episode_0040

“… Surprisingly.”

Henson responded with surprise.

Well, it’s worth it.

I asked Henson for information… No, I’ve asked for it many times, but I’ve never wanted this kind of information before.

This is something that originally I would not have paid attention to.

No matter what the situation on the front line is or what the trends are in each country, if we had gone with the original flow, the problem would have been resolved on its own without me having to worry about it.

However, now that I have changed the flow with my own hands, I cannot afford to just sit back and watch.

Because I have to take responsibility for what happens because I change the future.

Honestly, I don’t know what direction the future will take.

It’s as if Estelle, the villain at the center of the original story, has disappeared.

However, I know roughly what to pay attention to.

‘War.’

In the original work, Estelle initially appears as a villain who simply blocks Mary’s path, but later she wields the power of the empire at will, causing a war that involves the entire continent.

In the beginning, it appears as if Reinberg is unilaterally fighting against other countries, but later on, it becomes a situation where all countries on the continent are pointing their swords at each other.

A crisis for humanity that could lead to a huge, uncontrollable war that could devastate the continent itself.

It is Mary and the male leads who prevent the crisis.

The male leads, who possess enormous social power and status, gather around the central point of Mary and join forces to prevent war and extinguish the embers of the war.

Of course, the process is not smooth, but in the end, Mary and the male leads manage to do it, and the continent regains its original peace.

That is the overall flow of the original work.

However, since there are major differences from the original, there is no way it will continue as is.

If you simply think about it here, you might think that since Estelle did not become a villain, there would be no war, but that would be a hasty judgment.

Even if Estelle had not existed in the original work, war would probably have occurred.

“First of all, the situation at the front is… There’s nothing to say. It is said that small fights are still going on, but the level is not that great. It looks like those famous disaster-level demon beasts aren’t even showing their noses. Some people even say that the war is already over.”

This is the problem.

The enemy that threatens the survival of humanity, called monsters, has made each country join hands and join forces.

But if the threat disappears, can human cooperation be maintained?

There is no need to ask for the answer.

Humans are creatures dominated by desire. When a crisis comes in front of us, even that desire is suppressed, but what if the crisis is over? Human beings turn their eyes directly to desire.

It was like that in the original as well.

This is because the people in power in each country, who judged that the war against monsters was virtually over, harbored vain desires and chose war as a means to realize those desires.

As a result, it is true that Estelle was the one who started the war, but even if it were not for Estelle, the war would have occurred at some point.

In other words, the trend itself would not have changed even now that Estelle has not become a villain.

“And the situation in each country… hmm… … .”

Henson glanced at me before speaking, then spoke again.

“… It seemed quite a commotion. As I listen, it seems like people are slowly turning their attention to the outside world.”

“… I see.”

It’s as expected.

Although my appetite was bitter, I calmly nodded.

“But you don’t need to worry too much. It is a minority opinion after all, and the people who make such claims seem to be only a handful.”

“… … .”

Henson immediately added, but his words did not put my mind at ease.

Because I knew it wouldn’t go that optimistically.

As Henson said, there will never be a majority of those calling for war.

That is, if nothing happens.

‘That can’t be possible.’

Human desires are not so weakened that they immediately give up their opinions when faced with opposition.

If normal methods don’t work, other means will be used.

They want war, but that opinion is not accepted.

then? All you have to do is make up an excuse.

And there is a perfect place to make that excuse.

That’s right, the academy.

A place where children from prominent families of each country and people of noble status gather.

If an incident occurs there, it immediately becomes a justification or an excuse.

In fact, such incidents occurred several times in the original work.

Although it doesn’t get much attention because of Estelle, and even that is resolved by Mary and the male leads.

In any case, it is almost certain that they will reach out to the academy in the future.

“… … .”

My head hurts already.

Even a small incident like this becomes a huge spark.

Therefore, in order to prevent it, it must be prevented thoroughly.

On the other hand, the other side only needs to try countless times to succeed once.

The Academy’s defenses against him are only superficially intact, and in fact they can be considered automatic doors.

No matter how you think about it, this is an unreasonable game where you are at a disadvantage.

The problem is that even though I know it, I can’t avoid it.

‘… ‘I wish someone else would do it for me.’

Although I secretly wish for such a picture, I also know that it is realistically difficult.

Like in the original, it probably won’t go as well with the male leads solving everything.

This was also a problem caused by the absence of a villain named Estelle.

In the original work, Estelle itself becomes an ordeal for Mary, but there are some male leads who develop feelings for Mary because of what Estelle does, and more than anything, the male leads also grow both physically and mentally as they go through the ordeal.

If that process disappears, there will probably not be a result where everyone comes together as one centering on Mary.

So, you can’t leave it to someone else.

I, who created this situation, have no choice but to deal with it well.

