Arin had gone three days without eating. But Kanis, on the other hand, hadn't eaten anything for 20 days.
"Huff huff! I got bread!"
Kanis ran through the streets aimlessly, not stopping until he finally leaned against a wall and caught his breath after escaping his pursuers.
His consciousness was becoming blurry, and all he felt was hunger. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he had eaten.
At that moment, he saw a piece of bread. Kanis swallowed hard with madness in his eyes.
Kanis devoured it with crazed eyes.
"I want to eat it. I want to put this in my mouth."
'Yes, I must stay strong so that Arlin can survive as well. I can afford to eat this. Arlin can hold on for a few more days.'
Thinking this way seemed quite reasonable.
Could there be anything more sensible? Eat this first and look for more food with the strength you have left. That's what you should do.
Kanis opened his mouth and brought the bread to it. The saliva he had held back flowed like a torrent, and his hands trembled.
"Ugh!"
Kanis closed his eyes and stuffed the bread into his mouth. It was all fake. How could he gain strength from this piece of bread?
'I must endure. It doesn't matter if my body breaks. But if my mind collapses, it will all be over.'
Kanis looked around as if he were beside himself. He was thinking of filling his stomach with anything, even if it was a stone.
He crawled towards a pile of human excrement that someone had thrown in a corner of the alley. Before he could have a thought, he shoved his hand into his mouth.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
His tongue, mouth, stomach, and his entire body rejected it. But Kanis swallowed it.
The feces were better than a stone.
After a tough battle with his stomach, Kanis returned to his hiding place with weak steps. Though he was still hungry, a brilliant smile lit up his face as he offered the bread to Arin.
"Arin, look! I got this."
"Oh, really? Wow, that's amazing!"
"Haha, you know I have a trick up my sleeve. I'll be able to get more from now on. Eat quickly!"
Arin looked at the bread with sad eyes. She wished to go out together to find food, but venturing into the outside world as a woman was suicidal in this hell called Radum.
He had never spoken to anyone except Kanis. Thanks to this, he developed an antisocial disorder, but was that important? At least, he didn't become someone else's food and didn't end up in someone else's stomach.
"Kanis, eat with me."
"No, I'm fine. I've been scavenging and eating things I found. I came across a big insect nest, so I got some nutrition. You can't eat those things, so eat this."
"How long will you treat me like a child."
Kanis held Arin's shoulders with an affectionate look.
"Arin, I know you're a brave girl. But you shouldn't. Do you understand what I'm saying? What I can endure in this Radum hell is at least providing you with human-like nourishment. If you become like me, you might go insane. So, eat quickly."
It was a phrase she had heard dozens of times before. And, as always, Arin nibbled on the bread as if she didn't care.
But this time was different.
Arin looked at the corner of Kanis's lips with trembling eyes. There was something about them, a scent that wafted from them.
"Kanis, what did you... eat?"
Kanis was more perplexed than he had ever been before.
"Oh, huh? Ha-ha! This is cake. Some cream spilled, so I licked it and it stayed there. I'm sorry for not telling you. I was so hungry..."
Slap!
Kanis's face turned fiercely toward Arin. Despite being beaten countless times in the alleys, he had never felt such a painful slap in his entire life
"Oh, Arin..."
Arlin gave Kanis a kiss with a panic-stricken expression she had never seen before.
It wasn't a sweet kiss. It wasn't a beautiful exchange of human emotions. It was simply the act of two creatures born from sinful beings who pitied each other.
It was only then that Arin realized what she had eaten. Tears welled up for the first time in her life. The grief she had been suppressing her whole life suddenly burst forth.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
Arin was making a terrifying expression that Kanis had never seen before.
"Never do that again. If you do it one more time, I can't stay with you."
"I'm sorry, Arin. Please don't leave. You're my only family. You're the reason I keep going every day."
"Yes. Let's keep living, Kanis. Both of us must survive."
Kanis nodded in sadness. But Arin didn't forgive him, not until Kanis had eaten all the bread that had fallen to the ground.
***
Kanis spoke of his past solemnly, as if reciting someone else's life.
"We lived in hell. But the master rescued us from there. He gave us something to eat, gave me the strength to protect Arin, and even gave me Havist, the essence of dark magic."
The attention of the boys focused on Havist. Usually, he was a speaking magical creature, but this time he remained silent.
"I see."
Shirone said.
No matter what kind of life you've lived, it doesn't justify that it's okay to kill someone. Living more difficultly than others doesn't turn a bad action into something right."
"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not defending your ideals; I'm teaching you and your friends. What saved Arin and me wasn't the justice you mention. I'm just following what I believe."
"You can't gain anything by hurting others. If you don't try to understand others, your past will never bring you comfort."
"Pfff! Comfort? You're talking nonsense to the end. Should I tell you how the situation is right now? Our master is going to destroy this academy entirely. That includes your friends."
