People are all hypocrites.

No matter what kind of human you are, when pushed to a corner, you’ll throw others into hell for your own sake.

Just look at how parents can sell their child for the price of a loaf of bread—it’s pretty telling, don’t you think?

Being sold by their parents and ending up in a mining camp, they’ve only known to rob and exploit others to survive.

Genuine altruism doesn’t exist.

It’s all just pretense from the privileged.

The boy firmly believed in this.

That’s why he lived only for himself.

While the white-haired boy stood dazed, as if he had lost his memory from shock, someone pretending to be his friend tried to steal his food.

After failing once, they kept lurking around and finally snatched the bread he had.

Even when his group conspired to frame that boy and push him into death, they didn’t stop it.

It’s more efficient to throw away any sense of conscience.

For oneself, that’s just better.

So, in the current situation, what needed to be done was the same.

“I swear on my existence. If you sacrifice Ian, your safety will be guaranteed.”

All he had to do was choose to abandon him.

Wasn’t that the best choice for him? There was no room for argument. What happened to that guy was no concern of his. The only important thing was himself.

Even if that Ian was the boy from back then.

Even if Ian had caught him stealing at the mine. Even if he had noticed the boy was starving and chose to turn a blind eye.

Even if he didn’t say anything to the kids who tried to kill Ian out of fear of being cast out themselves.

Even if Ian, who had suffered that, never tried to kill him.

Even if after escaping the mine, he was left wandering the streets, dying, and got help from the Black Fangs.

Even if… even if…

“…Damn it.”

He felt his face contort in self-reproach.

What do you mean there are no altruistic humans in this world? What do you mean it’s all just pretense?

There are indeed people who care for others even when they’re struggling themselves. There are those who pay more attention to the suffering of others than their own pain.

Not everyone in the world is selfish.

He himself was the selfish one.

He kept saying it couldn’t be helped as if it was human nature, justifying his disgusting life with excuses that everyone lives this way.

The choice was now in his hands.

There would be no more excuses.

…It was time to decide what kind of human he would become moving forward.

 

The girl knew how to view the situation with the utmost clarity. Living in a slum where a single mistake could cost you your life cultivated that ability naturally.

“I swear on my existence. If you sacrifice Ian, your safety will be guaranteed.”

That’s why, as soon as she heard that line, she quickly calculated the pros and cons in her head.

The Emperor, who had already defeated the Commander three years ago, was now even stronger—a fact that was glaringly obvious.

Moreover, this girl, who had dipped her toes into divine magic, was well aware of the absolute nature of a demon’s oath.

Even a high-ranking demon cannot casually break a promise they’ve made. Therefore, that demon would indeed guarantee people’s safety.

Should one person be sacrificed to save everyone?

Should everything be staked on the slight chance that that one person could defeat such an enemy and save everyone?

The girl knew all too well what the answer was.

“I believe in you, Commander…”

The slums were overflowing with children trying to commit suicide with their parents. What were the chances that someone would come to stop that?

What were the odds that someone would suddenly open a relief center in the slums and treat her mother’s illness? And ask for nothing in return?

What’s the chance that a mother and daughter slowly dying in the slums could obtain a normal life?

Logically, it was nonsensical.

If this were told to her three years ago, she would have dismissed it as a fantasy.

But it actually happened.

The Commander showed her.

That miracles do exist.

So, what does probability even matter? What use is rational judgment in the face of reality?

The girl believed in the Commander over logic and reason.

She believed he would create another miracle.

The choice was in her hands.

Yet she didn’t hesitate.

The decision had already been made that day three years ago.

*

The man stared blankly at the screen before him.

The voice rang as if the Emperor were right in front of him. Yet still, he couldn’t grasp the reality of it.

Things like the Black Fangs or the Emperor were utterly unrelated to his life.

He had heard about their exploits here and there, but never had an actual connection. He didn’t particularly dislike anyone, nor did he support anyone.

No matter how noisy the Empire got, his life stayed the same. Every day was a repetition of the same familiar routine.

Someone working just to eat day-to-day didn’t care about the tales of the Black Fangs; it was just another world to him.

