episode_0068
by fnovelpiaIt was a truth in the world that no one knew except for assholes that if you sign an unidentified contract incorrectly, your life could be ruined.
-You wrote your name on the contract?
-huh. They gave me two loaves of bread!
-hmm. Two loaves of bread. You’re going to have two kidneys ripped out.
It was an even more sensitive topic in the back alleys. For those who couldn’t read, a contract was like a high pass to the end of their lives.
“Come on, come on. Just write your name above this underline.”
“······.”
Of course, Van did not follow Bert’s words. At that moment, Sonia opened her mouth.
“half. Please sign.”
“···Lady?”
It was not his usual soft voice, but a voice filled with sharp determination. Van looked at Sonia’s face.
“It’s for you.”
Half of them can’t read. Sonia was urging the class to sign.
A contract whose contents are unknown. Two owners urging people to sign. Ban’s head was instantly filled with confusion.
“Do you want me to sign this knowing what it says?”
“······.”
However, Ban also had no intention of backing down easily. One wrong move and your life could be ruined.
As a class, it was a firm refusal. Immediately after that, Sonia took a step closer.
“E, if you do not sign this contract.”
Sonia opened her mouth with a trembling voice.
“You, I have no choice but to kick you out of this mansion – no, the Bismuth family.”
It was a single room that was too narrow to be called a mansion. And Ban’s face stiffened at the trembling voice.
It could be said to be a delusion of grandeur, but in his own way, he thought he had developed a deep bond with Sonia.
Sonia’s words to Van that she would immediately kick him out if he did not sign this document came as a great shock.
“Why, lady?”
It was a voice mixed with heat and anger for someone who used it. Sonia frowned at the hostility shown along with her crumpled face and took a step back.
“I thought we had built up trust in our own way.”
Jeez. Ban took a step forward.
“I guess it was my mistake. Miss.”
Jeez. Ban took another step and stood in front of Sonia.
Bert’s face froze at this skit, but Van and Sonia’s attention was focused on each other.
“···No, half.”
Sonia was the first to break the silence with Daechi. She opened her mouth with a trembling voice.
“There is no way I would hate you…”
“······.”
“Ha, but look at my situation now.”
Hwaak – Sonia stretched out her hand and swung it towards the narrow single room.
“Is this the lady? Can you say you are the heir of a noble family?”
Suddenly, Sonia’s eyes became watery. Water droplets began to form, as if they were about to fall at any moment.
“Oh, look at the clothes! Is this the girl you think of?…”
Sonia slightly lifted the hem of her skirt that she had been holding and then put it down weakly.
As I said, Sonia’s current outfit did not suit a noble lady at all. I had long since disposed of dresses that were worth the price.
The clothes she was wearing now were wide skirts that women usually wore. In Van’s eyes, she was still a beautiful girl. Sonia continued in tears.
“I can’t remember the last time I paid you a salary. Rather, I only owe you a debt.”
“Miss, I-”
“User is!”
When Van tried to open his mouth, Sonia shouted.
“Get paid by the owner! It means a person who does the corresponding work!”
“······.”
“Now, our relationship right now is.”
Although the distance was already close, Sonia took a step closer to Van. Then, he ran his hand down Ban’s chest.
“This is being achieved through your one-sided sacrifice…”
“······.”
Half of the time I couldn’t say anything. Because it was an obvious fact.
“So, honestly, if things continue like this, there is no chance of the family reviving.”
“······.”
“Well, by the way. How did your father find a sponsor? So he said he would use that money to start a business.”
Van’s head turned to Bert.
“···It’s true. I got my last chance from heaven. I plan to proceed by saving as much money as possible.”
The expression on Bert’s face when he agreed as if there was nothing he could do was not good. It was as if an unplanned story had popped up.
“That means half…”
Sigh. Sonia held out the pen on the desk to her class.
“Please sign…”
Unless you were half an idiot, you could understand why Sonia was urging you to sign. It was clear that it was probably related to future treatment.
Immediately after, the class asked many questions, but Sonia and Bert’s mouths were tightly closed and did not intend to open them.
“······.”
In the end, Ban grabbed the pen on the desk and picked it up.
Since Sonia had already informed him that they would break up if he didn’t sign, Van had no other options.
But I half believed it at the same time. That Sonia would not threaten him or encourage him to do unreasonable things.
“······.”
Ban, who was holding his pen tightly, asked Sonia just before making his choice.
“Lady.”
“······.”
“What kind of person is I to you?”
Sonia’s mouth, which had been tightly shut for fear that a question related to the contract would come out, moved.
“The most valuable user. Just like the promise we made when we were young, we will be together for the rest of our lives.”
His voice was trembling due to the tears leaking from his eyes, but at the same time, his answer was without hesitation. Ban nodded.
