The Sword Demon Tears People Apart

Zeron was an orphan.
So was David.
They grew up in the back alleys, and at some point, naturally came together.
They had several near-death experiences.
They had been stabbed while picking a vagrant’s pocket, and chased by guards while raiding a restaurant’s garbage.
Still, they were somewhat lucky.
After all, they survived.
At some point, people became reluctant to mess with them, and called them Beasts, saying their behavior was like that of animals.
They met Elena about two years before they started being called Beasts.
She had unusually bright red hair and eyes.
Her snow-white skin and neat appearance were quite eye-catching, making one wonder how she had survived in these back alleys until now.
As they lived together, the mystery slowly unraveled.
A fallen noble.
In the slowly declining kingdom, it wasn’t uncommon for families to disappear into the annals of history, and she had met Zeron and David not long after her family’s downfall.
The three quickly became close.
Zeron and David’s exact ages were unknown, but roughly David was four years older than Zeron, and Elena was a year older than David.
Of course, it might not have been accurate, but it didn’t really matter.
Elena, befitting a noble lady, had quite impressive knowledge, and David had ambition.
With Zeron as an excellent swordsman, they soon formed quite a large group.
As time passed, they came to occupy a corner of the underworld.
It was around that time that David and Elena got together.

It was when David was about sixteen.
Elena became pregnant with Medea.

David cried his eyes out, tears streaming down his face.
Even Zeron, who had been with him for a long time, had never seen him cry like that.
Was becoming a parent such a joyous occasion?
When Zeron asked, David sobbed and replied.
‘It’s good. I’m happy. Me, who used to beg in the back alleys, becoming a father.’
There were many children in the back alleys.
Pregnancy wasn’t uncommon for prostitutes, and there were children who didn’t know their fathers, abandoned children, children raised like slaves, anyway, there were many children.
Nevertheless, the reason David was happy about having a child was probably somewhat different.
Somehow feeling a bitter taste in his mouth, Zeron chuckled and made David drink a lot of alcohol.
And after a few months passed, Elena gave birth to a daughter.
They named her Medea, after the legendary great sorceress Medea.
But David couldn’t be fully happy.
Whether she had used up too much energy in childbirth, or perhaps got an infection from a wound in her birth canal.
Elena fell ill after giving birth to Medea and passed away not even four days later.
They did their best.
They brought a doctor, and scraped together all the money they had to call a priest.
But for a small underworld gang in the back alleys, that was the best they could do.
The priest they managed to call had no particular abilities, and the quack doctor only managed to keep Elena breathing for one more day.
David cried as if the sky was falling.
Even in the midst of that, he didn’t neglect caring for Medea.
Was it because Medea’s hair and eyes resembled Elena’s so much?
David was desperate, as if Medea was Elena’s reincarnation.
It was from then on.
David dreamed of advancing into the light.
To not lose precious things anymore, to not be oppressed.
And… for Medea.
That’s how David Trading Company was created.
*
“I’m going.”
“Alright. Don’t get fired for slacking off.”
“Bullshit.”
Zeron grinned and threw his luggage into the carriage.
Indeed, that bastard David had money, so it was quite a nice carriage.
“Kid, be careful on your way. If you get even a scratch, that bastard David might cry for days.”
“Hmph.”
Medea stuck out her tongue, Beh-.
When she was young, she used to cling to him calling him brother, but these days, maybe because of puberty, the kid had become quite rude.
“Eek!?”
Flicking a pebble slightly larger than a grain of sand at her forehead, the kid glared at him, fuming.
“Can’t you see straight?”
“Tch… Idiot!”
The kid stuck out her tongue again and quickly ran away into the company building.
David, that bastard, was glaring with fierce eyes, exhaling sharply through his nose as if something displeased him.
“You, if you lay a hand on our daughter while I’m gone, I really won’t let you off.”
“You? Me? How?”
Zeron chuckled and got onto the carriage.
The sight of that man pouting with his eyes narrowed made him want to give him a knock on the head.
“Where else would I hit her? I was just being a bit affectionate.”
“…I know. I’m just saying.”
“How insipid.”
Zeron kicked the carriage wall with his foot.
Neigh-, with the horse’s cry, the carriage slowly moved forward.
“I’m off.”
“Alright. Drop by often.”
“Of course.”
The carriage gradually picked up speed as it moved forward.
David watched its back endlessly.
Immature, lazy, violent, with no manners to speak of, and seemingly crazy…
But the most trustworthy and precious younger brother.
“I’m counting on you.”
David turned his back.
Through the crack in the company building’s door, Medea was peeking out with her eyes.
“Is the mister gone…?”
“Oh, our princess!”
“Ah, I told you to stop with that princess talk!”
“Haha! If our Medea isn’t a princess, who is?”
“You’ll get arrested for insulting the royal family like that!?”
The sun set, and time passed.
Leaving the past buried behind.
*

