“So you’re saying it can’t be done?”
“Yes.”
“Absolutely not?”
“Yes.”
“Urgh… can’t be helped, then. We’ll just have to aim for the next opportunity.”
Dwener grumbled, sounding genuinely disappointed.
Caron quietly wiped away the sweat trickling down his back.
It had all started with Dwener’s absurd suggestion to submit a petition so Zero could receive the Title of “Hero.”
Caron had calmly explained, step by step, why that was impossible, but none of it got through to Dwener.
In the end, only after tossing out equally ridiculous compromises like “I’ll submit the report after he stacks up a few more achievements,” and “If it’s Zero, he can become a Hero before he graduates,” was Caron finally able to stop Dwener’s rampage.
“Letting an academy student receive the Title of Hero… it’s nonsense.”
“Didn’t Dame Lucia receive it in her third year?”
“That was…”
That case was different. The Empire had pulled a cheap trick in the middle of a war to boost morale.
A manufactured Hero: Lucia.
Maybe because of that, Lucia had wandered for a long time.
‘It was only recently that she finally reached the end of that wandering.’
A title given too early could instead become a crushing burden.
Because Caron understood that all too well, he wanted to stop Zero from becoming a Hero no matter what.
Besides, awarding the Title of Hero just for subduing a Grade 5 Demon was absurd to begin with.
“I know that much. But when you decide to back someone, shouldn’t you push them properly?”
“He might stumble and break.”
“That’s possible. But he’ll get back up. Zero is a boy who can do that.”
Dwener was right. Even if Zero became a Hero, he wouldn’t grow lazy.
At an age when everyone else brimmed with arrogance and conceit, he never relaxed his guard, thinking only of how to grow stronger.
If anything, he’d probably use that title to squeeze out every advantage he could.
‘I do wonder what he’d end up pulling…’
Would he carve his name into the continent’s history with some outrageous stunt? Caron didn’t know, but he was fairly sure he wouldn’t be bored until the day he died.
Even so, impossible things were still impossible.
They already had one bad precedent: Lucia.
He didn’t want to throw a student into that same uncertainty. All the more so when that student was Zero.
“It hasn’t even been a few months yet. We should watch him for a few more years at least.”
“You really do worry about the most useless things… Well, fine. The boy will spread his wings just fine without my help anyway.”
After that, work proceeded as usual.
Reports, judgments, decisions, and the tasks that still lay ahead.
Around the time the mountain of paperwork finally started to thin out, Dwener asked a question without lifting his eyes from the documents.
“What are the knights doing?”
“They’re quietly in custody. About half of them didn’t even know Nate was actually Baron Kelven.”
“Casualties?”
“There are injuries, but no deaths. Everyone received treatment in time, so I don’t expect anyone to die.”
“Excellent. I’m sure it was hard on you.”
Rustle.
Dwener signed the document and passed it to Caron, then immediately focused on the next one.
Caron, a little taken aback, watched him carefully. There was no sign he was about to give him some new order.
In the end, Caron had no choice but to speak first.
“Why did you let the knights live?”
“What, you still haven’t figured it out?”
“…”
“The Empire’s rat can’t read my thoughts? How curious.”
“I don’t know everything. To begin with, I’m still too short on information.”
Of course, it wasn’t that he had no guess at all. The problem was that his guess—
‘Is just so absurd, and so wrong, that I don’t want to be right.’
He was honestly hoping his prediction would miss the mark.
Caron didn’t push. He simply waited, patiently. Before long, Dwener finished his paperwork and picked up a book from beside him.
“There’s an interesting fairy tale that exists only in this village.”
“The Hero of Trash, right?”
Dwener nodded and turned the pages one by one.
Caron had also come across it while gathering information. To summarize:
A Demon army invades, a Hero rises, and in the final battle, the villagers are taken hostage.
At the moment when the Hero is completely cornered and can neither move forward nor back, the Demon makes him an offer.
-If you are willing to be forgotten by everyone, I will free the villagers and withdraw.
The Hero chooses to be erased from everyone’s memories and saves the villagers.
Then he leaves the village behind, with the villagers knowing nothing.
