Chapter 45: CH 45

A Short Story of Lucas.

Lucas’ life was different from others right from the beginning. From a young age, an eerie aura always surrounded him, blood flowed like a river, and the screams of people echoed constantly.

「Lucas.」

「Yes, Father.」

「Do you know what ‘Broken Knife’ means?」

「…I’m not sure.」

The child, around seven years old, couldn’t hide his nervousness in response to his father’s question.

Lucas’ father was a special presence, known even to young Lucas.

While the Emperor of the Truto Empire claimed to be the only one, another “Emperor” appeared when the sun set and darkness fell.

It was a world of illicit activities and hidden realms. Lucas’ father was the Emperor of that world—a figure with undeniable, unparalleled power.

And Lucas knew that the source of that power came from his father’s immense strength and ruthless nature. Generally, a father is a kind and dependable presence for a child, but for Lucas, his father was entirely different.

「Broken Knife means a shattered knife. It signifies the act of unconditionally breaking the opponent’s knife, a warning to never challenge again.」

「Yes…」

「As you will soon inherit this guild, always remember the meaning.」

Lucas was the sole heir of the Broken Knife. However, he didn’t want to accept that fact. He felt unfit for the position of the Emperor of the back alleys.

* * *

It was another day. Lucas, carrying out his father’s orders, held a knife and gritted his teeth.

「Urgh…」

「Young Master, are you alright?」

「Anna… I really can’t do it.」

Anna came up to him and patted his back.

「You must. If you fail again this time, the Master will…」

「I know… I know, but…」

Tears welled up in Lucas’ eyes.

「How can such an order…」

As Lucas grew older, he displayed the perfect qualities of a successor. He was born sharp-witted and had a good sense, both physically and mentally.

That’s why there were high expectations from those around him. However, in the eyes of his father, there was a part that didn’t fit the image of a true successor. It was his tender heart.

One morning, Lucas’ father gave him an instruction.

“After completing today’s mission, treat those who return with a delicious dinner.”

A cruel smile appeared on his father’s lips.

“Lucas, tonight’s dinner menu is Calypso.”

“What? What are you talking about right now?”

“The time is tonight. Until then, you kill Calypso and bring it to the cooks.”

Lucas, who heard his father’s incredibly cruel order, clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned pale.

Calypso, whom Lucas had raised for a long time, was a hunting dog. But to Lucas, Calypso was more than just a simple dog. In the harsh environment, Calypso was the only being, aside from Anna, with whom he could share his heart.

To kill Calypso with his own hands…

Just the thought of it made Lucas nauseous. He couldn’t even muster a refusal at that moment. He couldn’t rebel upfront and could only grumble from behind. Lucas looked down at Calypso, who was whimpering.

He’d been trying to get his grip on his sword for hours,

「I can’t…….」

After holding the knife for hours, Lucas finally threw it far away. He then released the leash around Calypso’s neck.

「Go away quickly.」

With a nudge on its hindquarters, the intelligent dog understood and disappeared into the distance. In the end, Lucas couldn’t fulfill his father’s command.

His father, as expected, did not tolerate failure.

「…You let it go?」

Lucas knew he would have to pay the price for his failure that day, but at least he felt a sense of relief. And from that day on, he made up his mind.

‘I have to escape from here.’

That’s what he started thinking. He needed a way to break free from the leash of being the successor. At first, he only considered running away. But as his mind grew, he realized that the guild known as “Broken Knife” was a much larger organization than he had initially thought, with influence reaching other countries. Escaping their clutches was practically impossible.

If that was the case, he had to make a deal with his father.

‘Something that can be exchanged for the position of the successor…’

Eventually, Lucas discovered that there was an item the guild had been desperately searching for over the past few years.

「The spirit stone?」

「Yes. Your father has been diligently searching for it for years, but he hasn’t found any clues yet.」

From that moment on, Lucas began searching for the spirit stone. If it held such value, then perhaps…

「Anna, I finally found it!」

「What is it?」

「The spirit stone. By combining the information I gathered, I found the location where it’s stored: the Artifact Storage Room at Truto Public Noble School.」

He had finally obtained relevant information. The reason Lucas could get ahead of his father regarding the spirit stone was his desperation. It was the only way to escape this hellish place.

