Chapter 106
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: The Beast's Lesson
To choose one thing in this world is to give up another.
Because you cannot have it all.
As a child, you can throw a tantrum.
*I want everything, so why can't I have it all?*
But as you grow, as you age, you come to understand.
You cannot have everything.
That is why you learn to set priorities.
What to discard, and what to gain.
To gain one thing, you must abandon another.
That was the way of the world.
To buy something, you had to spend currency.
To obtain a treasure, you had to risk danger.
So, when Allen made his choices, he strove to gain what he wanted with the least amount of loss.
To use his knowledge of the future, he accepted the damage caused by the chimeras.
To create a connection with the second prince, he stood by and watched the duel between Benjamin and Julius.
To avoid shattering his relationship with Julius, he turned a blind eye to the deaths of his own team members.
But in the end, that…
‘How am I any different from Julius?’
There it was again.
The question that always brought Allen back to square one.
After acting in such a way, how was he, in the end, any different from Julius?
Allen didn't know what he was supposed to change.
This was the only way he knew.
It was how he had been educated, how he had been forced to act.
There was no way he could know how to do things differently now.
Outwardly, he would act for the sake of the people, as if aiming to be a true noble.
He would try not to cause harm, striving always to be a noble and honorable person.
‘So what?’
Did doing so make him fundamentally different from Julius?
Waiting until someone was stabbed for his own benefit, then approaching them with a potion as if doing a great favor—was that truly right?
It was a contradiction.
A hideous contradiction.
He himself…
While utterly despising Julius, he acted no differently. And yet, what?
‘I’m going to get Julius back?’
He was getting worked up over a single victim.
Julius would just stab someone and walk away, while he would stand by, watch, and then heal them. The thought that this made him different from Julius was so, so vile.
At first, he had tried not to forget their sacrifices.
Then, he had tried to help those within his reach.
Finally, he had tried to take responsibility for his own indifference.
And yet, beneath it all, he had taken their sacrifices for granted.
Because to strike at Julius, he needed people who held a grudge against him.
So his behavior over the past few days had been utterly ridiculous.
Once he had made a decision, he should have just stuck with it, but instead, he let himself be swayed by a single deep attachment.
And yet, his actions didn't even change.
That was why he hadn’t gone.
To sort out his emotions, to return to being the usual Allen, the one who acted according to a set plan.
There was only one chance to touch Julius.
If he let his body be consumed by rage and went after him now, would anything change?
‘No.’
It would only be a reenactment of the first timeline.
He would fail, and his brother would not return.
So, he had to use that chance wisely. Wasn't it right to stick to the original plan?
Hone his skills, find a way to reclaim the soul, then wait for an opening to strike Julius.
It was the best plan he could devise, and it was already proceeding smoothly. All he needed to do was get a grip on himself.
Just as his thoughts reached that point.
“This old man,”
A sound like a beast’s growl stretched across the distance.
“Did you think I came here to play along with your games?”
*CRACK—*
His consciousness flickered out and then back in. His head flew backward, slamming violently against the wall. Only then did Allen realize he had been attacked.
“Keuk…”
“You were the one who asked for this.”
Another fist flew at him. Allen twisted his head, but that alone wasn't enough to dodge the Beast King’s punch.
*CRACK—*
“You!”
*CRACK—*
“You, whom I accepted as my disciple!”
*CRACK—*
“You were the one who said you wanted special training!”
*CRACK—*
“Not this kind of childish nonsense!”
*CRACK—*
His head, struck multiple times in an instant, left an impression of his face on the orichalcum alloy wall. As his mind reeled, the man grabbed him by the collar.
“If you had no intention of doing this properly, why did you waste my time?”
A colossal pressure bore down from the shadow looming over Allen.
“……”
Allen couldn't speak.
Though the Giant’s Physique had kept his skull from shattering, it hadn't nullified the impact. The world spun dizzily, enough to make him nauseous.
“Tsk, I’m sure you’ve messed things up again with that overthinking personality of yours.”
But he could still hear.
“I haven’t known you for long, but I’m certain of one thing. If you don’t fix that personality of yours, you will one day live to regret it.”
With those words, he threw Allen aside.
