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[There\'s nothing more pathetic than a grown man crying.]

It was a remark that could easily brand Samuel as someone with a personality disorder.

But I didn\'t argue.

…It wasn\'t entirely wrong.

After all, we didn\'t even know why Ares was crying.

We just waited for him to stop because it felt like there was a story behind it.

However,

seeing Ares like that made me curious.

Why did he give me a legendary artifact, and why did he constantly monitor me, all because of Killing Intent?

He said he wasn\'t monitoring me these days, but his anger hadn\'t completely subsided yet.

Well, it was a good thing that I obtained Sijo thanks to Ares\' suspicion and surveillance.

But that was a separate matter.

Debts and favors had to be settled clearly.

I thought it would be better to hear what Ares had to say first.

Ares, who had returned to his usual expression, opened his mouth.

“……I apologize for showing you such an unsightly scene. It\'s just that it brought back old memories. I had a friend who was born with the Bloodlust, just like you.”

So what?

Was he saying there was a connection between his friend having the Bloodlust and him harassing me?

I listened to Ares\' words with an indifferent expression.

That\'s when it happened.

Swoosh-.

Ares suddenly took off his shirt and threw it away.

My eyes widened at this.

Because a large scar that reached all the way to one eye came into view on top of his sculpted upper body muscles.

A mark that clearly showed he would have died if he hadn\'t been treated in time.

Ares caressed the large scar and opened his mouth.

“……This is a wound my friend, consumed by the Bloodlust, inflicted upon me. He was crying as he swung his sword at his family and comrades. And he, too, was a half-demon.”

Just like you, Adel.

Ares said so and turned his gaze to me.

“My friend succeeded in suppressing the Bloodlust using a bracelet. However, he took his own life because of the karma he had accumulated. …He endlessly loathed his own constitution.”

Swoosh-.

Perhaps because he was overcome with emotion,

Ares looked up at the sky and continued.

“But you, you succeeded not only in suppressing it but also in controlling it. …Perhaps this instructor saw a reflection of my friend in you.”

Ares\' friend, who was consumed by the Bloodlust and took his own life due to the atrocities he committed.

Judging from Ares\' words alone, it certainly seemed plausible.

I wasn\'t actually born with the Bloodlust, but in Ares\' delusion, I possessed it and was a half-demon like his friend.

So he was saying that he monitored me because he didn\'t want me to end up like his friend.

…Did he really think I\'d be okay with that?

“How amusing.”

I simply scoffed at Ares.

I understood that Ares saw an overlap between me and his friend.

However, that didn\'t erase the fact that he harmed me and held me back.

It was enough to sound like self-justification to me.

“There were plenty of other ways, weren\'t there? This could have all been resolved if you had simply given me the bracelet beforehand.”

If Ares had purely been wary of me because of the Bloodlust and his friend,

he could have just given me the bracelet that suppressed it.

It would have been that simple.

But Ares not only misunderstood the Killing Intent but also suspected me of being a spy from the human world.

This part was Ares\' fault.

Ares, with a firm expression, opened his mouth.

“……I admit that it was my mistake. Therefore, I will give you two things.”

“Two things?”

“I will give you the dagger that my friend used.”

Hmm.

I couldn\'t help but ponder Ares\' words for a moment.

I had been thinking about replacing the Fang of Darkness with another weapon anyway.

However, since I didn\'t know the capabilities of the dagger Ares was offering, I was lost in thought.

“It will be quite useful to you, who can control the Bloodlust.”

“Well, I suppose.”

Although Ares continued his explanation, I wasn\'t particularly interested in the first gift.

For now, I decided it was better to think of it as one more thing I could exchange for information papers.

The important thing was the second.

I waited for Ares to speak.

“I will tell you the location of where my friend obtained the bracelet. Perhaps, if you go with that bracelet, you will be able to gain something.”

“…….”

Ares\' words continued.

I couldn\'t readily open my mouth.

That.

I already offered it as a price.

But since I couldn\'t tell Ares,

I decided to pretend I didn\'t know.

…It seemed like the artifact legendary artifact was indeed something precious.

If Ares telling me the location was equivalent to his friend’s keepsake, that was.

Lost in thought for a moment, I made a decision.

‘…There’s nothing to gain for me by confronting Ares.’

Sytan was already on my side.

Therefore, there was no point in fighting with Ares, who was Sytan\'s combat instructor.

Moreover, the emotion Ares currently showed towards me was clearly goodwill.

It wouldn’t be wise to demand anything more from Ares.

For those who had been through war, giving a friend\'s keepsake was no different than passing on his ‘legacy.’

That didn’t mean that all the resentment I had was gone.

So I added,

“I’ll be watching.”

If Ares were to act differently from now on, I would have no choice but to respond.

