episode_0072

The morning after I cut off all ties with Senior Perjena.

When I arrived at the Academy, it was a total mess.

A noble student was attacked by a commoner.

Twenty of them, all in one night.

The rumor had already spread quickly throughout the city, including the academy.

For most students, the current situation will probably feel like a bolt from the blue and they have no idea what’s going on.

Because it was something that had no warning and no one expected.

The victims suffered fatal injuries that could not be completely cured even by magic, and were forced to live with aftereffects on one part of their bodies for the rest of their lives.

Among them, there were some who had their magical circuits destroyed and their lives as magicians were completely over.

The person who caused twenty noble students to fall into critical condition overnight was none other than Senior Perjena.

Although he was a commoner, he possessed great power that surpassed that of the nobles, and he often made remarks that detested the class consciousness of the nobles.

It was a well-known fact in the academy that Senior Perjeena did not like nobles, but when she was revealed to be the culprit, the students were quite shocked.

Even though her behavior was bad and thuggish, no one thought she was so out of line as to commit such a terrible act.

What is happening now must be completely incomprehensible to them, from start to finish.

First of all, the fact that the crime scene was the academy was revealed through consistent statements from the conscious victim students.

They claim that Senior Perzena raided the nobles’ meeting that was held periodically at the Academy in the middle of the night.

Although the means and methods were revealed to some extent, the criminal’s purpose or motive for committing such an act could not be confirmed.

Because the person who committed the stabbing was also lying in the intensive care unit in a coma.

It is said that her consciousness has not returned at all, and that there is no way to ask her why she committed the crime.

Eventually, people began to think about last night’s events in this way.

A common student who was a friendless, punk student at the academy, harbored a baseless grudge and resentment toward the nobles and committed indiscriminate terrorism.

It was something that someone who was dissatisfied with the class system of nobles and commoners did simply to express his anger using the power he had.

In this way, the incident that the senior caused was solidified in people’s minds as the worst possible scenario.

But I know.

Why did she attack the nobles?

The victims seem to have hidden the reason they were gathered at the Academy by kissing each other, but I know that their true identities are followers of Kelg Durakal.

Because it’s obvious that these guys appeared and surrounded me when I fought him.

I think the reason we gathered at the academy was because we responded to Durakal’s summons in the middle of the night.

Because he, who caused a rift between me and Senior Perzena, was probably trying to hold a strategy meeting at their base to decide on the next move.

And it becomes clear why Senior Perzena raided their meeting place.

In fact, it was not aimed at the nobles who were his subordinates, but rather at Durakal himself.

She too was thoroughly deceived by Durakal, and everything she gained in return for betraying me and Tirisia ended up going down the drain.

So the only options left are to either sit back and despair, or swing your sword.

Yesterday, after the two of us were completely toyed with by his tongue, I had a slight feeling when Senior Perjena came to our house again.

Her words that she might never see me again.

Those are words that only someone who has made up his mind can say.

I sensed a dangerous aura in the tone and voice of that senior, but I ignored it because he was no longer a person related to me.

So, the senior went alone into the middle of the enemy lines and is now lying unconscious in a hospital bed.

Kelg appears to have taken care of himself and retreated, as he did not hear any further comment.

How should I judge this fact?

Even if I didn’t know what she was going to do, I think I should have stopped her first.

Or should I be happy that the woman who betrayed me and ruined my life has suffered irreparable damage?

I don’t know.

I have no idea, but I just felt depressed.

I feel neither joy nor sadness, nor anything.

All that filled her mind was the question of her final choice.

Even if I did something like that, it would mean nothing to me anymore.

Even if it was revenge to relieve one’s grudge, nothing would change.

We can never escape this hell we’ve fallen into, and all that happens is that more and more senseless destruction occurs.

However, her choice to destroy herself along with the enemy seemed to me to be an extremely foolish act.

Why did it have to be that way?

She told me yesterday that she wanted to atone for something.

Even if I come now and cry out for atonement, it won’t make me feel better or make me look at her again.

Why on earth did Senior Perjena choose such a meaningless path?

I thought to myself that I was a really stupid person.

