Second Life, I’m Dying Soon Chapter 27

Chapter 27

In just one day, the entire knight order was thrown into chaos.

Commander Claude conducted a thorough investigation into the matter and identified all those who had tormented Rocco.

A total of nine apprentice knights had directly harmed Rocco Maxwell, along with three active Imperial Knights. The number of those involved was greater than expected.

“Therefore, all those involved will be disciplined accordingly.”

“Expel them all. No exceptions.”

Alexis gave the order decisively. Claude, who had been standing with his hands clasped behind his back, bit his lip in discomfort.

“Isn’t expulsion too extreme?”

“So you’re suggesting we let them off?”

Leaning against the window, Alexis lifted his chin. His sharp gaze bore down on Claude, who had dared to oppose his words. Claude endured the piercing stare and hesitantly spoke.

“I do not wish to say this, but they were all highly skilled individuals. Expelling them all will cause significant disruption to your plans. Moreover, even the victim himself does not wish for such a severe punishment.”

“…….”

“As you are well aware, relationships between men are not uncommon in the knight order. Back when we were in the Black Forest, similar occurrences were frequent, were they not?”

Claude brought up the past.

For five years, the knights had been trapped in the Black Forest, and with no outlet for their pent-up desires, they had often turned to each other. For the sake of maintaining morale, Alexis and Claude had chosen to overlook it.

Alexis, arms tightly crossed, looked down at his most trusted subordinate and delivered a sharp rebuttal.

“Was it forced back then?”

“…No.”

“Is this the Black Forest?”

Claude was at a loss for words. He clenched his teeth and lowered his head.

“There are times when certain matters can be tolerated and times when they cannot. If you cannot distinguish such a simple thing, how do you expect to lead the knight order? I fear for the Empire’s security.”

“…I apologize. I spoke out of turn.”

Claude bowed deeply. Alexis stared down at the lowered head and sighed inwardly. He understood Claude’s concern about the order’s strength being diminished.

However, he was not just the Supreme Commander of the knight order—he was the Crown Prince of the Empire. He could not allow his sense of justice to be swayed by personal interests.

“The wishes of a mere apprentice knight do not matter. I will expel all those involved. If my plans are hindered as a result, that is my burden to bear. I do not wish to discuss this any further, so follow my orders, Commander.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Leave now.”

Claude gave a brief bow and left the office. With his chief aide and attendants dismissed, Alexis was left alone in the abruptly silent room.

He turned and cast his gaze out the window. His icy blue eyes swept over the training grounds where the knights were practicing. The increasingly tangled situation cast a shadow over his face.

The next day, Cecil finally showed up at the training grounds. He had no intention of training; he was there solely to speak with the knight commander.

He cornered the busy Claude and pressed him for every detail about how the situation was being handled.

At first, he was stunned by the sheer number of people involved, but the news that they would all receive severe punishment was somewhat satisfying.

Feeling a bit better, Cecil set off to find Rocco. The boy had undoubtedly suffered the most, and Cecil wanted to offer him some comfort.

“Why did you do it?!”

But what greeted him was Rocco’s anguished scream.

“Why did you tell them?! Why?!”

Rocco sobbed as he shouted, his voice raw with agony. His bloodshot eyes were filled with shattered pain.

“You could have just ignored it! You never cared about others before!”

“…….”

“You ruined everything, Cecil!”

Cecil took the full brunt of Rocco’s resentment. He couldn’t understand it. What did I ruin?

“What are you talking about—”

Rocco swallowed his sobs, struggling to breathe, before finally screaming in a voice full of despair.

“Commander Claude knows everything now! He knows I was passed around by the knights, that I spread my legs like a whore! And that’s not all! Now, I’m like a ghost in the knight order. No one speaks to me. They act like I don’t exist! I never wanted this. I never… I never wanted this!”

Rocco had completely broken down.

He screamed at Cecil like a madman, stomping his feet and wailing in hysteria. His overwhelming anxiety had shattered his reason.

Cecil hesitated before reaching for Rocco’s arm, thinking he needed to calm him down first.

“…I didn’t know. But this was inevitable—”

“I don’t care! Give it back! This was everything to me, and you ruined it all!”

In his frenzy, Rocco violently shoved Cecil away. Caught off guard by the unexpected force, Cecil stumbled backward.

“Ugh!”

He crashed into a pile of haphazardly stacked crates, creating a loud commotion. His palm stung from landing poorly, and his elbows were scraped, blood seeping into his sleeves. His once-pristine white clothing was now stained red.

“Ah…!”

Only then did Rocco realize what he had done. Seeing Cecil groaning on the ground, he immediately threw himself down in utter despair.

“I—I’m so sorry! I’ve committed an unforgivable crime! Cecil, I… I lost my mind! Please, forgive me!”

Rocco wept uncontrollably, pressing his forehead against the floor in desperation. He had dared to lash out at a member of the royal family. Terror and guilt consumed him as he begged for forgiveness over and over again.

“…Haah, forget it. I’m fine, so don’t—”

“What’s going on here?!”

Hearing the commotion, people quickly gathered, and Cecil looked around with eyes full of distress.

The knights had already grasped the situation and were restraining Rocco, while a few approached Cecil to help him up from where he had collapsed.

“You lunatic! You’re completely out of your mind!”

“I’m sorry, h-heuk, hic, I’m sorry, I have committed an unforgivable sin, hng, hump.”

They dragged Rocco away, his sorrowful sobs lingering in the air. Cecil, still in shock, could only watch Rocco’s retreating figure.

“Are you hurt?”

Claude approached, examining Cecil. His dazed expression was deathly pale, and his once immaculate clothes were now stained with dirt. Noticing the blood on Cecil’s sleeve, Claude frowned deeply.

“Rocco Maxwell will be duly punished. I will take care of things here, so please seek medical attention first.”

“It’s nothing. There’s no need for punishment.”

“He laid hands on a member of the royal family.”

“I just fell. Let’s leave it at that.”

Cecil dusted off his dirtied pants and hands. Seeing Rocco’s instability left him feeling as if a heavy stone were pressing down on his chest.

Biting down on his lower lip, Cecil spoke.

“Do you also think I did something unnecessary?”

“…….”

“Should I have just ignored it back then?”

At the weary question, Claude let out a long sigh.

“It is an undeniable fact that the knights were in the wrong. Someone should have intervened. The failure to manage them properly was my mistake, and it is a matter the knight order must take responsibility for. There is no reason for you to feel guilty, Cecil.”

“But that guy seemed to resent me so much.”

Cecil ran a hand through his hair, as if trying to clear his cluttered thoughts. Even to his own eyes, the knight order appeared to be in shambles.

“He told me to restore everything.”

“As if that’s possible.”

“For him to want the knights reinstated even after suffering that ordeal… it must mean his current life is unbearable.”

Cecil scoffed, shaking his head. A dry, bitter smile clung to his face as he slowly wiped it with his palm.

“Sir Vandell, does His Highness know about this matter?”

“He was the one who decided their fate.”

“Yeah, I figured as much.”

Cecil let out a deep breath, as if releasing the frustration boiling inside him.

“At the very least, take good care of Rocco.”

Leaving those final words behind, he walked out of the chaotic training grounds. As he made his way straight to Saint’s Palace, Cecil’s face was set with determination.

No matter how he thought about it, the only person who could resolve this situation was Alexis.