Chapter 66 World B: The First Kill in the Tenas Arc...
Tenas felt no discomfort after killing someone for the first time. He continued to study according to his schedule every day without any emotional turmoil.
He didn't even confess to his Lord, because he didn't think it was wrong.
Because of her piano teacher's disappearance, a few days later, Tenas welcomed her new piano teacher—a piano master who had been retired for several years, a seemingly strict old lady.
Although the new piano teacher was quite strict with his lessons, Tenas was genuinely relieved because the new teacher wasn't like the previous one; the scolding he received was far less harsh than that directed at the Winters. Tenas was quite satisfied with this new teacher.
However, it's not immediately obvious. For example, if it weren't for that day, Tenas wouldn't have discovered that his previous piano teacher had such a disgusting fetish. His previous piano teacher was a well-known teacher in the industry, and countless people wanted to hire him. Who knows how many children he molested behind the adults' backs.
If this teacher is this kind of person... I wonder if cats and dogs would eat her. The meat might be a bit tough, but older people's bones are more brittle, so it's easy to chop, right? I hope she won't.
Even after Tenas completed his piano apprenticeship and surpassed Reena to become the best piano player in the circle, the old lady didn't show any unusual reaction, only leaving him a word of praise before she left.
Okay. Tenas thought, this is a perfectly normal piano teacher.
But his previous piano teacher wasn't the only one acting strangely around him.
Perhaps because he inherited Mrs. Winter's beauty, Tenas found that many people liked to crowd around him. Compared to his mother's undisguised meanness and malice, others would prefer to interact with him, and his peers would surround him in circles.
The noblewomen who witnessed this scene from afar couldn't help but marvel at the strength of Madame Winter's bloodline; even her children were so endearing. Madame Winter herself had been just like that in her youth, and her terrible personality hadn't deterred people from flocking to her like moths to a flame.
Mrs. Winter took a sip of red wine, her expression so matter-of-fact as she accepted the flattery from the other ladies.
It's so beautiful. Then, a peer confesses his feelings to Tenas and invites the two families to marry when they grow up.
Looking at the confident little boy, Tenas glanced at the boy's fiancée standing beside him.
The little girl glared angrily at the little boy, her lips pouting high, her face flushed with rage. Then she looked at Tenas, staring at his face thoughtfully for a while, her face turning even redder: "The three of us could... no, wait, we don't want him!"
Tenas: "I am a boy."
The little boy stared at his face intently: "It's okay, it's okay, hehe, you're so handsome."
Tenas turned to look at the little girl: "Marriage doesn't allow for three people."
"It's okay, you can be the other woman. Waiting like this seems unfair to you; he'll be our other woman." The little girl thought seriously, "No! I don't like him anymore. If I don't have him, there won't be three of us!"
Tenas looked at Reena and Nadia, who were watching the scene from a distance, and said nothing, simply meeting their gazes calmly.
Reena gave Nadia a gloating look, which fooled Nadia who wanted to rescue Tenas, and then gestured for him to look around to see that there were other children bothering him.
Tenas glanced at the group of about ten children tugging at his clothes and hands, and felt a slight itch in his hands, a desire to chop down all those blocking his way.
In the end, Tenas escaped by using his martial arts skills, dodging the enthusiastic children's lunges and kisses, and successfully shaking them off.
After killing the piano teacher, Tenas found it convenient to commit murder.
Along his path to adulthood, he also killed people he didn't like, including some dishonest servants and peers who constantly harassed him.
After he killed the three heirs and their replacements from that family, the new heir who was pushed forward finally realized his true colors and no longer foolishly clung to him like the previous heirs.
And so, Tenas lived a peaceful and uneventful life until he turned 18.
At the age of 15, he was chosen to become a Guardian and joined the Guardian League, a mixed bag of characters. Coincidentally, Rena and Nadia were also Guardians. Unlike the two who joined by chance and were considered upright, Tenas began to act recklessly.
During this time, in addition to the numerous affairs of the Guardian Alliance, the illegitimate children born to his parents' mistresses came to provoke him. His older brothers, sisters, and younger brothers and sisters also taunted him whenever they saw him, plotting many assassination attempts to kill him.
Tenas isn't one to like owing others, so he sent all the money to his kind and gentle relatives to see the piano teacher.