*

So I met Lucica and Heidiera in the backyard of the main building of the Academy and told them the whole story of what happened last night and the betrayal I experienced from Senior Perjena.

The two of them looked truly shocked by the whole story.

“Seo, did you really do something like that… to Tirisia…? ”

“Really… It’s a story that makes your spine tingle.”

The circumstances surrounding how Tirisia came to be under the Curse of Attraction were still shrouded in mystery, but all the links were put together thanks to the past memories that Durakal showed her last night.

“This is… This is absolutely ridiculous… No, nothing has changed… But still… ”

Lucica, who was Tirisia’s closest friend, was especially surprised.

She kept shaking her head in front of me with a bewildered expression.

“No, how could… Tirisia and your senior all betray you, Erto… This is too much.”

Heidiera also let out a deep sigh, her face becoming serious enough to stop her trembling.

“Hmm… I thought that my senior was the one who most strongly protected Lord Leto. Wasn’t that the case until now? Even when she was forced to expel him from the plaza, didn’t she still support Lord Leto until the end?”

“That’s right.”

“That, that’s it!”

I nodded at her weighty words, and Lucica chimed in next to me.

“But the senior Duke who was so close to me, in fact, committed the most fatal betrayal to take Duke Brouard away from Duke Leto… It’s hard for me to accept this reality.”

“Me too… ”

I put my hands on the shoulders of the two people who were bowing their heads.

“Yeah, you guys must be confused too.”

“Erto… You’re the one who has it the hardest.”

“Your Majesty, I wish to offer you some small consolation.”

Heidiera came out with her big arms and hugged Lucica, and Lucica also spread her arms and hugged Heidiera and me.

“… I’m okay. I still have you guys.”

I quietly closed my eyes in the warm embrace of the two people, and once again remembered that there were still people I had to protect.

No matter how difficult it is, you must not lose focus now.

Because the fight with Durakal isn’t over yet.

After that brief hug,

“Erto… you know.”

Lucica spoke with an expression that seemed to be watching me.

“Yeah.”

“I think I should go to the hospital where my senior is hospitalized. I hate that person and think he’s a traitor, but… I think I need to see what happened with my own eyes.”

“Then I will go with you. Please leave the Academy early.”

Heidi also turned to look at me, standing next to Lucica.

“What will you do, Lord Leto?”

“Do you want to go with me now? Don’t you mind?”

“If it’s not used, then it’s a lie.”

After thinking for a moment, I gave them both my answer.

“But I’ll go alone later. I have something I want to tell you quietly.”

“I see… Then we’ll stop by first. Always be careful, Erto.”

“Please overcome your heartache, Lord Leto. We are always on your side.”

“Yeah, thank you… Lucica, Heidiera.”

After saying goodbye, the two walked towards the Academy Hospital where Senior Perzena was admitted.

After seeing them off, I quietly went up to the roof of the main academy building.

At this place where I often had lunch with Senior Perjena, I wanted to take a moment to gather my thoughts.

“… ”

Leaning against the rooftop railing, I looked up at the sky and collected my thoughts.

It’s not that I’m reminiscing or feeling sorry for Senior Perjena.

Right now, in my head, after school, I was thinking of things I wanted to say to her.

There’s no point in talking to someone in a coma, but

To my old teacher, who chose destruction as a means of atonement for his own sins, these are the last words I wish to convey to you.

I wanted to put a real end to my relationship with her with that.

*

And after school,

Knock knock-

I opened the door to the single intensive care unit and went inside alone.

On the hospital bed by the window.

Senior Perjena was lying there.

“… ”

Knock knock-

I closed the door to the sickroom, slowly approached her, and stood next to her.

The senior was sleeping under the blanket with bandages wrapped all over his body and an oxygen mask in his mouth.

The bandage covers an overwhelming amount of the body, and all that is visible is about one eye.

ddu-

ddu-

A magic device that indicates the patient’s heartbeat next to them beeps at regular intervals.

The doctor said that while she had suffered battle wounds, there was something more serious going on.

The magic circuit that had already been damaged once before was forcibly re-randomized, and now it was truly destroyed to the point of no return.

