Chapter 106

The world is all about connections and backing, no matter where you go. I realized that when I turned a perfectly fine kid into minced meat in front of a crowd, and all I got was a fine.

From the start, it was a mutually agreed-upon duel, and Hoon was the one who challenged me first. Plus, he definitely died before he could yell “I surrender.” Sure, I covered his mouth, but there’s no rule in the arena about covering someone’s mouth.

When I got out of prison, Ricardo was the first to greet me. And by “greet,” I mean a warm punch to the face.

“…That hurt, bro.”

“That’s your punishment for worrying everyone. Even my wife was worried about you.”

“But I killed someone, isn’t that a problem?”

“Why are you acting so weird now? It was a duel. And it’s not like it’s your first time killing someone.”

Werner has been killing people since the days of *Draghinty Fantasy 1*. Heretics who worship demons, black sorcerers who’ve made deals with demons—those kinds of people. Normally, a young boy would be shaken after killing someone, but Werner didn’t bat an eye after his first murder.

In fact, when he killed someone for the first time, it was his comrades who were worried. Werner used to be so timid that he was afraid to even kill a captured beast. But there he was, calmly asking,

[“Bro, what’s for dinner? I’d prefer stew if possible.”]

[…Are you okay?]

[You just killed someone… I’m asking if you’re okay with that.]

[But they were trying to kill me. Plus, they’re trash who sold their souls to demons, so it’s fine to kill them, right?]

[Kid…]

Werner, who used to play the role of a boss in the slums with kids like Irina, had seen death countless times. According to Irina, Werner had killed an adult who tried to assault him when he first appeared in the slums at the age of seven.

The party members were worried about Werner’s twisted mindset. But at the same time, some were concerned that overemphasizing the value of life might make him too soft. After all, there were countless cases where people died because they hesitated or showed mercy in critical moments.

So, Werner’s comrades took turns teaching him about the value of life.

The hero Zick, the saint Media, and Duke Melchior taught Werner this:

[“Werner, killing isn’t always the answer. It’s truly the last resort. I hope you can judge wisely.”]

[“Kid, life is precious. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t resort to killing until the very last moment.”]

[“If you get a taste for blood, you’ll fall into corruption that’s impossible to reverse. And those who enjoy killing, whether they’re good or evil, are never normal.”]

But the Heavenly Demon Ocheonyoung, the thief Squar, Knight Captain Ricardo, and the Vampire Queen Melissa taught him this:

[“The world is survival of the fittest. The moment an enemy targets your life, you have the right to take theirs.”]

[“Kid, do you know what’s most important in the world? There’s no such thing. It’s different for everyone. So, if someone threatens what’s precious to you, kill them immediately.”]

[“Kid, if someone targets you or your loved ones, kill them right away. Cockroaches need to be cleaned up immediately, or they’ll keep crawling back.”]

[“Kid, who are we going to crush now? Demons, right? Why do we crush them? Just because they’re demons? No. It’s because they’re causing trouble. If someone causes trouble for you, just crush them.”]

Young Werner absorbed all these teachings.

He learned that all life is precious. So, even if someone insulted him, mocked him, harmed him, or stole his achievements, Werner endured. He couldn’t kill them, and if he told his brothers or sisters, they’d surely get angry and crush the offender. Life is precious, so he suppressed his strength and endured everything.

And he learned that some people must be killed. Human traffickers, bandits, serial killers… He mercilessly killed those who harmed “others.” Because life is precious, those who harm it must die.

These conflicting teachings weighed on Werner’s values, turning them into a scale. Werner, whose values became a scale, willingly threw himself into danger for others. And because he didn’t define evil as life, he made even more enemies.

Werner boasted to Zick, Media, and Melchior about protecting precious lives.

[“Zick bro! Melchior bro! Media sis! Today I saved people kidnapped by bandits! But one kid was sick, and the parents asked to borrow money for hospital bills, so I lent them all the gold I had!”]

Everyone was shocked that he lent enough money to buy a mansion without any collateral or IOU.

And then Werner boasted to Ocheonyoung, Squar, Ricardo, and Melissa like this:

[“Old man! Squar sis! Ricardo bro! Melissa sis! Today some bandits pointed weapons at me, so I killed them all!”]

Werner proudly showed off the black orb containing the bandits compressed with dark magic.

Of course, Werner was praised for doing such things.

So, no one realized that this scale would become a deadly weapon against Werner.

In a life-or-death moment, Werner faced a choice: save either Airi or himself. The old him would’ve chosen himself without hesitation, but this choice hung on his scale.

The teaching that innocent life is precious weighed heavily on Airi’s life. And the scale measured Airi’s life as more valuable than his own, as she was more loved.

The teaching to devalue the lives of those who deserve to die made his own life, despite having killed many, seem lighter. And the teaching to not hesitate to kill for what’s precious led him to the conclusion that he should die for his first love’s child.

Thus, the scale in his heart became a dagger piercing Werner’s heart.

“Bro, I’m hungry.”

The prison food was decent, but the portions were too small.

“Alright, let’s head back to your place first. Your lovers are waiting.”

“Lovers…?”

“I didn’t know my little brother would become such a playboy. The women causing a fuss to save you are your lovers, right? One older, two younger… Wait, isn’t one of them a bit too young?”

“She’s turning a year older tomorrow, so it’s fine.”

“The fact that there’s a condition makes it weird, though.”

We joked around like that as we headed back to the mansion.

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Ricardo dropped me off and left quickly, saying he missed his wife. On the way, I heard they’re naming the baby after me—Bernia and Alten. Shouldn’t I get royalties for that level of name-dropping?

But then again, I got a mansion, so I guess I’ve been paid enough in royalties.

When I opened the door to my royalties, three women greeted me warmly.

“Master! We’ve been waiting! I was about to storm the place with Glacia, but Camelia sis stopped me…”

That would’ve escalated things beyond repair… It’s not like we’re starting the French Revolution.

“Welcome back, Lord Werner. And I merely suggested. It was this child who insisted on breaking the prison. I just calmly pressured the other side.”

That doesn’t sound calm at all…

“You’ve lost weight. Let’s eat first.”

Right, food was the priority. I was so hungry I could die. I followed them to the dining room… and there was an army of food on the table that I couldn’t possibly finish alone.

“We’re fine, so please eat as much as you want, Master.”

Are they messing with me? No, they’re really messing with me, but instead of rice, it’s like they’re feeding me candy… Isn’t this the kind of food torture they do in the military?

I had no choice but to eat until I was full and leave the rest.

“Glacia is an amazing cook! Camelia sis and I helped, and it was so delicious!”

It would’ve been rude to leave the homemade feast prepared to celebrate my release.

“Hahaha… I’ll eat well. And thank you, Glacia, for preparing this meal.”

Lord Mantaro, please help me, a true foodie, to conquer this feast.