“I swear on my existence. If you sacrifice Ian, your safety will be guaranteed.”

Yet, that one line from the Emperor hit differently.

He knew that one remarkably well. Living a normal life, he couldn’t help but know.

Living in the Empire meant always trampling on someone else.

Everything he enjoyed was built upon someone else’s sacrifice.

Everyone knew the mining camps exploited slum children as parts. Yet everyone pretended not to know for their own convenience.

After all, they were complete strangers.

There were no ‘lucky’ people left who would step up for someone they didn’t know.

Despite a being treated as a disposable resource, everyone unconsciously accepted that reality. Society in the Empire functioned that way.

And thus, living in the Empire meant being trampled on by someone for a lifetime.

Just as he saw the slum kids as disposable, those above him saw him in the same light.

To him, those kids were just fine people, and to those people, he was just another expendable human.

A person who wouldn’t care if he was treated like a slave.

One who wouldn’t shed a tear even if his wife and daughter died in an accident, and was merely a tool to maximize efficiency, worked to the bone.

A person who could lose an arm and not receive compensation, berated for not keeping his head straight, and had seventy percent of his pay docked.

Someone whose complaints would be met with laughter, “Who’s going to care about a loser like you?”

That’s how this country operates.

No one sees others as human.

That’s why the man was so accustomed to turning a blind eye to the misfortunes of others for the sake of his own safety.

So, he should close his eyes this time too.

After all, he wasn’t directly hurting that person.

What power did he have? Why should he step in for someone he didn’t even know? That’s none of his business.

Like usual, if he just turned away, everything would be resolved, and he could return to his familiar routine.

Tomorrow would be just like today.

Tomorrow would be the same as today.

A tomorrow where he gets stomped mercilessly and in turn, he also mercilessly stomps on someone else. Those daily repeats awaited him.

The man was satisfied with that.

That was enough for him to feel happiness.

He must feel happy.

He needed to feel happy.

It was necessary…

“There’s no possible way I could be happy.”

The words slipped out of him unconsciously. He could no longer suppress the truth he had hidden away.

This country is wrong. No one should take it for granted that one person dominates and another is dominated. To see people as tools is disgusting.

The man looked at the screen again.

Just as he always did.

The choice was in his hands.

But this time, he wouldn’t let go of it. He wouldn’t avert his eyes from the ugly sights for the sake of his own safety. He couldn’t do that this time.

It was a moment to decide the future of this country.

*

Voices reached him.

The voices of the people calling for him.

At that moment, he knew what he had to do.

<"I’m sure my message has been conveyed properly.">

The bewildered Demon King of Control.

I immediately launched myself into the air, charging at him.

Realizing this, he hastily unleashed ominous black flames to stop me, but they proved useless.

[You have protected me.
Now it’s our turn to protect you.]

A warm light enveloped me.

The black flames couldn’t touch me and dissipated.

<"This can’t be happening. This shouldn’t be happening!">

He screamed and desperately reached toward me. At the same moment, overwhelming energy hit me.

The Demon King of Control’s magic pushed me back. It was undoubtedly powerful, but this too was irrelevant.

[I trust you, Commander.
I believe in the light you’ve shown us.]

I could feel someone pushing me from behind.

Familiar waves of light supported me. Thus, I could not slow down.

His figure drew closer.

With an ugly, twisted face, he shouted at me.

<"What sort of trick are you pulling? Or was this your intention from the start? Did you plan all of this? How in the world?">

His voice sounded as if he couldn’t comprehend me.

To that, I smiled sweetly and spoke nothing but the unvarnished truth.

“It just happened to turn out this way.”

Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to believe me at all.

Well, that didn’t really matter.

Even if it was all due to a minor miscalculation or something I never intended, I was still the leader of the Black Fangs.

[Oh savior, please grant us the freedom to dream of a tomorrow better than today.]

The blade filled with hope shimmered more beautifully than ever. As if foreseeing its future, the face of ‘Control’ turned to despair.

I swung the Holy Sword with all my might towards him…

Brilliant light enveloped the world.

It was the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.