The Hero’s Brother Is Bound To Be Depressed

238 – Running

“When I was 13, my mother eventually passed away. She didn’t even have a funeral. The doctor came and confirmed her death, took her body, cremated it and handed me the box containing her ashes. “That was the end.”

Blood was seen flowing from his clenched fist. It was because her fingernails were gripping her palms so hard that they dug into them. Kane continued her words in a trembling voice.

“As I was returning to my room with my mother’s urn, I heard a voice coming out of the living room door because it was slightly open. My father was drinking with guests. I think I stopped walking without realizing it because I heard a voice that didn’t sound sad at all, but rather seemed happy.

Even then, I still thought it was natural for my mother and I to be treated as invisible people. I thought it was the price I paid for committing the mistake of having an affair. I thought so too when my father told me that the b*tch was finally dead and that I could sleep peacefully today. However, I didn’t understand what my father added, ‘I made it first for no reason.’ What do you mean by first?

A customer who was drinking with my father said, ‘So, don’t be greedy. You should have kept the order. Haha, but out of the four, she got pregnant by the duke’s heir, so she must have been happy on the inside. Thanks to you, I lived a comfortable life as a commoner and died. ‘If I had gotten her pregnant, I would have secretly sold her as a prostitute.’

I didn’t understand the conversation between my father and the customer. My mother definitely told me that she met her father while attending the academy. So she remembered that her mother sometimes kept a diary, and she went to visit the outhouse where she used to live. And she found an old diary that her mother had hidden away. And then I learned the ugly truth.”

I didn’t know what to say. She had a vague idea that something was going on with Kane, but she never expected that such deep despair would exist.

Kane struggled to swallow his tears. Kane, gritting his teeth and suppressing his emotions, looked straight at me with tear-filled eyes and said.

“It wasn’t an affair. Her mother, a commoner, had worked briefly during the holidays to pay for her academy tuition, and her drunken father and his friends kidnapped her mother from the street in a carriage on her way home from work late at night and raped her. It’s not a one-time thing either. She found her own home, tied up her mother, and raped her every day. In her mother’s diary, she wrote that it was a terrible memory she did not want to recall.

My mother, who managed to escape two months later, immediately reported this to the security guard. But her father was the heir to the duchy. The friends I hung out with were also nobles of high status. When the trial was held, they used force, threats, and bribes to avoid punishment by making the father of the unborn child responsible for his mother and child.

After reading the entire diary, I was able to understand what the first thing my father said was. That’s the sequence in which she raped her mother. Her mother’s parents, having received a large sum of money, obediently sent her mother to her duchy in her carriage. And from that moment on, she stopped being a victim and became the woman who had committed an affair with her father.”

Kane opened and closed his mouth slightly repeatedly. Kane, who was trying to continue speaking, eventually lowered his head and cried quietly. His face was distorted by the pain that stabbed his heart, and he cried while shaking with unbearable anger.

“I didn’t know anything and thought it was okay for my mother to be treated like that. Even though she knew her mother was slowly dying, she thought there was nothing she could do. No, subconsciously I wanted her mother. Why did she give birth to me and make me suffer with her? I thought the fault was yours, not mine… .

My mother loved me like that. She bowed her head and asked for a favor from the person who ruined her life while being endlessly ignored, for me, who looked exactly like the person who raped her. So that I can get a basic education. It was thanks to her mother’s sacrifice that I was able to escape from the outbuildings, read books, and study… ! “I was like an asshole and didn’t know anything and was just blaming her mother!!!”

Kane’s voice rang out in the quiet cafe. She left Kane crying for a moment, then she took out a bag containing gold coins from the space warehouse and approached the cafe owner. Coincidentally, there were no other customers in the store.

“Excuse me, but can I borrow the cafe for about an hour?”

When he put the bag of gold coins on the table and said that, the cafe owner, who checked the contents, nodded silently without asking why, walked over to the door, and turned over the open sign.

I returned to my seat, but Kane was still crying. I sat down in silence and waited for Kane to calm down. Finally, as if she had poured out all her emotions, Kane raised her head and looked at me with empty eyes and spoke in a voice heavy with her tears.

“… Her mother died and the people in the family changed. Beyond being treated as an invisible person, I started getting rid of all the things I was interested in. If I’m interested in magic, I get rid of all books related to magic. If I became interested in cooking, they wouldn’t let me near the kitchen and only put trashy food in my bowl. The plan was to turn me into a corpse that just breathes and lives like my mother without any purpose.

So I wore a mask to avenge my mother. I was bothered by everything and gave up easily. They showed me the image of a b*stard who has no purpose in life. “Like a b*stard and a sinner, I tried not to be noticed by others, and I always lived on edge, trying not to even make the slightest sound.”

