True, the dagger was undeniably crude and poorly made. But to Elliot, it was an irreplaceable memento—
the one and only dagger he had forged alongside his grandfather, who had passed away in his childhood.
—[Grandpa! Let me watch you work in the forge again today, please!]
—[Oho, Elliot! Back again, are ya? Course ya can watch all ya like!]
[Thank ya! Watchin’ ya work’s the best part of my day!]
[That so? Heh, warms my heart… But, Elliot… Ya sure ya shouldn’t be playin’ with friends instead?]
[I-I… I ain’t good at readin’ the mood… I always get left out…]
[(…!!) Hahaha! That’s my grandson, alright! I was a weirdo too, y’knowgot shunned left and right! Just like yer ol’ gramps! Ain’t nothin’ to fret over, Elliot. Ya got me!]
[R-Really?! I’m sad I ain’t got friends, but bein’ with ya makes me happy!]
[Hah! ’Course it does! Tell ya whathow ’bout we forge a blade together today?]
[C-Can we?! I wanna try!]
A childhood without friends—filled instead by cherished moments with his grandfather. Even now, whenever loneliness crept in, Elliot would polish that dagger, reliving those warm memories.
A memento of his grandfather’s proud, gentle gaze as he hammered the misshapen blade.
A final gift from a dying man who knew his time was short—a way to watch over his grandson forever.
To Elliot, it was irreplaceable. His one and only treasure.
“P-Please… ugh, don’t step on it…!”
“I said don’t touch it!!”
“Agh…!!”
Elliot lunged, clinging to Kevin’s leg to yank it away—only to be kicked back.
“A ‘master smith’ like you can make better trash anytime, right? Consider this junk disposed of.”
“…!?”
Elliot’s face twisted in despair.
“P-Please…! I’m beggin’ ya…! A-At least spare this…!”
“Shut it!”
“Urk!”
As Elliot crawled closer, Som drove a kick into his ribs.
“Ugh… Please… mercy… That’s… all I’m askin’…”
Tears streaming, face contorted, Elliot reached for the dagger—
only for Kevin to mercilessly kick it further away.
“Relax. I’ll make sure nothin’s left of this trash. Just sit back and watch.”
With a crooked grin, Kevin approached the dagger, raised his right hand, and summoned a magic circle.
“Stop…! Please, I’m beggin’ ya… don’t break it…!”
Elliot’s voice cracked as he screamed—
But—
“Crimson Thunderbolt: Blaze Lightning!!”
A cruel scarlet bolt struck the dagger.
The earth erupted in a deafening crack, crimson light devouring everything—
“Ah… Aah…!?”
Tears blurred Elliot’s vision. Only a hoarse, broken whimper escaped his throat.
“Look at that!! Not even scraps left! Hahahaha!”
Som pointed at the scorched, cratered ground—the dagger was gone without a trace.
The trio howled with laughter.
“Acted like it was somethin’ special! Pathetic!”
“Just a worthless piece of crap after all! Haha!”
“Boring!”
“Ugh… Sob… It’s too cruel… Too much…”
Elliot could only weep, crushed under the weight of losing his most precious treasure.
[I… I did it! It’s done, Grandpa!]
[Aye, fine blade indeed! That’s my grandsonmight surpass me soon!]
[R-Really?! I… I can be a cool smith like ya?!]
[’Course! Yer already craftin’ blades this fine!]
[I’m so happy! I’ll cherish this forever! ’Cause… it’s the one we made together…!]
[Hah! Yer makin’ me blush, Elliot. Grandpa loves ya too!]
[G-Grandpa! Stoppit…!]
[Hahaha!]
The memories surged—sunlit days with the grandfather he adored.
Those memories were the most important thing to him.
“Ugh… Aah… Aaah…”
I’m sorry, Grandpa… I’m so sorry…
Grief, piercing as a blade, and a loss deeper than any he’d known. Elliot apologized in his heart, over and over.
Then—
“—Hey. This dagger’s damn cool. Take a look.”
Elliott heard a voice right next to him.
A voice—gentle yet firm—spoke beside him. Not one of the three.
“My family’s merchants. I know quality when I see it.”
“Huh… Sob… …?”
Blinking through tears, Elliot froze at the impossible sight before him.
“……!!”
A black-haired student knelt nearby—holding the dagger that should’ve been obliterated moments ago.
“A little rough in shape, but clearly well-made.”
