Chapter 78 : Chapter 78

Chapter 78. I Hereby Name It the Sunrise Cut (2)

“I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I will definitely kill you. I will surely kill you. I will absolutely kill you.”

There is a man waiting alone in the training ground with a face full of killing intent.

A shining bald head and a sturdy, muscular body.

And a man with a heinous expression, as if waiting for his parents' murderer.

It was Zordic Panola.

Beside him were a few friends from the same grade, all with sour expressions.

“Hey, are you really going to do it?”

“He's a 1st grader.”

“I don't think it's something to have a duel over.”

At his friends' attempts to stop him, Zordic's face crumpled, and he pointed to his own head and said.

“You're saying it's not your business?”

“No, well…”

“Wouldn't you guys have a grudge?”

At Zordic's words, his friends couldn't dare to say no.

In fact, they had all seen Zordic's hair being blown away.

Now, he had just shaved it all off and was a clean-shaven bald man, but at that time, it was truly…

‘Funny.’

‘I've never seen such a funny hairstyle in my life.’

‘If it were me, I would have died on the spot.’

In fact, just thinking about that hairstyle at that time made the corners of their mouths, who were his friends, curl up.

If their opponent hadn't been the second son of the Marquis Panola family, they would have openly teased him too.

“Such humiliation to me…. and even in front of her…”

Zordic gritted his teeth.

It was infuriating enough to have become a laughingstock, but what enraged him the most was that he had been embarrassed by showing such a sight in front of the person he least wanted to show it to.

“I'll kill him. No matter what the consequences, I will definitely kill him.”

He was planning to kill Patrick by any means necessary. But….

10 minutes passed.

30 minutes passed.

And finally, an hour passed, but….

“Why isn't this bastard coming?”

“I wonder.”

“Did you deliver the duel challenge?”

“I did. But the butler who is his servant took it.”

“Then why!?”

To answer someone's resentful cry….

* * *

“Do I have to go just because he told me to?”

“That's not right, is it?”

“Right? Where does a disrespectful brat get off telling people to come and go? Am I right?”

“Your words are absolutely correct. Young Master.”

The duel challenge was definitely delivered properly.

However, the opponent of that duel was a crazy bastard who didn't care about common sense as much as a dog's eye booger, and his only confidant was a follower who would say, ‘The Young Master's words are the correct answer and the truth,’ no matter what the crazy bastard did.

In the end, Patrick didn't care about the duel or anything, went to the cafeteria to eat, washed up, came to his room, and was lazing around with his head on April's lap.

And April was currently burning with the sacred mission of cleaning Patrick's ears and was concentrating on it.

After carefully cleaning, as if not to leave a single speck of dust in Patrick's ear, she blew on it to blow away the dust, and then….

“Now, you can lie on the other side.”

“Oh, alright.”

Patrick turned his body on April's lap and lay down again.

What a leisurely life. His life was truly remarkably leisurely.

Unlike someone else.

Bang bang bang!

The peace of Patrick, who was having such a leisurely time, was disturbed by the sound of someone knocking on the door roughly.

“Who is it?”

“I don't know. Don't worry about it.”

“Understood.”

Patrick, lying on April's soft lap, was about to take a nap just like that…

Bang bang bang bang bang!

“Ah, which bastard is it? Really?”

Patrick got up from his seat irritably. And when he flung the door open, there was….

“Pa…. Patrick.”

“You are…. who was it again?”

“I'm Laph Benderson. We're in the same 1st grade, aren't we?”

“Ah, I see. But why are you knocking on the door like that?”

“The seniors are calling for you.”

“Tell them I'm not going.”

“……”

At this answer, which came out without a second's hesitation, Laph momentarily thought, ‘What's with this guy?’

But he quickly came to his senses and said.

“They said if you don't come, they'll grab the 1st graders one by one and beat them up. In fact, a few have already been caught and are getting beaten to death by the seniors.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, that's too bad.”

“……”

Patrick's expression, which said it had nothing to do with him, was full of sincerity.

To such a Patrick, Laph said.

“Don't be like that, just go. If you don't go, all the 1st graders will have a hard time from now on.”

“It's fine. The true taste of life is hardship and suffering.”

“Keuk, your friend Matthew has also been caught.”

“…Ah! Steeeew.”

“Do you remember now?”

“No. I know him. I know him. You're talking about that guy, right? The timid one, and that…. anyway, that guy.”

“……”

This was sincere.

It was clear that he hadn't immediately remembered who Matthew was.

And in fact, even if he did, it wouldn't have mattered much.

Patrick shrugged and said.

