Chapter 293

Episode 293: Understandable (9)

“That shit—”

Oh shit. If it had been real, I would have hired a lawyer and been so mad, but that crazy bastard played a trick on the kid.

“I’m sorry....”

“It’s not your fault. “Don’t apologize.”

I barely suppressed my boiling anger and stopped the boy from apologizing.

“If only I had thought more...”

“There are not many people who can remain sane in the face of crisis in their hometown. “It is difficult to deal with taking advantage of loopholes in contracts unless you learn to do so.”

Is there a being who can master everything from birth? Even if there is, is this boy such a being?

Not really. The child was not stupid, but ignorant, and although he was not stupid, he had no opportunity to ask for learning.

“So don’t apologize. This isn’t your fault. That bastard is a bad guy, it’s not your fault. never.”

So this isn’t the boy’s fault. It can never be a child’s fault that he was born and did not have the opportunity to learn.

The only time we can point a finger at foolishness is at those who are unwilling to learn even though they can learn.

[I blame myself too much... I feel sorry for you.]

“Do you want to take care of your child when you’re that old? You’ve wasted your age. “You idiot.”

[Wouldn’t the victim be foolish?]

“Oh, yes. I envy you because you are smart enough to make a living with your child. But you know what? Usually, people who say things like that end up blaming others when something happens to them, but they don’t blame themselves. This is an intelligence that cannot properly remember what it says. Wow, I’m so jealous.”

[If you’re jealous, why don’t you do it too?]

“Oh, I’m fine. I am a person who can ruin my own path with banknotes even if I don’t cheat and steal the money, and even ruin other people’s paths. “Unlike some culprits who can survive only by parasitizing others.”

I put my hand on the child’s shoulder, somehow expressing my anger through words. I told him not to be sorry, but I couldn’t help it because the child was acting like he was going to die because of his mistake.

I pulled the shaking child back into my arms.

“I’m sorry...”

There was no longer any anger in my panting breath. How much have you been deceived by that tongue? How much pain did you have to suffer?

If you collected the tears and blood you shed while walking alone here, how far could this world grow?

“Don’t apologize. “Never apologize until you get rid of that devil bastard and pick up on the real mistake you made.”

I still can’t forgive my child. The wounds I received were too deep for that to be the case. It was so deep that even an adult could not handle it.

“I’m not apologizing for something that wasn’t your fault. okay?”

But I’m not going to keep leaving the boy in the mud just because I’m sick.

I will do that because the feeling of not being able to forgive and the feeling of wishing for misfortune are not the same, and pity and hatred are emotions that can coexist.

“Answer me if you understand.”

“...Yes, yes.”

I hugged the child as he sobbed and quietly buried my face on the top of his head. I felt warmth.

“are you okay.”

When I was alone, warmth was only created when lukewarm things stuck together.

“We’ll be okay.”

And in that warmth, I quietly lifted my eyes. A flame is burning on the other side of a world that is being shattered again due to broken promises.

[well. Is it really okay?]

Also, the one standing straight in front of the flame is a white-haired devil.

[Is this really okay, Gretchen?]

“...explain. “What I need to hear first.”

If the opportunity comes someday, I will definitely make that bastard pay for his karma. I made a sincere promise.

* * *

“Don’t stop, run!”

At the inquisitor’s shout, the frothy horse let out a long cry. Pow! A mace imbued with light illuminated the forest at night. The next step was to explode and crush the bodies of the demons hiding in the dark.

Heeeeeeee.

The horse, with an eccentric temperament similar to its former owner, instantly turned around like a rodeo bull and kicked the approaching devil in the head.

With a single kick of its hind legs, the spider-like demon lost its senses and staggered.

“Take it, devil!”

What was newly thrown at the spider demon was a small jar. Clink. The moment the bottle broke and the contents inside were sprayed, the devil’s body melted, albeit slightly.

“Great! “Give me one more cheesy piece!”

It would be difficult to explain a comprehensive topic when you are so emotional that tears are pouring out, even if you bring a professor who has been on the podium dozens of times.

So I called out to the bugger standing at a distance with narrowed eyes.

“Hey devil.”

