The Narrow-Eyed Villain of the Demon Academy

Did she understand what I was saying?

“......”

Fron, who had been silent for a moment, trembled.

It wasn't that she couldn't accept my words, but rather that they had struck a nerve.

The idea that dying is the same as running away.

Perhaps Fron had known this for a long time.

No, she couldn't not know.

And yet, she tried to run away.

How could I not understand Fron's feelings?

I used to be like that too.

Because I didn’t know how to deal with what was in front of me, because it seemed too much to handle, and because I was afraid to face my own feelings, I tried to run away.

As if rejecting Luna’s confession wasn’t enough, I urged her to drop out and even avoided Rene to push her away.

But I changed my mind as I listened to Samuel’s constant persuasion and advice.

Perhaps the decisive factor was Crete’s death.

From that moment on, I felt something inside me change.

Facing reality, living in the present.

Moving forward without turning away from what lay ahead.

That was the answer I came up with.

That's why I was saying this to Fron.

“Nothing will change just by running away. Wouldn't Ms. Fron’s death just be a dog's death? Your close friend sacrificed herself to save you, and you're choosing death because of guilt? That seems too easy.”

“...What do you know?”

“I already told you. I know everything. What you went through.”

“Then how can you say that?!”

Fron glared at me and opened her mouth.

“Maybe you’re right, maybe I am running away, but so what? Why do I have to suffer? I’m already tired, I don't want to live.”

Fron sounded like she was screaming in agony, and at the same time, appealing to me for understanding.

To this, I answered firmly.

“That’s a lie.”

“......”

Fron couldn't say anything and just shut her mouth.

I knew it was a lie.

If she really wanted to die, she wouldn't have waited until now.

If she wanted to take revenge on Pria, who had driven her and her friends to their deaths, she would have chosen death long ago.

But Fron didn't.

“You want to live. That’s why you endured. You waited, hoping someone would forgive you. Isn’t that right?”

“......”

Fron was still silent.

Perhaps she was acknowledging it.

Not by saying it directly, but by letting her heart accept it.

Death.

How many people in the world were not afraid of it?

Why did living beings chase after eternal life?

Why were they afraid of death?

It was so simple.

Because they wanted to live.

There was no need for philosophical reasons or proper justification.

They lived because they wanted to live.

Isn’t that right?

“Isn’t that right?”

I looked at Fron.

Looking at her, who had chosen death, who seemed to have no desire for life, I opened my mouth.

“It’s not a sin to want to live.”

At that, Fron burst into tears.

She trembled, uttering unspeakable words.

She was pouring out her heart to me, asking for comfort.

In that way, Fron expressed her will to live.

I listened to Fron without a word.

“…I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to die. Was that so greedy? Yeah, maybe it was. Because I wanted everyone to live. But why us, why did it have to be us?”

Fron asked.

Why?

Why did they have to live in such pain?

If there was misfortune, shouldn't there be good fortune as well?

And why did it all happen only to them?

I couldn't easily open my mouth as I listened to Fron’s words.

But I had to tell her this.

Because I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t.

This wasn’t meant to comfort Fron, nor was it to persuade her.

Perhaps it was a story I wanted to tell myself.

“There were times when I complained too. What did I do wrong to deserve this, why do I have to live like this?”

I was just a novel writer.

To earn money,

I graduated with a degree in creative writing and wrote to make ends meet.

There was no philosophical knowledge, no critical view of reality in my writing.

I wrote to live.

But that became my karma, and further, my retribution.

The villain I killed in my novel came to my house and asked why I killed him and if I could grant him a wish.

I wrote for such a trivial reason.

Because I was hungry because I had to earn a living.

Why did I feel sadness when I wrote for such a reason?

Why was my heart moved when I saw Adel, his heart broken, holding back tears as he appealed to me?

The reason I wrote was indeed insignificant.

But at some point, I realized that the very act of living came with responsibility.