Lucas firmly resolved himself and approached his father, proposing a deal.

「You can find the spirit stone?」

「Yes, I will retrieve it.」

「And the price is giving up your position as the successor.」

His father couldn’t easily refuse his bold proposition. Having only one successor was important, but the spirit stone was the key to controlling the world. Although Lucas was a delicate young boy, he had somehow managed to obtain convincing information.

「How will you do it?」

「The spirit stone is in the Artifact Storage Room at Truto Public Noble School. If my information is correct, nobody knows about its existence.」

Raising an eyebrow, his father curved it in a puzzled expression.

「How did you find out about it?」

Lucas smiled and replied,

「I have a method that only I can use.」

After hearing the rumor that the spirit stone might be at the noble school, he disguised himself as a student and infiltrated the school for several months.

After persistent efforts, he managed to overhear a story about one of the school administrators summoning a magician to provoke a reaction from the spirit stone. He even witnessed the presence of the actual magicians coming and going.

Lucas’ father, who had been nodding approvingly with suspicion cleared, spoke up.

「Then there is no need for you to go. I’ll send your subordinates.」

「No one can access the artifact storage room. It is protected by powerful security magic.」

In addition to the spirit stone, the artifact storage room contained many valuable artifacts. It was a place even the principal, who was the owner of the school, couldn’t enter freely.

「But how do you plan to get in there?」

Lucas had also pondered the same question.

However, he learned that there was only one day in a year when only one student had the opportunity to enter that place.

「I plan to personally enroll as a student in the school.」

Lucas said. And he was determined to be that ‘one student.’

* * *

The school was completely different from where he grew up.

「Hello, Lucas.」

「Good morning, Hamilton.」

There were always people greeting him cheerfully, and laughter echoed from various places.

It was true that he felt excited in this lively world that he had never experienced before. But as soon as he thought about his mission, the buoyant feeling in his heart turned as cold as ice water.

He didn’t come here to have fun. He had to graduate as the top student and enter the artifact storage room by any means necessary. That’s why as soon as he entered the school, he identified who his competitors were.

The first and biggest enemy was Evan, the illegitimate son of Duke Kreutz.

He was an incredibly talented person to the point where one wouldn’t believe it without seeing it for themselves. However, what raised questions was why this privileged guy, who would inherit wealth and status without needing academic achievements, would enroll in this school.

And soon, he found out the reason.

「Is that redhead girl Riett?」

Riett was an incredibly famous figure among the new students. Apart from being one of the few female students in the school, everything about her stood out.

Curly and vibrant red hair, reddish eyes that resembled it, well-balanced features, and a bold personality. She was someone who drew attention wherever she went.

This girl, too, had come to the noble school for reasons that Lucas couldn’t understand.

‘She has a pretty face. She would live comfortably if she married well.’

If Lucas hadn’t silently laughed inwardly when Riett said she dreams of becoming the empire’s first female duke, he would have been lying. She was a strange and unique girl. That was Lucas’ first impression of her.

But gradually, that perception began to change.

Riett had a charm that attracted people.

She wouldn’t yield easily to crisis or injustice and would obtain what she desired. She wouldn’t be intimidated or withered in any situation.

As Lucas observed Riett, he gradually realized why Evan glared at him as if he wanted to kill him and why he had enrolled in the noble school.

However, he still couldn’t fully comprehend it. Going through unnecessary hardships for the sake of one girl.

His thoughts started to change after he visited his family home for training.

Since he had to digest the training his family desired, separate from his school life, Lucas would often skip school for about a week each quarter.

During his training, Riett would sporadically come to mind, and his heart felt strange. He started looking forward to the day when he would return to school.

Then one day.

Shortly after returning to school from his training, Riett injured her side during sword training with Samuel.

Lucas’ face turned pale as he saw Riett collapse to the floor. His head spun for a moment. He urgently took her to the infirmary, but his pounding heart couldn’t calm down.