Now that I think about it, I can see that Kane had been acting like a bother all this time.

Kane was always bothered and didn’t want to move his body, but he was more passionate about the things he liked than anyone else.

If everything was really annoying, I wouldn’t have joined the Messiah Club in the first place. He wouldn’t have walked around with Aria, who was more active than anyone else, even though she was complaining.

Suddenly this thought occurred to me. Perhaps Aria was aware of Kane’s lies.

Perhaps he was comforting Kane, who wore a mask of annoyance, in his own way.

Kane continued speaking.

“After so many years, everyone started to forget that I exist. Thanks to this, I was able to study alchemy in the study, which no one in my family was interested in. If I tried to learn swords or magic, my family would definitely have prevented me from even starting. But at most it was just a few old alchemy books, so everyone thought it was just a waste of time and threw it away.

I desperately studied alchemy, secretly escaped from the family, and took the entrance exam for Transcendence Academy. I was gone for a few days, but no one noticed I was gone. After passing the entrance exam, I announced it to everyone at my second brother’s wedding.

Guests who didn’t know the circumstances congratulated me on my admission, and the family members had no choice but to congratulate me with a look on their faces. Because you can’t act like you normally do in front of other people’s eyes. After the wedding, I was taken to the head office and beaten to death. However, thanks to the Youssef family’s announcement that they were the first student in the Pension Department, the rumor spread and I was eventually able to enter Transcendence Academy.”

Kane laughed lowly. She must have laughed because she had lived her whole life being bullied and then got punched.

“And then I met you guys by chance. It was really fun. The manager who pretends to have a dirty personality but does all the good things, Luna, who has a kinder heart than anyone else, Lakar, who is sincere and reliable but lacking in some way, and the idiot who bothered me the most… Even Aria. I was really happy to be able to work with everyone. “I am truly grateful that I was able to make a precious friend.”

“… “You can keep doing that if you want.”

Kane smiled bitterly at my words.

“I thought I could do that too. I thought it would be okay to forget about her mother’s revenge and just live happily ever after. “Because I really enjoyed every moment we spent together.”

Kane’s words gave me hope that I could still be persuaded. Academy tuition was a problem that could be easily solved.

But Kane shook his head slightly at my suggestion.

“I was greedy. I got high grades because I wanted to live in a hideout with you guys. So the Youssef family found out. What am I interested in right now? So, against my will, they submitted a letter of withdrawal to the academy as a guardian. That’s the content of the letter you gave me a few days ago. Clean up and return to the family… “A letter containing a unilateral notification.”

Was that the content of the letter? . When I think about it, Kane’s expression seemed to have darkened since then. I leaned my upper body towards Kane and spoke persuasively.

“Just tell the academy it wasn’t what you wanted. no. I will personally explain the situation to Principal Nelson. Then it will be okay. “It’s not too late.”

Kane said with a sad smile at my persuasion.

“I told you. My family gets rid of everything I’m interested in. I’m sure my father will use his hand secretly. He couldn’t put all the innocent members in danger just because of me. That’s why I stole Calicum’s roots. There is a tradition of drinking wine together at the beginning of a family dinner gathering. Since no one would care if I snooped around the kitchen, it would be easy to put poison in the wine bottle ahead of time. If I were to drink wine, there would be no doubt that the wine was poisoned. “I will succeed in avenging my mother with my life.”

I said with tears in my eyes as I saw Kane’s relieved expression.

“If that happens, you die, so what’s the point of revenge?”

“… At least a son who is bad at his mother can apologize for his mistakes. “Okay, now the story is over.”

After saying that, Kane hurriedly got up from his seat. When I saw her packing her suitcase, I unconsciously got up and grabbed her arm.

Kane said with a bitter smile.

“You promised. You wouldn’t stop me.”

At those words, the suppressed emotions exploded.

I spoke in a firm voice without loosening the grip on my arm.

“Yes, I promised. “I won’t stop you.”

I twitched one corner of my mouth and spoke in a low voice.

“Okay, I don’t plan on stopping you. If you want revenge on your family, do it. But I won’t let you do it alone. Because your plan is so bad and stupid that I can’t stand it. “I have no choice but to help.”

It doesn’t matter if you say it’s an excuse or insisting. Whatever it takes, I plan to stop Kane’s plan to commit suicide together.

Kane’s face distorted at my words.

“Still don’t understand? Even if I drop out, Duke Yusef’s family is not the kind of people who will leave the Messiah members alone! If I don’t stop it… “You guys are hurt!”

I knew what Kane was truly worried about. She did not plan to commit suicide simply out of revenge against her family for ruining her mother’s life. She was worried that her precious friends would get hurt because of her.

