“…Ugh.”
Arriving at the academy dormitory, I sighed and quietly began to wrap bandages around my back.
In fact, it’s a wound that requires professional dical attention, but since I don’t know when Kania might return to the dormitory, I need to finish applying first aid as soon as possible.
‘…Damn system. If you‘re going to be like this, at least provide with so sort of dical assistance like items that can heal my injuries.’
Suddenly, I burst into anger as I cursed the stingy system while applying first aid with a bandage.
How could it give soone like , who is trying so hard to protect the world, a mask that can hide my identity for only a minute once a week, and a whip that doesn’t deal any damage even if I whip soone with it… Even if the system is mainly based on ‘False Evil’… Isn’t this too much?
At the very least, they should give an ointnt which heals wounds right away, or a potion that instantly restores life force when you drink it.
As I was fuming with such thoughts, my expression distorted when I twisted my body and felt the agonizing pain in my back returning over ti.
‘…It’s really driving insane.’
To be honest, at this point, even with a ntal strength figure of 9, my ntal state is still shaken.
Even if I’m the only person who can save this wretched world.
Even if the world is destined to perish, if I don’t do this.
Even if I know there is a chance for to be reborn and live happily ever after.
I can resolve being tainted with evil deeds by thoroughly separating my true self as a hero and my self defined identity as a villain.
I can withstand being hated and persecuted by the Heroines and those around .
For if they don’t hate , those whom I love will die.
However, this solitude is hard to bear.
This lonely struggle, where there is no one who understands , sotis shakes my resolve, no matter how much of a hero I am.
So sotis I wonder how good it would have been if I could earn points steadily while reigning as a cool and charismatic mastermind from behind the scenes.
But it’s an impossible wish.
Because I have to beco a disgusting, pathetic, and childish third-rate villain, not a fancy mastermind with a noble deanor and elegant tone.
According to the prophetic book left behind by my ancestor, the route that has the highest clearance rate among the dispositions that can be selected while following the ‘Path of False Evil’ is precisely the ‘Third-rate Villain’ that I’m imitating.
The reason for this is the ‘Cumulative Notoriety System’ that will soon be added to the system.
The ‘Cumulative Notoriety System’ is a system that will evaluate my notoriety spread around the world once a week and convert it into points.
That feature is the heart of the ‘Path of False Evil’ system that literally draws points in abundance… but the disposition needed to unlock this core feature that generously gives points is precisely the ‘Third-rate Villain’.
In fact, in a way, it makes sense.
For example, if you ask anyone passing by the street right now, if they heard about the infamous Count Justiano, the tycoon of the underworld, nine out of ten people will shake their head in denial.
But ask them if they know Young Master Frey, the first son of the Ducal family of Starlight, nine out of ten will nod their head in approval.
As you can see from this example, the world perceives a notorious ruffian known throughout the Empire as a worse person than a quiet, secretive mastermind reigning the underworld, known only to those in the circle.
For this reason, the ‘Third-rate Villain’ disposition has an excellent advantage when it cos to earning points. However, ironically, it was the least frequently selected disposition in the ga of the world where my ancestor originally ca from.
The reason for this is simple.
Because the ga’s storyline was too dark and depressing.
Even though the clearance rate is quite high, the players who played the ga with that disposition felt extrely tired, so people who usually play gas for fun never selected the ‘Third-rate Villain’ disposition.
However, I chose ‘Third-rate Villain’ because if done properly will certainly save everyone besides .
This is because the place where I’m right now isn’t ‘Dark Tale Fantasy 2’, a ga for fun and entertainnt, but the Sunrise Empire where the people I care about and my beloved family lives.
“Let’s see. Yeah, this should be good enough… Huh?”
After I finished wrapping bandages underneath my clothes, I suddenly noticed sothing strange when I looked in the mirror to examine if the bandages were visible.
“…Where did my brooch go?”
The star-shaped brooch that was crafted by the store owner in the back alley after placing a special order in secret was an artifact that could remotely deliver life force to Kania in case of an ergency, has disappeared.
I must have dropped it in the back alley… but I don’t rember exactly where the hell I dropped it.
Did it fall off when I was fighting the Succubus Queen? Did I drop it when I was being chased by the heroines at the auction house? Or did it fall off while I was navigating through the crowd?
‘…This sucks, it’s such a waste.’
Considering the cost of making the brooch, I would like to put on my coat and go out to look for it right away, but alas, I can’t.
Not only is my current physical condition dire enough that I need to take rest imdiately, but there is also the possibility of being discovered by the Main Heroines while wandering the back alley looking for that brooch.
