Episode 237: Full of Pain (10) – Part 1
The Deathbringer curled up in the tent in confusion. The Inquisitor lying in front of him was unable to wake up. I don’t know how long I plan to sleep.
“Please wake up quickly….”
I know this is not something to say to someone who has suffered as much as the demon knight. However, Deathbringer could not hope for the Inquisitor to wake up late.
Cancer: The only one who could effectively change the current situation was the Inquisitor.
“The Great Sage, even blocking it with just two people is now the limit…”
The moment the Demon Knight woke up and said that he would accept any conclusion, the conflict of opinion became more intense. Also, naturally, the most influential side was the side that would carry out the execution.
This was especially true because although the two Great Sages were protecting the Demon Knight, they were unable to provide any proper evidence or justification. Seongju himself woke up and agreed, but I’m moving on to the opinion that that’s okay.
“Damn it…”
Do you really think that if there is no reason to stop one and you die to your own compliance, everything will be fine? Are the decisions you make while being forced into this situation in the first place truly your own?
It is true that demon knights are dangerous, but they all survive because of their dangerous power.
“Now I even hope that that damned genius will succeed…”
If a meister who has only just met succeeds in persuading a demon knight, he must feel a sense of deprivation.
But it’s still good. If only the Demon Knight didn’t die like this, if only he wouldn’t have to face such a miserable end… He would have been happy to prove that I was worthless to the Demon Knight.
It was good though….
Damn.
Then someone came in. It was Berserk with an Archmage on his back.
Is it because I wandered around all over the place without getting a proper rest for several days? The air around her is particularly calm. It is cool and heavy, similar to the early morning air.
“Why did you come… Master Nari?”
“I found him passed out from overwork. “The therapists in charge also looked tired, so I just brought them over to you.”
Deathbringer fell silent for a moment at Berserk’s words. There was nothing I could bear to say.
“Please hand it over.”
He laid the Archmage down next to him with Berserk’s help. The deathbringer’s light body weighed down even more compared to its size.
It’s less noticeable because it’s covered in fur, but it looks like you’ve lost more weight than before.
“What about the turtle?”
“…I’m sleeping over there.”
“okay.”
As the not-so-small Inquisitor and Archmage lay side by side, half of the tent was filled. It’s even better when Deathbringer and Berserk sit on one side. There is no more free space inside the tent.
The two people naturally squatted and stretched out their legs.
“…what will happen to us like this?”
“well. “I think the only thing that changes is whether the devil knight exists or not.”
well. Isn’t that the most important issue?
Deathbringer raised his head after hearing Berserk’s words. I was wondering if Berserk had no idea about the treatment of demon knights.
“…Is it okay for the warrior Nari to die?”
The moment I asked that question, Berserk raised his head. Her brooding eyes provide many answers.
“I know he doesn’t deserve to die like that.”
One quiet word summed up the situation.
Deathbringer’s head lowered again. The devastation tore my heart into tatters.
“Hmm.”
However, just as I was about to become so sad, one person’s groan changed the situation. The two people, who were each closing their eyelids and trying to contemplate the silence, quickly turned their heads.
* * *
The Inquisitor instinctively realized this as he looked at the pitch-black world. This place, this place, is God….
“God.”
She thought back to the moment she received the oracle before beginning her journey as a warrior.
That moment was like this too. The surroundings were black and she could only see herself in the pitch black.
And God… God left her with a unilateral order.
“This lowly servant dares to ask this question.”
At that time, did she only show compliance with the one-sided words?
The black and white of what I learned was so clear that I had no questions to reflect on. I was a frog in a well who thought that what I had learned was everything in the world. I was a person who was more comfortable obeying than doubting and complying with distrust, so I didn’t dare to ask a single question.
“Why me?”
But it’s different now.
She decided to clear up her doubts before God said anything.
It was the courage of someone who learned that asking questions is not the same as not respecting others, that asking questions does not mean not respecting others, and that the world is not divided into black and white.
“Why him?”
It was the prayer of a mortal who realized that there were so many things she wanted to ask for, but that she had no power.
“Why did Bemurchen…”
Now she needed an answer from the omnipotent god.
Why was she chosen as a warrior despite her shortcomings?
Why did that devoted man have to suffer?
Why did the people of this city have to die without being cared for by God?
Why, why….
“God, please give me an answer….”
[────]
“…?”
[──A─]
At that moment, a voice rang in her mind. no. It wasn’t a voice. To be honest, it was closer to a text message leaking through the ears. Or more essential─
[North── Go─]
Shiny.
Was it like this last time? As he was trying to remember, the Inquisitor also saw it. A light emerged in a world that was filled with darkness. Maybe it had crashed. Or it came into existence. Something that was hidden was now visible.
Something that was originally there has finally opened its eyes.
[Go north.]
Thousands, tens of thousands, or countless eyes looked down at her. In all that darkness, right above the head.
[You – seek the answer there.]
The nature of the world is unknown.
Seeing her was something that humans should be forever in awe of.
[…And so the path ─ is the one ──.]
The darkness broke and the world became bright.
* * *
“Huh!”
The Inquisitor reflexively lifted his eyelids. The unique mustiness of unventilated air seeped into my nose and mouth. I felt a slight warmth, perhaps for the sake of the patient.
“San!”
“Are you awake?”
The warm energy penetrated my lungs, but I was unable to immediately regain my clarity of mind. The Inquisitor took a few more breaths and rolled his eyes.
