Why Should I Empathize?

Blayz instructed Alberic to watch over Gris while he focused on his work. He was occupied crafting healing potions for people in several regions experiencing irregular assaults from villains not affiliated with the committee.

It was true that he did not care much about his son's suspicious changes. But that was precisely why he had to be careful. 

"So, Gris doesn't want to hide his powers?" he asked once Alberic finished telling the story.

It was early morning, but he was still awake because he had just finished his work and had some free time to listen to Alberic.

"He wants to show his power to gain honor."

"Really? I think he became arrogant for receiving god's blessing sooner. But never mind. He said he wanted an easy-to-use weapon for the raid, right? Just prepare everything because I'm busy."

Alberic nodded and left Blayz's laboratory to prepare for the raid. The weapon he would give to Gris was the Soulshard Axe, a cursed axe made of black steel that could destroy a small part of the enemy's spirit essence.

The spirit energy absorbed by the axe was of higher quality than that destroyed by ordinary weapons. The user could consume the energy, but since it was a cursed axe, the user must be careful.

Blayz obtained the Soulshard Axe at an auction. Its previous owner was an unnamed necromancer. But the auctioneer stated that the necromancer died because the darkness of the cursed axe swallowed him.

Despite its horrific backstory, Blayz still bought it as one of his collections. Alberic did not think Soulshard could be used one day since no one was a necromancer in the Silverth family.

"Young Master, I think this axe suits you," Alberic said when he met Gris at the Oleander Pavilion in the morning.

Gris received the Soulshard Axe carefully. When he held the handle engraved with ancient symbols, he felt an unusual chill.

"What kind of axe is this?" he asked, not hiding the suspicion in his voice.

"Its name is the Soulshard Axe. A cursed axe connects its wielder to the world of darkness. The more you use it, the greater the risk of falling into the endless darkness."

"If the risk is that great, the power should be equivalent, right?"

Gris touched the black axe blade and felt a strange vibration.

"That axe matches your class," Alberic explained. "The soul quality produced by it is excellent. You can get more dark energy because it breaks down the souls of the targets you kill."

"I thought you would give me a scythe or wand."

"You don't need a wand to use your powers, right? That's good. I deliberately chose the axe because you're experienced with it."

Hearing that, Gris winced as the memory of Griswalden chopping up corpses with an axe suddenly flashed. As he delved deeper into those memories, his certainty grew that Griswalden's sanity had worsened since conducting experiments on those bodies.

"Do you want to replace it with another weapon? There's still time before your raid," Alberic offered as Gris said nothing.

Gris shook his head. He brought the axe head to rest against his shoulder and huffed. "No need. This axe is perfect for me. I just need to be careful when using it, right?"

"That's the way it is. If your surroundings suddenly become dark, whether it's just for a moment, you should stop using the axe immediately. You could be stuck in the darkness forever if you ignore it."

"Alright. There's no special spell to activate it?"

"There isn't. The axe's curse and power have been active since you held it."

"No wonder you're wearing gloves. Thank you for choosing a weapon for me so thoughtfully. I will prepare for the raid."

Alberic waited in the garden pavilion while Gris prepared. He shuddered slightly as he recalled that Gris flushed when he touched the Soulshard Axe.

'Does that axe tempt anyone who touches it?'

The answer was no. Instead, Soulshard channeled a strange chill that gave goosebumps to anyone who touched it.

Of course, Gris felt that too. But he ignored it because his sense of excitement was greater. In his real life, he was a hitman, not a terrorizing serial killer.

Most of the assassination requests that came in were for famous figures, such as political figures. He cannot use an axe to create a natural death. Even if he was allowed to use a weapon, an axe was not the right choice.

As a weapon enthusiast in his previous life, he was excited to imagine the feeling of using a Soulshard Axe. That kind of weapon did not exist in his world.

Sometime later, Gris appeared with dark blue leather armor protecting his body. Alberic carefully selected the armor for him, who was still relatively weak.

"This armor feels light," Gris commented, glancing at Declan, who wore heavy armor.

Alberic immediately replied, "It's made from the scales of drakeling, a creature not as powerful as a dragon but still dangerous. Although it's light, it provides good protection."

"It's also resistant to fire and allows you to move nimbly," Declan continued, his brown eyes radiating friendliness. 

Contrary to his sinister-looking physique, he was a friendly person. He introduced himself to Gris nicely and briefly chatted about the academy.

Gris gained the confidence to enter the doomkeep with his equipment. Indeed, money is the best. If he had transmigrated into a poor character, he would not have been able to get this good equipment.

The other guard accompanying Gris was Leander, a middle-aged man with fully gray hair. He was the mansion's gatekeeper who had served Blayz for a long time.

Although he was a knight without divine blessings, he was strong enough to enter a low-level doomkeep. Declan was familiar with him, so the guard team would go well.

"Please get on the carriage, Young Master," Leander said as the carriage arrived. "I'll ride a separate horse with Declan and stay together near you. Call us if you have any problems."

Gris just nodded and climbed into the horse-drawn carriage that looked like it would break apart at any moment. It was worse than the one he rode home from the Forest of Death.

'It seems that Blayz deliberately made me ride this horse-drawn carriage to avoid the people's anger.'

He thought so as the carriage pulled away from the mansion and passed through the areas still under repair. 

The ruins of the remaining buildings lay in disarray. Gravel and broken stones covered the road, creating uneven terrain that was difficult to traverse.

After a while, the refugee camp came into view, and people averted their eyes when they saw Gris' horse-drawn carriage pass by. Their faces were covered with exhaustion and fear. But amidst the despair, there was also a determination to survive.

"How do you feel about all this? Do you feel sorry for it?" Declan, riding a horse right by the carriage window, asked Gris.

"Why should I feel sorry?" Gris answered, but his gaze was still on the refugees. "This is the path they chose. They didn't want the world to end and begged the gods not to destroy human existence."

"Well, that's not wrong. Don't you sympathize in the slightest?"

Gris turned to look at the children huddled on their parents' laps. "It's heartbreaking to think about the children caught in the middle of this chaos, unable to comprehend the situation and forced into circumstances beyond their control."

"Didn't those children become miserable because of the Doomsday Committee? So, why are you interested in entering the academy?"

"Are you serious with your first question?" 

A laugh slipped out of Gris' mouth, but it did not offend Declan, who hunted to know the answer. He stopped looking at the children and turned to the people helping at the refugee camp.

"The suffering they endure, with no end in sight, is caused by people who proclaim themselves heroes. If they give up since the beginning, the Doomsday Committee will not be created, and human existence can end in one wave.

Those individuals might point fingers at the Committee for hindering their heroes right now. But if the heroes fail, some will shift the blame back to the heroes for causing them repeated suffering for nothing.

Why should I empathize with them? They willingly endure their suffering. Shouldn't they bear responsibility for their own decisions rather than blaming others?"

Declan was interested in continuing the conversation with Gris. He wanted to tell him about the ethics class at the academy that often had morality discussions, like the one they were having right now.

But before he knew it, they had reached their destination. Their conversation ended naturally.