Ch. 165 Heroine – Chapter 165
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 165
Happiness is like an illusion.
A small sandcastle built on fragile glass.
It looks sturdy enough to withstand any storm, but in reality, it crumbles at the slightest added weight.
Misfortune swallows everyday life suddenly, without warning.
The sandcastle you believed was strong collapses in an instant.
The days you thought would last forever shatter meaninglessly.
Only after losing it do you truly realize.
That everything you took for granted wasn’t so.
That the monotonous, ordinary days were, in fact, happiness.
That this happiness will never return.
Eugene learned this painfully through experience.
The moment everything crumbled cruelly.
Five years ago. The Great Calamity completely changed Eugene’s life.
He lost his only family and awakened his supernatural ability.
The yesterday was like today, the tomorrow was like today—they were gone.
The shattered fragments of everyday life. Each step tore his soles, leaving them bloodied.
Taking even a single step was a struggle. With each step forward, he moved further from the past.
With each step forward, the lost happiness became more palpable. Knowing it wouldn’t return only deepened his regret.
From the moment he lost Yui, the hole in his heart remained unfilled, and his life reached a turning point.
“I swear.”
After the Great Calamity.
Bearing wounds that hadn’t yet healed.
Eugene made a vow before his sister’s grave.
Yui, who had been killed without even leaving a complete body.
The self-loathing for failing to protect his sister.
The sense of loss at being left alone in the world without family.
The intense hatred for the monsters that destroyed his happiness.
“That I will exterminate all monsters.”
In your place.
Carrying your flame.
So that no one dies as absurdly as you did.
“So that I won’t waste the life you saved.”
He thought about it countless times. Repeated it endlessly. That day, in that place. The wrong person had died.
If one person had to die, it should’ve been him, not Yui. But he was the one who survived, and Yui was the one who died.
He had to give it meaning. He had to prove that Yui’s death wasn’t meaningless. That was the duty of the survivor.
“Even if another calamity comes.”
The shattered sky. The gathering dark clouds. The pouring black rain.
A nightmare he would likely never forget.
The glimpse of hell, dark as night even in the daytime.
“I will become the sun that lights up the dark sky.”
Eugene clenched his fist.
His small hand trembled slightly.
A crimson flame flickered faintly.
Like a small candle’s flicker.
But it burned steadily, emitting a clear light.
“I will become that sun.”
Before Yui’s grave, he swore as if etching it into his soul.
He would become the dawn that drives away the darkness.
So that darkness would never swallow the world again.
◆
Eugene reflected on that vow.
Five years had passed, but the memory remained vivid and unchanged in his heart.
He suddenly looked up at the sky. The dark clouds seemed ominous. Would it rain?
A place quite far from District 2, where the Academy was located.
On the outskirts of District 13, there was an endless stretch of graves.
A national cemetery built to honor the victims of the Great Calamity.
This was also where Yui, Eugene’s only family, was buried.
All that remained of Yui’s body was the right hand Eugene had held. So, only that hand was placed in the grave.
Eugene gently touched the tombstone. The tombstone engraved with Yui’s name was no different now than it had been five years ago. The only thing that had changed was the person standing before it.
“I’m here.”
Eugene smiled bitterly as he spoke. He placed the bouquet he had prepared in front of the tombstone. It was a carefully chosen flower for Yui, who had loved flowers in life. A faint floral scent wafted through the silent cemetery.
“I haven’t visited much lately, have I? Sorry. I’ve been busy adjusting to the Academy.”
In the past, he had visited Yui’s grave almost every day.
Because he couldn’t accept or come to terms with her death.
After that, he became obsessed with honing his abilities, driven by vengeance.
Naturally, his visits to the cemetery became less frequent.
Still, he had visited at least four times a month, but recently, it had dwindled to once a month.
After enrolling in the Academy, adapting to the changed environment, gaining a friendly rival for the first time, and meeting someone he liked, Eugene’s visits had become increasingly rare.
“I’ll come more often from now on, so don’t be too mad.”
Yui would surely puff up in anger, asking if he had forgotten her.
She’d punch his back with her tiny fists.
Then she’d cross her arms, turn her head sharply, and say.
She’d let it slide this time. But if he neglected her again, she wouldn’t stand for it.
Her image and actions were so vivid that a bitter smile crept onto Eugene’s face.
“There’s so much I wanted to tell you. I’ve accumulated so many stories. I wanted to talk until dawn…”
Eugene looked down at his right hand.
The hand that had once been severed, just like Yui’s.
With a self-deprecating expression, Eugene spoke.
“…I’m sorry. I don’t think I can do it right now.”
