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“Ugh…!”

In front of him, Luke instinctively vomited at the scene unfolding before his eyes.

Even in an era where death was commonplace, Luke was no longer an ignorant child. The death of someone precious had come far too close.

A friend, a comrade with whom he had shared many joys and hardships, had vanished from the world while he was away attending a lecture.

A place that felt cozier than anywhere else, where they used to chatter every evening, had transformed in an instant into a room filled only with a cold corpse and regurgitated remains.

‘This can’t be reality…’

In truth, he had fainted from an attack during training with Arthur and was currently trapped in a nightmare. He had tried to escape this reality, but the sensations he felt, the relentless pounding of his heart, affirmed that this was indeed real.

Barely managing to lower his head, Luke stepped inside.

– Squish, squish.

He stopped in front of a chair. Raising his head would only reveal Arthur’s corpse again, so he couldn’t bring himself to do it, but to lay Arthur to rest, he had no choice but to look up.

Pulling the chair back, Luke climbed onto it and desperately tried to untie the ropes, but—

“…”

No matter how tightly the knots were bound, Luke couldn’t unravel them with his strength alone. The realization of how much Arthur had longed for death struck Luke hard.

With no other option, he used his sword to cut the ropes. He caught Arthur’s falling body in his arms. The impact caused Arthur’s bangs to fall to the side, and only then did Luke see his face.

Under Arthur’s eyes were dark circles and clear marks left by dried tears. It seemed he had been crying right up until the moment of his death.

Why hadn’t he noticed this, despite being so close all this time? Self-loathing surged within Luke.

But one could not bring the dead back to life. After grieving for a moment, Luke carefully embraced the cold body of Arthur and made his way to the student council.

*

The student council acted and an investigation began following Arthur’s suicide.

Thinking it over, there were so many things that seemed off. According to Arthur, he had also lived in a small territory outside the Empire, just like Luke. It wasn’t a big territory, but the public order was decent, and everyone lived in peace.

It was hard to imagine that a ruffian could commit murder in a place like that. It was certain that someone had a hand in this.

As soon as he thought of this, one name popped up in his mind: Bernard Clinton. The one who frequently clashed with Arthur.

Given it was a small territory, Arthur’s homeland was likely a barony or a viscounty. The Clinton family of Bernard was a count family.

From a hierarchical standpoint, the lord of Arthur’s territory would have no choice but to follow the orders of a Count. Furthermore, if the Count offered significant benefits for eliminating one subject, the lord would have no reason to refuse.

If the lord was in collusion with them, it wouldn’t be surprising that the ruffians had gotten away unscathed. If the trio were the culprits, it would explain all the strange happenings Luke had witnessed so far.

– The culprits are Bernard Clinton, Grey Hound, and Briar Salton. Is that correct?

– …Yes.

Thanks to Luke’s testimony, the noble trio that had bullied Arthur could be named suspects. However, they could not be proven guilty. There was no evidence that they had driven Arthur to suicide.

These guys were cleverer than expected.

– It’s not that we don’t believe you, but without evidence, we can’t take action.

There was absolutely no physical evidence. However…

– If there is a witness, can they be punished?

– Yes. That would be sufficiently possible.

If there was a witness, it could be proven that Arthur had chosen to take his own life out of grief over his family’s loss, after being bullied, rather than just succumbing to desolation.

Now was the time for Arthur’s usual conduct to shine. Luke was thinking of seeking out those whom Arthur had helped and asking them for testimony. He wanted them to testify that the trio had bullied Arthur and that it had led him to commit suicide.

But…

– …I’m sorry.

– Huh…?

– I’m really… sorry…

Surely other nobles had seen Arthur being bullied regularly, yet none offered any testimony. Naturally, nobles stood by their own kind.

The commoners who had also witnessed the trio bully Luke and Arthur didn’t step forward either. It was only logical; if they spoke up, their own families could end up like Arthur’s.

That was understandable. Their families could also die at any moment. It was the way of things, yet Luke couldn’t help but resent them.

A close friend had died, and they could have helped. They had all stood idly by. Even those who had received help from Arthur in the past now kept their mouths shut, choosing to watch as bystanders.