A lantern hung on one side of the tent illuminated the faces of those around it.
The Deathbringer standing fine and the Archmage sleeping soundly on one side of Berserk. There were three of them.
As I looked at all of their faces, the worries I hadn’t been aware of were relieved. Now, if you just check on the devil knight’s safety, most of your worries will be relieved.
The Inquisitor opened his mouth with a brightened face.
“All three of you… are alive.”
However, when I opened my mouth like that, a harsh voice came out.
It was a very unfamiliar feeling to feel so similar to an old woman. The Inquisitor stood up and placed his hand on his neck.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“It’s not that bad. “It’s a little tingly, though.”
There is a feeling that the body is somewhat stiff, as if it has not moved for a long time. However, this cannot be considered a problem as it is likely to be resolved after a few moves.
“What about the situation?”
Rather, what is more important than her physical condition is the situation that may have changed while she was asleep.
She hurriedly rescued the two people, wondering how she survived, what happened to the city, and where the demon knight was.
For reference, I put off the oracle I heard in my dream for a while. It doesn’t matter if you pass it on later.
“Seeing as all three of them are fine, it doesn’t seem like it’s all that bad—” “
…Well.”
However, contrary to her expectations, the faces of the two people who were urged gradually began to harden. It was a very different reaction from what she had hoped for.
“…Is it not that bad?”
“…It depends on what perspective you look at it from.”
is it. Is that the situation?
However, we cannot continue to remain ignorant and filled with anxiety. The Inquisitor straightened his posture and waited for an explanation.
Soon, Deathbringer’s calm voice filled the tent.
“…So, the reinforcements have arrived and we can take a breather.”
“If you organize it.”
“under.”
But surprisingly, the answer she took time to find was better than she expected. In any case, the future in which all people are exterminated has been avoided, and the threatening demons—Greed and the mysterious turtle—have all been eliminated.
In the worst case scenario, everyone could have died, so this ending is close to the best. It’s a good thing.
“A person who contributed greatly to saving the city is now being locked up and being discussed for execution?”
Except for the treatment of just one person.
“Guide me.”
“…A store?”
“Then should I go or not?”
I will not deny that the sacrifice of the few for the many is efficient. In a situation where everyone is anxious because of one person, I think there may be cases where that person is given some restraint.
But apart from being understandable, is it really the right thing to do? Are you justified in saying that the current situation is unavoidable?
“Killing someone under the mere excuse of possibility is no different from saying that an adult with intact limbs should be killed because he or she could become a criminal. In other words, it is unreasonable. “The unreasonable actions of those who do not want to be harmed.”
On the other hand, the Demon Knight had already done his best to save the city. This is true even if the power of the devil was used in the process.
There is absolutely no reason for him to be treated like this when he has somehow succeeded in controlling the demon and no one has been harmed by him!
“I have absolutely no intention of listening to such unreasonable pressure! Did you understand? “I will definitely repay him for his devotion!”
So, the Inquisitor discussed the survival of the demon knight quite naturally. It was her truth that she never had to doubt.
“What if he wants to kill himself?”
It was then that Berserk, who had been quiet, said a word.
“Other people’s opinions clearly had a lot of influence on the current treatment of the Demon Knight. But even after all those opinions are taken away, do you think the Demon Knight will really want to live?”
“…!”
“What if he chooses to die on his own, regardless of the opinions of those around him? “What are we going to do then?”
“That…”
The fighter, whose mood was quite different from before, placed his hand on his knee in a disgruntled manner. Her helpless face revisits a conversation we discussed earlier.
“Didn’t I tell you before? “Fate doesn’t wait for you.”
The forearm resting on the upright knee was limp as if it belonged to a dead person.
“…I told you before, I will convince you. “Somehow!”
“I see… Is that still your choice?”
But she is not dead. The pupils connected to the stretched arms narrowed. It is the movement of someone who has been able to predict something by observing the world for a long time.
“do whatever you want.”
However, not everyone is willing to move just because they have insight into something. It was the same with Berserk.
“It is every human being’s right to struggle under fate.”
Instead of interfering with the Inquisitor using her prediction as an excuse, she chose to sit on the sidelines as always. The faded golden light faded along the closed eyelids.
“…let’s go.”
However, all of her actions seemed to foreshadow her failure, and the Inquisitor felt uneasy. It was a unique anxiety that all humans have.
“is it so.”
But what could have happened in those few hours when she woke up?
There’s no way the Deathbringer could have been watching the Demon Knight all this time, and since it was night, I think he just returned to his dorm for a moment.
What could have happened in the meantime?
“Oh, let’s stop by the ward first before seeing the demon knight. Or is it closer to where the demon knight is?”
“No, the ward is closer.”
“Then go there first.”
The Inquisitor followed her common sense and made her own decision. Dang dang dang. It wasn’t even 10 minutes later that I realized that my judgment was wrong.
“The knight has disappeared!!”
Someone shouted through the bells ringing everywhere.
“The devil knight has disappeared!!”
Berserk was right.
Fate did not wait for her.
* * *
[Hai goma. The city ended up like this.]
[I’m hungry.]
[I’m almost right in front of you. Oh… oh. Are they the knight’s companions?]
[I’m hungry.]
[Oh, just wait a little longer. I’m not sure where the knight has gone.]
And plants began to sprout on the ruined land.