Chapter 236
Chapter 236
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 236
>Chapter Title: All the Vile Things
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After a fierce brawl wrapped up, Shine and I resumed our steps.
Perhaps because the pent-up emotions had been released, my mind felt refreshingly clear.
Just then, the sun was rising in the distance, and as the surroundings brightened, my heart lightened in tandem. It probably wasn't just my imagination.
"But where are we headed? Still haven't decided?"
"No, I just did."
"You did?"
I nodded calmly at Shine's question.
Originally, I had no particular destination in mind.
'Just to Decullan territory.'
That was the extent of my plan.
After that, I figured I'd think things over once Maisern senior, Henji, and Lortel's young patriarch drew Decullan's attention and scattered their focus.
Why?
Because a blow to the back of the head hurts more when they're distracted than when it's expected.
It might seem like a plan without countermeasures at a glance, but stabbing at their blind spots like this made it harder for them to respond and was perfect for messing with their heads.
But then I gave it some thought.
'Is screwing over Decullan enough?'
It would be, sure.
Yet a certain scene suddenly flashed in my mind.
'......The back alleys of the Second Black-White Slums.'
Beyond the rickety door, the corpses of Black-White Slum urchins tangled up like trash, rotting away.
The foul stench of decay conveyed their filthy, pathetic, utterly worthless lives.
Recalling that sight, I had no choice but to admit it.
- So, what's the reason you're heading to Decullan now? For those kids?
- If it were for the kids, I wouldn't have cared about my own safety.
I'd said as much, but...... in the end, those kids had lit the fuse in my heart.
Remembering that made it clear what I needed to do.
Originally, the Tower was meant to provide learning opportunities to those who couldn't learn, eat, or dress properly—even if it couldn't feed or clothe them.
It was just that simple a plan......
'But no need to stop there.'
With my resolve set, action followed swiftly.
"Hold up a second."
"......?"
I stepped ahead of Shine and pulled a communication orb from my pocket.
It was to contact Maisern senior, Henji, and Lortel's young patriarch. I'd passed them communication orbs along with the letters before, so reaching them was no issue.
Those waiting for my signal responded immediately, as if they'd been expecting it.
[Hmm, got it. Alright, we'll do that. Seems like it'll be quite meaningful.]
Maisern senior accepted readily.
[Up to your usual antics, huh? Sounds fun. Fine, I'll adjust my approach accordingly.]
Henji decided to switch tactics to fit my revised plan.
And finally, Lortel's young patriarch......
[Hahaha! Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. Yeah, that sounds way better than the original plan. Father might even take an interest...... Go wild.]
Even letting out a hearty laugh.
With the update sent to all my allies.
I turned to Shine, who had been waiting silently, and revealed one fact I hadn't shared.
"Truth is, I almost became a Decullan."
"......?"
Shine tilted his head, clearly puzzled.
Of course, I didn't mean I'd actually 'join Decullan' or anything like that.
It was a figure of speech, and the reason became clear if you looked deeper into my original plan.
"Decullan's shitty, but not every Decullan wizard is shitty. So think about it from an ordinary wizard's perspective. What would I look like?"
"That is......"
"A wizard who suddenly shows up and slaughters Decullan wizards left and right. How's that any different from Decullan?"
That was what I meant by almost becoming a Decullan.
Shine still furrowed his brow in confusion, but it didn't matter if he got it or not.
What mattered was that I recognized it.
Without Shine, I'd have become Decullan without a doubt.
'I'm the type to get tainted quick.'
I'd peered into the abyss of Decullan for so long that I'd started to take on its color.
On the other hand, another thought crossed my mind.
'Maybe I've been walking the path of justice because I never had the chance to turn evil?'
To avoid being tainted by evil, I'd need constant effort going forward.
As I steeled my resolve, Shine's voice cut in right then.
"Your face is rotting......"
I beat him to the punch.
"The rotten one's your face."
"......You fucking bastard. I was about to say it looked less rotten, and you spout nonsense."
Oh, that was what he meant?
As I offered a half-hearted apology, Shine sighed deeply and continued.
"Fine. You've got a decent face now, so I'll let it slide."
"A decent face?"
"The face of someone thinking about tomorrow. Up until now, you looked desperate enough to die today without regrets."
Had I?
Not sure.
Either way, my mind was indeed more at ease now.
That aside.
"You sure you're up for it? It's gonna be a brutal schedule."
"Tch, I'm far from my prime, but not so pathetic I need pity from the likes of you."
