Chapter 64: If There is a God (7)

Chapter 64: If There is a God (7)

The Purification of a Priest, especially one with the title of Hero, was very effective. The black liquid evaporated like a fire doused by golden waves.

It was an unpleasant yet sacred sight.

“Wow, it’s my second time seeing it, but it’s still a spectacular view. They somehow managed to arrive at just the right time.”

That aside, as Deb said, I had no idea how they found their way here.

Well, whatever. They’d have had enough money to charter a ship, and navigating to this place didn’t require any special skills, unlike navigating through the Dragon’s Gate. It wasn’t a completely unreachable place, but...

To find out where we were, they would have had to go to Jacrati and thoroughly investigate. Moreover, the people of the Yabad region hated religious organizations to an extreme extent.

That was where my doubts originated. How had they gotten through all that hostility to learn our location and even catch up to us?

“...”

As we were raiding the pirates’ hideout, I sneakily observed the movements of the nearby Windhand. His expression after having grabbed a priest by their collar and barely letting them go seemed extremely distraught. There was some confusion mixed into it as well, to be exact.

He seemed ready to strangle the priest at any moment, but he also showed patience and tolerance as they had helped us.

“This is terrible.”

On the other hand, the adventurers, who cared little about religious groups and whatnot, focused on a different matter. More precisely, on the corpses of the pirates who died after being swept away by the black liquid before the Inquisitor arrived.

“What... What kind of curse is this?”

“A curse that turns one’s body pitch black?”

“One wouldn’t look like that even if they applied charcoal powder.”

They chatted amongst themselves as they poked the corpses with their weapons. As someone who knew what this was—the bubonic plague, right?—their actions seemed somewhat creepy.

Just passing by someone with that disease was quite dangerous... So, wouldn’t it be better not to touch them...?

Was it really alright for the wizards to get so close, saying they would collect the corpses as research material or something?

“It’s a plague curse. Based on the symptoms, it looks like the bubonic plague.”

Fortunately, the Archmage slowly approached us, spreading his knowledge to the adventurers. They immediately jumped in shock at the mention of the plague.

“What?!”

“Luckily, it doesn’t seem to be a curse that turns people into living sacrifices... It’s still quite troublesome, however. I already broke the curse, and yet it still spread.”

“What was that about living sacrifices...?”

“Considering the bubonic plague has broken out in this place, isn’t just being here quite problematic?”

“It’s fine. We have the priests here, don’t we?”

The Archmage shrugged his shoulders. What followed was something that made me furrow my brows slightly.

“Since the Inquisitor has purged this place on a large scale, there is little chance of infection. Even if any of you get infected, you just need to get purified.”

I had thought about that before, but... This world sure is convenient at times.

In my world, 20 million people died because they had to fight it with hygiene measures and medicine. The same went for the witch hunts, which were basically just the slaughtering of people at random without clear standards.

“Still, it’s pretty scary, isn’t it...?”

However, if one asked me whether I’d prefer to live here rather than there, I would vehemently refuse.

Even with alternatives like Arcane and Divine Power, their technological advances were simply too far behind. Human rights essentially didn’t exist either, so there were many existing practices here that someone with a modern mindset would frown upon.

I liked my original world much more. Not this one.

“Well. I’m terrified by the mere existence of this curse. It’s fine since it only spread within a pirates’ hideout, but what if they had released it in a big city? What if this curse is what allowed the Zombie infection to spread so quickly?”

“...Y-You’re right.”

“I’ve no knowledge of such a curse... It was probably developed here. How deplorable. Vipurit, does that man even know what he has done?”

The Archmage continued to click his tongue. Seeing what had happened, it was understandable.

“Well, if he had known, he probably wouldn’t have helped corrupt the dragon.”

“What?!?!?”

“Aah, you didn’t know. It would seem the dragon’s corruption is the work of the Demon Worshipers. We tracked them down and discovered the origin of the corruption to be the Yabad region.”

That made sense, but the cause of the dragon’s corruption was a consequence of what was happening here? The scale seemed a bit too big for the dragon subjugation or the Yabad region matter to be mere Sidequests. Was this actually part of the main plot?

“As the entire Montata island was taken over by someone who joined forces with the Demon Worshipers... I think this plague ritual was carried out using the inhabitants of that island as sacrifices. Of course, this is still just speculation.”

At this point, one couldn’t consider it mere speculation anymore. Even my instincts as a veteran gamer were screaming that he was right.

Everyone present seemed disturbed.

“Hey.”

At that moment, Windhand opened his mouth. It was the first thing he’d said without a swear word ever since the wizards led by the Archmage and the priests led by the Inquisitor appeared.

Ah, thinking back, was it the first time? Earlier, when he ordered that the fleeing pirates be captured, he also didn’t swear.

Except for those seemingly of higher rank among the captives, none looked defiant anymore.

“I think it’s time we talk. I understand quite well that this incident has become very big, but how and by what qualification did you guys get here?”

It seemed I’d gotten sidetracked.

Getting back to the point, I looked over the letters and plans inside the pirates’ hideout and eavesdropped on the conversation between Windhand and the Archmage.

The atmosphere around them seemed abnormal, but I couldn’t interfere. If one wasn’t careful, I might see Windhand stabbing the Archmage in the stomach.

