Chapter 250 – Chapter 23 – Back
Time passed after the academy started again.
Although West and East are now in a relationship similar to what they were before the Continental Wars.
An awkward atmosphere still pervaded the cadets.
The scars left by the Continental War are very large. It is like a scar that cannot be erased.
Even if East and West signed an armistice agreement, even if they prove with all their bodies that they are no longer enemies to each other by resuming trade that had been cut off and opening some borders.
A war in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed or injured on both sides will not be easily forgotten even after 100 years.
“…”
“…”
The cadets from the Western Union who re-entered the academy are those who take on a somewhat limited atmosphere.
Even they are still keeping their distance from the demon cadets from the beginning until now.
The reason why this atmosphere doesn’t improve at all even though I try to do this and that.
Perhaps it is because the Western Union is constantly divided into hardliners and moderates.
Some of the hardliners really remember the demons during the Continental War, so they make such a claim because they are reluctant to grow up.
Still others were maintaining a hard line for completely different reasons.
Because the handicraft business they invested in could be pushed to the east and completely ruined.
I know it’s not going to be a competition itself, but I can clearly see the picture of losing money.
That was the reason why the handicrafts of the East could not be unconditionally welcomed, even though the handicrafts of the East were said to be qualitatively superior to those of the West.
Conversely, more than half of the moderates were those who could make a profit by selling food to the East.
Things that could not make a big profit in the West could make a bigger profit as trade with the East resumed.
In this way, it was natural that they would have no choice but to lean towards the moderate side.
‘It’s natural to follow the profit. Beasts follow their instincts, and beings equipped with reason have no choice but to lean toward things that benefit them.’
I have no intention of blaming that, because Klaus himself likes things that benefit him.
However, even if that benefit may be good for the present situation, if it is harmful in the future.
It can be said that it is right to judge that it is no longer a gain but a loss.
The reason why Klaus finally gave up on the West is that the powerful in the West have already lost their judgment.
Being blinded by immediate gains and not thinking about future losses.
That was the limit of those who were determined by the Creator’s hand, and no matter how hard Klaus struggled, the result could not be changed.
Not all western isomers are like that.
But most of those who control the West are like that.
So, in the end, as long as they exist, the West can neither develop further nor escape from danger.
One day, Klaus caught and killed all the trash.
But killing one made someone else even uglier.
And each time he killed another, Klaus became more and more of a social demon.
He ate all kinds of curses and curses from humans, fairies, and beastmen.
Who is this all for, what are you sacrificing for?
Klaus, who had no intention of becoming a noble hero, gave up the West that day.
After all, the world is such a mess, what more can you do?
And if you don’t even know, why would you do that?
It would be enough if I just took care of myself and lived well, but now I wanted to refuse stupid things even more.
“Professor Klaus.”
Since there was no lecture, I was just taking a walk around the academy like a hanryang.
Some cadets cautiously approached him and started talking to him.
Two were human students, one of the three was a beast, and the other two were fairies.
I don’t know the names, but I know that they are cadets who look kindly at themselves and the meritorious forces of the Continental War.
So, Klaus tried to avoid looking sharp.
“It’s been a while since I saw you. Everyone. How was your vacation?”
“… Yeah.”
“Well… Have you been, maybe?”
Of course, not everyone was doing well.
Klaus probably knows the most accurate way in the world that the situation in the West is fucking right.
Especially since they all have the opposite meaning to the current ruling powers.
I’m sure it must have been a very annoying and tiring time.
Sometimes when I see guys like that, I feel a little bit sorry.
After all, he himself abandoned the West and people like that to pursue his own interests and went to Yulia’s side.
It may be a life repeated dozens of times for you, but they only have one life.
“Professor. Can I ask you just one question… ?”
“As much as you like.”
“I-that’s… You might feel very offended.”
“It doesn’t matter what. Try it.”
After Klaus gave permission, the cadets began to notice each other.
Who would ask a question that could hurt your feelings in front of a person you respect?
It seemed that a human aristocratic cadet had decided to take over that gun.
“The professor has completely abandoned the West and the kingdom… A lot happened. Some are caught and sent to prison, others are pointed out as being the same traitors, and some are disappointed in the professor and are living with alcohol every day.”
“Okay. I’m so sorry about that. It’s so sad.”
The cadets trembled at Klaus’ answer.
I wonder if that man is really the ‘war hero’ they knew before.
At the time, he was a person who was easy-going, knew honor, and took good care of those around him.
How many people liked and respected that appearance.
Even the nobles who treated commoners like pigs and dogs changed their perception of commoners because of Klaus.
