All Power Wizard Part 1 Side Story Episode 010
Ep 4. Light and Shadow (1)
The Academy Library, where the 328th Comprehensive Freshmen Debate is being held.
The man sitting in the last corner of this library was none other than Doom Prime.
Although he was the same age of 10, Doom gave off a mature aura that was somehow different from the other freshmen.
He ‘shined’.
Great talent, good looks, a strong family, etc.
These points, which do not lack anything, created a halo behind Doom that was not appropriate for his age.
However, sometimes, when he made a dull expression, the bright light faded, and a different atmosphere emerged, crouching under the light.
That was a shadow.
Although he was young, his face resembled that of an adult who had already learned all the salty and bitter tastes of the world.
“Haam••••••
Doom did not participate actively in the discussion, but just kept yawning with a bored expression.
“Doom, are you very tired?”
“haha… … . Well, you are still receiving King Yeom’s favor… … . I could take a break. “We’ll discuss it among ourselves, so you can get some rest.”
“it’s not fun.”
“••••••huh?”
“I said it wasn’t fun.”
Why Doom Prime isn’t interested in debates.
Katabuta, no other reason was needed.
It was just not fun.
Watching the debate among my peers, who were all making banal, yet uninspiring and uninteresting arguments, felt like I was just watching children play house.
The absolute never looks back.
The mindset of those below him was of no interest to him.
“Yeah, right? It’s a bit childish for you, isn’t it? haha. “What good are these debates to Doom?”
However, it is not possible to sleep openly or leave the debate hall.
Because King Yeom was watching from behind.
Doom could barely control his drowsiness and kept his eyes open.
At that time, someone appeared who woke Doom Prime from his sleep.
“I feel like the topics of discussion keep diverging.”
“It’s out of sync?”
“Isn’t today a place to discuss the topic ‘What kind of wizard should I be?’ rather than ‘What kind of student should I be?’”
What is that guy… … .
A wizard from a small and weak country.
The clothes he is wearing, his haggard appearance, and his gestures make him look more like a commoner than an aristocrat.
This is a boy who resembles that.
All of the claims he made were, to put it in a good way, pure, and in a bad way, they were so absurd that they had no idea about the world.
Among the idealistic arguments that were completely empty of substance, this was the statement that irritated Doom Prime the most.
“I learned that falling hurts.”
I learned that it hurts when I fall, and from there, I gained the power to stand up again.
Doom Prime’s expression was completely crumpled at these words.
Since he was always expressionless, this change in facial expression was revealed even more dramatically.
“reposal? what’s the matter?”
“Is something bad happening?”
Bad memories came to mind.
If you fall, does it hurt?
Did you learn something there?
no.
That’s a romantic thing to say because you’ve never really fallen before.
If you really fall, you’ll break your nose, shatter your knees, and be in so much pain that you can’t even scream for help.
The gazes of people watching him fall on the floor are so disgusting.
I know that if I get up I’ll fall again, so I just give up and sit down.
That’s human.
Once you fall into this quagmire,
Unless someone directly reaches out and forces you to stand up… … .
This means that human beings are so weak that they can never, ever stand up again.
This was the lesson that Doom Prime had learned in his short 10-year life, and Ruin’s opinion was exactly the opposite of Doom’s.
In Ruin’s argument, he looked to the past.
“Shit… …
Doom Prime’s gaze turned to the past.
♦ * *
There was no light for him.
He always had a dark shadow on his face, and he had no name.
The orphanage director and his wife, who had peers in a similar situation to him, called him ‘Bobboji’.
I was always curious.
I live a life where I can’t eat even one proper meal a day, so why do I call myself a poor person?
The reason was that I only realized the fact that there was a huge gap between my life and the lives of ordinary people.
“You bastard! “I fed you and raised you, but you can’t pay for food?”
“S-sorry… …
“Shut up, you bastard! Did I tell you? “What does it mean to waste food without being able to pay for food?”
“Burn, burr… …
“Speak louder!”
“Bah, it’s a waste of money!”
I don’t even remember how many hits I got.
My cheeks were blown out countless times, left and right, blood was pooling in my gums, and even my teeth were shaking.
His eyes are swollen, and his whole body is full of marks from beatings.
A boy’s face caught his gaze.
I don’t know who they are, but they are boys who look like their age.
‘Why are those kids smiling like that?’
What makes you so happy?
Children of my age who I met on the street while begging were always smiling.
On the other hand, he doesn’t even know what ‘laughter’ is.
Only then did I realize it.
Most seven-year-olds don’t ask for help on the street.
They do not endure unreasonable beatings and are not treated like trash.
It is not called by the name of eating, garbage, dog bastards, and bugs.
Only you have a life that is different from the ordinary.
No, can we say this is different?
Yes, it is a ‘wrong’ life.
His childhood was like walking through an endless dark cave.
There was no end to the cave, and one-sided beatings and beatings always followed.
At times like that, I just wanted to give up walking and lie down.
