[Thomas PoV]
I am nothing more than the son of commoners from a village on the far edge of the Empire. My mother was a mere plant gatherer, and my father earned his living selling clay pots. We lived simply, and I never imagined I would ever step foot in the most prestigious academy in the Empire.
But fate took a turn when I met the daughter of the Baron who ruled my village. We played together for five years. She had a dream of becoming a great Knight of the Empire, but she could never achieve it because she had been physically frail since childhood.
Not wanting to see her sad because she couldn't reach her goal, I made a promise: I would become the Knight she wanted to be.
I began to train constantly, working at her residence as a gardener to save money for a good elementary school in the city. When I turned thirteen, I left the village to join the selection. She gave me a lucky necklace. She hoped that when I returned, she would see a gallant Knight on horseback, ready to take her on adventures to all the unique places in the Empire.
To make a long story short, I made it into the city's elementary school. For three years, I studied relentlessly to earn a scholarship to Grunbelt Academy. Every year, I ranked in the top five. I studied every single day, chasing the scholarship only given to the top three students.
In the end, I placed third and earned my right to enter Grunbelt. I cried tears of joy; for hours, I prayed at the Temple of goddess Diana, thanking her for answering my prayers. I wrote to the girl, telling her I was one step closer to fulfilling our promise. But everything went wrong at Grunbelt.
At this academy, knowledge isn't enough; you must be able to put it into practice. Moreover, everyone here is the best of the best. I got in because of my theoretical knowledge, but I couldn't execute the techniques correctly. Only 10% of students are here on scholarships, and most of us struggle to compete.
They always defeated me in duels. They surpassed me physically. I began to lose hope. I was almost declared unfit to continue to the second year. Realizing this, I joined the Brawler club to focus on one style. While I improved, I was still far behind those who had started in their first year. I kept losing spars, and the club members looked down on me.
It peaked today, when I was defeated by a first-year student. Club members dragged me to Eldwood Forest and began to beat me.
"Have you no shame, losing to a junior!?"
Those words cut deep. I wanted to be strong for her. I wanted her to look at me with pride when I returned as a real Knight. I thought I could fulfill her dream because I had a healthy body, unlike her. But I underestimated the challenge. Only a few can become Knights, and it isn't determined by whether your body is sick or healthy.
That has nothing to do with it. Those who reach the top are the talented ones... A weak, ordinary human like me can't reach it.
I just wanted to be a hero and take away her sadness by achieving the dream she couldn't. I wanted to prove I was special despite my poor background. I wanted to hear her praise after graduation.
But look at me now—crying, prostrate on the ground while being urinated on by bullies. I can't fight back; I can only lament my fate. I am truly pathetic. What if she saw me like this? Would she be disappointed? Would she forget me because the man she thought was strong turned out to be a loser?
"I want to be strong..."
I knew it was just a pipe dream.
—Tap.. Tap... Tap...
As I was mourning my pitiful fate, I heard footsteps approaching.
"Hey, want me to teach you how to become strong?"
Hearing those words, I lifted my head. A man wearing a second-year uniform appeared before me.
"Wh-who are you? I've never seen you before," I asked.
His face was unfamiliar. I knew most of the students in my year, but I didn't remember him.
"Of course you don't remember me," the man replied. "I only arrived at this academy a few days ago."
A transfer student? What did he want? Why was he asking me that?
"If you want, I can make you stronger so you can pay back those who bullied you," the man said, smiling at me.
To become strong...? Of course I wanted it! I wanted to pay them back! I wanted to prove everyone who looked down on me was wrong! I wanted to fulfill my promise to her. But how? I was a weak man with nothing. I was jealous of the nobles and the rich who could train from a young age. I was just a poor kid with no support.
"I want to become strong..." I answered softly.
The man leaned in, his mouth close to my ear.
"Good... Your first step to becoming strong is to destroy those who bullied you... Understand?" he whispered.
Me? Destroy those who were much stronger than me? If life were that easy, I wouldn't be suffering like this.
"I'm just a weak loser who can't do anything! What do you mean, destroy the bullies!?" I snapped, irritated by his talk.
The man took a step back. "That is one of your problems," he said coldly. "You must cast aside your oppressed and inferior attitude by defeating them."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle containing a purple liquid.