"No. You can't hurt anyone but yourself."
When Shirone raised a photon of light in his hand, Havist extended his wide palm to cover Kanis's front. But that wasn't enough, as he reached his arm to the other side to completely envelop Kanis.
"What are you doing, Havist? You don't have to be so scared."
"It's dangerous. His temper is out of control."
Kanis chuckled quietly. He had already tested Shirone's abilities during their confrontation in the forest. While he was a decent mage for a student at the magic academy, ultimately, he was nothing more than a flower in a greenhouse.
"Well, anyway, I can't..."
Kanis's expression turned empty. The Photon Canon floating above his hand trembled ominously and rapidly. It had more power than the Photon Canon he had unleashed in the forest, but his injury was severe.
"What happened to him? How can he have such ability...?"
Kanis and Havist's analysis was largely correct. But even they overlooked an important fact: Shirone had opened the Infinite Domain, an Unlocker.
"It's your last chance. Release the mind control."
Kanis frowned. He could no longer underestimate Shirone, and that wounded his pride.
"That's absurd. Even if I die, I will continue my master's path. I can't break my belief."
Shirone's gaze turned cold. The enhanced power of the Photon Canon, reinforced with the Immortal Function's strength, was on an entirely different level than before.
"I don't want to kill anyone. But if you try to harm my comrades, I won't have a choice."
"Return their memories to everyone. If you don't..."
The Photon Canon exploded, radiating light like an intense glare before transforming into a deathly white light sphere.
"I must hurt you."
***
Cold sweat was already soaking Thad's forehead as he cast the photon spell over Alpeas' head. Arcane Vilthor. Although he was an irritating human, the power of the spell he had conjured transcended imagination.
"Ugh. Such strong mind control. Could it be useful in these times?"
Initially, he had underestimated it. Despite bearing the title of Archmage, 40 years had passed. Magic had evolved over several generations, and dark magic had largely disappeared. However, the Abyss Nova was so charged with energy that even Thad, a beneficiary of advanced magic, couldn't analyze it.
After about 20 minutes, he finally felt the luminous energy infiltrating the core of the darkness. From that moment, Thad used all his mental power to push the light. The curtain of darkness lifted, and Alpeas's memories began to shine brightly, following the flow of light.
***
Forty years ago, in the capital of Baska, the Kingdom of Thormia was experiencing an unprecedented magical fever. King Adolph XII, unlike his predecessors who focused on strength, possessed a nature filled with wisdom and indulgence.
Upon ascending the throne, he had separated the magic department, which had previously been limited to the military, and attracted countless talents. Not only from the provinces but also from other countries, people came to study in Baska, and this resulted in the streets of the capital being filled with the voices of intelligence.
It was a common sight to see young magicians freshly graduated from the magic academy gathered in taverns during the day, passionately debating. The fashion of the time was to wear gypsy-style clothing, vibrant in color. For women, baring the neck with short hair was a symbol of wisdom, while men wore their hair long, down to their waist.
In the taverns, factions emerged from academic conflicts, and it was not uncommon for street fights to break out, sometimes requiring the intervention of the guards.
One of the most famous taverns in Baska was the folk-style tavern "Home of the Ancient Gods." With a large hall that had more than 200 tables, a central lectern where people regularly stepped up to deliver magical opinions.
All kinds of discussions took place there, from magical debates to gossip circulating among the nobility. It was a romantic era.
Alpeas remembered his golden days fondly.
"Oh, look who's here, guys. Alpeas has arrived!"
A woman at the tavern's entrance made a commotion, and the women at the tables turned to look when they heard his name.
"Hello, ladies! This place is always full of life!"
Alpeas, a young man with waist-length blonde hair, had arrived at the "Home of the Ancient Gods." He was accompanied by a young man with an unusual hairstyle for the time, Ogent Klump, Rian's grandfather, a magician.
Although Ogent Klump hadn't used invisibility magic, women treated him as if he were invisible and clung to Alpeas.
"We've been waiting for you, Alpeas-nim. What kind of magic will you teach us today?"
"First, we must moisten our throats. My tongue gets stiff if it's not wet with a little alcohol."
"Haha, you make me laugh! Alpeas is truly amusing."
While current apprentices might find this outdated, back then, Alpeas was a popular figure who could say anything and be welcomed.
Being the heir of one of the top-tier families, a graduate with honors from the magic academy, and also possessing handsome and refined looks, how could women not be drawn to him?
On the other hand, men looked at Alpeas with disdain. Even men who weren't the envious type didn't have a friendly look when referring to Alpeas, indicating the amount of resentment he caused among men.
The Radiance of the Milch family.
That was his official nickname at the time, but among those who knew him well, he had another nickname.
The Arrogant Alpeas.