“That doesn’t look good...”

I mean, even Deb was nervous.

“Regarding how we got here, the Inquisitor took charge of this matter.”

“...!”

“And as for the qualification part...”

“No way, that bastard—!”

“Did you call me?”

The Archmage’s remarks just seemed too vague, and the Inquisitor even managed to butt in at the worst possible time.

Windhand’s eyes widened as he tried to guess what had happened.

Just great.

In the next moment, Windhand firmly grasped the cloth covering the Inquisitor’s chainmail with one hand and her collar with the other.

“...?”

“Wh-What did you do when you came to this region?!”

“What?”

“What have you done to my city?!”

“City...? What are you talking about? We only had a conversation. No, I mean, I did nothing at all.”

The Inquisitor answered vaguely. Seeing her manner of speaking, Deb facepalmed at her lack of tact.

Unexpectedly, the priests only observed the situation, none daring to come forward. Meanwhile, the wizards were looking on excitedly as if watching a show.

“That’s a lie! There’s no way they would have just talked to you like that!”

The hot-red madness that I pretended to have burning inside me left my mouth, making me seem as if I was possessed.

“But if you lack the courage to do even that, then don’t you dare interfere with my revenge.”

Aaaargh. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that I set up my character to be this kind of person.

However, even if not for that, I wouldn't have had anything else to say. How could I carelessly talk about something so sensitive?

I mean, the situation was still like that!! People were dying at such a fast pace that we couldn’t just let the perpetrators go scot-free!!

“...”

I turned away from the silent Windhand. I felt my heart breaking, but I couldn’t take back the words I’d already said.

The sailors blocking my way quietly moved aside.

“Hey, Demon Knight.”

It felt like quite some time had passed. When I left the hut, reached the top of the hill, and stood at the cliff, Windhand managed to part his lips.

His voice was so small, but because the area was very quiet and my hearing was excellent, I could hear him pretty well.

“What did you lose to the Demons?”

Moreover, I had to say something about that.

“At least you have your hometown left.”

My conscience was biting me, so I gave him a proper answer.

Of course, it wasn’t really the truth, but... It was still better than, ‘It’s none of your business.’

Going by the original, that’s what I should have said. However, out of the kindness of my heart, I increased the word count a bit.

But in return, I could only show him the back of my head, but that should work out, too.

Even if it didn’t, I believed it was fine. I mean, if it wasn’t, I could say goodbye to my head. Sob, sob.

* * *

“At least you have your hometown left.”

Windhand lowered his head at the sound of that dry voice. A heavy, unpleasant, yet truly clear sense of kinship sizzled in his throat.

He didn’t dare bring up such superficial things like sympathy or pity.

“Captain...”

“Damn it...”

As the Demon Knight had said, he wanted to tear off their flesh, break their bones, and rip out their hearts. He wanted to trample the heads of those who had killed his father, burned his neighbors alive, and ruined his entire childhood and his home.

But... but...

“Damn it!”

What the Demon Knight had said was entirely correct.

He at least had his hometown left. He at least still had a home. He had a home.

He still had his home, his city, and the world he loved so much.

If things continued like this, his love might become something extremely dangerous...

“...Answer me.”

Aah. How great would it be if they could say the Demon Knight’s power alone was enough, and Vipurit’s gang would fall by his sword even if the Temple didn’t get involved?

However, Windhand wasn’t that foolish.

The Demon Knight could be the force that led them to victory, but he wasn’t someone who could handle every battle simultaneously.

“Did you... Did you really come here just by talking to others?”

For that reason, he...

He finally managed to swallow down his anger and asked them clearly.

“That is correct.”

“They really gave you permission to come?”

“Do you mean this?”

“How? How did you manage to get their permission?”

“...I worked very hard to persuade them with various arguments and different opinions.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“I most certainly am not.”

Windhand looked at this person from the Temple as she talked steadfastly.

Her eyes seemed too straightforward. They reminded him of someone he loved.

“There is no basis for the Temple to interfere in this matter, so all I could offer are these arguments and opinions.”

Those were the eyes of the woman who had saved him, the children of that city, and all the other people who had lost everything dear to them.

“And the people of Jacrati simply listened to my stubborn claims.”

Ah, Mother.

He still couldn't escape those days. Even now that she’d saved him, taken him in, and raised him, he couldn’t let go of the past.

“They decided to give us just one chance.”

However, there was no need to escape them, right?

“So please, I beg of you.”

Even if he didn’t forgive them, he could still give them a chance, right?

“Give us a single chance.”

Because he couldn’t bear to lose her, as well.

“A chance to show that we won’t repeat past mistakes. Please.”

Was that why the others had given them permission...?

“We won’t forgive you.”

He swallowed back his tears. The feeling of wanting to tear them limb from limb right away still echoed in his heart.

“I will never forgive you.”

However.

“...So, this will be the last time.”

Because Jacrati was so much more important to him than revenge. Those forty years of life and experience he had built up since that horrible time were so much more important to him than the thirteen years of resentment swirling within him.

His brothers, his mother who took him in and raised him, the land where they live... They were so very precious to him.

“Shit, kill those bastards with that corrupted power.”

He eventually decided to give them a chance.

“Kill them and save this land...”

It was in all pirates’ nature to do anything to protect their precious treasures.