Chapter 18: Grace

Yujin couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion upon hearing that declaration.

Well, of course he couldn’t help it—after all, Yujin had just gone through a divorce.

There wasn’t even a speck of lingering attachment left in him to return to that place.

On top of that, having declared the divorce while in the position of a live-in son-in-law, going back was impossible even for someone like her.

To begin with, she was no longer a hero—she might as well be considered a noble daughter who had been pushed far from the succession line of her family.

Yet, she told me she would make it possible for me to return to the family.

…

“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of returning to the family.”

The location was still her hospital room.

Amid the falling rain, the hospital room, wrapped in an inexplicable atmosphere, felt strangely heavy.

Yujin spoke as if it were nothing, but the slight hint of bewilderment in his voice and expression was impossible to hide.

Charlotte quickly regained her composure.

Setting down her fork, she spoke nonchalantly.

“Why is that?”

“Well… I have neither the desire nor the qualifications to return.”

“…”

Charlotte listened quietly while taking a bite of pie.

“You may or may not know this, but I’m in a position where I’ve just gone through a divorce. My status doesn’t match, and… I left of my own will, so I have no face to go back.”

“It’s because you were practically driven out as a magic cripple.”

“…That’s—”

Half true, half false.

The hero before me, Charlotte, was already a 3-star mage who had surpassed level 30.

Having mastered even the most basic theories of magic, she had likely discerned that my circuits were in a different state from ordinary people.

“That wasn’t the only reason I left. It was just… a long, toxic relationship, I suppose.”

For a fleeting moment, a complicated expression flashed across Yujin’s face.

As a noble, Charlotte didn’t miss that emotion.

But even so, she couldn’t recklessly bring it up.

Even if Charlotte had her own unfortunate circumstances as a noble, she had never been cast out of her family.

Moreover, though he wasn’t even a noble, it wasn’t hard to imagine what kind of life he must have lived among them.

Charlotte’s gaze lingered on the numerous scars and traces of hardship on his body.

“…”

Unlike nobles who had lived like hothouse flowers, spending their lives at their desks.

Unlike commoners for whom going hungry was a daily routine.

But there was one thing she felt she had to make clear.

“Judging by your hands, it wasn’t an easy path.”

“…”

His hands were, to put it mildly, not in good condition. 

There were traces of attempts at magic.

And the remnants of what seemed like torture—small burns marking his skin.

Yujin fell silent for a moment, closing his mouth.

His emotions were complicated.

‘This person… Did she really know?’

Being acknowledged by someone—it wasn’t as if he had been desperately craving recognition all this time.

He had devoted too many long years to magic to cling to something like that.

Not just a day or two, but over a decade.

With the single-minded determination to prove himself to them through magic alone, he had driven himself forward.

It wasn’t as if Yujin didn’t find the effort exhausting.

It was only possible because of the superhuman perseverance he had left.

Studying books in secret through sleepless nights, repeating attempts, grinding his bones—yet failure repeated itself.

Despite all the effort and bleeding courage, he had to endure not just pitying glances but also veiled contempt.

When others mocked and sneered at him, a commoner, in the face of the wall of status, he studied magic. 

And so, he believed.

To become someone worthy of standing by her side.

He had given everything—every last bit of his fleeting youth.

But reality was a barrage of criticism and ridicule, and in the end, he was pushed out of the family.

Gradually, he became disillusioned, stopped expecting anything from himself.

Before he knew it, frustration gnawed at his spirit, and bit by bit, his mind wore down at the edge of the cliff.

And so.

Those words pierced through his past like an arrow.

“…”

The long years of despair paled in comparison to the beauty of that dazzling flame.

The first magic Charlotte had shown Yujin.

And now, the flame that had saved her in return.

That sight was seared into Charlotte’s crimson eyes.

She would likely never forget it.

Charlotte quietly studied Yujin before finally speaking.

“You said my eyes resemble your flames, didn’t you?”

“…”

“I haven’t forgotten a single word you’ve said.”

The brilliant flames she had seen on the highway.

The magic that made her love the eye color she had once found detestable.

It was just a small spell cast by a single man.

“But… your magic is still precarious.”

Though elegant and beautiful, the flames were as fragile as a candle in the wind.

A comrade who had seen it remarked that it was barely a level 1 spell.