*Thud—*
“Hmph… tsk. Said he wanted to improve his skills, so I came all this way despite the hassle.”
He glanced at Allen with disappointment before turning away.
*Tap, tap, tap—*
The sound of his footsteps faded.
“What…”
Allen gritted his teeth. His suppressed voice was thick with rage.
“What do you know…”
“Hah? What was that?”
Gaion stopped walking.
*Twitch—*
Allen’s fingers moved. Normally, he would have let it go. Of course, he would. His opponent was the Beast King of the Eight Strongest, his master, and this was clearly Allen’s fault.
However.
“You don’t even know what’s going on!”
This time, he couldn't.
“Since you don’t know anything, why do you speak with such certainty?”
Allen staggered to his feet. His head still throbbed, and his vision was red, as if the blood vessels around his eyes had burst and then healed.
“I don’t know what’s going on? Ha.”
The Beast King let out a laugh of disbelief. It was a laugh clearly tinged with fury.
“Say that again. What? What did this old man do?”
“I’m saying, if you don’t know anything, what gives you the right to talk like you do?”
“What? Khahahahahaha!”
His laughter grew deeper, more ferocious. The Beast King was truly enraged. At the sight, Allen also burst into laughter.
He found his own behavior hilarious.
Here he was, unable to say a single word to Julius, yet provoking one of the Eight Strongest. It was laughable.
“Hahaha, right. The beast’s way should have come first. This old man has gotten soft lately.”
“What, can’t prove your words, so you resort to your fists first?”
Allen’s taunt made the Beast King’s face harden.
Perhaps it was because Julius wasn't at the academy. Or perhaps his words had unexpectedly hit their mark.
But it didn't matter.
Right now, he needed a place to unleash these feelings that had nowhere else to go.
Even if his opponent was one of the Eight Strongest.
“Then tell me, what did I say that was…”
*CRACK—*
Allen’s vision distorted. In an instant, his body was slammed against the wall. He had been prepared this time and managed to raise his arm to block, but the sight of his dangling limb made it clear what had happened.
“Before we talk about that, I’ll have to instill some manners into you.”
“Kgh…”
The Beast King’s smile deepened.
His body moved faster than before. Allen ducked and kicked upwards. No, he tried to.
“Establishing hierarchy is a tradition of the tribe… Yes, let’s see this through to the end.”
Allen’s body bent into an L-shape as it flew through the air.
The battle between master and disciple had begun.
* * *
Three days had already passed since they arrived on the deserted island.
During that time, Julius had advanced toward the center of the island, acquiring several hidden pieces along the way.
A doll that stood watch while he slept, a jar that produced clear water, and a compass that, once a day, pointed to the location of a nearby survivor.
Of course, these were hidden pieces only usable during the practical exam. The real hidden piece would take another day’s journey to find.
“Reina, is the food almost ready?”
“Um… It should be done in just a little bit.”
Breathing in the scent of soup, Julius activated the compass. Its single needle spun rapidly before pointing in one direction.
“East? That would be near the cliffside area.”
Falling into a cliff area teeming with nothing but strong, vicious beasts… whoever it was, they seemed unlucky.
They must be somewhat close. The compass needle always pointed to the nearest survivor.
As Julius waited, just in case, he heard the rustling of bushes, and a figure appeared.
“Reina, I’ll handle it!”
Julius shouted as he drew Stormbringer.
He had used it several times here already, and although the new Stormbringer was a replica of the original, it was a fine sword, worthy of being called a masterpiece.
“Alright, time to step up… huh?”
Julius, sword in hand, froze. The person who emerged from the bushes was someone he knew well.
After all, she had been with him right before they were separated.
“The smell of food!”
Her brown bob was disheveled and sticking out in all directions, and her cheeks were gaunt, as if she hadn’t eaten in days.
“Abelin…?”
“Could you please share some food…? Julius?”
She blinked.
After a moment of staring at him, Abelin’s eyes welled up with tears, and she threw her arms around him with the expression of someone who had found their savior.
“Julius… I’m hungry, please give me some food…!”
“Alright, alright, just get off me!”
A smell rose from the top of her head, as if she hadn't washed in days, and Julius’s face contorted.
“You stink!”
“What?”
