Chapter 7.2: The Unfilial Sons Part 2
The reason lay in Raiden's magic.
It was true that he could freely teleport and fly through space.
The problem was...
-Uh... Young Master? Did you just use your talent...?
-Yes! I used it to its fullest extent!
...The maximum distance he could teleport was a mere one meter.
Usually, when people talk about short-range teleportation, it means being able to teleport at least 50 meters, up to 300 meters.
But Raiden's maximum teleportation distance was exactly one meter.
It was an absurdly disappointing number.
On top of that, his innate mana capacity was smaller than that of ordinary people, so he could only use it about ten times.
As soon as it was revealed that the child who had received the continent's expectations was a dud, interest in Raiden quickly faded.
Except for one group.
'The Seekers.'
A group of mages driven by madness, who conducted all sorts of inhumane experiments on people with unique talents in the name of pursuing the truth of magic.
They also served as one of the main villains in the story.
Anyway, to continue the story, from the Seekers' perspective, Raiden must have seemed like a mouthwatering test subject.
He was born with the rarest talent on the continent, and unlike ordinary spatial mages who had a high chance of escaping after being captured, he was a target they could experiment on to their heart's content once caught.
Of course, his status as the eldest son of the Duke's family was a slight obstacle, but the eyes of the mad mages were already bloodshot.
So the Seekers devised a crazy plan to infiltrate the Lishite family mansion, and using all sorts of magic tools and blood-soaked talents, they almost succeeded...
-Run, Raiden!!
...But their plan was foiled by the sudden intervention of the Duchess and the Duke, who arrived later.
The Seekers, who ended up killing the innocent Duchess, incurred the wrath of Duke Lishite.
As a full-scale crackdown on the Seekers began.
The Seekers, sensing danger, retreated and hid in various parts of the continent.
"The Seekers..."
They were a disturbing group even when I read about them in the novel, but now they seemed like nothing but bastards.
If they were pursuing the truth of magic, why weren't they researching formulas instead of conducting human experiments?
And why were they committing acts of terrorism like kidnapping and murder?
"...Poor Raiden."
Anyway.
For this reason, Raiden's inherent talent, 'Short-Range Teleportation', was like a sensitive spot for him.
Judging from the anger and resentment boiling within me, it seemed that was still the case.
Don't worry, Raiden.
The Seekers will be wiped out within five years anyway.
By our protagonist.
'Speaking of which...'
He has no skills whatsoever.
Usually, everyone has at least 'Basic Swordsmanship' or 'Basic Magic'.
Raiden had no talent for martial arts, so... did he deliberately avoid developing any skills?
Well, just looking at his average physical stat of E+, it was obvious.
This guy had never trained a day in his life.
"You need to exercise to be healthy..."
Well, those were hypocritical words coming from me.
Usually, people don't call getting beaten to a pulp until you're covered in blood 'exercise'.
That's called abuse.
I chuckled bitterly, muttering to myself.
"Both Raiden and I... we've had shitty lives."
Despite everything, I felt a strong sense of kinship with him.
The boy who lost his mother at sixteen.
Raiden.
And me, who lost my mother at eleven.
Kim Naru.
We faced different types of pain and circumstances, but we were both bastards who survived at the cost of our mothers' lives.
A sense of camaraderie as fellow unfilial sons.
"But I'm a little envious."
Having a loving family is a blessing.
Objectively speaking, Raiden's family was more than he deserved.
Both his sister and his father, they never gave up on him until the very end.
Moreover, they both seemed to feel guilty for failing to prevent Raiden's downfall.
They might have been clumsy, but no one could deny that they loved the boy.
"......"
At least the people Raiden loved stayed by his side until the end.
The people I loved always died or left for places I couldn't reach.
For a moment, I felt a surge of slimy emotions like jealousy and contempt, but I firmly pushed them away.
No matter how selfish I was, I wasn't so wicked as to envy a story that had already ended in tragedy.
"......Everything will be alright."
I muttered those words.
It was both a suggestion to myself and a message to Raiden.
Don't worry.
We'll be okay.
We can do well this second time around.
I whispered those words in my heart and turned my gaze towards the window.
.
.
.
The carriage traveled, we spent the nights at inns, and the days repeated: riding the carriage, staying at inns.
After a week of this monotonous yet peaceful journey, we finally reached our destination.
"Oh my goodness! Young Master...! Look outside! It's huge!!"
Rachel exclaimed, seemingly amazed by the sight of the academy beyond the window.
Well, it was understandable.
Even I, who had seen it through Raiden's memories, was speechless at the sight.
I chuckled at the girl's pure reaction.
"Yes, yes, I get it. Now sit down. What if you get hurt?"
"It's okay! I'm always practicing my balance to become the perfect servant...! Whoa?!"
As Rachel boasted confidently, wiggling her lips, the carriage, which had been moving steadily, came to an abrupt stop.
The sudden halt sent Rachel tumbling forward, and I instinctively reached out and caught her in my arms.
"Huh...?"
"See? I told you to be careful."
The girl, who had been looking up at me from my embrace, blushed and quickly pulled away.
It was a similar reaction to when she woke up on my lap before.
I flicked her forehead lightly as she sat back in her seat.
-Flick!
"Ouch...!"
"You should sit still from now on, right?"
"Ugh... Yes..."
Satisfied with her obedient response, I nodded.
The carriage had come to a complete stop, signaling the end of our long journey.
I gazed out the window at the scenery.
The imposing main gate of the academy, exuding an overwhelming sense of grandeur.
Beyond it lay a cluster of buildings, seemingly the size of a small city.
"We're here."
The stage of the novel 'Sorrow-erasing heroes', and the place where Raiden had spent his time until six months ago.
We had finally arrived at Reynolds Academy.