I Became an Outcast in the Academy

5. Return (2)

“… Plural?”

When Cartesia asked in a timid tone, I nodded her head with a cold smile.

“Why? Couldn’t you have imagined that I would say these words? Did you always expect a touching fairytale-like ending where, like Hogu, you just laugh at whatever tricks those kids do to you, and at the end, you warmly forget everything?”

“… No, I didn’t necessarily think so.”

Contrary to what she said, Cartesia was looking at me with a really strange expression.

“Actually… I thought that you would smile like a person again this time and go over it casually. So, I was thinking about how I could convince this idiot and give those girls a shot.”

Cartesia’s words were quite sharp, but in fact, they were also realistic to some extent.

Because not too long ago, there was a high probability that I would have acted as Cartesia said.

‘But not anymore.’

From now on, I thought of acting a little differently from the way I’ve lived.

Because I now realized that with my old mindset of putting my sister first and not myself, nothing would change.

No, to be more precise, it would be correct to say that I treated them with a generous heart, unlike usual, because they were my family.

After entering the academy, the only thing I could do was Ricardo talking to me, or strange rumors surrounding me, and cute little jokes. Originally, the world I lived in was a battlefield.

A world in which people do not care about dying and killing each other, and someone’s life disappears in the blink of an eye.

Among them, as a mercenary, I rolled around the battlefield for several years, and as a result, I had a career of surviving to the end.

The reason I was able to survive on the battlefield was simply luck, as I said before, but it was also because I never broke the iron rules of mercenaries.

I never carelessly trust anyone else, but if I do, I trust him to the end.

And if someone betrays me, I will retaliate in some way and let others know.

If there is another person who has betrayed my trust, I will set an example for others in the sense that I will definitely not stand still next time.

It was a simple reason that I would apply that iron rule to my younger sisters now, but I didn’t change anything.

“But revenge… I know you’re very upset right now, but don’t you think you’re crossing the line or something?”

“Crossing the line?”

“That… Hey. For example, if you kill those girls, or make them not even die, or something like that… “

For a moment, as I listened to Cartesia’s words, I put on an absurd expression.

“… Kill? I? My sisters?”

It was absolutely absurd. In the first place, I had no reason to kill those children.

“Think about it, Cartesia. Why would I kill those children? All my sisters did was hit me in the back of the head, right? He didn’t try to kill me, he didn’t cut me off, and he didn’t imprison me.”

A smile comes out of my mouth.

No, I had a feeling that something was bubbling deep in my heart, so much so that I couldn’t help but laugh.

However, I know very well that the feeling of anger is not helpful when it comes to thinking and making judgments, so I open my mouth, calming myself down as much as possible.

“Since I said revenge, Cartesia, I think you are misunderstanding something… I’m not trying to kill my sisters, I’m going to make them pay. The price for everything you’ve done to me so far.”

“… Cost?”

Cartesia tilted her head as if I didn’t understand what I was saying.

“I thought of them as my family. That’s why I took care of them as best I could, and even strengthened the talents I had.”

However, the price for all of that only came back as a cruel betrayal of me.

… Well, yes It is somehow understandable that he betrayed me by conceding a hundred times.

For my younger sisters, who have been living in the bottom of the gutter, it must have been a hard temptation to rise to the top simply by slapping me in the back of the head.

Then I also think I have enough qualifications to discipline my younger sisters as a senior in life and as a family member for a while.

The ‘revenge’ I’m talking about was in that sense.

I will take away all that I have given my sisters, and I will bring them back from their lofty heights, arrogantly looking down at me, to the position of orphans rolling through the filthy back alleys.

And at the end of that, I will approach and ask questions to my younger sisters, who have become tattered and have lost everything, just like me.

How are you feeling right now? Did you really not know that you would end up like this even when you guys were playing around with me?

Now, do you think you know a little bit about the miserable feeling I felt at that time?

Do you regret the dog-like actions you did to me?

Forgiveness or reconciliation will only come out after the younger sisters have fallen to the bottom and humiliated in that way.

To say that a loser who has lost everything he has ‘forgives’ to a victor is not true forgiveness.

It’s just a petty escape that doesn’t want to admit the reality it’s in.

I think the true meaning of forgiveness is the hand of sympathy that is extended only after thoroughly crushing the opponent, throwing him into the gutter, and making him not even dare to attack me again.

That was the form of ‘revenge’ towards my younger sisters that I was thinking of.

“…..”

And Cartesia, who had been silently listening to my words, looked at me with gloomy eyes for some reason.

“… If so, I will be of no use to you now.”

“What are you talking about again?”

That statement by Cartesia sounds really ridiculous to me.

How many times have I received help from Cartesia until I got to where I am now?

If Cartesia hadn’t been by my side, she would have been expelled from Routra, just as Ricardo and her sisters had planned, let alone utter the word revenge here and now.

How much comfort was Cartesia by my side as my one and only friend during the difficult times when not only

But also everyone in the world felt like my enemies?

I could say that. For me so far, the person who helped me more than anyone else in the world was none other than Cartesia.

“I’m sorry, but that’s just a human favor you have for me, I can never be of any help to you. Actually you know That I am just an ordinary person, not possessing monstrous talents like you and your sisters.”

From an objective point of view, Cartesia was also a talented person with considerable potential.

She has developed her own ability that was dormant in the imperial bloodline, and like Lobelia, she has a natural sensitivity to spirits, so she can command low-level spirits casually, and even has excellent swordsmanship skills.

However, that was also the limit of Cartesia.

Although she had excellent skills in many fields, she did not have exceptional talent in any one field.

And there was a high possibility that such a shabby talent would not be of much help in fighting against Elina Leticia, Seria, and Lobelia, whom I had to deal with from now on.

Especially now that the emperor has forbidden the power of the imperial family to intervene in quarrels between students.

But.

“What the hell is wrong with that?”

“… What?”

“If you are worried about your lack of talent, here is a simple solution.”

I smiled and pointed at Arrieta, who had been listening to our story in a daze until now.

That’s right. I don’t know anyone else, but at least for me, it was a very simple thing to artificially increase a person’s innate talent.

But when I hear what my ‘solution’ is, Cartesia looks at me with a very surprised expression.

“You can’t believe that ability… Did you intend to use it for me too?”

“Why? Is it because you don’t like my ability?”

Her meaning in Cartesia As I was puzzled by her reaction, she vigorously shook her head from side to side as if denying her words.

“No, it’s not like that, the fact that you trust me enough to use that ability on me is so… thank you so much If you use that ability… It also serves as a proof that we are connected anytime, anywhere. Is not it?”

Saying that, Cartesia grabs my hand tightly with her excited expression.

“So? What are the conditions for activating that ability? What can I do?”

“Huh? Oh, actually nothing special. If you and I just exchange saliva with each other, that’s it… “

But I couldn’t finish what I hadn’t been able to say. Because Cartesia’s excited lips blocked mine.

“… Ugh!”

A fragrant smell spreads in my mouth in an instant.

Feeling Cartesia’s tongue trampling through every corner of my mouth, I thought to myself:

… But in fact, rather than kissing each other like this, the ability is activated just by exchanging blood.