◈Episode 129 That’s enough (4)
Should I kill this or not? I was worried for a moment while looking at the squirming guy.
Conceptually, killing is absolutely right, but doing it required errors and unsatisfactory skills.
【Save me…】
Obviously, the fury skill was canceled with an error. The hypothesis that the trigger of the anger skill is true anger, and that if you do not hold back your anger and vent it at the right time, you can become angry without activating the skill, has succeeded.
Of course, an error appeared as if the calculation was slightly off… but that’s an issue you can think about later.
What bothers me now is that the activation was ‘cancelled’ ‘due to an error’.
It’s not that the skill wasn’t cast, it was cast but failed due to an error.
It is natural that the following questions arise: Is it true that the skill really failed, or is it just not visible and has not been cast?
So, will killing this guy really benefit me? Looking back, I noticed that my madness gauge goes up particularly well every time I kill someone. Doesn’t the madness gauge go up when I kill this person?
【Wait a minute!】
At that time, someone came running towards me. It was Akata.
【Let me kill myself.】
In the child’s hand, a knife of unknown origin is flashing.
A clear murderous anger flowed from the girl’s eyes and down her cheeks.
【I know my parents did something wrong. I know there is nothing wrong with you! But but not him. That guy is Atart…!】
I don’t know what he’s saying. But I think I understand. Would it be a bit strange to say that?
【You…!】
Then Atart started struggling. As I could clearly see the child struggling after hearing what he said, my thoughts about whether I should just kill him cooled down.
“Fucking kill me! “I’d rather you kill me with your own hands!”
Even more so when words like that are added.
I chewed my lip slightly. Should I let the child kill Atart or should I kill Atart first to protect the child?
But is it really for the sake of the child that I kill him?
However, as an adult, watching a child kill someone is a bit…
“What are you hesitating about?”
At that time, Berserker, who had lost his prey to me, spoke with a grumpy face.
“If you’re going to pass it up, pass it quickly. “Getting revenge won’t change anything, but if you don’t get revenge, the resentment will remain.”
On the other hand, it seems like he’s complaining about being robbed of his order, but the content is quite helpful.
After thinking a little more, I finally took my foot off his chest. Akata blushed a little and Atart wrinkled his face.
“You…!”
Sigh!
The blade pierced his heart. Gagging. The screams of death quickly dispersed into the air.
【…Why why?】
“There is no salvation at the end of revenge.”
There is no way a person who gave up his life for revenge would deny revenge for others.
But I also don’t want to watch my child kill someone.
【Why….】
“So don’t ruin yourself by killing non-humans.”
The murderous madness that must be borne in return for resolving the grudge is not the child’s responsibility.
“You live your life.”
I don’t know if this is the right choice. Maybe this is the wrong choice. It might be right to let the child take revenge on himself.
Given the times, even if I kill this person, that child may end up with someone else’s blood on his hands.
however.
Nevertheless.
I don’t want that child to carry the burden of the past of killing someone in his childhood. I don’t mind being remembered as the bastard who stole my chance at revenge, so at least I hope there’s no blood on my young hands just yet.
“You’re still human, aren’t you?”
Killing someone, even if it was a means of doing the right thing, was ultimately like giving up a piece of humanity.
【why…! Why are you not letting me get revenge?】
“If resentment and hatred remain and it’s difficult.”
【Why why even the only thing I can do!】
“Hand it over to me.”
【Why!!】
“I’ll carry it.”
I comforted Berserker and the child—who had been taken away by Atart—and passed Dev, who was holding on to Akata.
I was thinking of going to Jatav and asking him about the curse, but there are already people in charge of that. Since he is a priest brought in by Sangun, I don’t know if he will make sense or not.
So, I naturally walked towards the white wind.
“We will need to clarify the starting point of the curse.”
“Okay then. don’t worry. If they are related, no one in the Great Forest will be able to protect them. And then I will definitely hand it over to you.”
Next, hmm. I do not know. Because I didn’t have anywhere to go.
But it wasn’t that big of a problem.
It was always like that, there was nowhere to go.
* * *
The Archmage breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the young thief and fighter successfully fulfill her request.
Of course, right after that, the Demon Knight killed Chief Bigabol, and in the process, Akata cried out in front of everyone asking me to give her a chance, but it wasn’t a big problem.
Strictly speaking, it was a serious problem, but the entity called Sangun ordered us to move on, so it was no problem for now. That was enough.
If given time and a chance to speak, she was confident that she would fully explain. Although the treatment of Akata, who tried to kill the chief in front of everyone, may be a bit difficult.
