I Was in Charge of Scouting for the Hero’s Party chapter 57

56. Hegwang Banjo

“Father. Why are they angry?”

The boy asked his father, his bright, gun-filled eyes shining.

Scary men who storm into their homes and take all kinds of money-making things at random.

The father, in response to his son’s question, simply clenched his hands tightly.

“…Father?”

The central nobility who do not live in their respective territories but reside in the capital are generally classified into two types.

A wealthy noble who was recognized for his ability as a successful merchant and belonged to the kingdom, and a high-ranking noble who entrusted the territory to a member of the family and jumped into the political arena.

The Douglin Viscount was the former case.

A promising family that jumped on the road to success at once thanks to the success of the previous head of the family, which was purely by luck. Among the nobles of the kingdom, one of the most wealthy.

A vast amount of wealth has been hereditary, and fortunately, thanks to the successive appointments of talented family heads, that wealth was able to grow like a snowball.

But, I wonder if it was too conspicuous.

The native central aristocrats who had long reigned in the capital didn’t take the stone rolling in out of nowhere.

Rather than pretending to be friendly on the outside, making a marriage contract to make the kite sticky. Those who only coveted wealth and talked about their mouths.

Gil Duglin, the 7th head of the Duglin family, also thought that this kind of ending would come someday.

He turned his head to look at his wife with tears in his eyes and his son with a puzzled look on his face.

“…Sorry.”

“Father…?”

Father. Does he really deserve to be called father? Gil Duglin smiled bitterly.

A man who lost all of the wealth that previous family heads had worked so hard for, in an instant, caught up in the scheming of the central aristocrats.

Looking at his father’s lifeless smile, Galan at a young age couldn’t understand the true meaning behind that smile.

The property has almost run out. The family’s prestige has greatly diminished, and now only a handful of farmland and a few businesses, including mines, remain.

Rebuilding the family will be difficult, and it will take a long time.

From noble mtl dot com

Nevertheless, they swallowed tears and gathered the money they had no money to get Galan into the academy.

As much as your son, please live your life doing what you want to do. Live without lacking.

However, they failed to overlook the reality.

At the academy, Galan became aware of the reality he faced.

“Galan Douglin. You said your family owed our family a debt? I wish you could crawl on your own.”

“You incompetent bastard! How many times do I have to tell you to get out of the training ground before you know it! What will a half-punch like you do with training!”

“Hey, you don’t have a mana core? Umm…”

“Galan Douglin. I will break off my engagement to you. I’ll send you the documents related to the breakup soon, so you know that.”

“Uh… Galan. My mom told me not to hang out with you anymore… I-I’m sorry…”

Even though he couldn’t keep his expected life at the academy, his fiancé, and even his one remaining friend, he never missed classes at the academy.

The world wasn’t so rosy. Especially for Galan, who didn’t have the strength to protect anything.

Because mana cores did not exist, I had to be scolded every time in magic class.

It would have been a lie if it wasn’t sad, but Galan never cried.

He had to earn money by working as an assistant at the academy.

Galan didn’t care much.

The money sent by the family gradually decreased, and at some point it completely stopped. It wasn’t once or twice that he skipped meals because he didn’t even have money to buy food.

Galan was not discouraged.

When it was class time, there was no day when the back of my head was full of magic bullets flying from somewhere. He had no friends to confide in, and neither could he return home to be embraced by his family.

Galan was not broken.

I didn’t have enough money to work as an assistant at the academy, so I cut down on my sleeping time and worked as a library librarian at the Magic Tower.

The Mage’s Tower was no different from a microcosm of this horribly cold society in a way, where treatment differed only through meritocracy. However, Galan did not give in and silently did his job.

Galan, who suffered from a great sense of inferiority due to the lack of mana cores, always secretly read books on magic speed while cleaning the library.

Just like that, a year passed, then two years passed.

Galan caught the eye of an unknown mage master who visited one day, and had a chance to talk with him about magic and understanding magic for several hours.

The Mage Tower Master, who had been silently listening to Galan’s vociferous speeches for a long time, roughly stroked Galan’s hair with a surprised expression on his face.

“You have a very good understanding of magic.”

For the first time in his life, Galan was recognized by someone.

I was genuinely happy. It was the first time he heard that he was useful to someone.

“How is it? Would you like to work under me? I will give you a salary without regret.”

After that, Galan’s life seemed to have blossomed a little bit.

I was able to have in-depth discussions and research on magic with the lord of the turret, and soon developed a good relationship with the lord of the lord’s daughter.

Let’s hurry and tell our parents this good news.

Galan, whose letters worried about him stopped suddenly and who didn’t send living expenses, took this opportunity to return to his family’s mansion in order to show himself as a decent young man.

A wall with vines growing messily. A charred mansion.

The central nobles did not leave the Duglin family alone.

Galan couldn’t do anything. Not having power Without any strength, he had no choice but to stare blankly at the burned memories of the past.

After confirming the death of the family, it was a painful day, but the daughter of the magic tower owner, who had developed into a romantic relationship, warmly embraced such Galan.