… Well, you can get help from others, but it might not be as easy as it sounds.

In any case, several preparations are necessary.

You also need to change your attitude.

From now on, you will have to listen to various news from within the academy, and if you see even the slightest hint of something suspicious, you will have to intervene immediately.

Furthermore, we need to think about ways to fundamentally solve the problem itself.

‘… ha.’

Thinking about that picture makes me sigh.

No matter how much I thought about it, I felt like my life at the academy would never go smoothly.

“And… There doesn’t seem to be any notable movement yet. At least there is nothing suspicious about it. Since the opposing opinion is so strong, it seems like they are putting their efforts into it.”

Henson continued speaking again.

This was a natural thing to say.

If opposing opinions are strong, even those who want war cannot take visible action.

So, for now, I will stay as quiet as possible so as not to be noticed.

It was information that could be said to be fortunate or, conversely, disappointing.

If things got a bit big, I tried to overtly interfere and use that to put a brake on the opponent’s movements, but I think that’s too much right now.

Well, it’s not bad news though.

Because it means that you are paying attention.

“That’s right… .”

I nodded, organizing my thoughts, then raised my head again.

“That’s enough information. I’ll just go now.”

I heard everything I could roughly hear.

There is probably no more information to be gained from Henson than this.

“Well, do you want to?”

Henson’s expression brightened.

Was I that happy to hear that I was going?

The face looked a little sad, but I decided not to be grumpy.

To Henson, I would be a customer he would never want to face.

So I tried to get up straight to make Henson’s expectations a reality.

“Ah, before that.”

Halfway through, something occurred to me, so I stopped.

“… … .”

Henson’s expression hardened again.

I felt somewhat sorry for the tense expression on his face, but I had no intention of taking back what I had said.

“The number of faces I haven’t seen has increased. What happened?”

I noticed an increase in the number of faces I hadn’t seen since I first started, but the number was greater than I expected.

This meant that something had happened.

“Ah, that.”

Henson, who had been looking at me with a nervous expression, relaxed.

With a relieved expression, he continued.

“Not long ago… So, about a month ago, there was a commotion in Evenhead.”

“What kind of commotion?”

“It was said that the organization that was holding onto that back alley touched a man and collapsed at the hands of that man.”

“Hoo.”

Speaking of Evenhead, it is a much larger city than Lakenwood.

Speaking of the organization that rules the back alleys of such a city, it would naturally be larger and more powerful than here.

But such an organization collapsed by the hands of just one man.

This was quite interesting news.

“It seems that the man didn’t just destroy the organization, he also destroyed the entire back alley of Evenhead in a fit of rage. In the aftermath, the back alley itself completely collapsed, and those who lost their homes overnight were scattered to various places. Some of it flowed here.”

indeed.

If that’s the case, it’s understandable that such a new face came in at once.

If the back alley itself had collapsed, a significant number of people would have been scattered.

“So, what is the man’s identity?”

Well, this time the numbers were a bit larger, but it is quite common for residents from back alleys to flow in like this.

So after finding out the reason, I was no longer interested in it.

What I was concerned about was the identity of the man who did it.

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“Nothing is known about the man’s identity.”

This was quite a surprising statement.

Even though such an incident occurred, no information was revealed.

“As the scale of the incident occurred was so large, many organizations paid attention, and even the lord of Evenhead looked for information about the man, but no information was found.”

“There must be people who have seen it in person.”

“They said he covered his face. There was a guy I saw in person, but my memory became vague because I was treated so harshly by that guy.”

“But there would have been traces left, right?”

“That… They said there wasn’t even a single trace left. They say he disappeared without a trace. So the only information I know about that man is that he uses a sword.”

hmm.

This is an interesting story in many ways.

As I said before, the man’s powerlessness was the same, as was his sudden disappearance without leaving a trace.

However, that interest did not last long.

“Then I’m leaving.”

“Well, yeah… !”

The world is wide, and there are many talented people.

The collapse of a city’s back alley by the hand of one man is certainly interesting news, but it is not an event that will make you widen your eyes.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested, but my current situation is not leisurely enough to delve into such trivial matters.

It would be more beneficial to use that time to make plans for the future.

As I organized my thoughts, I finally took my body off the chair.

***

“Then go in carefully, Wade!”

Facing Wade’s retreating back, Henson shouted vigorously and waved his hand.

Until the back is no longer visible.

And when Wade finally disappeared from sight.

“… … Haha.”

A sigh full of relief was drawn from deep within my lungs.

“I… Boss.”

“… huh? What is it?”

At that time, the clerk who glanced at him spoke to him.

“That kid… No, who is that person and is the boss saying that? .”

That was the question that continued to linger in the clerk’s mind.

Henson has a special status even in the back alleys of Lakenwood.

No one can touch Henson, and in fact, they are even afraid of him.

