45 – Understanding the Theme
Levia fell silent after hearing Kael’s response.
“Kael…that’s…”
About to make an excuse, Levia closed her mouth. And then she spoke again.
“I understand…I’ll handle it on my own.”
Levia turned her head quietly. She bowed her head and lay it on the desk. As she lay there quietly, various thoughts crossed her mind.
— Kael, who are the people making things difficult for you? If you’re struggling, I’ll help you…lately, it seems like you’re getting more and more hurt…
— No, Levia. I don’t want to bother you. I’ll overcome this on my own with confidence.
At that moment, Levia compared her younger brother to Kael. But her brother was different from Kael in one aspect. That was determination.
Levia’s younger brother, who was one year younger than her, had no will to escape from the torment.
— Did you get beaten up again? Who did it? I told you to tell me, so I can help!
— Stop interfering, sis. I’m an adult now too.
— How can you not care? You’re always covered in wounds!
— Just shut up. Stop saying things that make people miserable. Help me? I’m the son of a noble who torments me. If I transfer to another academy or drop out, they’ll find me and retaliate. What can you do? Just stay quiet. Please, just stay quiet and don’t do unnecessary things.
Though she was past adolescence, her younger brother despaired and didn’t try to overcome his current situation. It felt like her heart was being torn apart every time she saw his growing wounds. That’s why she couldn’t help but worry about Kael as well.
In the same situation as her brother, Kael always smiled.
Even if his classmates laughed at him or mocked him, he smiled. Even with increasing wounds, no matter how great the pain, he smiled.
No, to be precise, he only smiled in front of Levia.
The reason Kael could show the will to overcome his suffering was solely thanks to Levia, who worried about him. Unfortunately, this determination of Kael’s turned into an obsession and returned to her.
— Levia…thanks to you, I have gained a lot of strength. I want to get closer to you.
Kael confessed to Levia, who regularly tried to help him.
– Leviah, can’t you reconsider what you rejected last time…?
No matter how many times Leviah rejected him, Kael’s attitude remained unchanged. Amidst the situation where countless people ignored and scorned him, Leviah was Kael’s only ray of hope and light.
– Kael…if you confess like that one more time, I can’t be with you anymore…because I have no rational affection for you…
– I’m sorry…
Thus, Leviah and Kael’s relationship grew further apart. However, it was inevitable that it still bothered him.
Every time Kael was drawn to someone, Leviah recorded the names of the people who took him away. He secretly followed them and documented the cruel acts they committed.
Because there were rumors that the Tegas household was of noble descent, he couldn’t respond recklessly, but he still collected various information to help within his means. And today was the day he intended to hand it over.
He promised that he would tell the instructor himself. If evidence or testimony was needed, he would gladly help.
But Kael had changed.
When Kael started coming back to the academy after a long time, he had become a completely different person.
– This is strange. Why are you so angry? It was just a joke between friends.
He no longer feared the people around him. If there were people who tormented him, he confronted them head-on, and he even destroyed several summoned creatures from various factions without using magic.
His head no longer looked down at the ground. Kael raised his head wherever he went. His gestures and tone showed a clear confidence.
He no longer restrained his actions. If someone picked a fight, he responded accordingly, and if a fight broke out, he willingly confronted it instead of avoiding it.
And Kael was no longer gentle with Leviah. At least, it was a behavior that contradicted Kael’s past self.
– Leviah, you don’t look good today. What’s wrong?
– Actually…my younger sister…
– Why? What happened to your sister?
– It’s nothing…I’ll tell you later…later.
– Leviah, I may not know what’s going on, but if you ever need help, let me know anytime! Okay? Because of you, I’ve gained so much comfort, so if there’s anything I can do, I’ll help.
Kael, who used to smile brightly, was no longer there.
He no longer enjoyed conversations and didn’t prolong his words just to engage in meaningless talk. He didn’t send his usual playful glances or make awkward confessions.
But why?
Something was bothering him.
“Why do I feel like this…?”
I don’t know the reason. Helping Kael was merely an act of kindness, and even that was because I saw a resemblance to my younger brother in him. So, I diligently collected information about the harassment he was enduring from behind, but he didn’t show any appreciation, nor did he have any desire for compensation.