Hearing my words that carried such meaning, Ares asked with trembling eyes,

“Are you… forgiving me?”

“……It’s not something to be forgiven or not. Regardless of the harm you’ve caused me, you’ve worked hard for the students, and that’s a fact.”

Idea and Ares were different.

The reason why Ares conducted high-intensity training, doubted my Killing Intent and identity, and kept me in check was solely for the sake of the students.

As if I wouldn’t know that.

It was just annoying.

However, the only reason Idea favored me was that I was strong.

That’s why I acknowledged Ares but felt uncomfortable with Idea.

Did he read the look in my eyes?

“…That child wasn’t always like that either.”

“What do you mean?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Ares shook his head.

Click-.

Then, he sheathed his sword and opened his mouth.

“I’ll send the things I promised to your dormitory tomorrow. It’s too late to give them to you now.”

“Do as you please.”

It wasn’t urgent for me to get a new weapon and know where the bracelet came from.

Furthermore, in order to get the silver bracelet, I had to pay a hefty price to information paper.

Damn it.

If I couldn\'t obtain anything better from the place Ares told me, I would burn with endless hatred.

As I was making such a vow,

“……You’ve changed.”

Ares said.

I frowned at this.

What did he mean I had changed?

Seeing my reaction, he only spoke with a faint smile.

“Good work, class president. That concludes the swordsmanship exam. Wait for the results.”

Ares left those words and left the training ground.

Left alone in the training ground, I was filled with a strange feeling.

What was that?

The way he spoke, sincerely acknowledged me as the class president of Class A, not just as the position I held.

…It felt somewhat ticklish.

Swoosh-.

I raised my head and gazed at the two moons that had risen in the sky.

Just like the scenery of the Demon Realm, which was completely different from the human world I first saw at Arsene’s mansion,

the relationships around me were changing a lot as well.

Was this really a good change?

Endless questions lingered in my mind, but for now, it would be better to take a breather for Idea’s exam tomorrow.

Thump, thump-.

With that, I left the training ground.

[…….]

Along with Samuel, who had fallen asleep, seemingly bored with my conversation with Ares.

* * *

The next day came.

After changing into my uniform for attendance, I looked at my face from side to side in the mirror.

Hmm.

I looked wicked today as well.

This was my own impression, but what would others think?

[You look villainous.]

Samuel, who had woken up at some point, threw insults at me.

Come to think of it, Samuel also had no qualms about making personal attacks.

Clench-.

[You, bastard, first thing in the morning…!]

But Samuel couldn’t finish his sentence and only let out a groan.

As I was pulling Samuel along, I realized it was time and started walking.

And when I pulled the door to the dormitory room,

“Hmm?”

[What’s this?]

Samuel and I focused our gaze on the box in front of the door.

On top of the box was a neatly written letter.

『These are my friend\'s belongings. I hope you will treat them well…』

It was from Ares.

It seemed like these were the items Ares promised to give me last night.

Flick-.

I glanced at the letter and tossed it toward the bed, thinking there was nothing worth referring to.

There was no point in knowing the location where the bracelet came from now when I couldn’t even go outside of Sytan.

I decided to check it later.

The important thing was,

the keepsake that Ares’ friend used, which would be inside the box.

Swoosh-.

I took out the dagger from my bosom and opened the box.

And inside the revealed box,

“It’s a dagger, as expected.”

[It’s a dagger.]

As Ares had said, there was a blood-red dagger.

Its appearance wasn’t particularly special.

However,

“…….”

How should I put it?

I wondered how to define this ominous aura.

[This is… something magical.]

It seemed Samuel had grasped the identity of the dagger at once.

I also nodded heavily.

The dagger Ares had given me possessed some kind of ominous energy.

A sharp yet sticky, ambiguous aura that was hard to define.

‘…It’s similar to my Killing Intent.’

It wasn’t exactly the same, but with this much similarity, it was understandable why he would think I had the Bloodlust.

Since there probably weren’t many people born with the Bloodlust, it must have been difficult for Ares to tell the difference.

…Moreover, the cruel behavior I had shown him must have solidified his suspicions.

You could say it was self-inflicted.

Anyway,

“I wonder if it’s because it’s been touched by a selfish person so much, but it certainly seems to be heavily imbued with the energy of the Murderous Aura.”

I muttered so and reached for the red dagger.

I circulated mana to protect myself, in case some kind of magic had been cast on it.

I didn’t think Ares would go out of his way to threaten me, but it never hurt to be careful when touching something like this.

Thud-.

The moment I placed my hand on the red dagger.

Clang-!

I had no choice but to drop the dagger again.

The red dagger, given to me by Ares as his friend’s keepsake,

because a sticky voice, tainted with madness, flowed out from it.

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