Chapter 382

“… I-I didn’t raise you like this.”

Professor Lapit’s voice trembled.

His eyes were moist.

He seemed deeply hurt by Riviera’s merciless attack.

“When did you raise me, Professor? I grew up fine on my own after Grandma died.”

“…”

He couldn’t deny it.

She had indeed grown up fine on her own.

But he still felt wronged, so he stammered, “I-I raised you in my heart… In my heart.”

“Yeah, I appreciate the sentiment.”

“W-Why are you saying that now?”

“Because I want to.”

“…”

He was speechless.

Anyway, the absurdity of the situation seemed to have calmed him down a bit, so he took a deep breath and asked, “Why did you do that? Why did you hit me so hard… Ugh, my head hurts.”

He winced and rubbed the back of his head.

“Sorry, I’m not good at controlling my strength.”

“Not good? Not goooood?”

“Yes, not good. To knock out someone like you, I have to find the right balance between a serious injury and a minor one. It’s a bit difficult.”

“…”

He was speechless again, this time by her logical explanation.

She blinked innocently.

She was so weird.

He shook his head and asked again, “So why did you do it?”

“Hmm.”

“…”

“Hmm.”

“…Do you really need to think about it that much?!”

He looked at her like an exasperated uncle.

“It was an impulsive action, so I’m just organizing my thoughts.”

“…”

“I did it because I thought it was dangerous.”

She finally answered.

“Dangerous? Were you that sure of your judgment?”

He looked at her with a critical eye, like a scholar.

“I just act first and think later.”

“…Never mind.”

He gave up, realizing that it was a waste of energy to argue with her. He reached for a bottle of alcohol.

It was then that,

She said something unexpected.

“I don’t want you to get hurt, Professor.”

He stopped.

He could hear the sincerity in her voice.

“You…”

He put down the bottle and adjusted his glasses.

“I understand how you feel, but nothing is achieved without risk. Especially not a revolution.”

Revolution.

That’s right, that was his dream.

To cleanse this hopeless world and create a new one where they could live a new life.

That’s why he had become a tool of Red Rain, doing whatever dirty and cruel deeds were necessary.

Because only Red Rain had the power to achieve his goal.

“I don’t care about your revolution. I’m only interested in revenge.”

“That’s fine. Revenge is the same. It can’t be achieved without risk…”

“But I don’t know anymore. I’ve realized that there might be something more important than revenge in this world.”

“W-What?”

He was shocked.

He remembered,

A few months ago, when she had asked him, “Is there anything more important than revenge in this world?”

Back then, it had been a genuine question. But now, she was stating it as a fact.

…What had happened in the meantime?!

“W-Wait, you!”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t forget! Don’t forget what this rotten world has done to us! Why should we suffer for something we didn’t do? This world is wrong, and we have to take revenge!”

Curses and blood magic…

They were just techniques, not inherently good or evil.

But the world had labeled them as evil and persecuted them.

And the Saint had been at the center of it all.

She had branded them as evil, making it easier for future generations to continue the persecution without any guilt.

And it was the innocent who suffered.

Both Lapit and Riviera were living proof of that.

Their ancestors had been forced to live in hiding, like criminals, and they had lost their loved ones to the relentless persecution.

That tragic history had repeated itself in their generation.

Both Lapit and Riviera had lost their families to the heretic hunters.

If it hadn’t been for Red Rain, they might have met a different fate.

“There’s no salvation in this world! That Max… That Max bastard! Don’t fall for his sweet talk! The only way is to destroy this damned world with our own hands!”

His voice rose in excitement.

But she just looked at him with an indifferent expression.

“I don’t care about that anymore. I’ve just realized that there’s something more important than revenge.”

“What is it?”

“Your life, Professor.”

“W-What?”

He stammered, his eyes widening in shock.

His face flushed.

Riviera had lost both her parents to the Holy Church at a young age and had been raised by her grandmother.

And then her grandmother had been killed by the Holy Church as well.

She had lived her life with only one goal: revenge.

And now she was saying that his life was more important than her lifelong goal?

He couldn’t help but feel touched.

“You… You…”

“And Max.”

“Pfft!”

He spat out a mouthful of saliva.

W-Why him again?

…She had said his life was important, but she was talking about Max himself.

What was this?!

His head throbbed even more painfully.

“W-Wait, wait! Snap out of it! Please snap out of it!”

“I’m fine.”