Before Arthur’s death and after, they remained passive observers.

There was no one to mourn Arthur’s death. No one, apart from Luke, would remember that he had ever been here. He had no family left in this world.

In other words, if Luke forgot about him, he would be completely erased from existence.

In the midst of his turmoil, the trio passed by him, casually remarking:

“Guess you should’ve kept your head down, huh? Right?”

“Hehe, that’s right!”

“Getting cocky with a lord like Bernard is what led to this, you commoner scum!”

They killed a person and didn’t even blink. The sight of them mockingly reveling in it was utterly revolting.

“…….”

“Hey, why don’t you react or something?”

“Yeah. How about you do something funny for Lord Bernard?”

Endless ridicule. But it was as if Luke couldn’t hear them. The one clear emotion swirling within his tumultuous mind was rage.

Right now, Luke’s mind was filled solely with the desire for revenge.

“Hahaha!”

– Crunch.

In an instant, it happened. One of the trio, positioned to Bernard’s left, dropped dead. Thud, the head fell, blood splattering.

Bernard and the remaining lackey stared, shaking, at the fallen head. Then their eyes shifted towards Luke, whose sword was dripping with blood.

“Ugh, what the hell…?!”

The remaining lackey, still alive, stumbled backward in shock.

“Do you even know what you’ve done?!”

Then the coward immediately began pointing fingers.

He was weak and had been born lucky into a wealthy family. Yet he tormented and ridiculed those beneath him.

Even knowing what he was doing was a grave crime, the lackey didn’t have the presence of mind to judge. No, his brain urged him on. To tear apart the one in front of him. To take revenge for Arthur. The thirst for vengeance clouded all rational thought.

“If I tell my parents, you’ll end up like that guy!”

“……”

“If you apologize now, I might forgive you!”

“……”

“Say anything!!!”

Luke was expressionless. His eyes had lost their brightness, appearing eerie to anyone who would look. On the contrary, Luke had no thoughts at all. There was no value in conversation. They were all about to die—there was no need to acknowledge them.

– Thrust.

Luke’s sword pierced the heart of the lackey. He pushed slowly, agonizingly, but despite the pain of having his skin pierced, no screams would escape. All that came were gurgling sounds as blood filled his mouth, making it hard for him to breathe.

“Ugh…! Urgh!”

“You bastard!!”

The leader of the trio, Bernard, finally regained his senses. He hadn’t come out here to train, so he had no sword. Desperate, he threw a punch, but Luke easily dodged.

As Bernard relentlessly swung at him, myriad thoughts flashed through Luke’s mind.

Was he really so confident with such weak skills?

In this continent, there were countless experts who could toy with Bernard as if he were a child. The mere fact that this guy could enroll in the Academy was already nauseating.

Some had worked tirelessly only to be forced to turn their backs on the Academy with tears in their eyes. Yet here were those who did nothing but bully others under the shadow of their parents’ status, sitting at the same table as him. And those same people had stolen his closest friend away from him.

“Die, you bastard!!”

“……”

Luke kicked Bernard’s abdomen, sending him crashing against the wall, then drove his sword into his neck.

“Ugh, agh…!”

This was not enough. He wasn’t dead yet. Luke withdrew the sword and aimed for the direction of Bernard’s brain.

Yet his firm skull stood in the way. Such obstacles did not matter to Luke.

– Thunk!

Luke’s strength exceeded that of most superhumans who had undergone substantial physical enhancement. He pushed hard enough to drive the sword through the skull and into the brain.

Initially, Bernard’s body convulsed for a few seconds before it went limp.

“Ahhh!!”

At that moment, a scream rang out from behind him. Turning around, he spotted a terrified female student fleeing.

Of course, after pulling off something like this in the hall where everyone passes, it was absurd to expect not to be caught.

Luke disregarded the girl and exited the Academy. Not just the Academy, but he left the Empire as well. It wouldn’t be long before a bounty was placed on his head, and staying in the Empire was too dangerous.

After escaping the Empire, Luke wandered aimlessly, unable to do anything. He wandered through the forest without a thought, occasionally encountering monsters. Of course, he killed every single monster he came across.

