Finally, Off to the Academy!
The knights heading back to the outpost were in a mood to crack open the celebratory booze right then and there.
It was only natural. They'd captured a black mage without a single scratch!
On top of that, the treatment costs were negligible, so no expenses but overflowing rewards!
But not a single knight approached me.
'Fuck...'
No, what the hell did I even do to make them this scared of me?
Huh? I sliced up the black mage with my sword, caused an explosion to sweep away the goblins and undead, sure, but!
Still, no reason to be this terrified.
'It's so damn unfair...'
At least Professor Nipella Aoman was there. He knew I was a priest of the War God and seemed a bit wary himself...
'Screw it. Once we're back, I'll hide that I'm a priest of the War God.'
Wait a sec. Then I couldn't use divine power, right?
'Just say my grandpa's a hidden master or something.'
It wasn't ordinary divine power—it was blood-red—so I could claim I inherited an aura mimicking divine power from my grandfather who trained to emulate it... That should work.
I'm a physical fighter anyway, so it'd be easy to sell.
'Hmm. Arcana's more like my great-great-great-great-great-grandma or something...'
Suddenly, the sword in my hand vibrated wildly, slipped from my grip, bounced up, and smacked me right on the temple with its pommel.
"Ow! Fuck! That hurts!"
Vmmm! Vmmm!
The sword seemed to buzz like, You dare have such blasphemous thoughts?
"If I wanna think of my mom like that, what's it to you! I wasn't serious anyway!"
Vmmm!
I locked eyes with the pissed-off sword.
Man, I just wanna smash this thing.
Seeing me square off with the sword, Nipella shook his head and let out a deep sigh.
* * *
Waiting to greet us back at the outpost was Mosik Karma.
Pale as a ghost. Hands and feet trembling uncontrollably.
Withdrawal symptoms?
No, that's...
"M-Master. The c-curse..."
"...has vanished."
Until now, his growth had been dammed up by the curse. Now that the dam burst, it was flooding in like a rampaging torrent.
"Please, come in right away. Priest. Will you help me? I'll provide ample compensation."
"Of course."
You couldn't suppress growth like this. But you could adjust the 'path' to let it flow steadily and calm the tsunami-like surge for a short while.
I laid the sword across my knees and blew divine power into his body.
The growth surging into contact with my divine power seemed startled at first, slowing a bit, then threw a tantrum like it refused to settle.
'No, even you guys...'
Why does everyone keep freaking out around just me?
I ground my teeth internally but kept a straight face, soothing his body as it tried to grow bit by bit.
"How's it feel?"
"Incredibly... painful..."
"Growing pains are like that. Especially when years of pent-up growth hits all at once, and you're 17—prime time for it."
I'd love to feel growth pains that intense... I could handle it.
I sighed inwardly and tapped his wrist.
"Strictly speaking, this is life force. It doesn't just sustain your life—it grows your body to 'adulthood.' So don't pass out; watch it closely."
Life force, also called innate essence, was tricky to handle.
At least when doing it solo. I didn't know how, but my divine power would guide it.
"If you can control even a little of it with your will, your skills and potential will soar. Of course, I could control it for you. But then you'd grow far less than your true limits."
Put simply, this was an opportunity. The last chance for someone who'd suffered under the curse until now.
"What'll it be? Miss this chance, or grab it now and change? Your call. Of course, when you push through, you'll shit and piss yourself for real."
No joke—dead serious.
For days, he'd feel half-dead. The backlog of growth wouldn't be a joke.
'This level of pain means he already passed his big growth spurt.'
Some guys shoot up in high school, others in middle school. Mosik seemed the latter.
So it'd hurt even more.
But if he endured, if he let even a bit more life force seep into his body... big changes awaited.
"......"
Mosik clamped his mouth shut.
I kept channeling divine power, speaking lightly.
"Y'know, back in the day, I hurt way worse than you."
"?"
Hell, way worse.
Mosik had a mentor to lean on, parents, a clear solution like this.
Me? Nothing.
My only "friends" were classmates who bullied me, parents vanished without a trace, teachers took bribes and ignored me, and the delinquents were untouchable—even in a rural school, snitching was impossible...
"I didn't even get a chance like this. No clear problem or solution like now."
Hundreds, thousands of times I pondered. Kill those bastards and it'd be over?
No way. The world is merciless to the weak. Protected by law? Sure, some might be.
But the law sides with the powerful.
If I'd killed them, I'd live branded a criminal, a lifelong loser, dying in an accident, suicide, or alone.
Suicide after? Hell, maybe hell for punishment.
Best option? Kill them and myself.
"So I agonized over it endlessly. Just kill 'em all? How to solve it? Escape when I grow up?"
Trauma doesn't let go easy.
No matter how I coped, I'd live in hell forever.
My sole salvation,
"None of it worked. So I gave up."
