The Second Son of The Marquis Runs Away from Home ~ Lacking Talent, He Abandons Everything and Becomes an Adventurer ~ - 112

Chapter 112: Descending into Darkness

“Kuh!”

Piercing through the approaching shadows with the spear, I swing it in a circle, scattering them while grabbing one that lunges at me and slamming it onto the ground.

How many have I defeated? There’s no sign of the shadows decreasing; as soon as I defeat one, a new one emerges.

Switching from the spear to a sword, I clash with the shadow that swings its sword at me. The humanoid figure has a deep hole where human eyes should be.

“You should never have existed.”

“Ugh!”

Deflecting the sword and slashing through the shadow, I block the attack from another shadow that swings a spear from the side, reducing its power.

“You are the only stain on Brother Bardle.”

“Tch!”

Grabbing the spear, I drive my elbow into its face. As it recoils from the impact, I slash it, making it dissipate into mist.

Again, I intercept the attacks of the shadows. One transforms into the appearance of Aria.

“Without strength, you are worthless.”

“Ugh!”

Sweeping the sword, I imitate Aria and slash through the shadow. Immediately, shadows in the forms of Serena and Raclu assail me from both sides.

“No one desires you without strength.”

“What will you do after running away?”

Spinning in place, I simultaneously cut down two shadows. The shadows reappear, transforming into people I know.

“It’s your fault.”

“Because of you, I’m in this painful situation.”

“You should have died already.”

Cutting through, sweeping away, piercing, striking—each time, the shadows leave curses like words.

It’s a dark abyss that differs from the chaotic blend of the Chaos Crusader, a pitch-black darkness condensed from human negative emotions and filtered of nothing but malice.

Clashing with the shadow wielding a sword, it transforms again. This time, it takes on my form.

“If I hadn’t been born… Mom wouldn’t have died.”

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet turns into water, and I sink into the darkness. Struggling within the clinging darkness, a familiar place appears before my eyes.

(This is… the Marquis’s mansion…)

What I saw was a room in the Marquis’s house where I lived before entering the academy. There were my father, my older brother from when I was young, and my mother, whom I had only seen in portraits.

(When I wasn’t there…)

They were all smiling—my older brother, my father, and my mother, whom I had only seen in portraits.

“You being born is the reason we can’t smile.”

“Mom died because of you.”

“You took Mother’s life when you were born.”

“Your body, yourself, is proof of the sin of matricide.”

“You’re a cursed, loathed child by your mother.”

Without realizing it, I had stopped struggling and was listening to the echoing words. I wanted to dismiss it as nonsense, to resist and dispel this darkness.

But the fact remains that my mother died because of my birth, and I was born in a body unsuitable for magic in a country that values it. I worked hard to gain recognition from Aria and various others, but without the achievements of my efforts, I…

If I hadn’t existed…

“‘The family was happy.'”

In the sinking consciousness, I realize. This is my own… darkness.

…

…

…

…I want you to live.