Chapter 318

Ｒｅａｄ ｏｎ ＫａｔＲｅａｄｉｎ​ｇＣａｆｅ​

“No, calm down first.”

Your imagination is running wild.

Think about it calmly again.

I may be attending the academy now, but that doesn’t mean I’m a high school girl in my head, right? Connecting everything to romance is a bad way of thinking. Yeah, when I think about it, it’s true. It’s troubling if I mistake just being together as dating. If that’s the case, I’d be dating Eugene. But that’s not the reality at all, is it? Right?”

“…”

Normally, I would have defended them like that.

But not today. I couldn’t think optimistically, especially considering what the Great Catastrophe meant to them. It was quite a serious matter.

The main characters of “The Dawn of the Sword” all suffer from trauma related to the Great Catastrophe. Lucia is perhaps the only exception. She was a hero who had weathered wars since she was Lucille, the Blessed Saintess. She was already mentally mature when the Great Catastrophe occurred.

But the other golden generation members were different.

They were young, immature, and clumsy.

Too fragile to endure loss and pain.

No, even adults struggle with it. Let alone children. Eugene lost his only family, his younger sister. Alice’s stepmother revealed her true colors because the Great Catastrophe rendered Alice’s father incapacitated. Arin turned away from the voices begging for help and fled alone. Anastasia watched her parents get devoured by monsters right before her eyes.

And Leo…

‘He’s just like Eugene.’

Leo also lost family.

His only younger brother.

In some ways, he was even more miserable than Eugene. Eugene wasn’t a Supernatural at the time, so he couldn’t protect Yui in the first place, but Leo was different. He was already a Supernatural then, with the simple yet powerful ability of ‘Acceleration’. He could have saved them. He could have protected them. He had the power to do so.

But he didn’t.

Leo lost his brother.

He couldn’t protect him. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

‘The reason Anastasia and Eugene became close was because of the shared experience of losing loved ones in the Great Cataclysm.’

That means it wouldn’t be strange if Leo took Eugene’s place. Leo also lost family in the Great Catastrophe, and he still carries that wound in his heart. The fact that Leo is as obsessed with strength as Eugene is also largely due to the trauma of not being able to protect.

“Okay, I’ve made up my mind.”

“Made up your mind about what?”

“Let’s keep stalking them.”

“Huh?”

I soothed my heart with Alice’s cute, bewildered expression. Whew, what would I have done without Alice? I want to hug her and pinch her cheeks, but now is not the time. Lucia knows how to pick her moments. I know what to prioritize.

“Ah, I see. I think I know now.”

Then, Seri snapped her fingers and exclaimed “Eureka!”

“Mama’s Mama Sensor picked up on that kid too. She’s not satisfied with just us and wants to increase her daughters. Mama is such a greedy person.”

“Huh? What nonsense are you talking about?”

“She’s worried because her (future) daughter is hanging out with such a delinquent-looking guy. Yeah, case closed.”

“Seri, sometimes I want to crack open your head and see what’s inside. What process do you have to go through to reach such a ridiculous conclusion… Ridiculous… Uh…”

Regina’s expression became strange as she sighed at Seri’s words.

She suddenly clamped her mouth shut and looked at me with a meaningful gaze.

What is it? Why that look? Don’t tell me you think Seri’s stupid guess is plausible?

“Lucia…”

“Alice?”

Alice tugged at my sleeve and looked up at me.

“I think Lucia already has e-enough with just m-me and Frey as her d-daughters…”

Alice, what are you talking about?

Are you believing Seri’s stupid theory too? Huh? Is that the image I give off?

And why are you stuttering again? Was it so shocking that a habit you overcame is coming back?

◈

Eugene headed to the cemetery with a bouquet of flowers every year on this day.

A cemetery where the victims of the Great Catastrophe are buried.

Eugene’s only family was sleeping there.

He brought the flowers Yui liked when she was alive, the snacks she liked.

He brought the doll she liked, the books she liked.

He brought the album of the music she liked, the clothes she liked.

He visited the cemetery like that.

Even though the person in question couldn’t see, eat, read, or wear any of it.

Even so, Eugene never missed a year.

Because it felt like Yui would greet him with a smile if he did.

“I’m here, Yui.”

