Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: The Principal's Remorse
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"Na-rin! Is that you over there, Na-rin?!"
Fergus shouted in a frantic voice upon spotting a faint beam of light in the distance.
"Principal! What's going on?!"
"Hurry over here!!"
Yoon Na-rin rushed over at Fergus's cry, which made him seem utterly desperate.
"Phew, now I can finally breathe."
"What happened?"
Yoon Na-rin spotted the collapsed wall in the corner and turned to Fergus.
"Well, I'm really scared of dark places, you see. Just now, I nearly pissed myself. You're a real lifesaver showing up."
Everyone's expressions, Yoon Na-rin's included, turned ice-cold at Fergus's words. Even Anis, who had been quietly wiping away tears from behind, soured her face.
"...What's that?"
Yoon Na-rin pointed at the pile of crumbled concrete debris.
"Watch out! It's the wanted Thousand Killer Ghost! It could burst out any second!"
Han U-sol yelled. Yoon Na-rin and Reisi quickly shifted into battle stances upon hearing him. Anis let out a small sigh, as if she'd just remembered. "...Ah."
"...Thousand Killer Ghost?"
Fergus muttered under his breath.
The situation had unfolded so quickly that he hadn't even had a chance to check the face before slamming it into the wall. The Thousand Killer Ghost?
Which meant...
The old man's expression hardened.
Rattle. The debris heap stirred, and soon a man rose, brushing the dust off his suit.
The old man and the long-haired man locked eyes.
"......It was you."
"...Long time no see."
###
Han rose from the debris, dusted himself off, and swept his gaze across the surroundings.
A lot of familiar faces.
"......... "
Han drew his sword and calmly steadied his breathing.
Killing them all was impossible. His target was just the one—Han U-sol. Could he take him down?
Time seemed to slow as he sank into thought.
First, the old man standing right in front of him. Fergus Dee.
Unlike his refined image of chanting spells from the rear and firing magic, he was actually a tough brawler. Old or not, as a veteran, he wouldn't go down easy.
And flanking him: Anis Harper and a silver-haired girl with a short bob he'd never seen before.
Anis Harper was off-limits. As long as Kahathel's orders stood to deliver her unharmed, he couldn't lay a hand on her.
Even if he could, her skill level meant she could block several exchanges. Teaming up with Fergus, she might even land a solid hit.
This standoff was already tipping into extreme disadvantage.
On the opposite side, the silver-haired girl gripped a spear. If he fought Fergus and Anis, she wouldn't just stand by.
He had no precise read on her skill, but her stance suggested above average. The spear's long reach guaranteed her attacks would be a nuisance whenever she slipped in.
Behind her was Han U-sol. And farthest back, the red-haired girl who wielded flames from before.
These two were the real problem.
One-on-one, he'd win without issue. But with front-line protection, it changed everything.
A long, straight corridor stretching out. He'd have to block every ranged attack coming from afar.
To make matters worse, both rear positions specialized in AoE attacks that blanketed enemy zones while sparing allies, and their firepower was no joke.
Block those assaults, exploit the brief gap before the next volley, smash through the front line fast, reach the rear, and pierce Han U-sol's barrier. Only then could he kill him.
Was it doable?
No, impossible. The odds were brutally uncertain.
Safe to assume total failure.
Exploiting blind spots in his vision wouldn't work either—the corridor was lit up by flames flickering everywhere.
The exit was at their backs. No windows in this building. Escaping meant breaking through them regardless.
"......... "
'......Fucked,' Han thought.
Not their intention, no doubt, but he'd ended up cornered like a rat in a trap. This wasn't about whether he could kill Han U-sol anymore. He needed a way to survive.
If brute force failed, then wits.
If the sword wouldn't cut it, persuasion would have to.
Han opened his mouth.
"...Um. Hey, can I just leave? I swear I won't come anywhere near here again."
"Like hell you can! You're caught red-handed! You're done for today!"
Yoon Na-rin snapped at Han's tentative words.
Ah, no dice. Han knew he wasn't gifted with words.
'...Hmm.'
He paused for a beat, then spoke up again.