“Don’t fall for that playboy’s tricks!”

“Is it wrong to like a playboy?”

“G-Gasp?!”

*Thud!*

…He was so shocked that he fell off the sofa.

“U-Uh… “

He looked like he was in a daze.

Riviera ignored him and stood up.

S-So you don’t care if I fall off the sofa as long as I’m alive, you brat?!

He wanted to shout.

“I’m going.”

“W-Where…?”

“To see Max.”

“Cough, cough, cough, cough!”

“Sweet dreams.”

This isn’t what sweet dreams look like, you brat!

“S-Sleep…”

He reached out a trembling hand to stop her.

But she ignored him.

*Whoosh*

She vanished like the wind.

“Ugh…”

He was left alone, his mournful groan echoing through the empty house.

* * *

Lake Ariara.

I was standing by the lake.

Unlike the bustling academy and city, this was the perfect place to have a quiet conversation.

“I’m here.”

“Huh?”

I was startled.

The person I had been waiting for had suddenly appeared.

“Hey, give me some warning next time.”

I shook my head at Riviera.

She ignored my words and went straight to the point.

“How did you know?”

“Know what?”

“About Armin.”

“Wait, wait.”

I quickly looked around.

There were only a few people by the lake.

And none of them were paying attention to us. I lowered my voice and said, “…Let’s talk somewhere else.”

Riviera, Alan, and I had been known as the “Max Trio” since our second year.

So no one would suspect anything if they saw us together.

But I was still being cautious.

Considering the current situation.

“Alright.”

She nodded readily.

She might be weird, but she wasn’t clueless.

“This way.”

I led her to the boat I had prepared.

We got on the boat and rowed across the lake.

We were alone, surrounded by beautiful nature.

I returned to our previous conversation.

“You asked how I knew, right?”

“Yes.”

“I just felt it. I could smell the evil.”

I gave her a vague answer.

I couldn’t tell her that I knew because I had experienced it in the game, so I had to come up with something that sounded plausible.

But,

“You’re lying.”

She said bluntly.

“Huh?”

“Why didn’t you sense it from me?”

I was flustered.

But I had to improvise.

I said smoothly, “Because you’re not evil.”

“Hmm?”

“What kind of evil person gets bullied by delinquents?”

“Is that unusual?”

“…Do you think it is?”

“Hmm, I guess not.”

She accepted my absurd logic without any hesitation.

I was getting used to talking to her.

I had learned to just accept her weird responses.

…Or so I thought.

“But I’m an unavoidable evil.”

“H-Huh?”

I was flustered again.

“An executive of an organization that’s trying to destroy the world can’t be anything but evil.”

“W-Well…”

“And you, Max, the hero who’s trying to save the world, are good.”

“W-We don’t have to divide it like that…”

“That’s why it’s a problem.”

Her tone was as indifferent as ever, but I could sense the complicated emotions behind her words.

I understood what she meant by “problem.”

“Because we’re on different sides, right?”

I said, looking at her seriously.

“Yes.”

She nodded slightly.

I was right.

We might seem like we were on the same side, but in reality, we were standing on opposite ends of a chasm.

We were close friends who had shared our secrets, but our relationship was built on a precarious foundation.

We both knew that this unstable relationship would eventually lead to a tragic end unless we addressed the fundamental problem.

That’s why it had been so hard to talk about it.

But now,

‘We have to face it.’

We couldn’t avoid it any longer.

The story of this game was clearly heading towards its conclusion.

We didn’t have time to waste.

That’s why I had called her out here.

Fortunately, she felt the same way.

“Are you looking for an answer?”

I asked.

“Are you saying that my path is wrong?”

“No, I didn’t say that. I don’t know. But,”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think it’s an answer where we can be together.”

“…”

She fell silent.

Her eyes were lost in thought.

And then she said, “I know that there’s something else that’s important to me now. But revenge is important too.”

“I understand.”

I hadn’t heard the details, but I could guess why she was so obsessed with revenge.

It was probably because of the Saint, who was considered the root of all evil by some.

She had ruthlessly eliminated anything that posed even the slightest threat.

Blood magic must have been one of those things.

‘This is going to be tough.’

But I understood the Saint’s side of the story too.

She had done everything she could to save the world.

But her actions had also caused pain and resentment. It was an undeniable truth.

“Can you convince me to let go of that important thing?”

She had already made up her mind.

How could I answer that?

There was only one answer.

“I’ll try.”