Chapter 229: Yuria’s Past (1)

Yuria recalled the conversation she had with Gerard on the day she met the poachers.

“When you were living as a mercenary?”

“Yes.”

“Then that mercenary group. By any chance, were they poachers?”

Yuria flinched.

It was natural.

Poachers were criminals who violated the hunting rules of international conventions established for environmental protection, ecosystem maintenance, preservation of spirit beast and animal populations, and coexistence, committing illegal hunting solely for monetary gain.

In other words, they were villains.

Green Circle was a villain organization, and Yuria was raised and grew up there since she was young.

On the other hand, Gerard was an Academy cadet.

It was natural that his view towards villains was negative.

‘Would the Senior truly understand?’

There is a saying that the past is a mirror reflecting the present.

There was a high possibility that Gerard would not be able to accept Yuria’s past, and Yuria was afraid of that.

She was afraid that she would grow distant from Gerard because of it.

‘But I cannot lie to him just because of that.’

Because Gerard hated lies.

So Yuria, after gauging his reaction, answered quietly.

“……That is right. Poachers.”

“What is the name of the organization?”

“Green Circle. But, they have nothing to do with me now. Because they disappeared.”

“Why did they disappear?”

“……Because I eliminated them. Myself.”

Saying that, Yuria carefully examined Gerard’s expression again.

Is it okay?

I don’t know.

Gerard was expressionless.

So at a glance, he seemed surprised, and also seemed angry.

Yuria’s shoulders slumped down.

“……You are disappointed, right, Senior? That I grew up in the hands of poachers.”

“No. Why would I be disappointed?”

At Gerard’s answer, Yuria looked at Gerard in surprise.

“Really?”

“Yeah. You said it was when you were young? Then you could grow up in the hands of poachers, what’s wrong with that.”

It was a relief.

A sense of relief rising from deep within her heart spread through her whole body like a wave.

However, thinking that Gerard might notice her being happy, Yuria pretended to deny it as if she couldn’t understand for no reason.

“S-Still. Anyway, if that happens, it’s impossible not to be influenced knowingly or unknowingly.”

“Hmm. That could be possible. But Yuria, I don’t think you would have indiscriminately killed or tormented innocent spirit beasts. Don’t you think?”

It was true.

Green Circle was an unofficial name, and on the surface, they were a mercenary group that purely engaged in mercenary activities.

It was a trick they used to avoid the gaze of international society.

So Yuria also only found out belatedly after she was fully grown that the space where she grew up was actually a criminal den that brutally dismantled, abused, and turned spirit beasts into tools, and that her parents were the top persons in charge of such a place.

“Is that why you told Karina last time that you don’t care whether Rachel is a villain or not?”

“Ah. Did you hear that?”

“Yeah.”

“……That is right. Since I also grew up in a criminal den. I am not in a position to talk about others.”

Gerard’s following words were surprising.

“I have similar thoughts to you. Should I say I don’t have much prejudice against villains, to be exact.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. There is Rachel’s case recently, and there is Shadow which is still talked about a lot. I think not all villains might be the same villains. And there is no law that says a Hero cadet must punish all villains.”

“But if you become a knight after graduation──.”

“It’s possible that I might not become a knight, right?”

It was somewhat meaningful words, but Yuria at the time accepted it without thinking deeply.

“Anyway, the point is that it doesn’t really matter whether you were a poacher’s daughter in the past or not. Because if it’s you, you wouldn’t have done bad things.”

Yuria was just happy that Gerard was trusting her.

“Then what is the worst bad deed Senior thinks of? Even that standard is different for every person.”

“That is obviously betrayal. Those without loyalty should all die.”

Gerard’s answer popped out without an ounce of hesitation.

At that moment, Crack- cracks were drawn on Yuria’s face just as she was smiling.

“I haaaaaate people who betray the m…… Huh? Why is your expression like that suddenly?”

“N, No. Nothing.”

Yuria turned her head while smiling awkwardly.

Usually, he would have found that appearance of Yuria strange, but at this time, Gerard was also distracted by Yuria’s past.

“By the way, how did you eliminate the Green Circle?”

“I don’t really want to talk about that story. I am sorry, Senior.”

“……Huh? Uh, okay.”

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Ziiing-!

Yuria woke up from her reminiscence at the sudden sound of the bell.

When she opened the door, her classmate Helen was standing right there.

“What is it, Helen?

“The Dorm Supervisor’s Office is looking for you.”

“The Dorm Supervisor’s Office?”

Yuria tilted her head.

There were not many cases where the Dorm Supervisor’s Office looked for a boarder, and they were largely divided into two categories.

When a visitation request came in, or when the boarder’s dorm life was disorderly and causing harm to others.

However, Yuria did not fall into either case.

She couldn’t think of anyone who would come looking for her from outside, and similarly, she couldn’t think of anything for the latter.

‘Did I violate the dormitory regulations without knowing?’

Anyway, she just had to go and see.

At the Dorm Supervisor’s Office she arrived like that, Yuria heard a surprising story.

“My dad requested a visit?”

“Yeah. If you go out to the visitation room, he will be there. Go quickly.”

Yuria could not hide her bewilderment.

And that confusion continued even after she left the Dorm Supervisor’s Office.

‘Dad…… came for me?’

She couldn’t understand.

It was understandable, because the very person who threw her out into the world with nothing two years ago was her father.

Of course, there were underlying circumstances for that.

Anyway, the sudden appearance of her father and the visitation request after two years and a half had passed bewildered even Yuria, who had little emotional fluctuation.

And the visitation room she arrived at.

In that place, someone else was sitting instead of her father who should have been there.