What should I do when I wake up?
I would get hit again. I would fall again.
Just lie down.
I’m trying to take a break like that
Then, without fail, a kick came.
“You bastard! “Why don’t you get out now!”
“ OO Ah — $ —— 人、•
“Go and make money! “Before they tear up your worthless body and sell it.”
He knew.
That I will never sell myself
Because it was still young, it had little use value when sold.
Next 10 years.
The orphanage director and his wife used his body.
When you reach the right age to do it, you will be sold without even a rat or a bird knowing.
Haven’t we seen it a lot already?
Neither the glutton brother nor the trash brother have been able to return since they were sold.
I knew what that meant, but I couldn’t resist.
I couldn’t run away.
“… … “I’ll be back.”
“I’m watching you.”
This is because there were many eyes watching him at the orphanage.
* * ♦
The begging continued.
The daily quota is 70 silver.
It is similar to the daily wage of most adult workers.
You have to fill this only with begging, and if you can’t fill it, you get one hit for each silver.
If you didn’t want to be hit, you had to steal.
The boy hit the ball all day, and he didn’t want to get hit again today.
If I hit my 70s, I really felt like I was going to die.
It might be better to die, but… … Unfortunately, the orphan director and his wife do not beat him to the point of death.
I always made sure to have enough energy to do the next day’s work.
That was torture.
The target of the theft this time was an old man.
An old man with a small build who doesn’t even look like he has the energy to chase after himself.
On the other hand, I also confirmed that the bag I was holding in my hand contained countless gold coins.
The worries were short, and the choice was made quicker.
Tadadat!
The boy quickly snatched the bag of gold coins that the old man was trying to put in his pocket and started running like crazy.
When I glanced back, I saw that the old man was just standing there blankly, not even daring to chase after him.
Adrenaline wells up inside me, and the corners of my mouth strangely turn up.
It doesn’t have to be right today.
No, since I stole much more money than my quota, I might give you some bread as a reward.
I’ve never laughed in my life, but it felt shabby to laugh at the fact that I didn’t have to get hit.
He brushed himself off and spurred his running legs.
It was perfect for a getaway.
There are a lot of people and the streets are narrow. It’s a lever.
I ran for a while, dodging the streets of the market on the outskirts of the city.
“Hehe, hehe… …
Thinking that I wouldn’t be able to chase after him at this point, I leaned against the alley wall and caught my breath.
I took a quick look around, and as expected, the old man was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, only the ‘hunting dogs’ of the orphanage director and his wife, who were watching him as a beggar, were watching the boy.
The boy waved the sack at them.
however.
‘what?’
No sound could be heard from inside the sack.
It is normal to hear a clear sound of gold coins hitting each other, but only a dull sound is heard.
The boy hurriedly opened the bag and his eyes widened.
“W-what… … this.”
I definitely saw it… … .
I thoroughly checked that the bag contained gold coins… … .
Why is there a stone inside?
At that moment, a huge shadow appeared over the boy’s head.
When the boy looked up, he saw the old man looking down at him.
“Hey, hey!”
The startled boy collapsed in his seat.
The old man looked at the boy with an indifferent expression and immediately asked:
“Looking at you, you look just like a rock in a sack.”
“… … “Huh?”
“I didn’t even know I was holding a gold coin, it was like a stone.
“That’s exactly the way it’s treated.”
You don’t even know you’re holding a gold coin, and you treat it like a stone?
What does this mean?
The boy’s gaze turned into the sack.
Then, the boy was doubly surprised.
“Huh, huh!”
What is going on here?
The stones in the bag were everywhere, but it was full of what seemed like hundreds of gold coins.
… … He’s a wizard.
Although I had never seen it, it was clearly a wizard I had heard looking over my shoulder.
“S-sorry… … . “Lord, I have committed a mortal sin.”
The boy got down on his knees and began to pray for his hands to wear out, and the old man sat down to the boy’s eye level.
“What is your name?”
name.
If I didn’t know, I didn’t know, but now that I know, it’s in my mouth
A name that is too shameful to bear.
The boy moved his lips.
He looked worried as to how to say this.
“I asked what your name was.”
However, he opened his mouth after hearing the old man’s words.
“… … Wow, it’s a waste of food.”
“Hmm.”
The old man who heard the boy’s name nodded as if he understood the situation.
And, snapping his fingers, he hit the robe.
He shook off the dust and spoke as if he had decided.
“Take care of that gold coin.”
“••••••yes?”
“Because it has a useful purpose. “Let’s go.”
“Uh, where are you talking about?”
The boy was worried that he might be taken to a nearby security station.
If you think that if you are taken by the guards, you will be able to escape from the clutches of the orphanage director and his wife, you are mistaken.
Since I have nowhere to go, I have a few coins.
I was in a position to be released.
Once released, the hellish beatings began again.
However, the answer that came out of the old man’s mouth was completely unexpected.
“I have to buy you.”
