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“Just cause.”

“‘Just cause’...? I see—no, I mean, there must be a deeper reason behind it. Let me try to figure it out...”

I gave him a flat stare and shook my head. Had I beaten him too hard these last two days? It seemed like he wasn’t quite all there.

Ignoring the baffled looks from the young heroes, I recalled the events of the past two days.

Though there wasn’t much to recall.

I’d taught him, advised him, and beaten him up. That was it.

Honestly, I don’t enjoy teaching others, nor do I think I have any talent for it.

Just thinking about lecturing or giving advice made my face burn uncomfortably.

Teaching might be the grandest thing one could do, but I was well aware of the weight words could carry.

As seen when Mir Giant took my words to heart and eventually sacrificed herself, good intentions do not guarantee positive outcomes.

However...

Did that mean it was incorrect to offer words of encouragement or support?

If I let myself become afraid of the impact my words could have, I would be forced to live my life in silence.

But I was selfish. I couldn’t bring myself to do that.

So I wanted to approach everything in moderation.

I’d treated Charon with that mindset.

I’d taught him just enough, given just enough advice, and... well, maybe I’d gone a bit overboard with the beatings. But it seemed like he’d learned something in his own way.

No, wait a minute...

I’d taken Baek Nogwang as my master, and he used to beat me half to death. Was it that strange that Charon, in a similar situation, saw me as his big brother?

As expected of Master...

I once again felt like I had discovered something new in the teachings of my great master, Baek Nogwang.

***

In the same way that The Empire didn’t have a real name, neither did the Imperial City.

Since the only city that could be called the capital of this continent was the Imperial City, people referred to it as such.

We now had the maximum number of people who could head to the academy.

There were of course the top three from the training camp: Charon, Hector, and myself.

Evan, Sharyl, and Mir, who had been on my team before my regression, were also present.

Then there was Pam and Karis, who couldn’t stop going on about the things they wanted to do in the capital.

The remaining two were Sellen, who seemed to have her own agenda, and Zeros Silver, Charon’s friend and heir to a great merchant family.

I was surprised to see so many people whom I’d crossed paths with, but as I thought about it, I realized that wasn’t really true anymore.

Because I’d regressed, I hadn’t really had a heart-to-heart with Sharyl or Mir, nor with Hector or Sellen.

Most of my conversations had been with Evan, Karis, Pam, and even Charon.

In fact, they were the most talkative ones in the carriage.

Two days into the journey, someone suddenly said, “Don’t you think it’s about time we run into some bandits?

As usual, it was Karis with yet another of his crazy ideas.

“Bandits? What are you talking about?”

“Have you never read a book? We’ve gotten strong enough. After all the crap we’ve been through, it’s about time we kick some worthy opponents’ asses to test our strength,” Karis said confidently. “And bandits are perfect for that. It’s just like in the novel.”

“What novel are you referring to, exactly?

“The Knight Who Returned After Ten Years.”

“...Yeah, that sounds like ass.”

Pam snorted, and Evan, sounding unimpressed, added, “Yeah, as if bandits would even think about attacking us after seeing the Bednicker emblem.”

Very true.

Especially since we hadn’t yet completely left Bednicker territory.

“Are there even bandits around here?” I muttered.

Surprisingly, it was Zeros who responded, “Bandits are everywhere.”

Maybe because Charon had started following me, Zeros had been a lot more talkative with me these past two days.

Since I was looking for a way to handle my 5,000 gold, having a connection with the heir of a merchant family wasn’t bad at all.

“Still, the current state of The Empire isn’t too bad,” Zeros continued. “We probably won’t be ambushed.”

“I see.”

I understood Zeros’s rationale, but Mir tilted her head in confusion.

“What does the Empire’s state of affairs have to do with bandits?”

I wasn’t expecting him to, but Zeros calmly explained to Mir, “Generally, when a country is in turmoil and many people are starving, even ordinary citizens can turn into bandits. Such people rarely have any sense of propriety, meaning they will attack anyone without a second thought.”

“Uh, umm...”

“On the other hand, those who steal during stable periods are usually more professional. They avoid targeting those who might be a nuisance. If they weren’t at least that cautious, they would have been wiped out rather quickly.”

“...Got it.”

Mir bobbed her head with an obvious look of confusion.

Anyway, what I realized during the ride was that these ten people had managed to bond in their own ways while staying at the main house.

Of course, they still had their own close-knit groups, but everyone present was now on a first-name basis, and they were actually chatting amongst themselves.

