The Great Wish - Chapter 7.5

Vol.1 Chapter 7 Part 5 

They had the same face and build. The only noticeable difference was the color of their hair. The two young men stared at each other as if they were about to start fighting. They couldn't help but catch the eyes of passersby. 

Everyone could tell that they were brothers who came from the same womb, but their eyes looked at each other in disdain. They hadn't seen each other in two years. However, they didn't seem very thrilled at their reunion. 

"Looks like you're still alive." 

Russ blurted out. As if it was a pity that his brother was still alive. 

Martin looked at his brother and all the miscellaneous things hanging off his arms. He clicked his tongue. Although he was the one who had returned from a long trip, he had less baggage than his brother. 

"What about Kuhn?" 

"You didn't meet him?" 

"Did you just ask me if I hadn't met him yet?" 

Martin tilted his head as he repeated Russ's question. 

"Are you telling me that the guard doesn't know where his master is?" 

"It's an open market in the marketplace today. We got separated somewhere." 

Russ looked defensive as he argued back. Martin snorted. He could tell with one look that Russ was the one who had lost his mind in the marketplace. 

Thinking that scolding his brother was a waste of breath, Martin turned around. Russ rushed over to his side and continued to make a fuss. 

"Now that you mention it, I'm a guard in name only. We both know that Kuhn of all people doesn't need a guard. And Kuhn always leaves me behind and goes off on his own anyway." 

"Don't be so loud when we're out on the streets." 

"You awful son of a bitch. I know you're not going to let me off." 

Russ continued to mix in curses with his complaints, but Martin didn't respond. When it came to the two of them, despite their identical appearances, everything about them was like night and day. The gleam in their eyes, their way of speaking, their way of walking... Everything was different. 

"Huh?" 

Suddenly Russ became quiet. He grabbed Martin's arm and stopped him. Martin turned his head around with an annoyed expression on his face, but Russ's piercing gaze was directed somewhere else. 

"Look at that." 

Martin turned his head. His eyes widened. Their surroundings were full of bustling people. However, one person caught Martin's eye immediately. 

'It's been a while, Kuhn.' 

The two of them always seemed to be a step offbeat. If Kuhn had been visiting someplace, Martin arrived there a few days after his departure. Like this, the two of them hadn't been able to meet for 2 years now. Finally being able to see Kuhn after a long time warmed Martin's heart. 

As Martin gave a pleased smile, Russ smacked him. 

"It looks weird to you too, right?" 

"What does?" 

"That's a woman, right?" 

"What are you talking about?" 

"Then why'd you smile like that? Did you catch some sort of illness during your travels?" 

"Are you asking for a fight?" 

Martin began to lose his patience and frowned. 

Although these two brothers hadn't seen each other in a long time, nothing had changed. They were still temperamental and impulsive. 

'He's the same as ever, but I don't know if that's exactly a good thing... Should I let him off this once?' 

Martin clicked his tongue. How could they be so different even though they came from the same womb? People around them always asked this question. 

"Why can't you understand something after I explain it to you the first time?! The person that's with Kuhn right now. I think it's a woman." 

Martin now realized that someone was stuck close to Kuhn's side. 

But Martin could only see that person's back from where he was standing. The person was also wearing a hood, so Martin had no idea who they were. 

"Do you know that person?" 

"No. But I know it's definitely a woman." 

Russ sounded confident as he muttered. 

"So what if it is a woman? Kuhn meets a lot of people." 

"That's not what I mean. That's a date." 

"...What?" 

Kuhn and this person were standing in front of a merchant's cart. Martin carefully observed Kuhn as he spoke with the merchant. Martin tilted his head. 

"How can you tell?" 

"It's because you didn't see them earlier. Kuhn smiled as he spoke to that person." 

"So?" 

Martin gave him a blank stare, but Russ pressed on. 

"Aren't you curious? It's a woman. Kuhn's on a date." 

"So what?" 

Martin replied bitterly. 

Martin didn't care to know all the intimate details of Kuhn's love life. Something like that was his personal business, and Martin didn't find any joy in digging deeper into it. 

"She might be the person Kuhn marries. People have been talking about Kuhn's marriage a lot lately. She might become the mistress of the clan." 

After finishing their business, Kuhn and his companion left the merchant. 

"Ah!" 

Russ gasped. He quickly rushed over to make sure he didn't lose them in the crowd. 

Martin let out a sigh. He spotted his brother's back in the crowd and began to walk. Russ might start something if he was left alone, so Martin didn't feel comfortable leaving without him. 

'It's as if we're tailing him.' 

They were finally reunited, but now he was secretly following him? With a heavy heart, Martin muttered under his breath. After a few moments, Martin finally realized the significance of what Russ had said. 'Kuhn was smiling.' 

Kuhn's expression definitely looked different as he spoke to his companion. His smile wasn't fake, nor was it the smile he gave to those close to him. 

'Ho...' 

It was interesting. Martin had seen Kuhn change his expression according to the situation many times before. However, this was the first time he had seen that expression on his face. 

The smile Kuhn gave his companion expressed his ulterior motive. 'I'm interested in you, and I want you to be interested in me.' Martin could clearly see this in Kuhn's expression. The Kuhn that Martin knew never revealed his feelings so openly. 

And that wasn't the only thing. Every time they passed by a stand or a kiosk, Kuhn would head inside and buy something. The one who spoke to the merchant, the one who paid for the goods, and even the one who held all their purchases... It was always Kuhn. 

He was even being servile. Even if Kuhn was in a position where he had to please someone, he never lowered himself like that. 

Kuhn's various identities were crafted very meticulously. He even had all the official documents. There was no crack in his armor. His true identity was kept hidden no matter what. 

In order to be kept out of the public eye, his identities always had a certain level of social status. This was also correlated to the clan's pride. 

However, there was now one exception. 

If the person in the robe was truly a woman and the two of them were on a date as Russ said, then it all made sense. Martin glanced at Russ's face with an unusual look in his eye. 

'How did such a dull guy catch that?' 

The two brothers carefully followed Kuhn. Their eyes met for a moment. 

'There's no doubt, right?' 

'Yeah.' 

They didn't have to speak out loud in order to communicate their thoughts to one another. Their eyes spoke volumes. Martin's eyes narrowed and looked away. A suspicious man caught his eye. This man was pretending to be a commoner as he followed behind Kuhn's companion. 

'He's not your average punk.' 

No matter how relaxed the man seemed, Martin caught him after realizing that the man had been following the couple for a while now. They were experts. And there wasn't just one. There were many of them. Martin could count a total of three. The three of them didn't even look at each other and acted as if they were alone. 

If Martin and Russ weren't following the couple from a further distance, they wouldn't have noticed them at all. 

Kuhn and his companion continued to walk around the marketplace and buy goods. Once Kuhn's hands were full, they finally left the crowded market. 

As the crowd began to shrink, the twin brothers began to distance themselves from the couple. If they didn't, they would certainly be caught. From a far distance away, they saw Kuhn enter a building with his companion. 

"I was right, wasn't I?" 

Russ's face matched his voice as he spoke with a triumphant air. Martin saw that the building sign had a picture of a teacup and muttered, 'Looks like it.' It was a tea house. It wasn't a place where two men would enter alone. 

"Then should we go and catch the rest?" 

"Let's go." 

The two of them high-fived each other and went in separate directions. Despite their squabbling, at times like these, they worked in harmony. The brothers moved to take care of the rogues who were following Kuhn.