Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: To Die a Hero
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“Weren’t you eavesdropping from start to finish?”
“I was.”
“Then keep quiet. We still have six hours to decide Evan’s fate.”
Is it five hours now?
Anyway.
But Seren seemed to misunderstand my intentions, saying.
“Is it awkward because you know him? Or do you have some unexpected aversion to killing?”
“It's something one should always have.”
I won't deny that there are many bastards in the world who deserve to die.
But that doesn't mean taking a life lightly is the same thing.
Seren stared at me, exasperated.
“This isn't a situation where we can afford to be lenient. The Sword Master Teacher said six hours, but there's no guarantee you'll last that long.”
“You're going to kill him for my sake? How touching.”
Grit.
Seren ground her teeth.
“Don't you understand the situation? At this rate, you'll die. Are you just going to sit back and die when your life is on the line?”
“I have no intention of dying quietly. And your entire premise is a mess. When has Evan ever explicitly tried to kill me? From where I'm standing, you're the ones who've lost your minds.”
Only then did Seren seem to understand my real intention.
“…So you're not going to kill Evan Helvin, after all.”
And Seren,
surprisingly, said nothing more.
I expected her to argue further or try to persuade me, but she just stared silently.
‘…Something's strange.’
She's not the type to respect my opinion so readily.
‘No, wait a minute.’
Could it be?
The moment a sudden thought struck me and I tried to pass Seren,
she blocked me.
Seren stood in my way.
“Are you going to move?”
“Follow the Sword Master Teacher's orders. We came here to find traces of the accomplice, remember?”
“And while we're doing that, the others will kill Evan?”
“……”
Just as I thought.
“Impressive. Did everyone agree except for me?”
“Hector hesitated until the very end, but he agreed when he heard you didn't have much time left.”
“……”
“I can tell just by looking at you. You can't beat me right now. So just stay put. You can even rest a bit if you want.”
“You made a mistake.”
“What?”
I clenched my fist and said.
“When I hear something like that, it awakens the rebellious spirit within me.”
* * *
Like most boys his age, Evan Helvin once admired knights.
To be a knight was Evan's dream.
That is, until he learned about the existence of heroes.
Of course, even after aiming to become a hero, he never thought ill of knights.
After all, his own father was a knight.
“……”
Evan closed the eyes of a nameless knight.
The knight's face, met with a sudden death, showed no trace of pain or fear.
This knight had died without even knowing he was dead.
Could one call that fortunate?
Evan wondered, recalling Pam's fear-stricken face.
“Hoo……”
The cold bit at his cheeks.
Evan breathed out a white puff of air and stood up.
Joining the reconnaissance team had been a rather impulsive decision for Evan.
If someone were to ask why, he honestly couldn't give a precise reason himself.
But.
For some reason, not volunteering to join made Evan feel miserable.
Though it was a disrespectful thought to those who stayed behind.
And after joining, Evan finally understood his true desire.
Hector, with his extensive knowledge of the forest.
Karon, who perfectly fulfilled the role of a guide.
Seren, who wiped out a dozen demons in a single blow.
And Ruan Bednicker.
…Evan didn't just want to avoid being a burden.
He wanted to be helpful.
He wanted to stand out among these brilliant prodigies and prove that he wasn't lagging behind at all.
“Evan Helvin.”
Evan was jolted from his thoughts by the voice.
Without a sound, the Sword Master Teacher was standing behind him.
Didn't we agree to split up and search?
“How much do you know about the Dark Cult?”
And the Sword Master Teacher asked an out-of-the-blue question.
“…The Cult?”
“Yes.”
“Why the sudden question……”
“Just answer the question.”
Evan felt an inexplicable pressure as he answered.
“They are the main enemy of heroes, and by extension, the Empire, are they not?”
“Is that all.”
“Um… I apologize. If I survive this, I'll study more about the Cult—”
“The High Priest called you the Young Lord.”
Evan blinked stupidly.
“Young Lord?”
“Yes. It's what they call one who carries the bloodline of the Cult's leader.”
“Uh……”
“Do you admit to this fact?”
“W-wait a minute… I don't understand what you're saying. I'm—”
Evan stopped talking.
From either side of the Sword Master Teacher, Karon and Hector appeared.
They looked at him with the same eyes as the Sword Master Teacher.
Suspicion, doubt, hostility.
And—.
“……”
Sometimes, a look can say more than a hundred words.
Evan realized.
They hadn't come here to listen to his excuses.
If he had no way to prove his innocence, whatever he said to them would be meaningless.
Thump—.
His breath quickened even though he hadn't been running.
A heat that made him momentarily forget the cold surged up from his throat.