‘…Speaking of which, what happened to the store owner?’
The owner, who had been beaten unconscious by Isolet, was left alone in the middle of the street, abandoned by her because of the ergency case of terrorism.
He probably woke up again shortly after, but it might be difficult to ask the owner to craft the brooch again, since he suddenly beca unemployed after his store was wrecked.
Still, the good news is… I already had a spare crafted in advance in case I lost ⟬Remote Life Force Transmission Brooch⟭.
I began to rummage through the secret space I had magically crafted in the front pocket of the bag I brought from ho to take out the spare brooch and wear it on my chest.
“…Huh?”
However, a certain piece of paper was tucked in my grasp along with the brooch.
‘…I never put a paper in here?’
After montarily tilting my head, I quickly unfolded the crumpled piece of paper and discovered sothing written inside.
To my Dear Son,
“……!”
And the mont I read the first line, my hand holding the letter began to tremble.
This is because the first sentence of the letter was written in ‘Hangul,’ the language of the previous Hero. It was my father’s handwriting who copied the handwriting of the forr Hero.
Were you surprised to see this letter? Yes, you must be surprised. I was also quite surprised a while ago.
“…Wh-Why? There wasn’t any letter like this in the previous tiline?”
Obviously, there was no such letter in the secret space of the bag last ti around, so I was worried that an unknown variable other than the mories of the Main Heroines had occurred. However, the mont I read the next line, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Yes, it seems you have succeeded in returning with the Demon King after all. Seeing the strange phrase ❴ 10 minutes before mory Recalibration ❵ floating in front of my eyes.
“…Oh, so that’s what it was.”
I finished reading that line, relieved that fortunately it wasn’t a variable generated by the system that could harm .
So how did you kill , my son? Poisoning? Strangulation? Beheading? Decapitation?
And as soon as I read the next line of the letter, I closed my eyes for a mont, then soon opened them again and started reading the next line, unable to control my trembling hands.
Don’t tell you didn’t kill because of our bond as father and son? No, that can’t be right. ‘Patricide’ is a necessary act required to make the Hero’s armant rampage.
Indeed, the content of the letter is true. I killed my father with my own hands in the previous tiline.
In order to make the ❰Hero’s Armant❱, which offers blind allegiance to the ‘Starlights’, the family of the Hero, run amok, the direct heir has no choice but to commit abominable sins.
And among those abominable sins, the ‘Event’ that must occur is the ‘Patricide’. In other words, the protagonist must murder his father with his own hands.
To be honest, killing my father was the biggest crisis I ever faced in my life. Why must I kill my father with my own hands in order to save him… How terrible of a fate is this?
So, the first person I wanted to see after returning was my father… but I deliberately avoided seeing him. Because no matter how much I wanted to see him, the mont I would see my father’s face… I would be reminded of that scene and those mories would haunt .
Anyway, son, if you’re reading this letter now. I hope you will listen carefully to what I have to say from now on.
I tried not to rember that mont again as much as possible, but after reading the next line, I froze.
This father of yours is sorry.
“……”
After staring at that line for a while, I slowly began to read the following content.
I hate myself so much for making you shoulder such a responsibility, who was kinder and purer than anyone else.
“Father…”
Rather, if only I had been part of the prophecy… or I wish I could have inherited that fate in your place. For this ugly old man would be better suited to commit evil deeds than a gentle child like you.
“…What, that’s nonsense.”
Suddenly, I felt a teardrop roll down my eyes, and I smiled as I recalled the figure of my father, a cheerful man, who was kinder and nicer than .
Honestly, I have a lot to apologize to you for, and a lot left to write about, as it is funny how I’m fussing over every little detail… But, I’m running out of ti, and you’re the one who will suffer, so I guess I’ll have to bid farewell with these last words.
“……”
Feeling quite regretful at those words, I soon opened my eyes wide when I read the last part.
I have set up a borrowed-na account at the Imperial Bank. Originally, I was going to leave a complicated clue so that only your clever mind could decipher it, but thanks to an opportunity like this, I got rid of it.
‘…A borrowed-na account?’
There, I deposited the money I had saved up for your second round. Of course, it’s not one of the Duke’s assets, it’s the money I earned from my personal business… Even if my mories are recalibrated, there won’t be any problem.
After looking at the password and authentication thod of the borrowed-na account written in the letter for a mont, I lowered my head after reading the PostScript.
P.S. I love you, son.
[Abraham Raon Starlight]
As my shoulders trembled with my head down, I forced myself to swallow my tears and shoved the letter into the secret space and headed to bed, worried that perhaps Kania would suddenly barge in.
