My Students Regret It After I Retired

62 – So? You’re still my enemy, Belin

-CLANG!

Keltazar desperately parried the chain sword Leos had thrown at Belin. Keltazar’s sword was instantly shattered, but thanks to that, its trajectory was altered.

-THWACK

But the altered trajectory still grimly aimed for Belin’s abdomen. Leos’s sword pierced Belin’s abdomen. Its power was reduced, but she was critically wounded.

“Hkk… hkk…”

Belling whispered to Keltazar, her face contorted in pain.

“Th… even if I… die… you’ll… look after… my sister… right…?”

“There’s no such thing. If you die, it all ends. Your sister’s life ends too.”

“Ah… Ahhh….”

Belling collapsed to the ground, unable to even scream properly in pain. Leos had approached sometime ago. As the knights surrounded Belling, Leos asked,

“Why are the Shadow Syndicate and the entire order of knights going to such lengths to protect this one wench? I never understood. Why not just kill her, even while making her confess, and why the hell is the leader of the Shadow Syndicate throwing away his life for a mere member?”

“You wouldn’t understand. All this is for the Empire… for the sake of his great Majesty the Emperor. You’d better worry about yourself, though. Our encirclement is already closing in. Even if you kill some here, your death is inevitable.”

“Hand over Belling. If you kill that one, I will retreat.”

“Impossible.”

“Then die together.”

Just as Leos was about to swing his bloodied sword—

– *WHOOSH!*

A blinding light erupted from Belling, and enveloped Leos.

*

“…?”

Leos stared blankly around him. The knights he was fighting just moments ago, Keltazar, Belling, none of them were there. This was no battlefield. What was here was Belling’s young childhood self.

‘What is this… Belling…?’

Leos’s mind had arrived in Belling’s childhood. He moved through Belling’s memories one by one, examining them. The things that happened when Belling was young, the death of her father. Further on, he saw how she met Keltazar.

‘What the hell is this… before I came here, what I saw was a light of power. Belling was a wielder of power, wasn’t she?’

Leos observed the rapidly passing time, looking around. The perspective was now at Belling’s father’s funeral.

Her father, though a hero, met a gruesome end, yet his funeral was nothing short of magnificent. And from then on, Belin’s training began.

“We will learn two things. One is absolute obedience, and two, a dedication to do anything for the Empire.”

Keltazar endlessly drilled his ideology into Belin.

Everything for the Emperor, for the Empire, that was the start of her training. After a period of training, she was thrown into real combat.

“P-please…spare me…please…please…”

-Thwack!

The first time she killed someone, her hands trembled, but Keltazar clapped.

“This one was smuggling forbidden goods, violating the Empire’s laws. He was caught multiple times, yet repeated the same act, making his offense grave. Excellent. Thanks to you, the Empire is now a little purer.”

“…”

“Belin, are you shaking? Don’t be nervous. All of this is…”

“For His Imperial Majesty, right?”

“Yes. For His Imperial Majesty, and for the Empire, if we work like this, eventually everyone will live in a better world. So bear it and endure it.”

“Yes…I will. What about my younger sibling…?”

“They’re receiving good treatment. I hear they sometimes go out and wander, but don’t worry, we’ve assigned a few Shadow Guard to protect them. The diagnosis was quite severe. Acute stress reaction and adjustment disorder, depression, these are problems, but the most serious are auditory and visual hallucinations and mana rejection from brain damage.”

“…?”

Noticing Belin’s puzzled look, Keltazar asked, seemingly dumbfounded.

“Why are you acting like you’re hearing this for the first time?”

“It’s just…I’d only heard it was terminal, never that detailed.”

“Ah…the hospital must have kept it hidden. Your sibling is a suspected interdimensional being, so it’s understandable.”

“A suspected interdimensional being…?”

“Yeah, recently there’s been an increase in these other entities possessing people in the Peren Empire. It’s intel only known within the Dark Shadows, and we’re killing them off one by one. After torturing a few, they said they came from a place called ‘Earth.’ We call them interdimensional beings. Not only are they a different species from an unidentified planet, but they’re stealing the bodies of perfectly healthy people, so those pieces of trash are naturally targets for elimination.”

“What does that have to do with my brother?”

“Because brain damage and mana rejection are the hallmark signs of these interdimensional beings.”

“…Explain…explain it in detail! What is that?!”

As Belin lunged toward Keltazar, Keltazar slapped Belin’s cheek.

“Control your emotions. No matter the situation.”

“…Please, tell me.”

-SMACK!

Only after Keltazar hit him again, did Belin calm down and stand silently for a long while. Then, as if satisfied, Keltazar continued the story.

“Brain damage and mana rejection. Those born and raised in the Peren Empire naturally accept the mana within their bodies. But not these interdimensional beings. They say that on their planet there are no artifacts, not even mana to help control them. They may have taken the body, but their mind cannot adapt to the body, causing a rejection in the brain. We call that brain damage and mana rejection.”

“So someone possessed my brother’s body?”

“It’s a suspicion. Not certain. But Belin, remember this. Just because brain damage rejection has occurred doesn’t mean everyone is an interdimensional being, but they are all suspects of being one. And those who are suspect of being under interdimensional control can be lawfully killed by us at any time.”

Keltazar drew his sword, adding,

“Using the suspicion of being an interdimensional being, I could kill your brother right now and there would be no problem.”

“…It might not be that.”

