Chapter 75

This story is a work of fiction.

The characters, organizations, and names are all fictional and have no connection to any real entities.

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070 - Suppressing the urge to kill

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Immediately after returning from exploring the 7th floor of the Royal Dungeon, I sought an audience with Bacchus.

"Is this it!?"

Bacchus, who had jumped out of his chair, lunged at the chunk of metal called Gormodia.

"What did you do with this? Where did you get it?"

"From the boss room on the 7th floor of the dungeon."

"7th floor!?"

"I think it's a rare drop item."

"Hmm..."

The look on his face suggested that Bacchus had been planning to go and get it himself. Rare items don't drop easily, and the 7th floor isn't a place you can just go to. But Bacchus, with his Blacksmith level 36, has a high STR value and some ATK. Depending on the party, it should be possible to reach.

"Bringing this to me means..."

"Yes, I wanted you to forge a sword with it."

"Alright, leave it to me! Only I can forge this! I'm heading back to my territory right away!"

No, no, you can't go back now. Why did we even come to the capital?

"Calm down. We can't go back right away."

"What are you saying!? The only thing more important than this is alcohol."

Is alcohol more important to you!?

Despite Bacchus's numerous quirks, I somehow managed to calm him down and make him reconsider. If he went back now, I'd probably get a snide comment from the Duke. Besides, Bacchus is one of the few nobles I can talk to casually.

In return, I promised to have him forge a sword with Gormodia as soon as we return. That's what I wanted to ask for anyway (laughs).

Since it's a black metal, I think it will turn out to be a sleek sword. I'm looking forward to it.

By the way, I was supposed to get a magic sword from the country. I need to make sure its effects don't overlap with the one I'll get.

After that, we did multiple runs on the 7th floor to level up and earn money.

The total amount of money we made from selling items obtained in the Royal Dungeon was just over 20 million grils, which is over 200 million yen. I plan to use it as a reward for Bacchus when he forges the sword.

Everyone except me reached level 40. I became level 38 in the jobs of Reincarnated Hero, Assassin, and Swordmaster, and level 30 in Explorer and level 35 in Enchanter.

I can see the back of the Level 42 Guardian Knight of Vulcan!

By the way, while accompanying Bacchus in his drinking, my Drunkard level has steadily increased to 15.

It's still not enough, but I can now keep up a little with Bacchus's drinking speed. Bacchus, who doesn't even have the Drunkard job, can drink so much. He must be a true dwarf, or just a drunk old man...

Finally, the day to receive our rewards arrived.

The castle is even larger and more magnificent than the Duke's. The Duke's castle felt more like a defensive stronghold, while this one is a symbol of authority.

Each noble has a room assigned to them, so I took a nap on Annelise's lap during the wait.

I stayed up late last night drinking with Bacchus. Moreover, Bacchus, who was also attending, came to my room early in the morning and was rubbing his cheek against Gormodia.

He's been doing that every day since then. I wonder if he'll ever get tired of it. It's creepy.

We waited for about two hours. Then someone came to call us.

The feeling of Annelise's thigh was tempting, but I forced myself to sit up.

"Lord Toi. Your hair is a mess."

"It doesn't matter."

"It does matter."

Annelise gently combed my hair. My hair has grown quite a bit since I was sent to this world.

"Beautiful silver hair."

"It's long, so I might cut it soon."

"That would be a waste."

"It's in the way."

"Like this, it won't be in the way."

Annelise braided my silver hair at the back. I would have been happy if I were a girl, but...

Since Annelise took the trouble to braid it, I decided to attend the ceremony as I was.

"Lord Toi Futsickler."

The large double doors opened with a heavy sound, and light flooded in from the other side. It was so bright that I instinctively closed my eyes.

This was a luxurious audience chamber, with numerous chandeliers and lights. They were magical items, not candle flames. As a commoner, I couldn't help but wonder how many magic stones were used for these chandeliers.

The red carpet seemed to be a standard feature of audience chambers. It was soft and fluffy as I walked on it.

Right behind me were Annelise and Gandalban, and further back were Rosalina and the others.

On both sides, nobles lined up, sizing us up. The closer to the entrance, the lower the rank, and the closer to the throne, the higher the rank.

It seemed we had moved from the baron area to the viscount area, where Bacchus was. When our eyes met, he gave me a thumbs up. He's such a relaxed person.

In the earl area, I saw Zeygen's face. As usual, his frown was deep.

