Ch.3535. Academy Conquest (2)

The warrior had a truly tragic past.

His younger sibling sacrificed for him, his family was exterminated, and his beloved died pitifully.

Yet, even the wounds he thought would never fade eventually became just memories as he lived on.

And today too.

The warrior hoped that it would remain as a memory of the past, something to reminisce about.

It was a village of tribespeople called Setima. A kind-hearted clan who were friendly to outsiders, disliked causing harm to others, and absolutely rejected killing, to the point they didn’t even have a proper defense force.

The warrior too had naturally blended into their kindness and had been with them for a long time.

Unfortunately, a crisis came upon Setima.

The army of the Griffin Kingdom, which had been gradually expanding its territory, began to invade Setima’s land. Moreover, they treated the goddess worshipped by Setima as heretical and aimed for the complete purge of the clan.

After being pushed back and fleeing, they arrived at this place.

It was a forested land known as the “Tent” even among the Setima people.

Since the surroundings of the entrance were all blocked by piles of stones, there was only one actual entrance.

There, the warrior stood with arms crossed, feeling the breeze while waiting for people.

“Grandma! I want candy!”

A child’s voice could be heard. The warrior, who had already taken his position, opened his closed eyes.

“You little one, you need to be patient.”

Though he tried to sound scary to the child begging his grandmother for candy, the child just giggled.

“Hehe! Mister is pretending to be scary, but he’s not scary at all!”

“Huh.”

The warrior scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed expression. The grandmother looked at him and bowed deeply to express her gratitude.

“You’re going through so much trouble for us. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing, just doing what needs to be done.”

The warrior smiled and escorted the grandmother and grandchild inside.

“Grandma! Really no candy? You gave me one every day!”

“Oh my, you little one. Wait a bit. Let me check.”

The grandmother and grandchild entered, with her rummaging through her pockets, unable to refuse him.

Looking back along the path, he saw that following them, the residents of Setima were now coming here in earnest.

“Brother, I’m really sorry.”

“Please take care of us.”

His drinking buddy and his wife bowed their heads.

“Children, gather around. Oh! Don’t let go of your friend’s hand. Come here! I said come here!”

The orphanage director who looked fierce but was actually caring and responsible for Setima’s orphans.

“You jump like this, see? Like this!”

“No, my legs hurt!”

Children jumping in place and laughing because it was fun.

“Please take care of us.”

Even the priest of Setima passed by, bowing deeply.

The warrior greeted everyone with his arms crossed. If they could hold out just a little longer, support would come from other tribes they had been living with.

He just needed to block this entrance for that brief moment.

“Mister!”

“Hmm?”

At that moment, a little girl approached him with a bright smile. She was the priest’s daughter, whom the warrior had often played with.

“What is it? You should go to your father.”

“Look at this! I made it!”

What the girl held out was a doll. It wasn’t particularly well-made, but it was full of sincerity.

“What did you make? A general?”

“What?!”

The girl pouted her lips and exclaimed, seemingly disappointed that he had guessed wrong.

“It’s an angel! An angel! The angel will protect all of us!”

“Ah, aah! Right! It was an angel!”

“Yes! I’m sure when everything is over, the angel will make us all smile and be happy!”

The girl exclaimed with confidence. Thanks to her, the warrior’s tension eased a bit, and he patted her head.

Then the girl proudly held out the doll and explained.

“Look at this. I cut my hair and attached it, doesn’t it look like it’s alive?”

I thought it was a beard, but it was hair. The warrior smiled at the black hair attached to the doll.

“Yes, I’m sure the angel will see your sincerity and protect us.”

“Right?! Right! Ehehe! Don’t worry, Mister! The angel will solve everything!”

The girl said that and went inside. Watching her back, the warrior smiled wryly.

“Yes, the angel will protect us.”

The ground trembled.

It was an indication of how many war horses were rushing toward them.

“They’ve arrived already.”

Slowly stretching his stiff body, the warrior placed his hand on the sword at his waist.

A long and arduous battle was easily anticipated.

* * *

“Haak! Haak!”

His body felt heavy with sticky blood soaking his entire body. His eyes wouldn’t open properly, and when he tried to wipe them with his hands, he only smeared more blood on them.

In front of a pool of blood illuminated by the red crescent moon, the warrior was kneeling, catching his breath.

The enemy had already retreated.

They would probably come back tomorrow, but at least they had held out today.

Despite having suffered many wounds that made even taking a step difficult, the warrior smiled with heavy lips.

“I held out.”

Tomorrow, support would come from nearby tribal villages. Then they could start a major counterattack.

It was unfortunate that he, who should be at the forefront, was in a state of exhaustion, but the warrior was confident they could overcome it.

He glanced behind him.

Though no voices of the villagers could be heard from the dark passage behind, none of the kingdom’s soldiers had passed through, so they should be safe.

“I’m hungry.”

He wanted to go inside and fill his empty stomach, but his legs wouldn’t move properly. He waited for a while, hoping someone from inside would bring him something to eat.

The sun rose.

The kingdom’s army surged in, just like yesterday.

The warrior fended them off again.

It was truly a remarkable achievement.

Despite losing a hand during the battle and being extremely hungry, he gritted his teeth, endured, and won again.

“I’m, so hungry.”

More than the pain and wounds, the hunger that came after intense combat was the biggest problem.

Without proper replenishment, he now lacked even the strength to hold his sword.

Therefore.

The warrior approached one of the scattered corpses and put a severed arm of an enemy soldier into his mouth.

