Time to Take the Stage
In the Empire, there were three ducal houses known as the Pillars. The Empire’s Wings, Roben. The Empire’s Shield, Filer. The Empire’s Blade, Lisite.
Among these three families, the one with the greatest influence was the Lisite family, widely recognized as the closest allies to the Imperial family. The executioners of justice who judged evil. The sword that corrected order. The Emperor’s loyal knights and the iron-blooded eagles that protected the Empire. The Lisite family bore countless aliases, but the most famous among them was one.
The children of the Lisite family were born with exceptional talent generation after generation. This did not simply mean they possessed outstanding ability in a particular field. It meant they were granted a heavenly excellence capable of leading an entire era.
To some, the talent of the sword. To others, the talent of the spear. To yet others, the talent of magic. However, exceptions occasionally occurred. There were cases where a child was born without the family’s symbolic Blue Talent, or where that power was far too weak.
Just like Raiden.
“Haa……”
Inside the Duke’s office in the Lisite family mansion, Stener Lisite, the head of the house who led the Executors, let out a sigh and set down the pen he was holding. His scarred hand pressed against his throbbing temple.
The documents scattered chaotically across the desk were so complex that a mere glance was enough to make one dizzy. No matter how much of a ducal head he was, this kind of work felt far too foreign to him. After all, the talent he possessed was related to magic, not to using his head.
But what was truly giving him a headache wasn’t just that.
His son. Raiden Lisite.
The blood relative who had suddenly vanished one day had finally reappeared after nearly six months. One of the maids had apparently found him loitering in front of the house.
“……”
When Stener first heard that Raiden had returned, he let out a sigh of relief in his heart. He had been worried that something might have happened to the boy during the half-year-long disappearance.
Though he had shown up covered in wounds and looking like a complete mess… the most important thing was that he was alive.
“……”
But now that he was actually back, the headaches were piling up one after another. Even setting aside the minor issues, just thinking about how to handle the Academy that Raiden had skipped for six whole months made his vision blur.
More than that, would Raiden even want to return to the Academy? From what he’d heard, the boy hadn’t seemed to fit in there at all.
“……How did things end up like this?”
Stener muttered weakly. Scenes from the past he longed for flickered through his mind.
—You are my pride, Raiden.
That was something Stener used to say to him like a habit, back before Raiden had turned into a scoundrel.
The world saw Raiden as the eldest son of the Lisite family who had failed to inherit any talent, a fool. But those were only the whispers of people who didn’t truly know him.
Because Raiden possessed something that surpassed mere talent.
—Hehe, I’ll work even harder! Father!
A gentle smile and thoughtful behavior. A selfless and warm heart. The Raiden of the past was a child who made everyone around him unable to help but love him.
His witty remarks always brought laughter to others. His considerate actions moved people’s hearts. His warm nature that melted away gloomy atmospheres became a driving force for someone to keep living.
The power to make people smile. The power to draw people in. And finally, the power to embrace people within his own heart.
Those were realms that could never be achieved with swords or magic.
That was why Stener had been genuinely proud of Raiden. Because his son had been born with the very qualities of a true human being that Stener had always envisioned.
Stener had believed that such a proud son would grow up straight and true.
But……
“Haa……”
Another sigh echoed through the Duke’s office. A single flower of pity bloomed within the cold Duke’s heart. That shabby, pitiful flower was, of course, for his son.
Stener remembered it clearly. The pain of the day his wife, Philippa Lisite, was buried in the ground. The sorrow of losing a loved one. It was a burden even for the Empire’s greatest flame mage, once called the Flame Emperor.
Yet a child had endured that pain. Worse, he had witnessed his mother’s brutal murder right before his eyes.
……Yes. If only that had been the end of it.
The problem was that it hadn’t ended there.
“I shouldn’t have done that back then……”
Overwhelmed by guilt, Stener rubbed his face. Raindrops of self-reproach and self-loathing fell onto the blurred petals of pity.
—……I’m sorry, Philip.
Stener had been forced to conceal his wife’s death from the public. At the time, less than ten years had passed since the Empire had forcibly ended its civil war. If word spread that the wife of the Duke of Lisite—the Empire’s sword and greatest military asset—had been assassinated, chaos would surely follow both inside and outside the Empire.
Not only would the Lisite family’s prestige fall, but the authority of the Imperial family they protected would also be threatened.
Stener had no choice.
—I’m truly… truly sorry……
The pathetic husband had repeated those words over and over, begging his wife for forgiveness. Yet despite his torn heart, the cover-up proceeded smoothly.
Fortunately, the only ones who had witnessed the scene that day were his son, the head butler, and a few loyal retainers. Stener had strictly silenced them and only informed those who absolutely needed to know.
The Emperor and the Crown Prince. The other dukes. His son and daughter, along with the rest of the family. The head butler and trustworthy retainers.
In total, roughly ten people in the entire Empire knew the truth behind Philippa Lisite’s death.
—Oh, Your Grace! I heard the Duchess has been feeling unwell lately. Is she all right?
