episode_0058

The Lion King’s Birthday was one of the important holidays in the Infractus Empire. Although it was destroyed, the people of the empire placed great importance on honoring the great king who ruled the kingdom that became the predecessor of the empire.

It may not be comparable to the founding day of the empire, but that was the culture of the empire. Even ordinary people did not forget the annual event commemorating the Lion King’s birthday.

The situation was the same at Demeia Academy, where children of influential noble families gathered. Rather, it was strange to celebrate the Imperial Memorial Day established by the imperial family in vain.

Every year, as the anniversary approaches, a grand festival is held to honor the brave Lion King. At this time, the cadets also forgot about their busy academy schedule for a moment and enjoyed the festival.

The size of the festival grew with each passing year, and now it has become one of the most popular social parties that any noble who wants to make their name known in the empire must attend.

However, Demeia Academy’s anniversary celebration was not limited to nobles. During this period, the doors of the Academy were opened to the general public, and of course, it was crowded with people, including merchants who smelled money, to see the famous Demeia Academy.

It was an unconventional move that had to be avoided due to the nature of a closed academy that had to worry about spies from enemy countries, but it was being carried out under the belief that limiting it only to nobles would go against the founding ideology of the academy.

It was also a decision made because the places you can go are limited anyway if you are not an academy official.

For that reason, when choosing the biggest festival of the empire, Demeia Academy’s Lion King’s Birthday was always included.

The current Academy was also filled with commotion ahead of the Lion King’s birthday. As the excitement left behind by the competitive game faded away, it felt like the empty space was filled by the celebration of the Lion King’s birthday, which was almost like a festival.

Isn’t that wrong?

Gilbert, who was in the physical training room again today, was sweating beads as he looked around the empty training room. Since I was in my prime, it was natural for me to fall in love with the joy of the festival.

It was no different whether you were a noble or a commoner. If an event like this were to be a ray of light in the dreary academy life, it would be a fun event.

However, contrary to that atmosphere, Gilbert was concentrating on physical training. The reason was that on the outside, I was not able to complete today’s routine, but on the inside, it was close to intensive training in preparation for a future attack.

After completing the strenuous strength training, he took a long breath and caught his breath. I wiped away the sweat that poured like rain with a towel, but my heated body did not easily subside.

Sreuk

Gilbert, who was replenishing moisture as much as he had sweated, suddenly glanced at the open door of the training room. Because I was caught up in the festival atmosphere, I was surprised that there were cadets coming here at this late hour.

However, when I saw the number of people coming in, I couldn’t help but harden my expression slightly. It was Lily, with pink hair and a great presence.

“Ugh.”

As soon as Lily saw Gilbert in the training room, her face hardened. Because for her, the person she hated the most at the academy was Gilbert.

Gilbert also couldn’t help but harden his face slightly when his most annoying opponent, Lily, came in. From entrance mock competitions to comprehensive evaluations and competitions. That was the extent of Gilbert’s involvement with Lily when he came into this world, but the past always held him back.

Because of this, I had no choice but to cut off my relationship with Lily, whom I had always recruited as a colleague.

If you think about it carefully, there might be a way to solve it in a good way with her. Even if we could go back a little, there must have been a way to achieve an amicable relationship.

However, Gilbert completely cut that relationship off based on the comprehensive evaluation. He actually said hurtful things to her and said things that made her hate herself. The reason was to become an opponent on whom one could completely pour out hatred.

But suddenly a thought occurred to me. Wasn’t that his arrogant thought?

By pouring out harsh words to the hurt victim, he turns that hatred back on himself. This was not a means worth considering.

Perhaps it was an aftereffect of his experience of being possessed. There were times when he said or did something that he thought was uncharacteristic of him. A thought crossed my mind that this time it might have been influenced by the original Gilbert.

“I’ve been in a bad mood since it’s late.”

Looking at Lily’s hostile appearance, it seemed like there was no way to turn things around. But a thought crossed my mind that I should at least offer a sincere apology.