Nadia doesn't seem to fit in with her role as a Guardian, or perhaps it's just the nature of things; she's not very enthusiastic. But a Guardian can only leave by dying, so she's always been passive, which makes her seem out of place with the proactive Tenas.
Because there are different factions within the Guardians, and Tenas and Reena are particularly at odds, this is probably one of the reasons why Nadia is not cooperating.
On his 18th birthday, Tenas discovers that the Winters seem to prefer the children outside the marriage and are not choosing him, the most perfect heir.
With no other option, Tenas killed all his siblings to give his parents a dramatic exit—a plane crash that would leave no room for suspicion.
Finally free from his oppressive family life, Tenas moved to a small, unknown place in another city.
Because of strict discipline, he had never properly seen the world, so he came out to experience it, even taking a walk in the nearby park.
At that time, Tenas had no idea that he would meet his lifelong best friend while observing how normal children play.
He accidentally discovered a child.
A little boy sitting quietly under a tree reading a book is indeed different from the children playing happily in the park. He is not participating in their activities, but is immersed in his own world. He looks like an ordinary child.
But what's unusual is that Tenas knows him.
The child being taught by Bertha, the leader of one of the major forces in the Mage Alliance that the Guardians are currently pursuing, appears to be her adopted son.
The other guardians were unaware of this, but over the years, Tenas had also placed some of his own people among the mages.
He shoved every major faction into the Mage Alliance, ensuring there was at least one person there to provide intelligence and betray them at the most opportune moment.
This is a good opportunity. Bertha is protecting this boy named Ethan very well, and seems to really like him. Even though he is very talented, she doesn't seem to want him to join them. Maybe it's because he's still a child...
The image of the resolute red-haired woman flashed through his mind. Looking at the child, whose face was partially obscured by her hair, Tenas walked over.
"Are you looking at an Olympiad math book?" Tenas asked with a smile as he leaned closer to him.
The child looked up from the world in the book, bewildered, and blinked.
Ethan was a little nervous at first, but after Tenas deliberately brought up the topic, he soon relaxed his guard and chatted with Tenas with great interest.
In Tenas's circle, the most important thing is not only talent in various aspects, but also eloquence. Being able to speak to people in a way that suits them, and sometimes Tenas can even trick Reena into getting hurt.
Despite having far more experience than him, and even though they were the same age, Ethan couldn't figure out Tenas's intentions, Ethan quickly became familiar with him.
Tenas's packed schedule included a wide variety of subjects, making him very knowledgeable. After answering a few tricky questions, he gained a little admirer, Ethan, who looked at him with sparkling eyes—it was quite adorable.
“Little Ethan…may I call you that?” Tenas tucked his hair behind his ear and asked softly with a gentle smile that would make Reena doubt if it was really him, as if he were surrounded by sparkling light.
"Of course!" Ethan was a little shy, but happiness couldn't be hidden from his face, which flushed with excitement: "Tenas, brother."
Tenas's smile deepened as she continued chatting with him.
He easily won the heart of this child who was eight years younger than him, just as easily as he won the hearts of his peers.
The more Tenas got to know Ethan, the more he found him appealing. Ethan wasn't an ordinary kid; his knowledge surprised Tenas a little. He was certain that Nadia's knowledge was far superior to his, and Reena's was probably on par.
Ethan is a special child, and Tenas can clearly feel himself growing to like him more and more.
Surprisingly, they shared many of the same ideas and were amazed to find that their views were so similar to their own.
For example, Tenas wants to change the world and make it a better place, and Ethan thinks the same way.
However, Tenas's solution was to defeat Reena's conservative faction, gain control, unify the world, and shape it into the world he wanted—a world that wouldn't be worse than it is now.
Ethan's approach was to get involved personally, join his elders' faction, and start from there.
However, Tenas understood that Ethan meant to join the Mage's Alliance and, together with Bertha, defeat the Guardians and bring them down.
It's impossible not to feel sorry for him. Tenas thinks such a talented person should join their faction. He really wants to invite Ethan to become a Guardian, but he's afraid that if he mentions Guardian, Ethan will change his attitude. He also doesn't dare let Ethan know that he is a Guardian.
But that's okay, there's plenty of time. He won't give up on what he's set his mind to, and who can predict the future? He will succeed.
"I believe in you." He clapped his hands, his eyes full of trust, and smiled encouragingly, "Little Ethan can definitely do it! Little Ethan is really amazing!"
