130 Chapter 130: Meeting Again (1/2)
The first thing I noticed when I returned to school the next morning was that Troy King was back.
”Try!”
”Richard! Good to see you again!”
Troy smacked me so hard I was sent sprawling on the ground. Damn it, the guy still didn't realize how strong he was.
”Sorry, bro,” Troy apologized as he helped me up to my feet. ”I got too excited.”
”It's fine,” I assured him while wincing. Bloody hell, did he get stronger over the period of time since I saw him? ”Did you manage to find your brother?”
Troy scowled. ”No. the bastard escaped. I thought I had him cornered, but he blew up an entire city to throw me off. While I was busily trying to rescue the civilians he dragged into our fight, he made his getaway.”
”Holy fuck!” I swore. Troy's brother sounded like the worst motherfucker ever. ”He WHAT?!”
”I know, right? He could have killed them, and I'm glad he didn't. But the reason he didn't was purely because he knew I would try and save them while letting him go.” Troy's face was thunderous. ”He was taunting me the entire time as I rescued a crying family from a collapsing building. I wanted to punch his face, but…I had other concerns at that time.” He sighed and glared at his tightly clenched fist. ”I can't allow people to die because of me and my brother.”
I was vaguely aware that Troy's brother as an asshole of the highest order, who abused Troy when he was a child, but I wasn't sure of the details. And Troy wasn't forthcoming with them, not unless he was ranting, so I didn't ask.
”At least you saved them.”
”No…not all of them.” Troy's face was bitter. ”After he escaped, he blew up the rest of the city and killed all those people I was unable to reach in time. I can still hear his damned laughter ringing in my ears, saying it's my fault all those people died.”
”It's not,” I assured him.
”Really?” Troy rounded on me. ”If I hadn't gone after my brother, do you think they would have died? Would they have been dragged into my conflict with him?”
”Judging from what you told me regarding your brother…yeah. I reckon if you weren't around, he would have wiped out the entire city. At least you saved some of them.”
”That's…” Troy trailed off. ”…yeah. You're right. Sorry. And thanks.”
”No need to thank me.” I patted his shoulder. ”Anyway, let's go to class.”
As we both strode down the corridor, Troy suddenly stopped to stare at me, a grin spreading across his face.
”I heard, you know!”
”…heard what?”
”Hah!” Troy chortled as he smacked me again, but not as hard this time. ”Don't play dumb with me! I heard that you joined Black Rose! We're now in the same society!”
”Oh, right. That.” I nodded vaguely.
”After killing three rank A monsters too! That's quite the feat! You really got a lot stronger, didn't you?”
”…not strong enough.”
Troy must have sensed my mood, for he nodded somberly.
”I'm sorry about your loss. It's a real tragedy that shouldn't have happened.” He looked away guiltily. ”Here I am, complaining about not being able to save a city, while you were there, unable to help your juniors…watching them get killed right in front of your eyes. That…that's not something anyone should have to suffer from.”
That wasn't entirely true. I didn't witness firsthand Stanley Lee and Wang Fei getting slaughtered by the Crastrates. I arrived too late, way after they were killed, unable to do anything.
But I didn't correct Troy. Instead, I simply nodded.
”…yeah.”
”That wasn't your fault,” Troy assured me, mistaking my sullen silence for guilt. Well, he wasn't mistaken. It was most certainly guilt. ”You did what you could. And you succeeded in avenging them. I didn't.”
”There's a difference between having the people close to you die and witnessing strangers die. They are both horrible, but…there's a difference.”
”Of course, of course.” Troy nodded sagely. ”Sorry. I didn't mean to compare. I was just…”
”…trying to make me feel better. I know.” I waved his apology away. ”Don't worry about it. I'm just feeling a bit wistful when remembering them. I know it's already been a month or so…”
”Emotional wounds take a lot longer to heal.”
”…yeah.”
We continued down the corridor, toward our respective classrooms in silence. Then Troy stopped and smiled at me.
”I'll see you in the training room later.”
I nodded, knowing that he was referring to society activities. I watched as he headed in the opposite direction, and then I went toward combat magic class.