I’m Not That Kind of Talent - Chapter 194

194. So long to the regret (6)

“Meanwhile…”

Unreadable brown eyes scanned the bodies lying nearby.

“You killed a lot of people.”

“….”

“I never thought they would actually kill the emperor.”

It looks like you became a hero at the right time.

The emperor is an opponent that not even I can do anything about. Stigma looked at Deon with new eyes.

There was a time in the past when I was given the opportunity to spar with the emperor. Of course, I happily accepted it.

I only had one sparring with the emperor, but I still remember it because it was such an impressive sparring. His skills are so outstanding that it makes you wonder if they are the same hero. The difference between him and me was only two steps, but Stigma knew very well how big a gap those two steps were for ‘heroes’ whose talents had already blossomed and matured.

Still, the reason I didn’t dare to be jealous was because I could clearly see the effort seeping into every movement for me to feel inferior.

then.

How should we view ‘Deonhardt’, who defeated him simply because he was a ‘warrior’?

‘….’

Stigma moved from where he had stopped and approached Deon, who was closely guarding him. The closer he got, the more he frightened and sharpened his blade, but he stretched out his hand without hesitation. The hand that stretched out almost to touch the face stopped at a certain distance from the cheek.

“It’s truly amazing. If you look closely, it doesn’t seem like much has changed, but I just think it’s beauty that isn’t human. “Is this something called aura?”

“….”

“Anyway.”

A soft smile appeared on his face.

“Congratulations. “You now have a force that no one can ignore.”

“….”

Putting aside Deonhardt’s luck in becoming a hero and gaining overwhelming talent against odds lower than the odds of being struck by lightning, or his sentiments about the hero and the demon king being on the same side, Stigma laughed.

“The fourth hero died and the third hero turned to the devil. “Even the first hero died like this, so now it’s my turn?”

“…Seniors.”

In the end, will we have to fight and kill again? Deon’s shoulders felt tense.

Stigma, who confirmed that he was putting strength into the hand holding the dagger, calmly answered while looking at his dull red eyes.

“Yes, junior. I’m sorry to make you nervous, but I want you to know that we don’t have to fight. “For me, fighting with my junior now is just a dog’s death with no benefit whatsoever.”

“….”

“My junior, you probably know that I am not fighting for the empire or the emperor.”

Stigma fights for ‘honor’. And not for the pure and noble ‘honor’ of self-satisfaction, but for the ‘honor’ to be seen and recognized by others.

“So there’s no need to fight a life-or-death battle here with no one watching against an opponent you can’t beat.”

Of course, there was another purpose, which was to get permission to destroy the Lowfel family, but that was also not a reason to fight Deon Hardt here and now.

The emperor is dead and the empire is collapsing. Why should I draw my sword when the person I needed to ask for permission and watch over has disappeared?

“I said this, but you’re still keeping your head down.”

“….”

His gaze is directed to the floor, as if he is watching or feeling bad about his own actions.

Stigma moved the hand that had been outstretched all along. The hand that was hovering near his face moved down and lightly touched his shoulder.

“Just raise your head. I achieved my goal, but I don’t know why I keep my head down. This was absolutely your choice. yes?”

“…yes.”

“Then quickly raise your head and straighten your shoulders. My junior’s actions now are disrespectful to the countless people who sacrificed themselves for this purpose and to the junior himself. Act confidently. ─And.”

The hand rises again and removes the cigarette from his mouth.

“I would have said that it is not good to depend on drugs. “No matter how much you become a warrior, you try to control yourself.”

Cheeik. He smiled as he extinguished the fire by pressing it with his fingertips.

“This is my final advice as a senior.”

Final advice.

Deon, who was fiddling with his empty mouth, raised his head. Their eyes met and their lips opened impatiently as if they wanted to say something, but they couldn’t get the words out easily and they flinched a few times before closing again.

The words that came out again after a short silence contained a completely different topic.

“…Did you successfully eliminate the Barbai tribe?”

“Oh yeah. Thanks to you, I was able to eradicate it. “Thank you.”

“…If you think about it, you always hated the Barbai tribe.”

As if he had a premonition of something, the conversation seemed to end and the words started again. Stigma quietly smiled as he could see that he was trying to continue the conversation somehow.

“Are you curious?”

“….”

“It may be a trivial reason for you, junior. “They just…”

I hesitated reflexively, but that only lasted a moment.

This is the last time we will face each other peacefully like this anyway. When will I ever speak honestly like this in my daily life where I am conscious of other people’s opinions all day long for fear of my reputation being diminished?

Stigma, who made a quick decision, spoke while hiding his hesitation so naturally that no one could notice.

“…The only crime an illegitimate child can commit is invading the village that was the only place he cared about.”

It’s a very boring and obvious story.

It’s a very common story that you’ve probably heard at least once, about a young illegitimate child who had nowhere to turn and managed to attach his heart to a peaceful and friendly village, but then barbarians invaded the place, setting fires, killing people, and wiping out everything.

Thanks to you, I have risen to this position through evil, so I should say thank you. Regardless, the feelings I have for them still remain.

“Anyway, it’s all in the past.”

There is also this reason why we spoke comfortably.

Since it is the past, it will not have much effect even if Deonhardt goes somewhere and talks about it.

