Ch.4646. Aftermath

The moment Rex discovered Werner, he was consumed by a single worry.

Should he make an excuse?

Of course, this whole situation was brought on by Bruno and the young men themselves. If they hadn’t picked a fight by bringing up his parents, things wouldn’t have escalated to such an extreme. Under the circumstances, Rex was clearly the victim.

There were witnesses too. The hundred or so spectators gathered here. They had seen with their own eyes what Bruno had said to Rex.

However, Bruno’s condition made it difficult to consider Rex a “victim.” From the perspective of someone who had just arrived, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think the positions of the two sides had been reversed.

Because while Rex didn’t have a single scratch, Bruno…

“He’s been pulverized.”

Rex’s thoughts were interrupted by Berger’s abrupt comment.

Pulverized. It was the perfect description for Bruno, who was still lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth.

His nose was twisted grotesquely, his lips were swollen, and his rolled-back white eyes kept twitching.

To put it simply, his face was so horribly mangled that one might question whether it was still a human face at all.

His bluish, swollen appearance raised doubts about whether it would ever return to normal, even with time.

Rex immediately bowed his head.

“I’m sorry.”

The option of making excuses had already been erased from his mind.

Regardless of who was at fault, Rex’s actions were objectively excessive. He had mercilessly beaten an opponent who had lost consciousness and couldn’t fight back.

The people who had been watching the fight didn’t seem to have noticed this fact yet, but Rex didn’t deceive his own conscience.

“I hit him too hard. There was no need to go this far.”

The first part was sincere, the latter was a lie. Bruno deserved to be beaten. Rex didn’t regret it one bit.

Berger clicked his tongue as he looked down at Bruno.

“You should have shown some restraint.”

Though his tone was reproachful, his voice was permeated with satisfaction. Rex slightly raised his head and asked.

“When did you arrive, sir?”

“I saw everything from beginning to end. How could I not notice when people were swarming the parade ground like ants? When you didn’t show up at the appointed time, I came looking for you myself, only to find you brawling.”

“Haha…”

After awkwardly scratching his cheek for a moment, Rex wore a puzzled expression. If someone as famous as Berger had been mixed in with the crowd, there should have been some reaction from the people.

“One doesn’t need to be close to see.”

As if answering his doubt, Berger pointed his finger somewhere. It was in front of a building with a raised platform. It seemed to be a place where commanders gathered soldiers to give orders or make speeches.

It was quite far from the parade ground. From here, that platform looked smaller than a palm.

The man who had been silent all along suddenly spoke with a displeased tone.

“Pathetic fool.”

The man bent his knee and examined Bruno’s face. Berger chuckled and said.

“Sir Heinz, you’re quite heartless.”

“On the contrary, the fact that I haven’t thrown him out and have raised him until now is already an act of mercy.”

The man replied indifferently.

‘Heinz?’

Rex stared at the man with bewildered eyes.

He had deliberately avoided speaking first, but Rex had been conscious of the man all along.

Setting aside the fact that he had come here with Berger, the main reason was the sacred power. An intense energy was flowing from the man, making Rex’s skin tingle.

He had privately assumed the man was a knight. And he was right. The problem was that this knight’s name was Heinz. If it was Heinz, wasn’t that Bruno’s father? And that Bruno was the one Rex had just beaten to a pulp.

The moment his train of thought reached that point, Heinz’s expression contorted.

‘Am I in trouble?’

Rex felt dizzy.

He had thought he would inevitably be scolded, but surprisingly, Heinz didn’t reprimand him at all. Instead, he shocked everyone with an unexpected action.

SLAP!

He struck his own son Bruno across the face.

“Get up, you worthless fool!”

Heinz slapped Bruno’s cheeks repeatedly until he regained consciousness. Only after his already swollen face became even more inflamed did Bruno finally open his eyes.

“…Huh! F-Father?”