I figured this was likely due, at least in part, to the unspoken improvement in Hector and Charon’s relationship.

Everyone probably felt more at ease opening up because there was no longer any friction between the two leaders.

Looks like the only one still keeping their distance is Sellen.

There was a small window in the carriage partition, and I saw a glimpse of Sellen beyond it.

“...”

She was leaning back against her seat, gazing out the window.

What a strange girl.

Despite speaking barely a word or two each day, she didn’t seem lonely at all. To be able to look so unbothered and composed was quite a talent in itself.

Though she did mutter to herself sometimes.

A forgotten god, perhaps?

Assuming no other variables had interfered, Sellen should have met a forgotten god at the altar in the Forest of the Butterfly.

The one with the power that had driven away the demon lord and exterminated the demon.

Rattle...!

At this moment...

The carriage suddenly stopped.

Because the carriage was so large, there wasn’t any risk of it tipping over, but the stop was still so sudden that the water Mir was drinking splashed across her face instead.

“Apuah!

“W-what happened?

Amidst the flustered young heroes, Karis jumped up. Sounding like a lunatic, he said, “B-bandits...!

“What?!

“At last, the heroic debut of the Great Karis, the legendary hero—”

“Sit down, you nutjob,” I said, immediately extinguishing Karis’s fantasy.

I leaned out the window to look at the coachman’s seat.

Was it really bandits?

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?

The man who seemed to be the coachman said, in a bewildered voice, “The thing is...”

His eyes weren’t looking forward. He was looking back... at someone among the leaders.

I quickly realized his gaze was directed at Sellen.

I looked forward again and quickly I understood why the carriage had stopped.

The road was fairly wide and steep, but a large carriage was blocking it.

In contrast to the dark carriage of House Bednicker, the carriage in front of us was white with white horses.

And...

The emblem of a daisy was ingrained into the carriage.

The design was familiar even to someone like me, who didn’t care much about outside affairs.

It was the emblem of House Goodspring.

* * * * *

* * * * *

Glancing back, I saw that Sellen’s expression had hardened slightly.

The carriage was quite large, and as I watched, the door opened and people began to pour out.

The first thing I noticed was that they all seemed to be roughly the same age as us.

Soon, Pam walked up to my side and poked her head out.

“Ah, could it be...”

“Do you recognize them?” I asked.

“Uhh... I think they’re probably young heroes who’ve completed their Proof Ceremony.”

“What’s this ‘Proof Ceremony’?”

“Basically, it’s like the Goodspring version of Bednicker’s training camp.”

“Is there such a thing?”

“There is.”

That last comment wasn’t from Pam. Sellen had at some point crossed the partition and joined us, her face twice as cold as normal and her voice thrice as harsh.

It was enough to make Pam flinch.

“Why are they suddenly blocking our way?” I asked.

Sellen eyes subtly shifted as she replied, “I don’t know. Maybe because it’s Goodspring.”

When Pam saw the face of the last person to disembark the carriage...

“Wow...”

She let out a sound of awe almost unconsciously.

The guy was just that good-looking.

He had an air of elegance and formality about him even though he looked to be only two or three years older than Hector.

In other words, he was a grown man.

What a pretentious face.

Especially his dazzling blond hair. Another trait of his on the long list of things I already hated about him.

Guys who looked like that were always so buttery and slimy.

I was prejudiced, but still.

“Excuse us. To the young heroes of Bednicker, I am Barter Goodspring.”

“Wow... His name is actually Butter.”

“It’s Barter, not Butter.” Sellen looked at me with a stony face, then added with a heavy sigh, “...My oldest brother, Barter Goodspring.”

“Oh.”

So he was the eldest son of House Goodspring?

I shot a curious glance at Barter.

Flashing a smile that weirdly reminded me of Juan, he asked, “Excuse me, but who is the leader here?

Pam stuttered, “L-leader?”

Her confusion was understandable.

We didn’t really have a designated leader. There were only ten of us heading to the academy, plus the coachman, a guide, and a couple more people responsible for preparing the food.

It was not a formal setup, but it worked because we had already earned the recognition needed to operate without such formality.

Since the moment the training camp had ended, we’d been expected to stand on our own two feet no matter the place or situation.

After surviving a week in the Forest of the Butterfly together, none of us had any real issue traveling like this.

“W-who’s gonna step up?”

“How about Karis? He’s the most gone in the head.”

“If we go by rank, shouldn’t it be Charon?” I said while looking at Charon.

But he just shook his head. “There’s no way I could play leader with you here, Big Bro.”

