Grasping the Theme
Levia froze at Cael's answer.
"Cael... that's..."
She started to make some excuse, then shut her mouth. After a moment she spoke again.
"Alright... I'll take care of it myself."
Levia quietly turned her head away. She lowered her face and rested it against the desk. Lying still like that, all sorts of thoughts rose unbidden in her mind.
— Cael, who's been giving you such a hard time? If it's too much, I can help... You've been getting more bruises lately, too...
— It's fine, Levia. I don't want to cause you trouble. I'll stand tall and get through this on my own.
Back then, Levia had seen her own younger brother overlaid on Cael. But her brother had one crucial difference from Cael. Will.
Her brother, a year younger than her, had never possessed the will to escape the bullying.
— You got beaten up again? Who did it? I told you to tell me so I can help!
— Stop meddling, noona. I'm an adult now too.
— How am I supposed to not care?! You come home covered in wounds every single day!
— Just shut up. Stop saying crap that makes me feel even more pathetic. You'll "handle" it? The bastards who mess with me are sons of nobles. They said if I transfer to another academy or drop out, they'll track me down and get revenge. What the hell can you even do? Just stay out of it. Please just stay out of it and don't do anything stupid.
He was long past the age of teenage rebellion, yet her brother only despaired at his situation and made no effort to overcome it. Every time she saw the growing number of wounds, it felt like her chest would tear open. That was why she couldn't help but care about Cael as well.
Cael was in the same position as her brother—yet he always smiled.
Even when classmates sneered at him or looked on with contempt, he smiled. Even as the bruises on his body multiplied, no matter how great the pain he endured, he smiled.
No. More precisely, he only smiled in front of Levia.
The only reason the suffering Cael could still show the will to overcome anything was because of Levia, who worried about him. Sadly, that stubbornness of his eventually twisted into an obsession that came back to her.
— Levia... You've been such a huge source of strength for me. I want to get closer to you.
Cael periodically confessed to the girl who only wanted to help him.
— Levia, about the last time you turned me down... Could you maybe reconsider...?
Even after countless rejections, Cael's attitude never changed. In a world where so many people ignored and scorned him, Levia was his single ray of hope and light.
— Cael... If you confess one more time, I can't hang around with you anymore... I have zero romantic feelings for you...
— Sorry...
And so the distance between Levia and Cael slowly grew. Even so, she couldn't stop worrying about him.
Every time someone dragged Cael away, she wrote down the names of the ones who took him. She followed them in secret and recorded exactly what kind of cruelty they inflicted.
There were rumors that Tecas's family was noble, so she couldn't act openly, but within the bounds of what she could do she still gathered every scrap of evidence she could. And today was the day she had planned to hand it all over.
She had resolved to tell the instructors herself. If they needed proof or testimony, she would gladly provide it.
But Cael had changed.
The Cael who had finally started coming back to the academy after so long was a completely different person.
— Strange. Why are you so angry? We were just horsing around as friends.
He no longer feared the people around him. If someone tormented him, he confronted them head-on—and he even shattered multiple squads of summoned beasts single-handedly without using magic.
His head no longer hung toward the ground. Wherever he was, Cael held his chin high. His every gesture and word radiated unmistakable confidence.
He no longer restrained himself. If someone picked a fight, he answered in kind, and if a brawl broke out he made it clear he would rather face it than run.
And Cael was no longer warm toward Levia. At the very least, his behavior was the opposite of the Cael she had known.
— Levia, your expression looks really bad today. Something wrong?
— Actually... my little brother...
— What about your brother?
— Never mind... Later... I'll tell you later.
— Levia, I don't know what's going on, but if you ever need help, just say the word! Okay? You gave me so much comfort—if there's anything I can do, I'll do it!
The brightly smiling Cael was gone.
Even when they talked he no longer seemed happy to see her. He no longer dragged out pointless conversation just to keep talking. He no longer stole glances at every opportunity, and he no longer made those awkward confessions.
And yet...
Somehow her chest felt tight.
Why does this feel so bad...?