It was Levia herself who suppressed any rational emotions, and honestly, lately, she found his smiling face a bit burdensome. She was anxious, not knowing when he would confess again.
But now, things were a little different.
Kael had become stronger, but he no longer smiled, and he was no longer the friend she knew.
Although it wasn’t rational, Levia liked Kael as a friend. She thought his resilience against harassment was admirable. Perhaps she projected hope onto him, thinking that one day her younger brother could overcome his struggles like Kael.
“Kael… You’ve changed a lot.”
“Everyone changes.”
Levia replied with a smile upon hearing Macdarras’ words.
“But you look good. Now, you won’t get hurt like before.”
Macdarras didn’t react to her words. There was a slight misunderstanding.
—
List of posts by Suyang Willow:
[Today, I helped someone being bullied at the academy. It was scary, but I did well, right?]
[I decided to be friends with the person I helped before. After talking, they seem like a kind person, more than I thought.]
[The person I helped sent a message thanking me… They want to meet. Should I meet them?]
The person I helped suddenly confessed to me today, and I’m so flustered… What should I do from now on? I have absolutely no romantic interest in them…
My male friend keeps wanting to meet up, but now it’s getting uncomfortable. How can I distance myself from him?
Does anyone know how to distance oneself from a male friend without hurting each other’s feelings?
—
‘In any case, I’m just a bystander.’
From Macdallas’s perspective, when he saw Levia’s post, he had wanted to distance himself from Kael in the final moments. It seemed somewhat favorable that she had finally changed her attitude.
It was difficult to accept her offer of help at face value.
If she had said such things before destroying all the summons, maybe he wouldn’t have known, but initially, Levia froze and clearly avoided Macdallas when she saw him in Kael’s form.
And now she says she’ll help.
An opportunist. That’s all she seemed to be. Macdallas had no way of knowing what she had been through, what she had prepared to help Kael.
“I’m not really fond of small talk. Let’s stop talking now.”
With that, their conversation came to an end.
—
After class, Macdallas walked straight out of the classroom. Tekas followed him, telling him to come to the back of the classroom, but he ignored him.
“Damn it, where did Kael go? He disappeared before class even ended, and we’re the ones suffering.”
“How is it that no one saw him leave when we’re in the same class?”
“Stop chattering and block off all the exits. If we lose Kael, we’re all screwed.”
“Ugh… If Tekas wasn’t from that family…”
The Tekas supporters were protesting near the entrance of the academy, but Macdallas easily passed through after using concealment magic.
“There’s no need to deal with it today.”
From Noble mtl dot com
—
It’s something that can be done at any time to crush those third-rate thugs. But for some reason, my physical condition wasn’t good now.
“Why is my heart so suffocating?”
Since I had a conversation with Leviah earlier, my heart started pounding like crazy. At the same time, I began to feel something heavy. It felt like I had done something I shouldn’t have.
“Tringman. Are you alive by any chance?”
MacDerrus spoke to the empty air, but there was no response.
“Are you watching over me? Did I behave rudely to Leviah?”
But there was still no answer.
Just my heart itching like crazy. It felt like my heart was being torn apart. Why did it hurt so much?
MacDerrus smirked.
“It must be my imagination. There’s no way he’s still alive. But it’s strange. There doesn’t seem to be any problem with my body, just seems like a physiological phenomenon. I’ve never experienced this in the past few years.”
Does Tringman’s will still remain in my body? Or is his spirit lingering nearby? I don’t know. It couldn’t be detected by detection magic, and there was little information to deduce anything.
But my heart still beats uncomfortably.
MacDerrus ignored it. It must be a temporary phenomenon.
So I walked down the street. I walked for about two hours endlessly. I thought maybe it would get better if I walked a bit.
As I walked, I noticed that there were many dark places in the alleys. There were many noisy people and thugs who gathered together. Of course, I ignored them. There was no need to start a fight just because they provoked me. And just as I turned into another alley to avoid the thugs.
“Hey, that guy’s puking?”
“Retard.”
I witnessed a scene where a group of thugs gathered to beat up a man. MacDerrus just tried to turn around and leave. There was no need to intervene for unrelated people.
The thugs didn’t pay much attention to MacDerrus either.
