Academy Squinting, but not dark-Episode 159
Chapter 159
159fury. bad luck(7)
“……It won't work either.”
Lucia scratched the back of her head nervously..
A mission with Charon. It's impossible.
“If so, participation in the test cannot be permitted..”
“What if I say I do it? I think I can stop it?”
“I can stop a brat who doesn't even know the topic..”
“Because he’s a kid… … It's a word I haven't heard in a long time. You're saying that because you're ready to pay for insulting me.?”
Lucia's eyes glowed sinisterly. At the same time, the cave trembled slightly..
Charon couldn't help but click his tongue..
The safety of the empire is at stake. But the attitude of putting personal feelings first?.
It was a waste to even call him a child..
“Are you saying that you will disobey His Majesty's orders because of your personal feelings??”
“what? Personal? personal memory~?”
Lucia gritted her teeth..
How can you dismiss a bad relationship that has become so entangled that you cannot even cut it off as a mere personal feeling?.
Lucia realized.
Charon, what is your bad relationship with that man?.
That I will never be able to quit.
“That's all they say about making me a 'created hero'.?”
“…….”
created hero.
To explain this, we have to go back quite far into the past..
About 20 years ago, when Lucia was attending Annwood Academy..
‘war broke out!’
Incidents always happen suddenly..
A surprise attack on the Kingdom of Doron, an ally..
At the time, the entire power of the empire was invested in the west, so it was virtually impossible to stop the advance of the Kingdom of Doron from the southeast..
‘what? Dongbu 3 has already fallen? What's so fast?’
This was partly because most of the troops were on the Western Front, but partly because the invaders were light..
All they brought with them were horses, weapons and other combat supplies..
Each time they crossed a wall, they advanced at an incredible speed..
Procure necessary supplies locally and advance in a straight line toward the capital..
It was an ignorant rush without any consideration for what would happen next, but it was extremely embarrassing for the empire at the time..
And the one who was sent in to stop the advance of the Kingdom of Doron was.
“We were Annwood Academy students..”
All students, including Lucia, who was in her second year at Annwood Academy at the time, were sent to the front line as student soldiers..
“I don't know if you remember. No, you won't remember. I understand. You've probably been through that mess dozens of times..”
“…….”
“But I… … No, we weren't. Because it was the first battlefield. I can't help but remember it clearly.”
The front line was the worst.
From peasants who have never held a weapon in their lives, to soldiers praying, to nobles who are busy running away to another castle..
Academy students were sent to that place, and the battle line became even more chaotic..
In fact, the empire didn't expect much from them either..
I just hope to buy some time until the main force in the west returns..
Yes. The plan was to use Annwood Academy students as outcasts..
Although there were successors to prominent families, no one expressed an opposing opinion at the noble meeting..
To that extent, the empire was in a dangerous situation..
To the extent of pushing his children, grandchildren, and granddaughters into battle..
The first real fight is war.
It was natural for children to be afraid..
And this was the same for Lucia..
A place where Lucia, who comes from a prestigious military family, trembles like a child..
That's the battlefield.
“That's when I realized that there are people in this world who are worse than the devil..”
Stabbing, cutting, and decapitating the same people.
Before I even realized the murder, I committed another murder and was covered in blood that I didn't even know whose blood it was..
There were times when I thought it would have been better if the other person was a devil..
Then at least I won't feel guilty..
On the third day after being sent to the front, when my strength was exhausted and I was about to die..
I met Lucia.
Charon, the imperial rat.
‘Are you a messenger?’
‘……It's a support force..’
‘Considering that, the number of people is shabby..’
‘Are you guys just kidding around now?.’
After that, the fight continued for a week with no time to sleep..
It was a short time, but it was never short for Lucia..
I'm sure Charon saved my life hundreds of times over the course of a week..
And in the end, the empire wins.
The student soldiers blocked the advance of the Kingdom of Doron..
Although there were a significant number of ordinary people and soldiers who were forcibly conscripted, it is an undeniable fact that student soldiers made a great contribution..
In this way, the names of children, including Lucia, reverberate throughout the continent..
“Charon, remember what they called us back then??”
“……They called me a hero.”
“that's right. It was the first incident and the beginning where I became known as a hero. and…….”
Lucia giggled and continued speaking..
“It was the beginning of tragedy.”
The crisis is over, but the war is not over..
As the troops were pushed back, the western front widened and became a mess, and the Kingdom of Doron in the southeastern part of the empire began to deploy additional troops..
‘'real war'.
Academy students temporarily deployed.
But the children had no choice but to continue wandering the battlefield..
They are the empire.
‘Because he was a ‘hero’.
Die, kill, die, kill.
As the war continued, friends who seemed like they would never die lost their lives one by one..
Lucia knew.
It wouldn't be strange if I died tomorrow.
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill.
It's a life that wouldn't be strange even if I went crazy right away..
There are only three things that supported Lucia..
To live up to the name of a friend, a comrade you meet on the battlefield, and a hero, you must fight without giving up..
There are four if you include Charon, but since they are included in the scope of companions, I didn't bother to list them separately..
‘I have to tease you.’
While continuing that life, Lucia was hiding in the corner of the tent to tease Charon..
I accidentally overhear the conversation between Charon and the rat..
‘Charon, you have completed your propaganda work..’
‘Good job. What about the North??’
‘That place is originally friendly to Lucid. There is no need to advertise.’
Charon.
That you're working on making yourself a hero.
In essence, turbulent times are a way to long for a hero..
