SWNOVELXO Chapter 159
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 159
*
It’s raining.
-Swaaahhh.
From the once clear sky, a downpour began, and the ground that had rested through the winter started soaking in the spring-laden rain.
-Swaaahhh…
The students, who had been grumbling during their field training, were running under the trees.
-Why’s it suddenly raining?
-Exactly. I was just about to catch the tenth one.
-Looks like today’s training is over.
-Ah, damn. What a shame!
Watching the students create small shadows with their palms to shield themselves from the rain, I started rummaging through the bundle slung over my back to find an umbrella.
“Hmm…”
One by one, the students approached me.
When I finally found the umbrella, the students swarmed toward me like a pack of dogs, and I began waving my hand with a smile.
“Over here! There’s an umbrella here!”
The first to arrive was an associate professor from the Swordsmanship Department. I couldn’t remember his name.
What I did remember was his shiny crown and his notoriously bad temper—an educator who had experienced premature baldness.
He had no exceptional martial techniques.
All he seemed to know was how to throw tantrums.
Still, I didn’t dislike him. People can be one way or another, after all.
I looked at the octopus approaching me with a small smile.
“Welcome.”
The professor said nothing and extended his hand.
With a flick of his fingers, he demanded the umbrella. His arrogant gesture made me smile silently.
-…
A brief silence passed.
The professor, standing in the rain, looked displeased with his hesitant disciple, while my gaze, treating him like seafood, met his.
‘What?’
‘What.’
‘What do you want me to do?’
‘You little brat.’
Unable to endure the silence, the octopus finally spoke. It seemed he needed the umbrella I was holding to protect what little hair he had left.
“Umbrella.”
I almost clapped at his effort to preserve his species, but instead, I nodded and replied.
“One hundred gold.”
“What?”
“The price has gone up. Three hundred gold.”
Raindrops began trickling down the professor’s shiny crown as he stared at me with a stern expression.
Watching the droplets bead on his long mustache, I muttered to myself as if the words had slipped out.
“I’ve heard rain accelerates baldness.”
“…”
“You might lose what little hair you have left.”
“…”
“My apologies. The rain just reminded me, that’s all. It wasn’t directed at you, Professor.”
“…”
With a hardened expression, the professor finally spoke to me.
“Is that true?”
Wearing a cruel smile, I answered.
“Yes, it’s true. I read it in a medical book once. Rain accelerates baldness…”
The professor rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a shiny gold coin.
“One coin. I’ll pay the rest tomorrow.”
With a serious smile, I handed him the umbrella.
“A wise choice.”
“Huhuhu…”
“Hehe…”
Push-overs are always easy to catch.
*
Under the rainy sky.
Mikhail, Yuria, and Histania Hanna, separated from the group, hid under a tree to escape the drenching downpour.
“Ah…! I wanted to share an umbrella with the butler!”
Hanna stomped her feet in frustration.
Mikhail clicked his tongue at Hanna’s behavior, while Yuria pricked up her ears at Hanna’s words, sharing in her disappointment.
“Me too…”
“Hmm? Yuria, did you call me?”
“No, I was just talking to myself.”
No demonic beast existed in this area that could handle the skills of the three.
Ordinary orcs couldn’t withstand the aura imbued in Mikhail’s sword, nor could they keep up with Hanna’s swift swordsmanship.
Thinking that staying in the same place might cause trouble for their classmates, Mikhail had led the two away to a place far from Ricardo for their field training.
Of course, it was natural that they had strayed from the location Ricardo had designated. The two were confident in their skills, and Yuria thought it would be fine. It was a situation born of impulsive decisions.
-Swaaahhh.
The sound of the pouring rain continued relentlessly.
In a secluded place where no passersby or students could be seen, the three quietly sought shelter from the rain.
An awkward breeze blew.
The person they admired.
The person who was admired.
And Yuria.
The three waited silently for the rain to stop.
After what felt like a long silence.
Mikhail, sensing that the rain wouldn’t stop anytime soon, cautiously spoke.
“The rain keeps coming.”
“Yeah…”
“It does.”
“I wish it would stop soon.”
No response came.
Mikhail glanced at Hanna’s indifferent face and gave up on continuing the conversation.