If even a battle-hardened comrade judged it so, most others likely felt the same.

But Charlotte, who had experienced failure and despair, saw differently.

Despite having a body nearly incapable of sensing magic, he had created something from nothing.

In other words, he had overcome it.

In the world of magic, those who couldn’t sense mana were branded as cripples.

Once labeled by the collective, it was hard to shake off.

Most simply accepted it and let go at that point.

But a rare few were different.

“Yujin.”

Charlotte called his name.

When Yujin looked up, Charlotte gazed at his fingertips for a long moment before speaking softly.

Though all that was visible were her beautiful eyes, the emotion in them was unmistakable.

“I like your magic very much.”

“No, I love it.”

“…”

“Just watching it makes me happy.”

“Is that… so?”

“Yujin, I don’t know how you feel about your own magic…”

“…”

“But to me, it’s like a perfect painting—it fits right into my heart.”

Yujin, his face unreadable, could only nod.

After all, her words weren’t wrong.

“I… see.”

“Yes. And I know you’re a far greater mage than that.”

A thought crossed his mind, and he asked a question.

“…Are you thinking of introducing me to another mage?”

“Yujin.”

But Charlotte’s reaction defied his expectations, leaving him momentarily flustered.

Charlotte grabbed his hand tightly and spoke in a commanding tone.

“…I have absolutely no intention of doing so.”

“?”

“Didn’t we just arrange to meet alone? I have no desire to be disturbed by others.”

So.

As she continued, Charlotte stared straight at him.

“You don’t need to look at any other mages besides me.”

“…?”

“I alone am enough for you.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll prove it. That I alone am sufficient.”

…

Why is the conversation suddenly going in this direction?

//

The rain, which had poured even harder toward dawn, stopped abruptly as the crescent moon set and the sun rose, as if it had never happened.

The air, perhaps due to the early hour, remained humid, but… the sky greeted him with a clear blue.

The droplets clinging to the window sparkled with the remnants of last night’s rain.

-Ding.

The sound of the door opening, and Yujin stepped inside.

The man paused at the entrance, scanning the surroundings.

The table was clean.

The flickering candle flame seemed freshly lit, and the large window behind it revealed flowers that should have wilted but were well-maintained, as if someone had been here just moments ago.

But the strange thing was that no one was there.

Despite the traces, no one welcomed him.

This was right after his conversation with Charlotte.

Visiting hours were over, and now it was time to do what he had to do.

Cain. The leader of the Black Hawk mercenary group.

There was something he needed to tell that bastard.

If he remembered correctly, he should be here…

His brow furrowed involuntarily.

‘…Is he testing me?’

Let me make this clear—the Black Hawk mercenaries, led by Cain, were a group that held considerable weight in the war, hired by the allied forces to which the hero belonged.

Originally, after their major retreat in the last war, they had been subtly ignoring and provoking Charlotte’s faction.

If that were all, it would be fine.

But these bastards were connected to the Ehrenheit family.

And not in a good way.

What’s more, their leader, Cain, was infamous for being a sociopath.

If they had actually been of great help in the war, he might have liked them, but in reality, last time, they had simply watched the battle unfold and swooped in at the last moment to claim credit.

So why did they still hold significant influence despite such thuggish behavior?

What do you think is the most important thing in war?

Well, there are many factors, but just as the difference between cavalry and infantry is like heaven and earth…

That’s right.

A single outstanding mage can, with a bit of exaggeration, turn the tide of battle.

Most of the mercenaries were fallen nobles, and their leader was known to be at least a 4-star mage.

The value of a mage peaks precisely when war breaks out.

And no one knew how to exploit that timing better than the leader of this mercenary group.

To describe him—he loathed Ehrenheit and, above all, prioritized profit. 

A cold, calculating man.

Looking back now, he might just be a pragmatic man, but…

Recalling how he had thrown a punch at me the moment he saw me, maybe not entirely.

It seems he was the type to mercilessly discard anyone who wasn’t useful to him.

‘Not like I came here to cater to his ego anyway.’

I just came to let him know that he shouldn’t mess with me.

A preemptive warning.

…Should I also tell him to stay away from Charlotte?

Memories of being beaten in this house multiple times in the past resurfaced.

Coming back in time and screwing over someone who had looked down on me—was this what it felt like?