His teeth, as sharp as a sword, chewed the flesh forcefully. Blood filled his mouth like meat juice, but his mouth was already full of the smell of blood.

He knew how evil it was to eat human flesh.

Even the goddess of Setima might have clicked her tongue and left upon seeing him.

But to protect, he had to become a demon.

Chomp, chomp.

For the many residents of Setima who were praying inside, trusting him.

Chomp, chomp.

For those who had made him human again when he was broken beyond repair in the midst of tragedy.

Chomp, chomp.

The warrior was merely filling his stomach with chunks of meat forcibly to replenish his strength.

And so, one day.

He held out for another day.

The voices of the residents who had gone inside still couldn’t be heard, and there was no sign of the tribal people from other villages who had promised to send support.

Nevertheless, the warrior didn’t turn his back, but.

Sadly, the end came with a blade piercing through his back.

Thwack!

The warrior exhaled emptily as he saw the kingdom’s sword protruding from his chest.

Though he could no longer feel anything but the aftertaste of blood in his mouth.

His thick blood gurgled up his throat and spewed out like vomit.

“Kuahak!”

He hadn’t allowed even a single person to infiltrate, so how could someone come out from inside?

In the midst of such doubts, the man who had stabbed the warrior from behind answered with a smile.

“Most of the people inside were already dead on the first day. Didn’t you know we could move underground through magic?”

“…!”

“The tribal people who were supposed to come for support? All dead. You should have seen how they all rushed in like fools to die.”

The man, whose face couldn’t even be seen, giggled.

“Still, thank you. Thanks to you, a lot of my rival family’s forces were depleted, and I’ll get the credit.”

Thud.

The warrior’s knees, which had never bent under any trial, buckled.

“I’ve slain the enemy commander! The eldest son of the Zeronia family! Ger—-!”

Now he could barely see ahead, and sounds were only faintly audible.

The warrior realized this was the end of his life, which he had lived as if struggling.

Like everyone else, the warrior had imagined his own end.

He thought it would be like a period at the end of a sentence.

A conclusion.

He thought it would be a clean end to everything, a period with no lingering attachments.

He thought he would be glad to escape from all this tragedy.

He thought he would be indifferent, considering it a futile and meaningless life.

But when the situation actually came, the end was not a period but like scattered ink, like a scribble.

‘I’m, frustrated.’

At being so powerlessly toyed with.

At foolishly dancing in the hands of the enemy.

At not being able to protect the villagers.

Frustrated.

‘If there was a god…’

The warrior didn’t believe in the goddess of Setima. So he thought with resentment.

‘You should have, protected them.’

…

………

………….

“Yes, this is your past.”

Snap!

The warrior, coming to his senses, swung his sword violently. He pushed away the Spiritmaster who had somehow placed his hand on his heart.

He couldn’t protect them.

But whether it was a gift from god or a devil’s prank, he was given one more chance.

So this time.

[Kraaaaa!]

He would protect them.

* * *

“What did you just do?!”

Findenai, who had cleared the way, asks me in surprise.

Thanks to Findenai and Gideon’s joint attack, a gap opened, and I absorbed mana near his heart to taste a fragment of his memory.

“I woke him up.”

I explain briefly since I can’t explain the situation in detail.

“He should have regained his senses now.”

It was as I said.

The warrior, who had been swinging his sword with a fierce momentum, briefly bowed his head as if catching his breath, then looked at us.

[How, did you wake me.]

The warrior, who until just now had been possessed by madness and resentment, had finally opened his eyes.

“Because I need you.”

Naturally, Findenai and Gideon stepped back, creating a situation where the warrior and I were facing each other in a straight line.

But just because we could talk didn’t mean he had become friendly toward us.

[Cut the crap. Kingdom dogs. Tonight, I’ll take your necks to appease the vengeful spirits of the children who died.]

“That’s impossible.”

I flatly denied his heavy declaration.

“No matter how cruelly you kill us, it’s impossible to resolve their resentment.”

[What do you know!]

“I know.”

Whoosh!

I wrap my right hand in blue flames. The same as what I did for Emily.

It was the Spiritmaster’s flame for dealing with souls.

“While you lost your mind and just stayed here.”

[…..]

“I was the one who comforted them.”

At that moment, not only the warrior’s but also others’ gazes turned toward me.

But as usual, I was just conversing with a soul.

“Warrior, answer me.”

I take one step toward him.

The warrior’s flaming eyes flicker, revealing his anxiety and unease.

“Who are you protecting them from?”

[I, am…..]

“Warrior, answer me.”

As I take another step forward, this time the warrior retreats a step as if fleeing.

“What did the residents of Setima truly want?”

[…..]

“What did the residents of Setima do in front of the kingdom’s army that came with spears, swords, and war horses?”

[…..]

“What was the wish of the girl who proudly showed you her doll with a smile?”

The tip of the warrior’s sword, which had been held high, traces a parabola and calmly descends to touch the ground.

“Now, who are those who act as they please under the pretext of representing them?”

Nameless evil spirits gathered in this academy where the boundary between life and death had collapsed, fulfilling their own desires with fancy words about resolving Setima’s resentment.

“Warrior.”

Having reached the warrior who was staring blankly at me, I slowly extended my hand.

The blue flame begins to spread throughout his body.

“Warrior who became an asura, never putting down your sword for others, for your benefactors.”

[Ah…..]

“You deserve to see the end of this story.”

The warrior’s form, gradually melting in the flames, distorts.

Then soon after, he became an old and worn sword with an abyss-like black color in my hand.

“Let us, together, bid farewell to these pitiful souls.”