Terminally-Ill Genius Dark Knight
Chapter 227

227. Father [2]

“Yes. I’m uncomfortable.”

Now that I’ve outright said it, I feel a sense of relief.

To be honest…

I don’t even know why Theo came all the way to the Eldain Academy to see me.

Nox von Reinhaver.

The fact that the existence of the ruffian youngest son has grown beyond measure?

He already knows.

Because he overheard the elders’ discussions.

— The next family head will be young master Nox

— Huh, who knew that nephew would actually pull it off?

— The fall of the eldest, Garen, was a big factor. Did anyone see this coming?

— Either way, blood may spill, so let’s make sure we stay on Nox’s good side.

— Pfft, it’s ridiculous to be sucking up to a mere fifteen-year-old.

— Watch your tongue. Unless you want your name erased from the family list.

— Well, the family head has always cherished the youngest…

The conversations were all the same.

Unease about me, Nox von Reinhaver, being elevated as the new family head.

Even before this, those bastards never supported me over Garen.

Aren’t they just the types to kiss up behind Priscilla’s back and gauge the mood?

But here’s the phrase to pay attention to.

‘The family head cheerish on me…This story has even spread to the other vassals.’

Of course, it’s all baseless rumour.

From the start, he only saw me as the son fit to kill him.

But from the vassals’ perspective, it’s different.

Theo is openly positioning me as the next family head?

Moreover, Garen is dead as a demon worshipper, leaving his support base unstable.

And Nox is a ruffian.

'A good echo.’

This is the first time the word 'ruffian’ has ever tasted sweet.

Either way.

Thanks to this, I have no backing, so I can act as I please.

'No under-table deals, smoothly securing multiple artifacts, steadily raising my companions’ level. There’s no major issue right now.’

Maintaining this ruffian-like life is no problem, and I don’t even have to mind Theo’s gaze.

Though the towering mountain called demons exists, even they can’t attack consecutively.

They’ll take their time to regroup before striking Eldain.

Either way.

A ruffian with exceptional skill, that’s my current standing and process within the family.

'But even so, is it right for Theo to come personally?’

The family is still unstable due to Garen’s death.

Even as his successor, Theo didn’t need to come personally to check on me. A simple confirmation of whether I’m alive or in one piece would’ve sufficed. There was no need to go further.

That’s why I’m curious.

Why did Theo, who wouldn’t bleed even if he was stabbed, come looking for me?

“Now, please tell me. Why have you come to see me?”

“This doesn’t feel like a conversation between father and son.”

“If you had ever felt that way even once, it might’ve meant something. But I don’t think so.”

Not yielding even a single word is also a virtue of a ruffian, I think, as I say this.

Theo, sitting on the hospital chair, stares at me for a moment before finally speaking.

“I heard you were injured.”

“It’s just a minor wound.”

“You met a Grand Duke?”

“…You already knew.”

Of course. It’s already a story spread throughout the academy.

There’s no way Theo von Reinhaver came without hearing it.

Theo continues with an indifferent gaze.

“Why did you step forward?”

“…Yes?”

His unexpected question makes me tilt my head.

I ponder Theo’s intent for a while but soon shake my head.

“Because a demon was there. That’s why I fought.”

“I was once like that too. I resolved to eradicate the demons from this continent. But Nox. You must know this too. Demons are not beings separate from us. They are born from malice itself. Hybrids born from the mingling of tainted energy and dark mana.”

“Yes. But that’s not a reason to justify their existence.”

“…..”

My gaze and Theo’s clash. He exhales softly.

“You can grasp many things easily. You can walk a better path. Better than me, better than the previous Patriarchs.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you mean.”

“I’m saying there’s no reason for you to involve yourself in dangerous affairs.”

How amusing.

There’s not a trace of genuine concern in his voice.

Is he trying to pretend to worry about me now?

Honestly, I don’t get what he’s trying to say.

Either way, my goal is clear.

To survive on this damned war-torn continent, the eradication of demons is necessary.

Even if it means for the unfulfilled wish of Theo von Reinhaver himself.

I need to see it through and move forward.

My circle.

I remind myself.

That I must strive harder to protect them.

The truth that I must grow stronger.

“I’m different from you”

Therefore, without realizing it, I let out sharp words.

The being before me is one who has reached the pinnacle. Whether he is one of the Three Sword Emperors or not doesn’t matter.

But I declare this.

Theo. I tell him, the failed one, that I will be different, and rake open his wounds.

The one who left his wife to die.

The Theo who killed even the faint memory of a mother I can’t recall. I despise him.

You, who abandoned your own family under the flimsy pretext of slaying demons.

“I will not fail. Even if it kills me.”

“…I know you’ve gained many precious existences now.”

Theo continues, choosing his words carefully. I freeze for a moment.

Precious existences, is he talking about my companions within my circle?