"I challenge you to a one-on-one duel, Han U-sol. My sword and honor on the line. If I lose, I'll surrender quietly. If I win, just let me go. What do you say?"
"Why the hell would we, you moron?!"
Hmm, no good there either. It had seemed plausible.
He didn't have much honor worth betting anyway.
'......Ugh.'
Sweat beaded on Han's brow. Was he really forced into an all-out fight?
It was suicide, but his lacking brain couldn't conjure any sharper plan.
'...Guess I have to bet on luck.'
His grip tightened on the sword hilt, and the moment his eyes met Fergus's at the front—
The old man's emotions flowed in.
The color was a rippling black.
Guilt.
The old man felt guilt toward him.
Han addressed the old man.
"Long time no see, but we never really got to talk properly."
"......Yeah. Long time."
"Fergus, do you feel guilty toward me?"
"......... "
The old man said nothing.
#
"About me ending up like this? About me betraying humanity and striking a deal with demons?"
"......... "
"Why should you feel responsible, Fergus? You didn't do anything wrong."
The old man merely stared at Han in silence.
"If there's blame, it's on the Association's upper ranks who betrayed and abandoned me."
"......You."
"Ah, wait—one mistake you did make. Not a huge factor in my betrayal, but not entirely blameless."
Cutting off the old man's voice, Han laid it all out.
"So minor compared to the Association's atrocities that I nearly forgot."
"......... "
"Bystanding. That's your sin. Knowing everything, pretending ignorance, letting it slide. You know it too, which is why you're guilty now."
Han sharpened his gaze. His already crimson eyes gleamed even brighter, reflecting the light illuminating the dark corridor.
"You knew, didn't you? They distrusted my powers, assumed I uncovered their dirty secrets, so they slaughtered my family and everyone close, then pinned the crime on me. You knew the plan, the process, the outcome—all of it."
"......Correct."
Fergus nodded heavily. Han sneered.
"Hilarious. You were nowhere when I fell. Now here you are, feeling guilty."
He muttered low.
"If you're truly sorry... if you truly repent your sins..."
"Let me go."
"......... "
The old man's guilt deepened, a sense of hesitation rising.
"Of course, my betrayal was entirely my choice."
Han fanned the flames of that emotion harder.
"But there were no better options. Driven to the edge of a cliff, I had only two paths. I picked the lesser evil."
"......Mind if I ask what the other one was?"
Fergus shot him a look. Han gladly answered, emphasizing his misery and ruin.
"Suicide."
The old man's face froze solid.
"Nowhere to go. Everyone I trusted was dead. Nothing to lean on. Hiding in the outskirts' back alleys felt too pathetic. Returning to the center meant certain death. Suicide or betrayal—those were my only choices."
And from the old man, swells of pity.
"Do you pity me? If you truly do, then let me go."
"......... "
"You bear at least a sliver of responsibility for how I ended up."
Han appealed with a blank expression. The old man closed his eyes and bowed his head. A brief moment of deliberation followed.
Han watched him quietly. Not just Han—the other kids watched Fergus too.
Eyes squeezed shut, the old man exhaled deeply for a long while before finally opening them and reaching a decision.
"......I'm sorry."
The old man's beard trembled faintly.
"...Ah. No dice here either."
Sure enough, he had no talent for talk.
Han sneered once more.
When he'd lost everything and sought death, laughably, the one thing he didn't want to lose was his life.
He wanted to live.
What the hell was that worthless life worth?
Same now. Pride be damned—what was that worthless life worth, spilling his sob story for pity? It hadn't even worked.
That sneer was mockery at himself and the unyielding world alike.
Then again, the old man had always been a bystander. Expecting mercy from one was foolish from the start.
The old man and students swiftly assumed attack stances, ready to strike any moment.
Han glanced at Anis. Meeting his gaze, she tilted her head.
Alternating looks between Anis and Fergus, Han spoke to Fergus.
"...Fergus."
"......What."
"Keep standing by. That's what suits you."
"......... "
Fergus flicked a glance at Anis upon hearing Han.
Clank. Seizing the opening, Han readjusted his grip and charged,
and the moment he swung—
Wheeeeeeee———
The siren began to blare.