Chapter 112
I paused. What is this?
Not only did I hand Haden the swordsmanship textbook from the original work, but I also presented the content that would follow. Could it be that someone knows the future?
I was full of questions. However, no matter how much I asked Haden, I couldn’t learn more than this.
That’s because Haden himself didn’t know.
In the end, our conversation ended before long.
“Hey, Ren.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve thought about it really hard, and I still want to join Blackwinter.”
Haden smiled brightly. A beautiful smile that seemed to fold his eyes took its place.
“There are very cool and skilled swordsman Young Masters and knights, and you’re there too.”
“……..”
My feelings watching this were very complicated.
…What should I do when the protagonist of the original work is trying to destroy the original work too much?
‘It’s my karma, but…’
“Haden, I’ve told you before, but this place isn’t as much as you think…”
“Not clean?”
“Yeah.”
“But you’re not, Ren.”
When I couldn’t continue speaking, Haden greeted me with the same smile.
I was feeling complicated, but I accepted the greeting.
Since I can’t think of an excuse to accept him right now, I’ll have to think a little and somehow send him on an adventure…
Even if I do accept him into Blackwinter, wouldn’t it be better for both of us to see each other after I’ve settled down, or when Haden has become a hero closer to the original work?
‘Right now, I don’t have the confidence to protect even Haden.’
After taking Haden back and returning to the mansion, I ran into someone in the long hallway.
It was Kyle Blackwinter.
He was accompanied by two knights on either side.
Of course, Rainante was with me as well.
“……..”
Kyle stared at me with a calm expression.
I met his gaze, pondered for a moment, and then soon smiled brightly.
“Hello, loser.”
Returning the title that had always been used to provoke me.
The moment my words came out, Kyle’s reaction was immediately felt.
However, the ones who reacted more sensitively than Kyle were the knights standing on either side of him.
“How dare you, to Kyle-nim… What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Even if you are a Young Lady, this is an unforgivable remark!”
At the force that seemed like they would draw their swords at any moment, I didn’t get surprised, but instead laughed inwardly.
Well, he sure did train his subordinates thoroughly.
Even in the original work, this guy almost brainwashed his subordinates, training them to easily throw away their lives for him.
They are, for example, ‘dogs’ tamed by loyalty.
‘Or, those who can’t be controlled by this method are exploited by taking their weaknesses.’
Perhaps, if the Head of the Kadin Merchant Guild hadn’t committed suicide in that conference room, wouldn’t he have been killed in some way?
Glancing at Kyle again, he didn’t even seem to be trying to hide his anger anymore.
Well, his father and grandfather, whom he had to be mindful of, weren’t here.
In the midst of the unusual atmosphere, one of the knights couldn’t hold back his anger and raised his hand gripping his sword, so Rainante stepped in front of me.
I raised my hand and stopped Rainante.
Then, I smiled brightly at Kyle.
“Oppa, you’re going to the Sterott Mountains, right? Have a safe trip.”
I even waved my hand neatly.
And just as I was about to turn around, I turned my head as if I had just remembered something.
“Oh right, but it’s really strange. I thought only half-wits like me were the ones who got chased into a corner.”
“This rude…”
Clang! The knight on Kyle’s side, who couldn’t hold back, drew his sword and was soon flustered.
Because Rainante blocked the sword with his scabbard.
“……..”
Kyle Blackwinter must not cause a disturbance as much as possible before leaving.
Otherwise, it would only upset his father, who was already in a bad mood due to the appearance of the Head of Family.
Sure enough, this guy forcibly suppressed his angry face, and soon turned around with gritted teeth.
“……You will regret speaking those words today.”
I just smiled even more deeply as if I didn’t know anything.
‘Well, who will be the one to regret it?’
Watching that guy’s back, many things came to mind and disappeared.
I was certain.
That guy has completely lost his arms and wings.
Well, when you come back, you won’t even imagine what the family will be like.
Watching the figure of that guy finally disappear, I thought of a person I had hardly thought of until now.
It was my favorite character.
* * *
Time passed, and the day Kyle Blackwinter and Roy Blackwinter would leave for the Sterott Mountains was fast approaching, just one day away.
In the meantime, Kyle Blackwinter was frantically busy.
That’s because he had to erase his traces regarding what the Kadin Merchant Guild had done.
It took a lot of effort to erase every connection, and he had to give up many things he had built up until now.
It was inevitable, but it gave Kyle a sense of defeat.
Kyle gritted his teeth. His handsome face, as if made by a craftsman over a lifetime, was contorted.
“……What’s left?”
