'The second son... is very weak. He is also very vulnerable to stress. I think it would be a good idea to create an environment as stress-free as possible.'
'We called you because he was vomiting blood... Does that mean he vomits blood when he is stressed?'
'Yes... That's right.'
'Oh my god. '
'... Did you hear, Cruel? Our second child broke many people's hearts when he was born, and it looks like he will do so often in the future. Although he has a unique appearance, there is no denying that he is our child and your younger brother. You will live longer than us, who are all old, so please take good care of him as an older brother.'
'Yes, father.'
'Yes. They say children are sensitive, but if you take care of them too much, your child may think he is a useless person and fall into a sense of shame, so don't do that. It would be better to keep a reasonable distance and take care of him knowingly or unknowingly.'
***
'Hyung, I want to go outside the mansion.'
'That...'
'I'm just kidding. I don't even have time to go out because I'm busy reading books. What do you have in your hand? It says 'chess'... Is it really the 'chess' mentioned in the 'Basic Chess Rulebook' I read the other day?'
'Yes, I thought it would be good to keep it with you.'
'Oh, of course it's good. I was bored just reading books, but it was good... oops.'
'...'
'... Hyung. How is your swordsmanship these days? How's it going? Last time I took a peek out the window, it wasn't a joke, so show me properly later.'
Yes.
How could he kill this child?
It was only necessary to combine a few circumstances to know that this child was the leader of Corps 0 in the demon realm.
Since he was even given the non-existent position of Commander of the 0th Corps, his life and treatment there must have been quite good. That's why he took the time to come here.
It would be better to lead a safe and peaceful life in the demon realm than in the human world, which was full of all kinds of threats.
The right arm with the dagger in it was hot. It was so clear that it was an action for the child, so even Deon seemed agitated this time. He was a bright child, so Cruel could already see his head spinning, so he reached out and covered his eyes to stop his thoughts.
"Don't think about it."
"..."
"Just like always, rationalize and ignore it."
Perhaps because of the content, the mouth that spat out the words was bitter.
It wasn't long before he discovered something else. Perhaps it was an aftereffect of the war, but this child remembered only what he wants to remember.
He was devastated beyond words when he found out that he had given himself two personalities and that the other personality, which remembered everything, was only brought out when needed. Cruel was truly sorry and saddened.
How hard would it have been to make such an extreme choice?
It was probably a choice made to protect the body, which was vulnerable to stress. Therefore, he'd rather him blame him instead.
Don't have any doubts, just think of it as the truth.
He continued speaking while striking down and cutting down those who showed up and attacked. Since he was still covering Deon's eyes, some injuries were inevitable.
"But..."
Since that day, he had always disobeyed him, so he will be stubborn this time too.
Therefore.
"If you really want to open your eyes."
He couldn't stop him.
"Before that, face everything you have done so far."
This was his arrangement.
To prepare his younger brother, who was weak against stress, so that he did not collapse from shock.
Even this might be too much for him. He would rather he live and die without knowing anything.
It's a small desire because he's realized how great a blessing a peaceful death is.
'The choice is up to Deon.'
As an older brother who loves his only younger sibling, he will support every choice he made from now on.
Even if it meant destroying the world.
'Deon, my baby.'
He would protect him right up until he died.
"Now go."
Hurry. No matter how much of a hero he was, there was nothing he could do in the face of overwhelming numbers.
Cruel laughed while holding numerous weapons on his back.
...
He had to see his parents die at the hands of his younger brother, and in order to protect his younger brother, he went under the Duke's wing and served as his dog.
At the end of the war, he rolled over and over again to become a hero, and fought a battle of wits with the Duke, who was trying to kill his brother.
It may seem like a pathetic and shabby life. Some would say it was a miserable life.
But Cruel was quite satisfied.
In any case, wasn't it a death he faced while protecting his younger brother?
'It's the perfect ending.'
He hoped that he received a lot of love in the demon realm. If not, he sincerely hoped that he will receive a lot of love in the future.
He didn't mind dying, but he was worried that after he died, Deon would be left alone in a world where no one will love him.
***
Stupid Cruel Hardt.
Even if you covered his eyes and turn his back, you won't be able to hide it until the end. Just now, wasn't he just pretending to run away and then looking back like this?
Deon Hardt looked at Cruel, who was dealing with the attackers with arrows and daggers stuck on his back, with an expressionless face. It was no exaggeration to say that there were enough troops to kill a hero, and he was struggling against the numerous enemies.
Arrows and daggers flew and raiders rushed in. Funny enough, in a situation where his life was at stake, Cruel prioritized blocking attacks aimed at Deon Hardt rather than at his own body.
Cruel stretched out his bandaged left hand to block. His palm was pierced, but he pulled it out without any hesitation and struck down another dagger aimed at Deon. The guys running directly towards Deon Hardt threw the small weapons strapped to their thighs as they passed him, piercing vital points, so it was natural that the priority they had to kill was set on Cruel.
Deon, who had been moving diligently considering the other person's sincerity, slowed down and stopped before he knew it, tilting his head.
'Does he have a reason to do something like that?'
The reason he ended up in this situation was because of him.
He was thinking about it again, but didn't he abandon him? He thought he was probably hiding his feelings of dislike beneath that terrible expressionless face... Cruel paused as he resumed his interrupted thoughts.