“So what? He needs to be taught a lesson. He lacks guts.”

“What does guts have to do with anything? Guts?”

“Ahem, don't guts sprout in the midst of adversity and trials?”

“……”

Thus was the devil's logic.

* * *

Geudeudeuk. Geudeuk(Crack-crack).

It felt like his teeth would break from all the grinding.

Beside such a Zordic, the other 3rd graders said.

“Calm down a bit.”

“Calm down? Is this something to be calm about-!”

Seeing Zordic yell, the 3rd grader who had spoken to him momentarily felt a surge of anger, thinking, ‘Why are you yelling at me?’

But on the other hand….

‘Right. It's understandable that he's angry.’

He also had that thought.

“Damn it, this damn bastard, why the hell isn't he coming? Whyyyyyyy!?”

Zordic was slowly going crazy.

The 3rd graders, who wanted to back out before things got bigger.

Seeing Zordic, who was going crazy, no, who seemed to have already gone crazy, they couldn't do anything.

“Damn it, 1st graders!”

The enraged Zordic called for the 1st graders again.

And then, he gritted his teeth at them and said.

“Collective responsibility. All of you, line up in a single file!”

The 1st graders frowned at that.

They knew that the hierarchy in the Knight Faculty was absolute and that they could be punished by the seniors.

But wasn't this too much?

‘This is going too far.’

‘Senior or not…’

‘If it weren't for the Marquis Panola family, really.’

The 1st graders trembled with humiliation. But….

“Does anyone have a complaint?”

As Zordic exuded a powerful aura, the 1st graders hurriedly lowered their heads.

That's right. It wasn't just the family; they didn't have the skill to stand up against the violence right in front of them.

Wasn't the power that could be exerted immediately much closer than principles or authority?

Seeing the 1st graders with their heads lowered, Zordic gritted his teeth and said.

“You gutless things…. Line up one by one! And grit your teeth!”

In the end, the 1st graders lined up powerlessly.

But just then….

“Sto…. sto- sto-…. Stop… this!”

One of the 1st graders bravely stepped forward.

No, should the word ‘bravely’ be removed?

From his trembling voice and shaking legs, it was obvious to anyone that he was scared.

However….

“Th-… this is not right, is it? Even if you are our senior, I believe you should not do this.”

Among the 1st graders gathered here, the only one who had squeezed out the courage he didn't have and spoken up was this one.

At that, Zordic said with an impressed expression.

“Hoooh? What's your name?”

“Ma…tthew.”

It was Matthew, the commoner.

“Matthew? Aaaah…. You're that?”

Zordic knew Matthew. How did he know him?

“You were the starting point of this whole incident, weren't you?”

The reason why Patrick had ended up on bad terms with the Marquis Panola family was because of Matthew.

‘Don't tremble. I have to say what I have to say.’

Matthew gritted his teeth, tensed his stomach, and squeezed out his voice.

“I know the reason why Patrick and you, senior, clashed. It is also true that I was the cause. But the cause of all that…”

“The cause?”

“Was because your younger brother, Roist, used unreasonable violence against me. Patrick was only helping me.”

“Right. I'm sure that's what happened.”

“S-… so…”

“So what? You're saying you did nothing wrong?”

“……”

“Then it's all my fault.”

A smile appeared on Zordic's face.

A smile full of killing intent, not goodwill.

“To have come out for revenge for something my younger brother did wrong, I'm just like the evil noble in a story. Am I not?”

“…That was not my intention.”

“No. You're right.”

“……”

“But you know.”

Zordic wrapped his arm around Matthew's shoulder and said.

“So what can you do?”

“Th-… keok!”

Matthew screamed and fell with an intense pain in his face.

Zordic's fist, which had flown out of nowhere, had struck Matthew squarely in the face.

And the ensuing knee struck Matthew's solar plexus, and as Matthew collapsed, Zordic stomped on his head.

“What can you do? Huh?”

“Ugh…. uuu…”

“Did you think you'd become something just by speaking the truth, you powerless bastard?”

“A kn…. a knight…. justice…”

“What a load of crap.”

“Ugh…”

As Zordic put more force into his stomping foot, Matthew groaned in pain as if his head would break.

And Zordic said with a cold expression.

“You brat, you don't know the world at all. Even if I were to kill you here now, it wouldn't be impossible to dismiss it as an accident.”

“……”

“But what? Justice? Chivalry? Do you think someone will agree with you if you say such things? Look at your classmates next to you. Is there a single one who steps up to help you?”

At Zordic's words, the 1st graders lowered their heads.

