Chapter 156

Chapter 156

“...What?”

“Huh.”

“...”

“H-Haha.”

It... it actually worked. This wasn’t information the Demon had given him, nor was it related to his contract with that bastard.

It was something he’d figured out on his own, so it worked out.

“Heh.”

It was so funny, yet delightful.

Deathbringer chuckled as he felt where his torn shadow lay. The thought of being able to slap that sly, arrogant Demon in the face was just too much fun.

Of course, to do that, he would first need their trust. Still, just thinking about it was enjoyable enough.

“As I said, you're free to believe whatever you want.”

He couldn’t reveal which Demon he was contracted with. Nor could he mention that he knew because of his shadow, as that would mean they’d met, which was restricted information.

Even saying it was a Great Demon would probably be considered a breach of contract. That much was pretty clear from how he began to bleed when he first tried mentioning that he knew the Great Demon’s location.

It was fortunate enough that it didn’t kill him immediately, but it was clear he really couldn’t say anything.

“It’s a trap.”

“We’re not sure about that yet. Which Demon are we dealing with?”

For that reason, he couldn’t answer that question, either.

He clamped his mouth shut. Yet, it seemed even silence was being treated as an answer.

He felt sick to the stomach, and his vision went red, likely due to blood vessels bursting in his eyes.

“You!”

“...Let’s stop the questions.”

Ah, if possible, he really wanted to hold it in until the end.

He vomited out a clot of blood.

“Young hunter, are you alright?”

Berserk rushed over to him, worry evident on her face.

“Are you really going to believe him?”

“I... want to believe him.”

“It could be one of that Demon’s tricks!”

“Well. It doesn’t seem like that to me, though.”

On the other hand, while both the Inquisitor and the Archmage were a little skeptical, they seemingly wanted to believe him. He felt genuinely grateful but started wondering if they might trust him a bit too much.

Their trust weighed on him so heavily that it almost felt burdensome. What would they do if he really had gone to the Demon’s side?

“Don’t push yourself. You need more rest.”

“I-I’m fine...”

If he had to be picky, it was more strenuous for him to have his whole body tied up like this...

Cut.

The ropes tightly binding his entire body were suddenly cut apart. Deathbringer’s eyes widened at that sudden liberation that followed. Berserk couldn’t have been the one who did it, as she wasn’t even holding the ropes.

“You...”

“We haven’t finished discussing this matter yet!”

Then, the one who’d cut the ropes was...

“Just arbitrarily...!”

That person.

“Wahaha, buddy, I knew you couldn’t hold it in any longer!”

“Demon Knight!”

Deathbringer looked past the laughing Berserk, the shocked people of the Temple, and the cheerful Inquisitor and Archmage, focusing on someone else.

Someone was quietly leaving this room, even more quietly than usual.

“But where are you going?”

“Let him be. Don’t say too much.”

It was the Demon Knight.

“...Mister.”

At that moment, the doubts Deathbringer had pushed aside resurfaced.

Was it really just a coincidence that the Demon Knight hadn’t reacted to his attack? Was what he’d seen before he fainted truly just a figment of his imagination?

Like a doll molded from all the world’s sorrow, grief, and yearning, then coated in layers of wax, but at that moment, a piece had melted and crumbled away.

Was that face, covered in shadows, faded and worn, truly his?

Thud.

But the door had already closed, and there was no one left who could answer that question. Just like always.

“You really are such an iron wall...!”

“Ugh! And here I was answering you with complete sincerity!”

She had been too sincere: that was the problem. Deathbringer took a deep breath, his pillow hiding the heat that had risen to his face and now refused to go away.

He felt embarrassed but also strangely good, which made his head spin.

“Enough! I don’t need any of that!”

At that point, the Inquisitor stood up, grumbling.

“Take this, you troublemaker!”

She threw something at the Deathbringer’s head. Thud. A small but hard bag hit him, which stung a little.

“Why are you hitting me with...!”

Rustle. The small pouch spilled its contents. What fell out were small, transparent orbs embedded with flower petals. They were somewhat sticky to the touch, like candy.

He became slightly dazed at the sight of them.

“This is...”

“It’s an apology gift! I know I can never apologize enough for my prejudiced behavior, but I can’t just do nothing, so I prepared those!”

But even after that, the iron wall continued to shout.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry for making you feel bad. I’m sorry for trying to force you to reveal your secrets without understanding anything. I’m sorry for treating you like a criminal without knowing what kind of life you’ve lived! I’m sorry for everything! Got it?!”

She was such an honest and upright person, to an almost foolish degree. As one would expect from a Hero.

“I’ll be going, then!”

She was so upright and brilliant that he felt even more ashamed for not apologizing to her yet.

He thought he could understand now why God had chosen her.

Clank!

As he heard the door open, Deathbringer buried his face in the candy bag. He started to murmur.

“If I were...”

“...?”

“If I really were a criminal, what would you do then?”

For better or for worse, the iron wall had stopped after hearing his words and fell into deep thoughts.

“In that case...”

And then.

“I would help you. So that you could atone. So that you could become a better person.”

She gave him a reply in a tone so vastly different from before.

“...Without putting me in a cell?”

“What do you take me for?! I might have done so back then, when I was still naive, but not anymore! I’ve learned that sometimes, there are circumstances in this world which make certain actions unavoidable!”

Deathbringer raised his head. He could see the red-haired priest standing right before the door.

“Besides, the you I know tends to somewhat disregard the law and regulations and is inclined to support vigilante justice. But that doesn’t mean you’d just commit a crime for no reason. So, there’d have to be a reason for why you did it. I have no intention of condemning or punishing you for that!”

“Then...”

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I’d forgive you! As I’m not the victim of your crime, I don’t have that right! However, I will speak out on behalf of those who were harmed and help you atone for your sins. That’s what I believe is right!”

Her green eyes sparkled brightly. Even though those words were similar to what the Demon had whispered to him, they didn’t feel unpleasant, probably because of those eyes.

“...Even if hundreds of people died because of me? Would you still try to understand me?”

“Was it something you intended, actively participated in, or desired?”

“No, but still...”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“If it... if it was my fault that it happened...”

“Huh? Don’t talk nonsense! Why are you responsible for something you weren’t directly involved in?!”

The harsh words this truly good person offered didn’t even feel annoying to him.

It was probably because he could readily tell that she genuinely wanted to try leading him down the path of betterment.

“B-Because if I hadn’t done what I did, those people wouldn’t have died...”

“Don’t be stupid! By that logic, are those who rebelled against that corrupt Lord to save people from unjust laws also criminals?! Their actions probably escalated the fight!”

“...That’s a different story.”

“No, it’s very similar. I believe that whenever you decide to act of your own will, it’s always to resist the injustices of this world!”

“...!”

“If innocent victims were harmed in the course of violently resisting these injustices, you should apologize to them. Regardless of your intentions, to them, you are indeed the perpetrator. If you fought against something in a wrong way and caused suffering by disrupting order, you should apologize to those affected, as well. That is also part of your responsibility.”

However, that made him feel even more ashamed.

“However, just keep one thing in mind. Hold your head high and stand your ground for just one reason: you did not remain silent when faced with injustice, and even if the method and approach used was wrong, you were simply that outraged by said injustice.”

However, he hadn’t stepped forward because he couldn’t stand for some sort of injustice.

He’d done it purely out of a desire for personal revenge.

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