Chapter 41 – Tilted Balance (4)
Burn the world
Looking at the light passing by her head, she repeated it again.
Burn world
They were still screaming. Throwing heat out of his throat and frantically scraping at the flames burning his flesh. After burning all the hair on her body like that, she will return to her pure form in the beginning. To a handful of ashes. In the form of sperm that would crumble if gathered together.
That’s how everyone goes back to where they belong. Just as the bird that was locked in a cage went back to the brothel where it was supposed to be, all of you who are useless to anyone will be crushed on the floor. Become my manure like that, so that I can stand tall without wearing shoes.
As I thought about that, I started seeing them a little differently. Not with sweaty men, but with roses that have bloomed. Not as grilled meat, but as an ascetic who transforms himself into himself. Perspectives change and perceptions change.
…
Beautiful.
Now I think I know why dragons want to burn the world.
How beautiful it is to see humans realize their destiny and burn their own bodies.
Realizing the aesthetics of destruction belatedly, I sang about mortality with a dream of immortality.
“Rogeria…”
In the meantime, Baron still opened his mouth in an impatient voice. No matter how big he is, the reality of a cowardly criminal is so shabby.
In this case, it was a law that someone who knew should show generosity. I spoke to him in a calm voice.
“Just run. It’s okay.”
“Ha…But…”
“Run. Come on.”
If that’s all you can do, go for a run.
In the end, he had no choice but to run without doing anything at my calm instructions. If the hour hand moves, the minute hand must eventually move as well. Destiny cannot be changed. You are the servant who will eventually dedicate your destiny to me.
Poor guy.
I hope that someday you will be able to burn your own body like them.
I strangled him and prayed fervently.
“What the fuck again!”
The moment I knocked on the door to the sleeping room, I heard harsh profanities. But there was more hysteria than anger. Well, if I were in Duke’s position, I think I would have felt the same way.
I sneered at it, but Baron seemed afraid. The boy barely opened his mouth in a very frightened voice.
“Duke…Duke. It’s me. I’m having trouble with the student president’s office…”
“So what the fuck are you talking about?”
“Rogeria is hurt a lot. That… I thought I should know…”
“Under…”
You still don’t know exactly what happened. You probably only heard screams coming from outside. It was fortunate for us that we arrived before we could figure out the situation.
That’s why you should have put up a guard around you. Did you trust that stupid pig so much? While I was laughing, the door burst open.
“What the hell…”
“…”
“Why do you always say this at night?”
“…Duke.”
“Fuck…”
He looked at my condition and came out dragging his feet. His eyes were slightly open, so he must have been sucking gas all night. It was the same with the big guys that followed behind him.
“Baron… Drop me down.”
“Ah, yes.”
I sat down on the floor as weak as I could in front of them. Her whole body was drained of strength, and the soot on her face was enough to give the impression that she was sick.
Of course, it was not an appearance that was made up for mercy. Duke made the Baron back with a flimsy gesture, and he crossed his arms in front of me.
“Explain.”
“Lena ran away.”
“What?”
“Lena ran away.”
I calmly brought out the main topic. And then, without complicated modifiers, he just conveyed the facts.
Made up, of course.
“When I was working the night shift, strange guys suddenly came in. Why are they there? The nerds you normally wouldn’t see. The idiots who spread rumors about Lope. They came and made a fuss to rescue Lena. I did. I think Lope ordered it.”
“Did something like that happen?”
“It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. Of course, me, Baron, and that fat friend resisted together. They were dishonest guys, so it was easy to stop them. But Lena was a crazy bitch. It seemed like it was going to fail, so she suddenly cast fire magic, and it didn’t matter to her or her. He was shooting.”
“Magic?”
“Yeah. It must have been prepared for a long time, so I couldn’t even see the casting process, and the fire was ignited in an instant. Besides, it wasn’t anyone else’s, but Lena’s magic, so it didn’t go out well. I’ll keep riding until I do.”
“Did Lena escape in the meantime?”
“Through the window. It seems that he didn’t get much of a shock, probably because he prepared the protection magic in advance. Besides, there were helpers outside, so he escaped right away. This is all I’ve seen. If you go and see for yourself, you’ll see that I’m right.”
“…”
Duke was at a loss for words, and he stared blankly at my face. The guys standing around had similar expressions. Uncharacteristically lost in thought, he opened his mouth only after a long time had passed.
“Rogeria.”
“Yes?”
“You want me to believe that now?”
What came out like that was not trust, but a laugh. He severed his knuckles and slowly approached me.
“Do you think that makes sense now? That Lena suddenly escaped with such a detailed plan?”
“Why don’t you go and see for yourself? Then you’ll know everything is as I said.”
“Fuck him, that’s right. You’ve fabricated it all. But that doesn’t make any sense. There are idiots in this academy who follow Lope’s words?”
