The Loathsome Scapegoat C2

Chapter 2

“Welcome, everyone, to the Academy.

I am Leopold of Delua, the First Prince of the Kingdom of Delua. This year, I too have enrolled in the Royal Academy as a new student.

May each of you devote yourselves to your studies here and contribute to Delua’s everlasting prosperity—”

“For Delua!”

As everyone seated in the banquet hall raised their wine glasses in a toast, Terren thought to himself,

Last year’s famine killed twenty people in my village alone…

Where did all this food and wine you’re enjoying come from?

And where did it all disappear to?

Wrapped in gold and laughing merrily, they would never know the real Kingdom of Delua.

Disgusting hypocrites who claimed to serve Delua.

If someone asked what dark magic truly was, the answer would be simple.

It was the devil’s fruit that cultivated murderers.

That wasn’t a metaphor.

It was the very essence of dark magic.

To learn dark magic, one had to kill.

And the more people one killed, the stronger one’s mana became.

That was why powerful dark mages were the very first people anyone should avoid.

For the sake of increasing their own strength, they could slaughter innocent people without hesitation.

As someone had once called them…

Trash.

At present, Terren Meyer couldn’t use even the slightest trace of dark magic.

The tingling murderous aura that had once coursed through his body…

The bizarre sensation that accompanied it…

Both were gone.

It was unfortunate.

Because if he wanted to learn dark magic again, he would have to kill people all over again.

And if he wished to become as powerful as he had been in his previous life…

He would have to kill as many people as he had before.

Terren repeatedly clenched and unclenched his sweaty hands.

After spending the entire weekend wandering around the Academy, enduring countless insults while assessing both his situation and the world around him, an overwhelming sense of hopelessness settled over him.

At this point…

He even began doubting whether he’d truly returned to the past for the sake of atonement.

Still…

Terren calmly organized his thoughts.

Fact One.

He was not a dark mage.

He was merely the Academy’s loathsome parasite.

Fact Two.

To become a dark mage required becoming a serial killer.

Fact Three.

Serial murder was hardly compatible with repentance.

He had to live this second life according to the ideals of that man.

That man despised killing.

He hated crime just as much.

Even now, Terren vividly remembered the look on his face whenever those two things came together.

The memory alone left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Terren Meyer never wanted to witness that expression again.

But the most important fact remained.

Fact Four.

There was no magic stronger than dark magic.

Whether Terren chose to live a righteous life to atone…

Or once again became the butcher he had been in his previous life…

Nothing would ultimately change.

The royal dynasty would collapse.

A kingdom ruled by dark mages would rise.

The nobles who studied at the Academy—or were privileged enough to attend it—would all be slaughtered.

There was…

No way to change it.

None.

Terren Meyer had merely been his lord’s subordinate.

He had never been the one who truly held power.

Even Leopold—

The kingdom’s First Prince and the only Sword Master alive in Terren’s previous life—

Had failed to survive even a single minute against dark magic.

Is there really no other way…?

His face twisted in frustration as he drove his quill hard into the paper.

If that were possible, I should’ve gone back to when I was ten.

By now, my lord and all of his followers have already gathered.

…Then what about ordinary magic?

Terren absentmindedly poked meaningless dots onto the textbook page displaying a transportation magic circle.

Don’t be ridiculous.

Do you seriously think that’s possible?

What could this weak, pathetic magic possibly accomplish?

Teleportation.

Summoning.

Attack spells that could be shattered by a single swing of a knight’s sword…

“…Meyer.”

Even his own swordsmanship could destroy these worthless magic circles in one strike.

“Terren Meyer!”

The elderly professor’s furious shout snapped him back to reality.

Terren narrowed his eyes and looked toward the blackboard.

Laughter erupted throughout the classroom.

“Can you not see what class you’re in?”

“…My apologies.”

“Tch. Filthy lowborns… To think you’d dare behave this way during sacred Magical Studies. Frankly, your kind should never have been allowed to set foot in this Academy to begin with!”

As the professor raged on, Terren found himself remembering his previous life.

Whenever Terren paid attention in class, the professor called him an ambitious mutt with tainted blood.

Whenever he scored well on exams, the old man would turn pale with anger and do everything possible to suppress him.

Yes.

He was simply another ordinary noble.

Those kinds of people were usually among the first to die when the dark mages attacked.

The image of the professor’s head, split cleanly into two pieces, flashed vividly through Terren’s mind.

More snickering echoed around the room.

Everyone laughed.

Everyone except one.

Only a single boy remained serious.

“Quiet down, everyone. This is still class.”

“No, Your Highness. You should let them laugh. Isn’t he going to be expelled sooner or later anyway?”

“That’s unlikely. Students sponsored by the royal family aren’t expelled so easily, Professor.”

His reply came lightly, tinged with an easy smile.

Every time he spoke, his carefully groomed golden hair shifted slightly.

The professor’s expression stiffened.

He clearly disliked being interrupted.

But he was also a middle-aged man completely steeped in class hierarchy.

To him, the fact that Leopold was the prince who had personally brought Terren to the Academy mattered far more than the humiliation of being corrected by someone much younger.

Forcing a smile, he answered,

“…Very well, Your Highness. But I hope you understand that this kindness of yours is only temporary.”

“You’ll regret it.”

“What do you mean, Professor?”

“I’m saying you shouldn’t associate with people beneath your station.”

The Prince of Delua frowned ever so slightly.

Then he let out a resigned sigh.

A faint smile still rested on his lips.

“If that’s what you believe…”

There’s nothing I can do.

Had Terren Meyer uttered those exact same words…

He might well have been dragged straight to the execution platform.

But Leopold Delua…

The First Prince of the Kingdom…

Knew exactly how to leave others with a favorable impression.

His cheerful response carried not the slightest trace of malice.

The professor ordered Terren to solve the formula for the magic circle.

Even after watching Terren produce a flawless answer with his own eyes…

He continued finding excuses to criticize him.

Terren Meyer was beginning to remember exactly why he’d turned the Academy into a sea of blood.

It had only been three days since his regression.

Yet classmates and professors alike picked fights with him at every opportunity.

Every pair of eyes looked upon Terren Meyer with contempt.

He was the Academy’s parasite.

A commoner who had dared enter a place meant for nobles.

Worthless trash who attracted attention despite his low birth.

A bug.

The irony was that, in less than three years, most of these people would be kneeling before him, begging for mercy.

But regardless…

Terren had to find a way to save them.

Dark magic wasn’t some instrument of justice that conveniently killed only the people you hated.

The first victim of that horrifying power…

Had been Terren’s own mother.

The last…

The kingdom’s First Prince.

The former was his only remaining blood relative.

The latter…

“Terren, don’t take it to heart. Some people simply choose to see the world through narrow eyes.”

After class, Leopold called Terren into a shared study room.

His face carried unmistakable guilt as he continued,

“Understood?”

“…”

The latter…

Yes.

That damned Leopold Delua.

Out of everyone Terren had ever met…

He was the one who made the least sense.

The man Terren had hated his entire life.

“…Leopold.”

Even as Terren stared at him with undisguised hostility, Leopold remained perfectly calm.

Shrugging his shoulders, he silently gestured,

“Go ahead. Say whatever you want.”

Only then did Terren truly realize he had returned to the past.

A twisted smile spread across his face.

“Stop pretending to be righteous.”