Work Text:
He was a good man.
Recovering his memory, his work became clear. He must take revenge. In search of the truth, he must take back his father's revenge, his mother's pain, his name's honor -- and everything.
He has to face the past, leaving behind the welcome of the reunion with Ryunosuke and Susato. His inner voice to do his job in England no longer sounded as if he had done his job, but instead, the meaning came through his own voice. Not much for himself, but he had enough authority to check the papers of the inspection office, and above all, he had no further hesitation to be in London, where his father had come to study.
"I have to leave. Have some work to do." While he was trying to leave Ryunosuke and Susato with an unkind greeting, he made eye contact with HIM.
Prosecutor Barok van Zieks. He was a good man.
---
Kazuma Asougi had a troubled childhood, but he was lucky enough to have a kind person around. Mikotoba Yujin would be father him, and Susato would give him sweet, slightly mean advice. Needless to say, Ryunosuke was his most precious friend. As he lost his memory and worked in a ship day and night from Hong Kong to England, he felt not only physical pain but also mental solitude. He would question how he felt lonely without a memory inside, but he knew it unconsciously. Before he lost his memory, he was probably loved a lot.
What can I find in England? What should I do in London?
Will my pain... be relieved if I go there?
As if to repay the trouble, upon his arrival in England, he was lucky enough to stand out from Mael Stronghart and work as an apprentice of Barok van Zieks Prosecutor. With only a strange mask and nothing, Barok van Zieks took him to his mansion and literally provided everything.
On the first day of his mansion, Asougi chose the strategy of staying out of sight as much as possible. However, the strategy failed at Barok's request to call him after washing up.
At the moment, a joke surfaced that the nobles were using their subjects sexually, as the ship's sailors were talking about. He was close to knowing nothing in terms of sex, although he would have to do something because he wouldn't pay anything about living.
After taking a bath in agony, he finds Barok and informed him with paper of his sexual ignorance in accordance with Stronghart's order not to speak.
The expression on his face reading it was really... weird. Would he have thought he was a useless apprentice as well? But Asougi still has work to do in here. He should say he'll learn as much as he can...
Barok sighed and apologized. He said he would come to the apprentice's room to heal the wounds. He said sorry for the misunderstanding.
When he was arrested for smuggling, Asougi had a number of small wounds due to physical struggle, and other large and small wounds obtained from sailing were left unattended. But why does he care about this? As soon as he tried to express that he did not care about this wound, Barok acts quickly.
He asked for your understanding and treated the wound immediately, saying that it would not be good to get damaged.
The servants of the mansion are working to a minimum due to Baroque's own circumstances, and even that is avoided during his time in the mansion, and in the case of the doctor in charge could be dangerous so... he heal most of the wounds himself...
In that time, Kazuma Asougi was convinced that he could get what he was looking for there.
He isn't lonely at this moment of treatment, even if he couldn't remember his hometown, purpose, or even his name. He wasn't in pain. And in a little while... it felt like he could find himself.
This man is a good man.
When Barok left his room with the words to rest well, he tried to arrange the feelings he had just felt, but his exhausted body could not easily renew his thoughts, and he fell asleep that day and half a day.
During his time with him, it became clear how Kazuma felt when he first saw Baroque. Despite not being rude, Barok always apologized for being rude, always being careful that people around him who were not that close would get hurt, and above all, he was really kind.
From the moment he first healed himself, maybe even afterwards, he will continue to be kind to Asougi. He seemed to be born that way, and apart from whether he was really The Reaper or not, he is a really, really good man.
After that, he spent peaceful days trying to find memories. The work in the office was a little boring, but it was much more comfortable than when I worked in ship, and with everything in the food, clothing, and shelter being satisfied, he thought he really just needed to get himself back. When Barok was attacked by a gunman on the day he accompanied him to investigate, and when the gunman was pointed at Barok while Asougi was off guard, he regretted for the first time since losing his memory.
What am I doing? Why didn't I find any danger? Can't I be of any help to him?
Barok asked how apprentice was doing, saying, "Are you okay?" to apprentice, who was protecting his master, organizing the situation, who dare not raise his head.
Even before the first regret had gone, the first anger arose. To the gunman who attacked him, to the stupid good master, and to himself who did nothing.
In many waves of emotion, the last thing that lingers was... unfairness. He wanted to shout that it was you who were hurt and ask if you were okay. He wanted to comfort you why you should be subjected to this. But he can’t. Didn't know what was going on inside him, who barely nodded, Barok began to ask again.
“Is everyone okay…?”
Ah. Barok van Zieks. This man …
Looking inside to regain his memory, he used to feel terrible headaches and burning pain. What on earth does his heart hurt so much because he wants to do with his memory? What should he be looking for in England?
The pain of the heart seemed to tell him that he had to be here for revenge. However, the emotions that Asougi himself can feel now are... comfort, stability, and maybe affection. Is his heart misjudging? Maybe he's confused between his passion for Barok and other pain?
No. It's different. I definitely have to do something different. I have to get myself back, I have to achieve some goals. I can't be complacent with my life now.
"Is it the same headache as before?" asked Barok cautiously at the appearance of the apprentice, who somehow looked in pain. Although he expressed his intention that he didn't need to care, he said quietly again.
"Your memory will definitely come back. I'll help you until then, whenever is, so... don't overdo it." Still, he is too considerate. His kindness made Asougi's first and last mistake as an apprentice.
"I wish. My Lord." He had never defied Strongheart's order, but he did. Perhaps it was not only apprentice himself who was surprised, a tremendous silence passed through the office, and Barok quietly moved on, saying, "I'll pretend I didn't hear."
He thought about whether he was confused about breaking the order, whether it was an affirmative answer to wanting his memory back, or an affirmative answer to Barok's offer to stay with him, but it didn't matter. He had to go to assist Barok in his trial right away, and decided to focus on it right now. As always, he hoped for his memory to return and moved to a place where a lawyer awaited him who familiar without any reason, who from Japan.
---
"I need to go. For something to do for a while." As soon as he regained his memory, the first thing Asougi said to Baroque was a cold notice. Leaving behind Ryunosuke and Susato for a moment, recalling the past emotions, he thought he should no longer approach this man.
He was such a good man. But he is The Reaper. The memory of reading through a mask the numerous The Reaper-related incidents that had been secretly investigated for humans called Barok van Zieks. And the professor-case on top of them had just hit his brain with the visual information of a wax doll, such as an image of his former father. At the same time as he was angry at Barok van Zieks who The Reaper, he began to get angry at himself, who had never suspected that such a man was a good man.
Confused with his passion for Barok van Zieks on the pretext of losing his memory of his heart's cry for revenge? Didn't know what has he been hiding? Just for hiding all that stuff and being nice to himself?
Kazuma Asougi had an urge to split his stomach, open his heart, and refresh it, but he didn't even have enough time.
Everything related to his father should be investigated right away. But even at the moment of constant renewed determination, he couldn't resist doubts about himself.
What if he was just a really nice person, what if something went wrong somewhere and he wasn't really The Reaper? What if all the favors he gave himself were really pure in his nature?
Where should my revenge go?
That can't be right. My revenge is certain. He was The Reaper, He would The Reaper and HE IS THE REAPER. Don't turn your eyes to your own weakened heart.
Must immediately pay for what Barok van Zieks have done.