* * *
Gaspar, who hadn’t shut up since I met him, finally clamped his mouth shut.
He bit his lip, turned his head away, let out a short sigh.
I let him have his moment.
No point in provoking him and making him dig in his heels.
“…Yeah. I approached you on purpose.”
Damn it.
I already suspected as much, but hearing it still sent a chill down my spine.
I thought it was fate, a coincidence.
Turns out, it was a setup.
I was so convinced by the timing that I never even doubted it and stupidly tried to befriend him.
Batista warned me he was a bastard.
Why didn’t I listen more carefully…?
I feel sick.
“That guy doesn’t let people in easily, so I figured… if I got close to someone he trusted, it’d work. ‘Cough’ If he was dumb enough to trust someone so sincerely, he’d probably be ridiculously softhearted. So I waited, doing good deeds to make sure…”
I get why he trailed off.
‘Didn’t think the guy you buttered up would turn around and threaten to carve your eyeballs out,’ huh?
Well, what can I say? I’m nice to nice people.
“Watch your mouth.”
And yet, he was still calling Batista “that guy” and mocking his sincerity.
Still had no idea how deep in shit he was.
So I dragged the blade across his face.
A long red mark appeared from his eyebrow down to his cheekbone.
It was barely a scratch, but Gaspar screamed like he was dying.
His screams, his struggles—none of it registered.
“…Fine.”
Realizing that resistance was useless, his voice came out wet with tears.
It was disgusting to hear.
“If I’d known it’d turn out like this, I wouldn’t have picked him up either. Originally, I just… wanted a rewarding little orphan to take in. ‘Hic’ Raise him as a servant, and… get some credit for it.”
Now we’re getting to the ugly truth.
How pathetic. Batista actually believed in this piece of shit as his mentor?
“I-it was a good deed! Wasn’t it…?”
“What’s so good about doing something just to get praise? Next.”
Gaspar clenched his teeth.
“But that brat—he should’ve rotted away in a temple somewhere if not for me…! He can’t be stronger than me! He doesn’t know his place!”
This lunatic.
“I saved him! He should listen to me! How dare he try to escape from my grasp?!”
How the hell did Batista end up stuck with this freak?
He had nothing over Batista—not in looks, not in talent, not in personality.
The only thing he had was being born into a noble family.
And that was enough to fill his head with delusions of grandeur?
Not only did he think he “saved” Batista, but he truly believed Batista owed him obedience for it.
“If someone tries to break free from their master, you have to rein them in. I was just… educating him a little, but now he says he won’t follow me anymore! ‘Cough’ ‘Cough’ That’s all there is to it. Are you satisfied?”
“…Educating him?”
“He needed to understand that I’m the only one he can rely on. That no one else is trustworthy. That I think of him the most.”
…Fuck.
That’s not educating.
That’s isolating.
You absolute piece of trash.
My head spun.
Batista’s words came back to me.
‘Are you betraying me?’
There was a reason he jumped straight to that conclusion.
‘Did you doubt what I said?’
There was a reason he was so sensitive.
‘Every time I meet someone, they end up siding with him.’
Because he’d already been betrayed countless times.
Gaspar must have realized that someone like Batista—strong, handsome, charismatic—wouldn’t stay under his control if he had too many connections.
So he pretended to look out for him.
While secretly spreading rumors, turning people against him.
Making sure Batista relied only on him.
Listened only to him.
‘He was hoping I’d never meet Gaspar at all.’
I finally understood what Batista wanted.
‘He was scared…’
Even Batista was scared.
That, like everyone else, I’d fall for Gaspar’s tricks and turn against him.
He had given up on people.
And then, just when he finally opened up to me—
I had sided with Gaspar. I even tried to reconcile them.
No wonder he was so desperate to keep me away.
It’s natural to be worried when my friends always end up siding with that smooth-tongued bastard, Gaspar, trusting his words over mine the moment they meet him.
I wish I had just told Batista the truth… but then again, I never told him about my regression either, so I can’t exactly blame him.
I never showed him that I trusted him, so it makes sense that he couldn’t believe I wouldn’t be swayed by Gaspar.
So, was that why?
Since he might have lost me anyway, he cut me off before he could get hurt any more?
‘In the end, neither of us could trust each other.’
Even recalling that voice sends chills down my spine.
‘Then there’s no reason to keep this relationship going.’
I’ve made Batista angry many times, but even so, that was the coldest he had ever been.
His determination to cut me out of his life was unwavering, and it was agonizing.
Honestly, it still stings that he cast me aside so easily.
But more than anything, I just felt sorry.
He had been deeply disappointed by the first person he had ever opened his heart to, and after that, he never formed close bonds with anyone.
That was the kind of person Batista was.
And yet, he told me, “I trust you.”
Even now, the weight of those words is overwhelming.
But I failed to return that trust.
I never showed Batista that I believed in him, despite everything he had done for me.
Of course, he was hurt. It was only natural.
‘Should I just kill him?’
The thought of Batista suffering because of this useless bastard made my blood boil.
My grip on the dagger tightened. As the blade drew closer, Gaspar flailed like a fish out of water.
“I-I already told you the truth!”
Because of this worthless piece of shit, Batista—
A hero—who never even knew love—
My chest ached.
How much must he have suffered for him to refuse to form a party with anyone ever again?
Until the gods themselves gave him an oracle and forced him into one, not even once.
‘Should I kill him?’
It’s not like he won’t die anyway when the Demon King attacks. Killing him a little early wouldn’t make much difference…
‘No.’
Even if I killed Gaspar here, Batista wouldn’t be happy.
There was a reason why, despite knowing how much Batista loathed Gaspar, I still held onto a sliver of hope.
It was the way Batista—usually indifferent to everything—reacted with uncharacteristic anger and agitation whenever Gaspar was mentioned.
Hatred lingers when there’s still attachment.
Emotions need to remain for someone to be shaken.
The stronger the hatred, the deeper the past affection.
Especially when there was once a debt of gratitude involved.
So, even if Gaspar disappeared, Batista wouldn’t feel relieved.
If anything, he might even be a little sad.
And just thinking about the possibility of Batista grieving over this piece of trash made my blood boil.
Seriously? He’s that kindhearted?
Come to think of it, he did look after me too.
He’s too soft when it comes to people close to him!
Why does he have to be so damn good?!
I mean, of course! It’s because he’s like this that he threw away his life to save all of humanity, even people who had nothing to do with him!
But it pisses me off!
How can people call someone like Batista a monster?
How can they whisper behind his back?
He was just a kid who didn’t want to get hurt anymore, so he built walls around himself!
Ugh!
This is so frustrating!
* * *
