of Japan. Thinking about all this made Kenshin frown, he couldn't help but feel that he was manipulated by someone all this time. He really hated this feeling.

Looking at Vera seriously, he decided to speak the half truth.

“It's not that I don’t want to tell you, but this is related to one of my skills. I simply cannot reveal it’s existence to anyone.”

“I see. Then leave it!” she looked visibly upset but hid it with a cool face.

“Sigh! You didn’t let me finish. I am saying that since it’s related to one of my skills, I can’t just reveal it to anyone. But you have saved my life twice while I only saved yours once. That’s a debt needed to be paid by me. I will tell you about it but please take it as my request, please don’t speak about it to anyone.” These words honestly came from his heart. She had saved his life twice while ready to sacrifice her life a third time to save him. He had only saved her once. He felt like owing a debt to her, and to someone like Kenshin, this debt was even heavier than a mountain in his heart.

Hearing Kenshin’s honest words that were laced with his true feelings, her heart couldn’t help but skip a beat. But with a solemn face, she nodded and placed her right hand above her heart.

“Don’t worry. I, Orlov Vera promise on my honour that I would never reveal what you are going to tell me today. If by any chance these words leak from my mouth, I will pay it by blood and have the life of the listener no matter who it is.” Her solemn promise made Kenshin so surprise that he nearly fell off from his seat.

‘This woman is very stiff!’ “You don’t have to take that kind of promise!” Kenshin frowned as he spoke.

“No, let me do this. This promise will remind me to never make this mistake ever in future.” Vera was very serious when she spoke about this, she was someone who valued relations more than anyone thanks to her sad background. When Kenshin asked her to not talk about his secret, she feared that her verbal promise won't make Kenshin believe her. That's why she took the oath impulsively. She didn’t want to be hated by Kenshin no matter what.

“Is that so! Sigh*” after sighing, Kenshin looked at Vera, and Vera too looked at him intently, urging him to speak. But suddenly she noticed something weird. Kenshin, who was sitting in front of her started shrinking. But on closer inspection, she noticed that he wasn’t shrinking but submerging. He was immersing inside the ground like how a submarine enters the water. It was indeed bizarre for her to see a skill like that. Finally, in front of her watchful eyes, Kenshin fully entered the ground while making a plop sound in the end. The weirdest thing was that after he wholly entered the hard snowy ground, it rippled like a water body before becoming solid.

She was very dumbfounded after seeing this skill. Just as she was about to inspect the ground Kenshin was sitting on earlier, she suddenly felt like someone grabbed her leg, then before she could make a noise, she was already inside the ground, being hugged by Kenshin. This time he didn’t dare to embrace her intimately, he only held her shoulders and hug her platonically.

As for Vera, she tightly closed her eyes and mouth, afraid that something would happen to them. Seeing this, Kenshin couldn’t help but laugh in his heart.