CHAPTER 116: CHAPTER 116 - THE MOMENT WE FALTER

Lilliane’s voice was soft, but it cut through the tension like light through mist.

She had approached from behind, her expression calm—but her eyes were filled with worry. She stood just beside his desk now, fingers lightly clasped together, unsure whether to step closer or not.

Luca looked at the two of them—one seated, one standing.

Just as he was about to say "I’m okay," someone else beat him to the interruption.

"Hey, Bro-in-law, are you alright?" Kyle’s voice boomed with his usual careless energy as he entered with Selena trailing behind him. He wore that same lopsided grin, clearly trying to lighten the mood. Luca turned slightly, casting a mildly annoyed glance his way.

Kyle didn’t seem to notice.

And before Luca could even open his mouth again, another voice chimed in.

Aiden had arrived, his brows furrowed and his voice low with concern. "Are you doing okay?"

The overlapping questions—their genuine worry—pushed Luca’s patience over the edge. He stood up slightly from his seat, his voice sharper than he intended.

"I’m fine!"

The classroom fell into dead silence.

Chairs stilled. Conversations froze mid-sentence. Some students flinched, and others shrank back instinctively.

Murmurs surged like an undercurrent immediately after.

"Shit... he’s angry."

"Fuck, is he gonna kill us all now?"

Luca groaned inwardly. He rubbed his temples and slowly sat back down, releasing a long breath before speaking again, softer this time.

"I’m sorry, guys. There’s just... a lot going on right now." He looked around at the few friends who had approached him, his tone steadying. "And yeah, I’m fine. These stares will die down after some time."

But then—

"Who’s asking you about the stares?" Kyle and Eric both replied at the same time, almost in unison. They shared a quick glance, surprised at their timing.

Aiden stepped forward, crossing his arms. "You killed so many people... so we were worried. How you were coping with it."

Luca blinked, taken aback for a moment.

Then he leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. "Oh... don’t worry. I’m good."

There was a beat of silence.

Then everyone looked at him in disbelief. As if that wasn’t the answer they expected.

Kyle squinted at him, arms folded. "You don’t exactly look ruthless to me, bro-in-law. I thought you’d feel guilty even for killing a housefly."

Luca laughed—suddenly, freely.

But it was short-lived.

As he looked around the room, the corners of his smile faded. The expressions on everyone’s faces were earnest. They weren’t joking.

His laughter died completely as realization dawned.

"It... wasn’t a joke?" he muttered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

What’s with feeling guilty about killing some good-for-nothing villain NPCs? he thought.

Then it hit him.

Ahh... right.

I’ve seen what havoc these bastards will cause if left alive. I know the future. I don’t feel guilty because I’ve already seen the consequences. But for them... for everyone else... those cultists were just people. Twisted maybe, but still human. And killing humans, especially before they’ve fallen completely, must weigh heavily on their minds.

His gaze drifted to Selena, who stood quietly beside Kyle.

She seemed as calm and composed as always—arms crossed, expression unreadable.

But he could tell.

She had killed some of the cultists too. Humans who hadn’t sold their souls yet. She must be hiding the guilt deep beneath that icy mask she always wore.

This won’t do.

I need to help them understand. I need to change their point of view.

Luca didn’t answer his friends right away.

Instead, his eyes roamed across the classroom—across the stares he’d been pretending not to notice since he walked in.

Some subtle, others not.

A girl whispered something to her partner and quickly looked away when he glanced in her direction. A boy leaned sideways, putting distance between himself and the path Luca might walk through. Another just kept his head low, not out of shyness—but fear.

Luca exhaled softly.

If I were to explain it, he thought, I should explain it to everyone.

If I don’t explain this now, someone else might die later—not from a blade, but from doubt.

Because this wasn’t about him anymore.

He rose slowly from his seat.

The legs of the chair scraped against the floor with a jarring sound, making a few students flinch. All conversation stilled. The air in the room changed—suspended in a fragile pause.

Selena turned toward him with a slight furrow in her brow.

Eric leaned forward, arms resting on his knees.

Lilliane blinked, lips parting in confusion.

