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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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The academy infirmary.
Arthur lay in bed, staring blankly at the white ceiling.
He had mostly recovered. The dagger wound had healed thanks to the potion.
The problem was the poison. If it weren’t for the poison, he would have been discharged already.
Thankfully, he was getting better, despite the lingering fatigue. He would probably be discharged in a day or two.
He wouldn’t have survived if it weren’t for Professor Cassia.
Her extensive knowledge of poisons had allowed her to quickly administer the antidote.
‘And Ethan saved my life…’
He felt both grateful and indebted to Ethan. He thought about Arianna.
“Anne…”
He placed a hand on his forehead and stared at the ceiling again, lost in thought.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Ten years ago.
Arthur’s hometown had been a small village west of Northvan.
It had been a peaceful place. Everyone knew each other, and the children played together.
“Arthur! Where are you?”
Arthur quickly hid his wooden sword behind a pile of firewood at the sound of Arianna’s voice.
“Anne! I’m here!”
Ten-year-old Arthur waved at her. Arianna ran over to him and looked him up and down.
His hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, and he was breathing heavily.
“Were you practicing swordsmanship again?”
“N-no!”
“You’re a terrible liar, Arthur!”
Their parents were friends, so they had known each other since they were young. They got along well, and Arianna had always been fond of Arthur.
“Arthur, you want to be an adventurer, don’t you?”
“…”
“My mom said adventurers die young.”
“I… I know.”
It was probably true.
Adventurers didn’t live long. Even a ten-year-old knew that. But outside their village were countless dungeons, vast deserts, and ancient ruins hidden within enchanted forests.
Arthur dreamed of seeing the world, of meeting dragons, elves, and dwarves.
“That Grandalf guy is a bad influence.”
Grandalf.
He was a dwarf who had been staying in their village. He had been an adventurer for many years, and he often gathered the children and told them stories about his adventures.
‘…And there was this cave filled with crystals! And in the center of the cave was a Crystal Dragon! We were planning to steal the crystals and run away…’
The children listened intently, their eyes wide with wonder. Grandalf was a captivating storyteller.
‘We started digging, and then… oh my god…! The Crystal Dragon opened its eyes!’
‘What happened?’
‘What do you think happened? We had to fight it! It was angry that we were stealing its crystals. We drew our weapons, and a long and arduous battle ensued.’
The story reached its climax, with Grandalf smashing the Crystal Dragon’s head with his hammer.
‘I jumped down from the second floor and crushed its head!’
‘Grandalf! Don’t use such vulgar language in front of the children!’
Grandalf ignored the woman’s scolding.
‘So? What happened next?’
Arthur’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
‘All the crystals shattered! It turned out that the Crystal Dragon was the cave!’
Arthur was captivated by the story.
‘I don’t believe you!’
‘Haha, little girl, you’re so skeptical!’
Grandalf pulled a crystal from his pocket. While the children were admiring it, he stroked his long beard.
‘This is the only one left. It was stuck to the dragon’s forehead.’
Believe it or not.
Grandalf shrugged. The crystal was the most beautiful thing Arthur had ever seen.
After Grandalf left, Arthur, inspired by his stories, started practicing swordsmanship. He even volunteered to chop firewood to build up his strength.
“I wonder what Grandalf is doing now.”
“I don’t know. Probably bragging about his adventures somewhere.”
A brief silence fell between Arthur and Arianna.
“Arthur, are you really going to become an adventurer?”
“…”
“A hero, maybe. But an adventurer…?”
Arthur hesitated. His mother wouldn’t approve if he followed in his father’s footsteps.
“You’re not answering… so you’re going to become an adventurer? If you become an adventurer, then… I’ll become one too!”
“Anne…?”
“I’ll follow you. You’re clumsy, so you’ll need me. You’ll probably forget your belongings at an inn or something. I’ll have to be there to take care of you.”
Arthur chuckled and ruffled Arianna’s hair.
“Hey! I told you not to touch my hair!”
“You’re cute, Anne.”
Arianna blushed and looked away.
“You’re only nice to me when you want something.”
“Do you hate it?”
“I-I don’t know!”
By the time he was fifteen, Arthur was the best swordsman in the village. He could even release a small amount of mana.
The day Arthur first released his mana, Arianna slept with him. She wanted to keep him by her side.