Barkan was not present this time. It seems that Zeygen and Barkan always take turns staying behind. Thanks to this, I can be more relaxed. Barkan would make me practice, which is a hassle. Even Barkan, who is an earl, has a scary face, but his rank has nothing to do with his appearance.

I saw the Duke. Then I saw an unpleasant face. The heroes. From the Duke's perspective, the left side was for the nobles, and the right side for the heroes.

Among them was the face of Akaba Mahiro, who had treated me terribly in Japan. Seeing their faces made me feel a surge of dark emotions.

It was during the winter of my first year of high school...

It was just before Christmas, and I stopped by a bookstore on my way home from school. It was the release day of a manga I loved.

The bookstore wasn't very large, so the popular manga was always sold out, but the one I loved was always sold out. So I had reserved it.

Before buying the book, I was browsing through the shelves when I saw a boy in the same uniform. It was my classmate, Minami Kouta.

He was acting suspiciously and sweating profusely. It was the kind of sweat that you wouldn't get just from running a little in this season.

I was a bit curious, so I watched Minami, and he put a book in his bag. He hadn't paid for it. It was a classic case of shoplifting.

Without thinking, I grabbed Minami's arm as he tried to leave.

"What?"

I shook my head and let go of his arm.

Minami fumbled, took the book out of his bag, and ran out of the store.

The next time I saw Minami, he was being beaten up in the shadow of the school building. There they were, the group of 8 led by Akaba, kicking Minami, who was crouched like a turtle.

When I see something that makes me feel bad, I can't help but speak up. It's one of my bad habits.

"Stop acting like kids."

"Hey, what's your problem?"

One of Akaba's group, Noda Sora, stepped forward. I've seen this type of student in old manga.

"Assault. It's a serious crime. Stop it."

"Huh? Who says I assaulted anyone? Hey, Turtle."

Noda grabbed Minami by the collar and stood him up.

"No one... "

"See? Ha ha ha."

I shook my head and asked Minami if that was okay, but he nodded nervously. He was probably too scared of Akaba to say no. I understood that, but I couldn't say anything more. If he didn't stand up for himself, nothing would change.

"Take it easy."

As I turned to leave, I was kicked in the back and fell.

Then Akaba jumped on me and started punching me. My hands and feet were held down by Akaba's group, and I could only take the punches.

I didn't make a sound. If I made a sound, it would only encourage them. Did they think I would beg them to stop?

My face was swollen the next day. The teacher, upon hearing the name Akaba, immediately backed off. It was a well-known fact that Akaba's father was a member of parliament. He had used his power to cover up many of Akaba's problems.

From then on, I was beaten and kicked every day. I didn't just take it. With the odds against me, I might lose. I probably would. But if I stopped fighting back, I would be finished. That's what I thought, so no matter how many times I was hit, I didn't flinch.

Even if I was hit 10 times and kicked 100 times, I found a chance to hit back. Then I was hit again. It was a vicious cycle. I think I was doing something stupid. Looking back, I might have just not wanted to be a victim.

The teacher blamed me for hitting Akaba. Even though he saw the bruises all over my body, he said nothing. I never respected him, but after that, I began to despise him.

In my second and third year of high school, Akaba and his group continued to pick on me. They didn't like that I never begged for forgiveness, no matter how many times I was hit.

The harassment didn't stop there. My classmates ignored me. My textbooks were torn or lost, and my gym clothes were torn and dog feces were put in my bag.

Their violence was a daily occurrence, and the teachers said nothing. Once, I had to be hospitalized. The police, who received a report from the hospital, conducted an investigation but quickly dropped it. It was due to the pressure from Akaba's father, a member of parliament. Even as a high school student, I could imagine the police being hesitant.

When I was summoned, I refused to be summoned with them. It wasn't because I had given in to their violence. I had confidence that I wouldn't give in to them in this world either. I wouldn't let my spirit be broken. I had no intention of letting it be broken.

I refused the summoning when I heard that I would be sent to another world as a hero. The god said that with a powerful job, I could vent my frustrations from the past.

At first, I thought about it. I wanted to make them pay. But I stopped. Using my power to hit them would make me just like them. That's why I refused to be summoned with them. I didn't want to become such a scumbag.

However... Akaba is a scumbag, but what's with his criminal record? How many crimes have you committed?

He has a criminal record from Japan, but he has committed many crimes since being summoned here as well. How can he have such a criminal record after only a few months? The country should manage these people. If they don't, he will eventually commit murder or a major crime. Since they summoned him