Chapter 222

In my childhood, there were no good memories. Hunger, violence, poverty, and malice—it would have been far stranger to have good memories in such a childhood. One day, while stealing bread, I got beaten up badly and was lying there bleeding. A man approached me. I couldn’t even see his face clearly because of all the blood, but he touched my head and said:

[That guy seems oddly used to taking care of kids, and he’s not even married, yet he’s feeding milk… I thought it was strange, but did he really leave behind a bloodline?]

[Hey, kid… you’re going to die like this. No, if you die like this, that guy will resent me… How about I give you a choice? Do you want to live a long life this time? Or do you want to be reborn next time and live a wealthy, happy life without envying anyone? By the way, I don’t recommend the former. No matter how long you stretch an unhappy life, it’ll still end in unhappiness. Just like no matter how much you stretch a red rubber band, it won’t turn blue.]

[What? You say you won’t be yourself after reincarnation? Well, aren’t you special? Okay, okay. Don’t make me regret my choice, and don’t regret yours either. What’s the point of living a life that’s just going to be miserable anyway?]

[Poor thing… Do you have a surname? If not, I’ll give you one.]

[Alten, it’s a surname my daughter made for you. Well, I only found out after reading her diary… I can’t give you happiness, but… I’ll give you a little power.]

The man left without another word, and I passed out. When I woke up, all the wounds on my body were gone.

But as the man said, my life was still miserable. The next year, I got caught stealing bread again and was beaten so badly I cried. Someone reached out to me. It was a black-haired elf who looked like a crow, and next to him was a beautiful golden-haired woman holding a fan.

[Are you wet now because of the rain falling, or because of the tears streaming from your eyes?]

[Are you crying because of endless hunger? If so, I’ll give you food. Or is it because of the biting cold? If so, I’ll give you clothes. If it’s because your situation is miserable, then follow me.]

[Who am I? Well… my current identity is Darkwing, the leader of a band of righteous thieves and the Spirit King of Darkness. And the woman next to me is Evelyn, my wife and the Spirit King of Light.]

I learned many things by their side. Countless techniques, the fusion of spells and magic into Phantom Magic, and even how to live in this world.

Contrary to what that man said about my life being miserable, I was happy. Though I eventually parted ways with Master Darkwing as I grew older, his skills made it easy for me to make a living. I robbed the houses of arrogant nobles and stole national treasures from the kingdom’s underground vaults. Of course, I almost died to Zick once, but I managed to escape.

After that, I continued my life as a thief and met my close friend, Cheonyoung. He called me a petty thief, but we got along well.

Then one day, Zick, the mercenary who almost killed me, came and asked me to join his journey. Cheonyoung was interested too, and it sounded fun, so I joined. Of course, some of the others were a bit annoying. Camellia, the half-elf, reminded me of Master Darkwing but had a stiff attitude I didn’t like. Melissa and Melchior, the couple, were blockheads. Ricardo was from the infamous Carven Family, known for massacres. And Media… well, my instincts warned me she was a bitch.

Of course, I tried to get along with them as best as I could.

While on this seemingly meaningless journey, I met Werner, that child. Somehow, I could feel it. There was something connecting me to this child. Even if we weren’t related by blood, something in my blood told me we were like siblings. It felt like electricity flowing between us.

So, I decided to give him my surname. We drew lots to decide whose surname to give, and he chose mine in a game that wasn’t even funny.

[Kid, your name is now Werner Alten. Now call me sister.]

[…Sister.]

Every day, the emotions I felt with that child were happiness. I wanted to tell that man who said I wouldn’t have a happy ending. How could my life, with a close friend and a lovely younger sibling, end in misery?

After the journey ended, we lived happily. It felt like that happiness would last forever.

One day, Werner returned with veins grotesquely bulging on his body. His magic circuits were shattered, and he could no longer use great magic.

Listening to the details, my instincts warned me. Media, that bitch, was definitely behind this. It was strange that she didn’t notice intruders with her level of skill, but the stench of suspicion was strong.

As I gathered evidence, I found out Media’s true face and that Zick knew about it to some extent. So, I decided not to trust anyone else. I wanted to restore what was taken from that child. I deliberately approached her, offering to help, and joined the Black Round Table. The king there, who accepted me, was a strange woman. She had an aura similar to Media, but her long, glossy black hair gave off a different charm.

[…I bestow upon you the name Mordred. I don’t know what future this will bring, but let’s see how well you do.]

Honestly, I didn’t care what she said. I was only looking for a way to restore the child’s body. But then it started to matter a bit. There, I found my former master, Darkwing, or rather, Camellia’s father and the master of all of us except Werner.

[You’ve come too. You must have your own goals. Do your best to achieve them. I won’t help you, though.]

[……My wife? She was killed. No, I killed her. It was entirely my choice.]

[Why am I here? Regardless of how it happened, I now resonate with the Black Round Table’s question more than anyone. The question of why God allows evil to exist. Arguing about such a sense of justice is meaningless, so focus on your goal. The key to what you want to achieve isn’t something easily obtained.]

I brushed off his words and used the Black Round Table’s information network to find a way to restore Werner’s body. And as my master said, the key wasn’t something easily obtained. The key, the magic sword Clarent, was in Media’s possession.

So, I had to win her favor by any means necessary. I followed her orders and guided the Heavenly Demon and Werner to an underground facility. I had cast a spell on Werner in case something happened, but I was still anxious.

Media, noticing my anxiety, told me to kill my close friend, the Heavenly Demon, Ocheonyoung. So, I stabbed him. When he realized I was the betrayer, he was furious at first. He said Werner trusted me so much, how could I betray him like this?

But as his life faded, I begged him to stay with me. I didn’t want to lose such a precious friend. My orders were to kill him, but I thought if I turned him into an ally, it might work.

Then his expression changed. His angry face turned hollow, and finally, he smiled and patted my head.

[……So that’s how it was. You must have had a hard time. Don’t worry, if that’s your wish… even if I come back to life, I won’t call you a betrayer.]

[It’s not betrayal. I’m really sorry for not noticing sooner. You don’t need to feel guilty about today. Even if you can’t forgive yourself, I’ll forgive you.]

[So, steel your heart and achieve your wish.]

[….My friend.]

After that, he miraculously survived, left a scar on my master’s eye, and died heroically. And I, knowing of his death, had to act as if I couldn’t believe it. Acting like that made me feel so disgusted with myself that I couldn’t bear it.

Zick, who looked at me suspiciously, eventually disbanded the party. That night, he came to me and said:

[If that’s your answer… I won’t stop you.]

Before I could answer, he disappeared.

And so, as a reward for killing my close friend, I received the magic sword Clarent, which could restore Werner’s body. I was disgusted with myself for achieving my goal by killing my friend. Now, I didn’t even know what I was doing, and I didn’t want to think about it anymore.