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182. Drinking Place (2)

Lyman Begilius.

Famous for his dirty personality and reckless behavior, he is not one to be easily scolded.

The overwhelming power of being the strongest in the world adds to his showboating, equating his actions with the dark past he has endured.

For 300 years, he has lived stubbornly without dying for some mission, during which he has seen many terrible things.

The most painful of these is his own mistake—the death of a former comrade’s wife due to his own actions.

“I remember how I was back then… You know well. So I guess that eases my burden a little.”

Lyman, grumbling while clutching his drink, has seemingly chosen me, someone who knows about that incident, as his conversational partner.

And yes, I do know. However…

“Don’t get your hopes up. I don’t know it all.”

“What kind of slippery talk is that? You said you knew everything.”

“True. The story I saw includes that incident. But it’s just a brief scene; that’s the problem.”

“….”

Most past recollections are like that. They are necessary backstories to understand the main story but are not described in detail.

If they went on too long, all that would come of it is the criticism of dragging down the plot. Sometimes, spin-off works are released to cover this.

That’s why an external novel and setting book mixed with ‘Devil Academy’ was published once.

“Really don’t know?”

“It’s just described as a simple sob.”

“Unbelievable.”

Lyman, wanting to soothe the bitter mood, downed his drink completely.

But please understand; like all media, there are limits to perfectly conveying a story.

If ‘Devil Academy’ had been a lengthy comic like ‘One Piece’ or ‘Naruto’, an enormous volume could have been drawn from the past recollections.

“So, do you know the name of the Holy Sword I made as a test when I was young?”

“Palera. That’s the one used by Instructor Jason.”

The Holy Sword that Lyman himself created and then shattered. But in reality, it was so humble it could barely be called a Holy Sword since it was just a test piece.

He made it out of curiosity ages ago but felt so embarrassed he hid it somewhere.

“I don’t know why it ended up in Jason’s hands, but it was humiliating to see that guy proudly carrying it around.”

“You know it well.”

He was always someone he despised anyway, so he destroyed the Holy Sword, a part of his embarrassing past, on top of that.

“Well then, do you know what my pet that I raised before was?”

“The name is Leaf. A Junior Wolf breed. 30 years ago, it was the last one entrusted to you by Saint Maria, so you couldn’t just throw it away.”

Back then, Saint Maria would secretly visit Lyman whenever she felt troubled. They had a deep bond, so he took good care of the animals she nurtured.

Those creatures existed regardless of being monsters or divine beasts, but after the demonic calamity, only Leaf had survived.

“Ugh… The more I think about it, the more disgusting it is. I should have just thrown it on the street back then.”

Lyman gulped down another drink, wanting to completely forget that unpleasant memory with alcohol.

It was when he used to wander around taking care of Leaf. He had gone to check on how his comrade Gerard was doing.

That young kid had grown up to be the most powerful man in the Empire, with a daughter and a wife. He was now trying to secretly leave his territory, thinking he no longer needed Lyman’s teachings.

“And… I didn’t end up going to that territory…”

There were always many who envied Gerard, just as there are now.

The Chain Silver, who had been ostracized in the noble world, was targeted by jealous assassins because of his self-made success.

Just when Lyman discovered those assassins, he quietly took care of them.

Considering it his final act of mercy, he helped Gerard. However, one of the assassins was a sorcerer controlling monsters, which made him let his guard down.

Crack!

Lyman was bitten by Leaf, the very creature he had raised. After all, Leaf was also a monster.

He did manage to take care of the assassins, but Leaf’s condition was troubling.

The little one seemed to get sick after biting him. That night, he felt it would be better to rest in the nearby forest.

While he was sleeping with a log as a pillow, he woke up feeling something was missing… but Leaf had vanished.

“Actually, Leaf was a bloodthirsty demon beast. Having grown under the Saint, it had never tasted blood—until that sorcerer made it taste mine.”

It should have been fine if it was just a little taste. But tasting blood from a ‘monster’ like Lyman turned Leaf into a mutant.

“Awakening late and tracking Leaf’s whereabouts… I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.”

He could feel it as he followed the traces.

Leaf was no longer that cute dog. It likely had forgotten all the kindness it learned from the Saint.

Sadly, that ominous anticipation did not miss its mark.

At the end of his pursuit, he found a Lycanthrope that bore Leaf’s essence. That monster had already attacked a noble’s carriage.

Even worse, that carriage belonged to the Chain Silver House Head, with his wife and daughter inside.

Rustle—

A chilling wind blew over the bodies of the knights from the Duke’s family murdered by the Lycanthrope.

For some reason, the ground around the daughter had turned into ice.

And caught in that frozen ground… the wife lay dead, impaled by the Lycanthrope’s claws.

“Jennifer tried to help her mother by freezing the ground… but instead, it became a curse, leading to an irreversible tragedy.”

Gulping down drinks instead of food, Lyman continued.

“At that point, only one thought crossed my mind. Why am I even living… Why can’t I die… Wouldn’t it be better to just vanish in this fucking world…”

Afterwards, it was described in the main story that Lyman attempted suicide multiple times. However, since he had become immortal long ago, he could never die.

His fury was directed at this world. The more negative he viewed everything, the rougher his demeanor became.

If anyone stood in his way, their limbs were fair game.

“Yeah… damn it… What the hell am I doing acting as a mentor? Why do I bother taking care of them? What right do I have to be called ‘brother’ by that guy?”

Before he knew it, his second drink was also empty. It was a rather large size, so underestimating it would be a mistake.

Yet Lyman was immortal, so no poison affected him. Harmful substances had no effect on him, including alcohol.

“Damn… what a frustrating life.