Although he had seen many injured and bleeding people before, this time felt different. The doctor assured him that there wasn’t any serious harm, just a momentary shock. Hearing that she would soon recover eased his worries.

Lucas looked down at Riett lying on the bed. He could see how much she had struggled to endure the pain, with her red hair sticking to her sweaty forehead.

「Well, this is unacceptable…」

Muttering to himself, Lucas sat by the bed and gently removed the strands of hair from her forehead. Just as he did, the infirmary door swung open, and Evan appeared. His expression was full of life, and in a reflexive moment, Lucas almost drew the dagger he had hidden within himself, thinking Evan was an enemy.

But he soon realized that Evan wasn’t an enemy and relaxed.

「Don’t touch her.」

Evan walked toward them with determined steps and grabbed Lucas’ hand with a fierce grip. Feeling the strong pressure on his wrist, Lucas winced.

「Even if I don’t speak, you understand, right?」

Only then did Evan release his grip on Lucas’ wrist, as if throwing it away.

「Who did this to her?」

He seemed ready to kill someone at any moment. Lucas understood Evan’s feelings, but he had to restrain himself when thinking of Riett. He thought about leaving her alone to fend for herself, but if Evan took care of Samuel, it wouldn’t be the outcome Riett desired.

「Stop it. If you don’t want Riett to hate you.」

Evan didn’t react to Lucas’ words, but it seemed like his message got through. Evan stood there, gazing at Riett for a while. The look in his eyes was full of anguish as if he had become an obstacle.

「I will take Riett home.」

At Evan’s words, Lucas obediently stood up from his seat. Yes, the families of Riett and Evan were close. It seemed like that would be the best for Riett as well.

But as Lucas watched Riett being supported by Evan and leaving the infirmary, he couldn’t understand why his heart sank and why he felt so inexplicably down.

* * *

As time passed, Lucas’ heart grew more restless. First and second place standing firm.

「Young master, your father is calling for you.」

Someone had arrived.

Lucas nodded in response to Anna’s words and headed to his father’s study.

「I heard the report about your school life. If you get third place in this exam as well, it will be difficult to achieve first place in the future.」

It was true.

The graduation scores were calculated based on the tests taken so far, and if he got third place in this exam, it would be challenging to secure first place. But Lucas couldn’t give up like this.

「No, there is still a chance.」

「Oh, really? Then don’t disappoint me. But if you don’t show any potential this time either, it might be time to quit playing around at school.」

As Lucas left his father’s study, his heart felt heavy. He had to find a way somehow.

After much contemplation, he could think of only one method.

It was a cowardly and underhanded approach, but it was the only way to leave a mark on an impregnable opponent.

He briefly considered targeting Evan but soon dismissed the idea. When he thought about it rationally, Riett was a much easier opponent. Moreover, if he defeated Riett, there was a possibility that Evan would also be defeated.

‘This must be the only way.’

But no matter how hard he tried, whenever he saw Riett’s bright smile, his resolve seemed to waver, and his grip weakened.

Hundreds of times, his heart weakened, but he couldn’t give up on the future like this. In the end, he infiltrated his cunning plan into the school and spread false rumors about Riett to the designated targets, Henry and Pierre. He knew that they had a strong sense of inferiority and that they would easily ignite with just a little spark.

The situation unfolded as Lucas desired. Soon, the negative rumors about Riett spread throughout the entire school. However, the rumors soon died down. Outwardly, it was Samuel, but inwardly, it was Evan who put in the effort. Nevertheless, it didn’t matter.

‘After all, I used them to avoid suspicion falling on me.’

Lucas’ expression in front of the fountain was incredibly cold. He looked down at the book in his hand. Even a casual glance revealed traces of effort written all over the pages. When he loosened his grip, the book dropped into the fountain.

‘Sorry, Riett.’

By tomorrow, the paper would swell, making it difficult to read even a single word.

Lucas stared at the fountain. His reflection on the water’s surface looked disgustingly grotesque.