Although he didn’t do anything mean to Lily directly, it was true that he caused an indelible wound to Lily while creating the character of Gilbert. He had to feel sorry for Lily as much as he felt bad for being thrown into this unknown world.

If one person was seriously hurt by a setting written without any thought, it was entirely his responsibility.

“Lily.”

“Is there more to talk about between us?”

I laughed out loud when I saw that he didn’t want to talk even for a moment, but I had to say what I had to say.

“Do you remember the time of the comprehensive evaluation?”

“What are you trying to say?”

The tone of voice became higher. Lily couldn’t help but overreact to the word comprehensive evaluation. She hadn’t forgotten what Gilbert had said that first night. What I said when I came here and said I had no intention of apologizing.

“I clearly said I had no intention of apologizing to you.”

“The reason I’m bringing this up again seems to be to ask you to fight with me. Am I wrong?”

“Not at all. I have no intention of fighting with you.”

“Then why did you bring up that story?”

Gilbert calmly watched Lily, who looked like a cat with a lot of fur. Even if I came and apologized now, nothing would change, but as a human being, it was something I had to convey.

“I will withdraw my remarks at that time. I sincerely apologize for what happened that day.”

“…What?”

Lily couldn’t keep up with Gilbert’s sudden words. When are you going to say something so shamelessly and apologize now?

“Are you saying that right now? You said you had no intention of apologizing, but now you’re apologizing? under! Because I’m starting to become famous. Have you started managing your image? If that’s the case, I can’t help but think that you’re an irredeemable piece of trash.”

“Not much. There is no way that a few words of apology can change a reputation that is already at its worst. I just thought I should talk to you.”

“Don’t say anything funny. But what difference do you think it will make? This abominable bastard.”

Seeing Lily gritting her teeth and glaring at him, Gilbert sighed. Seeing the hostility that was greater than I imagined, I felt a little bit of regret for bringing this up for no reason.

“I don’t think it will change. You can completely hate me and hate me. I didn’t mean to be forgiven by you. I just thought I had to apologize to you.”

I apologized and packed my bags. Lily’s expression was indescribably distorted, but she decided to ignore it. Perhaps this action was also Gilbert’s selfishness in wanting to feel a little more at ease.

“What the hell are you…!”

“I am truly sorry. So I just wanted to make it possible for you, the kind person, to completely hate me. That’s all.”

With those words, Gilbert passed by Lily, who was clenching her fists, and left the training room. It felt like I was going to hear her cry out in anger any longer.

But when I left the training room, I thought back on what I had said. Although he did a good job of revealing his true feelings, the comment seemed a bit upsetting, perhaps because of the influence of the original Gilbert.

In the training room after Gilbert left, Lily Anne was staring intently at the door he left through. It’s not like she had any inclination to speak, but she couldn’t move her body easily.

What kind of wind suddenly blew made him say that?

I apologize. Now?

It was something I couldn’t ignore. Did he think that if he now reversed what he said during the comprehensive evaluation, they would accept it as is?

Lily’s fists clenched. If that were the case, there was no other way to describe it than now. The words that were close to verbal abuse from Gilbert that day broke Lily’s heart once again. That was the answer that Gilbert, the perpetrator of the incident, gave for the first time in ten years.

Perhaps Lily was waiting for his sincere apology. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been so angry at Gilbert, who couldn’t have been more disappointed. The idea of patching up wounds was meant in that sense.

No, she may have been thinking that way at the time. Because she was a kind person, she often thought of people’s kindness.

However, on the day of the comprehensive evaluation, Gilbert ended up saying something hurtful to her, which continues to this day. That’s why I came to the fitness room again today. To break the incorrigible bastard.

But why did he say that today?

Lily, who was good at understanding the true feelings of others, really hated to admit it, but she couldn’t help but think of Gilbert’s apology a moment ago.

He offered her a truly heartfelt apology. During the comprehensive evaluation, I added that I did it because I wanted people to completely hate themselves.

“I really don’t like it at all.”

Lily chewed her lip and nervously threw the bag she had brought into a corner of the training room. It was truly a moment when I hated the character Gilbert so much that my teeth trembled.