"I have to do something, or Sebastian is definitely going to die..."

  That thought echoed in Kazuki’s mind as his vision blurred from blood loss.

  “If you don’t help, don’t expect to be helped.”

  And there it was again, that soft, eerie voice.

  But somehow, it came at the perfect moment.

  Even though it gave him chills, those words lit a tiny spark inside him. A spark of strength.

  Kazuki clenched his jaw. It was all or nothing now.

  He threw Sebastian over his back and began limping back toward the village. Running or walking properly wasn’t even an option anymore. His leg was wrecked, his mind clouded with pain.

  But something deep inside still burned, like his body was moving on its own while his consciousness watched from afar.

  He couldn’t give up now.

  As the village finally came into view, past the smoke, the broken homes, and the smell of burning flesh, Kazuki noticed something else, troops.

  Estanian troops?

  Or was he hallucinating?

  Maybe it was Astrye’s soldiers.

  He couldn’t be sure.

  But he couldn’t turn back either.

  With one final push from somewhere deep within, he ran.

  Or rather, stumbled as fast as he could.

  His legs gave out just a few steps away from them.

  “No... it can’t end like this…”

  He slammed his fists into the ground, then screamed with everything he had left:

  “PLEASE SAVE HIM! DON’T LET HIM DIE! I BEG YOU!!”

  And then, darkness.

  His last thought before passing out:

  “I hope someone heard me… even just one person.”

  When he came to, he was in a tent. All around him were injured people.

  “’Bout time you woke up, dummy. You actually saved me.”

  Sebastian sat beside him, smiling.

  “Tch… Be quiet. If anything, I’m the reason we ended up like this. You should hate me, not thank me,” Kazuki muttered, tears falling, part joy, part guilt.

  “Jeez, can you do anything besides cry?” Sebastian chuckled, but his next words were serious.

  “For real, though... If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead.”

  Then the tent suddenly fell silent.

  A woman entered, elegant, powerful, and terrifying all at once.

  Everyone around froze, as if her presence alone demanded silence.

  She was like a rose: beautiful from afar, but those thorns... they warned of danger.

  Kazuki didn’t even know who she was, but he felt an overwhelming sense of respect.

  And she was walking straight toward him.

  This beautiful yet terrifying woman kept walking toward him.

  “Hey, are you deaf? I’m talking to you,” said Sebastian with an annoyed tone. Kazuki didn’t respond, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  “Who is that woman? Her presence is insane...” Kazuki asked, still staring at her, captivated. But then he realized she was heading straight toward him. What could someone like her possibly want with him?

  “Oh, her? I don’t know either,” said Sebastian, lowering his voice. “But she’s got some serious presence. Be careful how you talk to her. She looks like the kind of person who’d cut off your head without blinking.”

  Kazuki felt a chill. What does someone like her want from me? Please don’t let her talk to me... I’ve got enough problems already, he thought, still aching from the wounds, especially the one in his leg.

  She kept approaching.

  “Respect to both of you,” she said in a soft voice so soothing, Kazuki could almost fall asleep to it. “You survived. Not only that, you managed to take down two Astryan soldiers. One of them even being a General.”

  “Oh, don’t praise me,” Kazuki replied. “Sebastian was the one who killed them both.”

  Even Sebastian, someone who hated nobility, couldn’t bring himself to glare at her. Her aura made it impossible.

  “You do know,” she said suddenly, voice serious, “that addressing the Queen without formal speech could get you into trouble.”

  Kazuki froze. She’s the queen...?

  This time, there were no clues like with the princess, no hints or gut feelings. Just that overwhelming presence. Still, something inside him told him to act immediately.

  He threw himself to his knees.

  “Please forgive me, Your Majesty,” he said. But the pain in his leg shot through him as he hit the ground, and he groaned loudly in agony.

  “Ah, that was just a joke. Don’t be so formal,” she said with a laugh. “Lay back down. I can see your leg is injured.”

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Then she smiled and continued, “Let me introduce myself. My name is Selena Estanis. And what are your names?”

  With a voice like that, she could order an entire army to die for her, and they’d do it, Kazuki thought.

  “I’m Kazuki, and this idiot here is, uh, Sebastian,” he said.

  “Hey! Who are you calling an idiot, you idiot?!” Sebastian barked back.

  The Queen laughed again, but her eyes settled on Sebastian. “So, you’re the brown-haired boy who killed an Astryian general. Sebastian, was it? I’ll gonna remember that name well.”

  She stepped closer to Sebastian, completely ignoring Kazuki now.

  The tone of her voice, her presence, it all focused on him.

  And just like that, she turned and left the tent.

  It had been a while since the Queen’s visit, but more and more people kept coming to see Sebastian, admiring him for having killed an Astryean general. Kazuki, however, had had enough. He couldn’t bear to hear it anymore.

  “Why only him? I fought too...” Kazuki thought, still feeling jealous. To everyone else, he was just “the other guy who also survived,” while Sebastian was celebrated as a hero. And somehow, deep inside, a small hatred toward Sebastian was growing within Kazuki, though he wasn’t even aware of it himself.

  “The more you try to stand in the light, the deeper you will sink into the darkness.”

  There it was again, that voice. But Kazuki already knew that looking around wouldn’t help. He was almost certain now that the voice existed only inside his head, and only he could hear it. Still, what was that supposed to mean? The more you try to stand in the light, the deeper you will sink into the darkness.