“H-How… That’s—”
“Important to you?”
The boy’s voice was kind.
“…!! Y-Yes!! My most… precious thing…!”
Elliot nodded fiercely.
“Yeah, no kidding. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be polished this beautifully. I get it—this is a blade someone treasures…..And yet, seems like there are some idiots out there who’d trample all over something that precious…”
With that, the male student stood up and turned around, locking eyes with Kevin and his group before declaring:
“—And guys like that? Someone’s gotta put ’em in their place.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“GYAHAHAHA!”
“Kukuku! Hey, shrimp, take a good look—!?”
Kevin smirked as he turned his gaze behind him.
He was practically giddy, wondering just how miserable the expression on the other’s face would be—but for some reason, there stood a stranger instead.
A black-haired male student, his uniform marked with the gray line indicating his status as a C-Class student.
“(—!? Who the hell is this guy…? Since when was he…?) —Who… are you?”
The grin that had been plastered on Kevin’s face just moments ago vanished, replaced by a furrowed brow and a suspicious glare.
“! …Hey, check this out.”
As if noticing something, Dominic pointed at the boy’s feet—or more accurately, at Elliot, who was crouched down beside him.
Following Dominic’s gesture, Som let out a surprised shout.
“Huh…? Hah!? Wait, isn’t that the shrimp’s dagger!?”
“………”
Kevin’s eyes shifted to it as well, confirming that it was indeed the same dagger he had just shattered into pieces moments ago.
“……..Hey, you. C-Class. Don’t tell me—this was your doing?”
His sharp gaze demanded an answer.
…But the boy didn’t respond to the question. Instead, he made a demand of his own—directed solely at the three of them.
“You guys—apologize. To him. Right now.”
The boy glanced once at Elliot before turning his eyes back to Kevin and the others.
His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable strength.
“Hah? GYAHAHAHA!”
“Hey, C-Class, you seriously just say that to us? Ahaha!”
Som and Dominic burst into mocking laughter, as if a kitten had just tried to intimidate a lion—the sheer absurdity of it all was hilarious to them.
But even in the face of their ridicule, the boy’s demeanor didn’t waver in the slightest.
“Didn’t hear me? Apologize. To him. On your knees, hands on the ground—forehead touching the floor. Grovel.”
“!! …Oi, you little shi—”
“—Ha, HAHAHA!!”
Dominic’s irritated words were cut off by Kevin’s laughter.
Though his earlier amusement had faded, a new source of entertainment had just walked right up to him—and Kevin couldn’t have been happier.
“Hey, what exactly are we supposed to apologize for? We were just doing the shrimp a favor by taking out his trash for him.”
With a taunting smirk, Kevin waited eagerly for the boy’s reaction.
Then, the male student nodded once, as if in understanding, and said:
“Alright, got it.”
“Then I’ll beat the hell out of you.”
—With that, he issued a declaration to all three of them. An instant later, the boy’s black hair bristled slightly, as if standing on end. And in that same moment, his previously indifferent expression transformed completely.
Veins bulged threateningly along his temples and forehead, and his well-proportioned eyes were now bloodshot with terrifying intensity. A clear hostility—no, something closer to outright killing intent—seeped from his glare.
“Tch—!!”
For Som and Dominic, this was a fury beyond anything they had ever witnessed in their lives. Even though they knew their opponent was beneath them in rank, the sheer pressure forced them to instinctively flinch.
As the black-haired student strode forward with unwavering purpose, Kevin tilted his chin up slightly, looking down at him with a condescending gaze.
“……Hey, you delusional bastard. I’ll give you one warning—just one.”
Despite the boy’s overwhelming rage as he closed the distance, Kevin raised his right palm toward him.
“If you don’t wanna get seriously hurt, stop right there. Apologize now, and I might even let you off easy.”
His words laced with threat, Kevin deployed a magic circle aimed directly at the boy.
A Class C student versus the top-ranked elite of Class A. Objectively speaking, the difference in their abilities was as vast as heaven and earth.
Yet, even with Kevin’s magic circle directed at him, the boy didn’t so much as bat an eye. Instead, he clenched his fists—thick veins bulging—and marched straight toward Kevin and his group. The distance between them was already less than three meters.
(……He’s got some weird intensity, but is he seriously saying he’ll “beat the hell out of” me? A Class C trash like him—me? How the hell does he plan to do that?!)
A vein throbbed at Kevin’s temple.
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