At that time, Lucia had the qualifications to be a hero..
Skills, prestigious family, appearance, even great performance in war..
When the empire actively promoted Lucia, everyone started referring to her as this..
‘'Hero'.
That's how Lucia became a hero..
Nowadays, it's not strange at all to be given this title, but back then, until a few years ago, there were far more people who laughed at it than acknowledged it..
‘Because he was a ‘created hero’.
Lucia couldn't help but be shocked..
Propaganda, ensuring safety, even executing those who tried to overthrow him..
Because I realized that Charon was controlling everything..
Lucia had no choice but to stay away from Charon..
Of course, in the meantime, the war continued with no end in sight..
A hellish war, the death of friends, a hero created..
Everything was bad, but the worst of all was.
Charon only cared about saving himself..
On the battlefield, unexpected situations always arise..
And it was no exception for Lucia..
But Lucia always survived.
This is because Charon and other street rats took care of him knowingly or unknowingly..
Friends, colleagues on the battlefield, civilians who could have been saved.
It was the result of ignoring everyone else and only focusing on protecting Lucia..
‘You could have saved him! The people next to me, the people behind me, and other people!’
‘…….’
‘You could have saved my life! But why……!’
I always protested to Charon, but the result was the same..
As if their lives had no value..
A lot has happened since then, but the biggest reason why Lucia stayed away from Charon is this..
Lucia gritted her teeth..
“Charon, this is why I can never forgive you. The crime of saving someone who should have died and killing someone who should have lived.”
Yes, he is not worthy of being called a hero..
If only Charon had pushed it, anyone could have become a hero..
He is just a lucky person who stepped on the corpses of his friends and colleagues..
“If you have a mouth, speak up! Try saying something!”
Is it because I was pressured to answer, or is it because I wanted to clear up any misunderstandings?.
Charon's mouth, which had been tightly shut, opened..
“……i am not strong.”
Lucia couldn't help but be surprised. That Charon denies his own strength?.
“He was weak and could not be saved. What kind of excuse do you want to make??”
“No, it means that he is not strong enough to save everyone. It was the same in the past, it is now, and it will be the same in the future..”
“…….”
“Lucia, saving you. It was the best thing at the time. The other kids... … It was very damaged.”
War doesn't just destroy the body..
It destroys the body and at the same time erodes the mind little by little..
“Even if we tried to run away with them, they were full of people who would kill themselves or run away. It was impossible to escape with those guys..”
Even if we tried to run away with him, the result was obvious..
Either they run away and get discovered where they are, or they commit suicide and destroy the spirit of their colleagues..
Needless to say, those who suffered serious injuries.
So Charon chose.
Children who have any hope or desire for life, and.
Children who raise their heads to fight even in hopeless situations.
Let’s focus on saving those children..
“Among them, you are the only one chosen. This means that he was not saved because he was from the Lucid family..”
“So what about idolization? What made me a hero. How do you explain that??”
“The empire, which seemed omnipotent and eternal, allowed the enemy to invade too easily, and above all,…….”
Charon closed his eyes and continued speaking..
“too many people died.”
Lucia trembled slightly..
Know. They were not the only ones who suffered from war..
The people who lived along the route of the Kingdom of Doron, the expanded Western Front, and the war that followed..
Too many people to count have been harmed..
“People needed hope. Hope to live in the future, tomorrow, and today.”
“…….”
“What the Empire was worried about was to create a 'new hero'..”
The general idea was to create a hero who is as young, strong, and has a promising future as possible..
Let's create an idol that everyone can't help but support.
Let's make the people of the empire feel like they are growing together with them..
“Among the many candidates, you were chosen, and Marquis Luke did not object. I didn't even say what I wanted.”
Forcing a nobleman's children to make sacrifices.
Any noble belonging to the political world would take advantage of this opportunity and make a big profit..
But the Marquis of Luke did not ask for the interest..
“Well, my father is always loyal to the empire..”
“…… I don't know what his thoughts were or are now. So you can't just guess... … It is clear that the Marquis of Luke has not responded for several days..”
“……Father?”
Although he is a man loyal to the Empire, Marquis Luke is a soldier himself..
Not only is there no way to talk back, but even if you worry for a long time, it won't last a day..
But there was no answer for several days..
‘Did you think you were worried?……?’
If so, I might be a little happy..
Well, that's not what's important right now..
“So, there was a reason, so please forgive me. What do you mean??”
Charon and Lucia had a bad first meeting..
As time passed, misunderstandings piled up, and eventually it became an irreparable bad relationship..
And Charon had no intention of unraveling the tangled threads of the evil relationship..
“you don't have to forgive me.”
“what? Say that now…….”
“That's not what you have to do, Lucia..”
Charon opened his closed eyes..
Lucia is a child with a lot of work to do..
I didn't want to put any effort into sorting out a bad relationship..
Yes. What Lucia should do is not forgive trash like herself..
“All you have to do is prove that you deserve to be called a real hero, and…….”
Doing something you couldn't do at the time.
“That's it. That means there's no need to worry about forgiving failures like me..”
Charon was talking.
The countless people who could not be saved at that time.
To save those who died innocently due to war.
War, Warlock, Erosion, Four Heavenly Kings, Demon, Legion Commander.
It is a self-evident fact that the continent will soon fall into great chaos..
This time too, many people will be in crisis and will need help..
However, there is one thing that is different from then.
“This time you will save the day..”
With the power of Lucia, the hero.
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