Galran has a new thing to protect.

Galan stood up, trying to wipe away his tears.

After that, Galan became more obsessed with the study of magic and magical powers.

To protect his wife and his precious existence.

A daughter was born. She was such a pretty daughter that it wouldn’t hurt even if it got into her eyes.

Galan was happy. I wish these days would last forever.

He took over the position after the master of the mage tower died, and made a great contribution to the development of magic by producing various research results. Years passed, and Galan gradually regained his vitality.

Until his wife and daughter died at the hands of those who looked down on him.

* * *

Sylvia suddenly intrudes. A body that stiffens every time you try to punch it. Her right arm and leg were torn and pierced by the grueling battle.

“hahahaha…”

Galan, who had been struggling to block our joint attack, suddenly looked up at the sky with a helpless smile.

A beautiful sunset. The ripe sun, half-hidden over the horizon.

“…Why is he like that?”

“I don’t know… Anyway, senpai! Now is your chance!”

Seeing Galran like that, I quickly rushed towards him and stabbed the sword deep into his chest.

“Keugh…!”

“Let’s see the end soon, Galan.”

Dark red blood flowed from Galan’s mouth. Why didn’t you stop it?

I could have stopped it if I wanted to stop it.

I drew my knife and pointed it at my heart again, as Galan, bleeding from his mouth, lifted his head and looked up at me.

“…What did I do so wrong.”

“…What?”

There was nothing in Galan’s eyes as he looked at me. No pain, no regrets, no anger, nothing.

Emptiness. I suddenly got goosebumps at the fact that only the endless darkness, like the deep sea in the depths of the sea, was looking at me.

“I… What did I do so wrong?”

“You mean that? You are innocent people…”

“My wife is.”

After taking a breath, Galan continued his words.

“My wife… Was a naive woman who knew nothing.”

“What…”

“Because I usually confined myself to the Mage Tower’s library… Cool!… Even a timid person like me was able to start a conversation.”

Galran’s eyes, which were looking at me, were filled with a feeble light.

“She always took care of me…A woman who was too good for me. As the daughter of the lord of the mage tower, she was the only one who gave it to me even though she knew I had no mana core…”

“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

We have to take Royman’s body, so there’s no time to delay. I didn’t listen to Galan’s words until the end, and thrust her sword in.

But the moment she stabbed her sword, she was caught in Galan’s fast-moving hand and was unable to budge.

“Listen to my story, Austin.”

“…Hey, you…”

“They were assassins. It’s great that I took over the position of the owner of the Mage Tower…! Sent by those who hated it.”

At Galan’s monologue, Princess Alexis and Luna covered their mouths and inhaled.

Galan’s eyes, filled with hope for a moment, were once again covered in darkness.

“While my daughter and her wife died, I was tied up and unable to do anything… Weren’t my wife and daughter innocent? Answer me, Austin.”

“…Hey, Galan.”

“Answer me!!!!!!”

At the shouts mixed with resentment, I involuntarily took a step back.

“I couldn’t keep… Anything. Because I didn’t have power… Because I didn’t have that damn mana core!!!”

“Don’t make excuses, Galan! I’m also a person without a mana core, but I’m fine like this…”

“My mother is a famous hunter. Abi is the guild’s cartographer.”

…How does this bastard know my mom and dad?

“Did you investigate my background?”

“I must have grown up without any shortcomings. At least I could have a comfortable bed in the arms of my family.”

“……”

Thinking back, even when the village elders pointed at me for not having a mana core, my parents always came forward and supported me.

I don’t know much about Galan’s past, but I could tell how broken he was.

“You and I were unfair from the start, but why are you comparing them?”

Galan’s eyes began to glow with madness. The scar on his chest had been repaired with new flesh coming up before he knew it.

This is… Dangerous.

“This is how the world works… The powerful always suck the blood of the powerless and throw them away leaving only their shells behind.”

For a moment, Galan’s arms were weakened, so I, who was holding his sword, took a step backwards.

“You may have fought to kill, but I have fought to protect you.”

With that said, Galan ran his hand through the knife he was holding. From Galan’s hand, which was slashed by the blade, his blood trickled down.

The guy lifted the cart wheel he was carrying on his back.

The fact that he lifted the wheel, which is like his second heart, means only one fact.

He intends to die here with us.

The sky turns bloody.

Gulp—

The saliva he swallowed while moving his neck was not easily passed due to the tension.

“…Hey, Sylvia. No, Argyle. How do you do that?”

“Sheesh… Wrong. He’s already berserk. We have to fight.”

“This f*ck…”

I rolled my eyes and looked at the reddish sun behind Galan.

A shimmer of fire. The sun, which had been blazing hot near the horizon, was now darkening and lowering its head over the castle walls.

Galan raised his head towards us.

“Those who stop me… You guys are traitors.”

I took a step, carrying the sun that was ripening red like blood on my back.

“I am a traitor to humanity. It is a rebellion against all intelligent beings that exist in the world.”

“… Bullsh*t.”