His heart wouldn’t calm down. If he started talking now, he’d undoubtedly spout nonsense. He’d probably end up crying, overwhelmed by emotion. He didn’t want to show such a pathetic side in front of Yui.
Lucia was gone. Missing. She had followed the woman in the red fox mask. To protect them. To save him and Alice, she had sacrificed herself.
He thought he had grown a little stronger, but he still was so weak. Eugene swallowed a hollow laugh. It was always like this. He’d spout grand words but fail to live up to them. Had he ever truly kept his promises? Had he ever really saved someone after saying he would? It was the same thing over and over. So repetitive that it had become tiresome.
He swung his sword.
Until he was exhausted.
Until the floor was soaked with his sweat.
Until his hands were torn and bloodied.
Yet, the dissonance in his heart wouldn’t stop. No matter how much he pushed his body, his chest felt like it would burst. It was so hot, so unbearably hot, that even his breath felt like it was burning.
He hadn’t gone to the Academy. Eugene, who had always lived diligently, had skipped school for the first time. He felt suffocated; like he was going to go mad. Anger and frustration made his heart pound.
Everything was a mess.
Eugene suddenly felt like he had lost his direction in life.
He had felt something similar before.
Five years ago, when he had lost Yui.
That was probably why he had come to Yui’s grave, even skipping the Academy.
“…I don’t know. What should I do?”
His touch on the tombstone was careful. He gently caressed it, careful not to let the heat he unconsciously emitted damage it.
“There’s a heat in my chest, in my heart… but I don’t know how to release it.”
Eugene spoke as if venting. His voice was calm, but inside, he was boiling. He had come to Yui’s grave to steady his mind, but it seemed the heat had only grown stronger. His chest ached. It felt like it would burst. The dark clouds were in the sky, but shadows also loomed over Eugene’s blue eyes.
“…Sorry. I didn’t come here to complain.”
He knew, in fact, how to quell this unbearable heat.
But knowing and being able to act on it were two different things.
So, it was as good as not knowing.
‘Lucia.’
He wanted to save her. To bring her back. To protect her.
What he had lost. What had been taken from him. He had to reclaim it all.
That was the only way to soothe Eugene’s torment.
A pitiful smile came to mind.
The last image he had of her.
A face that seemed to reassure him, even though she must have been scared.
Her lips curved into a bitter smile.
“…I’m always stuck in the same place. How pathetic.”
He couldn’t protect his precious family.
And now, he had let someone he cared for slip away right before his eyes.
Always. Every time. Again and again.
And here he was, whining in front of Yui’s grave.
He forced down the self-loathing that threatened to twist his expression. Right, he was in front of Yui. She was watching. He couldn’t show her too much of his pathetic side.
“Today… sorry, I think I’ll have to leave early.”
Instead of calming his mind, it only had the opposite effect.
His emotions were out of control. The heat was uncontrollable.
If this continued, Yui’s tombstone might get damaged.
He should have left before he showed an even more pitiful side.
He might not be the most reliable older brother, but he didn’t want to be an untrustworthy one.
“See you next time. I’ll come back soon, and then we’ll talk about all the things I couldn’t say today.”
Eugene turned away as if fleeing.
Then he took the first step.
A cold breeze brushed the back of his neck.
“?”
Eugene abruptly stopped in his tracks. What was this? A faint sound echoed in his mind. He had experienced something similar before. Instinct. A warning from his gut. His hand had already reached his waist. It was resting on the hilt of his sword. A chilling sensation ran down his spine.
Creak.
His head turned as if scraping against metal.
Eugene’s gaze swept across the endless stretch of graves.
His blue eyes finally landed on the path.
“The weather’s really cloudy, isn’t it?”
Click.
The sound of heels clicking mixed with a sweet voice.
“But I can’t give up my parasol. Because it’s my identity!”
She opened her parasol, as dry and blood-red as dried blood.
She tilted it over her shoulder and took light, skipping steps.
Her footsteps were as light as a feather.
“You…”
Eugene let out a hollow laugh.
The hand gripping the hilt of his sword trembled.
The heat he had barely controlled began to scorch the air.
“Ahaha, we meet again?”
The girl in the red fox mask.
She waved her hand cheerfully.
As if amused by Eugene’s quiet but intense reaction.
“Did you miss me, big brother?”
Astaroth.
The demoness wearing the mask of a girl smiled brightly.
Author Note
A/N (Author’s note):
After leaving Lucia’s training to Regina, Astaroth went out for a walk.And then she ran into Eugene?
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
A different yet same goal as the other devils, truly unpredictable!
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