My Students Regret It After I Retired - Chapter 108



107 – Final Chapter

“Belin.”

When Leos called out to Belin who was imprisoned, she couldn’t even lift her head.

“If you’ve come to pity me, you don’t have to. I committed so many sins in the past, that’s why I’m in here. In the current situation, I’m the only remnant and stain of the Dark Shadow Group, the worst group the former emperor used.”

“Beline, I owe you my life. And my younger sister, Kang Jia, owes you her life too. Because of that, I won’t arbitrarily punish you myself. If you want to, come with me. I’ll talk to Lacart for you.”

“No.”

Beline shook her head. Then, looking at Leos, she spoke.

“I want to receive at least some punishment for my sins. It’s unfortunate for Lusein, who just got her body back, but if I don’t, I don’t think I’ll feel right with myself.”

Leos didn’t try to dissuade her. She was saying she’d cleanse her own wrongdoings, and he had no right to stop her.

“How long do you plan on staying?”

“Three years. The same amount of time I kept you in prison, Leos.”

“Do as you please.”

With those words, Leos immediately headed outside. Watching him go, Beline asked,

“After I’m released…can we go back to how things were before?”

“No way.”

Beline’s gaze saddened. Looking at her, Leos quietly said,

“We’ll have to build a new relationship from scratch. It will take time to build trust. We won’t be as close as we used to be. But one thing is certain… at least we won’t face each other with swords drawn and I will look at you without prejudice. Cleanse your past sins in prison. And how you live your new life after that is up to you. Afterwards, I will look at you without prejudice. Not as Beline of the Dark Shadow Unit, but as Lusein’s older sister, Beline.”

“Thank you…”

Beline bowed her head, tears falling.

“Congratulations on Lusein getting her soul back. I’ll protect her from being harmed by others.”

“…Why are you going this far for me…I betrayed you…”

“Consider this atonement for my younger sister, Jia, stealing Lusein’s body. With this, there will be no debts or bad blood between us anymore.”

“Yes…”

Beline stared blankly at Leos’ back through the cold iron bars.

His figure walking away was so imposing.

If he hadn’t run, if he’d overcome the obstacles through legitimate means, would he have been able to stand beside Leos, walking so confidently?

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It’s impossible to know.

But one thing was certain, he would never again blame the situation and repeat the same mistake.

‘Never again… Never again in the future…’

For three years, while Leos was imprisoned, Bellin resolved to spend his time contemplating the pain and suffering Leos must have felt.

*

The Emperor of the Ferren Empire had newly taken office, and the inauguration was over.

Due to the various damages across the empire, a grand inauguration was not held; instead, it was a very modest affair.

People were confused by the emergence of a new emperor unrelated to the bloodline, but when Leos declared Rakart to be the emperor, most people accepted it.

To be more precise, they had no choice but to accept it. This was a position granted legitimacy by Leos, who had created the largest safe zone in the Ferren Empire and even single-handedly eliminated more than half of the Red Gates scattered throughout the country.

And it wasn’t just creating a safe zone. Leos consistently shared various methods to fight against the monsters through the Interrunner, and he began actively dispatching rescue teams to save those who were isolated.

Unlike his past actions, people were filled with admiration and praise for Leos’s proactive behavior, and with this support, Rakart was recognized as emperor and naturally solidified his place.

Of course, throughout this process, Rakart also showed himself taking action, appealing to the citizens that he was different from the previous emperor.

“It’s crazy how busy I am. If I’d known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have become emperor,” Rakart groaned.

Leos chuckled and replied, “It’s going to get even busier. There’s a mountain of things that need to be restored.”

Leos and his companions began to normalize the various aspects of the shattered empire.

They began closing all the Red Gates and normal gates spread across the country, and they mobilized personnel to rebuild the land that had been swept away by monsters.

It was a task that required massive funds, but that wasn’t a problem. They used the vast amounts of gold and silver treasures that were in the imperial treasury – enough that it would be impossible to spend it all in a lifetime.

The Emperor’s battle with the Celestial Assembly hadn’t lasted long, but the scars it left were enormous.

3 years.

That’s how long it took to recover from the nationwide Red Gate outbreak, and everything that resulted from the conflict between the Emperor and the Celestial Assembly.

*

Enas looked at Leos and spoke.

“Time really does fly, doesn’t it? When we were fighting, I didn’t realize the damage would be this severe, but trying to fix it… even three years feels so short.”

“Well, the Imperial Knights were decimated, the Emperor’s supporting forces were all killed too, not to mention all the explosions every time we fought, which caused a lot of damage. But truthfully, the biggest problem is all the chaos the Celestial Assembly caused by meddling everywhere.”

“Right. Our forces died fighting us, so we have no manpower. And aside from us, there are practically no Gate experts. That’s what made it so much harder.”

“Do you regret staying?”

“No! It’s the opposite, actually. I enjoy helping people, and closing the gates like this brings back old memories, which feels good.”

Enas smiled and looked at Leos, then suddenly, as if struck by a thought, she asked.

“Leos, they’re offering you the position of Commander of the Imperial Knights, right? Why aren’t you accepting it? You’re just acting with a temporary title right now.”

‘Because I’m leaving soon.’

He had to return to Earth someday. That’s what Leos thought, and why he hadn’t taken the position.

Just a little longer, just a little longer to fix all the problems that have happened here. That’s what he thought, and it’s been three years.