He could even feel a faint thrill.

And then, the door handle before him.

Breaking through a concealment barrier—just enough to be detectable—he stepped inside.

Slowly, he moved his feet and entered the room.

“Pardon me. I have business with the leader for a moment…”

He trailed off and raised his head.

Contrary to his expectation that the atmosphere would immediately turn hostile, they were quiet.

“…Do you even know where you are?”

A middle-aged man a few steps ahead spoke up.

Yujin closed his mouth mid-sentence.

…Not the leader?

Figures striding toward him came into view.

…Silence.

In that brief moment of silence, the middle-aged man grabbed his collar and shoved him roughly.

“Because of you…! Because of you, everything’s gone to waste…!!”

A searing impact in an instant.

By the time he blinked, the man had already slammed him into the wall several times.

The man who had raised his fist drove a hidden strike straight into Yujin.

A hot pain rose with a metallic taste of blood on his lips. 

Blood trickled slightly from his mouth.

“How dare… How dare a commoner orphan like you aim for my position…! A useless bastard till the end.”

What the hell is he talking about?

-Drip, drip, drip.

Red droplets fell from Yujin’s lips.

Even that wasn’t enough—the middle-aged man’s anger showed no signs of abating.

“What the hell are you looking at, you damn orphan?!”

-Thud!

-Crash!!

People, well.

There are times when the mind can’t immediately process situations too far removed from reality.

What I did was exactly that.

The sound of a glass shattering as it fell from the table.

A man walking over spilled beer on the floor.

And before him, the middle-aged man who had punched Yujin was now sprawled on the ground.

The man, collapsed on the floor, twisted his face in pain and wounded pride, spitting out curses.

Without even a moment’s pause, Yujin raised his fist.

“…I don’t know who you are.”

Let’s take some hits.

His fist drove into the man’s face several more times.

The man gasped, unable to even breathe properly, but managed to speak.

“Y-You know who I… am—”

“I don’t care.”

I kept hitting him until he couldn’t speak anymore.

For good measure, I smashed everything nearby too.

After a moment, the Black Hawk mercenaries finally came into view.

“What’s all this commotion?!”

The man who blocked my path froze the moment he saw my hands.

Most people react that way when they see human blood.

Especially if it’s inside their own tavern.

I get it.

So I kept it short.

“A gift.”

A warning to them, and a gesture of how they’ll be treated depending on their attitude.

Maybe it’s a challenge in another sense…

But right now, the only thing I’m responsible for is myself. 

There’s nothing to fear.

‘And… since this bastard doesn’t even seem like a proper mage, the punishment won’t be too severe even if he got beaten up.’

The leader I knew was a ruthless meritocrat, so he’d probably just see this pathetic guy who couldn’t even fight back properly as pitiful.

Yujin turned around without hesitation and walked out.

.

That dawn.

The Black Hawk Mercenary Tavern.

“…After a thorough search, we found this concealment barrier inside…”

“…”

A meeting was held, centered around the mercenary leader, Cain.

He sat at the head, lost in thought among his officers.

There had been a disturbance at the tavern today.

When he first heard the news, he couldn’t believe his ears.

…Some mysterious man started a fight in the tavern?

And with a Black Hawk member, no less.

He thought the guy had no fear.

“…”

But when Cain saw the scene with his own eyes, he was momentarily speechless.

A hidden barrier.

A barrier that even a 4-star mage couldn’t detect had been broken effortlessly, and a fight had broken out inside.

…A spy he hadn’t even noticed, right under his nose.

‘A gift… he said.’

A gift?

What they found inside that room was all sorts of intelligence about the war.

There were promises of hefty rewards for selling the mercenaries’ information… and the Ehrenheit family, with their long-standing feud, was involved again.

‘Yujin… At first, I heard rumors he was a magic cripple.’

Given how things turned out, he might need to reevaluate his opinion of the man.

He had also seen that scene that swept through the battlefield.

‘…Was he an enemy of Ehrenheit?’

If so, Cain might have misunderstood Yujin entirely.

“I’ll meet him first thing tomorrow. Arrange the schedule.”

With an inexplicable sense of anticipation, he smiled as he spoke.

“Huh? Just like that?”

“He called it a gift, didn’t he? When you receive a favor, shouldn’t you repay it?”