And the 3rd graders also had somewhat uncomfortable expressions.

In fact, if one were to discuss chivalry, no, if one were to clearly distinguish right from wrong as a noble, it was clear whose side one should take now.

But is reality ever like that?

Zordic, the second son of the Marquis Panola family, was also a powerful successor to the Marquis Panola family.

These people here had too much to lose to choose to stand against Zordic here for the sake of a moment's sense of justice.

Having a lot means having a lot to lose.

Those who are born into good families and grow up in good environments learn to never let go of what they have.

To that end, they are sometimes willing to break principles and logic.

Just like now.

‘Damn it…. Damn it…’

Matthew was furious.

He had entered the Knight Academy with great difficulty, with high hopes of becoming a knight.

But he hadn't known that the reality he would face would be such a cesspool.

What kind of place was this, where the best talents of the kingdom gathered?

An educational institution that nurtures the best talents who will lead the future of the kingdom?

Not a chance.

This place was just a miniature version created to experience the power structure of society in advance.

There was no trace of the honor of a noble or the dignity of chivalry to be found.

“Oh? This bastard is crying.”

Zordic sneered at Matthew.

“Kick…. Are you starting to grasp reality a bit? You naive brat?”

“……”

Frustration and injustice.

And Matthew's tears, shed in the face of the filth of reality, were just a source of ridicule for Zordic.

Zordic looked down at Matthew and said.

“Say it with your own mouth. ‘I'm sorry for acting out of place. I'll live quietly from now on.’”

Zordic wanted submission from Matthew.

He wanted this brat, who had dared to speak the righteous truth and displease him, to submit to him and bow his head.

By doing so, his victory would be all the more certain.

In the first place, it was Zordic's common sense that a brat with no power or authority should bow his head to someone like him and live a groveling life.

So isn't it good for this punk too?

He was able to learn the proper common sense before he grew up and became an adult. But….

“…I refuse.”

Unexpected words came from Matthew's mouth.

“Huh?”

“……”

“Did I hear wrong? Why don't you say it again?”

“I said I refuse, you bastard.”

“Hoooh…”

“……”

“It seems you're much dumber than I thought.”

Zordic grabbed Matthew by the collar and lifted him up.

And with a cold expression, he said.

“You, do you really think I won't kill you?”

“……”

“Right. You might think that. In fact, if you kill someone within the Academy, the cleanup becomes a headache.”

When Zordic said this, the ones who were most relieved were not Matthew, who was being threatened, but the other 3rd graders.

As he said, if an upperclassman killed a lowerclassman within the Academy, the problem would be serious.

The events so far could be dismissed as just a common disciplinary action between seniors and juniors, but a person dying was a different matter.

They did not want the matter to escalate any further. But just then….

“But there's something you don't know.”

Seureureong.

Zordic had drawn the sword at his waist with his other hand. And to the pale-faced Matthew, he said.

“The pride of this Zordic Panola is above your life and even the rules of the Academy.”

“Hey, Zordic.”

“Stop it.”

The other 3rd graders tried to stop him, but when Zordic looked at them with cold eyes, they couldn't step forward recklessly either.

And Zordic looked at Matthew and said a word.

“I'll give you one last chance. Apologize meekly and bow your head now. Otherwise…”

“Ptooey!”

Matthew spat in Zordic's face.

And at that moment, the air around them turned cold.

“……”

“……”

In the unusual atmosphere, Matthew smirked at the frozen Zordic.

Zordic's dumbfounded face, as if he couldn't grasp what had happened to him, looked somehow satisfying.

And to that annoying face, he said.

“If you're going to kill me, then kill me. You trash.”

“Ha…. Hahaha. Right. So that's how it is.”

A genuine killing intent appeared on Zordic's face. And then….

“Alright. I'll grant your wish!”

Zordic's sword flew towards Matthew's face without hesitation.

“Noooo!”

“Zordiiiic!”

The 3rd graders were terrified and tried to stop him, but it was already too late.

Zordic's sword had already reached right in front of Matthew's nose.

Matthew squeezed his eyes shut at that moment.

‘So this is how I die. But I have no regrets. It's just a shame that I couldn't grant my father's and grandfather's wishes. And my younger sister. Will she cry a lot if I'm not there? I said I'd come back as a knight, but if I come back as a corpse, she'll be very sad, right? But I hope she overcomes it and someday…’

“Huh?”

Strange.

Why am I not dead?

Matthew opened his eyes slightly. And what he saw was….

“How dare you lay a hand on my dear-est friend, Stew!?”

It's Matthew, you bastard.

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