One more step.

“The road of life is always full of obstacles and thorns, and there are no shortcuts for the weak. I try to drag my feet torn and blistered with all sorts of scars, but I don’t even have the strength to shout at this naive and stuffy world.”

Again, one step.

“The weak always go through all sorts of absurdities, and in the end, they are used as consumables on the battlefield, or there are many cases where they close their eyes under a rotten tree roof leaking from the rain. Those who brag about being strong in the field, snort when it comes to the circumstances of the weak.”

The sun he carried on his back made it look like his heart was beating.

“…Senior.”

“Robin. Attack from behind with Luna.”

Since Galan has lifted the wheel and gone berserk, there are significantly fewer ways to stop him.

Fortunately, the time it can maintain its berserk state is not that long.

“Those without power are weak. Most of them are weak except for the powerful, but they don’t even move to break the limits! Because! Because they don’t know how to break through this impending situation, the barbed wire blocking their way!”

Charrr!

The wheel of the blood-soaked bastard began to turn slowly.

“You must be strong! We must progress! Humanity, especially the weak, must stay awake! How long do you have to stay asleep! Who the hell decides the fate of having less power from birth! Is this the god you guys believe in! Or are they the ones who transcend limits, who don’t care what’s going on on the continent!”

Giyiing—!

The aftermath of the fierce battle that had just taken place began to be sucked into the wheel made of bloodstone.

The cartwheel, which had sucked up all the blood from the wreckage of the stall and even the blood soaked into the soil, turned and turned again and again, emitting blood that was so intense that it hurt the eyes.

“I can’t do anything without mana! No mana cores! Even when learning knowledge, only those with power are prioritized, so you can’t even get proper knowledge! At least I have no talent! In the end, I can’t do anything, and I’m quietly weeded out from society! But!!!”

Galan’s shouts, mixed with the joys and sorrows of life, reverberated across the burning battlefield.

Since I was born as a weakling, this is a fate I had to shoulder.

It was a kind of curse, a chain that bound the body to this hellish reality.

Galan was crying bitterly as he recalled his weak past.

Because he was the weak, he had no choice but to stay still, and because he was the weak, the most precious things were robbed, and because he was the weak, he could not protect them.

Tadak. Tadac—

Burning flames and wheels spinning faster and faster.

“I! I will be their Messiah! It is to save weak beings in this survival race that is so desperate that blood and flesh are splattered and unfair from the start!!!”

At Galan’s almost screaming scream, Luna muttered as she clutched her spear.

“Sounds crazy…”

“Humanity has always developed through discovery, revolution, research after study, and sacrifice after sacrifice! Discovery of Mana! The manifestation of divine power! Advancement of technology!”

Galan’s eyes began to glisten with blood.

Full of madness, thick tears of blood flowed from his eyes, which turned red like the eyes of ferocious mad dogs.

Mad. The guy has gone mad.

“Answer me! A priest lying there, blinded by his faith, died by my hand, but what are those proud gods doing! When I suffer, when the weak lose their lives without power! What the hell were those godheads doing!!!”

Static.

We just stared at Galan and kept our mouths shut.

Because we didn’t even know.

In this situation, no. Not only now, but even at this moment, there was no way for us, who are not religious people like Royman, to know what the heavenly wings were doing in the face of the demonic demons spreading from all over the continent.

“After all, the weak must become strong themselves! Even at this moment, the weak, who make up the vast majority, are not sparing their bodies to escape from the bondage of death! I know the answer, to get them out of that absurd bondage! I, who did not have a mana core since I was born, actually found the answer!”

Kagagagagak—!!!

The rotation of the wheel, which became invisible to the naked eye, dug up the surrounding land like a beast, clearly showing blood, madness, and an obsession with power that went beyond limits.

“The source of all life! We must exert our strength with blood! The total set of vitality! This is our will to live, the weapon of the weak to break down the obstacles that block the wheel of progress! Mana will be weeded out, and blood is eternal!!!”

Galan’s right arm, torn and pierced in the aftermath of the battle, suddenly lifted up and pointed directly at us.

“In order to overcome the limitations of the species, to advance the weak and humanity, even if the legacy of the old world such as mana must disappear in the process! Because of that, even if this world had to be engulfed in flames! If you really have to do that!!!”

Kudeudeuk—!

In the aftermath of the battle, Galan’s body, which had been torn to shreds and became rags, was twisted, and flesh began to attach itself to flesh.

“I am willing to set the world on fire. Even if I myself become firewood. Certainly.”

Galan, who restored his body in the blink of an eye, immediately raised a wheel and aimed at us.

The wagon wheel, which had absorbed a lot of blood, was swaying with blood filling every gap between the spokes.

The sun is said to be the strongest just before sunset. It is said that candles burn most splendidly at the end.

He was burning his own life.

“…Come. I will kill them all, leaving no one behind.”

“…Everyone, prepare for battle.”

I gripped the crossbow in my left hand and the short sword that Mogdan had given me in my right hand.

I made up my mind in advance that I might die here.