“Wow, what’s going on!”
At that time, the white wind slowly approached. It’s amazing how calm he is even though everything is going on.
“I had a strange feeling, so I followed the chief as he went, and things started to turn out strangely.”
“I agree.”
Won’t Bigabol and Jatav engage in an all-out war? Chief Bigabol has abandoned his humanity and Jatav has joined hands with the devil or something and uses his goods. In the meantime, due to the mountain army that suddenly intervened, Chief Serhang was elected as the warchief.
It would be difficult to see this mess easily.
“I’m glad it ended well though.”
However, although the incident unfolded in a confusing manner, the outcome was not bad.
First, with the appearance of the Sangun, the conflict between the two tribes completely stopped. There was a complete lull without any opposition or resistance.
They even complied with the unilateral ruling. When the priest told them to prove their faithfulness, they all put down their swords and responded to the interrogation.
Of course, there was a bit of commotion in Bigabol due to the death of the chieftain.
It can be seen as a commotion caused by the selection of someone else to take command after the death of the highest-ranking official.
Meanwhile, some people questioned the truth, saying that Akata, who tried to kill the chief, should be punished, and whether it was true that the dead chief risked the lives of his children.
If Sangun had been so annoyed and not told him to follow the instructions of the warchief—Chief Serhang—there would still have been a fight.
Chief Serhang, who suddenly became warchief and started working, is sweating profusely.
“Oh, I’m glad your parents came to visit you safely. “But what is it with that guy that he has a child on his head?”
At that time, the person who snatched the child from Atart returned. It seems like he succeeded in finding the parents and delivering the child, but there is no one in his hands.
“Ah… I was a hostage. “They asked me to join the war if I didn’t want to see my child die.”
“oh.”
“…what?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking at the demon knight that came out after snatching the child?”
“I was wondering why that driver, Nari, had kept me until now, but was that because of that??”
For your information, the Inquisitor is treating the injured as always, and Berserk is wandering around, with Sangun’s permission, looking for places to fight.
I think that if anyone resisted, at least one limb would be shattered by Berserk.
“Then are those marks made by the kid who was taken hostage?”
At that time, the white wind pointed to a place where there was a circular hole in the dense forest. The height of the trees there has decreased significantly, so it cannot be said to be a natural phenomenon.
“There was a huge wave of magical power just now. “The devil knight did it, right?”
“…That’s right. When we demanded participation in the war… they threatened us in return by blowing up part of the forest. The moment you kill children, you will die too. “Thanks to you, I didn’t get caught in an unnecessary fight.”
“That’s wise.”
“…yes.”
Although the method was radical, the Archmage also believed that the path chosen by the Demon Knight was the best. Thanks to this, instead of becoming an enemy of one tribe, he only saved people.
However….
『Kill! Even if the blood of children is added to a body that has already murdered its own relatives, nothing will change!』
She remembered the person who was angry with the veins in his neck raised. Or, I recalled the sadness that I could clearly feel even through the anxiety that he might be drinking too much.
『Aren’t you still human?』
It was solely the weight of sin. The weight of his sin that made it impossible for him to ever forgive himself.
A burden that is too heavy for one person to bear, even to the point where even she, a stranger, is solemn.
“Hmm. “But I’m glad it didn’t run away!”
Slowly, I start to wonder how the man stands. Is there really only self-loathing in the heart that wishes for death?
“But just in case, we should fill the seal, right?”
Even those who wish for destruction need the strength to run to the cliff.
Is he able to move forward now?
“…I guess so.”
The Archmage received the sealing sphere given by the White Wind. The reason that this should be filled and the emotion that asked if it should really be filled right away clashed.
Strictly speaking, the Demon Knight is currently stimulated by everything that can stimulate him, so even if he fills it right away, it’s true that it won’t be enough.
“…Is that okay? “What are you giving me now?”
“then? To be honest, I’m glad I’ve held on until now. Wouldn’t this be better for the demon knight? “If you kick the seal, there’s no need to hold back your anger!”
“That’s… But…”
She smoothed the seal. The warmth of smooth metal is cold. Just like the warmth the Demon Knight receives from the world.
“…I think giving it to him now might actually provoke him. “It can’t be fun to be treated like a bomb, right?”
“if?”
“So, let me do you a favor. Please keep an eye on him for now. And if he gets better… or if he’s really in danger, fill him with a seal or call the Inquisitor.”
“…I don’t know about magic power or anything like that, so I might not be able to get the timing right.”
“I trust your eyes.”
“…I understand.”
