WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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◈ The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore ◈

Chapter 18: Don't Go

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Fifty million shillings.

It was half the money in my personal vault.

I'd worried that something else tempting might come up, but if that was fortunate, nothing else worth bidding on appeared before the auction ended.

"That concludes the auction! Thank you to everyone in attendance!"

As the hall grew noisy, I rose from my seat.

"Brother."

Celine had already come up beside me and tugged on my sleeve. Her wide eyes were full of questions.

"Why did you do that? That's a lot of money, even for you."

"I can always earn more. Don't worry about it."

Celine only moved her lips, unable to ask anything else.

I had no regrets.

I'd blown half my fortune, but there were plenty of ways to make money. I didn't even need to ask the Cardenos main house for help.

There were several profitable businesses I could run on my own. I planned to get started as soon as the Founding Festival was over.

As for seed money, I'd find a way to get it elsewhere.

The stares still pouring down on me were unpleasant, though.

Still, it was better to be seen as an oddball than as a wastrel who beat up a young lady.

"Young Lord Astin."

A gruff voice suddenly called out to me. Behind the speaker stood a line of white-haired elderly knights.

They were General Vermang's former comrades, true knights who had forged the forgotten Sun Ring.

They stepped before me and bowed in unison.

"Thank you. Truly, thank you."

Their voices trembled.

My gaze drifted from their bodies to their palms.

Blood, sweat, scars. I could see marks etched more deeply than fingerprints.

"You restored the general's honor in our stead, Young Lord. We will never forget this kindness. The general can finally rest in peace."

They were heroes who had dedicated themselves to their homeland, covered in blood and filth on the front lines.

I didn't like the fact that people like them had to bow before me.

"Please raise your heads."

The elderly knights slowly straightened.

"I only paid a fair price for something worth that much. I didn't restore the general's honor. The general proved it himself."

"Ah..."

Quiet exclamations escaped from among them.

Nobles walking the red carpet could never understand the depths of that red road of blood.

I did. That was why I couldn't help but respect them.

Saving the world from the Outer God and its black creatures. Protecting one's homeland from demons and magical beasts.

Both were immense responsibilities. Both were great deeds worthy of endless respect.

I only wished to follow the path they had walked.

"I, too, wish to walk the difficult path you have walked."

I placed a hand over my heart.

⸺!

After a fleeting surge of exhilaration, two Rings began turning within my Core.

The elderly knights' expressions changed by the second.

"H-how did you form Rings!?"

Some rubbed their eyes in disbelief. Some trembled with their mouths hanging open. Others could only stand there, staring blankly at the Rings.

Moisture slowly gathered in their eyes.

I had shown them living proof that their youth, stained with blood and sweat, had not been in vain.

I calmed the agitated Sun Rings. If I kept them up any longer, it looked like they might start crying.

"Please consider it a young junior's little performance."

"Good heavens, what are you saying?"

"A performance? You're being far too modest, Young Lord."

The elderly knights wiped at the corners of their eyes and stood tall again.

Knights who willingly bore the weight of honor and responsibility.

They had also borne the weight of time, enough to make them stoop, yet their backs remained straight. Simply because they had nothing to be ashamed of.

"Young Lord Astin. We will never forget today."

The elderly knights bowed as a sign of respect. I bowed even deeper than they did.

Even after they turned away to leave, they nodded to me in farewell. It felt strange to be treated this way by retired soldiers who ought to be receiving respect themselves.

I watched them leave, lost in thought.

"I'm proudest of you, Brother."

When I looked down, Celine was smiling softly.

She looked so cute that I patted her little head.

* * *

The atmosphere in a banquet hall just didn't agree with me.

The nobles' perfume made my head spin, and the young ladies' "Oh-ho-ho-ho!" laughter assaulted my eardrums.

For someone who already hated crowded places, there was no worse torture.

Celine was impressive for managing to mingle with the young ladies.

When I spotted an opening, I escaped to the outdoor terrace at the corner of the banquet hall.

"I can finally breathe."

Fresh air filled my lungs, and I felt completely refreshed. It was like the blood in my clogged veins had started flowing again.

Leaning against the terrace railing, I looked up at the sky.

The sun was gradually setting, staining the sky crimson.

It was a beautiful sight, which only made it more bitter. I was the only one who knew this peace was temporary.

The world's eventual destruction. A certain future that only I knew.

Sometimes, I wanted to throw off this crushing sense of responsibility.

Everyone had come back to life through my regression, but I still felt alone in the middle of a vast sea.

When they had all died and disappeared, at least I hadn't been alone. There had been two of us.

"You're different from me. So please, save the world. I'm asking you, Astin."

"......."

I couldn't sit down and give up just because things were hard. If not me, then who would do it?

Even the illustrious romance-fantasy protagonist had believed in me. I had no choice but to do it.

Lucia's last words had been asking me to win her over once we returned.

Let's just say seducing women was beyond my abilities. Saving the world sounded easier.

Step. Step.

The sound of footsteps cut into my thoughts.

The moment I saw who was approaching, I frowned.

"Young Lord Astin."

A man with half his face wrapped in bandages. It was Julian.

Had he still not come to his senses and come looking for revenge?

I watched his every move through narrowed eyes, clenching my fists in case I needed to beat him down.

"I apologize for what I did then, even if it's late."

"...?"

I was left speechless.

What had this guy just said?

"And thank you."

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"Thanks to you, I was able to come to my senses. If it hadn't been for you, I would have remained blind with love, just as you said."

At first, I thought he was trying to lower my guard before launching a surprise attack.

The moment I looked into Julian's eyes, that thought changed. Like a clear lake in the forest, I could see straight to the depths of his emotions.

"I'm sincerely grateful that you broke my arrogance and awakened me. I wanted to make sure I told you that."