“Arthur… you’re leaving, aren’t you?”
“…”
“I knew it… Then you have to take me with you. You promised.”
“Okay, let’s go together.”
They intertwined their pinkies, making a promise. It was a cold winter night, but their embrace was warm.
That year, their village was burned to the ground. A horde of orcs attacked, setting fire to everything.
The mill, the blacksmith’s forge, the inn… everything was consumed by the flames.
The orcs, as if following orders, captured the villagers. Arthur fought them with his sword.
But orcs were much stronger and larger than humans. He was eventually overwhelmed and collapsed.
He couldn’t contact his mother, who had gone to the village elder’s house.
“Mom, Anne…”
He was too exhausted to even reach the center of the village. He was fifteen years old, and he was scared.
He was afraid of dying. And he was afraid of losing the people he cared about.
He had been praised for his talent with the sword.
He was better than most adults. But after fighting the orcs, he realized…
He was still weak. He cursed his own weakness.
He turned and ran.
He ran away to save his own life, ignoring the screams of the villagers. He leaned against the wall of a barn, tears streaming down his face.
He could still hear the screams in the distance, growing fainter and fainter. He clutched his stomach, his hand pressed against a bleeding wound.
He had been stabbed by an orc’s spear during his fight with the fourth orc.
“…I’m sorry… I’m sorry I couldn’t die with you…”
Was it too late?
He looked down at the arming sword in his hand.
‘If I stab myself… will the guilt go away?’
He heard the sound of horses’ hooves in the distance. He looked up and saw a group of knights approaching.
“A survivor! There’s a survivor!”
Relief washed over him. He had survived. And then he was disgusted with himself for feeling relieved.
‘I’m so selfish…’
He was the only survivor. The next day, his stomach bandaged, he met the knight who had saved him.
“You were the only survivor.”
Arthur lowered his head. He had already guessed. He wished he had died with the others. But he also wanted to avenge them, to destroy the monsters who had taken everything from him.
“What… what should I do now…?”
“Don’t give up hope, boy.”
“…Then I…”
“I saw orc blood on your arming sword. How many did you kill?”
Arthur answered honestly. He had only killed four orcs while dozens of villagers had screamed and died.
“Four orcs… at fifteen…”
“I… I can also release mana, though it’s weak. I want to protect people from monsters. Please… let me join the knight order. I’ll even be a foot soldier…”
The knight chuckled. He had fought four orcs at fifteen, despite having no formal training. And he could release mana.
He was talented. Incredibly talented.
“I’ll write you a letter of recommendation. Go and learn from her.”
Arthur’s green eyes burned with determination.
“How can I ever repay this kindness…?”
“Save more people. Destroy the demons.”
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Arianna arrived, accompanied by Ethan. Arthur tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through his stomach, and he groaned.
“I’m sorry, Arthur…”
Ethan explained what had happened to Arianna. She hadn’t been killed by a monster. She had been kidnapped by the Black Brotherhood.
And the Black Brotherhood was a group of assassins who used Kodoku to brainwash their members.
Arthur listened in silence, his mind reeling. Ethan, seeing their awkwardness, excused himself.
‘They probably need to talk alone.’
Arthur and Arianna were alone in the infirmary.
“I’m sorry, Arthur… I don’t know how to face you. I’ve… I’ve killed so many people… My hands are stained with blood…”
Tears welled up in Arthur’s eyes.
Arianna’s memories had returned.
She remembered the parents begging her to spare their children, the children looking up at her with tears in their eyes…
She wanted to die. She would gladly die if it meant atoning for her sins.
But Ethan, as if reading her mind, had given her some advice.
‘Don’t kill yourself. Become a hero and save more people than you’ve killed.’
Ethan had returned, his face covered in soot. He had calmly explained what he had done for her.
‘He single-handedly annihilated the Black Brotherhood… for me?’
She hadn’t believed him at first. But after seeing Janet, now Ethan’s subordinate, she had nodded.
‘I’ll do as you say. I’ll save more people.’
Arianna had knelt before him.
“Arthur, I’m sorry… Please… forgive me…”
Arthur looked down at her, his expression unreadable. Then he spoke, his voice heavy.
“Arianna, I don’t forgive you.”
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I didn’t see that coming.
Arthur has one hell of a strong backbone
I like it