As a cemetery directly managed by the government, Yui’s tombstone was clean and free of stains. It seemed to have been cleaned up even more neatly as the cycle of the Great Great Catastrophe approached. Because many of the victims’ families visit on this day. 

But despite such efforts, there was no sign of anyone else in the cemetery except for Eugene. Eugene carefully reached out and stroked the tombstone in the silence. The cold sensation cooled the heat of his palm.

“Sorry. I’m late again, right? I’ve been so busy lately that I couldn’t find the time.”

After awakening the true power of his Supernatural ability, he had been focusing solely on mastering his power. The last time he came, he showed a pathetic side that wasn’t like an older brother, so he wanted to show a better version of himself this time. 

That he had overcome his wanderings back then. That he had grown this much. He forced himself a little to show that fact, and only after the anniversary did Eugene revisit Yui’s grave.

“Actually, I wanted to come sooner… No, it’s okay. What’s the point of saying this now?”

Eugene slumped down in front of the tombstone.

He smiles wryly as he carefully piles up the gifts he brought.

“I have so many stories to tell. So many things I want to tell you.”

I saved Lucia. I solved the reason why I showed you such a pathetic side in front of you. Of course, it’s not all resolved yet. The kidnapping seems to have left a deep scar on Lucia’s psyche. She even attempted suicide… Moreover, a Devil God is still sleeping inside Lucia, so it’s only a half-resolved situation. But it’s okay. I can definitely solve it. If I become stronger, and if I can copy the God of War’s Supernatural ability…

Oh, right.

I became the God of War’s disciple.

Amazing, right? I became the disciple of the Commander.

He called me a genius. A genius who could succeed him. I don’t really feel it, but if he says so, then it must be true. He’s not the type to give lip service.

There’s an even more amazing fact. Have I ever told you before? That there’s a classmate who looks like you? Until now, I just thought it was a coincidence. The world is wide and there are many people. It wouldn’t be strange if there were a few people who looked alike. But, just so you know. It wasn’t just a coincidence. There was a reason why they looked alike.

Our ancestor was the God of War.

Alice’s ancestor was also the God of War.

We looked alike because we had the same ancestor.

Of course, after about 150 years, we’re practically strangers.

“Thank you.”

Many words swirled in his mouth. There were so many things he wanted to say that he didn’t know where to start. After much deliberation, the first words Eugene uttered were words of gratitude.

“Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you always.”

A small flame flickered at the tip of Eugene’s finger. Ever since he realized the true power of his Supernatural ability, Eugene often created flames at his fingertips. A crimson flame flickering like a candle. It was a symbol of Yui.

“You were always by my side. You always gave me strength. The strength to fight, the strength to move forward, the strength to realize my ideals… You were always lending it to me.”

He was able to survive because of this flame. He was able to fight and protect. It’s all thanks to Yui. He was able to do it because of Yui’s ability.

“Thank you. I’m sorry. I love you. Before, now, and in the future. I will always love you as your brother.”

He was glad that there was no one else in the cemetery except for him.

Thanks to that, he was able to honestly reveal his feelings without worrying about his surroundings.

He slowly rises from his seat. Eugene dusts himself off and stares at the tombstone. It’s a cold tombstone, but somehow it felt warm.

“I want to chat until dawn if I could… Sorry, can you wait a little longer?”

It seems like an uninvited guest has come again today, just like last time.

He places his hand on the hilt of his sword.

A chilling light filled Eugene’s blue eyes.

At the end of his gaze, there was a blood-red parasol.

Click. 

The sound of heels echoes clearly.

A baggy black dress hides the curves of her body.

Clean opera gloves that cover up to the elbows.

White stockings emphasize the smooth curves of her legs.

Long, straight hair that reaches down to her waist. Dark black hair like obsidian.

On her face was a red fox mask.

“Hello, it’s been a while! Didn’t you miss me?”

“It was you after all.”

“You don’t seem surprised? Did you know I was coming?”

“No, but I had a hunch.”

Eugene glanced around. There was no sign of anyone. There were no people. It’s strange. How can there be no one in the cemetery on a day like today? I’m the only one who came to commemorate the victims. That doesn’t make sense. But maybe someone blocked visitors from approaching.

“Astaroth.”

Eugene quietly said her name.

It’s a really persistent relationship.

To the point of making him sick.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Eugene really hates Astaroth.

Every time she comes up, everything gets messed up.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Mindbreak, for more than just one.

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