Ethan looked extremely embarrassed, his little face flushed, unconsciously picking at his fingers, but the sparkle in his curved eyes made Tenas pause for a moment.
...It seems too good. Ethan's eyes and heart are full of complete trust in him. It seems too intimate.
Ethan said, "You are my first friend."
Bang
His smile was satisfied and gentle: "It's so great to have met you."
Bang bang
“I feel so lucky to have met you,” Ethan said. “We’re best friends, right?”
Bang bang bang
Tenas heard a rhythmic sound, and it took him a long time to realize that it was his own heartbeat.
Faced with Ethan like this, he realized that this deliberate approach to him, which had initially been a pretentious friendship, was beginning to sour. He, too, became immersed in this "friendship," no longer thinking about his initial purpose in approaching him, but instead developing a greater sense of sincerity in their interactions.
Friends? How strange, aren't he and Nadia friends? Why don't I feel anything odd? My heart skipped a beat.
Did the young magician in front of him cast some kind of spell? Why is his body acting strangely? His mind isn't as clear as it was at the beginning either. Is it some kind of confusing magic?
...
I encountered a straightforward puppy, and despite my best efforts, I couldn't resist.
He began to treat him like a true friend. The two would often arrange to meet, discuss things together, read books together, and play together.
In spring, all things revive, and they admire the vibrant world, where all kinds of life sprout, plants grow tender buds, and they watch them awaken from the long winter.
In the sweltering summer, they lay on the grass. Their most vivid memory was of the other person smiling at them while munching on an ice pop. They had forgotten what they talked about, only that it was incredibly hot.
In autumn, the leaves fell one after another, and the park became somewhat desolate. The heat was replaced by a cool breeze. They strolled in the park, chatting about new ideas, and the leaves crunched under their feet.
In winter, with snow covering the ground, they built each other's snowmen. Compared to Tenas's perfectly replicated snowman, Ethan's snowman was a complete disaster, barely resembling a human figure. After being mocked by Tenas, they had a snowball fight.
They also go shopping and occasionally eat at different restaurants, not just in the wild.
One day, Tenas and Ethan had just finished lunch at a small restaurant and were strolling casually down the street to digest their food when Tenas suddenly realized that Ethan hadn't followed them.
Looking back, they saw Ethan standing outside a shop window, staring blankly inside. Tenas curiously stepped back to look with him.
It was a yellow sapphire necklace, exquisitely crafted, with a large yellow sapphire in the center surrounded by small diamonds. It was displayed in the very center of the shop window, and a beam of warm light shone on it, making it look even more sparkly.
Tenas glanced at Ethan, who was still standing outside the shop window, then at the yellow sapphire necklace inside, and blinked.
Does little Ethan want this? It's not impossible. He can secretly buy it later and give it to little Ethan on their one-year anniversary a few days later.
Thinking this, Tenas's little tune became lighter, and he and Ethan, who had come to their senses, left the spot.
But on the anniversary of our meeting, things turned out to be a bit funny and embarrassing.
The reason was simple: Tenas and Ethan both took out a jewelry box, opened it, and inside was the yellow sapphire necklace they had seen before. The two stared at each other in disbelief.
“I thought little Ethan stopped to look at it back then because he liked it, which is why he bought it. Turns out that wasn’t the case?” Tenas was genuinely surprised.
“No, I was just passing by there and thought that yellow sapphire looked a lot like your hair color. I thought it would be a nice gift and wanted to give it to you.” Ethan was both amused and exasperated: “I didn’t expect it to be such a coincidence. You’ve misunderstood.”
The two looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Finally, the two exchanged gifts, each wearing a necklace the other had bought as a symbol of their friendship.
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Author's note: Two days of pre-job training... and I still don't know my department.
Oh, Tenas is trying to fool the kids again!
Reena is a conservative who wants the Guardians to transform, while Tenas is a radical. The two are fiercely arguing, and Nadia is caught in the middle of it all: [Accidentally—Intruding into the Heavenly Palace—]
I just discovered that the author's account and reader's account are now separate! That means I won't accidentally switch to the wrong account and awkwardly request to delete comments anymore! [starry-eyed]
There's a video of the two (blue and green)! The audio perfectly captures their daily interactions after a fight—it's incredibly relatable! Just read the subtitles, not the pictures.
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