'Don't think about it.'
But.
'If you really want to open your eyes. Before that, face everything you have done so far.'
Since when did he listen to him?
Just as he was about to ignore it and continue his thoughts, he heard a voice that he couldn't ignore.
"Now he's dead."
What?
His head turned reflexively. He could see people dressed in black stabbing the fallen Cruel with their weapons, as if confirming the kill.
"Stubborn guy. He didn't even shed a moan of pain until the end. How many people has this bastard killed?"
"Since he is a hero, let's give significance to his killing. Of course... there was a lot of damage."
Uh...?
"Anyway, we have to complete the remaining request."
One guy gestured towards Deon, who was standing in the distance.
Even though he hesitated and moved reflexively, Deon could not fully accept the situation just a moment ago and only blinked his eyes blankly.
'Is he really... dead?'
He didn't think he would be very impressed if Cruel died, but he thought he would actually be happy.
'Uh...'
Was it because he had doubts about his actions?
Emotions wandered aimlessly, as if confused about what to express. Even his head, which was supposed to make a cool decision, didn't turn as if it was blocked by a white curtain.
While looking at Cruel's tattered body, he saw the remaining attackers moving towards him and turned his back.
Even though Cruel had killed many of them, the remaining numbers were still a threat. They were seasoned human hunters who worked well together, and their confidence had already increased by killing one hero. Deon himself was not in good condition right now, so fighting would be a loss.
'First... first, to the demon realm...'
Okay, let's go to the demon realm. No matter what anyone says, living right now comes first.
He forced himself to start walking faster. When he heard the sound of someone chasing him from behind, his feet picked up speed and he started running with all his might.
It seemed like a weapon was being thrown from behind, but because the distance was quite wide and the snow was blowing from the front, only a few hits were made.
However, it wasn't like it wasn't any at all.
Fwip!
The magic stone necklace that Lirinel gave him broke. This meant that there was a life-threatening attack among the attacks coming from behind.
Deon ignored it and ran on.
He was glad it snowed. Thanks to the cold snow hitting his face, his head began to spin to some extent.
No. It wasn't 'fortunate'.
As his mind accepted the previous situation, emotions came flooding back like a tidal wave.
It wasn't until the cold wind scratched his face and froze the liquid running down his cheeks that Deon realized he was crying.
'What is this... what on earth...!'
He had long since lost his pursuers and covered his tracks with snow, but he didn't even realize it and kept running. Even though his ankles were buried deep in the snow, which would have cost him a lot of stamina, Deon didn't even realize it and forced his body forward.
"Cough!"
Splatter.
Blood poured out of his mouth. An iron liquid seeped onto the white snow, causing dark red flowers to bloom.
In a way, it was natural. With the physical and mental shock in addition to the harsh cold weather, it would be rather strange that his physical condition was normal.
Only then did Deon realize that the chase was over and stopped walking.
'Why, why?'
Damn Cruel. Stupid Cruel.
If you wanted him to stop thinking, you shouldn't have done anything that would raise his suspicion in the first place.
Don't think about it? Rationalize and ignore it like he always did?
"Haha, ha, I never thought I would get back what I said to the crazy dogs like this! Cough!"
Blood dripping down his chin. The two eyes, bloodshot and wet, shook as if they would break. He wasn't even blinking, but for some reason, countless tear marks were left on his cheeks.
He died for him before my eyes. The contradiction of what he had believed to be true up to now was clearly revealed before his eyes, but did Cruel think he would be so simple as to just ignore it and be happy about it?
Rationalize? Ignore? There are degrees to that too!
'To begin with, I'm the type of person who knows and buries everything, whether I rationalize it or ignore it.'
Deon raised the corner of his trembling mouth.
But... yes, considering his actions of sacrificing his life for him, he would like to listen to his last will. He said that if he really wanted to know it, he had to face everything he'd done so far. That shouldn't be difficult.
He knew everything from the beginning.
Even so, it had recently reached its limit. Now that the mind has been devastated by war, there was a limit to forcing himself to ignore the memories that kept coming back and pretending not to notice.
Therefore, Deon gave up holding on to the cracked and leaking dam, using Cruel's will as an excuse.
After he gave up trying to hold on, it was quick.
The dam that had been built for the past 10 years collapsed. All kinds of memories that he had been ignoring came pouring out, and the emotions of that time came flooding back vividly.
He knew that no matter how limited it may be, it was an issue that needed to be seriously considered and decided over and over again. Although it was somewhat impulsive, it was an action that came from the judgment that it would be okay, since unlike back then when he was immature, he had now been an adult for a long time.
***
"Huh, huh, huh, huh, huh, huh..."
I can't breathe.
My head felt like it was going to explode, I couldn't move my body, I stumbled and fell down in the snow.
The cold should've woken me up, but unfortunately it had the opposite effect.
"Ugh, ugh, ah... ah, ah, ah..."
My vivid mind replayed the nightmare-like situation over and over again. It felt like my brain had been stabbed countless times by sharp daggers. As the scene played out vividly before my eyes, I found myself contemplating whether to gouge out my eyes.
"Aaaaaah!!!"
I felt like I was going to strangle myself with these overwhelming emotions, so I clenched my frozen hands into fists and hit the ground for a long time until my bones broke.
"Demon!"
By the time I heard that voice, I had lost consciousness.