That is the fairy tale called “The Hero of Trash.”
And from that, Caron could tell what Dwener was thinking.
‘So I was right after all…’
He couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Dwener had chosen the one option he’d desperately hoped he wouldn’t choose.
Yes. Dwener was—
“You plan to use them as soldiers for the Evil-Slaying Group, don’t you?”
They were broken in many ways, but they were still knights.
Compared to ordinary soldiers, they were overwhelming assets.
Right now, the Evil-Slaying Group’s biggest problem was lack of manpower. Dwener intended to fill that gap with Trash’s knights.
“Correct. They’ll soon be people whose names will vanish from this world. But isn’t it a waste to simply kill such gifted individuals?”
“There’s always prison.”
“By the time they get out, they’ll be too old. How’s that any different from life imprisonment?”
“It is different. And more importantly, they have no reason to follow us.”
“They were people who walked the wrong path. If we give them a chance to cut down evil, I’m sure at least some will accept.”
No, that wasn’t the real issue. Caron had a much bigger reason for opposing this.
“They’re people who have already fallen.”
Half of them supposedly hadn’t known, but ignorance didn’t erase their sins.
They were men who swung their swords however they pleased in the name of serving their lord.
On top of that, they couldn’t let go of the past and committed even greater wrongs.
Fine. If he bent over backward to be generous, he could use them. Anyone who managed people had to know how to fix and reuse them.
But—
“We’re an organization created to punish evil. Using fallen people as our members… that makes no sense.”
“They simply succumbed to temptation. People can change.”
“You know better than anyone how ugly humans can be.”
“Yes, making someone change their heart is hard. But it’s hard, not impossible.”
Caron simply couldn’t understand Dwener.
Sometimes he thought like an old man, sometimes like a child.
‘I have to stop him.’
Helping Dwener stay on the right path—that was Caron’s role.
The Evil-Slaying Group was far too valuable to be ruined like this.
‘I’ll stop this, even if I have to kill every last knight.’
Caron was just about to voice his opinion.
“I could see it in their eyes. They only lost their way for a little while.”
And then—
“In the first place, I’m evil myself, am I not?”
A bitter smile tugged at Dwener’s lips.
Yes, Dwener had willingly chosen to become “evil.”
Evil that kills evil.
Even if he had to drape himself in disgrace, even if future generations remembered him as a notorious butcher.
He had decided to endure that stigma gladly.
For this world.
‘And for the children.’
Caron thought for a moment, then spoke.
“What is your plan?”
“Hm?”
“You must have one. You can’t release them without permission.”
“Are you saying you’ll help?”
“We started this together. It’s only right that I stay and watch it through to the collapse. I doubt it’ll take long. This attempt is going to fail miserably.”
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
What was there to be grateful for when he was basically promising to watch the crash?
Caron let out a deep sigh, and Dwener began to explain his plan.
After that, they exchanged opinions and fine-tuned the details together.
“…I’ll inform the instructors who’ll be in charge of escorting them.”
“Thank you. I’m counting on you.”
Caron left the office. As Dwener wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his gaze happened to fall on a book.
It was the same copy of “The Hero of Trash” he’d opened a little while ago.
Dwener leaned back in his chair and opened the picture book again.
Several characters appeared in this story.
The Hero, the lord, knights, villagers, and…
“This is the role meant for me. A role perfectly suited… to the name of evil.”
In the illustration he was staring at—
A Demon was drawn, offering a contract to the Hero.
Rrrrrrr…
I woke up to a strange noise.
What, is there a tank rolling by or something?
“Guoooh…”
There was a tank, all right. A tank named Luna.
‘Our Luna even snores like a work of art.’
She must have been really tired. Her snoring sounded about twice as loud as usual.
Luna was lying on her back with her belly exposed, so I pulled a blanket up over her stomach.
“Th-the legendary golden carrot…”
Inside a crate in the corner, Rezé was gnawing on a carrot plushie, talking in her sleep.
When I gently tugged the carrot doll away, she flapped her arms, chased after it, and bit down on it again.
Seriously, if it’s a carrot, that rabbit just loses her mind.
I looked around, but nothing seemed out of place.