“Get up. Hey, do it again like you did earlier. What? Don’t talk back? Who the f*ck do you think you are?”
“I’m the only one… the only one you can torment…”
“No… what did I do? I just wanted to contact your sister, why are you acting like this? Just because we’ll meet briefly? I saw her picture, she was really beautiful.”
…”
The thin man couldn’t say a word. But MacDullus saw it. The way the boy clenched his fists as if he was about to explode. MacDullus became interested and crossed his arms, watching the scene.
“Hey, Rakan, say something. Why do you hate me so much? Because your sister would fall for me if we meet? You know our father is a noble, right? It’s actually a loss for me, so why are you acting like this?”
Whenever the man named Rakan heard the word “sister,” his hands trembled.
“Stop it…”
“Stop it? When this bastard was getting beaten up, he stayed quiet, now why the fuss? Do you want to die?”
MacDullus tried to turn his head. He didn’t like this situation. He could have helped if he wanted to, but that would only backfire.
To overcome something, one must make an effort. Like Kaya swinging her sword every day, like Tekelemon never backing down to protect the knight’s honor, to achieve something, one must have courage. But the man remained silent, succumbing to the strength in the face of what he wanted to protect.
“What a useless guy.”
Just as he thought that.
“Ah… is it because of that? Because you’re worried that your sister won’t like me? Don’t worry. Any woman will moan after I sleep with her…”
As the man who was tormenting him spoke vulgar words, with a loud thud, Rakan, who was being tormented, swung his fist.
“Shut up, Tebeston… don’t mention our sister with your filthy mouth.”
He shouted fiercely, but his punch was weak. He didn’t hit the man’s chin accurately, only the area around his cheek.
“Did you just hit me? Unbelievable, you’re speechless. Hey, did you know that our brother goes to the same academy as your sister? You son of a b*tch. Even if you don’t tell me, there’s a way to contact her anyway. And I should probably tell our brother too, right? Until now, I’ve been silent because of your circumstances, but you should take care of this.”
Rakan fumbled with his hands. He picked up a stone from the ground and tried to strike the man’s face. But his movements were too slow, and Tebeston, the opponent, even used magic.
Thud!
With a loud noise, a huge flame engulfed Rakan’s face as he fought for his sister. His face was completely ruined, but he staggered to his feet.
Tebeston, who was watching the scene, sneered and shouted.
“You useless bastard who can’t even use magic, is this how you come out after playing a prank? I’ll make you unable to use your arms and legs. Don’t worry, Father will generously compensate you. Oh, I’ll show your pathetic state to your sister too.”
Approaching the fallen Lekan, Tebeston rummaged through his chest and took out a communication artifact, a magic orb, to send a message.
“I sent a message asking you to come quickly. Are you coming soon, you retard? Take a good look at how your sister is being treated. Oh, you might not be able to see. You’ll be disabled if I hit you.”
Tebeston lifted his hand, ready to strike Lekan’s head with lightning. It seemed like he wanted to fry his brain completely.
“If you die, it’ll be a shame.”
Just as Tebeston was about to grab Lekan’s head…
Crackle…
Someone grabbed his hand with one hand. Sparks started flying wildly, and Tebeston quickly stepped back. Macderas, the one who made Tebeston retreat, spoke briefly.
“Stop it.”
But he didn’t stop.
“Wh-who are you? What the hell, stop it already. Our father is a noble, you know? If you mess around, you’ll end up like him.”
“Summon him.”
When Macderas spoke to the man with a cold expression, the man responded with a bewildered expression.
“W-what… summon him?”
“I told you to summon him if you want to see everyone, including the nobles, die in front of you.”
“Even if you didn’t ask, I was going to summon this useless bastard!”
The man put his hand into his chest and used a communication artifact. And then he rushed towards Macderas. But…
Thud!
With a loud sound, the man’s body was slammed into the ground.
MacDerrus stepped back and looked down at the man, speaking.
“Come at me again.”
“What the f*ck is this…”
MacDerrus kicked the man on the ground, causing Tebeston to writhe in pain and roll on the floor. MacDerrus spoke emotionlessly.
“If you can’t kill me, you’ll die by my hands.”
MacDerrus drew his sword and aimed it at the man, adding.
“So stay there. If you want your throat intact until your precious father arrives.”