At Kyle’s angry question, his subordinate trembled and bowed his head deeply.
He was the one who took over the position of moving Kyle’s forces after the Head of the Kadin Merchant Guild committed suicide.
He was loyal and had a desirable attitude of fearing Kyle, but he was weaker than the cunning Head of the Kadin Merchant Guild.
“T-This is the last one…”
At those words, Kyle’s brow relaxed slightly.
The last one. This was the last place where the most dangerous traces of his illegal activities remained.
Therefore, Kyle was able to leave without any problems even if he was away from this place for several years.
All of this wouldn’t have been necessary if his cooperation with Count Jartu hadn’t been revealed, if the Head of Family hadn’t suddenly opened his eyes, if it weren’t for that weak Leia Blackwinter!
It was something that didn’t have to be done.
Kyle’s fist clenched tightly.
The subordinate watching from behind swallowed his saliva, holding his breath.
‘Th-This is a big deal…’
Because every time Kyle made that face during the short time of cleaning up the illegal activities, someone always died.
Moreover, this last place was a slum, but it wasn’t far from the capital’s streets.
When something happened, the cleanup would be twice as difficult.
However, the subordinate didn’t have the courage to talk to Kyle, so he quietly swallowed his words.
“Just stay quiet until I return. As silent as the dead.”
“Y-Yes!”
In the first place, Kyle didn’t think he needed a subordinate who could develop his forces while he was gone.
What he wanted was only subordinates who could serve him like the sky with loyalty close to brainwashing.
Or humans who could be treated like tools.
Either way, they were people he could use when he was in the capital.
Kyle willingly accepted the loss and cut off his arms and legs, planning for the next few years.
However, the anger towards the one who made things this way still didn’t subside.
“For the remaining cleanup… should we proceed as with the other places?”
“Burn it all after I leave.”
“Yes!”
And so, he left the warehouse door without even looking at the scenery of the last place.
It was sunset outside.
If he returned to the mansion now, he would be able to arrive in time for dinner.
The last place was located in a secluded area even within the slums, so there were few people.
However, this place was actually a playground where slum children played noisily because there were few people.
And the fact that these children were gathered in this place at this time was an unprecedented misfortune for them.
“You’ve arrived.”
The knights who had been waiting near the warehouse bowed their heads to Kyle.
“Kyaa! Now it’s your turn!”
“Heh, I’m going to catch you! Stay there!”
“I’m here too! Oh, and the cool hyung who lives next door to us said he’s coming today too? Let’s play together when he arrives!”
“Ah, the handsome hyung?”
Kyle didn’t even look at the knights and turned his head towards the sound.
It was that moment.
A boy, about fifteen years old, who had just turned the corner, collided with Kyle’s body.
Kyle didn’t avoid it, even though he could have.
Thud!
The boy slowly raised his head.
“Ah……!”
The boy instinctively froze stiff.
Because a handsome young man, as if his appearance was not of this world, was looking down at him with an icy cold face.
People with such overbearing gazes and attitudes were only nobles. A high-ranking person.
The boy instinctively made a ‘Ah, ah’ sound and looked down at his hands.
The dirt on his hands had stained the noble’s cloak.
The boy quickly knelt down.
“I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
“Huh? Jen. What are you doing there? Huh.”
“Huh, who is that…?”
The children who appeared from the corner gathered around the boy ‘Jen,’ who had fallen first.
Kyle looked down at the children with an indifferent gaze and then chuckled. It was a very cold and chilling sneer.
In an instant, the smile disappeared from his face.
Red eyes turned towards the shabby and pathetic boy who was constantly kneeling and bowing.
A ferocious aura flowed out from Kyle.
“……The weak should all die.”
“Y-Yes?”
Kyle gestured to the surrounding knights. At the same time, the knights walked forward and blocked the children’s backs.
Kyle drew his sword with a swish.
It didn’t even take a minute for him to knock all the children, who couldn’t even resist, to the ground.
A red puddle filled the gaps in the broken ground. Kyle wiped the blood that had splashed on his cheek with his glove.
“What should we do with the ones who escaped?”
“Chase them. Get rid of them. They are worthless.”
“Yes.”
One of the knights disappeared chasing after the child who had barely escaped. Kyle wiped away the blood and chuckled.
The aspect of trampling on the weak was a figure close to a tyrant, and the knights who followed Kyle had an unhesitating attitude as if it were natural.
The weak deserve to be eliminated.
“Let’s go back to Blackwinter.”
“Yes.”
And where Kyle disappeared. At a distance from that place, someone was standing, trembling.