A complex mix of emotions—anger, bewilderment, sadness, and a sense of injustice—washed over him.
This bundle of feelings soon led Evan to act meaninglessly.
“N-no. I'm not part of the Cult, or a Young Lord, or anything—”
He insisted on his innocence, even knowing it was useless.
In that instant, Karon and Hector lunged at him simultaneously.
Shing!
Evan quickly drew his sword to respond, but these were talents he couldn't beat even in a one-on-one fight.
Before they had even exchanged a few proper blows, Evan's sword was sent flying.
“……”
Thud.
Evan collapsed to the ground.
The emotion Evan felt most strongly in that moment wasn't anger or injustice, but futility.
Evan had sparred with both of these prodigies before.
He had felt the difference in their levels even then, but somewhere in his heart, he had also thought:
In a real battle, it would be different.
If he fought with his life on the line, he wouldn't be defeated so easily.
The moment they clashed, he realized just how arrogant that thought had been.
These two had far more real combat experience than he did.
Junian approached the stunned and defeated Evan.
“Shall I tell you about the most vicious of the cultists' arts?”
“…Yes?”
“They hide memories in fragments.”
Junian said, tapping her head with her index finger.
“Shall I explain it simply? For example, what would happen if a cultist were to hide 'all memories of being a cultist'? Would they be confused by the gap in their memory? Or would their mind break?”
It wasn't a question that expected an answer.
Junian answered her own question.
“Both are wrong. They become a completely different person. A clean personality, one you could never imagine being a cultist, without a speck of dust to be found.”
“What… does that……”
“I didn't tell Ruan Bednicker, but I've already found proof that you're a cultist. At some point, a cultist must unseal their memories, so they carry a medium for it. Of course, most magical tools aren't allowed in this training retreat.”
Junian spoke after a brief silence.
“Except for weapons, that is.”
And then she picked up Evan's sword that had been knocked away and ran her finger along the blade.
It looked like a gesture to wipe away dust, but she was infusing it with holy power.
Crackle!
In that instant, black sparks flew from the sword, forming letters on the blade.
The white sword was instantly dyed pitch black, emitting a sinister aura.
“Even if you don't know the demonic tongue, you can feel the Cult's evil energy, can't you, Evan Helvin?”
“…This can't be.”
“Where did you get this sword?”
“The sword……”
Where did I get this sword?
Evan clutched his head.
“I-I can't… I can't remember—……”
Junian closed her eyes at the sight.
‘…Oh, Aton.’
It was a scene she had witnessed countless times during her days as an inquisitor, but in these moments, she always cried out to her god.
Because she felt it would be better to fight demons with her life on the line.
This felt too much like framing an innocent person.
That was why Junian hated the Cult.
“Ruan Bednicker is going to die soon.”
“……”
At those words, Evan blankly raised his head.
“He has about five hours left. I still believe you are a cultist, but I will trust the attitude you're showing now, to some extent.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Die as a hero.”
“……”
Junian said in a low voice.
“If you truly are Evan Helvin, if you have any attachment to that fabricated personality, then accept your purge quietly. The fact that you were a cultist will be buried. Not only your honor, but the honor of the Helvin family will be protected.”
“……”
“This is a proposal made out of respect for Evan Helvin.”
The Sword Master Teacher tossed the sword.
Clang… The black sparks from the sword vanished, and the letters also disappeared.
“……”
Evan closed his eyes.
The first thing that came to mind was his father's face.
If he learned that his son had been a cultist, how would he react?
It was obvious.
He would take his own life.
‘…Does this mean even this thought is fabricated?’
Phhh.
Evan let out a dry laugh.
One thing was certain.
The current Evan still admired heroes and hated the Cult.
Thinking that, it felt as if he had only ever had one choice from the beginning.
Evan opened his eyes again.
Looking at the three of them with a strangely calm mind, he could now see their true nature.
The Sword Master Teacher, Hector, and Karon.
They were all desperate.
They were struggling because they wanted to live, because they didn't want to die.
The ones who aren't here are probably the same.
When he started dreaming of becoming a hero.
Evan had sometimes imagined his own death.
The most dramatic of them was, of course, dying for his comrades.
Like a scene from a fairy tale.
How ironic.
Evan was now about to die for his comrades, but there was no honor in the act.
“Instructor.”
“Speak.”
“Please, keep the promise you just made.”
Junian nodded.
“I swear to God, I will.”
Evan grasped the sword with both hands.
The sword was still emitting an unsettling darkness.
‘…I wanted to be a hero.’
Thrust.
And the reverse-gripped sword pierced his heart.