Inevitably, something changed in Leos’ heart.

“Truthfully, there was a place I had to go.”

“A place you have to go?… Are you leaving…?”

Enas’s arm trembled as she looked at Leos. But Leos simply shook his head.

“Neither my sister nor I are planning to leave. I want to see everything through to the end.”

“Hoo…finally, things are back to normal, I was so sad thinking you were just going to work yourself to death and leave! But…the ending…? What are you talking about?”

“There is such a thing.”

Leos thought.

Maybe this story was already over.

Bellin, the Emperor, the Celestial Council Head,

By punishing or killing the key figures, there were no more enemies.

A story without enemies, the norm was to end with a happy ending.

But Leos was curious.

What specific stories existed in this hard-earned happy ending?

How many people’s stories and relationships were hidden in something expressed by a sentence like “And they all lived happily ever after”?

Since it had come to this, he wanted to see every story.

‘Ah… I see.’

Leos realized. That at some point, this place, not Earth, had truly become his world. Perhaps, even the fact that he still used the name Leos, and not Kang Taeha, stemmed from this kind of feeling.

“Enas, the Red Gate’s been cleared, and it seems like there’s nothing left for us to do.”

“That’s right. I guess if a problem pops up later, we can deal with it then. Right now, there’s nothing to do.”

As Enas agreed, Leos asked,

“Hey, have you ever thought about getting a job?”

“What kind of job?”

“Well, it’s like…”

*

“Hyung-nim! Is it today!”

As Bendict started walking over roughly, Leos chided him.

“Aren’t you supposed to be working at the restaurant today? I told you not to come.”

“Aish, I can’t miss out on something this big.”

Heresia, who’d also arrived by now, grunted as she moved next to Leos.

“Ugh… Will you hold this a sec!”

*Thud!* A backpack full of massive artifacts fell to the ground with a loud noise.

“Leos-nim! It’s a commemorative gift!”

As Heresia smiled, Enas, who’d also come up beside them, defensively handed over a bunch of presents too.

“I have a commemorative gift too! A lucky charm… and a cat that brings in customers…”

Hemina, who’d arrived as well, wobbled over, carrying a wreath bigger than herself, and spoke.

“Leos-nim…! This…! Please accept it…!”

Kang Jia also joined in, handing Leos a pile of plates and teacups.

“You know your restaurant’s interior is more than half the battle, right? I’ll bring a whole bunch more tomorrow!”

Looking at the shop, which had instantly become a mess with gifts, Leos was disgusted.

“Everyone get out… please just get out.”

As Leos sighed, Racart, who’d somehow entered, laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! Leos, you’re still the same as ever.”

“Your Majesty!”

Those present all lowered their heads at once, and Racart waved his hand as if telling them not to.

“Let’s not do this to each other. I didn’t come here to make things awkward.”

“Then why *did* you come?”

“Why else? A close friend is starting a new chapter, I came to congratulate you…and to be honest, I wanted to ask one more time if you really don’t have any intention of becoming the Imperial Knight Commander.”

“Absolutely not. I’m just going to live a normal life now.”

“This restaurant is part of that?”

“Yeah.”

Lacart surveyed the surroundings. The interior was filled with gifts from his comrades.

This restaurant, which Leos had started with his own money, was overflowing with not just warmth, but the energy of people.

“To think, the Empire’s finest swordsman is running a restaurant. It feels like a loss of talent, but I guess it can’t be helped.”

Lacart said this, naturally settling into a seat.

“Why are you sitting down?”

“Huh? You’re going to send me away after I came all this way? I am the Emperor, you know?”

“Haa…”

Leos pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, when Hemina, Herisia, Enas, Bendict, and other colleagues had all taken seats and were speaking to Leos.

“I’ll have an omelet.”

“I’d like two curry rice, please!”

Cheerful laughter filled the air. Leos headed into the kitchen and began to busily prepare food. Just then, a sound came from outside.

*Ting-a-ling!*

The sound of the door opening and someone entering.

Leos, realizing that it wasn’t one of his group but his actual first customer, shouted with delight.

“Welcome. This is Leo’s Restaurant!”

“It’s been a while… it’s been well over three years.”

Lusein and Belin stood side-by-side at the doorway. A hush fell over the interior, and Leo, without much of a reaction, asked,

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“Looks like you got out of prison.”

“Yeah. Just recently.”

“How was it, being locked up for three years?”

“It was awful. Hard… and lonely…”

“Yeah. I know it well.”

Leo didn’t say anything else and turned his back. Belin, thinking it was a signal to leave immediately, started to step back outside.

At that moment.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh…?”

“Don’t stand there blocking the door, come inside and order some food. Aren’t you here to eat?”

Only then did Belin smile brightly, tears welling up.

“One serving of the best thing, please.”

“Unni! Order my food too! I’ll have the same as unni! And I’m starving because I waited all day for unni, so please make it two servings!”

Lusein’s scurrying antics sparked warm, happy laughter inside.

Leo chuckled, observing the room filled with people.

That chuckle didn’t mean the conflict with Belin had completely disappeared or that the many dangers lurking in this world were gone.

Even so, we’re together.

Maybe if we keep at it, someday we can all be happy.

Just with a few words, like now, everyone is smiling happily.

Or maybe this is already happiness.

Leos smiled brightly for the first time and went into the kitchen.

Today was a special day.

For Leos, it was the first day where he could hold a sword without having to kill someone.

END.