Chapter 211

Chapter 211

In a small orphanage built halfway up a rural mountain, Damien and Van grew up. The director of the orphanage, who had lost a son to war, took in war orphans. The director was wealthy, and occasional donations came in; at a glance, the orphanage seemed to be in decent shape.

Well, if you excluded the fact that the director was a violent psychopath.

"Damn brat! Act like Willer, youre supposed to act like Willer!"

Willer was the name of the directors deceased son.

The director had taken in the orphans for one reason alone: he couldnt accept the fact that his son was dead. So, he raised substitutes. He called all the children in the orphanage "Willer."

Both boys and girls had their hair cropped short and were forced to mimic Willers mannerisms and speech.

If anyone deviated even slightly,

Whack! Whack!

They were beaten senseless.

"My Willer wouldnt act like this! Youll be punished until you become Willer! Its your fault! Understand? Its your fault for not being Willer!"

The children in the orphanage all bore slap marks on both cheeks.

This was because, when administering discipline, the director would slap each cheek alternately. Their lips were split, teeth knocked out, and cheekbones bruised.

"You know Father loves you, right, Willer?"

After the discipline sessions, the director would gently whisper as he personally applied medicine to their wounds.

The children, trembling in fear, still yearned for the directors love.

In this small world called the orphanage, the director was a god. If they didnt receive his love, they received his hatred instead.

Among the children, Damien was hit the least.

Because he resembled Willer the most.

Naive in demeanor and acting respectful due to fear, Damien was favored by the director. Damien, too, did his best to accommodate the directors whims.

On the other hand, the child hit the most was Van.

Because she didnt even pretend to try and be like Willer. Van openly defied the director and got beaten every single day.

"Even if the director beats me all day, Ill never become Willer. In fact, I cant."

Unafraid of the directors beating, Van always shouted defiantly.

"I am Van! Not your dead Willer!"

Damien couldnt understand Van, who rebelled and got beaten only to be put in solitary confinement.

You could avoid the beatings by bending just a little.

You wouldnt be in pain if you just became Willer, even a little.

One day, after Van had been severely beaten and left in the storage room, Damien approached her and asked why she endured it like that.

Instead, Van shot back with a question.

"How can you live like that?"

"Huh?"

"Youre not Willer, youre Damien. Shouldnt you live as Damien?"

Speechless and stunned, Damien looked at Van, who then offered a sly smile.

"Even if it kills me, Ill live as Van. Just watch."

...Her words were powerful, but ideals were distant while the directors beatings were near. Van got beaten every day.

Secretly, Damien would heal her. The boy had a power to heal wounds. They grew closer over time.

"Heh heh..."

Every time he healed her, Van would always put on a tough front.

"Heh heh... This doesnt hurt at all. Is it me, or are your blows getting weaker, Director? Or maybe Im just getting tougher?"

It wasnt that she was wrong; she was growing faster than most of her peers. But even so, she was still a kid.

Despite being beaten to a bloody pulp, she always boasted that it didnt hurt.

One day, Damien grew curious and asked,

"Why do you act so tough?"

"Its not an act."

"Youre clearly pretending to be strong."

"Its not pretending," she retorted, stuffing a cloth into her bleeding nose.

"Later on, I will become really strong and powerful. Im just acting like that future version of myself."

"...?"

Damien tilted his head, not fully understanding. She gave him a half-smile.

"Whenever you reach a point where you cant stand it anymore, just pretend to be a stronger version of yourself like me. It might help."

"So, should I chuckle like you? Heh heh?"

"Heh heh, exactly! Thats where you start!"

If I act tough like you, can I be brave like you? Can I stand up to the Director, to this cruel world?

Damien didnt know. He didnt even have the courage to try.

***

Time passed. Among the rapidly growing children, she stood out for growing exceptionally fast.

She had become the tallest among the orphans. Her chest filled out, and her bodys shape changed.

When they were younger, the boys and girls all had their hair cut short, so it was hard to tell them apart. But when puberty hit, there was no hiding the differences anymore.

The girl was steadily becoming an adult.

Her growth and her knack for drawing the Directors ire meant that she took on various chores around the orphanage. She worked her body to the bone, staying mostly in the storage room.

That allowed her to stay out of the Directors sight.

Just as Damien had a talent for healing magic, she had a talent for swordsmanship.

She practiced every day with a crude wooden sword, careful not to get caught by the Director.

"Heh heh, just you wait. One day, my swordsmanship will slash that broad forehead of yours wide open."