"Fair enough."
I chuckled dryly and turned on my heel.
After that, no words were needed between us.
Shine and I crossed the fields like streaks of light.
Our steps had been fueled by rage when we set out, but in this moment, a different emotion filled my heart—not anger.
I wouldn't become Decullan.
So what, then?
Tower Lord.
The name representing all the vile things.
This was the first step.
* * *
Clatter, clatter.
Inside a dark carriage.
In the pitch-black interior, not a speck of light seeping through the covered windows, grubby kids huddled together.
"......Scary."
"Sob, sniff. Boss, boss......"
The children packed into the cart shed tears of terror, but none cried for their mothers.
Fear usually made kids seek their mothers instinctively, so it was truly odd.
But to these kids, it was natural.
They'd never known their parents to begin with.
To Black-White Slum urchins, a mother was some imaginary thing, never able to interfere with reality.
And among those urchins was one boy who looked particularly sly.
"You rotten brats! Shut up!"
The boy barked at the crying kids in irritation, but the children in the cart wouldn't stop bawling.
In the end, he bit his lip in resignation and closed his eyes.
'Where the hell...... did it all go wrong?'
The boy from the Seventh Black-White Slums.
Otherwise known as the 'scout' among the urchins, he reflected anew on his wretched fate.
If we're talking misfortune...... yeah.
A few months back.
It started with the gang's runt.
- Oh, right.
- It wasn't just one or two who beat me.
The kid who got pummeled like a punching bag every day came back from who-knows-where jacked up on something, suddenly strong as hell.
Then he dragged in some fancy-looking brat and beat the gang senseless......
It was pure hell.
And that's when he realized.
'Ah, the world's a brutal place.'
That day's lesson derailed the scout's dream of becoming a Black-White Slum cartel brain in the future.
So after that, the scout disbanded the gang and vowed to live honestly.
Mornings, he'd wash his filthy body in the Sail River, then bolt to the bakery to handle every chore imaginable.
The baker didn't welcome him at first, but the scout endured unpaid labor every day with his natural charm.
'Gotta learn to survive.'
Months passed until the baker old man finally warmed up.
......Up to then, things were good.
Keep at this steady work, learn to bake, and someday head to the city to open my own shop.
Just as he swelled with hope, misfortune struck out of nowhere.
- Hey, old timer. Huh? So when are you paying back the money?
Turns out, the baker had borrowed from the Black-White Slum cartel.
When the shop was about to get seized overnight, the scout made his first vow to do something 'for someone else.'
'Shouldn't...... have done that back then.'
A few days ago, he'd fallen for a cartel thug's temptation of good money.
Trying to help the baker, the scout had been led off by the cartel and sold to some unknown place.
'Damn it, for real. I just wanted to live right for once.'
No clue where he was being taken.
No idea what lay ahead.
But one thing was certain: the ones who'd bought him were cruel beyond the ordinary.
- Guess we need to quiet them down.
At the first meeting, for making noise, they smashed a few kids' skulls without batting an eye......
Even the scout, who prided himself on having seen every sight in the Black-White Slums, was shocked.
'What...... happens to me now?'
In the tear-filled cart, the scout envisioned a bleak future.
That's when the carriage halted.
Clatter!
"......!"
"Eek."
The kids gasped at the sudden stop, and the scout shrank back, holding his breath too.
What hell awaited when that door opened?
But for some reason.
Crack, boom! Crunch!
Unknown explosive sounds echoed from outside.
At the faint noises, the kids huddled even tighter in fright.
But the quick-witted scout narrowed his eyes and crept to the wall to eavesdrop on the outside.
Something felt off.
'Maybe......'
The imperial army had come to rescue them?
He knew it was a stupid thought.
The imperial army wouldn't move for Black-White Slum urchins.
Still, clinging to a sliver of hope, he pressed against the wall and listened—until the noises stopped shortly after.
'If it's not the imperial army...... I'll run anyway. Better than being dragged to some unknown hell.'
With that resolve, he steeled himself.
Soon after......
Crack!
The door ripped open.
Bright sunlight poured in, along with a masked figure poking his head inside. And the scout knew.
"You're free, you lot."
Not the imperial army...... but the luck he'd thought impossible had arrived.
* * *
Aster pulled all the Black-White Slum urchins from the carriage, then shifted his gaze to the mountainside.
'Troubleshooter training camps: four in total.'
As of this moment, there would be no more Troubleshooters.
This was the path Aster had chosen.