There were times when powerful monsters threatened his life, but whether it was luck or misfortune, Luke remained alive.

After wandering around for several months.

“…Ah.”

Before long, he arrived at the territory of his family home.

Whether it was a coincidence or something subconscious, as he contemplated whether to enter or not, memories flooded through his mind.

—”It’s fine… You can come back anytime if it gets tough, so don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

His mother’s words echoed in his thoughts, and drawn by some force, he walked into the territory and headed towards his mother’s house.

Returning home after a long time, he opened the door and was met with a scene he longed to see.

“…Mom?”

There, Luke searched the house but could find his mother anywhere.

Was she not home? Should he go look for her outside? As those thoughts crossed his mind, he opened the door again.

“…Luke?”

A voice suddenly called out. Luke turned to see a neighbor from the house next door. He remembered seeing her often when he was young due to them living nearby.

“Is that really you…?”

Normally, they would have exchanged greetings and chatted slowly upon meeting after so long, but now was not the time for that. He didn’t know when he might have to leave again.

“Ma’am, do you know where my mom went?”

“That, um… is…”

For some reason, the woman avoided eye contact. Did the bounty on his head reach this far? Should he leave right away? Amidst those worries, the woman cautiously finally spoke.

However, what she said was so shocking that Luke was left speechless, merely stammering in disbelief.

“…What?”

*

“Haah! Haah!”

Luke ran crazily. He stopped when he reached a hill not far from the territory. It was a place he often trained at during his childhood.

Without a moment to catch his breath, he spotted a modest grave made of wooden planks tied together in a cross shape.

It was where his mother was buried.

How was it that the knights hadn’t chased him? How could a wanted criminal like him be able to enter his territory?

The answers to all those questions lay right here.

According to the neighbor, his mother had been tortured up until her last moments at the square of the territory. His mother had taken the blame in his stead.

The kindly neighbor had secreted away his mother’s body and buried it here after everything was over.

– Thud.

Luke’s legs trembled, and he could no longer stand. He knelt before the grave.

‘This can’t be… This isn’t reality… This isn’t how things are…’

He tried to escape reality, but the pain shooting through his heart, the maddening nausea, served only to underscore that this was indeed reality. Tears surged and overflowed, blurring his vision.

“Ugh… Hah…”

Stop… just stop… This isn’t real. There’s no need to be sad. When I wake up, everything will go back to the way it was.

Like always, I’d be training with Arthur at the training grounds, and in the distant future, I’d be a knight in the Imperial Guard, joyfully reuniting with my mother.

—”Yes. I will definitely become a proud son. You must stay healthy, too.”

The words he had uttered in the past echoed in his head.

“What’s so proud about it?! What’s so proud about it?!!”

As he slammed his fist into the ground, dirt flew up.

He had failed to protect his only friend, his determination to become a knight had crumbled, and his promise to be a proud son had shattered. He couldn’t uphold a single one.

The only price paid for his failures had been his mother. Instead of succeeding to repay her kindness, he was but a foolish son until the very end.

He had been the closest to her, yet failed to stop everything, he had lingered as a spectator longer than anyone else—he had been the ultimate bystander.

After doing that several times, his hands were now all scraped, bleeding. Yet there was no pain. Just a bitter laugh slipped from his lips.

“Hah… Hah…”

He felt nothing at all. Just, ah… this damn world. I wish it would perish…

Just as such thoughts flitted through his mind, the world around him blazed red.

At that moment, the forest ignited, and from all around the territory, cries filled with panic echoed. Though the distance between the territory and where Luke stood was significant, the voices reached him all the clearer.

He didn’t care what was happening. He merely wished to die quickly and find peace.

Just like Arthur, he had nothing left to lose. He was in a precarious situation where taking his own life would not be unusual. It was merely a matter of timing before it finally happened.

Yet Luke did not die. Rather, he continued to live. Was this world keeping him alive to ensure he suffered even longer?

Luke closed his eyes. Dying was only a matter of time. As he prepared to let go of everything and accept the impending end—

The world caved in.

 

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