Blood-red. A pool of despair to others was my salvation.
"Not saying you had it easy. Just that you have more options than I did. People ready to help you? Overflowing. Me included."
"...Priest, you..."
"Not asking for pity. Just hoping you pick a good path. Karma family's a count's house, right?"
Mosik nodded.
"Then you'll inherit the title as heir someday."
"...Someone as weak as me has no right—"
"Who decides that? People? Will matters. You set your own value. Undervalue yourself, others will too. Value yourself high? Prove it with effort."
I spoke firmly, urgently.
"If you're gonna belittle yourself, just live like before. Suffering, at least milking pity."
Mosik's eyes wavered.
He squeezed them shut, deep in thought.
I didn't know his choice. But I hoped for better. Overstepped?
'Damn, just overlapped with my past self.'
I wouldn't normally help like this.
All 'cause I'm too damn nice.
Why?
"What?"
Uh, n-no... Thought I heard something weird...
I whipped my head up in disbelief and smacked the shadow for no reason.
The shadow looked wronged, but I ignored it.
As I moved to leave, Mosik spoke up.
"You... where are you headed now?"
"The academy."
"A-Academy?"
"Yeah. Got business there. If you miss me, come visit."
With that, Mosik closed his eyes.
His breathing evened out.
'Shouldn't have mentioned the academy?'
Eh, whatever. Doesn't seem like a bad guy. If he wants to change, he'll do it in the time left.
'If we meet again, I'll have a rich friend. Not bad.'
'Alright. All set.'
Vmmm.
Now it threw a fit if I tried to store it in the bundle, so I tucked the sword into the priest robe's inner pocket.
The structure could proxy as a sword sheath, so no issue even with the blade.
'Time to go.'
Mosik would be moved by incoming reinforcements soon.
Not my problem. He'd manage.
'Finally escaping this place.'
I glanced back.
Didn't know exactly where the temple was, but I'd return on break.
A place I'd seen for 17 of my 17 years... wouldn't see for months at least.
Somewhat sentimental...
'...My ass. Finally, time for modern amenities!'
I'll visit later!
I'm a guy who lives in the moment.
Somehow felt like Arcana was saying child-rearing's pointless with me, but I ignored it and joined the departing group.
* * *
Just as Eugene's group left, at the forest's outer edge where dense trees gave way to open plains, two soldiers patrolled.
"Yaaawn—"
"Fuck, so sleepy. Wanna just slack off."
"You idiot. We are slacking."
Their mission was simple: patrol the forest outskirts.
That's it. Looked like a normal forest. No weird monsters, not a commoner spot.
So the two soldiers just did a lazy sweep for oddities—prime easy duty.
"Hey, hey."
"What? Spot something? Noble lord show up?"
"Nah, we're patrolling the opposite way anyway. Gotta piss."
"Filthy bastard. Just go over there."
One soldier set his spear down and fumbled with his pants.
Ugh, filthy. Why'm I stuck with this guy? Easy duty's nice, but...
Soldier Two sighed at his plight and scanned nearby. Friend or not, no way he'd let him flash his no-girlfriend junk.
"Huh?"
Then Soldier Two spotted someone.
Dust...?
Black particles swirled with every gust. A man in human shape, but not quite human, stood not far off.
"Who goes there? Sorry, but this area's off-limits."
Crack! Crack!
Body still, but his head creaked around to glare.
Demon-like yellow pupils.
Soldier Two froze stiff.
"Don't spread your filthy waste in the forest."
The man's hand moved. Black dust trailed its path.
The instant it touched Soldier Two's neck,
Slash!
Sliced clean like a razor blade.
Head flew with eyes wide in shock.
"W-What?!"
The other soldier rushed over, pants half-down.
Seeing the headless body, he let out a despairing laugh.
"C'mon, at least let him finish pissing before—"
Splurt!
Spear arm and head gone.
The man who slew both in a blink ignored the corpses, staring coldly into the forest.
His mouth opened.
Not a human voice—beastly roar.
Voice boiling with rage and hate grew stronger, mana-charged with each word.
He'd created an opening, infiltrated his minion successfully. The brainless War God who'd vanished after ending the Great War 200 years ago couldn't possibly detect that tiny gap.
But when he checked his subordinate's death and came to retrieve the corpse...
The 'gap' had closed, as if waiting.
Even he had been played.
Fists clenched, trembling.
Everything pissed him off. If like other gods with many priests, he could hunt the immature ones. But she'd vanished 200 years ago, leaving only one priest.
How many apocalypses and dooms had she blocked? How many subordinates and worshippers lost to her disgusting hands?
But the time would come. The haughty goddess would fall.
He closed then opened his eyes. No demon pupils—just pitch-black voids burning with grudge against the god.
Wind blew.
Nothing remained where the man had stood.