As if to resolve my doubts, Theo immediately adds.

“You’d have to turn your back on all of them and step onto a blood-soaked battlefield just to slay demons. You might become a discarded pawn. Even if you achieve glory there, there may be no one left to welcome you back. Can you endure that?”

My brow twitches involuntarily.

But here, at least, I answer firmly.

“Yes.”

And then, with a sneer, I add the following unknowingly.

“Even if I disappear, even if I’m someone’s precious person, in the end. I’ll be forgotten. At best, I’ll linger in someone’s memories, occasionally revisited… I don’t expect anyone to truly remember me.”

I continue.

“Wouldn’t that be a more fitting end for the ruffian young master of the Reinhaver family?”

**********

Clank——!

Inside the carriage returning to Reinhaver, Theo and Rodwell converse.

Rodwell speaks first.

“It seems your conversation didn’t go well.”

“…He said he’d keep fighting demons, even if he’s forgotten.”

“Reminds me of the Patriarch from back then. Blood truly doesn’t lie.”

Rodwell tries to lighten the mood, but it fails. Theo had been genuinely terrified when this incident occurred.

Even if Nox had learned a sword from him, facing Belial, one of the 72 demons and the natural enemy of the Black Sword, was a different matter.

Even if he used the Black Blade Fire Mirror, Belial would only steal his power.

Nox stood no chance of winning.

Had the young lady of the Stiliner family not awakened the White Flame at the right moment?

Nox, and most of the students there, would’ve died.

The fact that Nox fought on the front lines in such a situation displeased Theo.

Theo was caught in a mix of emotions. His true feelings. A hope that the denial of caring Nox wouldn’t reach him, and deep inside, a desire to be understood

“Fighting the 72 demons… Not just anyone can do that. You know this, Rodwell. Especially if it’s a Grand Duke-level monster.”

“…Yes. Countless lives have been lost to them.”

“Heroic tales. Epics. Do you remember all the names that faded without even a single line?”

“…..”

“Times like these make me hate this curse on my body and this position where I can’t even speak my mind all the more.”

“Patriarch.”

“Nox. That child is a genius. But…”

What is too hard will break.

That’s the state Nox was in now. Unbending.

As if chased by something, swinging his sword desperately to grow stronger, his condition is far from good, to say the least.

He could improve.

With his talent, he could go much further.

Even at the lowest estimate, his talent surpasses himself by at least one level.

That’s Nox von Reinhaver.

“Geniuses often lead unhappy lives, Rodwell.”

“Are you worried about the young master?”

“It’d be a lie to say I’m not. With the little time I have left… If he pushes himself further now, I fear he’ll break.”

“No matter how exceptional a knight is, the final wall must be overcome with willpower… But don’t worry too much about the young master. He has good companions around him.”

Rodwell’s words.

They’re true. Companions are a great source of strength for him.

But Theo knew.

How cruelly those companions and that circle could sometimes act.

“He may find himself unable to run. He may push himself to the brink.”

Theo closes his eyes briefly, remembering his wife.

A radiant, beautiful existence.

Then he continues.

“The moment he rationalizes that his sacrifice is ultimately for their sake… Nox, as a knight, will die.”

**********

After Theo left.

I quickly rose from the sickbed.

The wounds weren’t deep to begin with, so it was possible.

Oddly, the fact that Theo visited without any real agenda nagged at me, but it wasn’t a problem.

'Probably just checking the next patriarch condition. If I die fighting demons, the Reinhaver family might collapse.’

The reasons were clear in many ways.

“Nox, please, I’m begging you, stop with the reckless actions! Everyone was scared out of their minds!”

“…Even if I’d warned you beforehand, you’d have been trembling just the same.”

“That’s not the point…!”

Walking through the academy grounds, Eleanor suddenly says this. She had been waiting for me in front of the Sidus’ Hall earlier.

Was she genuinely worried? That’s not like a [Genius of Acting], she even almost cried

…Somehow, I do feel a little bad about this.

My companions worried about me a lot.

Paracelsus, when I told him to look after others, the weak Eleanor, etc, he said the following.

— Sir, if you don’t return, I’ll kill you twice.

His usual lack of manners is endearing, but he was clearly concerned.

Leon also the same

— I’ll wait for you.

'These punks always bring up that kind of stuff just to get my eyes red…’

But the problem is that I hid this from Eleanor, Rona, Zitri, and the others.

They’d have stopped me outright or insisted on staying by my side if they knew I was joining the fight.

So I asked Paracelsus and Leon to ensure their survival.

Either way, everyone lived, so it turned out fine.

My lifespan increased, and I gained a lot in many ways.

“Seriously… You always act like it’s nothing…”

As I ponder my gains, Eleanor’s trembling voice suddenly reaches me.

What?

Don’t tell me, is she… crying?