Your honor may be slightly diminished, but it will only be minimal, and you will build up greater honor than the honor you will lose. Rather, it could be an opportunity to let people know that Stigma’s desire for revenge is so persistent and vicious that it can annihilate an entire tribe.

“Then let’s break up at this point. “You probably have work to do, and I also have to do mine.”

“…are you really… just leaving?”

“okay.”

Since the person I need to pay attention to is gone, I think I’ll start by taking care of the things I’ve been putting off.

Stigma turned his back. He calmly shows his back to a warrior who may be his enemy and walks without regret. Deon, who was staring at the back, spoke slowly.

“Can I see you again?”

“well. If you continue on that path and I don’t break your stubbornness, we will meet again. “It may not be a very good situation.”

Perhaps we will meet as enemies again.

I kept walking without looking back. Only after the gaze following behind him disappeared did Stigma stop in his tracks.

‘….’

The words I had swallowed because there was no need to mention them came out belatedly.

“The elegance… was on my body.”

The best thing to see was when we first met.

Perhaps because he has become a warrior, he has a more subdued aura than before, but the elegance that has become a habit remains.

Seeing that the humane demeanor I once had has disappeared, I feel like I have ruined my junior.

“I shouldn’t have given you that advice.”

Stigma smiled bitterly.

Now that he has become a warrior, he does not have to worry about dignity or manners, and even before he became a warrior, Deon Hart was a direct descendant of an orthodox noble family. He is a person who does not have to prove that he is a noble.

‘It was enough for me to be obsessed with my attitude as a nobleman.’

My thoughts were short.

The foolish illegitimate son felt a sense of kinship with Deonhardt in that he personally destroyed his family, but this was distorted and he perceived him as someone who had to struggle to be recognized just like him.

“Our junior will be recognized in noble society even if he stays still.”

As a leader of a squad of murderous demons, he became someone many people disliked, but his identity as a ‘noble’ was not denied. Because that’s what birth is.

Deonhardt was different from the illegitimate children who had to make every effort to enter aristocratic society.

‘….’

I looked back at the attitude I had become accustomed to.

Even Duke Stave Illuster, who can be said to be a model of the current generation of nobles, was momentarily surprised by the archaic etiquette of the older generation.

Even without people’s eyes, the body naturally moves to maintain its dignity. Stigma smiled faintly.

“…If you think about it, it was the same reason why force was considered important.”

The reason he was able to enter aristocratic society was because of his overwhelming force as a ‘hero’.

…So now I want to destroy my family with the most powerful weapon that could be recognized.

‘I wouldn’t feel strange if at least one family were wiped out in this mess.’

Let’s think about what happens next.

I took the step I had stopped taking again. As if predicting the future, the blood-red sunset stretched a long shadow behind his back.

Just like that, Stigma suddenly disappeared.

It was a few days later that news of the Rowfel family’s disaster spread.

***

Deon, who was convinced that the stigma had disappeared and that there was a demon in this place, hurriedly left the imperial palace, fearing that there would be another battle later.

I wondered what on earth the guys at the main gate were doing while the imperial palace was collapsing and people were arriving one after another.

‘I don’t know anything else, but the collapse of the imperial palace was such a big commotion that it could be seen from afar, so it would be impossible to not know.’

Still, if there’s no good reason for not coming, I’d be a little… very annoyed.

Because of this, I went to the extreme of assuming that they had all been disabled by the enemy or that they had abandoned me and gone somewhere else, but the faces of those who came to the front gate looked completely fine, even though they were angry.

As soon as the guys who were restlessly pacing around the front gate saw me, they got angry and came towards me…

“Master Deon! “As expected, you’re safe!”

“I followed orders and waited until the end!”

“…Yeah… I told you to wait…”

“Yes, that’s right!”

…It’s disgusting.

Why do I see a second crazy dog among them?

“Actually, I almost made the mistake of running into the building when it collapsed, but thanks to my doctor, I was able to stay calm.”

“Because there was no signal. “Going in when there are no abnormal signals means that you lack trust in Deon.”

“De-se.”

Who is the bastard who just said ‘de-se’?

How far has the Demon Cult reached? And Ben, why are you so proud?

I thought for a moment about where to start correcting, but then I changed my mind and looked at myself. At this point, I thought it wouldn’t be strange to say that I had the ability to turn normal people into crazy people, so I checked…

“Master Deon?”

“…done.”

I guess I’m tired. I see you thinking all sorts of things, even the most pointless ones.

When I think about it carefully, I think demons were originally like this. Is my mood different from before? You can’t take your anger out on those annoying people just because you’re annoyed…

“Huh? “I didn’t hear you clearly.”

“Good job.”

“Oh, it’s natural to follow orders!”

“….”

I slowly closed my eyes and opened them.

Yes, Ben’s magic stone necklace was there, so he knew there was no problem with me and stayed where he was. It’s not a bad behavior and I know it well in my head… but maybe it’s because I’m so nervous, the way he answers is just annoying. Tsk.

“…Now that we’ve taken care of the big stuff, let’s go back.”

“Why don’t you report it to the Demon King? “If another order is given….”

“Now that the biggest obstacle has been taken down, the rest won’t be difficult even without me. And…”

He probably wants to see me in person too.