* * *
“You don’t even deserve to call yourself a teacher.”
You couldn’t hold a candle to your own student.
If this is all you’ve got, then Batista really did grow up just fine on his own.
I leaped, landing on the wall above.
Gaining distance, I slid my fingers into my coat and flicked my daggers.
The air split with a sharp whistle as they flew straight for Gaspar.
“A damn thief, acting so confident!”
Gaspar’s sword flickered with blue energy as he knocked them aside.
He wasn’t wrong—rogue-type adventurers don’t usually show themselves so openly.
A surprise attack is our greatest weapon.
If the enemy doesn’t see where the daggers are coming from, it’s hard to dodge.
But if I throw them right in front of his face, it’s a different story.
Anyone with decent skills can block them.
So yeah, I get why his pride is wounded—he can’t believe a rogue is standing toe-to-toe with him.
“Confidence?”
But that only applies when we’re talking about opponents of a similar level.
By the time he deflected the daggers and looked up, I was already gone from his sight.
The daggers were back in my hands, humming softly.
His neck—so painfully exposed and vulnerable.
…Honestly, killing him right now wouldn’t even be enough.
“You’re not even worth taking seriously.”
I drove my foot into the back of his skull.
A sickening crack echoed through the alley.
He didn’t even have time to scream—just clutched his head and collapsed.
He wouldn’t die, but he sure as hell wouldn’t be standing up anytime soon.
His whole body trembled, his breath ragged.
His sword clattered uselessly to the ground.
I bent down and picked it up.
“Look at me.”
Blood dripped from his nose now, on top of his split lip.
Maybe he hit it when he fell.
His usual smug, playful gaze was nowhere to be seen—his eyes were glassy with pain, tears pooling in them.
Now we could finally have a real conversation.
Every step I took toward him made him flinch back.
“I… I didn’t… Hic… do anything that wrong…”
“You don’t even understand what you did wrong? No wonder your life is such a mess.”
“I—I never even asked you for money! I just wanted you to talk to Bati for me, that’s all!”
Even in this state, this was what came out of his mouth.
The sheer lack of guilt was astonishing.
I thought I’d already seen the worst of him, but somehow, he was even more of a shameless piece of shit than I’d imagined.
Thank god Batista never got tainted by this bastard’s influence.
“Y-you… You didn’t even lose anything, so why—ugh, my head…”
This little shit. He’s really gonna keep denying it, huh?
“What the hell are you talking about? Because of you, Batista and I fought and split up!”
“And how is that my fault?”
He sounded genuinely indignant.
“If anything, you should be thanking me. That guy—he’s like a damn golem, always dead-eyed and expressionless. Never says a word, never lets you know what he’s thinking…”
“He’s freakishly strong too, and that makes him terrifying. How the hell were you planning to stick with him? You’re better off apart!”
…This bastard.
The second he thinks I might listen, he jumps straight to manipulation.
Gotta admit—I’m almost impressed by how naturally it comes to him.
He’s a born con artist.
And why did he come crawling to me even after Batista tossed him aside?
Because deep down, he knew Batista was a kind person.
He was counting on it.
If he could just get Batista to listen, he’d find a way to help him.
And now, he’s trying to twist things again to get me on his side.
“That guy’s always been like that. Every time something pissed him off, he’d just glare with those creepy, wild eyes… Like a beast about to attack. If he had something to say, he should’ve just said it instead of acting like he was gonna rip me apart—”
He kept talking, taking my silence as a sign that I was considering his words.
“I was his teacher! Why the hell should I have to walk on eggshells around him? I don’t know what he told you, but I was just trying to teach a monster how to act human!”
“You know, don’t you? Huh? You’re an adventurer… Those kinds of social rejects need to be put in their place. If a strong lunatic goes on a rampage, do you have any idea how much damage—?!”
Ah, seriously.
I wanted to see how far he’d go, but all he did was prove how rotten he is.
What a joke.
Just listening to him any longer made me feel sick, so I gripped my dagger.
Gaspar, only now realizing the situation, turned deathly pale and shut his mouth.
“What did I tell you? If you lie…”
The cold blade of my dagger touched his cheek, and he trembled violently.
I hadn’t even cut him yet—just a mere touch.
Some so-called adventurer.
Even less so, a so-called mentor to Batista.
Pathetic.
“Y-you said you’d hit me! You never said you’d use a knife—no, I didn’t lie! I swear!”
“The ones who used to fall for your tricks—think they’ll let it slide if you end up with a nice, long scar on your face?”
“D-don’t! Please!”
Gaspar thrashed in terror, but I pinned him down with my weight, keeping him from escaping.
His wild struggling ended up making the dagger graze his cheek, leaving a thin cut.
A drop of red blood seeped out.
“I said stop!”
Ah, so he actually cares about his face.
“…Damn it, fine. Cut me! Cough Hah. It’s not like this kind of thing won’t heal with a potion anyway.”
Says the guy who whined about not having money for potions earlier.
Just bluffing now.
He thinks I won’t actually kill him and is trying to put up a weak act of defiance.
A survival instinct kicking in.
Then, let’s make sure he understands the situation properly.
I moved the dagger from his cheek to his eye.
“W-wait! What are you—”
“Stay still. If you move, I’ll carve out your eyeball, and the rest of your face might get hurt too.”
“D-don’t! Agh! Ah…! Why? Why are you doing this to me?! I already told you everything! Hic That bastard, I—”
“I said liars get hit. But seeing how you’re still running your mouth, I guess you don’t really care about your body that much. Guess I should take a little souvenir, since I met the great Adventurer King’s mentor.”
His already pale face turned sickly blue.
He trembled violently as he looked up at me, completely terrified.
Seems like he could tell I wasn’t joking.
I had no real intention of keeping souvenirs, but if he kept running his mouth, I was fully prepared to teach him a lesson.
“I wonder… will a potion be able to regenerate this too?”
“Aaagh! I’m sorry! I was wrong…!”
The moment the cold blade touched his eyelid, Gaspar completely lost it.
Tears streamed down his face, soaking his fingers.
Disgusting.
I shook my hand off.
“P-please… What do you want? Tell me what I have to do… hic What do you want from me?”
“I told you. Stop with the tricks and be honest.”
“…”
Silence.
* * *