Since Hanna was close to Ricardo, Mikhail had always felt a bit awkward around her. He turned his attention to Yuria, who was crouched down, and started making light conversation.
The weather has been warming up lately.
This year, there was a lot of snow—small talk that eventually led to a discussion about their first night at the lodging.
“Yuria, what did you do yesterday?”
“I just rested at the lodging.”
“Really?”
“What about you, Mikhail?”
“I…”
As Ricardo’s face briefly crossed his mind, Mikhail furrowed his brow and gave an awkward smile.
“I rested too.”
“I see.”
Yuria turned her head to look at Hanna, who was drawing on the ground with a tree branch.
Hanna was sketching the familiar figure of a man. Though Yuria was curious, she held back and instead redirected Mikhail’s earlier question to Hanna.
“Hanna, what about you? Did you rest at the lodging too?”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
Hanna shook her head at Yuria’s question and replied.
“I went to see Lady Olivia.”
“What?”
“I thought she might be bored, so I visited her after a long time.”
Hanna burst into laughter over what had happened last night and drew on the ground with a tree branch.
-Did you bring chocolate?
-Yes!
-Oh…! Good. I will praise you.
-Instead of praise, can’t you adore me?
-No.
-Why not?
-Just because. It’s bothersome.
She had disliked Olivia so much.
Now, Hanna somewhat understood why the butler served Olivia.
At Hanna’s words, the two kept their mouths shut. Olivia’s existence was like a nightmare to them.
Evil and selfish.
The two, victims of the selfish villainess’s evil deeds, kept their mouths shut and said nothing.
Mikhail spoke to Hanna in a cold voice.
“How do you know Olivia?”
“I got to know her when I went to deliver my reenrollment application last time.”
“You got close to Olivia?”
“Yes, she’s not exactly kind… but she’s fun.”
Hanna smiled pleasantly, realizing she was becoming more like Ricardo.
Mikhail, wearing a stern expression, spoke to Hanna. As he was about to advise her not to associate with dangerous people, he slowly opened his mouth.
-Rumble…!
“Don’t associate with Olivia…”
-Crash!!!!
A flash of light appeared.
A black shadow emerged in front of Mikhail.
“Found you.”
It was a man exuding a chilling killing intent.
He wore a white cleric robe.
There was a deep scar on his eye.
His sharp eyes were piercing.
The man smiled at Mikhail.
With thick killing intent, the man continued to let out a chilling laugh, staring intently at Mikhail.
Hanna instinctively grabbed the sword hilt.
Reacting to the thick killing intent emanating from him, she reflexively took a stance and gathered her aura.
Gripping her sword with the thought that carelessness would mean death, Hanna swallowed nervously.
Yuria also began drawing mana to cast buffs.
And Mikhail.
From the moment he saw the man’s face until now, his body remained frozen cold.
The man ignored Hanna and Yuria, focusing solely on Mikhail.
Taking out a photograph from his pocket, the man compared it to Mikhail’s face, carefully examining his eyes, nose, and mouth before nodding.
“No wonder your face looked familiar.”
The man let out a sneering smile and dropped the photograph to the ground.
The photograph, soaked in the rain.
It was a picture of Mikhail receiving a commendation for his actions in the dungeon last time.
The man spoke to Mikhail.
“It’s you, isn’t it?”
With a cruel smile, he spoke chillingly.
“You’re the one who killed your friend to save yourself.”
Mikhail’s expression began to harden coldly.
*
It was a very old memory.
No.
It was an old nightmare.
An incident that occurred when he encountered the disaster known as a villain in the dark slum.
It had rained that day, just like now.
And that man had been standing there.
-See? You should’ve run away when I told you to. Now this kid is going to die because of you.
-N-No…!
-What do you mean no?
He had been terrified.
Everything was frightening—the large man swinging his fist, being hit by someone for the first time in his life—it was all new and terrifying.
That day, the man had smiled just like now and said.
-Ah, I just thought of something fun.
He had given him cruel choices.
-Fight each other. I’ll let the one who survives live.
-…
-Why are you standing still? Move.
And that day, he had made a choice.
A choice he would regret for the rest of his life.
He had done it with his own hands.