"Julian, you bastard..."

This wasn't an act. It was real.

Our precious Julian had turned over a new leaf!

"You've changed completely!"

Julian awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm also sorry that my wrongdoing damaged your reputation."

"My reputation? Does that damn reputation feed me? Forget about it."

I wasn't saying that for Julian's sake. I meant it.

What did it matter if people called me a wastrel or a fucking bastard?

"Ah, I was sorry about that too."

I pointed at Julian's completely fucked-up face.

Julian let out a small, bitter laugh.

"I know you held back."

"Good, you know. You might not even be here otherwise."

"Ha ha..."

His awkward smile faded, and his gaze fell to the ground.

"Honestly, I thought a lot about how I should make amends. I thought an apology alone wouldn't be enough. Starting with your broken engagement to Lady Azelin, I've caused you a great deal of trouble."

"You don't need to be sorry about the broken engagement. I was going to break it off anyway. If anything, I was grateful you gave me an excuse."

He had made a move on a woman with a fiancé, so he deserved what happened.

Still, I hadn't smashed his face out of petty revenge.

I punished him because he had done something worse than an animal would. That was all.

"I somehow ended things with Lady Azelin. It wasn't a good ending, though."

If he meant cutting ties with her, that was a pretty positive change.

In the original story, Julian stayed blind to Azelin until the end and even gave his life for her. This was tremendous progress.

"I feel guilty toward not only House Cardenos, but House Rosenthal as well. Because of my rash actions, an unfortunate incident occurred between the two houses..."

"It wasn't only your fault. Azelin was at fault too."

The problem had started when she fell for another man's advances despite having a fiancé.

Julian didn't bother denying it. He simply nodded faintly, lips pressed tight.

It seemed he was finally trying to understand the situation objectively.

"I want your honest advice, Young Lord. What should I do to set everything right?"

"You're asking how to gather up spilled water? I don't know either."

"Then what should I do from now on? What would be best?"

"There's only a hair's breadth between asking someone to tell you everything and asking them to do everything for you."

"...Pardon?"

It seemed my words didn't quite land.

I deeply understood the desire to wash away every sin and mistake.

Hurting those around me, doing terrible things to women, abandoning my house and family, killing my family with my own hands...

The me of the past had been an even worse wastrel and a more worthless human being than Julian.

For forgiveness, for atonement, there had ultimately been only one thing I did.

Save the world.

I had believed that if I gave my life to save humanity, all my past sins would be forgiven.

I couldn't tell Julian that truth outright.

"Come find me as soon as the Founding Festival is over. Let's go to Cardenos together."

"To Cardenos?"

"Come train with me. You don't have anywhere to go anyway. What are you going to do wandering around alone? Other than sword training?"

I was telling him to sacrifice himself for humanity, only in a roundabout way.

"On two conditions. First, you need to drop out of the Academy. All you'll do there is fool around with romance, and it won't help you at all."

Julian raised no objections. He seemed to agree to some extent.

"Second, abandon that cliff-edge path of Luna and forge Sun Rings... Wait."

I peered closely at Julian's chest. I could feel my pupils slowly widening.

"You bastard, you've already closed your Heart Path?"

"Yes. I want to forge Rings like you, Young Lord."

"You're a better man than I thought. Good. Very good."

Smack! Smack!

I patted Julian's arm with my palm, meaning to praise him.

Yet Julian flinched every time I raised my hand. It probably wasn't only because he remembered getting beaten up then.

"There's no backing out now. You definitely have to go to Cardenos."

"You are the one who decides, Young Lord."

A faint curve formed at the corner of his bandaged mouth. I gave him a broad grin as well.

"You should get going. Come find me again later."

"It was brief, but meaningful. I will come see you properly as soon as the Founding Festival is over."

"All right. Take care."

With that, Julian left the terrace. He looked much lighter as he walked away.

They said people never changed, but honestly, I never imagined he would become this normal.

Julian coming to his senses was a major stroke of luck.

It gave me hope that I might be able to straighten out the other problem children who were crazy about women.

How had I fixed Julian? I beat him senseless.

Their heads might be messed up, but their talent was real. If I could fix them by beating them down like Julian, then I had to.

Of course, not every male lead would be like Julian. For now, it might be nothing more than naive hope.

Scurry!

"!"

A human-sized silhouette suddenly streaked past me.

In an instant, it slipped beneath the round table in front of me.

"...What was that?"

I stared blankly beneath the table.

The first thing I saw was a gorgeous red dress. Half-hidden by the tablecloth, a woman was crouching there.

It was none other than Lucia.

I was about to ask what the hell was going on, if Lucia hadn't put a finger to her lips.

"Shh! Shh!"

"Ah, yes?"

"Th-they keep following me."

I didn't ask who she meant. It was obvious how many there were, too.

Her hair was a mess. Cold sweat beaded across her forehead. Her eyes darted around like a small animal's.

She looked nothing like the lofty descriptions of her as the star of high society. The Fugitive of High Society would have suited her better.

Being a romance-fantasy protagonist must have been fucking exhausting too.

Then again, the title of the romance fantasy was I Keep Running Away Because Men Keep Clinging to Me.

I only stared at Lucia, crouched beneath the table.

She had looked at me like I was a bug and coldly turned away before, yet now she had crawled under the table in front of me like a rabbit.

I wanted to ask something, but I could end up dragged into a lovers' quarrel.

I had to avoid the crown prince above all others.

I quietly tried to move away from Lucia. Even that wasn't up to me.

Lucia had a tight grip on the edge of my sleeve.

"Don't go. Stay here."

"......."

A Word from the Author

There will be consecutive chapters tomorrow. One chapter at 1 a.m. and another at 1 p.m. Two chapters in total!

Footnotes:

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