“Correct. If it isn’t an interdimensional being, taking an elixir once should heal them for the most part. Of course, brain damage from mana rejection will likely not be healed, but the elixir can at least stop the brain from further degradation, as it is now. Perhaps their condition might even improve. To be honest, I don’t really know because I’ve never done the crazy thing of feeding an elixir to a suspected interdimensional being.”

“…Why…Why are you going this far for me. What am I that you are mobilizing so many methods to raise me in the Dark Shadows?”

“You’re one of the Dark Shadows now, so you have the right to know.”

Keltazar scattered a few pieces of paper. They were the personnel files of several men.

“Your father, Bellaik, killed those who belonged to our Empire’s Dark Shadows. He killed them during an operation.”

“…!”

My father said he killed them because they were bullying the weak. But Belin couldn’t speak those words out loud. If he did, Rencatio, the knight who’d helped him visit his father, would immediately fall under suspicion.

“Why… why did my father kill five Shadow Order members…”

“Why? Are you saying that after seeing those kids training next to you? Most of those guys have been trained since they were very young to kill people. For someone, a commoner, to kill five of them at once? No way he’s normal. Your father was someone with an ability.”

“…”

“Looks like you didn’t know. Your father’s abilities were heightened senses and brute strength. He could fight enemies he’d never seen before, and once he had an opening, he’d crush them all with his bare hands. Of course, I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn’t listen. So, I decided. To kill him.”

“Was it… was it you who decided on my father’s execution…?”

“Yes, I’m the decision maker. Is there a problem?”

-A crunching sound…

Blood started to trickle down Belin’s mouth. But there was nothing he could do.

“Get used to anger. Accept that things will crumble. And control that emotion. I killed your father. So what can you do about it? If you stab me right now, do you think I’ll die?”

“…”

“No, far from dying, you’ll become a corpse here, and your little brother will die too as a suspected otherworlder.”

Keltazar leaned forward, bringing his neck close to Belin’s face.

“The children of those with abilities have a high chance of inheriting the same abilities. That means you might also manifest the same abilities as Bellaike. When that time comes, your value will skyrocket. Unlike artifacts that lack decision-making power, a truly living, breathing monster will be born.”

“…”

“But we don’t need monsters we can’t control, Belin.”

Keltazar smiled as he presented his neck.

“Will you kill me here and avenge your father? Or will you follow me, the one who killed your father, and save your brother’s life? Choose.”

“…”

Beline, having set down the knife in her hand, spoke through tears.

“I’ll follow. Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do…? I have only my younger sibling. If my sibling dies too, I’ll truly be alone. But…give me the elixir. The elixir…”

“Ah…I cannot give that to you right now. Only when you’ve performed a truly decisive act, then I shall give it to you.”

*

Beline grew daily, and the power of the Dark Order began to rise rapidly, as if piercing the sky. One day, Keltazar was summoned to the Emperor.

“Keltazar. There are rumors circulating in the Imperial Palace. Is it true? That you’ve taken a child and are using her to threaten and grow the Dark Order.”

“Absurd slander, Your Majesty! I am doing everything for the Empire, for our great Emperor, but I would never commit such an inhuman act. Surely, this is merely a fabrication by those who envy my achievements.”

Bermon stroked his beard and spoke with a grave expression.

“Hmm… Perhaps. It was not my intent to doubt your loyalty. But mark my words, Keltazar. The Empire belongs to the people. Therefore, any achievement gained by oppressing the people is meaningless. Remember that.”

“I will remember… and remember it well, Great Emperor.”

Beline, watching Keltazar lie so casually, felt a surge of rage. But this time, too, she endured it. Just like before, enduring was all she could do.

For the sake of her one remaining sibling, she was forced to follow the enemy who killed her father.

“Beline.”

Leos, looking at the still young Beline, spoke. But the memories of the past could not possibly heed Leos’ words, of course.

Nevertheless, Leos whispered to her.

“Why are you showing me your memories?”

With an utterly cold voice, Leos yelled towards Beline’s spirit, wherever it might be listening.

“So what? What am I supposed to do? Did you expect me to pity you?”

Leos opened the pendant he wore around his neck. The image of his younger sibling, whom he could no longer see. Leos, too, had once experienced a similar pain. But Leos could only watch his sibling, unable to do anything.

[She is in a coma. There is no chance of her waking up. The life support… is essentially pointless. She’s held on for over 7 years because of your wishes, but realistically, it’s time to give up. We, the medical staff, know that this is a pointless waste of money… so, we are telling you frankly.]

[Please maintain it. I’ll earn the money.]

[For now… I will do that. Once you make your decision, I will immediately disconnect the life support.]

Even in the direst of circumstances, Leos never killed or harmed anyone to protect his younger sibling. He didn’t push others into the abyss with excuses of inevitability. He simply entered the battlefields, earned his keep, and used that money to maintain his sibling’s life support. He poured in countless doses of immensely expensive new drugs.

He poured his entire life into keeping his sibling alive, who had suddenly fallen into a coma one day. Yet, his sibling remained unconscious. He knew the pain of a family member falling ill with an unknown disease better than anyone, and because of that, he could never forgive Bellin for ruining someone’s life while using her pain as an excuse.

“There are no innocently evil people. Therefore, you are still my enemy, Bellin. Stop your pointless antics and accept your fate. Even if you show me this memory hundreds, thousands of times, my decision won’t change.”

“The Shadow Syndicate, gnawing at the Empire. I swear, you will all die by my hand.”