But right now, his actions looked nothing short of that of a drunkard. His body swayed as he completely lost control of his mind.

He wasn’t excessively drunk, as he had broken through poison resistance. The underlying reason for this was probably stress.

Lyman had stress stemming from his past, and it had even changed his hair color.

“Yeah, right. He used to have black hair.”

Having lived for 300 years, Lyman was tormented by that time.

His will to live seemed long lost, and it was only because there were still things left to do that he held on until now.

If he messed up those tasks… it wouldn’t be surprising if the continent were to face destruction.

“That’s the bad ending of this game.”

Preventing that ending from happening is my goal. In a way, you could say that Lyman’s and my goals are the same.

In reality, it’s clear that, like me, he aims for the Eternal Flame.

If treated as an enemy, he would be a huge headache. But now that he’s an ally, he can’t help but feel reassuring.

Of course, it’s my job to clear the thorny path around Lyman so he can walk a flowery road.

“It’s not all your fault.”

“What…?”

And that was what I said.

The guy who once seemed terrifying to me is now someone I’m growing accustomed to facing.

There might be a loose screw here and there, but he is the main character. And I am the player who has manipulated him multiple times.

I can’t just be scared of his rough demeanor.

“What did you say?”

“It’s not all your fault.”

“….”

Lyman was silent for a moment after hearing my words. Then, with a perplexed expression, he chuckled.

“Haha… what are you talking about? You haven’t even experienced it.”

“I have.”

“Bullshit how.”

“I’ve been controlling you for over ten years.”

For instance, not just Lyman.

Jenny, Luska, Mary, Mirona, Kent, Baimon, Crona, Radian, Adela…

I controlled all playable and support characters, so I couldn’t deny them.

“You think that makes sense?”

“I told you, if it’s a story that happens to you, I know everything about it.”

“This bastard is no ordinary scammer.”

Lyman muttered something, but I grabbed some fish and chips.

Tch—

Damn… it had already gone cold because I left it too long.

“Still… thanks. Hearing it from you makes me feel better.”

Suddenly smiling as if satisfied, Lyman looked like he hadn’t yet forgiven himself, but he must have wanted to hear that from someone else.

“How do you think I feel when someone who knows all the stories says that to me?”

“….”

I was an observer looking from an omniscient perspective. To hear such words was not lacking in significance for me.

Although not perfect, I knew enough about his actions.

“Honestly, I still don’t know what kind of being you are. Whether you came from outside the world… or recognized the future through some forbidden text, I can’t tell. But… somehow, I think I’m glad you’re here.”

“….”

“So, thank you.”

That surprised me honestly.

I never dreamed I’d hear that from Lyman, whom I thought had a terrible personality.

But then…

“ZZZ…”

Lyman suddenly fell asleep.

He buried his face in the food he had ordered and drifted into dreamland.

If his face wasn’t turning red, it didn’t look like alcohol was responsible for this.

Stress can be more potent than alcohol.

So, I had no choice but to steal Lyman’s archive to send a message to an acquaintance.

Fortunately, Lyman was part of the student council, and the council members had a function to text each other directly.

‘Where do you see a student ID here? It’s just a smartphone.’

Kudos to the Great Sage Dantia for planting the roots of such technology.

The acquaintance I called was one of Lyman’s aides. Just their presence would attract a security force to follow outside the shop.

“Nice to meet you, Princess.”

“Your name is… Radon Crawler, senior, right?”

After greeting Princess Mirona as she arrived in front of the shop, she turned serious upon seeing Lyman’s state.

“What happened here?”

“As you can see. I can’t tell whether he’s drinking or just being consumed by the drink.”

“Is he drunk?”

“He could be considered that.”

[Consumption Rate Decline: -4%]

[+400 Credits]

He isn’t drunk. He just fell asleep from stress.

“And Princess.”

“Yes?”

Just as I was about to pull him up, Mirona turned back to me.

“Sometimes that guy gives you a hard time, doesn’t he?”

“….”

In reality, while being a close aide, he nags relentlessly. He’s strict about everything, and I’d often feel tense sitting at the desk.

Even so, in Lyman’s gaze, a sense of kindness could be felt.

It was a gaze that said he would do anything for her, not the dismissive stares of the palace people.

“He’s a good guy, after all. He only does that because it’s for your benefit, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

“Yes…”

“Oh, and.”

I said one last thing.

“I hope you live until the very end.”

That was a word for both of them.

*

Silver Town is known for its terrain, surrounded by mountains.

Since the city emerged in a circle formed by high terrain, it’s also listed as a famous spot.

Moreover, a river flowed through, leading to the sea, making it commercially flawless.

Someone was quietly gazing at such a city from the foot of the mountain.

“I thought coming here would trigger my memories.”

His face was hidden beneath a hood, but the voice belonged to a middle-aged man.

And he felt no temperature. Even with the cold wind blowing from the high ridge, his body temperature remained constant.

“No, it’s definitely around here.”

Seemingly recalling something, he headed down the mountain path. That road, suitable for carriages, was where the Lord’s wife had died years ago.

It was widely believed she had been killed by an assassin controlling monsters, and for some reason, the man felt good every time he stepped here.

As if something he commanded had come to pass.

“Yet still, I can’t remember.”

The man removed his hood, trying to recall his lost memory.

The revealed face was that of Papias, king of Talema, who should have already been dead.

“What kind of being was I in life?”

He wore a completely clueless expression as he spoke.

Thud!

Yet with that demeanor, he threw a dagger at a lumberjack passing on the mountain path, piercing his head.

Despite the blood pooling on the ground, Talema showed no sign of blinking.

“I really don’t know.”

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.

 

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