24 years after the Demon King fell in the hands of the heroes, the world had certainly become much more peaceful.
There was no longer fear of being terrified by the devils. Any increase of demons was also tough to find, the attacks of various monsters feeding on magi had decreased a lot. Some wandering adventures would go deep into the forest and explore dungeons and then suffer, but nothing could be done about them.
“Did you hear it? The Black Knight Commander, Dame Ignet Crescentia, has returned from the Devildom.”
“What? Wasn’t she dead?”
“Back from the Devildom? I thought she was brainwashed by the devil….”
“Then would they keep her in the Holy Kingdom? On the contrary, I heard that she is forming a group to subdue all the possible Demon Kings.”
“Is that so?”
In addition to that, another piece of good news was delivered. The return of Ignet Crescentia, but there was no talk about the rift. There was only talk about a nice reward being given to her for the sacrifice she did.
Naturally, the return of the hero wasn’t the only happy thing for Avilius. Around the world, including the central part, festivals were held to celebrate another thing.
Merchants happily gave out money, mercenaries got drunk and clashed their glasses, and the farmers also hummed as they plowed the fields. Praises to the Gods continued from the priest’s mouths. And the children in the alleys would shout the name of the four heroes and play around.
Of course, the world wasn’t all bright.
At least in the eyes of the black haired swordsman travelling the southern part of the continent.
“…”
A grave in a small garden near the city. She looked at the boy who was sitting in front of it.
Sunken eyes.
He didn’t seem to be innocent for his age, there was no sadness. The swordsman looked at the child.
An hour passed
And two.
Standing and watching felt weird so she sat next to the boy for another 30 minutes.
“Thank you for it, but you don’t have to help.”
The kid who was silent till then spoke.
“It happened a few times before, people who tried to help.”
The child didn’t speak the full story, but what he spoke was spoken calmly.
It was no friendly explanation. As the black haired swordsmen tried to understand it, it seemed like the lives of orphans weren’t comfortable. The man who was an exploiting thug, the owner of this grave was the person who passed away unable to sustain such a life.
The point is that the actions of some mercenaries who felt pity for them didn’t help the situation. Rather, the damage spread to the children.
The swordsmen who understood that nodded.
‘I am not interested.’
The boy didn’t know her true feelings. It is just, ’ now that I said it, go…’
The child got up and brushed his butt and bowed as he said.
“Thank you for listening to me.”
“…”
After those words, the boy began to walk. The black swordsman looked at him. she stared till she could no longer see him.
Still not interested. But she thought of someone who might be interested in the child, and was curious how the reaction would be.
The most important thing was that she didn’t have much to do now. The former commander of Black Knight mumbled as she looked at the city.
“Looks a little similar.”
Before dusk fell, Kai’s heart felt heavy as he returned back to the city.
He didn’t spend money but wasted time. not just his but even his younger sister must be affected with this, what about the leftover food they had to eat? He had complained too long to the foreigner.
‘I wasted too much time with someone I wont see again.’
… of course, the real reason for the boy’s heavy heart was different.
It’s that he couldn’t feel comfortable spending the anniversary of his best friend.
The fact that the owner of the place he was returning to had a share in the death of his friends.
Despite that he couldn’t leave the orphanage and this sentiment was the biggest reason Kai’s life seemed tough.
‘… Still, I am glad I didn’t ask for help.’
Kai nodded.
Right, bald Jack, the owner of the orphanage is a thug in the back alley. If things could be solved with one-on-one duel, the boy might have begged the woman he met.
But life isn’t easy. And there are many people who diss Jack behind his back and pray in front of his face.
And the fact that the orphanage he runs is legal and that there are difficulties which happen when a third party is involved was well known.
Even if she manages to overcome it, even if this head was taken down and disappears from the world…
‘… another thug will fill that void and the stranger who helped me will leave.’
This was what would happen.
The boy, smarter than peers his age, chose to live his life safely.
‘Right, this is the best.’
Just put in more effort.
A little more hard work. He can satisfy the greed of Jack and then look after the others.
Rather than making everyone unhappy, it is better to suffer a little like this every day.
“…”
To do that, Kai ran to the orphanage.
And he realized it right away. Something had gone wrong.
“Ahhhhh!”
“Brother! Ugh!”
“brotherrrr!”
“What! What is it? What happened? Jenny, where is Jenny?”
The weeping kids.
The feeling of something bad happening. It was sad but annoying, the same thing happening again. He was fed up with this reality and it was difficult for him to bear this tantrum.
But it didn’t last long.
This was something familiar. At best, a few kids were two to three years older than Kai, but he couldn’t demand them to be like him.
Recalling that, the boy comforted the kids and called for Jenny, who was a year older than him. She was Kai’s most trusted person here, one popular with kids, gentle and bright. And thanks to her cute acts and nimble words sometimes calmed Jack from hitting them.
And so.
“Sister Jenny isn’t here! She isn’t! ughhh….”
“What? What do you…”
“The bald man took her! He said she has noble parents and that she would eat with them and wear nice clothes with them, but that is a lie, I saw it!”
“I cannot handle it! I cannot handle it anymore!”
