CHAPTER 43: THE KINDNESS THAT HURTS.

"Yo bro, you wanna join us?"

An annoyingly casual voice came from my left.

I turned, only to see a group of three standing there.

A boy with brown hair and eyes, standing at the front with a smile that was suspiciously too bright.

Behind him was another boy with green hair and slit eyes, giving the vibe of someone who would definitely betray you at the very last moment while laughing at you.

And finally, a girl with a neutral expression and black hair, looking as if she were doing a favour for the whole world just by existing.

"Not interested... and who are you in the first place?" I asked without holding my frown back.

Honestly, I, for one, had far more important tasks than wasting time entertaining some extras who, for whatever reason, wanted me to join their little team.

And most importantly, this guy had that vibe. You know, the third-rate villain who backstabs people with the friendliest smile in the room.

In any case, he was suspicious.

I mean, sure, I am a pretty famous guy.

If you forget the minor detail where I kissed a duchess on her birthday in front of thousands of people.

But still, unlike most of them, who awakened months ago and spent their time training... I had less than a month.

You see, people like to think the Empire selects candidates for Noxvalen at random.

Well... that’s not entirely wrong. But there are a few criteria they follow.

Like, only picking people who’ve awakened at least four or five months ago.

...Unless, obviously, some devastatingly handsome guy volunteers on their own like me.

Not that the empire takes volunteers.

Even in my case, it was only accepted because I, the son of a duke, accepted by my own will to take the place of heir of another ducal family.

Well, Duke Astravore also pulled some strings here and there to convince the emperor...

In any case, even if we leave Viola, who had awakened nearly a year ago... Everyone else on this sky cruise had awakened for more time than me.

Still, that didn’t make most of them more powerful than me.

The reason was simple.

Not everyone gets the highest rank in martial arts and sadistic training from one of the top powerhouses.

Not even normal nobles could get that, let alone commoners.

Even with all those reasons, there were at least twenty or thirty people, the really talented ones, whom this friendly guy could have chosen.

So, why me?

The answer didn’t take long.

"He is Cedric Korric, one of the direct heirs of Korric Barony... and also currently the strongest person onboard after me."

The answer didn’t come from the boy. It came from Viola, standing beside me.

Ahh, so she’s the one who asked this guy to babysit me.

"And?" I asked, looking at Viola for the reason behind such a grand introduction.

Viola hesitated for a second.

"And... I asked him to let you and Sera join their group," she finally said.

Tsk... What does she think of me?

Do I seem like some weakling who would need help from some extras to survive?

And she says this joke of a guy, Cedric, is the second strongest onboard...

... What a joke?

Because there was someone stronger than him.

And maybe even stronger than Viola—

Even if their strength was a minor rank lower than hers.

Someone who no one was paying attention to yet and if that’s not all, that person wasn’t even a noble.

Nope.

She was just an unassuming commoner.

Not that I had any intention to join even if she had asked me.

The reason is simple.

I had other important things to do, like reaching the second layer... and claiming the treasure waiting for me.

So, I did the most logical thing: I rejected the offer.

"I’m not joining."

With that, I turned and walked away before Viola could drop the emotional bomb I knew was coming.

But as always, her persistent personality decided to shine.

"Rael, wait, you bastard."

I didn’t turn and just kept walking with quick steps. But just as I was about to exit the lobby, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me back forcefully.

"I said stop, you bastard." She snapped.

Tsk.

"What is it now?" I asked, already half annoyed.

"Why are you rejecting the offer?" She asked as her grip on my wrist tightened. "Don’t tell me you are actually planning to die."

Her voice wasn’t light or mischievous as always. It sounded heavy and emotional.

And when I looked at her...

Those ever-so-bright violet eyes were trembling and were on the verge of tears.

She was biting her lip with her jaw clenched in frustration.

This wasn’t the same sadistic girl who enjoyed bullying me with Lyra...

She wasn’t the same person who said, ’I’ll kill you’ whenever I interrupted her study session with Lyra.

No... this was someone else entirely.

Truly... relations are such messed-up things.

You think someone hates you.

You think you find someone annoying and yet...

... yet when you see them dying or on the verge of breaking, you just can’t take it.

She teased me. She bullied me. She called me a brat more times than I can count... and yet here she was, on the verge of tears over the thought of my death.

Why are relations such contradictory?

But I knew one thing, only the messy ones like these were real. The kind that aren’t born from logic or obligation but from something far dumber and far more honest.

I had only seen this part of her once before... at the time my mother died.

She cried as much as I did,

Not because she was particularly close to my mother...

...but because she couldn’t stand to see me and Lyra crying.

She was just another stupid fool in this cruel world... One of those rare idiots who cared too much about others and too little about herself.

And yet...

For some reason, I just couldn’t bring myself to hate her for that stupidity.

I didn’t find it annoying, like I did with most of the people.

Instead, a smile appeared on my lips as I looked at her.

"Lyra gave me a warning," I said. "She told me if I die... she’ll resurrect me and use the rusty pole very creatively."

Viola lifted her head. "What are you talkin—"

"So you can rest assured," I cut in before she could complete.

"I won’t be dying.

At least not before I take my revenge on you both."

"But..."

She still tried to argue, to convince me desperately. Her voice was laced with frustration and something very close to fear.

"No buts Viola." I reached out and tapped her shoulder. "Just trust me this time, okay?"

Her lips parted, like she wanted to say more but nothing came except silence.

But that same silence spoke thousands of emotions that no word could ever hope to express.

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