But he is someone who is constantly fidgeting and checking his face.

No, I can understand that by giving a hundred steps. However, as a clerk, I couldn’t understand why the other person was such a brat.

“… … .”

In response to the clerk’s question, Henson recalled a memory from the past.

I remember a few years ago when a boy who must have been just over ten years old first appeared in the back alleys of Lakenwood.

At that time, Lakenwood’s back alleys were at their peak of activity.

So out of place in this ordinary city.

It all started with one man and the organization he led.

Simon, a man who suddenly appeared one day, quickly took control of the back alleys of Lakenwood with his outstanding skills and resourcefulness.

He then expanded his power and started a business, growing the back alleys of Lakenwood itself.

Its power was so great that it finally reached the sunny side of Lakenwood.

No, beyond that, I was trying to catch the flow of brisket in my hands.

It was then.

A boy appeared in a back alley.

It’s not that there were no children among the residents of the back alley, but the boy was a very noticeable figure because he was not a resident of the back alley.

Back alleys, so to speak, are basically a world of the fittest.

A boy who suddenly appeared in such a world and seemed fragile at first glance could only be seen as prey.

Sure enough, some gangsters approached the boy.

Everyone thought the boy would get beaten up, have all his belongings taken away, learn a lesson about not going into the back alleys, and run away crying.

However, that prediction never became reality.

Because it was the gangsters who got beaten up, not the boy.

In the blink of an eye, the gangsters were already crawling on the floor, and the boy was looking at them with a calm face.

Everyone was watching the situation with surprised faces, but the boy suddenly started beating up those around him.

At first, those who just watched the scene quietly jumped in at some point with the intention of subduing the boy, but they too, just like the gangsters, rolled around on the ground helplessly.

Gradually, the scale of the work grew, and eventually Simon and the organization he led joined the war.

For Simon, the back alley was a place of business, and there was no way he would sit still when there was a commotion in that place.

At that time, the residents of the back alley thought. This time, the boy’s eccentricities will come to an end.

The organization led by Simon was large in scale, high in quality, and above all, Simon himself was so powerful that it was hard to understand why he was in such a small town.

Although the boy was certainly amazing for his age, I was sure he wouldn’t be able to overcome Simon.

However, their expectations were wrong once again.

Simon and his organization were literally destroyed by the boy.

No one could withstand a single punch from the boy, and even Simon was no exception.

The boy who wiped out the ruler of Lakenwood’s back alleys and his organization in an instant said this with calm eyes.

─ “Please look at it just this once. From now on, don’t think about reaching out to the sun, just live in moderation.”

… Called.

From that day on, Simon and his gang members disappeared from Lakenwood.

Turning and turning is the nature of back alleys.

Many people showed up, and many tried to fill Simon’s vacancy.

And many people had ambition in their hearts.

However, that ambition never became a reality.

Every time, a boy suddenly appeared and turned the back alley upside down.

There were people who even tried to kill the boy, but none of them succeeded.

I didn’t realize it was true until later, but the first boy, that is, Wade, did it when he was 11 years old.

A boy of only 11 years old committed such a ridiculous act.

But that monster has now grown up and turned 18 years old.

So, how strong is it now?

Henson couldn’t even guess.

Because of this, Henson was afraid of Wade.

“… You have nothing to worry about.”

So many thoughts passed through my mind, but the words that came out of Henson’s mouth were as simple as they were.

“However, never do anything that offends that guy. Next time something like that happens, you will die by my hands.”

“Yes, yes… !”

The clerk seemed to still not understand the English text, but did not express any doubts.

Henson, thinking that he might not grow big but survive for a long time, turned around and entered the store.

***

“Heo Eok… Huh… !”

A man took a deep breath.

It was a man whose whole body was covered in a robe, and who looked suspicious at first glance.

“Phew… !”

The man, who had been catching his breath for a while in place, looked back and breathed a sigh of relief.

“… They chase me without knowing the end.”

With a nervous face, the man muttered that.

Originally, there was no way it would be tracked like this.

Because his plan was perfect.

However, somehow, he was tracked down and ended up being chased.

Even halfway through, there were pursuers from other sides rather than the organization.

Thanks to this, he was unable to rest properly and was running away repeatedly.

“But it won’t be long.”

The man touched the inside of his arms with a careful hand.

If we just get there, we can solve this situation.

Not only that, you can also achieve your long-held wish.

A smile appeared on the man’s face as he imagined that brilliant future.

How long had it been like that?

“… I guess I should go soon.”

You can say that you’ve left behind for now, but if you take your time, you’ll catch up.

The man who regained his breathing began to move his body diligently again.

“Soon to be Lakenwood… . There isn’t much left until the destination.”

Perhaps because of the joy of getting closer to the destination, the man’s steps were a little lighter than usual.