He didn’t seem to understand the situation yet. Bruno’s eyes scanned around before finally stopping on Rex. The sight of him watching with calm eyes brought back the memories that had been cut off.

I lost.

Belatedly, shame and anger surged.

“You son of a—”

“Silence!”

As Bruno began to spit out curses with a hiss, Heinz immediately struck him across the face with his large palm.

“Gah! F-Father?”

“How long do you intend to disappoint me!”

Bruno rubbed his cheek with a bewildered expression. Regardless, Heinz glared at Bruno with blazing eyes and shouted.

“I’ve repeatedly warned you to always be humble! Just because people around you praise you as a genius, do you think you’re something special? Your arrogant behavior is utterly disgusting! And you dare to pick a fight with Sir Berger’s disciple? Be prepared, for this matter will not be easily resolved!”

Each time Heinz raised his voice, Bruno closed his eyes tightly and flinched. After continuing his tirade without pause, Heinz let out a heavy sigh and muttered.

“Quickly apologize to Sir Berger’s disciple.”

“…What?”

“You stupid fool! Are your ears just for decoration? Seeing how you can’t even understand properly, they seem useless—perhaps I should remove them myself.”

“N-No, sir!”

Bruno shook his head vigorously and staggered toward Rex. He bit his lip at the impassive gaze looking back at him, then very painfully opened his mouth.

“…Urgh! I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please accept my apology.”

“Yes… well. Alright.”

Rex answered in a nonchalant tone. Though he was reluctant, dragging this out further would only make both of them look bad. Openly rebuking Bruno would also harm Heinz, so it was right to end it here.

“You there!”

Heinz turned his head sharply and shouted. At his words, the young men who had been crouching silently in a corner jumped in surprise.

“Where do you think you’re slinking off to? Weren’t you involved too? Come here now.”

Heinz had eyes in the back of his head, it seemed, as he accurately caught the young men who had been slowly backing away. They had been trying to escape, fearing they might get caught in the crossfire.

“We’re sorry!”

The young men didn’t dare think of disobeying and hurriedly lined up in front of Heinz.

“I’m not the one who needs an apology.”

Heinz snapped curtly with his hands behind his back. The young men exchanged glances and then bowed.

“We’re sorry…”

Rex silently gave a slight nod. They weren’t worth paying attention to.

The young men shuffled away with slumped shoulders.

A moment later, Berger cleared his throat and called out.

“Everyone gathered here, listen carefully! If such disrespectful behavior is repeated after today, severe punishment will be unavoidable!”

His voice was so powerful that Rex, standing right beside him, couldn’t help but grimace. The booming sound that reverberated like thunder even gave the momentary illusion that the ground was shaking.

Overwhelmed by the intensity, people shuddered and nodded vigorously. Then they quickly dispersed to their respective destinations.

Heinz shifted his gaze to Rex.

“Rex, was it?”

“Yes, sir.”

Heinz raised the corner of his mouth and extended his hand.

“I apologize for the unpleasant experience you’ve had. I’m apologizing on behalf of my son.”

“…It’s fine.”

Rex took Heinz’s hand with a sour expression.

“You showed impressive skill. I expect you’ll continue to show good performance in the future.”

After the handshake, Heinz turned his back.

“…If only I had found you earlier.”

Rex tilted his head.

It seemed like he had muttered something quietly to himself, but Rex couldn’t hear it clearly. Was it his imagination?

Heinz slapped Bruno’s back and spoke.

“I’ll see you next time. As rotten as he is, he’s still my son, so I can’t leave him like this. I need to find a doctor.”

“Farewell.”

When Berger responded readily, Heinz roughly grabbed the staggering Bruno and dragged him away.

“Well then, let’s be on our way too.”

Berger stroked his chin and said to Rex.

“Where to, sir?”

“To the training ground, of course. If you thought your first day would be easy, you’re mistaken. Since you’ve already warmed up with that fight, we should start training right away.”