*
It's raining.
-Shoooo.
From the clear sky, heavy rain began to pour down, and the land that had been resting in winter began to get soaked by the rain that brought spring.
-Whoa...
The students who were doing the practice were grumbling and running down the tree.
-Why is it raining all of a sudden?
-So, in just a little while, we'll have 10 more.
-I think today's practice ends here.
-Oh, man. That's too bad!
As I watched the students come over, covering their heads with their palms to create a small shade to avoid the rain, I began to fumble for an umbrella in the bundle I had carried on my back.
"Hmm..."
Students approaching me one by one.
I smiled and started waving as the students flocked to me like a pack of dogs, having found my umbrella.
"Here it is! There's an umbrella here!"
The first person to arrive was an associate professor from the Department of Swordsmanship. I couldn't remember his name.
All I remember is that he had a bright complexion and a dirty disposition, and that he was an educator who lost his hair at an early age.
And I don't have any outstanding martial arts skills.
A person who only knew how to lose his temper.
But I didn't hate it. People can be this way or that way.
I looked at the octopus coming towards me with a small smile.
"Welcome."
The professor held out his hand without saying anything.
The professor's hand snapped, asking for an umbrella. I smiled and closed my mouth at the professor's rather arrogant gesture.
-...
There was a brief silence.
The professor, who was getting drenched in the rain, looked at me with a look of dissatisfaction with the student's hesitating behavior, and my gaze crossed with his as I looked at him like seafood.
'What.'
'what.'
'What do you want me to do?'
'That little bastard's son.'
The octopus, unable to bear the silence, spoke. It seemed he needed the umbrella I was holding to protect his remaining head.
"umbrella."
I nodded and answered, almost applauding the effort to protect the human race.
"It's a hundred gold."
"what?"
"It's up. It's three hundred gold."
The professor was looking at me with a blank look in his eyes, and the rainwater began to flow down his forehead.
I muttered to myself as the raindrops clung to my long mustache.
"I heard that rain promotes hair loss."
"..."
"I might lose what little hair I have left."
"..."
"I'm sorry. I suddenly remembered it when I saw the rain. I didn't mean to say it to you, Professor."
"..."
The professor looked at me with a stern expression and said.
"Is that true?"
I answered with a cruel smile.
"Yes, it's true. I read that in a medical book I read a while ago. It said that rain promotes hair loss..."
The professor rummaged through his pockets and produced a shiny gold coin.
"One. I'll pay you the remaining amount tomorrow."
I handed him the umbrella with a serious smile.
"Good choice."
"Hehehe..."
"Hehehe..."
As expected, it's easy to catch a sucker.
*
Under the rainy sky.
Mikhail, Yuria, and Histania Hanna, who had fallen from the group, hid under a tree to avoid the rain that was chasing them.
"Ah...! I was going to share an umbrella with the butler!"
Hannah stamped her feet and spat out her regret.
Mikhail clicked his tongue at Hannah's appearance, and Yuria pricked up her ears and let out a sigh of regret at Hannah's words.
"me too..."
"Huh? Yuria, did you call me?"
"No. I'm just talking to myself."
There was no monster here that could handle three people with such outstanding skills.
Because the average orc couldn't handle Mikhail's sword imbued with aura, and couldn't keep up with Hanna's fast-moving swordsmanship.
Michael, concerned that staying in the same place would be detrimental to his classmates, led the two away from Ricardo and conducted their practical training.
Of course. It was only natural that Ricardo would stray from the designated area. They were confident in their abilities, and Yuria thought she would be fine. It was a situation that arose spontaneously.
-Whoa!
The sound of heavy rain was heard as it poured down without stopping.
The three people were taking shelter from the rain in a quiet corner where there were no passersby or students.
An awkward wind is blowing.
The person I admired.
A person who was admired.
And Yuria.
The three people waited in silence for the rain to stop.
There was a long silence.
Mikhail opened his mouth cautiously, facing the rain that didn't seem like it would stop any time soon.
"It keeps raining."
"I know..."
"That's right."
"I wish it would stop soon."
There was no answer back.
Mikhail took one look at Hannah's indifferent face and gave up on continuing the conversation.