“I told you. You guys were idiots who looked down on you. So, of course, your mind could turn that way. If you do as you say, I’ll do something for you. Didn’t you?”
“What is he doing?”
“I guess Lena was such a precious person. You know that the two of them had a special relationship. Even then, didn’t she send Erica because it was rude to see Lena wearing the name Lope?”
“Under…”
When I calmly retorted, he let out a sigh. He obviously knows something’s wrong, but he doesn’t have the intelligence to reason with it. It was such a fun moment for me to play with such a stupid opponent with my head.
“Really tired…”
“I’m not lying to you, Duke. I don’t know what Lope’s ulterior motive is, but he sent his own people and acted as thoroughly prepared. That’s the truth.”
“Yes. Well, it could be. Everything happens in this world. But do you know what’s bothering you?”
“What… Ugh!”
Duke grabbed me by the collar. Then he looked me straight in the eyes and said.
“It’s doubtful that you’re also one of them. In the end, the start of all this is because you suddenly came out to do night work. Isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m admitting it now. I should have just thrown it to the other guys when I was suspicious the other day. Didn’t you just come here to mess with Lope and play tricks on me. You bitch?”
Okay. That’s it after all. The scene Lope left that day haunted me for a long time. If Duke had his head spinning even half of that, it would have been really hard.
Laughter came out suddenly. I shouldn’t have done that, but a peek peek laugh leaked out.
Haha…”
“Smile?”
“…Under.”
Meanwhile, Duke’s hand gradually tightened my neck. His eyes blurred, but laughter came out nonetheless. Rather, the fact that my consciousness kept getting hazy made me feel better as if I was addicted to drugs. Thanks to that, I didn’t panic at all and opened my mouth again.
“But that doesn’t make any sense, Duke. Don’t you think it’s strange to say it yourself?”
“…What.”
“If I was really arguing with Lope, why did I let Lena escape? I’m not going out?”
“That’s because you want to contact the land too…”
“It’s because of that broken equipment? It’s going to be hard to fix without Lena anyway, so why? And if, as you said, I have a special relationship with Lope, Lena would rather be my rival, so why do I have to let her escape?”
“…”
“Besides, you know that I’m not on good terms with her. That’s why I fought to death with her today. You’ve heard that I meant it. Did you do it on purpose?”
“That…”
At my point, Duke lost his words again and wandered around. In fact, from the moment I admitted that there were people who followed Lope earlier, everything was already over. Once I started to admit one thing, the rest of the logic collapsed in an instant.
I lightly kissed the hand of the Duke who was still in a daze. The groaning sound resonated in my ears with an unusually sloppy sound.
“Why do you keep thinking it’s difficult. I just really want to help you. Don’t you know that I’m the only one on your side in this academy? I need you, Duke. Maybe even more than your friends.”
“Now that you hear that…”
“Duke please. Let’s not doubt each other as much as we do. I really need you. I only have you now.”
“…”
“…There is only you.”
“…Fuck.”
The guy cursed again. But the strength in his grip continued to drain. I was confident of victory and smiled lightly.
Eventually, Duke put me on the floor. Then he kicked the wall with all his might, spitting out swear words.
“Fuck!”
“…”
“Lope’s dog is really … It keeps annoying for no reason.”
The unresolved anger was directed at Lope. Duke clenched his fists as if to let go of his anger, then looked back at the guys next to him and said,
“Hey. Go and find that bastard Lope. Right now.”
“Right now? Tonight?”
“Yeah. Isn’t that bastard too busy taking care of Lena right now? Now is the perfect time. Go after him right away. He probably wouldn’t have gone far.”
“No matter how far we can’t go, how are we going to chase it? It’s so dark.”
“If you want to fuck, just do it! Don’t pout!”
The answer to defiance was undoubtedly a threat mixed with violence. Everyone around them flinched at the heavy, intimidating voice.
However, the opponent was not Duke’s subordinate, but a friend, and boasted a similar size to him. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but soon followed Duke and crossed his arms.
“I can’t follow your words this time.
“What?”
“At first, you followed me because you had the ability to act and like to step out. I don’t want to risk my life.”
“내가 지금 그년 하나 때문에 그러냐? 그 새끼가 자꾸 여길 들락날락 거리면서 우리를 엿맥이는게 문제아냐!”
“Us? You’re the one who gets fucked. And with this, you might not come back anymore. Leave it alone. We’ll take care of each other.”
“You bastard…”
Her mouth was swearing, but she seemed a little taken aback by the unexpected defiance. No matter how reckless he may be, I don’t think anyone else would have known that my friends would be like that.
But you also know that you shouldn’t back down from here. If that happens, it’s no different than admitting defeat in a fight for hierarchy between males.