—Thank you for your concern, Marquis. Philippa’s condition has worsened quite a bit… She hasn’t been able to show her face in high society.
—Oh dear… Our family will pay her a visit sometime soon.
—Ah, there’s no need. The physician said she should avoid contact with outsiders as much as possible.
—I see… I hope she recovers soon. I’ll let the others know in advance.
—Yes, if she suddenly stops attending social events, people will start asking questions. I’ll leave it to you.
To delay the announcement of his wife’s death, Stener had fabricated false rumors. And so the story of the Lisite Duchess’s assassination was buried, replaced only by whispers that she was gravely ill.
—Your Grace… Must you really go this far?
—You already know the answer, Your Majesty. If we announce Philippa’s death without any preparation, we won’t be able to avoid the suspicion of those damned Seekers.
—……I see. Since the Imperial authority is still unstable, it would be far safer to shape public opinion first before making the announcement. A death by illness would also be better than assassination.
—Exactly.
—Haa… Still, this isn’t right. I hear your son hasn’t been in his right mind lately either.
—I apologize.
—Never mind… Just take good care of your son. For such a kind child to have turned into a scoundrel… it must have been unbearable.
Despite the Emperor’s advice, Stener could not spare any attention for Raiden. While the father was busy eradicating branches of the Seekers and frantically covering up his wife’s death, his son transformed into an even more vicious scoundrel.
Time passed. On the day Philippa Lisite’s fabricated death was announced to the world, Stener finally faced the truth.
The boy staring blankly at his mother’s grave. The eyes of a child who looked as if he had lost something precious.
Only then did Stener realize he should have cast aside the Empire and everything else. He should have embraced his wounded child.
Because the boy had always done well, Stener had believed he would overcome this too.
—……Raiden.
—Don’t concern yourself with me, Father.
But regret changed nothing. The boy had already been broken.
The gentle smile he once wore had turned into a mocking sneer. The mouth that used to bring joy to everyone now made people cry and grow angry. The heart that had been so warm had sunk beneath the surface and frozen cold.
Stener kept trying to approach his son, but Raiden fiercely pushed him away every time. As if he were deliberately trying to isolate himself.
So Stener decided to wait. He would wait until the wounded child could return on his own.
He was aware that he had done something unforgivable. Still, if the boy still considered him his father, he wanted to be his strength.
But……
One month. Three months. Six months. One year.
Even after a year, Raiden showed no sign of returning to how he once was. Stener finally realized that his son had been broken beyond repair.
The father who learned of his son’s condition tried everything he could to restrain him. He didn’t want the boy to be hated by others any longer.
Yet despite those efforts, Raiden did not change. If anything, he grew even more vicious.
And so the distance between father and son only grew wider.
—What…? Raiden has disappeared?
Then, a year and a half after Raiden had become a scoundrel, he suddenly vanished.
At first, Stener wasn’t worried. It had happened many times before. He simply assumed the boy had gone somewhere to clear his head.
A week passed. Then a fortnight. Then a month. Raiden still hadn’t returned.
Only then did Stener realize something was wrong and began searching for him. The restaurants and shops he frequented. The places he had loved as a child. Every location he might have visited from the Academy. But he could not be found.
Another month passed. Then two. Then three.
Even after four months since his disappearance, there wasn’t a single sighting.
Just as anxiety was beginning to consume him, at the six-month mark, Raiden reappeared.
Covered in wounds and looking like a complete wreck.
Step. Step.
I crossed the corridor leading to the Duke’s office and glanced out the window. Hot green foliage flowed down over the well-maintained garden. The shimmering sunlight and blue sky created a bright, gentle atmosphere as a soft backdrop.
Summer. Seeing it like this, it’s actually quite pretty.
It used to be my least favorite season in my previous life, though.
As I mulled over old memories and fell into brief contemplation, I heard footsteps following behind me.
“W-wait, Young Master…!!”
A girl with brown hair in twin tails was chasing after me.
“You have to go with me…!”
“Father called for me, didn’t he? There’s no need for you to come along, is there?”
Rachel frowned at my words and replied.
“I told you! I’m your exclusive maid now! Wherever you go, I will follow!”
“Exclusive maid… I don’t really need one.”
When I muttered that, Rachel puffed out her cheeks in a pout.
“I don’t care! Even if I’m not exclusive, I’m still going to follow you!”
I stared for a moment at her puffed-up cheeks, then reached out and pinched them.
“Bueh……”
The soft, squishy sensation felt strangely pleasant. I let out a small chuckle as I looked at her making that silly sound.
“Eh…?”
At my smile, Rachel’s eyes widened. As if she had witnessed something astonishing.
Ah, I guess smiling like this feels a bit awkward. The scoundrel version of Raiden never smiled like this.
“Young Master… you just smiled……”
“Stop talking nonsense and let’s hurry.”
I turned my head to avoid the topic and started walking again. The girl, who had tilted her head in confusion for a moment, soon followed after me.
