A Suspiciously Ruined Group and the Tale of a Vanished Connection

The air in the gymnasium carried the sharp scent of polished wood and sweat. A suspiciously ruined group assignment, and the story of a connection that had now vanished.

“Hey, Naru.”

After wrapping up national team training and stealing a moment of rest, someone called out to him. Naru, seated on the bench and idly turning his bamboo sword over in his hands, lifted his head slightly in response.

“......?”

The one calling him was Seo Chang-ho, his senior on the national team. Chang-ho trudged over, handed him a sports drink, and asked with a worried frown.

“You feeling okay?”

“......?”

Naru tilted his head, genuinely confused by the question. Chang-ho let out a heavy sigh at the sight.

“Kid… you haven’t slept more than four hours total in the last two days. How the hell are you supposed to train like that?”

“......”

Naru simply nodded without a word. Chang-ho stared at the deep, bruise-like circles under the boy’s eyes, then clicked his tongue and scratched his head in clear irritation.

“That damn bastard. What the hell is he making a sixteen-year-old do?”

“......”

Naru showed no reaction to the senior’s muttered curse. The lack of response made Chang-ho’s face harden.

“I’ll say it again. If you can’t take it anymore, tell me anytime. I’ll help you.”

“......”

“I am your senior, after all.”

“......”

Naru gave another weak nod. Chang-ho watched him for a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠long moment before letting out yet another long sigh.

No matter how much pain he was in, Naru would never ask for help. He had grown far too used to this insane situation. He probably didn’t even realize just how unfair his environment was.

And besides…

This kid truly believed his father loved him.

Chang-ho swallowed a quiet groan of frustration.

You poor bastard…

He pushed down the tightness in his chest and simply stared at the boy.

“......”

Naru kept his lips pressed tightly together as he sipped on the drink Chang-ho had given him. He still looked so young. From certain angles, he could easily pass for a thirteen-year-old. For such a fragile child to be enduring a daily life that was little better than torture…

“......”

“......?”

While Chang-ho was lost in complicated thoughts, staring intently at him, Naru noticed the gaze. He looked up with a silent question mark floating above his head, as if asking, What is it, hyung?

Chang-ho shook his head, pretending it was nothing.

“By the way, Naru.”

“......?”

“That book I lent you last time. Heroes Who Erase Sadness, volume four, right? Did you finish it?”

Naru’s previously hazy eyes sparkled the moment the title left Chang-ho’s lips.

“You finished it? Want me to lend you volume five? There are ten books total.”

The boy nodded vigorously—once, twice, three times. Chang-ho chuckled at the rare, innocent display of excitement.

“You know you can’t let your dad catch you with these, right? I’ll sneak them into your locker again like last time.”

Naru flapped both arms in an awkward but sincere gesture of gratitude. Chang-ho finally burst out laughing and ruffled the boy’s hair roughly.

They looked exactly like a kind older brother and his precious younger sibling.

“Pfft…! Hahaha!”

In the distant future, Raiden would look down at the empty space where Chang-ho once stood and recall this exact moment. Then, with bitter tears in his eyes, he would choke out a silent apology.

I’m sorry. Because of someone like me, your life was ruined.

Thank you… and I’m so sorry… my dear senior.

“......Senior.”

I woke up whispering those words.

The first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was the ceiling of the academy dormitory. As I stared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the ornately decorated surface, I realized with a delay that everything I had just experienced was a dream.

“......”

I clutched my head as a wave of emptiness washed over me. Why had I dreamed of that? I had finally fallen asleep comfortably without suffering from insomnia for once. So why did my mind have to drag up something like this?

With my thoughts tangled in knots, I quietly recited the name of the person from the dream.

“Chang-ho hyung……”

The three syllables echoed back to me through my own ears. That echo carved straight into my chest. My heart ached. The organ that proved I was still alive pounded violently, as if desperately trying to announce its own existence. Loudly. Violently.

“Haa……”

I clutched my chest and let out a long breath. It had been a long time. A long time since the misfortunes of the past had come to visit me. This uninvited guest was anything but welcome.

“......”

I wiped away the moisture blurring my vision and reached a hand toward the ceiling. The connections from a time I could no longer return to seemed to flicker before my eyes.

“I’m sorry, hyung… Because of me… because of me……”

I muttered the words under the blanket pulled over my head, making sure no one could hear my monologue.

. . .

“Then… I’ll be off to class.”

“Yes, young master!”

I greeted Rachel as she straightened my slightly crooked tie and stepped out of the dormitory. The moment I opened the door, a cool breeze wrapped around my body. Autumn had already deepened into November, carrying a gentle chill.

I shivered slightly and took a step forward. The blue sky, dotted with scattered clouds, painted a beautiful scene. Walking without much thought, I fell into contemplation.

It had already been a full month since the incident at the banquet hall and the visit to the imperial palace. In the time that flew by like an arrow, I had spent my days in quiet peace. No other major events had occurred, and the quests in my status window had remained silent.

Of course, there had been the attempted assassination of the princesses and the saintess, along with the return of the Seekers. Various big news had shaken the public, but… that was something for Allen to handle.

