The Price of Survival

But there was something she could never give up—Kanis.

If not for him, she would still be suffering endless humiliation in Radum. To her, Kanis was more than just a savior; he was the person who had taken full responsibility for her life.

"It doesn't matter. Even if the entire world has to die for Kanis."

Nade felt unsettled by the emptiness in Arin's eyes and her twisted, bitter smile.

What kind of life had she lived to have such an expression?

As the two talked, Iruki lifted the unconscious Shiina onto his back. The excessive bombardment had likely been a last-ditch defense mechanism. On top of that, her memories were sealed away, so losing consciousness wasn't surprising.

Iruki turned to look at Lucas.

Did even villains have gods watching over them?

There, sprawled between chunks of ice a few meters apart, lay Lucas. His jaw was dislocated from screaming, and frothy foam dribbled from his mouth. With both legs lost, his life in prison would be entirely different now.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion echoed from the forest, and Nade, Iruki, and Arin simultaneously snapped their heads in its direction.

A massive flash of light tore through the canopy, streaking skyward at an angle.

Nade rushed to Iruki's side. "What the hell is that?!"

"Judging by the snapped trees, it's a Photon Cannon. Looks like someone had a breakthrough mid-battle."

Moments later, the trees ahead rustled violently, and Shirone was flung out as if spat from the forest.

He skidded across the ground, lowering his center of gravity. His entire body was caked in dirt and grime, as if he had been rolling through a swamp.

Arin's face lit up, but the moment Kanis emerged next, her expression hardened.

"K-Kanis..."

Harvest, with its long arms, pushed aside the trees on either side, making way for Kanis, who staggered forward on unsteady feet. Blood trickled down various parts of his body, a testament to the ferocity of the battle.

Iruki muttered in disbelief, "Is it... a draw?"

"No way. That Photon Cannon just now was enormous—even I couldn't see its full scale. And yet, you couldn't win?"

Shirone braced himself on the ground and rose, shaking his head.

"I can't win."

His friends doubted their ears. It was the first time they had ever heard such words from Shirone.

"What? Don't talk nonsense."

"This isn't nonsense. That bastard... he's truly strong."

The combination of a dark sorcerer and a shadow-formed magical beast was nearly perfect.

How can someone that powerful choose to harm others?

Every human makes mistakes, and some may choose darkness for their own reasons.

But to Shirone, acknowledging that evil could be powerful was unacceptable.

True strength was born of effort, not misfortune.

"Why are you doing this? What have the students ever done to you?"

Kanis sneered. "Oh? Losing in power, so now you're trying to argue? That's the typical response of weak nobles."

Shirone remained calm—because it wasn't true.

"Answer me. What you're trying to do will go down in history as a tragedy. At the very least, I want to know your reason."

"History? Who the hell cares about history? The abandoned fight just to survive. If I don't kill someone, I die. That's the world."

"That's just an excuse. No matter what life you've lived, no one has it easy. Everyone carries some burden they can barely endure."

Kanis scoffed. "Have you ever heard of Radum?"

Shirone fell silent.

What he knew from history books was that it was a slum in the capital, Basuka.

But detailed records were scarce. The Kingdom of Tormia had officially denied many of the horrible rumors surrounding Radum.

That only fueled countless conspiracy theories.

"Arin and I have lived there since before we can even remember. It's a place where people kill for discarded fish bones in the trash."

Arin's eyes clouded with sorrow.

Anyone who hadn't lived in Radum could never truly understand what it was like.

A lawless zone in a civilized world.

A gathering place for the worst criminals, where human warmth did not exist.

Kanis and Arin had been abandoned there.

Neither of them remembered why it was just the two of them or how long they had been together. All they knew was that they had to survive.

In Radum, where even rats and stray dogs had gone extinct, one thing was certain—there were no young girls.

And yet, Arin had survived for ten years.

Radum's only girl.

To protect that sorrowful symbol, Kanis had given up his humanity.

He barked like a rabid dog, bled in endless fights just for scraps of food.

Then, one day—

Kanis won a battle over a trash heap and managed to snatch a moldy piece of bread.

Finally!

Arin had been starving for three days.

Because of that, Kanis himself hadn't eaten for seven.

I finally got bread!

Kanis ran through the alleyways, evading pursuers until he finally collapsed, breathless.

Even in his dazed state, hunger gnawed at his insides.

"S-So hungry..."

His gaze landed on the bread in his hand, and he swallowed instinctively.

I want to eat it.

No, if I don't stay strong, Arin will die. It's okay for me to eat just a little. She can hold on a bit longer...

It sounded logical.

It was the most reasonable plan.

Eat, regain strength, find more food.

That's all I have to do.

Kanis stared at the bread.

Before he realized it, his hand was already lifting it toward his mouth.

His parched throat flooded with saliva.

"Urgh...!"

But in the end, he clenched his eyes shut and turned his head away.

What terrified him more than starvation was the thought of breaking.

I have to endure.

Frantically, he looked around for anything to suppress the hunger. Even a rock would do.

Then, his eyes landed on something near the alleyway—a pile of filth.

Before his mind could resist, his hand moved.

He stuffed it into his mouth and chewed.

"Gah! Hhhlrk!"

His body rejected it. His tongue, his stomach—every fiber of his being screamed against it.

But he forced himself to swallow.

It was punishment.

Punishment for even considering betraying Arin.

It's better than a rock.

When his stomach finally settled, Kanis weakly returned to their hideout.

He still felt nauseous, but the moment he saw Arin, he forced a bright smile and held out the bread.

"Arin! Look! I got this for you!"

The memories ended.

Kanis turned back to Shirone.

"We lived in hell. But our master saved us. He gave us food, gave me the power to protect Arin, and even bestowed upon me Harvest—the pinnacle of dark magic."

Shirone and his friends turned their eyes toward Harvest.

Usually a chatterbox, the magical creature remained silent this time.

Shirone sighed. "I understand. You suffered. But that doesn't justify harming innocent people."