kscans

Chapter 36 - Regret and the End

"Shion, just how much of a fool are you? To break the sword that sealed the evil spirits... Even I have never met such a fool before."

"Ugh..."

After being captured by the soldiers, I was taken to the Throne Room. My entire body was bound with ropes, making it impossible to move even slightly. No, it was more than just being unable to move, my mind and body were in tatters from the pain. This is all Dareth’s fault. What is he going to do about this? My anger toward that absent man began to boil. Once this is over, I will have my revenge.

"Even with a peerless blacksmith like Dareth as your master, it seems your incompetence could not be cured. I see now that it is something that will never be cured."

"W, what did you say!? I cannot accept that statement! In the first place, I am not incompetent..."

I was about to refute her directly, but I swallowed my words when I saw Her Majesty the Queen’s face. Pity and sorrow... those were the only two emotions there. That expression was far more terrifying than any look of overflowing anger.

"Now then, Shion. Regarding your punishment..."

"Y, yes."

I answered honestly without thinking, but in the next moment, I managed to regain my usual bravado. Hah! Punishment? The guild master of a provincial city won't satisfy me now. At the very least, I'll be the exclusive blacksmith for the national army. I'll take Dareth's precious position. And his women too, for that matter. Yes. As I thought, I am a mentally strong person.

"There is no death penalty in our kingdom. Therefore, you are sentenced to prison."

"...Huh?"

The words Her Majesty the Queen uttered pierced my heart like ice. P, prison...? In the Grossa Kingdom, which has no death penalty, that is the most severe punishment. W, why must someone like me suffer such a fate.

"I do not even wish to see your face anymore. Now, take him away."

"P, please wait, Your Majesty! I am a man who served as a guild master! To send such a capable person to prison would be an immeasurable loss to the nation... Aaaah!"

"That is why you are incompetent! Why can you not realize it!"

The fierce impact of the whip struck my body. P, please, no more. I haven't done anything wrong.

""Alright, come on! Your place isn’t here! It’s the dungeon!""

"Ugh! H, hey, be more gentle!"

The soldiers grabbed me and dragged me to the basement. When we reached the cell, they shoved me inside roughly.

"This is your final home. You won’t see the outside again until you die. Glad you got such a fine house."

"You can tell the walls all about your high consciousness for the rest of your life."

"The Royal Palace is in a real mess because of this guy. But with Dareth-san here, I’m sure we’ll be fine. I’m so glad he’s here."

"W, wait... wait."

I reached my hands through the bars as if to beg, but the soldiers walked away without a second glance. I was left all alone. Water was leaking from somewhere in the cell, and it was constantly damp. Several disgusting bugs were crawling on the walls. A, am I going to spend the rest of my life in a place like this? Absolutely not. I will not accept it.

"Turn back, time! Please, rewind! Time, go back!"

No matter how loud I shouted, nothing happened. Damn it... why. I’m a chosen one. As my knees buckled, I finally understood my own foolishness.

The one who was wrong... the fool was me.

I was in the Blacksmith Guild, but I never held a hammer, only schemed. I made my colleagues do my work for me. The only thing I was interested in was thinking of ways to make myself look good. I spent my days worrying only about what others thought of me. A guild master who couldn't even process a metal plate. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was an irredeemable fool. The image of one man came to mind. A man who had put up with a scumbag like me for thirty years.

"Dareth... Dareth! Where are you! Please, let me out of here! I’ll train! I’ll work hard at my training, I promise!"

He was truly the greatest master. If I just did as he said, even I, who had never held a hammer, could easily work with metal. His instruction was gentle, and he never once raised his voice. If I had continued to work hard and change my ways then, the soldiers around me would have seen me differently. And yet, I wasted the chance he gave me to start over... The chance to start my life over as a blacksmith... The moment I realized it, my mind went blank, and darkness fell before my eyes.

...The chance I had for a bright future... I threw it all away myself.

Regret, regret, regret... That far-too-late regret of not having taken things seriously shattered my heart into a million pieces.