CH 59

One day, at dusk.

Reid, who was now all alone, had arrived at a small town in the carriage he had stolen.

Even in this small town, people easily recognized him as the Hero.

The town folks looked at him with both admiration and sympathy, since he was still continuing his journey even though he was now by himself.

They welcomed him as he looked tired and emaciated, and the mayor invited him to stay in one of the beautiful rooms of his mansion.

Everybody wanted to meet the Hero, but the man himself refused all visitors.

He closed all the room windows, stayed holed up in the dark, and sat on the sofa in a state of physical and mental disarray, shivering as if he was afraid of something.

[I… I-I didn’t… do anything wrong! I’m… not the bad guy!] (Reid)

As he kept gloomily muttering to himself, he heard a creaking sound on the sofa across from the one he was sitting on.

A man with his long legs crossed, and both of his hands intertwined above his lap, suddenly appeared in front of him.

『You seem to be having… quite the mental breakdown.』(???)

The candles casted a dim light on the silhouette of the owner of that voice.

A voice Reid was familiar with.

It belonged to McLean, the very same monk who had traveled with him as a member of the Hero’s party.

[What the…? …B-But you’re supposed to be dead…] (Reid)

『I guess so. But shouldn’t you be… more concerned about your current state rather than my existence?』(“McLean”)

This was a hallucination.

It was the very last bit of the conscience of Reid himself, which resided in the head of the mentally ill Hero, in the form of McLean.

His tone was so casual that one would never believe those words came from him, and if anything, this new McLean sounded more friendly.

However, as he was now, Reid did not have the composure to notice that kind of triviality.

McLean raised the corners of his mouth to show a gentle smile, and gazed at Reid, who was still trembling.

He stood up quietly, walked in a circle around him and addressed him as the dry sound of his footsteps resounded in the room.

『You’ve been giving your all as the Hero so far, always living your life as a model of virtue, but… Because of the choices you’ve made, you’re now headed to a disastrous direction.』(“McLean”)

[That’s not true! My quest… My journey to defeat the Demon King has never gone more perfectly! …That’s right. That was just an accident. What happened back then was nothing more than a casualty!] (Reid)

Reid stood up vigorously and spoke to the hallucination, his eyes shaking violently.

He was breathing heavily, and his expression was so ghastly he looked as if he was about to throw up and empty his own stomach on the spot at any moment.

『…So you’re just going to write everything off as a casualty, aren’t you? Well? …What did they do to deserve this? Just what in the world did they do for you to punish them so? Tell me, Reid. Why the hell did they have to die by yours and Angelica’s hands?』(“McLain”)

McLain asked while gradually raising his voice.

In response, Reid began to step back with a frightened look on his face.

[Enough… Stay away… You’re just a hallucination! You’re not real! You died! Don’t talk to me! That’s how you’re trying to control me, right!? Well!?] (Reid)

『Don’t get me wrong, Reid. I want to help you. I want to save you from this quagmire of a situation! As you are now, you’re no better than a monster. The only way for you to become a decent human being again is to listen to me.』(“McLain”)

[SHUDDUUUUUP!! I’ve been a decent man from day one! …I had no choice but to do what I did! It wasn’t my fault! It was the fault of everybody else for going against my ideals! Quit trying to put the blame on me, you impostor!] (Reid)

『Reid… I don’t think you realize what kind of situation you’re in right now. Think back on it. What were your initial thoughts when you embarked on this journey? Well? And what state of mind were you in when you banished Seto and Hydra? You need to reexamine yourself properly and calmly.』(“McLain”)

[Shut up… Shut your trap…! Leave me alone. Go away!] (Reid)

Reid went mad, moving his hands over his head as if scratching it.

His wobbly feet loudly hit the table and sofa.

Then he sat down again while muttering to himself, as if talking in delirium.

With the sound of footsteps resounding in the room, McLain approached him and let out a sigh.

『You have no choice but to follow my orders.』(“McLain”)

[As if I’d ever obey you… You goddamn… evil spirit…! Go away… Begone… You’re dead. You’re an illusion…] (Reid)

『If you don’t listen to me, you’ll be headed to a fate full of loneliness and despair, even more horrible than death. Remember. You were trusted and loved. Did you see the people in this town? Did you? They all love you. …And yet, what do you do? You go into your own shell? …Have you ever once considered what would be waiting for you after you and Angelica killed all those innocent people? If you have even the slightest desire to atone for that, now’s the time to start over.』(“McLain”)

[Screw you! I didn’t do anything wrong…! My journey is… Heeheehee… Going well. Heehee… Heeheehee! Oh, I get it now. Okay, okay. Yes… There’s nothing wrong with me at all. What I’ll find at the end of my journey is the peace and freedom everybody wants. I am justice. Heeheehee. I won’t lose to some petty hardship… HEEHEEHEE!] (Reid)

Reid’s spirit was on the road to total destruction due to opposing his conscience in the form of McLain.

His eerie laughter echoed in the dark room, dimly lit by candles.

Before long, McLain had disappeared.

Reid was grinning at the darkness with a smile that could not have been more wicked, as if to say that he had successfully resisted the devil’s temptation.

He was unaware that in the midst of all this, a tragedy had once again begun to set its wheels in motion.

In a different location, a few of the town’s citizens moved the carriage that supposedly belonged to the Hero to a large place where they could park it.

It was then that they noticed something.

[Hey.] (Citizen A)

[What?] (Citizen B)

[The Hero’s carriage, isn’t it supposed to be the latest model designed by the craftsmen of the kingdom? Don’t you think this one’s a bit too old?] (Citizen A)

[Now that you mention it, it is. …No matter how tough his journey must’ve been, it shouldn’t be this worn-out. It looks as if it’s been used for decades.] (Citizen B)

As they had that conversation, they stopped the carriage.

They let the horses pulling it rest, and just as they were about to leave this place with the feeling that they had finished their job, they saw something.

[…Wait. That insignia…] (Citizen A)

[Hm? What’s wrong?] (Citizen B)

[Well, it’s just that, there’s a crest on the back of this carriage…] (Citizen A)

After both town folks took a closer look at that crest, they realized something.

[Say, doesn’t this carriage belong to a trading company? I remember seeing some of their merchants use this insignia.] (Citizen A)

[You’re right. …Why is the Great Hero traveling in a merchant’s carriage?] (Citizen B)

At that moment, the two citizens headed back, thinking that the Hero must have had his own reasons, but little did they know that this little confusion would later turn into a major suspicion.