Since Hannah was getting along well with Ricardo, it was awkward, so Mikhail looked at Yuria, who was crouching down, and started talking about light everyday things.
The weather has gotten warmer these days.
We were chatting about how much snow there was this year, and other lighthearted things. Then, the conversation turned to our first night at the inn.
"Yuri, what did you do yesterday?"
"I was just resting at the accommodation."
"okay?"
"What about Mikhail?"
"I am..."
Michael frowned at Ricardo's briefly passing face and said with an awkward smile.
"I was resting too."
"I see."
Yuria turned her head and saw Hanna drawing on the floor with a branch.
Hannah, who was drawing a familiar image of a man, was curious. Yuria, though she held back, asked Hannah the question Mikhail had asked her.
"Hannah? Was Hannah resting at the dorm too?"
"Me?"
"huh."
Hanna shook her head at Yuria's question.
"I went to see Princess Olivia."
"uh?"
"I thought you might be bored, so I came to visit after a long time."
Hannah laughed at what had happened last night and drew pictures on the floor with sticks.
-Did you buy some chocolate?
-yes!
-Oh...! Good. I'll praise you.
-Can you please tell me that you like me instead of praising me?
-no.
-why?
-Just. It's annoying.
Olivia, who I hated so much.
Now, Hannah understood a little bit why the butler was serving Olivia.
The two men remained silent at Hannah's words. Olivia's presence was a nightmare to them both.
Evil.
The two people, victims of the evil deeds of a selfish villainess who only cared about herself, kept their mouths shut and said nothing.
Mikhail spoke to Hannah in a cold voice.
"How do you know Olivia?"
"We became close last time I went to hand in my application for reinstatement."
"You became friends with Olivia?"
"Yes, he's very kind... and he doesn't give up. It's fun."
Hannah smiled pleasantly at the sight of herself becoming more like Ricardo.
Mikhail spoke to Hannah, who stood there with a stern expression. He slowly opened his mouth to offer her advice: don't associate with dangerous people.
-Kururung...!
“I don’t hang out with Olivia….”
-Quaddeck!!!!
With a flash of light.
A black shadow appeared before Mikhail.
"Found it."
He was a man with a chilling murderous spirit.
Wearing white priestly robes
With deep scars on the eyes
A man with sharp eyes.
The man smiled at Mikhail.
The man, who kept spitting out a laugh that sent chills down his spine and filled with a deep murderous intent, was staring intently at Mikhail.
Hannah instinctively grabbed the handle of the sword.
I felt a genuine killing intent from him, so I instinctively took a stance and gathered my aura.
Hannah, who held the sword with the thought that she would die if she let her guard down, swallowed her saliva in nervousness.
Yuria also began to draw on her magic power and apply buffs.
And Mikhail.
From the moment I saw the man's face until now, my body has been frozen cold.
The man ignored Hannah and Yuria and looked only at Mikhail.
The man took a photograph from his bosom and compared it with Mikhail's face. He nodded, carefully observing Mikhail's eyes, nose, and mouth.
"Somehow, your face looks familiar."
The man let out a snicker and dropped the photo to the floor.
A photo of me getting wet in the rain.
It was a photo of Mikhail, who had received an award for his work in the dungeon last time.
The man looked at Mikhail and said.
"Is that you?"
He said it creepily with a cruel smile.
"You're the guy who killed your friend to save yourself."
Mikhail's expression began to harden coldly.
*
It was a very old memory.
no.
It was a long nightmare.
What happened when I encountered the disaster of evil in the dark slums.
It rained that day too, just like it does today.
The man was standing there.
-When I told you to run away, you should have run away. Because of you, this kid is going to die.
-Ah...no...!
-No, it's not like that.
I was scared.
It was all new to me, from seeing a big guy swing his fist to being hit by someone for the first time in my life, so I was scared.
That day, the man spoke with a smile, just like he does now.
-Oh, I just remembered something interesting.
Choose a cruel choice.
-You two fight. I'll spare only one survivor.
-...
-Why are you still here? Move.
And he had made a choice that day.
A choice you'll regret for the rest of your life.
I ended up doing it with my own hands.