Rachel kept her mouth shut with a complicated expression for a while, but before long she spoke again.
“Young Master.”
“Hm?”
“Are you really my Young Master?”
“Of course I am. Who else would I be?”
Rachel’s expression grew even stranger. As if she couldn’t understand.
“What’s wrong?”
“……You don’t feel like yourself, Young Master.”
“Maybe it’s because we haven’t seen each other in a while?”
Rachel quietly shook her head. Then, with strangely sorrowful eyes, she murmured.
“After that day… you never smiled like that again……”
—I stopped in my tracks.
That day.
Those words were a landmine for Raiden. The worst kind of landmine that brought up loss, self-loathing, and obsession all at once. I could feel my body trembling slightly.
Rachel seemed to realize what she had said a moment too late. She bowed deeply and apologized.
“I-I’m sorry! Young Master…! That just slipped out unconsciously……”
“It’s fine, Ray.”
I forced my shaking voice to steady itself. Damn it, why is my body trembling like this? It’s not even my landmine… It seems Raiden’s emotions are still deeply embedded in this body.
“Young Master? Aren’t you going in?”
“Ah.”
While I was lost in thought, my feet had already reached the door of the Duke’s office. After taking a few deep breaths to compose myself, I carefully knocked.
—Knock, knock.
“Father, it’s me.”
—Come in.
I swallowed dryly and grabbed the doorknob.
—Click. Creeeeak……
With the hinges letting out a long groan, Rachel and I stepped inside.
The first thing that caught my eye was a desk buried under a mountain of documents. And sitting behind that desk was a black-haired, black-eyed man.
Stener Lisite.
The war hero who had ended the Empire’s civil war ten years ago. The first Executor of Blue Talent, currently regarded as the greatest flame mage of the era. At the same time, he was the person young Raiden had respected and wanted to emulate the most.
Right now he looked rather soft, wearing a tired expression and a plain white shirt. But I could feel it through the overwhelming aura that dominated the space—how colossal this man truly was.
As I bit my lip slightly at the intimidating atmosphere that made cold sweat run down my back, Stener soon set down the document he had been reading and looked at me.
“You’ve returned.”
His black eyes, calm and sunken. The moment our gazes met, the extreme tension I had felt until just now melted away like a lie.
A mixture of melancholy and gladness tickled at my heart. Hmm… it was a strange feeling.
To Raiden, Stener had been an object of both admiration and sorrow. But to me, a father was something associated with hatred and fear. The collision of opposing emotions left a lukewarm sensation soaking my chest.
“Yes, Father. I have returned.”
To his plain question, I gave an equally plain answer. If I let my guard down even a little, it felt like Raiden’s face would break into a bright smile, so I had to keep my lips firmly pressed together.
……This kid really did love his father, huh.
As I hardened my expression to control my emotions, Stener, who had been staring at me blankly, soon composed himself and spoke again.
“Did you go around stirring up trouble in strange places again?”
No. This body actually fell off a cliff and died. Due to certain circumstances, I’m temporarily using it.
…I obviously couldn’t say that, so I simply nodded. Stener’s eyes widened slightly, as if surprised by my obedient reaction.
The original ‘scoundrel’ Raiden would have been slouching and talking back to him by now. It seemed my unexpected response had caught him off guard.
“Ahem……”
Stener cleared his throat and straightened his expression.
“So, what exactly were you doing for half a year?”
“I just passed the time.”
No, seriously. This body was dead the entire time. What could I have possibly done?
“……”
Stener stared at me with a complicated expression. Both Rachel and Stener made the same face whenever they looked at me. Well… Raiden certainly had been a problem child.
“……So, what do you plan to do about the Academy?”
“The Academy?”
“You are a student, are you not? We managed to cover up your six-month absence with medical leave and various excuses, but if you miss any more classes, expulsion will be difficult to avoid.”
That was true. No school would keep a student who had been absent for six months. Actually, it was more surprising that they had let it slide this long.
“Therefore, choose. Will you return to the Academy or not? If you do, it will be difficult to continue living like a scoundrel. If you miss even one more day—”
“I will attend.”
“I see… that’s what I thou— wait, what did you say?”
“I said I will attend the Academy, Father.”
The scoundrel Raiden would have quit the Academy and spent his days drinking in his room. But I was different.
After all, The Heroes Who Erase Sorrow was originally an Academy story.
Time to Take the Stage
📍 Objective: Head to Reynolds Academy.
🎁 Reward: None
⚠ Penalty: None
Since a main quest had appeared, I had to go. Because I needed to find happiness.
Because I had to run forward to uncover the things my previous self never knew.
I want to know.
Whether even someone like me—someone who ended his life consumed by obsession and mental illness—could become happy.
I sometimes wonder what right someone like me even has to wish for happiness. But still… just once. I want to hope for it, just one last time.
“You don’t need to worry, Father. This time, I will truly work hard.”
So let’s go.
To Reynolds Academy.
To the place where the answer to my long-held dream might be hidden.