Chapter 45

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Translated By Arcane Translations

Translator: FusionX

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Previously, I saw something very ominous, but I focused on the problem in front of me for now.

The request from the Dwarf Republic still remained, and I had no intention of just taking it lying down.

However, what I didn’t expect was that they actually called us back.

According to that guy’s expression, he politely invited us onto the stage or something.

I read the letter in my hand.

It was paper with a strange texture, and on it were letters written in red.

It was obvious at a glance that it was written in blood.

“He’s pulling some petty tricks.”

“That’s right. Human skin and letters written in blood...”

“...”

“But the commander wouldn’t be swayed by this level of provocation, right?”

Because of Cluna, who casually spoke beside me, I almost dropped the letter I was holding.

Was this made of human skin?

Of course, the texture was strange, but I was so surprised that I couldn’t utter a word for a moment.

I hope you don’t just casually say such an incredible fact next to me.

Because I have a weak heart.

Instead of screaming, I sighed deeply and threw the thing made of human skin on the desk. Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

A slightly sticky feeling remained on my hand, but I ignored it, thinking it was just my imagination.

“A letter came from that trash I dealt with before.”

“A letter... Could it be?”

“He’s blatantly provoking us.”

“Ruby is right. He’s provoking us very deliberately.”

The letter was filled with so many figures of speech that it was hard to read properly.

But excluding all that and summarizing the main point, it said that if we don’t come to the stage he prepared, he’ll kill the hostages.

It’s not just one or two hostages.

Instead of the broken village I went to before, he had taken a whole different, intact village hostage.

If we didn’t come, he said he would kill everyone here.

“From the looks of it, he has taken a different village hostage, not the one I went to before.”

“Whether I like it or not, it’s my homeland. And to do that to my compatriots... It’s absolutely unacceptable.”

“I don’t like dwarves, but I have no intention of leaving innocent people to die.”

Ruby and Clara were the first to react.

Ruby was enraged by what had happened to her compatriots.

And Clara, perhaps because she had grown close to Ruby, agreed with Ruby’s anger.

“Be-before that, first, wh-what the other party is demanding...”

“You mean figuring that out is the priority. You’re right, Bayard.”

“Th-thank you! Commander!”

“I can explain from here.”

The Table of Equality.

Unlike in the past when it was just a fancy name, now everyone sat in the same place equally and expressed their opinions.

The one who spoke this time was Yuren.

“Do you know what that clown is scheming?”

“Of course. It’s humiliating, but... Some of the members, including myself, were captured alive.”

“I know that.”

“Eep...”

“...Commander Yuren?”

For a moment, I thought I misheard that sticky voice.

It was closer to a moan.

Yuren’s face turned red.

Her black eyes were fixed on me.

“Th-that’s right. It was a very humiliating moment. But for the commander to know that... What is this feeling...?”

“Commander Yuren, I hope you can focus now.”

But it all turned to ashes overnight.

Unable to bear that fact, it eventually let out a scream.

And someone walked toward it.

The sound of clanging armor echoed.

With a steel sword at his waist.

Short black hair fluttered covering his face which bore no helmet.

He was wearing an eye patch on one eye.

With a sneer on his lips, he mocked it.

“The moment we step on stage, we can’t beat you. No matter how that ending turns out, you’ll be satisfied. Even if you meet your death.”

“Ha, haha. That’s ridiculous. It’s not much different now either.”

“Not different?”

“In the end, you were never a noble hero or anything. For the sake of victory, for the sake of a moment’s satisfaction of giving me despair. You even burned all the hostages.”

It loved humans.

It loved the literature and tragedy created by humans.

And now, at this moment, a tragedy was completed.

One who sacrificed the small for the sake of the big.

How ridiculous.

How pitiful.

Look.

Is that your great hero?

The sight of you worshipping someone like that as a hero is a ridiculous tragedy!

That’s how it was in the end.

A noble hero who sacrificed for everyone!

It never existed in the first place.

I’m satisfied with that.

Even if I die here, I created a perfect tragedy by sacrificing myself.

So, I can gladly die.

However, he tilted his head.

“I have no idea what you mean.”

“Are you even lying now? How disgusting. That’s why it makes me even happier.”

“When did I say I abandoned the hostages?”

“...What?”

“I never abandoned anyone.”

“Th-that can’t be. In such a short time, there’s no way you could save everyone...!”

He stood with his arms crossed, quietly looking at it.

As if to say, if you can’t believe it, go and check for yourself.

Like a lie, it moved.

It was impossible to believe nonsense.

There’s no way it was possible.

Its authority was to create the stage.

On the stage it created, it could control everything with its power, from the props and actors to the audience.

That was its power.

Therefore, it, a Comprachico, could tell.

The fact that all the actors prepared for the highlight execution had disappeared.

Comprachico muttered blankly,

“How on earth? Unless you stop time, there’s no way you could have saved them...?!”

“A setting so obvious that even a mere audience member can see through it.”

Each and every one of those words pierced it like a dagger.

“Even that stage you prepared has turned to ashes.”

He spoke coldly and approached step by step.

“You couldn’t even protect the audience that loves your stage.”

Eventually, his steps stopped.

“You’re nothing more than a third-rate playwright!”

At those words, Comprachico lost its reason.

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