"Put this in their food or drink, lure them to a quiet place, and end their lives as quickly as possible," the man said with a terrifying smile.
"Wh-what is this?" I took the bottle.
"Just one drop of this in a person's body is enough to make them as weak as a child," the man explained. "They will lose consciousness after a few minutes, and when they wake up, their memories will be slightly distorted."
Would killing them this way restore my confidence? Is there still hope for me to be strong?
"Once you've finished off your bullies, I will give you something even more interesting," the man said, looking excited. "And I guarantee, this item will give you instant power!"
. . .
The next day, I headed to the Brawler club room next to the Student Council building after class ended. In my pocket was the bottle of purple liquid from that mysterious man. For some reason, I forgot to ask his name; perhaps my mind was too consumed by the revenge I was about to take.
The three of them usually lingered in the club room after lessons. When I arrived, I opened the door and saw the three bullies sitting casually, chatting.
"Yo, Thomas! You finally showed up!"
"As usual, go buy us some food at the cafeteria!"
"And don't forget to clean this room after we're done eating, got it!"
This was my daily life: oppressed and ordered around under the threat of being kicked out of the club. I hated them. I will pay you all back starting today!
I went to the cafeteria and bought the food and drinks they liked. Because I was their slave so often, I had memorized their preferences. But before returning, I mixed their food with the purple liquid.
"Hey Thomas, what took you so long?" one of them asked, drinking the water I had spiked.
"Sorry, I found a wallet full of money," I replied. "But I couldn't bring it because of the food. It looks like it belongs to a noble because there's a lot of money in it."
"Really!? What are you waiting for!? Take me there before someone else grabs it!" the man said greedily. He didn't even let me go alone, fearing I would take some of the money. I had made the whole story up.
"Alright, follow me."
I led him to a narrow alley between two academy buildings. It was a perfect spot—secluded and rarely used.
"Where did you find the wallet, Thomas!" he barked, grabbing my collar.
I saw the liquid starting to work; his eyes lost focus and his hands began to tremble.
—Smack!
I brushed his hand away easily. His body stumbled back after I pushed his chest.
"What do you think you're doing, Thomas! A loser like you dares to resist me!?" the man shouted, looking annoyed.
But I didn't panic. The side effects were kicking in.
"Cuih! I'm done taking orders from you, bastard!"
Hearing my words, the man lunged at me, trying to punch me. However, I easily evaded a move that slow.
"Come here, loser!"
He tried again, but it was futile.
—Bam!
I punched him in the stomach, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Ughh... what's wrong with my body? Why does it feel so heavy?"
I mounted him and began to beat his face blindly. I unleashed the emotions I had bottled up from the suffering they had caused. Every bit of oppression and every humiliation—I paid it back without mercy.
"Take this, you rotten bastard! Die! Die!"
I hit him repeatedly. Blood stained my hands. He was unconscious after the first few hits.
"HAHAHAHA! CAN'T FIGHT BACK THIS TIME, HUH!?"
I stomped on him, unzipped my pants, and urinated on him, just as they had done to me. Ahhh... I never imagined revenge would feel this good.
Taking a knife hidden under my uniform, I intended to finish him. After this, only two remained, and the mysterious man would give me something to make me even stronger.
—Tap... Tap... Tap
Damn it! I suddenly heard footsteps and the sound of people talking nearby. Why is luck on this trash's side!? No, I can't kill him now. It's too risky if they find out it's me. I have to run.
***
[Raul's PoV]
He truly intends to kill him, huh...?
The human heart is truly fragile. However, I cannot judge him after knowing his reasons.
Currently, I am on top of the building where Thomas was beating the man. Previously, I had ordered Eric—one of my subordinates—to go down and pretend to approach so that Thomas would abandon his intent to kill. If that hadn't worked, I would have had to step in myself to take Thomas down. However, my plan would fail if I caught him directly now.
"Captain, why are we letting him run?" Eric asked, seemingly confused by my decision.
"I'm letting the small fish go to catch the bigger one, Eric," I answered ambiguously.
I want to see what Prince Vlad will give Thomas later. Something that gives instant power never comes without a horrific side effect. My prediction is one of two things: either Vlad has a connection to a Demon like Duke Alvaro, or he possesses a Devil Fruit, a relic of the ancient Demon race.
Only time will tell.