“…..Ugh.”
After lying on the bed for a while to calm my mind, I soon clenched my teeth when I felt a stabbing pain in my back and muttered.
“…I’m a Hero. So… sothing like this… is nothing.”
Sohow I heard soone’s sarcastic whisper in my ear, ‘Really?’ so I muttered powerlessly once again.
“No… it’s not nothing…”
It will probably be difficult to sleep tonight.
.
.
.
.
.
“…I’m back, Young Master.”
“……”
“Young Master, it’s late at night, but if you need anything…”
“…No need.”
I ended up lying listlessly on my bed until Kania arrived, and I answered with a dazed look on my face, having lost the will to even shake my head.
“Young Master, just in case…”
“…Huh?”
“…Does it hurt anywhere?”
However, Kania asked a strange question. Do I look injured?
“…It’s none of your business.”
“……..”
When I answered unwillingly, Kania montarily stared at , then put down the black cat doll on the desk and headed to the extra bed
“Young Master, please change your clothes before going to bed.”
“…You don’t need to worry about it.”
“…Well then, good night.”
“…Yes.”
After the lights went out, I lay there in a daze, awake for several hours, and once I was sure that Kania was sound asleep, I expressionlessly trudged towards her.
“…Then, let’s do it again tonight.”
As I put my hand on her stomach and infused my life force for a while, I suddenly hunched over with an urge to throw up and began coughing up blood on the floor.
“…Cough, Cough!! Cough!!! What, why the hell… Ugh, I’ve overdone it today…”
Giving her life force has beco a habit, and since I couldn’t think straight as I overstrained my body, I ended up spewing blood while sharing my life force, even though I was in a situation where I lacked life force.
“…Shit, I’ve got to stop here today.”
As I was wiping the floor, feeling lethargic all over my body, I suddenly started looking up at the cat doll on the desk.
I was quite pleased to see the cat doll on the desk, which had been held in Kania’s bosom for a long ti. I picked up the cat doll and started petting it.
“…Kitty, a lot happened today.”
“………”
“I can’t tell you everything that happened today because if I try to tell you, it’ll take all night… I think I’ve almost passed the point of death at least three tis.”
“………”
“And… I also read a letter my father sincerely wrote to . I almost burst into tears back then… but I held it in. Because I’m a Hero.”
“…Honestly, it’s hard. It’s so hard that I feel like I’m going to die. But what can I do? I’m a Hero. I have no choice but to give it my all.”
“…………..”
I had no one to confide in, so I confided my true feelings while looking at the cat, and before I knew it, tears rolled down my cheek as I closed my eyes shut and muttered.
“…Fo-For a mont… I’ll be like this for a mont…”
I hugged the cat, which felt warm for so reason, and began to weep silently as if not to wake Kania up.
“…After all, no matter how much of a Hero I’m… It’s not easy…”
I shed tears for a long ti, and as soon as I felt relieved to so extent, I put the cat down and headed to the bed.
“…I really need to buy sothing like this.”
Having said that, I fell asleep with my eyes closed, and slept peacefully for the first ti in a long while, as I dreamt about running around and playing with the black cat.
.
.
.
.
.
“…Young Master, please get up.”
“……Mhmm.”
While I was rolling around on a giant black cat’s belly in my dreams, Kania shook awake.
“…It’s morning already.”
I glanced out the window and realized that morning has co. I soon got up and started stretching, enjoying the refreshing feeling I hadn’t felt in a long ti.
‘…When was the last ti I cried? Even in the previous tiline, I didn’t cry many tis.’
I don’t rember myself ever crying, except when Isolet died, when the Main Heroines died, and when I killed my father with my own hands. Only during those tis did I ever wail.
Apparently, I had a lot of pent-up emotions dealing with this irrational situation where the mories of the heroines returned and the difficulty went up several tis more compared to the previous tiline
‘…By the way, I’m feeling quite refreshed, aren’t I? Is it because I cried my heart out?’
When I curiously activated the status window, I discovered a pretty surprising situation.
[Stats] Na: Frey Raon Starlight
Strength: ???
Mana: ???
Intelligence: ???
ntal Strength: 9.3
Passive Status: Blessing of the Stars/Exhausted/Depleted Life Force
Disposition: Hero
‘…The ntal strength went up by 0.3?’
According to the prophetic book, once a stat reaches the figure of 9, it’s difficult to raise the value any further without so sort of trigger. So, was it possible that the ti when I cried yesterday while holding the cat doll acted as a trigger for the value to rise?