She couldn't understand it. The decision to help Cael had been nothing more than kindness, and even that had only happened because she had projected her brother onto him. So she had diligently gathered evidence of the bullying behind the scenes, but she had never flaunted it, never wanted any reward in return.
She herself had been the one to push him away, saying she felt nothing romantic. Honestly, these days that ever-present smile of his had started to feel a little burdensome. She had always been anxious about when the next confession would come.
But now things were different.
Cael had grown strong—yet he no longer smiled, and he was no longer the friend she had known.
It wasn't romantic, but Levia had liked Cael as a friend. She had thought him amazing for never breaking under the bullying. Perhaps she had projected her hope onto him, believing that one day her own brother might overcome things the same way Cael did.
"Cael... you've changed a lot."
"People change."
Levia answered McDeras's words with a small smile.
"Still, it looks good on you. At least you don't get those bruises anymore."
McDeras did not particularly react. There had been a slight misunderstanding, after all.
In the end she was only a bystander.
From McDeras's perspective, looking at WeepingWillow—Levia's—posts, she had clearly wanted to distance herself from Cael toward the end. The fact that she was only now changing her attitude did not look good to him in the slightest.
Even her offer of help was hard to take at face value.
If she had said something like that before he smashed every last summon, maybe. But at first Levia had frozen at the sight of McDeras wearing Cael's face and had unmistakably tried to avoid him.
And now she wanted to help?
An opportunist. That was all she looked like to him. From McDeras's position there was no way of knowing what path she had walked or what preparations she had made to help Cael.
"I don't particularly enjoy small talk. Let's leave it there."
And with that, their conversation ended.
As soon as class ended, McDeras walked straight out of the classroom. Tecas shouted something about following him to the back of the room, but he ignored it completely.
"Fuck, where the hell did that bastard Cael go? He disappeared before class even finished and now we're the ones stuck doing all this shit."
"How is it that not a single person saw him leave when we're in the same class?"
"Stop yapping and block every exit. If we lose that asshole Cael, Tecas is gonna kill all of us."
"Haah... if it weren't for Tecas's family..."
Tecas's thugs were camped near the academy gates, but McDeras simply cast a concealment spell and slipped past them with ease.
No real need to deal with them today.
Crushing third-rate punks like that was something he could do whenever he felt like it. Right now, for some reason, his body simply didn't feel right.
Why does my chest feel so tight?
Ever since the conversation with Levia earlier, his heart had started pounding like mad. At the same time a heavy, stifling feeling settled over him—like he had done something he shouldn't have.
"TryingMan. You still alive in there?"
McDeras spoke into empty air, but no answer came.
"I asked if you're watching me. Is this because I was cold to Levia?"
Still nothing followed.
Only the frantic, aching throb of his heart. It felt like it was being torn apart. Why did it hurt so much?
McDeras let out a short, humorless laugh.
Must be my imagination. There's no way he's still alive. But it's strange. There's nothing physically wrong with the body—it's just a physiological reaction—yet in the last several years this has never once happened.
Was TryingMan's will still lingering in the body? Or was his soul lingering nearby? He had no idea. Detection magic picked up nothing, and there was too little information to draw any real conclusion.
But the heart kept beating with that same oppressive force.
McDeras ignored it. Temporary phenomenon, nothing more.
He walked. He walked aimlessly for nearly two hours, hoping that a little movement might settle things down.
As he walked he noticed how many dark corners filled the alleys. Loud groups of people, packs of thugs roaming together—plenty of them. He ignored them all. There was no need to start a fight just because someone tried to pick one. So when he turned down another side alley to avoid a group of punks—
"Yo, this bastard's puking."
"What a fucking loser."
He saw a group of thugs gathered around a young man, beating him. McDeras was about to simply turn around and leave. There was no need to step in for people who had nothing to do with him.
The thugs paid him no attention either.
"Get up. Come on, say it again like you did earlier. What? Don't talk about my sister? Who the fuck do you think you are, you little shit."
"Just... just mess with me... that's enough..."
"No... what am I even doing? I just want to get in touch with your sister a little, so why are you acting like this? I just want to get to know her, that's all. From the pictures she's ridiculously hot."
"..."