“…”
Teary eyes and runny nose. Some had bruises on their bodies. He thought that it was a good thing they weren’t beaten anymore, but the feeling of helplessness rushed as he realized he weighed everything on Kai.
Jenny was sold to a guild and there is nothing he can do.
Even if he could, he wouldn’t try.
Kai knew better than anyone how that would affect the other kids here, and all the children here are hostages of Jack.
“Uhhhhh!”
“Ugh, uhhhhh!”
“Ehhhhhh!”
“….”
Kai closed his eyes.
He had to calm down. He tried to cool his head and think about the best outcome, but the boy ignored the cries. And tried his best to ignore it.
But he could think of nothing.
No, there was one thing.
However, it wasn’t the solution to this situation.
The picture of his friend who died a year ago, suffering from the pain of the beatings Jack gave him while being drunk.
Kai’s expression, who recalled that, changed to calm.
“…”
“Brother?”
“brother?”
“… it is okay, I am fine.”
The children stopped crying.
Eyes still full of water and the faces wet. Still, seeing the younger children looking at him, Kai’s heart shook.
But…
“Brother, is going to go for a while.”
“…. Where?”
“To see uncle jack.”
“No! don’t go!”
“You cannot go! please don’t go!”
“It is fine. It is nothing. I am just going to ask something.”
He knew his choice isn’t the right one. For the sake of the children he had to patient and like last year, endure this year too.
‘I cannot do this anymore.’
Kai couldn’t stand this. He wasn’t smart enough for this.
The boy whose heart was burning in flames walked with huge strides down the dark alley with the sword he was hiding for a long time.
“…”
“…”
People seemed surprised.
Even the grown up who used to be there and the big kids who watched such adults couldn’t despite Kai’s action. Rather, they walked away with frightened expressions. After a long distance, he moved his stiff feet.
He didn’t care
He wasn’t anxious.
Jack is a thud.
In addition, considering the friend of the man who will come, there is a hih chance what he is doing is stupid.
‘So what.’
Kai shook his head pushing away the thoughts in his head. He felt the heart calming down but the fire stayed.
“Phew.”
He finally arrived at the place.
Dragon’s Breath. A place where thugs like Jack reside every day.
He didn’t hesitate this time. the boy nodded and opened the door of the store with a determined expression and raised the sword.
And after a while.
The scene inside was different from what he expected, which made him shocked.
“My body doesn’t like people who think about a lot of things.”
Dead bodies scattered. And the familiar face in the pool of blood.
Bald Jack.
Not just him.
“…”
Next to him were heads of countless people who made others tremble in fear.
Gulping Kai lifted his gaze and looked around.
He couldn’t ask why she meddles. But it wasn’t important, the image of her sitting at the centre table sipping her drink felt too strong for him.
The boy asked.
“… thoughtful one?”
“Right. People who think they are smart. This can’t work like this, that cannot happen. People who think it is fine for things which shouldn’t happen to happen and do nothing.”
“…”
“Maybe they will never know for the rest of their lives that the path they chose isn’t the right part but an easy one.”
“Does that mean the choice I made is right?”
The boy asked.
This wasn’t a simple question. Kai was irritated and angry and a lot more emotions he couldn’t hide were coming one.
He could feel things happening. The person in front of him is someone he cannot question. A person so high that she has no reason to be in such a slum city.
So he couldn’t understand. He couldn’t accept it.
Unlike her who praised the current choice of his, he couldn’t affirm it. it was impossible to judge what she had done.
He couldn’t say that his choice to hold was right.
The boy knew it.
As the swordsman said, he was escaping from this crisis.
It meant that no effort he made till now could solve this problem, and that even if they lived holding back, it would only destroy them more.
‘What should I do?’
‘What is the right answer? What is the answer?’
‘Is there any such thing as right answer to this?’
‘Does this person know the answer?’
Kai had doubts running in his mind. The boy, whose head turned hot, dared to open his eyes and looked at the black haired swordsman.
Yet.
An unexpected answer came.
“I am not interested.”
“…”
“It is your problem, you think, act and answer according to you, you make your own decisions and choices right?”
“That….”
“… if it was the past version of me, I would have said that. no, I wouldn’t have been too rude…”
The black haired swordsman sighed and looked at the boy who flinched.
It felt like his true self was being exposed.
It felt like he was being stripped naked and he heard.
“Don’t worry about the orphanage.”
“…”
“Perhaps most of the problems you think have been dealt with. The girl called Jenny, the orphanage and other things… things that cannot be solved by you struggling alone. I dealt with them.”
So choose.
Will you lead an ordinary life with the children in an orphanage?
It is a little harder than that, but do you want to develop the strength to find your own answer to situations instead of running away? Would you follow your own path?
Not an easy question.
Normally, Kai is the eldest and most smart one in the orphanage, and he would have responded by asking for time.
But now he couldn’t.
He didn’t care.
The boy who was still looking at the sword looked at the woman and said.
“I will follow.”
The woman smiled.
Of course he had no intention of enduring pain.
Two months later, Ignet Crescentia and Kai arrived at Krono.