She continued to grow, but her signature bravado never waned. Not even on the day she took the blame for a cup that Damien had broken, and was beaten black and blue by the Director.

"Do you think Im some weakling? I could take a beating all day and it wouldnt hurt anymore... Ahhhh! Ow! Heal me gently!"

Even when the daily beatings left scars on her cheeks,

"Dont these look like cute cat whiskers? Heh heh, hey, not bad, right? Kind of charming?"

In this orphanage where every day was a nightmare, she put on an act.

She pretended to be strong.

And so, she truly became strong. She stood firm, unwavering, defending her own name.

Damien wanted to be like her.

He liked her that way.

***

Smack!

The incident occurred when Damien and she turned fifteen.

The main gate.

The only passage connecting the orphanage to the outside world had an enormous, rusty lock. Except for when the director opened it, it remained closed.

Van drew her broken wooden sword and stood before the lock.

"Ive been waiting for this day."

Taking a deep breath, she swung down hard, shattering the lock.

Looking down at the shattered, rusty lock, Van grumbled.

"...I shouldve done this to that old mans head yesterday."

"Lets go, Van."

Damien pulled Van.

"The noise would have been heard. The director might wake up soon."

And true to his words, it happened.

"WILLER!"

Just as they kicked open the main gate and started running, heavy footsteps thundered from behind.

It was the director. They had tied him up and locked him in the storage, but hed been roused by the sound of the lock breaking.

"Where do you think youre going, Willer! Its dangerous outside!"

Chasing after them, the director yelled as they fled towards the back mountain.

"You are my children! You shouldnt leave this place! Willer! Willer!"

Ignoring him, they raced up the back mountain of the orphanage.

Every once in a while, the director would bring the children for a picnic on this mountain.

However, the picnics always ended halfway up the mountain.

A tall fence was erected there, like a double-layered prison bar, as if to prevent the children from escaping.

The director never showed the children what lay beyond. To those who expressed a desire to go to the summit, he would always say...

Beyond that mountain lies a horrific nest of monsters. The world out there is a hellish place where even surviving is a struggle.

Well, lets head back to the safety of our home, Willer.

Crack!

Vans wooden sword shattered the lock on the fence.

The boy and girl sprinted, breaking the Directors prohibition. They reached the peak of the back mountain in no time.

"..."

"..."

Both of them paused, breathless.

They were just standing on the summit of a small, rugged mountain, yet

The world breaking dawn was incredibly beautiful. Under the endless sky, the vast land stretched infinitely.

Their small world confined to the orphanage shattered in that moment.

"Its vast..."

Van tightly gripped the mumbling Damiens hand.

"Damien, make a promise with me."

"Huh? A promise? What kind of promise?"

"To explore this entire outside world."

Van grinned brightly.

"Lets take in this vast world entirely with our eyes."

"..."

Swear to God, Damien had never seen such a beautiful smile in his life.

Her sunburned skin, her short, boyish hair, and the scars on both cheeks from being beaten by the Director every day.

All seemed beautiful, bleached white under the blinding sunlight and her even more dazzling smile.

"Promise!"

"Uh, yeah, promise."

And so, without even thinking, he nodded his head.

Van, who was already smiling, grabbed Damiens face with her hand and

Smack.

She kissed him.

"...?!"

Frozen stiff with surprise, his face flushed, Damien was speechless. Moments later, Van triumphantly shouted.

"That was the seal of our promise!"

"Dont people usually pinky swear or something...?"

"Heh, thats for kids!"

Though she herself was a kid, Van took Damiens hand and led him forward.

"Lets go, Damien!"

The path down the other side of the mountain was treacherous, and it was unclear where it would lead.

"Until the end of the world, together!"

Nevertheless, the boy and girl joyfully leapt into the outside world.

It was a dawn where the sunlight shone dazzlingly bright.

***

"You must have had a good dream, youre grinning ear to ear. Time to wake up, student Damien."

A sudden snarky voice flew into his ears.

Startled, Damien opened his eyes.

"Did you sleep well, sleepyhead?"

He saw Ashs face, sitting next to his bed and looking down on him. Damien mumbled in confusion.

"Your Highness? Where am I..."

"Youre in your room at the temple."

Damien, taken aback, quickly sat up. As Ash had said, it was his familiar room.

And then

Clank.

Strange chains and shackles were installed on the wall.

The shackles restrained Damiens wrists. Dumbfounded, he blinked at them. Whats going on?

Observing Damiens reaction, Ash let out a small sigh.

"Do you not remember what you did yesterday?"