“Ugh…!”

I stretched hard with a long exhale. Roughly two months and two weeks had passed since I possessed Raiden’s body. Only now did I finally feel like I could breathe.

I reached into the outer pocket of my coat and pulled out a small box that resembled a cigarette case. Inside were thin sticks emitting a faint green glow. They were the ‘Extinction Grass’ that Milliam had sent me in bulk via a large carriage about two weeks ago.

I pulled one out and placed it between my lips, then took out a magic lighter and lit the tip.

-Click. Hiss…

As the lighter ignited the stick, a thin stream of smoke rose. I inhaled deeply. The herbal scent of the Extinction Grass dug into my lungs. A fresh aroma, like something you’d only smell deep in a forest, brushed past the tip of my nose.

“Haa……”

The white smoke that left my lips drifted into the air. At the same time, my head cleared and the heavy layers of depression clinging to my chest began to wash away.

“......This stuff is actually amazing.”

My mind had been restless because of that dream, but it had cleared up in an instant. This world’s nerve stabilizer was clearly several levels above anything from the modern era. Or perhaps it was something else entirely.

As I stared blankly at the smoke dissipating before my eyes, a familiar mechanical sound suddenly rang in my ears.

As expected of Iron Mind. Its performance is reliable. Then again, it even nullifies the side effects of Bitan’s special skills. This much must be child’s play.

In a slightly improved mood, I continued exhaling smoke with a faint smile. That was when—

“Oppa!”

“Raiden!”

Two familiar voices called out from behind me. I turned my head slightly to look.

“Ariel… and Your Highness.”

When I waved lightly, Ariel bounded over ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and threw herself into my arms.

“Good morning!”

“Yes, good morning.”

Ariel clung tightly to me. When I stroked her head, she melted with a contented purr. As I playfully poked her soft, squishy cheeks, Lucy, who had followed behind, offered a gentle greeting.

“Good morning, Raiden.”

“Good morning, Your Highness. Did you sleep well last night?”

“Of course.”

After exchanging brief pleasantries, we began walking together. If I had to name the biggest change in my life over the past month, it would undoubtedly be Lucy’s presence.

After the events at the imperial palace, the relationship between Lucy and Raiden had slowly begun to return to how it once was. Thanks to that, a new color had been added to the brown and red that had previously filled my life.

Of course, walking around with Lucy naturally meant getting entangled with her followers more often, but I never really grew close to them. They weren’t exactly the most pleasant company to begin with. Things were still awkward between us.

While I was chewing on those trivial thoughts, our esteemed princess, who had been walking in step with me, suddenly clapped her hands as if she had just remembered something.

“Oh, right! Now that I think about it…”

“......?”

“We have the school trip starting next week, don’t we? Have you checked the group assignments?”

“......Pardon?”

School trip? What was she talking about…? I tilted my head at the first I’d heard of it. Lucy looked slightly surprised.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know about the school trip…?”

“Ah, yes…”

Now that she mentioned it, I vaguely recalled a school trip event in the original story. But that was supposed to happen after Allen became a second-year… meaning next year, right? Wait, no. Originally it was for second-years, so this year it would be for Lucy and me…?

I realized it belatedly and asked.

“Do you know the exact date, by any chance?”

“In three days.”

“......It really is right around the corner.”

“You really didn’t know…”

I pressed a hand to my forehead as a faint headache crept in. How had I missed this? I had dozed off in class a few times—maybe it was announced then? I let out a soft sigh and took another drag from the Extinction Grass still in my mouth.

“By the way, what did you mean by group assignments?”

“During the school trip, we’re split into groups for activities. Doesn’t it sound fun? It’s completely random, so that part is a little disappointing…”

“Hmm……”

Group activities. Just hearing it made it sound incredibly uncomfortable. I swallowed a groan, unable to voice the thought out loud.

“Have you checked your ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠group, Your Highness?”

“Huh? Of course. I checked the moment it was posted yesterday evening.”

“You’re… not in the same group as me, I assume?”

“Yeah… unfortunately.”

“......”

I had asked just in case, but it was as expected. There were nearly a thousand second-year students. I hadn’t gotten my hopes up. I stroked my chin in bitter silence.

Since I wasn’t in the same group as Lucy, the group assignment was essentially doomed. The only person at the academy I was close to was her.

“It should be posted on the bulletin board over there. Want to check?”

Lucy pointed at the notice board near the carriage stop. I nodded.

I should at least see it for myself…

We walked over in silence. The white bulletin board was covered with various announcements. We searched for the notice titled ‘2nd Year School Trip Group Assignments’ and then looked for the name ‘Raiden Lisite’ within it.

After staring intently at the board for a little over three minutes—

“Found it!”

Ariel pointed at one section and shouted. I followed her finger with my gaze. Sure enough, there was a group that included my name.

We all read the names of the group members listed beneath it at the same time.

“......Huh.”

I stared at the assignment chart in a daze. Then I grabbed my head and muttered quietly.

“We’re completely fucked…”