The scrawny young man couldn't get a word out. But McDeras saw it—the way the boy clenched his fists so hard they looked ready to burst. Mildly intrigued, McDeras folded his arms and watched.
"Hey, Raykan, say something. Why do you hate the idea so much? If she meets me, your sister's life is set, you know? You know my father's a noble. I'm the one taking a loss here, so why are you being like this?"
Every time the name "sister" left the thug's mouth, the young man called Raykan's hands trembled violently.
"Stop..."
"Stop? This bastard stayed quiet the whole time he was getting hit, so why the sudden tantrum? You wanna die?"
McDeras was about to turn away. He didn't particularly enjoy scenes like this. He could have helped if he wanted to—but that would only become poison.
If someone wanted to overcome something, they had to put in the effort. Just as Cael had swung a sword without missing a single day, just as Tekeloman had refused to step back in order to protect a knight's pride—courage was required to achieve anything. Yet this young man, even with something he wanted to protect, had already surrendered to force and fallen silent.
Worthless.
That was the thought going through his head when—
"Ah... is that why? You're worried your sister won't like me? Don't worry about it. Once I lay any bitch down she starts moaning like a—"
The moment the crude words left the bully's mouth, there was a dull thud as Raykan, still under assault, swung his fist.
"Shut your mouth, Tebeston... Stop dragging my sister into this with that filthy mouth of yours."
He shouted with all the defiance he could muster, but his punch was far too weak. It didn't even land cleanly on the jaw—only struck near the cheek.
"Did you just hit me? I'm so fucking speechless I don't even know what to say. Hey, you know my older brother goes to the same academy as your sister, right? You little shit. Even if you don't give me her contact, there are plenty of other ways. And I should probably tell my brother too, huh? Up until now I kept quiet because you begged me, but I think it's time he put you in your place."
Raykan flailed his hands. He scooped a rock off the ground and tried to smash it into the other man's face. But his movements were far too slow, and the one called Tebeston even used magic.
BOOM!
With a tremendous roar, a massive burst of flame slammed into the face of Raykan, who had been fighting for his sister. His face was a ruined mess, yet he still staggered back to his feet.
Watching the sight, Tebeston sneered and shouted,
"A magicless piece of trash thinks he can act up just because I teased him a little? I'll make sure you can't use your arms or legs either. Oh, don't worry—my father will pay a nice fat compensation. And I'll make sure your sister sees exactly what a cripple looks like."
Tebeston walked over to the fallen Raykan, rummaged through his clothes, pulled out a magic orb, and started sending a message. A communication artifact, apparently.
"I told them to hurry over, so they'll be here soon. Watch carefully, you cripple—watch what happens to your sister. Oh wait, you might not be able to watch. If this hits wrong you end up a vegetable."
Tebeston sparked electricity in his palm and brought it toward Raykan's head. He clearly intended to fry the brain and shatter the nerves completely.
"If you die, too bad."
The instant Tebeston reached to grab Raykan's head—
ZZZZT—CRACKLE—
Someone seized his wrist in one hand. Sparks exploded wildly, and Tebeston stumbled backward in an instant. The one who had forced him back—McDeras—spoke briefly.
"That's enough."
But the other didn't stop.
"Wh-who the fuck are you? Who the fuck are you to tell me to stop? My father's a noble, you know? Keep running your mouth and you're going down with him."
"Call him."
McDeras looked at the young man with an ice-cold expression. The thug answered with a look of pure disbelief.
"Wh-what? Call him?"
"If you want to watch every last one of them die right in front of you—noble or not—then call him."
"I was gonna call him anyway, you dumb fuck!"
The young man shoved a hand into his coat, activated the communication artifact, then lunged at McDeras. But—
BOOM!
With a tremendous impact, the young man's body was driven into the ground.
McDeras stepped back, looked down at him, and spoke.
"Come at me again."
"What the fuck is this..."
McDeras kicked the fallen young man. Tebeston writhed in pain, rolling across the dirt. McDeras spoke without the slightest emotion.
"If you can't kill me, then you die by my hand."
He drew his sword and leveled it at the young man, then added,
"So stand up. If you want to keep your head until that precious father of yours arrives."