Even Kyle’s lazy posture sharpened a little.

Luca walked to the front of the room—not hurriedly, but with purpose. Every step echoed faintly. The classroom wasn’t built for speeches—but he stopped at the raised platform, the very spot where Professor Seraphina usually stood to address them all.

And then, turning slowly, he faced the entire class.

Dozens of students stared back. Future knights, mages, scholars. Some confused. Some wary. Others trying to hide their unease behind neutral faces.

Luca stood there for a long moment.

Then he began.

Luca:

"...Some of you are scared of me."

His voice wasn’t cold. It wasn’t even accusatory. Just... honest.

Luca:

"I can see it in your eyes. The way you flinch when I walk past. The way you whisper. Because I killed people."

He let the words settle. He didn’t soften them.

Luca:

"Because I came back from a mission... bloodied. Silent. Changed."

His gaze swept across the front row. Some students shifted uncomfortably. Others met his eyes and then quickly looked away.

Luca:

"But let me ask you—do you know what I saw out there?"

He took a step forward, hands at his sides, but his fingers curled tightly.

Luca:

"I saw people disappearing. Villagers. Travelers. Children. Being snatched in the dead of night."

His voice lowered. Slower. As if forcing himself to recall each image.

Luca:

"I saw men chained to stone pillars, praying to gods that wouldn’t come. I saw women torn apart because the cult said it made the ’ritual cleaner.’ I saw a child..."

He paused. Swallowed hard. Closed his eyes briefly before opening them again.

Luca:

"A five-year-old boy. Eyes swollen from crying. His voice so hoarse he couldn’t even scream anymore. Laid on a slab. Offered up like a... like an animal."

A murmur ran through the crowd. Sharp breaths. Disbelief.

Student (whispering): "No way..."

Another: "That can’t be real..."

Luca turned to face the doubters directly.

Luca:

"I wish it wasn’t real. I wish I’d never seen it."

He let that hang.

Luca:

"But I did. I was there. And the people who did it? They were smiling. Laughing."

His voice grew more resolute.

Luca:

"They wore the faces of merchants, travelers, even clerics. They looked human—but there was nothing human left inside."

A few students were now sitting straighter. Listening more intently.

Luca:

"And yes... I killed them."

His voice didn’t falter. His eyes didn’t blink.

Luca:

"Without mercy. Without hesitation."

He took a deep breath. His fingers slowly uncurled.

Then he pointed to the room.

Luca:

"But if that child... if that was your little brother... your sister... your best friend—what would you do?"

Silence.

Luca:

"Would you hesitate? Would you feel guilty? Would you lower your blade because your enemy used to be someone’s son?"

He clenched his fist now.

Luca:

"Because if you do... you’ll die. You and your teammates. Because they won’t hesitate. Not for a second."

More students now lowered their heads—not in shame, but contemplation.

Of course I saw all this in games in different places, but that just might be the future of this world if not stopped.

He softened a little. Let his voice calm again.

Luca:

"I’m not telling you to enjoy it. I’m not telling you to lose your heart. I’m telling you to protect it—by understanding this: Evil doesn’t always wear a monster’s face."

A girl near the back slowly stood. Her lips trembled, but she nodded faintly.

Another student clenched his jaw. Whispers began to shift.

Student (Whispering):

"...He’s right."

"That’s what we’re training for, isn’t it?"

"If it were my brother, I’d do the same..."

Luca turned slightly, scanning the classroom once more. His expression now wasn’t hard—it was steady. Grounded. Human.

Luca:

"You don’t have to be proud of it. You don’t have to smile afterward. But when the time comes—do what must be done."

And then he gave them one final look.

A look not of superiority—but of shared weight.

Luca :

"Because if we falter... if you falter... then the next body on that altar might be someone you love."

Then he stepped down.

He didn’t wait for applause. Didn’t look for approval. As he walked back to his seat, the silence behind him wasn’t one of fear anymore.

It was the silence of thought.

The silence of people who had been changed.

And this time, no one looked at him the same way again.

As he took the sit , his face twitched

Did I just hear the voice of getting clicked again, no right? There shouldn’t be any reporter in the Academy...right?