“Ah, this…”
Zeron examined the bottle in front of him with a miserable feeling.
Maybe about three drops left?
“I should have drunk more sparingly…”
It hadn’t even been two hours since leaving the company, but he had already emptied one bottle.
Sigh, he took out a cigar from his breast pocket.
He didn’t know the name, but it was quite expensive.
It was one that David had been cherishing.
“That bastard. He’s going to have heartburn.”
Zeron chuckled as he cut the end of the cigar he had secretly brought and lit it.
After puffing a few times, it lit properly and smoke billowed out.
Phew- Exhaling smoke out the carriage window, Zeron looked at the document in his hand.
It was a document with simple personal information.
There wasn’t much to fake in the first place.
It’s not like he was a criminal. No, he was a criminal, but since he hadn’t been caught, he was innocent for now.
Anyway, partly because that bastard David had refrained from serious crimes like human trafficking as he advanced into the light, there wasn’t much to hide.
Murder? Killing those who came at you with swords isn’t a crime.
‘Still, being a teacher…’
Of course, not a professor, but a term lecturer.
Still, he never dreamed he’d have the title of teacher,
Tsk-, Zeron clicked his tongue as he tapped the ash off his cigar.
The reason for entering the academy as a lecturer rather than a guard was obvious.
It was to gather some inside information.
Of course, the main reason was guarding, and information gathering was just a bonus.
That bastard David would piss on the king’s face if it was for Medea.
“Anyway, what kind of academy is this? If you’re going to imitate the Empire, do it properly.”
It was a pathetic country.
*
It took about four days by carriage to reach the academy.
The kingdom’s public safety was so terrible that they encountered bandits a couple of times on the way, but it wasn’t difficult to make them yield to the ground.
Becoming excellent fertilizer would be those guys’ life achievement.
“Is this it?”
Zeron glanced over the academy.
It was disgustingly large.
The buildings also looked quite impressive, seeming like they cost quite a bit of money.
How much money was spent was none of his business, so Zeron hurried his steps.
There should be a bed in the room.
Of course, the interview came first before that.
“Are you Zeron?”
“Yes.”
The interviewer was an old man who looked worn out with fatigue.
A royal court magician, probably someone like that.
But why is he speaking informally to a stranger?
Makes me want to give him a knock on the head.
“David Trading Company…. Well, alright. If you can cut that, you’ll pass the interview.”
What the old man pointed to was a reasonably sized boulder.
Called as a lecturer, and cutting that is the interview?
Even a student could cut that.
He casually drew the sword at his waist and swung it moderately.
Crack-, the upper part of the cleanly cut boulder slid and fell to the ground.
“Alright, good job. Go and rest. That one will guide you to your room.”
“Please follow me.”
He followed the maid who bowed.
Honestly, it was a bit ridiculous.
The state of the academy was absurd.
Would it be of any help for the kid to attend a place like this?
Well, David must have done his research.
“You will be living here from now on. It’s fine if you choose to reside outside the academy, but in that case, please let me know. I will assist you with the procedures. If you need any other assistance, please ring the bell.”
The maid bowed deeply and retreated.
Zeron unpacked his luggage in the room and threw himself onto the bed.
Poof-, a soft supporting sensation.
“Oh… This is excellent? At this level, it’s not much different from the one at home.”
Chuckling, he turned his gaze to the window.
The sun was setting, dyeing the sky red.
“Sigh…”

Although he had said it was shoddy and whatnot, the academy must have done some background check on him.
After all, the academy was an institution that even the kingdom paid quite a bit of attention to.
Of course, it might also be because David used money or whatever to lobby.
Having obtained a Gold rank at the Adventurers’ Guild before probably helped too.
Still, it felt a bit perfunctory… well, it’s a term lecturer position after all. It could be like that.
Zeron closed his eyes.
No, should he have one more drink before sleeping?
In the end, he emptied an entire bottle before falling asleep.
*
“What the hell…?”