“The fact that I’m alive, that it happened, that’s why I live. Living itself comes with responsibility. As ridiculous as it sounds, I never wanted this, I never even imagined it, but at some point, I felt this huge sense of responsibility on my shoulders.”

Responsibility.

It came with the very act of living,

with the slightest move I made towards something.

Parents had a responsibility to raise their children,

and leaders had a responsibility to live for those below them.

Bearing responsibility meant that you had moved for something.

It could be a dream, it could be a job, but what was certain was that our bodies were moving on their own, without us even realizing it.

“Whether you wanted it or not, you lived. So take responsibility. Take responsibility for the girl who died for you, and for the connections you’ve made.”

I stopped talking and looked at Fron.

Fron burst into tears at my words, her fists trembling.

“I, I….…”

Fron couldn’t answer easily.

It seemed like she needed more time to think.

I couldn’t blame her.

Even I wouldn’t have been able to decide so easily.

How long did it take for me to change my mind?

Fron’s heart wouldn’t change just by hearing my words.

So I would wait.

Until Fron changed her mind.

“I’ll wait. When you feel the responsibility of being alive, please come back.”

Feeling responsible for being alive.

Could Fron ever understand that?

I was worried, but I decided to trust Fron and wait.

“......”

Fron stumbled out of the prison.

I quietly watched her retreating figure.

Soon, Fron was out of sight, and Kyle turned to me with an exasperated expression.

“Hey, you should be persuading her gently, why are you yelling at her like that?!”

“…That’s…”

I had nothing to say.

I was being greedy with my words.

I wanted to tell myself at the same time as I told Fron.

That’s why I did it.

Maybe I was being selfish.

If Fron died, it would definitely make things easier for me.

Fron wanted to die.

That was a fact.

But it was also an unchanging truth that she yearned for life.

It was just that the desire to live was crushed under the weight of guilt, unable to raise its head.

The burden of responsibility was too much for Fron, and she had no choice but to choose death.

But that wasn’t right.

I wanted Fron to live.

That’s why I came here and scolded her.

“I don’t know what will happen, but… we have no choice but to hope she makes a wise decision, right? If Ms. Fron dies, we die too.”

My words were true.

If Fron died, all her remaining mana would go to Pria.

Fron was one of the five most powerful beings in Sytan.

If all of Fron’s power went to Pria, no matter how hard I fought, the chances of winning were slim.

It meant that one of the Seven Deadly Sins would have power exceeding their prime.

Kyle snapped at me.

“You know that, and you still did that?! Every time I see you, I feel like I’m walking on thin ice! How could you do this? It would’ve been better to just gather information in Sytan!”

“…Calm down, it won’t change anything.”

I understood how Kyle felt, but there was nothing I could do.

Did he think Fron would listen if I persuaded her gently and by the book?

It would be a relief if she didn't just scoff at me.

Sigh.

I let out a sigh inwardly.

I hoped things would work out.

“For now, let’s wait for Ms. Fron.”

I soothed Kyle and said.

* * *

A week passed.

During that time, Fron didn’t visit the prison, and Kyle’s mental state deteriorated day by day.

“Heheh, I’m going to die anyway… Lever, Mile, I miss you…”

“Get a hold of yourself!”

Kyle’s mind was starting to crumble.

I realized the gravity of the situation.

‘Did she really give up?’

I felt my heart pounding.

The fact that Fron hadn’t come all this time meant that she might have truly given up on life.

‘Would it be okay now?’

Woong—.

I subtly circulated my mana.

If we escaped before Pria made her move.

First, we had to get out of this prison.

It was then.

“How dare you, using mana in a place like this!”

A voice rang out from somewhere.

I flinched and turned my gaze.

And my small eyes widened at the sight that unfolded before me.

“…You, could it be…”

“Fufufu, long time no see.”

A familiar voice.

A way of speaking I had heard long ago.

The owner of the arrogant voice, oozing with self-importance, was approaching us with flowing blue hair.

“This body, has arrived!”

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