“Okay.”
Square – Ban moved his fingers and used the pen. Just like in the past when you would buy groceries and sign your name.
Immediately after Ban finished signing, the letters on the contract sparkled. As if announcing the conclusion of a contract.
“Thank you, class.”
Tup. Bert’s palm covered Van’s shoulder. I felt the weight in my thick, handcrafted palm.
***
After signing, it was business as usual for a few days. My daily routine is to keep Sonia company and go to retrieve preserved food such as beef jerky that has been hung on the mountain.
But Bert was different from usual. Just like the Bismuth family did before they were destroyed, they busily wandered around various places.
“···I’m glad that my father’s strength has returned.”
Sonia liked that look. Because he was like the trustworthy father he used to be.
Ban also considered it fortunate. Because Ban watched the growth of the Bismuth family together with Sonia. Bert’s resourcefulness was already known.
Anxiety that there might be a breakup took over a part of Ban’s heart. However, Ban tried to act as normal as possible. Because I already heard the truth from Sonia.
And the breakup came faster than expected.
***
“···Ah?”
The sun was already high in the sky. Ban hastily kicked off the blanket that was covering him and stood up.
It was Ban’s responsibility to prepare meals in the mansion right now. But you wake up at noon. The user was disqualified.
“······?”
But half of the time I felt uncomfortable. I got up from bed and looked around. Because the room was small, it only took a moment.
“···Lady? The head of the family?”
There was no one in the single room. The few pieces of furniture were all gone, and all the documents that Bert had collected by running around and piled up in one corner of the room were also gone.
“What is this-”
Jjieeeeing-! Van complained of sudden pain in his head. It felt like my head was being squeezed.
While the class was in confusion, the door opened with a loud bang.
“Baby-”
The only people who came to this house were Sonia and Bert. Half of them said, ‘Lady!’ I tried to shout.
“···What are you?”
However, the person who burst through the door was a scary-looking man with a sword strapped to his waist. The man muttered as if he was surprised.
“I used a medicine that was said to make those elves weak too. How are you sane?”
“What are you?! The young lady and the matriarch-”
“Why all the fuss?”
The moment Ban was about to ask what was happening, one more man entered the room.
“···What is this guy? Why are you crazy? They say elves make idiots too. Did those bastards mess up?”
The rugged man answered with a strange bow.
“It’s a test subject for those bastards to use, so there’s no reason for them to make a fuss, right?”
“That’s true, but…”
There was no will from the two men to communicate with Ban. No, to be precise, I saw the class as something like an object.
“Hey, brat. What are you? I heard that he received a pattern from the god of life-”
“Damage you idiot!”
The moment a man bent down to face him, Ban took out a dagger hidden inside his clothes and rushed at him.
“Aaaagh-!”
Ban’s dagger was swung, adding a scar to the rugged man’s face. The moment when Ban opened his mouth-
“Woah, calm down.”
“Keu-”
The other man handed a piece of paper to the class. Immediately after, Ban felt as if his heart was being burned. Ban’s body fell, clutching his chest.
“! Fuck! Baby! my! Face!”
Sigh! Sigh! Sigh! A man with a stab wound to his face stepped on the van. It seems like he’s trying to vent his anger.
“Hey. Stop. It’s an expensive body.”
“I heard it’s the symbol of life? It’s better anyway!”
The rugged man kept kicking half of his body. Ban gasped with each blow and bit his neck.
“Oh, what did you do? If you even touched it-”
It was a voice filled with earnestness and intense anxiety.
However, the moment they heard Ban’s words, the two men in front suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hey! Are you an asshole?”
“What-”
“This kid was worse than I thought. By the way, you made an illiterate bastard sign. That guy and the kid, I haven’t seen you like that, but I guess they’re pretty good at talking?”
A man with an unmarked face bent down on his knees and handed Ban a contract. Ban’s signature was written at the bottom of the paper.
“You were sold, you idiot.”
“···What?”
Beep-! A high, sharp ringing sound struck Ban’s head for a moment. But whether Van was in shock or not, the man continued.
“Your body no longer belongs to you. Algan?”
“What is that-”
“Now your body belongs to perverts who like to dissect people. They must really like your face.”
“No, that can’t be-”
“Aren’t kids these days even taught not to sign their names carelessly? It’s nice to get pouties.”
“Honestly, doesn’t it suck to do business with those perverts? Sometimes, I get goosebumps every time they offer to show me their work.”
“But I still have a lot of money.”
“Well, money is the best.”
Even while the two men were giggling and talking, half of them were just rolling around on the floor, feeling pain they had never experienced in their lives.
It looked like a caterpillar being ravaged by a bird’s beak right before being eaten. Despite experiencing intense pain, he did not lose consciousness and rolled around on the floor while being ridiculed by the two men.