‘Maybe I’ll go get some air.’
The Hidden Piece and the twisted storyline.
There were more than a few things I needed to do. Above all—
‘Caron and Lowell fought over me.’
I had no idea how far the story had diverged anymore.
When your head gets all tangled up, a walk really is the best cure. I threw on my cloak and stepped outside the dorm.
“…”
It was quiet.
Now that the real culprit had been caught, only a handful of instructors were still on patrol. Or rather, the ones who were supposed to be on patrol had all collapsed and were snoring away on the rooftops.
They hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in days, so it was only natural.
I left the instructors behind and wandered around the area. That was when I felt a presence.
“Hm?”
“Zero.”
Under the moonlight, Rodelin stood there in her pajamas, her long hair fluttering.
Of course, it wasn’t exactly a dramatic scene.
Rodelin was wearing pajamas with the phrase “Sleep Comfortably, In Celebration of the Empire’s Victory” printed across the front in huge letters.
“What brings you all the way out here?”
“I was taking a little walk. Couldn’t sleep, you see.”
“What about Lady Lowell?”
No way that stalker would let you come out alone.
“She fell asleep the moment she lay down. She must have been exhausted.”
“Sounds like making up with her has put your mind at ease.”
“That might be so. Ah, no! We never fought in the first place. We were just exchanging advice and counsel, and a few small misunderstandings piled up, that’s all.”
Rodelin, we’ve decided to just call that “fighting.”
“But… it is true that I’m in a good mood. And I’m sure you are too.”
Rodelin let out a small laugh.
It seemed her heart had lightened as well.
“Ah…”
Rodelin’s hair rippled in the wind.
Not her neatly tied ponytail, but straight dark-blue hair that looked as if someone had studded it with stars.
It was so beautiful it left you a little breathless.
If only she weren’t wearing that ridiculous limited-edition pajama merch.
“Come to think of it, I never thanked you properly. Thank you. It’s all thanks to you, Zero.”
“Keke, I was taught you don’t show gratitude with words alone.”
“True. I’ll treat you once we’re back.”
Hmm. That classic Korean-style promise you only ever hear and never see… I’m sure that’s just my imagination.
You can’t let your guard down just because they’re from a prestigious family. People with money can be even worse, no matter what world you’re in.
I was debating whether I should pin her down to a specific date when Rodelin’s lips parted.
“By the way, how did you know Sir Pjol had made a contract with a Demon? As far as I know, there’s no trick to tell something like that.”
A sharp question suddenly pierced through.
Half suspicion, half curiosity.
But that was fine. I had plenty of excuses handy.
“I smelled one of my own.”
“Your own?”
“The kind of idiot who’ll do anything to protect something precious… and then fails, and ends up wrecking even himself.”
I tossed out the cool line with a distant look in my eyes.
Damn, that was smooth. Even if I say so myself.
Ah, but with my perpetually squinted eyes, that distant look probably didn’t show at all.
“…I see. Since you’ve answered honestly, it would be rude to dig into your secrets. But there’s one thing I have to say.”
Rodelin suddenly thrust her head forward. She was so close now that I could see every detail of her face.
Eyes shining beautifully, as if they held the starlight themselves. A sharp nose high enough that it felt like it could poke me in the face.
Skin like white jade, and red lips anyone would envy.
‘W-what the heck. Isn’t this way too close?’
Is this a confession attack or something?
It could be. People have been acting weird around me one after another.
‘Well, I mean, it does help that I’m amazing.’
Either way, this was bad.
Mentally, I’m an adult. I can’t just lay a hand on a student. And if I did, her older sister Lowell would probably stab me, and the words “Congrats! Bad Ending!” would pop up in my mind.
‘I-I have to resist!’
Hm… but Rodelin is way too beautiful for that.
I’ll just stay still.
So what if I die getting confessed to by a beauty?
Our faces were close enough that our lips could have brushed.
Rodelin’s lips slowly, carefully parted.
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won’t get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt
Yes Zero! Fall for Rodelin!
And I guuess that pretty mich the only Dwener could use those knights,Hopefully Caron find an artifact to help Pjol