…
Haha…”
I’ve thought about it since the other day, but the way I acted was no different from that of a baby. Whining for milk I hate losing things to others. Having fun playing with new toys. When an unexpected situation arises there, he even panics while saying mean things.
It’s fun. Really.
Behind the shell of violence was an infantile reality. Meanwhile, Duke continued to struggle.
“Just do what you’re told. Don’t annoy me.”
“I don’t like it. Why do I have to follow such an idiot?”
“This bastard really…”
“Why. Do you want me to hit you?”
In the end, the other side crossed the line first. As soon as Duke heard that, he looked at him with a completely distraught expression. It looked as if they would bump into each other any moment.
But that didn’t happen right away. It seemed that reason, which had not yet completely volatilized, was becoming the last barrier. Because there are always minimum rules in a fight between kids. And in the process, Duke’s authority continued to be lost.
And at that time, it is the role of an adult like me to step in.
I smiled. Then he raised one hand and began to recite an incantation. Soon, a small flame rose from the center of his palm.
“Wait…What is that bitch doing?”
“What are you talking about…Rogeria? What are you doing?”
“What are you doing? I’m trying to help.”
“What is that…”
They just stared blankly at the rising flames, as if they were taken aback by my actions. Did you think it would take a long time for this to become a threat? But unlike Lena, I didn’t need a lot of time because I had no reason to hide my spell, and I didn’t need to be powerful because I didn’t make a fire that wouldn’t go out. That’s how the flame in my hand grew quickly.
“I…Stop that! You bitch, now…!”
“Don’t move. Don’t come closer!”
And Duke has been my effective shield. Embarrassment. Scruple. Duke. The moment those three elements combined, my spell was complete.
“…Erden.”
“What the fuck…!”
A belatedly harsh swearing erupted. But it was already too late. Enjoying the heat in my hand, I threw it as hard as I could at the guy in front of Duke.
Just like that, another flame started to burn a man alive.
“Aaaaa!!!”
“What… What…!”
“Rogeria, that crazy bitch!”
“Whoa! Whoaaaaa!”
Confused voices were heard here and there, and the scenery from earlier began to reappear. Burning smell. Limbs engulfed in flames. And the very sweet taste of confusion. Of course, it was weaker than Lena’s spell, so it was a fire that could be extinguished if one tried.
But before he regained his composure, I picked up an iron stick from the floor. Then, he struck down as hard as he could at the dancing fireball in front of him.
“Aaaaa!”
“…!”
“Aaaaagh! Ugh! Ughhh!!!”
“…!”
“Billion…Ah…Ah…”
After only three strokes, the fireball lost its power and collapsed to the ground. When the smell of burning flesh vibrated along with the smell of blood, the others hesitantly pointed at me.
“Crazy fuck…!”
“I… I…”
“I… Crazy…”
But never crossed the line beyond that. A burnt body and a stranger standing in front of it. They just trembled in fear in the sense that they had experienced the coming destruction in advance.
So what about Duke? I looked back with strange anticipation. As expected, there was a bit of shock on his face.
But it didn’t last very long. He suddenly giggled and laughed, then walked over to the fallen man and started stepping on his head.
“You little bastard…”
“…! …!”
“Fuck… Asshole…”
“…”
Stepping on a corpse that must have already died, I felt a unique infantile joy. Duke enjoyed the sensation for a while, then slowly raised his head.
“…What you looking at.”
“…”
“Are you not moving quickly?”
“Ah… I see…”
“Move the fuck fast!”
“Yes!”
The thunder-like voice frightened them and scattered them in all directions. It looked like bugs bathed in light crawling through holes. That said, they wouldn’t immediately go after Lope, but Duke’s face was full of satisfaction nonetheless.
When everything was quiet like that, we naturally looked at each other. Before I knew it, the way Duke looked at me was quite different. From just being a bit of an annoyance to a slut, he’s into something he doesn’t even know he is.
And young children tended to replace such strange sensations with awe.
This time I approached him. Duke stared at me without saying anything, then put his back against the wall. It was as if he didn’t know what to do with this crazy bitch. There was even a hint of fear on his face.
I smiled at the sudden change of attitude. It’s strange, I was trembling just a while ago. It’s really funny to see you drop like this just because you’ve gained momentum. Are all men like this?
…No.
Not all of them are like that.
Duke swallowed dryly, clenching his fists while I mumbled to myself. Then he looked straight at me and said.
“You’re crazy.”
“I know.”
I’m sorry, but you’re not the first to call me a bitch. The man who first called me that must be far away by now. I missed that man so much today. As time passed, he grew desperate to possess him.
Especially, those pretty backs of hands.
A twisted desire for possessiveness manifested like a fetish. I swallowed back the juice that was about to burst out with a sigh and whispered in a low voice.
“So can I tell you something really crazy?”