In the end, she compromised between reason and emotion. This… was the best she could choose right now.
“And you, White Wind… you will join me in contacting the mountain army and its priest. “Isn’t this a situation where we need to share where Jatav got the curse jar from?”
“Okay then. Of course I know. I’ve already attached them to the recovery work. “I helped you for free, so I’m sure you won’t pretend not to know.”
“…okay. “Good job.”
“Will there be discussion about the magic snake while Jatav is being punished? If it comes out, I would like to be given permission to investigate there as well. “I’d like to ask San-gun to talk to me too.”
“Let me ask you about the former. “Not the latter.”
Then, the Archmage listed one by one the things he could do. My feelings were complicated, but there was still a lot of work to do.
* * *
I wonder if the madness gauge is full and a runaway debuff occurs. I got out of town as much as I could to prepare for something like that.
Then, I came to that waterfall last time—a place I found out about while coming from Ser Port to Bigabol—and…
Shoot!
I sat down again on the rock where I had previously sat. The soft, moss-covered rocks welcomed me.
There were few trees, so the slight sunlight was nice. It’s not so strong that it stings your eyes, but you can feel the presence of sunlight… It was cozy and I felt drowsy.
Since my body is unaffected by the surrounding temperature, I don’t feel hot, so it’s better. I feel a little better.
「Stamina 2457/2457,
horsepower 2941/2941,
fatigue 17,
saturation 84」
However, this is not a situation where you can just waste time like this. I debated whether or not to leave out the HP just in case.
Even though we know that the madness gauge seems to rise well when killing people, we do not know what the madness gauge rises based on.
In other words, I am not sure whether it will rise or not when I stand still.
And if it’s the former and not the latter… yes. It might be a bit of a problem.
I remembered the time when I was locked up. In addition, the saints who turned into powder showed me that it was a trace of my work.
I don’t think I’ll be able to avoid that scene this time… but if that happens, I’m sure it’ll be a real headache. Absolutely no harm.
“Ah, sealing sphere…”
I think it would have been nice if there was sealing sphere now.
If there isn’t one, what else can there be? I picked up the dagger, determined to carry several spares rather than just one.
Let’s just cut it to 2/3, no more, no less. The days of a game where I had to intentionally bleed to master a healing skill briefly flashed through my mind.
Even back then, it wasn’t like I deliberately created a near-dead state and maintained an addiction state and made a fuss. Memories passed by me for a moment.
“Aaaah!! “What are you doing!”
Pow!
But maybe I was lost in memories for a moment?
A car accident left me.
with a splash!
While I was sitting on a rock, a figure came from behind – I was trying to avoid it, but stopped when I heard a voice – and collided with me.
Of course, I was sitting on a rock, and if there was a collision there, I had no choice but to fall off the rock. In front of the rock was a waterfall.
Dev and I dived into the waterfall side by side.
“Ufufufu!”
The good news is that you won’t be swept away by the fast current as it is a pond where water collects under the waterfall. I’m also very fortunate that the depth is up to my chest.
“…Do you want to die?”
But apart from safety, the concept is not good!
I shook my head to shake off the water and looked back. Deb, whose fur stood up as soon as it touched the water, thought it might be a cat, made an audible noise and stiffened.
“Now, self-harm is bad….”
No, when was I going to do such a outrageous thing?
Just before I could think, my brain suddenly put on the brakes. What I was trying to do was remove HP from the gamer’s perspective, but from their perspective, it was just self-harm.
ah.
“I’d rather cast a seal. “Why did you harm yourself…”
That’s a misunderstanding. It’s not a misunderstanding, but it’s a misunderstanding. Of course, it’s true that I deliberately tried to lower HP because I was worried about a runaway, but it wasn’t out of self-hatred. Anyway, it’s not what you’re worried about!
I bit my lip about this complex and profound situation that I could not possibly explain.
Even though I didn’t want it, my low self-esteem worsened. It is difficult.
“bout!”
At that time, Dev, who had been watching me, rushed towards me to snatch the dagger. I reflexively pulled back the hand holding the dagger.
You crazy idiot, what if you try to catch me! You cut your hand!
“go away…!”
“I’ll just take the dagger!”
I won’t do it! I won’t do it!
I pushed Dev’s head away and put the hand holding the dagger behind me.
Dev, who was squeezed in my hand, was waving his arms around, but unfortunately, my character was a little less than 10cm taller than Dev. The arms were that much longer.
So I can never reach it. Go away, thief!
“Ah. “Nari, why are your arms so long?”
“I would have told you to fuck off…!”
You have a cold! Get out of the water!