Vol 2 Chapter 19 (1/2)

CHAPTER 19: THE HERO AND THE REUNION (PART 5)

Editor: Potatos, Skoll

At that time, the rain was falling, just like right now.

I saw with my own eyes Scampelier’s disappearing form, until finally a hint of an expression appeared in her right eye.

It was akin to the feeling of a lonely iceberg melting.

The whole world knows of what happened afterwards. I quit the First Division. Because there was no solid evidence that said I had let Scampelier go, I could not be sentenced.

But the people there could see.

So, I was killed by my former friends who joined hands in an unknown forest.

I don’t know how many blades struck me, until “little miracle” reached its limits.

I died.

And then Zhai He was born.

I had only lasted a day since I retired at the end of the war until I was killed.

At that time, I was wrapped in a crippling helplessness and suffering, all muddle-headed. I didn’t know what was right. I didn’t know what was a mistake. I didn’t know what meaning there was to my life.

I forgot Shen Zhen, forgot Luciewayan and Zhi Bu, until I even had cast Ailee to the back of my mind.

At that time I probably had really become “heartless.”

So much so that even my murder was something that I vaguely sensed, without any real feeling.

I only knew that I was not suited to be a hero, and that I had to pay the price.

When I died, perhaps my expression did not have any light in my eyes.

But after Zhai He had lost to Shen Zhen, I gained consciousness.

Following that was endless self-blame and regret. Every time I thought of that battle, I felt like a knife was stabbing though my heart.

Moreover, I missed Ailee.

My life did not just include me, but rather many people.

But that time I just didn’t care, tossing aside the whole world to implement my own brand of justice.

In the torrential rain, I gritted my teeth and converted my irresolvable worries into energy.

When I descended towards the tree trunk, I violently launched myself off the trunk and flew faster.

The surrounding trees seemed to be disappearing around me.

Soon there would be no time.

A little faster, a little faster!!

Chi–

I who was continuously increasing my speed, started to show signs of disharmony.

Then when I stepped on the ground I became aware that something is not right.

Dammit.

The ground underneath had turned into mud from the rainwater. I lost my balance and slipped. My speedy figure tumbled and turned on the ground, hitting two trees in a row before finally laying face up in the undergrowth.

Swaying, I stood up.

This suffering was too light.

I rubbed the blood that was streaming down my face and my dizzy brain.

Although I managed to use magic to protect myself, the speed I had been using in my heartless state left me no time to react.

The heartless state was much stronger because my brain could not catch up to my body.

So, it was unavoidable that I would end up looking so wretched.

Before when I was with the Expedition Regiment, there were normally quite a few people who were jealous that I had such inhuman speed without any magic strengthening.

But for me, being this fast did not make me feel happy.

There were two things I could not catch up to, time and s.p.a.ce.

When I was in full-speed mode, I saw everything in my surroundings in slow-motion.

But it was just very slow. Things that happened could not be undone.

I couldn’t catch up to time.

The other thing was when the distance was too far, even with full speed I could not catch up.

There were

too many things that were at a speed I could not reach.

But how could I give up at a place like this.

I once again used my full-speed to charge forward.

If I couldn’t run on the ground, then I would spring off the st.u.r.dy tree branches.

The patter of raindrops. .h.i.t my face. From time to time, they would flow into my eyes.

Shabang!!

I was unable to react and lost momentum again, charging full-speed to the ground.

I managed to look back and see that the st.u.r.dy tree branches had snapped, only leaving behind a strip of tree bark connected to the branch.

It was rotten wood.

It looked no different than ordinary trees, but the insides were rotted through.

I managed to keep my balance, but I had to use all of my strength to avoid the oncoming tree trunk.

The rough bark forcefully sc.r.a.ped my left shoulder as my balance was broken again.

This time, my entire body fell into the bone-chilling river.