  “This voice just talks nonsense...” he thought, already exhausted. So he didn’t take the words too seriously and drifted off to sleep.

  But in his dream, she was there again. That person... who was him, but not. She was female, yet somehow still him. Her eyes were pitch black, like the night.

  “Hey, you're the one behind that voice in my head, right? The one saying all that cryptic stuff? Just tell me it’s you,” Kazuki said in a calm voice, hoping that maybe being calm would get him an answer this time.

  But she didn’t respond directly.

  “The greatest enemy of a man is not people, nor monsters, but himself, and his own sense of morality,” she said, her tone carrying a subtle warning.

  “Please... I’m begging you... What is the point of all this? Why am I even in this world? And what are these memories in my head that don’t even belong to me?” he pleaded, tears welling in his eyes.

  But she simply repeated the same words.

  “The greatest enemy of a man is not people, nor monsters, but himself, and his own sense of morality.”

  Then she vanished into the fog. Just as he was about to call out to her again, Kazuki woke up in his bed. Morning had come.

  “Good morning,” said Sebastian, but Kazuki ignored him.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” Sebastian asked, concerned. He didn’t understand why Kazuki was acting so distant.

  “Just... leave me be. I need some time alone to think,” Kazuki replied with a tone filled with both hatred and sorrow. He was jealous. He wanted to be celebrated the way Sebastian was.

  “Alright... but if there’s something on your mind, come talk to me, yeah?” Sebastian said, worried but still kind.

  Suddenly, a messenger entered the room and walked up to the two boys.

  “The Queen has summoned Sebastian and the other survivor,” he announced.

  “Ah yes... the 'other survivor.' That just proves it even more... I’m not wanted here. Only he is.” These bitter thoughts swirled in Kazuki’s head, and with every passing moment, his unspoken anger toward Sebastian grew stronger.

  They got up and went to see the Queen.

  When they arrived, Kazuki saw a familiar face, it was Princess Rina. She sat between Queen Selena and a strong, broad-shouldered man whose very posture, even while seated, radiated authority. Kazuki could only assume he was the King, though he didn’t know his name. All these thoughts passed quickly through Kazuki’s mind.

  The boys knelt.

  “Rise,” said the King, his voice deep yet warm.

  They stood.

  “You, the one with the black clothes and black hair, tell me your name,” the Princess said to Kazuki.

  “Yes, Your Highness. My name is Kazuki Hoshikawa.”

  “I knew you looked familiar! Mama, Papa, that’s the strange man with the weird name who saw me and said he wanted to serve me!”

  This won’t end well, Kazuki thought, his heart sinking.

  Sebastian glanced at Kazuki, clearly confused. He wanted to say something, but the King’s presence was ten times more intimidating than even the Queen’s. No one dared speak out of turn.

  The King made a subtle gesture, and a royal guard approached him. They whispered for several minutes while Kazuki stood there, bored out of his mind.

  Finally, the King spoke.

  “First, to you, Sebastian. For slaying an Astryean general, I reward you with a sack of Solin. Inside are 25 Solin or 2.5 Auren.”

  “I thank you, Your Majesty! You are too generous!” said Sebastian, eyes wide with shock. He had never seen that much wealth in his entire life.

  “Now, to you... Kazuki.” His tone shifted, more cautious, even slightly hostile.

  “You may remain here until you’ve recovered. After that, I want you gone.”

  With that, he ended his speech and dismissed Kazuki from the hall.

  Kazuki decided to wait for Sebastian. Ten more minutes passed before he finally came out. "Hey, watch what you're doing. You're suspected of being a spy," Kazuki said, but then his tone changed as he continued, "For doing something like that with the princess? I heard it’s the first time you’ve ever seen her and wanted to serve her. What a dumb decision, man," he laughed mockingly.

  "A spy? That's complete nonsense," Kazuki replied, barely holding back his anger. "And you're making fun of me? It's great to be the hero and be celebrated by everyone!"

  Sebastian shook his head. "Hey, man, but I don't want to be celebrated," he said, slowly realizing that Kazuki was envious of him. "You don't need any of this. I'll share the money with you, so just calm down."

  Kazuki took a step closer, his frustration becoming more evident. "I don't want that. And you can save your other comments. I can tell you enjoy it. You're not just pretending!" His voice shook with all the pent-up feelings as he grabbed Sebastian by the collar.

  "Hey, calm down. I don't want to hit you," Sebastian said, trying to maintain a peaceful stance. But Kazuki wasn’t listening.

  "Shut up! It’s easy to say that when everything is going well for you. But things aren't going well for me, and stop pretending like we’re friends. You don’t know anything about me!" Kazuki screamed, raising his hand as if to strike.

  But Sebastian was faster. With a strong punch, he hit Kazuki in the face. Kazuki staggered and fell to the ground, but he tried to get back up. Sebastian kicked him hard in the stomach.

  "Idiot! Life is hard and unfair. Deal with it. It’s not a wish-fulfillment show. The best examples? The women in brothels who are often kept as slaves or end up there for financial reasons. Or the battle slaves, used as cannon fodder. Or the people in villages that get overrun by soldiers." He kicked Kazuki again, this time harder. "You’re fine, for example! I'm the son of a prostitute, thrown out onto the streets when I was six. So stop whining, because you still have parents!"

  Sebastian abruptly turned away, and Kazuki stared at him, his mind slowly processing the harsh reality. Sebastian, for the first time, had tears in his eyes as he kicked Kazuki one last time and then left. After the argument, everything between them became cold and dis