Running Away From The Hero! Chapter 1.4

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Chapter 1. I didn’t know back then. (4)

1.5 Their Story

[2] 46’s Story

I was born in a normal family, and grew up like a normal kid. That’s… what I thought was going to happen for the rest of my childhood.

But this normal family got destroyed in an instant. Like all normal peasants, we lived by farming, and like all other normal peasant family, our family got in danger when we pulled up a poor harvest.

In the end, we began borrowing money, and… that was the start of our destruction.

Were we unlucky? The people we happened to borrow money from happened to be a part of an evil organization, and our debt increased tremendously day by day.

Laws did not apply to those people, and we could not fight back.

Eventually… my parents were not able to pay off the debt, and got dragged away by them. And… I never got to see them again.
They probably died. I was young, but I still knew that by instinct.

It probably happened then. The process of my emotions dying, that is. Slowly, my emotions began to disappear, apart from pure rage.

I eventually returned to the place where I lived, and lurked in the dark alleys.

I always fought the other kids who offered me to join their group. How much time passed ever since I first started doing that? Eventually, a man came to me.

“Do you want to join us?”
“…What kind of a group is it.”

The man smirked, and opened his mouth.

“An evil organization. You’d die as a tool in the end, but… if you manage to survive, you may be able to collect quite a bit of cash.”
“…I’ll go.”##READ THIS AT MBC AND SUPPORT THE TRANSLATOR

This was my goal from the start. Even if this organization was unrelated to the death of my parents, I just have to get stronger here. Thinking this, I spent my time in the organization.

Every day, there was harsh training. But I endured.

And one day, I found him. One of the men that threatened my parents every day. I was at the right place. But I stayed patient, and bided my time.

Ten years. Give me ten years.

I was a peasant’s child anyway. There was no way the organization knew about my plan. That’s what I had thought.

…That was what I had thought, before I met a single instructor.

Naruan, the head instructor.

I was dragged away with two other children by him to his office, and talked a little. But during the conversation, there was one thing that made me freeze.

“Training begins 7 o’clock in the morning, and ends at 6 in the evening. You can do whatever you like during the times other than this. This is my building, a building that I alone manage. I do not care about what you do in here. There is no need to hide your secrets about revenge, desires, or stories from everyone in the building other than me.”

…So he knew.##READ THIS AT MBC AND SUPPORT THE TRANSLATOR

I could tell that the other children had some kind of story behind them as well, seeing how their face was similar to mine. Then… the man knew that I was here for revenge.

What should I do… I thought of all kinds of things, but the instructor didn’t even glance at us, and spoke coldly while doing his paperwork.

“Training starts tomorrow… rest well.”

Was this perhaps what a dragon’s spell was like? We mindlessly obeyed his words and walked into our rooms. After a moment of silence, 102 opened his mouth.

“…You guys… as well?”

I looked at 102, who had spoken with a trembling voice, and nodded.

“Revenge.”##READ THIS AT MBC AND SUPPORT THE TRANSLATOR
“I… have something to find.”

After hearing our answers, 102 looked up at the ceiling for a second, and opened his mouth.

“I… well, it’s nothing.”

Silence continued. We both began to think on our own.
He knew? Why’d he take us in despite that? What happens now?

I am not afraid of death. Rather, life seems meaningless. But… I wanted revenge. It’s meaningless, but… I wouldn’t know the purpose of my life in this dark, grey world if I didn’t have a goal like it.

Because of that…##READ THIS AT MBC AND SUPPORT THE TRANSLATOR

“Should we kill him.”

The two people flinched at my words, then began to think. 102 seemed to have made his decision after a moment, and opened his mouth with a determined face.

“I’m against it. My goal is… survival, after all.”
“Me too.”
“Well… do what you want, then.”

There was no guarantee that we could it anyway. No, we wouldn’t be able to win. I wasn’t really serious when I offered that suggestion.

I tried to begin talking again, but.

Knock knock.##READ THIS AT MBC AND SUPPORT THE TRANSLATOR

A chill ran down my spine just then, so I took out my daggers in wariness.

It wasn’t just me. The others took out their weapons as well, and made a nervous face. And at the same time.

“I’m going in.”##READ THIS AT MBC AND SUPPORT THE TRANSLATOR

The instructor entered the room as he said that.

He took a look at us once, then spoke with an even colder voice than before.

“What’s going on.”

At that moment, we all exchanged a look with each other. And at the same time.

“Burn, hellfire!”

A red energy formed on 17’s staff. Once that energy turned into a flame and was about to fly off, the instructor slammed the ground with his foot.

And…##READ THIS AT MBC AND SUPPORT THE TRANSLATOR

Boom!##READ THIS AT MBC AND SUPPORT THE TRANSLATOR

“W, what the!”

17 and 102 shouted out in surprise. I was surprised as well. The whole building shook with just that? It didn’t make sense. He was definitely stronger than first-rate.

That was what I was thinking now, but I was able to realize that I had thought wrong after the fight. The place outside the room had little to no damage. Meaning… the instructor only used minimal amount of power needed to defend.

But I did not realize that at the current moment, and just frantically threw the dagger in my left hand.

Was I not focused enough? 102 and I attacked the moment the instructor turned his attention to the fire, but even faster than that, the instructor pulled out a dagger and swung it towards me.

‘I’ll throw away my left hand!’

I threw away my left hand, and stopped the instructor’s dagger. At the same time, 102’s sword and my dagger moved towards the instructor, but the instructor threw away his dagger, and grabbed onto the blade of 102’s sword.

The instructor didn’t let out even a tiny moan, and proceeded to throw 102 towards 17. At the same time, he threw the longsword into the air.

‘…Not yet!’

The enemy was empty handed, and compared to that, I had a dagger. I might not be able to kill him, but the others might be able to do the job if I injured him enough. I ran towards the instructor thinking that, but then the instructor sprayed the blood in his hands into my eyes.

‘?!’##READ THIS AT MBC AND SUPPORT THE TRANSLATOR

My vision turned red at that exact moment. At the same time, my abdomen was filled with pain as well! Then, I seemed to have flown towards the other two kids, and felt even more pain as I landed on them.

Clank!

Something landed right in front of me. It was… it was probably the longsword from a moment ago. I couldn’t see, but I could tell. If it landed just a little farther than it did just now, it would’ve struck my heart, instead of the floor.

My heart beat furiously, and I was able to realize something.

‘I don’t want to die.’

To be more specific, I was afraid of death.
Once I realized this, I was filled with fear and self-disgust.
Until I heard the instructor’s voice, that was.

“I’ll prepare food. Clean the room during that time.”

…What is this? What is this voice that is cold, and the same time, makes me feel quite useless?

I’m being filled with fear, and I’m also filled with self-loathing, but the man who made me realize that I was afraid of death seemed indifferent to everything.

Once I came back to my senses, I realized that I was cleaning the room with the other children.

And funnily enough… the food I ate that day was truly delicious.

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