***
“What a fucking memory.”
***
Revan pressed the click button to activate the purifier. Then he took off his gas mask.
The blowing wind and warm sunlight caressed Revan’s cheek. Outdoor air that did not pass through the purification tank circulated in the lungs.
Revan took off his gas mask and proudly passed through Xeorp’s front door with the Golden Dragon badge on his chest.
The guards narrowed their eyes as a face they had never seen before walked confidently, but they were unable to stop it thanks to the badge serving as identification.
Even after joining Xeorp, students’ eyes never fell on Revan. Occasionally a few glances passed by, but they were not those that were directed at Revan’s identity.
“Over there.”
“Oh, huh?”
Revan, who was walking inside Xeorp, caught a student. It was a black-haired female student.
“What’s going on?”
The cheeks of the student who spoke to me were flushed for some reason. Revan asked that girl.
“Where is Sonia Bismuth?”
“Ah······.”
For some reason, the flushed look on the girl’s face disappeared and a sigh of disappointment came out.
“···Sonia is probably in the Golden Dragon building. I heard it’s only there recently.”
Ugh. After giving Revan the answer he wanted in a short and concise manner, the girl turned her head and walked along the original path. He complained, ‘There’s no way that can happen with my arms…’
Revan was momentarily puzzled by that appearance, but did not pay any further attention. So Revan walked out to the Golden Dragon building.
***
“···Ha.”
Sonia was walking down the hallway of the Golden Dragon building. Benny followed behind him.
“······.”
No matter how you look at it, Benny’s appearance was not normal. Eyes filled with deep darkness. Pupils who look somewhat anxious.
Sonia asked several times what was going on. However, Benny’s mouth was tightly closed and he did not give an answer.
Revan, whom I tried to talk to, didn’t even come to school for some reason. There were only rumors going around that Professor Faust, who seemed close to him, had also gone into seclusion.
It was a time when only bad things happened in many ways. Sonia, who was depressed, looked out the window.
“···But the sky is clear today.”
It was a clear sky. Enough to give Sonia, who had become damp, a momentary change.
bright sun Pure white clouds decorate the sky. Looking at that sky, Sonia hoped. I hope you can have the meeting you wanted today.
***
Jeopuk- Jeopuk. Revan walked through the Golden Dragon’s hallways.
Familiar faces such as Arhaan and Lapis passed my eyes. However, they did not recognize Revan because he had taken off his gas mask.
“Revan is so comfortable,” I thought to myself as I walked down the hallway. Until you find the face you want.
After walking so long, we finally met Revan. Blonde hair and blue eyes that are always beautiful. That young lady with a confident attitude.
In terms of date, it’s not that old, but we’ve been through a lot so it felt like it’s been a long time since we last met.
Revan walked towards Sonia. In a straight line. All the way.
“···Huh?”
Sonia, who had been talking to Benny, also turned her head when she heard the sound of footsteps heading towards her. Finally, their faces met.
“Nice to meet you.”
Revan bowed briefly. Sonia asked, tilting her head.
“Ugh…who are you? It seems clear that he is a student of the Golden Dragon…”
who. Who is it? Who are you?
When I thought about it, Revan didn’t have anything to prove that he was the ‘Van’ of the past. All the gifts I received from Sonia were disposed of when the Bismuth family almost collapsed.
This is our first conversation in several years. Revan became ‘Van’ for a moment and thought about it. Something that can prove his relationship with Sonia.
“Ah.”
A moment of worry. Revan remembered one thing.
“Lady.”
“Yes, yes?”
The title ‘lady’ suddenly came to me. Sonia’s eyes wavered for a moment.
But Revan didn’t stop. He brought out what he thought was the connection to Sonia.
“Do you still have “The Adventures of Tom the Knight”?”
“···Ah?”
It was the name of a book I used to read as a child. And there was only one man who knew that he had liked that book.
So Sonia brought out one name. The name I always desperately searched for, and every time I thought of it, I felt deep longing and affection.
***
“······Half?”
The hallway of the academy where students walk in a line.
In a place where normally nothing would happen, a woman was shaking with eyes full of disbelief.
“Bar, half? No, it can’t be… right? No…?”
Is it because we took off the gas mask that we had treated as our own for so many years and faced each other with our bare faces?
“······.”
The man, who was receiving the trembling gaze of an unstable-looking woman, faced her in silence.
The man briefly looked back on his life.
An orphan from the back alley. Lady’s attendant. Wizards’ experiments. Slave gladiator. And a student at the academy.
“···Phew.”
However, it seemed like he soon got used to it, and the man sighed, lowered his head slightly, and answered in a voice mixed with various emotions, including affection, resentment, longing, and anger.
“No. The young lady’s prediction was correct. Van, who was your servant, greeting you after a long time. ”
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