Even in her hunger, she understood those words. She froze. Then, her face flushed with embarrassment, and she quickly pulled away from Julius.
“Y-You jerk. You bastard, how could you say that to a lady?”
“No… I mean, I’m sorry, but I really couldn't stand it…”
Just as Abelin was about to speak again, a fragrant aroma wafted before her nose.
“Please, eat this first, and we can talk afterward. I will guide you to a place to wash up after your meal.”
“……Reina! From now on, you’re my savior!”
“It is all thanks to Lord Julius.”
She drank from the bowl as if downing it whole. It must have burned the roof of her mouth, but she didn't seem to care, her hunger taking precedence.
Julius let out a sigh.
‘The first thing I need to get is the Blessing of the North Wind…’
It had good synergy with Stormbringer, so it would be better if he used it. The next item, the Water-Walking Shoes, would be better for Abelin.
She was the master of the divine beast, the Sea Dragon, after all.
Having made his plan, Julius joined Abelin in eating the soup.
Perhaps because Reina had made it.
It was delicious.
* * *
Gaion’s arm seized Allen’s head.
“You don’t know either!”
“What is it I don’t know?!”
And then, his vision plummeted.
*CRASH—*
As his head was slammed into the ground, Allen gripped Gaion’s arm tightly. He hadn't realized it at first, but now he knew.
His grip was stronger.
“What I felt! The choices I had to make! What I had to give up!”
He yanked on the arm he held. Gaion twisted his head to evade the attack, but Allen didn't believe he could actually hit his head anyway.
*THUD—*
His fist slammed into Gaion’s chest. Gaion’s body felt like it was made of stone, and a powerful rebound shot through Allen’s fist.
“Keugh… your strength is no joke. I shouldn’t have pretended to be so tough before.”
That hadn’t been Allen’s original intention either.
But to gain one thing, you had to give up another.
What Allen wanted to gain was Julius, and what he had given up to get him was everyone else.
“Do you think I’m fine! Do you think I don’t have any feelings at all!”
Allen sent an uppercut toward Gaion’s forcibly pulled-down face.
*WHOOSH!*
Ah. The fist narrowly grazed his chin and missed. Gaion’s head slammed into Allen’s face.
*CRUNCH!*
“What nonsense are you spouting?!”
His nose shattered in a single blow. Allen tried to let go of Gaion’s arm, but now Gaion wouldn't let him go.
“I don’t know your circumstances, nor do I care to know!”
Again, a headbutt struck Allen’s face.
*CRACK!*
“Oof… Ptoo!”
Fragments of shattered teeth scattered. Allen, with a mouthful of blood, spat it in Gaion’s face. Startled, Gaion paused his attack, and Allen used the opening to wrench his arm free and retreat.
Gaion did not pursue him.
“I’m saying I’m not made of steel…”
Allen muttered incomprehensibly as he brushed off the bone fragments. His wounds began to heal rapidly.
“A monstrous body. Strength, reflexes, stamina… Are you really a mage? Though that just means I can beat you to my heart’s content…”
He noticed a slight swelling where Allen had hit him and narrowed his eyes, studying him.
In that brief moment, Allen had healed all his injuries. He took a ragged breath and opened his mouth.
“…So if you don’t know, then shut up.”
“Ha, what are you talking about? This old man is simply trying to teach you some manners.”
At those words, Allen clenched his jaw.
“And what a thing to say. What? Shut up? To your elder?”
His bracelet glowed, transforming into a massive greatsword, which Gaion drove deep into the ground.
*THOOM—*
“I have no intention of stopping until you give up. And why are you so obsessed, anyway? Did I strike a nerve?”
Gaion even threw in a homemade taunt, sneering at Allen.
“You’re like this because you always bottle things up. You think too much, keep it all in, and then you explode.”
Allen extended a hand toward Vestla. Responding to his signal, Vestla landed in his palm.
“If you want to shut me up, then try it yourself. Of course…”
Allen’s eyes darkened as he charged. Gaion pulled his greatsword from the ground and roared with laughter.
“That is, if you have the skill. Hahahahahaha!”
*CRASH!*
Vestla grew to a colossal size and slammed down on Gaion.
The second round had begun.