Then, isn’t it natural for me, the manager, to step up and help the members who are having a hard time? I took a deep breath and said.

“I told you before. I said that my dream is to protect something precious and that I will definitely make everyone happy. Kane, you are included in all of that. It’s just your ending like this… “As the manager, I cannot allow it.”

Kane bit his lip. It was Kane who was glaring at me with a stern expression that said he couldn’t accept anything I said, but I could tell. Just like I did, a part of my heart hopes to catch myself from falling apart before I can’t turn back.

I let go of Kane’s arm. Then, I grabbed his shoulder to prevent him from running away, looked him straight in the eye, and said,

“I also promised you your growth. Don’t you remember? He said that he would think that becoming my friend was the best thing he did after entering the academy. I didn’t say that to brag. Because I have that much confidence. I think you forgot, so I’ll say it again. You will regret this in a few years. “I’m friends with Ross, but how foolish it was to worry about death just because of the Duke’s family.”

Kane gritted his teeth.

“He’s barely a duke… ? Ross, since you are a commoner, I think you still don’t know the horrors of nobles. Duke Youssef is a great nobleman of the south. A true aristocrat with a history that even the influential aristocrats in the capital find difficult! “These are people who proudly commit murder on the streets in broad daylight for everyone to see and create crimes that did not exist in the dead person!”

Kane grabbed my collar and vented his anger.

“The play house at the academy and the world outside are completely different! There is a class! commoners and nobles. The difference in status that can never be reached… !”

I roughly slapped away Kane’s hand that was grasping my collar.

“So you can’t give up being noble until you die?”

Kane’s pupils widened at those words.

“what… ?”

“Don’t you have a dream of abandoning the hateful last name Youssef, succeeding with the name Kane, and taking revenge proudly?”

“that… .”

Kane trailed off, perhaps at a loss for words. I shouted loudly at Kane.

“Yes, I am a commoner. I was also an inferior student who entered Transcendence Academy through special admission. But I tried to die every day. I have overcome the risk of death several times. But thanks to that, I became the head of the combat club and the second head of the first year class. “When you were trapped in the shackles of Yousef, the commoners you ignored worked tirelessly to put all the great people on the continent under my feet!”

Kane, probably moved by my words, also shouted.

“I tried too! “I thought and worked hard every day to see if there was a way to escape these awful shackles!”

I laughed out loud at Kane who was glaring at me.

“Is the result just a plan to commit suicide together? That’s just a coward’s escape. “It’s an idiotic thing to set yourself on fire just because you don’t want to fight your opponent.”

“Fuck! Don’t talk like that when you don’t know anything! “I made a choice for everyone!”

As I looked at Kane glaring at me with an angry face, I remembered the advice Estelle had given me. After all, similar people seem to be friends.

I asked Kane in a low voice, who was repeating the same mistake I made.

“Are you included in the choice for everyone you mentioned?”

As if I had been asked this question, Kane opened his mouth with an idiotic expression on his face.

“I-I…” .”

I spoke to Kane, who was speechless.

“I’m your friend, so I don’t intend to force you to choose. But I can help you make the right choice. Follow me and I’ll show you. See with your own eyes how great of a person I am and decide for yourself. “Will I die under the name of Kane van Youssef, or will I remain as Kane, my friend?”

He threw Kane’s suitcase into the space warehouse and motioned for him to follow. She wiped her face roughly once and followed behind her with a sigh and an annoyed face.

My heart was full of anger, but for some reason I felt like my head was spinning faster than usual. I had a clear picture in my mind of what to do right away.

I returned to the academy with Kane. Unlike usual, instead of going to the club room, I headed to Bella’s personal lab. I knocked harshly on the door, and as always, Leo opened the door.

Leo, with a kind smile, glanced at me and Kane standing outside the door and said with a puzzled look on his face.

“I’m sorry, but the princess has an appointment to meet a very important guest in the afternoon. “It might be a little difficult to meet you today”

I handed Leo the strange-looking lily mask that I had previously taken out of the space warehouse.

“Tell Bella. “Get out quickly.”

Leo and Kane looked at me with puzzled expressions, but I crossed my arms with a stern expression and said nothing. Leo swallowed his saliva, looked at him, and entered the lab.

After waiting for a moment, I heard footsteps running towards me. Bella opened the door and looked at me with a flustered expression, breathing heavily.

Bella, who was looking at me and the lily mask she was holding in her hand with an expression of disbelief, stuttered and asked.

“You, you can’t believe it… hundred… . Uh, how… ? Oh no… Yes, it can be… I, I didn’t know… No way… Hi… !”

I grinned as I looked at Bella who had a brain freeze.

“Let’s take advantage of this for the first time in a while. “I really need character right now.”