A man who didn’t seem to give up his loyalty to the kingdom and the west, even to the very last moment.
It seems that he has completely changed, and his voice, which is regrettable, did not contain sincerity.
Kwok-.
The human noble cadet pursed his lips slightly before speaking again.
“… Did it have to be Eastern? Wasn’t there a choice other than the demons? If you didn’t like the kingdom, there are empires, and there are fairies and beasts even if they’re not human, so why bother…”
“Why did you return to those who fought against me and who harmed my comrades and westerners in the Continental War? You are curious about the reason.”
The cadets nodded at Klaus’ question.
The fact that the hero of the Continental War turned to the demons, who were enemies at the time.
And it must have been a shock to them to say that they would become subjects to their monarch, the Demon King.
How many people were killed or injured by the demons.
Among them, there were definitely soldiers under Klaus.
The southern part of the kingdom was one of the worst battlegrounds, and they were the ones who were in charge of it.
My soldiers died there, but the opponent was a demon.
How can you head east knowing their sacrifice?
The students standing in front of him were asking Klaus that.
“I know what kind of heart you all have and what thoughts you are looking at me.”
“…”
“It must be disappointing. That would be unfortunate. You can’t understand it. Other than that, there are many emotions. I have comrades who fought alongside me in the Continental War, and friends who believed in me in difficult times, but I left them all and went to the East alone, so how can I not feel that way?”
Because the cadets in front of me are still to some extent well-intentioned.
Because they are not nobles who would not be enough even if they pierced them with double-jaws and tore off their fluttering snouts.
Klaus spoke in the quietest possible way, but not at all softly.
“By the way, everyone. Do you know what I went through all these years in the West?”
“That’s…”
“No, don’t answer. Because everyone already knows the answer. From the moment the war broke out and I defended the south from the demonic offensive, to the moment I gave up everything myself after the war ended. What I had to go through was ‘disrespect’. Only horses are heroes, but they are more checked than traitors. Do you have any cadets who can offer a counter-argument to this statement?”
There was no one.
In particular, the aristocratic cadet, who was well aware of the affairs of the human kingdom, could not hide his gloomy expression.
What more could there be to say when they had driven out the one who saved them with their own hands.
Even if they didn’t participate in it, even if they opposed it, in the end, it wouldn’t change that they were the same nobles.
So it was even more embarrassing to see him, and it was also miserable.
“After I went over to the East. Do you know what the first feeling was after going to the side of the demons that everyone in the West called enemies?”
“…”
“It was respect. Something that had never been felt in the West for well over ten years. Do you think I would have been happy when I felt those who fought with me as my enemies? Or would it have been miserable?”
Of course I was happy. Could have been miserable It’s something I’ve always looked forward to.
But the cadets seemed to think that Klaus must have felt miserable.
Receive respect from former enemies that he has never experienced even from his allies.
Perhaps a man like Klaus would have been full of sorrow and pain rather than joy.
That face, which had completely hardened immediately, could be said to be clear evidence.
“If you are disappointed in me, I understand. But I won’t apologize. Even those of you who say that were a burden I had to carry after all, aren’t they just bystanders who didn’t step up and help me when I needed it? So I have no regrets. My decision.”
At one point in the past, he said he would do anything to save the West.
Since I am the creator of this world, good skills are overflowing, and I know who is the problem and who needs it, I believed that I could do that.
But one thing was overlooked.
No matter how great the skills are, even if you know the future.
That he was not an omnipotent ‘God’, but an extremely ordinary ordinary person.
The inside, which had been gradually rotting through going through all sorts of things, could not be healed, so it all disappeared.
All that was left was desire.
I want to live, I want to live like a human being, I want to live properly.
That kind of desire to live a life where you can enjoy everything whether you live it properly or not.
Klaus moved his steps and headed towards Yulia’s room.
While quietly reading a book, she welcomed Klaus, who suddenly burst in.
Then, after confirming that his expression had hardened slightly, Yulia let out a worried voice.
“What happened?”
“… I want to finish quickly and rest.”
“Yeah?”
“I want to live happily with you without any worries.”
“Uh, uh… Me, me too Me too… Why all of a sudden…”
The reason she pushed herself so far was to struggle to live.
And the act of whipping yourself in order not to go crazy.
When that whip is loosened even a little, a dangerous state of mind emerges.
Klaus hugged the demon king in his arms.
I just wanted to finish it quickly and get some rest.
Sooner or later, a small spark that will bloom will become a huge fire that no one expected and will engulf the entire continent.
Klaus, eagerly awaiting that moment, continued to embrace Yulia.