“Phew. It’s been a while. Two years? No, has it been three years?”

A man sitting sloppily and whistling.

Seeing him, Yuria stiffened in surprise in a different sense.

“……Uncle Johnny?”

“Oho. You haven’t forgotten my name yet? How is it, did you live well without us during that time, Princess?”

At the man, Johnny’s question, Yuria’s face crumpled like a sheet of paper.

Princess was a pet name Johnny used to call her in the past.

“How did Uncle Johnny come here?”

“Did I come to a place I can’t come to? Also, it was easy to find because you are famous. Did you grow up very well? Huh?”

“…….”

“Damn it. Isn’t it too cold to see me after a long time? How disappointing. Do you know how much we suffered because of you.”

Johnny’s tone became lower as it went on, and at the end, it gave off a chill.

At that, Yuria just bit her lip tightly without a word.

Johnny looked at Yuria with a smirk for a moment, then clicked his tongue ‘tsk’ and continued speaking.

“Argh, my neck hurts. Excuse me? Stop standing and please sit down now, Princess. So we can talk a bit.”

“No. I have nothing to talk about.”

“Huh? What. Don’t tell me you are leaving? It would be better not to do that.”

Yuria tried to ignore his words and leave the visitation room.

However.

“Big Brother’s story. You don’t want to hear it?”

Johnny’s next words caught Yuria’s ankle.

The person Johnny, the action captain of Green Circle, called Big Brother.

There was only one such person in this world.

Ianco.

He was exactly Yuria’s father.

Yuria asked reflexively.

“Where is Dad? Did something bad happen to him by any chance?”

She asked this because an ominous thought suddenly occurred to her.

Otherwise, there was no way he would come all the way here to the Frey Empire to find her.

However, Johnny did not answer obediently.

He just pointed to the seat opposite him with the tip of his chin.

Yuria glared at him, but Johnny was not someone who would budge at a mere glare like that.

Rather, he smirked.

“Ouch. My forehead is going to get pierced.”

“Phew.”

Helplessly, Yuria went to the seat opposite him and sat down.

“Is that done? Please tell me now. Where is Dad, and what happened to him.”

“Hehehe. It seems you are worried even after being treated like that?”

Well, he is still my dad.

Yuria swallowed those words inside.

“Indeed. Raising you was worth it, I see. Well, since it has been over 10 years, is it natural?”

Johnny, who was muttering incomprehensible words, asking himself, and admiring himself, abruptly answered the question from just before.

“Of course something bad happened. Our Princess caused such a mess and ran away, so is there any way Big Brother would be okay? Since then, there hasn’t been a day his body was whole.”

And the following words were shockingly world-shattering.

“His right arm was cut off and his left eye was plucked out.”

Yuria opened her eyes wide.

“D, Don’t lie……!”

“Eiing? Why would I come all the way here and lie? Our Princess, who was loved by all the family members, destroyed the largest artifact production factory and ran away. Do you know how much damage we suffered because of that act you committed out of petty sympathy? You won’t dare to even guess.”

Before she knew it, unbearable hatred was contained in Johnny’s eyes, and anger in his voice.

“To make up for that loss, Big Brother cut off his arm and eye. That is the physiology of this floor. Because of you, Big Brother, your dad became like that. And all our Green Circle family members fell into huge debt.”

It was true.

At that time, Yuria witnessed the dark part of Green Circle. That is, the process of hunting protected species, spirit beasts, and turning them into parts.

The eyes of the spirit beasts she saw then were still deeply embedded in Yuria’s mind.

Their black, dead eyes were speaking.

That they knew they would be slaughtered and made into tools.

They contained the wavering emotion of wanting to escape, but eventually harbored futile helplessness within that deep fear and confusion.

So Yuria destroyed Green Circle’s production factory.

The factory that was the largest and the heart of the parts production.

And.

‘I am disappointed, Yuria. How could you do such a thing…… I gave everything for you.’

‘I feel the same, Dad. How could you make such a cruel place?’

‘Enough, get out of my sight right now.’

‘……Yes? Are, are you serious?’

‘Yeah. You are not my daughter anymore. The day I first had you, really. I really regret it like crazy.’

Spitting out each letter with difficulty as if chewing on them with bloodshot red eyes, Ianco cut ties with Yuria like that.

This was the last moment with her father that Yuria remembered.

It was a shock.

She was disappointed and also sorrowful.

Of course, it’s not that she didn’t understand.

Because of his position, he must have felt a tremendous sense of betrayal.

Actually, it was also because of this part that she hid the events of that day from Gerard.

Since she, who completely destroyed everything Green Circle had built up over a long time, practically betrayed her dad and the mercenaries of Green Circle.

However.

That didn’t mean she thought her actions were wrong.

‘Even if I go back, I think I would act the same.’

Excluding emotions and causal relationships.

Judging only by right and wrong, Yuria believed her actions were not wrong.

Anyway, returning to the present.

“So, what is the reason you are bringing up this story now? Where is Dad?”

At Yuria’s question, Johnny withdrew his resentful gaze, smirked, and brought up the original business for finding her.

“Actually, I came on behalf of your dad.”

“Why?”

“Why do you ask? Big Brother said he didn’t want to meet you, so I came instead.”

If those words were true, it seemed her relationship with her dad would never be restored forever.

“Why did you come, Uncle Johnny.”

“I have a favor to ask you.”

“What favor?”

“Help us with our work.”

If it was their work, only one thing came to mind.

Spirit beast hunting.

It was when Yuria’s eyebrows were about to bend into an inverted eight shape.

Johnny added.

“If you have a conscience, I believe you won’t possibly refuse.”

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