For crying out loud.

I mentally screamed every swear I knew at the fucker.

With no other choice, I sighed and, as the youngest in the group, turned my pleading eyes toward Hector.

“...”

Hector stood up with a face like he’d just eaten something sour.

“I knew I could count on you, Elder Brother.”

“...Yeah, yeah.”

With half-defeated eyes, Hector walked past me and stood in front of Barter.

“...It’s been a while, Sir Barter.”

“Ah, Lord Hector. Long time no see.”

From their tones of voice, it sounded like they knew each other.

Which wasn’t surprising.

Hector not only stayed dedicated to his training, but he also put a lot of effort into building connections.

It was an unusual move for someone of Bednicker blood, but given how powerful our family was, it shouldn’t have been difficult.

Come to think of it, he has some connections to the imperial family, doesn’t he?

He was a well-rounded second-oldest brother in more ways than one.

“By the way, what’s the deal with the ‘sir’? Is your brother a knight?”

“He’s the captain of Goodspring’s Chrysanthemum Knight Order.”

“Guess he’s pretty strong, huh?”

“...You really don’t know? He tied with Hero Bednicker in the Martial Arts Tournament two years ago.”

“Ah.”

Now, that I found a little surprising.

Hero Bednicker was a full-fledged hero, already a well-established talent.

From what I’d seen, Hero and Nero were on a completely different level in strength compared to Hector.

Which meant that this guy, Barter, was a few levels above Hector.

Maybe that explained Hector’s uncomfortable expression.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Nothing much, really. It seems like you’re also heading to Kartell Academy. It might be nice to travel together since it’s a long journey.”

Hearing that, I mumbled, “Them too?”

Pam said, “It sounds like... the young heroes of Goodspring who finished their Proof Ceremony are also heading to the academy.”

“Oh, is that always the case?” I asked.

“Not that I know of...” Pam responded. She glanced at Sellen, who looked a little angry for some reason. “This is new to me too.”

Barter smiled brightly.

“We could help each other out, no? Perhaps we can make up for each other’s shortcomings. What do you think?

“I appreciate the offer, but we’re fine on our own.”

“Hmm, is that so?

With a grin, Barter continued, “I believe you have a troublemaker from our family with you.”

“We do, yes.”

“Although she has undergone Bednickers’ training, she is still one of ours. I’ll be taking her with us.”

“You can do as you wish,” Hector began. He didn’t stop there, though. “But first, we should confirm what Young Hero Sellen wishes to do.

At that, Barter gave a small smile and said, “Butterfly.”

Was that supposed to be someone’s name?

Interesting. I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before.

A boy around my age stepped forward from amidst the Goodsprings.

He wore a blank expression and was staring off into space with an unreadable gaze.

Sellen, who hadn\'t seemed much bothered by Barter, flinched slightly at the appearance of this “Butterfly.”

Did I see that wrong?

“This child is the youngest member of our family.”

A small commotion broke out behind me.

“The prodigy of Goodspring...!”

“Butterfly Goodspring! He’s the talent talked about as the future of the Goodspring family!

“I heard he swept various martial arts tournaments without even a blessing...”

The buzz continued as the word “prodigy” jogged my memory.

Butterfly Goodspring.

This kid was also destined to become a hero in the future, surpassing even Sellen in fame.

But seriously, Butterfly...?

Barter Goodspring, Butterfly Goodspring... The family head’s naming sense was extremely questionable. It was a mystery that Sellen’s name was even decent. I couldn’t help but wonder if her real name was something ridiculous like theirs.

As I was thinking these pointless thoughts, Barter said, “Lord Hector, since we have fatefully crossed paths today, would it be too much to ask if you could impart some wisdom to our family’s inexperienced youngest?”

“Here? Are you serious?” Hector replied, an edge to his voice.

Barter chuckled softly. “No need to look so serious. Just think of it as a friendly spar.”

...Was it really?

Hector wasn’t some fool. He’d probably caught on to the underlying implications.

The outcome of this match would determine the results of the training camp and the Proof Ceremony. It would determine which family’s system was superior.

The kid named Butterfly said, “The genius of Bednicker, Hector Bednicker.” His voice was quite a bit more childlike and weak than I’d imagined. “You alone are not enough.”

Hector frowned while the kid’s seemingly unfocused gaze swept over us.

“Three of your strongest young heroes. All together or one-on-one, I don’t care. If you win even once, we’ll call it your victory.”

“...”

In an instant, silence enveloped us.

____