Chapter 150 — A Group Makes One Forget What Shouldn’t Be Forgotten

1

Resentment.

The emotion of hating and despising someone.

It goes beyond simple dislike—an intense desire to kill, torment, and inflict cruel pain on the target.

It’s not easy to harbor such feelings toward someone.

Humans are creatures of forgetfulness, after all.

Unless it’s a particularly strong memory, most emotions fade away, replaced by new ones.

This forgetfulness is the only blessing given to humans by the gods.

It is something that exists equally among all humans, except for a few cursed individuals.

“Do you remember that?”

“Yeah. That time… It was really awful.”

“Who doesn’t? How many people quit after seeing that?”

But this so-called forgetfulness is just a thin veil draped over old memories.

The moment you lift the veil and peek at those memories, the blessing granted by the gods disappears in an instant.

The maids, who managed the academy dorms and took care of the students’ needs, were enjoying a rare, sweet break after two months of hard work.

With nearly all the students away on the artificial island, they had almost nothing to do.

So, what would they do during their free time at work?

“What good is being from a great family if they’re rotten to the core?”

“Exactly… It’d be great if someone could really disgrace them, honestly.”

“If that happened, I wouldn’t show any mercy. Hoho!”

People will gossip, even about emperors, when they’re not around.

It wasn’t any different for those from great families.

They didn’t have ears everywhere on the continent.

Things had calmed down recently, but the past year had been hellish for the maids.

Scorn and contempt were the norm.

A single mistake was met with verbal abuse, slaps, and even objects being thrown at them.

“At least things have quieted down lately. I wonder why?”

“Who knows? But even if that bastard begged on his knees, I don’t think I could forgive him.”

There are memories that humans can never forget.

Memories that are seared into the mind.

Shocking scenes that leave a deep mark, shaping one’s values and life direction.

The maids here had also suffered greatly because of Manus.

But it wasn’t just Manus.

Service work always involved a lot of emotional labor.

Every day, they struggled against all sorts of outrageous demands.

“Alright, let’s wrap things up. Everyone’s coming back today.”

“The Head Maid is quite strict, after all.”

“We shouldn’t be caught doing this either. See you later, everyone!”

Siren, who had organized the gathering, dismissed the maids.

As she walked away, she wore a meaningful smile.

Yes, go ahead and curse, shape public opinion.

The fate of a tyrant is always the same.

They crumble under the rebellion of those who can no longer endure, their end miserable, dying alone with nothing.

‘You’ll end up like that too. Although I may not be the one to bring it about—.’

She could never forget the image of that violently shaking pink hair.

The day when Veronica, who was almost an idol to the maids, was publicly humiliated in the hallways that echoed with her cries.

It hadn’t even been Veronica’s fault.

It was just a small mistake by a new maid.

Had it not been for the benevolent and respected former Head Maid, that maid might have taken her own life out of anger and resentment.

She could never, ever forgive that.

As Siren moved to handle her remaining duties, she heard the voice she’d been waiting for.

“Miss Siren.”

“Assistant, why are you so late?”

“There was an issue with the magic circle. A much stronger dungeon formed than originally planned.”

“That means a lot of students might get hurt.”

Her tone was filled with concern.

If nothing else, student safety directly influenced the academy’s atmosphere.

If many students got injured, the academy staff would be so busy they wouldn’t know what to do.

That was something she could never allow.

Why should the maids, the servants, suffer such hardships for something that wasn’t their fault?

Assistant Chesthip, oblivious to her true thoughts, smiled calmly.

“You don’t need to worry. The dungeon Manus fell into is a Blood Slime nest.”

He’s in for some serious trouble.

As the assistant chuckled darkly, Siren sighed inwardly.

In the end, was this person just like everyone else?

No matter how close someone seemed, their social status was different.

Only those at the same level truly understood each other’s pain.

Still, if Manus was going to suffer, it was welcome news.

“A Blood Slime nest, huh…”

“It’s a very dangerous monster for mages.”

“But what if he manages to handle it effortlessly?”

“There are ways to deal with that too.”

Assistant Chesthip’s smile didn’t fade.

Siren’s role was finished.

She had rekindled the maids’ resentment, bringing their memories of Manus’s cruelty back to the surface.

Now, all that was left was to paint Manus as the true villain.

The two exchanged knowing smiles.

2

The cave was long.

But it wasn’t boring.

With his steadily honed passive skills, Manus kept regenerating his mana as he advanced.

Aiden, a warrior, and Elena, a Guardian—both of whom should have had greater stamina than a mage—ended up exhausted long before Manus did.

Aiden, who was larger than most his age.

Elena, who had survived in harsh forests.

Both of them were amazed by Manus, whom they had thought was nothing more than a sheltered flower in a greenhouse.

“C-can’t we take a little break?”

“…Sure.”

At some point, Manus had naturally assumed the role of leader.

