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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: A Student's Admiration
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Hmm.
“It seems the inmates on the upper floors of the Tower have been causing a stir lately.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. It's not every day you see multiple deaths outside the Tower.”
Recalling what Sergeant Steven had told me, it seemed something suspicious was happening on the upper floors—something even the Warden wouldn't disclose.
I slowly opened my eyes.
‘Well, it has nothing to do with me anymore.’
I can't say I haven't made any connections here, but they'll all manage just fine on their own.
Everyone called me 'Captain,' but in truth, I was a leader who never really did anything.
No one will miss me. Even if they do, they'll gradually forget.
Just as I'm slowly forgetting the dead from this place.
“Haaah.”
I'm sleepy.
Probably because I've been thinking for longer than usual.
It's best for people to live without a single thought.
“...”
When I turned my gaze, Helios was staring intently at me.
It was breakfast time.
Helios's tray was already empty. He's a good eater.
You have to eat well when you can in here.
‘It's common to throw up after your stomach gets upset from the various trials in the Tower.’
Is that all? Inmates fight among themselves, and if you get on the wrong side of things, you might end up starving in solitary confinement.
“What were you thinking about so deeply?”
Helios frowned slightly.
Not long ago, he'd stiffen up like a wooden doll whenever I got too close.
That side of him seemed to have faded now.
‘Though I still don't know why.’
I rested my chin on my hand and tilted my head slightly.
But some things hadn't changed.
Whenever I stared at him without a word, it wouldn't be long before Helios would avert his eyes.
And quite shyly at that.
“Going through puberty?”
“What?”
“You shyly turn away whenever you see me. What, are you writing in a secret diary in your room or something?”
“...What on earth are you talking about?”
His handsome face crumpled. It was a talent to still look pretty even then.
“Then why do you avoid my gaze?”
“It's just... I've had a lot on my mind lately.”
“Like what?”
“It must be nice to live so simply, Master.”
He's dissing me out of nowhere?
When I replied with a deadpan "Is that so," Helios sighed with a complicated expression.
“I've been thinking about the abilities you showed on the 29th floor. Whenever I recall them, I feel like I still have a long way to go.”
After all, there was still a gap of more than three ranks between Helios and me.
Just like the saying, "the more you know, the more you see," the gap must have felt immense to him.
It was to be expected.
‘Though it came a little sooner than I thought.’
When I didn't answer, Helios lowered his head, his expression still complicated.
His slumping shoulders made me a little curious.
‘Why is he so down?’
I reached out, grabbed Helios's chin, and lifted it.
“...What are you doing?”
“Why the long face?”
Held by my hand, Helios looked flabbergasted.
“Who said I have a long face...?”
Don't deny it. Even your voice lacks energy.
Helios tried to swat my hand away, but of course, it didn't budge.
His brow twitched.
“Let go.”
“The corners of your eyes are drooping, the corners of your pretty mouth are drooping. Even your shoulders are drooping.”
“...You have no intention of letting go.”
“Don't be discouraged. I've been cherishing you so much, so why are you losing heart?”
From the 30th floor onward is the domain of Rank 1, the highest among the low-class inmates.
To be honest, whenever we talk about ranks, I can't shake the feeling that we're being graded like cuts of beef and pork.
In Helios's case, he could no longer find a match within his own rank.
Hadn't he already proven it by taking down a mid-class inmate in the hallway?
‘I think I was quite proud then.’
Is this the joy of raising a newbie?
Getting released is my goal, but this small sense of accomplishment isn't bad either.
It's been a long time since I've felt even such small emotions in this prison.
‘He has no reason to be discouraged with that kind of talent.’
He was a natural genius who soaked up everything I taught him like a sponge.
The reason I never pointed this out was because I judged it wouldn't do him any good to know.
Just by his looks, he has a rather sly side to him, as if he'd toy with people.
But inside, he has the disposition of a serious and righteous hero.
It doesn't suit this prison in many ways.
But humans are creatures of adaptation. One day, he'll be appropriately tainted and find the right balance to blend in.
‘It would've been easier if he were the arrogant type, full of himself.’
But I liked that he was a type of person you could never find in this prison.
Because the lower you are, the more you yearn for what's above.
‘Of course, there are also those who'd feel nothing but inferiority when they see a kid like him.’
I felt his body heat on my wrist.
“...How long are you going to hold on?”
His voice was filled with discontent.
Just as I expected, his gaze was defiant.
He endures it because he can't shake me off with force. But his eyes were like those of an angry dog, ready to scratch at the first sign of an opening.
“I've raised you so well, and now you're losing confidence. It's making your Master feel absurd.”
“I've been meaning to ask, isn't it embarrassing to refer to yourself in the third person?”
To be honest, if I had to choose, I preferred him fuming and ready to pounce over being sullen.
I opened my mouth, my expression blank.
“Master doesn't know 'bout stuff like that.”
“...You're insane.”
Taking advantage of my loosened grip, Helios slapped my hand away with a sharp *smack*.
“What are you so worried about? You're not going to die.”
The mess hall was quite noisy.
Some eyes were on us, but more inmates were minding their own business.
Helios opened his mouth, his expression complicated.
“Why?”
“...”
“Because you'll protect me, Master?”
His pale violet eyes glared as if to pierce right through me.
I couldn't think of anything I'd said to make him angry.
“No? You have to survive on your own.”
“...If that's the case, then why.”
“Hm?”
“Never mind.”
Helios stood up from his seat.
The side of his face I glimpsed as he passed was bright red.
‘He's fuming again.’
The fact that he stood up with his tray was precisely why I secretly called him a hero, or a noble.
‘If it were me, I would've bolted after saying, 'You clean it up.'’
Always proper and upright.
But what is straight is bound to break.
I trotted after Helios. I caught up with him just outside the mess hall.
Helios asked, looking at me strangely.
“What about your tray?”
“It's on the table, I guess?”
“Why didn't you put it away?”
“Good question.”
“...”
Oh, the disgust. I let out a smirk.
Whispering, “Come here,” I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him toward me.
I held his forcibly lowered head and ruffled his hair.
“Don't die. Make it to the top.”
“...”
“I can't protect you, but I can help you not to die.”
My eyes met Helios's.
Heat began to creep back into his pale cheeks. I don't know what's making him so angry that he keeps heating up.
“...How is that any different from protecting me?”
I pretended not to hear his quiet mumble. If he wanted me to hear it, he would have said it louder.
“Why do you keep blushing? What are you so angry about?”
“I'm not angry.”
“Then, shyness? Are you really going through puberty?”
“Are you asking because you really don't know?”
I thought for a moment, then answered honestly without much thought.
There was no reason to hide it.
“I don't understand people's emotions well. It's hard for me to recognize them.”
“An easy life for you, but a hard person to get along with in society.”
Helios stared at me intently, as if he'd forgotten to shake off my hand.
“So, as my disciple, you'll have to understand. And yes, I'm forcing you.”
“...So you're saying you don't know why I've been acting strange lately?”
“...? How would I know if you don't tell me?”
“...”
Helios let out a long sigh, then made a frustrated face. See, he *is* angry.
Then he took my hand off his head and ran a hand over his own face.
“Haaah...”
“You might as well tell me now. I'll listen. What's been making you act strange? Don't be so frustrated and just say it.”
Checking on Helios's condition is also important. It would be a problem if he couldn't advance because his mind broke after I'd raised him so well.
“First of all, I'm not angry or frustrated.”
His defiant expression made his words unconvincing, but I nodded anyway.
“It's just... I admire you, Master.”
