6. Little Devil (3)
I got scolded. Well, it was an expected outcome.
My statement that human will comes before divine providence was, from their perspective, not just disrespectful but blasphemous. Of course, I said it knowing full well.
“Do you understand? The rising and setting of the sun, the flowing of water, the blowing of wind. All of these are imbued with divine providence. It’s because of this divine providence that we can live. What you said in the dining hall earlier was arrogant. Among the seven deadly sins—”
‘What a joke.’
To me, divine providence is nothing more than a deception, and I’ve never received anything like a divine blessing. God is just a gardener who only watches. Would such a God have set up something like providence?
What a joke.
Then why do people like me exist?
Why are the unfortunate born?
Who decided that being born itself is a sin?
Why don’t I have anything?
Why haven’t I been blessed by anyone?
Is that also that damned divine providence?
Even when I first heard the story, I was annoyed by such thoughts, but….
As the nagging time gradually increased, my face became increasingly hardened.
Angry? No, it just felt futile.
Listening to the nun’s sermon that went on endlessly, I felt as if my energy was being drained, my body losing strength.
‘It’s long….’
At this point, I just wanted to run away from the sermon.
But I couldn’t. There were limited places to go if I ran away from here.
The wooden floor pattern here is interesting.
Pretending to listen to the nun’s words, pretending to repent, I nodded blankly every time the nun passionately said something while I kept my head down.
At first, I was angry.
Now, I’m just tired.
…If I knew the sermon would be this long, I would have spoken when the Archbishop was alone.
I swallowed a sigh that was about to burst out from regret.
“—Do you understand?”
“Yes….”
Is it finally over?
As soon as the long sermon ended, I dragged my tired body outside.
…I’m annoyed, should I just get rid of everything?
That thought briefly raised its head, but I shook my head and held it back.
Patience is bitter and long, but the fruit is sweeter and more enjoyable.
Bear it for now. for now….
“Hey! You sneaky bastard!!”
I stopped at the voice that came from right behind me.
Turning around, sure enough, the guy who had grabbed my collar was calling me.
His face was as red as before, and he was breathing heavily.
He seemed really angry.
He approached with large strides, reaching out as if he was going to grab my collar again.
Sure enough, the guy who grabbed my collar again pushed me against the wall.
He pushed me so hard that my back felt cold. He jabbed my stomach with his fist.
He didn’t punch me. He jabbed me.
I wasn’t sure if he didn’t know how to punch or if he was doing it on purpose, but that’s what he did.
But it definitely felt worse to be jabbed than to be punched.
“You coward. You thought I couldn’t catch you if you hid next to the Archbishop like a girl, huh?”
“….”
“Does it hurt? Huh? Does it?”
The sensation of being jabbed in the stomach with a fist was far from pleasant.
…But why should I endure it?
I lightly tapped the back of the hand that was gripping my collar.
“Let go.”
His eyes widened like a cat’s, a stark contrast to the lifeless look they had before. The disparity was so great it was unsettling.
I was even more annoyed that this insignificant creature had been causing such a ruckus. I had planned to wait a bit longer, but I changed my mind.
I revised my plan in my head and met his gaze. His eyes, clear as a fish yanked out of the mud, were worth seeing.
“You have friends, right?”
He nodded.
“Whether by force or by shouting, and see that mountain over there? Go over there.”
If he kept going, he’d reach a cliff. If he kept boasting and not watching his step, he’d fall. Whether he broke a leg, an arm, or his neck and died, it didn’t matter. Just fall.
And when you fall, make sure your ‘friends’ can clearly see you stumbling and hear you squealing like a pig. Oh, and one more thing.
“If anyone tries to save you, grab them tight and fall together. Got it?”
Satisfied with his dumb nod, I patted his shoulder with a smile.
“Now off you go.”
At my words, he slowly closed and opened his eyes. When he opened them again, they were void of any light, dead as night.
Watching his trembling figure walk away, I started to dust off my clothes with a grin. They were dirty from the dust.
I used magic to clean them, but it still felt like something was sticking to them. I brushed off my clean collar with my hand and turned to look at the sky.
The sun was fully up.
‘I’ve been nagged for an hour.’
I sighed deeply and went to find the paladin. It was about time for class to start.
*
*
*
Today, Paladin Romeo scratched his head as he looked at the unusually empty training ground. There were only four kids, including the boy who had joined a week ago.
Excluding the new boy, there were originally only eight kids attending the knight class, so even a few absences were noticeable. He briefly worried if they were ill…
‘Wait a minute…’
As Romeo scanned the faces of the kids, he realized who the missing five were. The troublemaker, Kaul, and his gang, who usually caused minor problems and played power games among the kids.
‘Is it those guys again.’
Romeo held back a sigh that threatened to burst out and rubbed his forehead. He had tried lecturing them, punishing them, and even cajoling them, but nothing improved.
‘They at least attended class regularly… but now they’re even skipping it.’
Could they have gone to another class? Of course, it’s possible.
But would those troublemakers really attend another class?
Considering that they only attended the knight class because they enjoyed the combat, it was highly unlikely they would sit quietly in another class with a book. But just in case, he decided to check.
He tried to think positively and called the children over. The three who had been attending the class for a while ran over immediately, while the newly joined boy walked over leisurely.
“Do any of you know where Kaul and the others are?”
The first three to arrive looked at each other, shared a look, and then shook their heads.
“We came to the training ground before class started, so we’re not sure.”
“We saw them in the dining hall… but not after that.”
“I’ve been training in the training ground since free time, so I don’t know.”
So, no one knows. But if they had been seen at mealtime, something must have happened during free time…
Romeo pondered, listing in his mind all the places those troublemakers might have gone. They were such free spirits that there were too many possibilities, and he was getting a headache. Just then, the boy who had walked over leisurely raised his hand slightly.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Is this Kaul you’re talking about the chubby one who looks mean, has a nasty mouth, and likes to torment others?”
What did I just hear?
Romeo blinked at the sharp words that came out of the boy’s mouth.
‘I knew from the dining hall that he wasn’t an ordinary kid…’
Should I call it cool-headedness, or arrogance?…
He showed qualities that could make him a great paladin with a little polishing.
‘No, that’s not what’s important right now.’
Shaking off the thoughts that came to mind, Romeo looked at the boy. Right now, finding the troublemakers who had skipped class was the priority.
“If you’re talking about the boy with brown hair and brown eyes, then yes, that’s him.”
“Oh, is that so?”
So that’s him.
Feeling a little frustrated at the boy’s calm demeanor, Romeo asked, suppressing his rising anger.
“Do you know where Kaul went?”
“Yes. He went towards the mountain.”
Mountain.
Wait, did he say mountain?
“Mountain?”
“Yes. I was being held by a nun and listening to a sermon, and I saw him off in the distance, going to the mountains with his friends.”
The mountain is dangerous.
No, the mountains themselves are inherently dangerous, but the mountain in early spring, just after winter has ended, is especially dangerous.
It coincides with the time when the predators of the mountain wake from their long winter sleep. At this time of year, only those who have a hard time making a living without picking herbs, or those who wish to commit suicide, go to the mountain. It’s a common saying.
And he said mountain?
“Are you sure about that!?”
“Yes? Yes. I didn’t hear it properly because I was listening to the nun’s sermon, but I definitely heard something about the mountain and a hidden treasure.”
The boy said that and glanced towards the mountain.
If what he said was true…
“Today is independent training! I have an urgent matter to attend to, so if you want, I’ll give you one-on-one training later!”
This was not a normal situation.
As Romeo quickly turned around and headed towards the church, the little devil watched his retreating figure and wore a twisted smile.
Thanks.