The two of them had no choice but to acknowledge it, given that they were only a year older.

Their limbs felt heavy and numb.

The weapons in their hands seemed to grow heavier by the moment.

It dawned on them how cumbersome their sturdy steel boots really were.

Their shield, helmet, and the armor pressing down on their chests felt suffocating.

‘To think I’d show such an embarrassing sight in front of a junior.’

Aiden bit his lip.

The dungeon was too easy.

It didn’t seem like the same Blood Slime at all.

But Aiden and Elena both knew.

Most of the credit for dealing with that Blood Slime belonged to the person standing before them—Manus.

A monster.

There were no better words to describe his overwhelming skill.

Thanks to him, they could proceed comfortably, but it also meant they had nothing to contribute.

“Ugh, I feel guilty.”

“We needed to rest anyway.”

Manus spoke.

The cluster of mana ahead felt ominous.

He instinctively sensed that they were near the end.

The boss was likely waiting up ahead.

Though it was still a fair distance away, the mana was clear and intense.

Manus also felt his mana naturally replenishing as he sat down for a moment.

“Is there something up ahead?”

“How do you know?”

Elena asked, and Aiden followed up with another question.

She took a sip from the water she’d brought along and began to speak.

Better to make small talk than just sit in silence.

“Predators usually have a defined territory. It’s the same in the jungle, and it’s the same for monsters with lairs.”

“Oh-, and?”

“Even if the monsters live in groups, the ‘alpha’ will establish its own territory. So—”

“You’re saying the dungeon boss is up ahead?”

Elena nodded.

An empty, quiet space.

Manus’s words.

And the widest, safest area in the dungeon.

Elena didn’t have the extensive detection range that Manus had, but she possessed the wisdom of the jungle.

Manus, though pretending not to care, was listening closely to her words.

He was someone who had lived in the modern world, far removed from nature.

‘That kind of knowledge is definitely useful. This world isn’t as simple as it seems.’

Elena would be a great teacher.

Without her even realizing it, she was gradually instilling the ways of the jungle into Manus.

They took a good, long break.

It was necessary to hunt down whatever was lurking deeper in the Blood Slime’s nest.

In the elective course “Introduction to Monsters,” available from the second year, Elena had never missed a single perfect score.

She was a prodigy, spouting facts that even Manus, who knew the original story, didn’t have.

Their conversation had grown long, and Elena continued to share her endless stream of information.

Manus silently absorbed the details while pondering the entity that was waiting for them.

‘An abnormally difficult dungeon, the environment I’m in, Eresis…’

There were many connected sources of malice.

And there was the karma he had to bear.

All of this would eventually converge, baring its fangs at him.

When that time came, what would he do?

How would he respond to the malice and resentment that would inevitably come his way?

Would he simply kneel and beg for forgiveness?

Or—

‘Either way…’

He was afraid.

Afraid of the vague hostility and malice that sought to tear him apart.

He too was forgetting.

Forgetting just how brutally he had been tormented before he became Caesar, before he became Manus.

Forgetting how shamefully he had run away.

“—It’s time to move.”

[Caesar’s Mindset] seemed to be showing him the path forward, even as he trembled.

In their lexicon, there was no word for “retreat.”

This was the same reason Tyrannis had despised the old Manus.

Now that he had become Caesar, the time for running away out of fear had passed.

He now had things he didn’t possess before, and he could now see things he couldn’t see back then.

In this position, being afraid and fleeing wasn’t something that even the man from his past life would accept.

“Alright. We’ve rested enough. Let’s go.”

“The Blood Slime Queen has three cores. Be careful.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Whether it was three or four, he’d burn them all at once.

The only thing the two had to do was one simple task.

To buy a bit of time for Manus to unleash his magic.

Was there anyone else for whom that confident expression seemed more fitting?

At this point, Aiden and Elena had no choice but to acknowledge it.

This could have been an extreme situation, akin to a real battle.

But Manus, with his monstrous skills, made everything seem easy.

“Anyway, we’re counting on you.”

Manus faintly smiled and nodded.

The three of them moved into formation.

As Manus walked, he activated the Memorize Ring.

The spell he had stored in the ring was quite simple.

He had packed it with [Altus] spells.

Life at the academy imposed many restrictions.

Besides a few exceptions, he had been careful to keep his cards hidden.

‘Honestly, it’s a bit of a hassle.’

Right now, he was a student under the academy’s jurisdiction.

It meant he was in a position where he had to follow someone else’s orders or suggestions.

At least if he returned to his family, he could be free from many pressures.

But first, he had to resolve the issues at the academy.

Manus walked forward confidently.

It was time to show those watching from afar.

‘The top spot is mine.’

It wouldn’t be bad to climb to a position he’d never reached before.

Soon, they would witness something spectacular.

Even when showcasing power, it was important to hold onto your place firmly.

It was time to demonstrate the power of Caesar.

–TL Notes–
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