Chapter 137: A Depressed Kendo Player Possesses a Bastard Aristocrat |
The intense first blow was followed by a flurry of punches.
The silence that had filled the room moments ago was shattered by the resounding echoes of violence.
I threw punches.
Allen took them silently.
Occasionally, he would stagger or stumble, but he would always manage to get back up and stand his ground.
There were no words exchanged between us.
Only the simple exchange of sin and punishment.
We had gone too far into the past to resolve this matter in any other way.
“…”
Their clear eyes trembled helplessly.
They flinched every time a groan escaped Allen’s lips.
It must have been painful for them.
To watch someone they loved be so thoroughly humiliated.
But there was nothing they could do.
“S-Stop it… Don’t interfere… Please… Stop…”
Every time one of his friends tried to intervene, a voice would stop them.
They bit their lips, their pleas falling on deaf ears.
Allen’s lip split, his forehead was cut, and his teeth were broken, but he didn't fall.
The boy endured it all.
The merciless onslaught only stopped when my hand, raw and bleeding from the repeated blows, could take no more.
My hand was stained crimson.
Drops of blood splattered my clothes.
“Haa…”
I took a deep breath to calm myself and lowered my arm.
My hand throbbed with a dull ache from the force of my punches.
My gaze fell on the blond boy.
He lay sprawled on the floor, his body battered and bruised.
As expected of the protagonist.
Even as I beat him, Allen hadn't screamed once.
He had simply endured it.
As if it were the punishment he deserved.
I clicked my tongue, my heart heavy with complex emotions.
It wasn't a pleasant feeling.
To have destroyed the hero I had admired so much in my childhood with my own hands.
‘It was necessary… but I don’t feel good about it.’
A strange sense of unease washed over me.
I wiped the blood from my hands, trying to ignore the lingering guilt.
“I feel a little better now,” I muttered.
Relieved. Pleased.
The words felt foreign to me, but it didn't matter.
This was the reaction I needed to show right now.
I was merely putting on an act, hiding behind a mask of indifference.
“Look at me.”
“Y-Yes…”
Allen obeyed, though he swayed slightly as he rose to his knees.
I didn't tell him he could relax, but I decided to let it slide.
He was probably at his limit anyway.
As I sat back down on the sofa and waited in silence, Allen finally spoke.
“Once… I thought… I was special.”
His voice was hoarse and strained.
He cleared his throat and continued,
“I was arrogant, foolish, and presumptuous.”
That was why I was wary of you.
Because I believed that the world I saw could never be wrong.
In my foolish mind, I had labeled you as ‘evil’ and had always doubted and questioned you.
“But… the day came when I realized that I was wrong.”
The moment I saw your true self.
We were able to see the truth that had been hidden.
Your deep, festering scars, and the wounds I had inflicted upon you time and time again.
“That’s when I realized… what a terrible sin I had committed…”
“…”
Allen bowed his head, pressing his forehead against the floor.
His hand, still stained with blood, clutched at his blond hair.
“I remembered… You never once hated me.”
Even when you were grieving the loss of your teacher.
Rather than hating the horrible disrespect I showed you, you tried to understand me.
Even when the invasion happened, you could have escaped, but you chose to stand your ground on the brutal battlefield, determined to help.
I didn't know it then.
But you were always there for me, a steadfast ally.
You were devoted to someone as foolish and undeserving as me, to an extent I couldn't comprehend.
Your grace was wasted on me.
But not only did I fail to repay your kindness…
“…I pushed you to the edge. I almost got you killed.”
His voice trembled with emotion.
Tears streamed down his face.
Was it sadness that made Allen cry?
Or guilt?
Or fear?
I watched the tears glistening on his face and said,
“I won’t ask for your forgiveness… No, I don't think I deserve it. I just wanted to apologize. For all the sins I have committed… For the way I’ve treated you…”
“…”
“I’ll do anything. If there’s anything I can do to ease your pain…”
Allen's voice cracked with emotion as he declared his resolve.
I remained silent, observing him as he knelt before me.
I had anticipated this outcome.
But I hadn't expected it to be so emotionally charged.
I didn’t hate Allen the way I used to, not after I had decided to accept my past.
But I couldn’t deny that a part of me still resented him.
“Hmm…”
However, dwelling on the past would only hold me back from the future.
Life was too unpredictable to be shackled by yesterday's regrets.
We needed to use the past as a stepping stone to a better tomorrow.
So the question was, would I choose revenge?
Or forgiveness?
Faced with these choices, I knew what I had to do, for my own sake and for the sake of a brighter future.
“You’ll do anything?” I asked.
“…Yes.”
“Do you even know what I’m going to ask of you? What if I ordered you to turn on your friends right now? Would you obey?”
“I know… that you would never ask such a thing.”
Because you are a kind person.
Allen’s voice was quiet as he bowed his head. I let out a low hum, considering his words.
It seemed like he had put a lot of thought into this.
Perhaps he remembered being connected to me through the ‘Soul Link.’
Even in the original story, Allen at this point in time was still immature, but he wasn’t a bad person.
He was, after all, the ‘protagonist’ of this world.
He wasn’t beyond redemption.
I was sure that there had been many days of reflection behind this apology.
He wasn’t one to make empty promises.
‘I should forgive him.’
Of course, I wasn't going to accept his apology right away.
Aside from my own feelings, this situation had the potential to work in my favor.
This couldn’t end with a simple reconciliation.
This had to be a turning point for Allen, a chance for him to reflect on his actions and grow as a person.
The Empire would face countless threats in the future.
The Seekers, the Holy Order, the Demon King's army…
To protect what was ours from these cunning enemies, Allen couldn’t afford to remain a naive child.
He needed to become the ‘true hero’ I had admired in the original story, and fast.
“Allen.”
“Yes.”
“Join Sentinel.”
Allen Reinhardt, the only one who could stop the Demon King’s revival…
I had decided to take him under my wing.
“I will teach you how to wield your sword. I will make you into an unbreakable hero, capable of forging a future where you lose nothing.”
If I trained him properly…
He would be able to surpass his predetermined fate and prevent even more tragedies than in the original story.
Until then, I was going to keep him close and work him to the bone.
Just like my father in my past life had done for me.
Hardship builds character, after all.
Allen looked at me with a dazed expression, as if he couldn’t quite comprehend what I was saying.
Then, without another word, he nodded.
“If… that is your command… I will obey.”
“Training will be tough.”
“I will endure it.”
“From now on, address me as Master.”
“Yes, Master.”
And so, I had gained a valuable asset, a key to unraveling the future.
As for the lingering resentment I felt… well, that could be resolved with some good old-fashioned sparring sessions.
I chuckled to myself.
It seemed like I had just found a new punching bag to replace Golden Boy.