[Don’t ask me. Because the person giving the answer is not me, but the boy.]

“I never said I was looking for an answer from you. Since I don’t know anything and he’s in a panic, he’s just trying to ask himself what the right questions are. Or can’t you do this too? “Are you just not smart enough to ask yourself this?”

[...It’s quite surprising, Gretchen. I didn’t know you were the kind of person who could speak so harshly.]

I’ve heard a lot of things like that. I guess it’s because I laugh off most situations. Or maybe it’s because I usually try to get over it without getting angry. If you make up your mind and use your tongue, everyone will be surprised.

But is that really that surprising?

“Doesn’t that mean you’re trash?”

The reason I usually try to reduce swearing is because my every word determines the impression of me on the listener.

“Courtesy and etiquette are only observed in front of those who are worth observing. Of course, some noble people may act harshly even in front of trash, but at least I don’t want to do that, right?”

But that’s only to a certain extent. There is no reason to treat even trash. I don’t even want to feel treated well. I couldn’t help but show my disdain.

“Are you saying I’m not intelligent?”

[Oh Grethen. The number is shallow. If I provide you with a question, you will use it to specify the minimum truth, right? I won’t throw away my card without meaning to.]

“Oh, I’m too stupid to say no. okay.”

Damn I got caught.

I swallowed my regret without an expression and stroked the child’s head, almost calmly. What should I ask so that I can end my promise with less destruction of the world?

“What happens when the whole truth is told?”

Actually, there were a lot of things I wanted to ask when we met like this.

“...According to the rules, I won’t be able to stop the devil.”

“What exactly does stopping mean?”

But I put off what I really wanted to ask for now. Considering that the demon bastard could go on a rampage as soon as he heard everything, there was something I had to listen to as a priority so that I could take countermeasures later.

“...First of all, it becomes impossible to stick with the devil like before. It’s not that you can’t fight at all, but there are so many restrictions that you won’t be able to attack properly and you’ll be defeated.”

“You’ll be defeated?”

“I won’t die because I’m bound by the contract.”

The hastily added afterword did not comfort me at all. I squinted.

“You... won’t die according to the terms of the contract. Instead, you can be attacked like before. “ Even more so now that I can’t stop it.”

“Being attacked... isn’t it just a matter of not entering the world of images?”

“No... being attacked doesn’t only apply here. “Including when you’re awake.”

Boom. With each word, the world shattered.

“The fact that I can no longer fight demons means that some of the features I put in to protect you are gone. For example, the pain sensation value returns to normal.”

“Ah...”

Was the pain sensation value a measure to protect me? I thought about all the injuries I had suffered so far. I definitely think my mentality would have suffered a lot if I had had to go through all of that in my life.

“You will also hear the devil’s words directly. Even now, it seems like he was secretly passing it on to me...”

“He said it like a fly was buzzing.”

[...Were you listening, Gretchen?]

“Just as I remembered, the whispering seemed like a sign that he had worked really hard on his head. But I think it would be a good idea to improve your digging skills. “It may be difficult because I am not intelligent enough to empathize.”

I raised my middle finger at the devil at an angle the child couldn’t see, then tapped the child’s head. It meant to say more.

“They will try to directly steal your body as well. “I’m sure it causes burning pain from time to time to torment you.”

“...Is that what I’ve been feeling these past few days?”

“...sorry. I didn’t stop it properly. “I should have come to my senses...” “

...I told you not to apologize for something that wasn’t your fault. Don’t apologize. “It’s not your fault.”

How many people can not be shaken by stories about their family in front of their hometown? That would be difficult not only for children but also for adults.

I understood the child’s shaking. It was not a sin that could be forgiven. The child did his best in this case just by preventing the pain normally.

“Anything else?”

“Other than that... you can momentarily unleash demonic energy around the surrounding area and draw the hostility of the priests.”

“Bring out the hostility?”

“...If the body dies completely, it would be a loss for him, but going to the brink of death is different.”

However, as he was explaining the second case, the boy’s voice gradually began to become hard.

“The moment you lose your mind, it becomes easy for your body to be taken over.”

It was a family voice that contrasted with its young appearance.