It’s almost like completely shattering a bone that was half-attached to the broken part.

The situation that had some chance of improvement has now reached a point where it is hopeless.

The shock of the magical circuits going wild and rupturing all of his muscles, bones, and nerves was more of a cause of Senior Perjena’s current coma than the injuries he received from the noble students.

It’s literally the end.

The common people, who had only great power, now lost their only weapon.

She will never be able to live as a magician or a swordsman again.

No, maybe it’s not even necessary to consider that far.

Because Senior Perjeena may never wake up again.

You could just turn your back on the reality of your failures and fall into an eternal sleep.

Perhaps she expected that I would die in the fight with Durakal, or that she would never be able to open her eyes, so she said goodbye to me.

“ha… ”

For some reason, I laughed.

I leaned forward over the bed, looked down at her face closely, and began to speak the words that were coming to my mind.

“Looks good.”

Suuu

Instead of an answer, the sound of my senior exhaling through his respirator was heard.

“It feels so good to see you betray me like that and then see you so miserably ruined.”

Suuu

“That’s what a dirty liar would say. Losing everything and never being able to return to reality.”

Suuu

“This ending suits you, senior. Think of it as your own karma.”

Suuu

The senior was just sleeping, exhaling and making the same sound.

…

I stared at her face for a moment, then opened my mouth again.

“… Did you know that I would say something like that?”

Suuu

I didn’t come here to make pointless accusations against Senior Perjena.

“That can’t be true.”

I just wanted to tell her the reality that nothing has changed.

“Why did you do that?”

My senior doesn’t answer my question.

“Did you really have to choose a path that would ruin you, senior?”

She had already finished her work and fell into the darkness without a second thought.

“You said you were going to atone for your sins… Then at least you should have listened to my answer.”

I held onto the arms of the bed with trembling hands and poured out all my boiling emotions to her.

“Why are you so… selfish, you ask?”

This is what I felt in the revenge drama that Senior Perjena carried out.

Neither happy nor sad, just a feeling of frustration.

What makes me the angrier now is that she just threw out her opinion and ran off to a place where I couldn’t hear anything back.

If this continues, it’s as if nothing has been resolved between her and me.

“If you show me so unilaterally and leave, what am I supposed to do…? Huh?”

Suuu

I looked down at her as if to ask her to answer me, but all I got in return was the sound of her breathing calmly.

“Since you are being so stubborn, I will also selfishly answer you.”

It doesn’t matter if you can’t hear it.

As she cried out for forgiveness alone and disappeared, I too will cry out that there is no forgiveness alone and disappear.

“To be honest, I’m not that happy that my senior destroyed those guys.”

Suuu

“The actions that my senior called atonement don’t feel like atonement at all to me.”

Suuu

“So in the end, the senior just did something that was meaningless.”

Suuu

“I will never forgive you, senior. There is no way. You were wasting your time.”

The senior is silent.

Suddenly, I thought to myself that this situation was ridiculous and I laughed.

“Haha… What the hell is this? Both of us.”

A master who betrays at will, atones at will, and destroys at will.

What the hell is this mess?

I lowered my head and grumbled, then looked at my senior’s face again and said my final goodbyes.

“That’s all I have to say to you, senior. You haven’t changed anything. I have no intention of looking back at you, and I have no intention of forgiving you. If you had any expectations, I’m sorry.”

Suuu

Looking at her sleeping peacefully, I slowly turned my back and headed towards the hospital room door.

“Ah… ”

Before I grabbed the handle, there was one last thing that came to mind.

I said it out loud without looking back at my senior.

“But let me be honest about one thing.”

My true feelings about the sincerity shown by Senior Perjena.

“The choice you showed at the end… You were like a senior I respected and followed like an idol. That appearance… The fact that the senior I liked wasn’t a complete illusion… I really feel like I’ve been saved, even if just a little. ”

You won’t be able to hear it anyway,

“I appreciate just that.”

After giving a soft greeting into the air, I quietly left the hospital room.

Knock knock-

The moment the door closes―

Finally, I thought I saw a tear flowing down from the corner of my senior’s eye.