‘…Well, I guess there are days when even I would vent my emotions once in a while.’
Apparently, last night was a critical mont for my ntal breakthrough. However, since my ntal strength figures are almost at the highest level, it seems that I was able to survive the crisis with just the help of the cat doll.
Well, it’s a little embarrassing that I cried while hugging a cat doll… but thanks to that, fortunately I was able to raise my ntal strength stat and also I feel quite refreshed, so I can bear that much.
“Kania, what are you standing there for? Go, bring my breakfast!”
After I was done thinking, just like every other day, I rudely barked orders at Kania to bring breakfast.
“……..”
“…What are you doing?”
However, sothing was strange. As Kania didn’t listen to my orders, and instead just stared straight into my eyes.
“…Young Master, let tell you an interesting story.”
“…What?”
When Kania stared at for a while and spouted so gibberish from her mouth, I was about to cut her off and scream for breakfast, but…
“Enough! Bring break—!”
“Yesterday, I went to the auction house in the back alley…”
“—fast, ah…”
Hearing the words coming out of her mouth, I began to stutter, and hastily started racking my brains.
“…Auction house in the back alley, interesting. Go on, tell .”
“However, there, I found a person wielding a sword identical to the one the Lord used.”
“…Huh?”
The mont she ntioned about my father’s sword, I suddenly recalled the fact that my sword was a gift from my father.
‘…I thought he ordered a new one from a blacksmith, since it looked so beautiful and sharp, but it was the sword my father previously used!?’
I lanted my father’s stingy behavior for a mont, then rembered that it was all to provide with funds, as I silently coughed before accepting her words.
“Maybe they just looked similar? Or maybe that person was my father who went out to get so fresh air.”
“…Is that so?”
“…All right, so stop spouting nonsense this instant…”
“…Oh, Young Master. You dropped your brooch.”
“Oh? Ugh…”
I was trying to get her to bring breakfast, dismissing her words as delusional or re coincidence, but the mont she leaned forward and offered my brooch, I unconsciously accepted the brooch and reached out to my chest.
“…Huh?”
However, I realized I already had a star-shaped brooch stuck to my chest.
“The man with the sword dropped this brooch when he left… Anyway, isn’t it the sa brooch Young Master always loves to wear?”
“……..”
“You won’t call this a coincidence as well, will you?”
Eventually, when Kania silently interrogated , I urgently started making excuses.
“…This is a brooch I bought from a magic tool store in the back alley. It’s a pretty famous place, so he probably bought the brooch from there as well.”
“…Where is that store?”
“It no longer exists.”
“Didn’t you just say it’s a famous place?”
“The owner got into an argunt with a violent tempered person there. So, the store was wrecked in the aftermath.”
“…I see.”
“All right, so stop talking nonsense…”
As I managed to make up an excuse in a cold sweat, I was about to first send Kania away and figure out what to do in the future…
“…Ah, Young Master! Over there!”
“…..?”
When she suddenly pointed backwards with a shocked expression on her face, I quickly turned around, wondering if the Demon King sohow found out about yesterday’s events and attacked us.
And at that mont…
– Tss!
“…Aaarghhh!”
She pressed my back hard. As I scread in agony, I slumped onto the bed and grabbed my back.
“Wha-What are you doing…”
“…Isn’t that the trick the Young Master used on yesterday?”
“……!!!”
Kania, who replied like that after hearing my question, asked with a look of incomprehension on her face.
“…Young Master, why did you save yesterday?”
“Ah…”
And, at that mont…
[Penalty incurred!]
“…I just don’t understand. Besides, I also don’t really understand what happened earlier at dawn. So, please convince …”
“…Nooo!!!”
“…..!?”
The system window, which I hoped would never appear, floated before my eyes.
Permanent Debuff: The Fate of False Evil The user’s lifespan and vitality will be massively reduced! [Stacks: 1]
“Young Master? What’s wrong…”
“Coug-Cough!!!”
“…Kyaa!?”
And as I looked at that system window with a hopeless expression, I coughed up more blood than ever before and muttered inwardly.
‘…It was a close call.’
When I keeled over while vomiting blood, I noticed Kania reaching out to in the back of my fading consciousness, as I struggled to keep my eyes open.
“………….Young Master?”
anwhile, Kania reached out and caught Frey, who was about to hit the ground, and began to shake him while looking at the unconscious and limp Frey with a perplexed expression.
However, despite her actions, Frey didn’t regain consciousness that day.
We made art and recreated the letter scene. Let us know below in the comnts if it’s sothing we should keep doing in the future.
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