Chapter 77 - Please Don't Do This (2)

"We will target the dragon first."

"... Are you suggesting we abandon the Demon Knight?"

"Look at it realistically. Sir Knight is in the castle."

Did he somehow manage to successfully hide himself? Deathbringer tried to speak with his reason as coolly as possible, setting his emotions aside.

"And the castle is full of Bipurit and the troops guarding Bipurit. Do you think it'd be easy to break through that and find Sir Knight? Even if we do find him, what will we do if Sir Knight has already been devoured by a demon?"

That effort was somewhat effective. The talk of abandoning someone came out smoothly.

"You know Sir Knight's martial prowess well too. It'd be overwhelming enough just facing Sir Knight alone, we can't afford to take on a group of demon worshipers on top of that."

"There is no way the Demon Knight would be easily defeated by a demon. If it's him, he might be enduring and resisting the ritual."

"Fuck, who wouldn't have thought of that?"

It came out smoothly, but the mind that spoke those words was battered. The brain that had barely calmed down grew hot again.

"The situation is what it is. We can't risk our lives on uncertainty when there is another alternative. Just like you said, we're right in the middle of enemy territory!"

Deathbringer raised a hand and wiped his dry face. His agitated voice lowered again as he weakly began speaking to persuade his counterpart.

"Whether Sir Knight was defeated by a demon or not, the infiltration plan has failed. However, that doesn't mean you're the type of person to retreat and leave Sir Knight behind."

There were too many negative variables to go rescue the Demon Knight. Especially when the person put up as stakes was a Hero.

"Face reality. We failed, and we can't rescue the Demon Knight just by ourselves."

Therefore, they had to wait for the main force. Only by joining forces with the troops the Archmage would bring could they open a path to rescue the Demon Knight.

"... Then, targeting the dragon means... you intend to prepare for when the main force joins us."

"Now we're finally communicating."

At least the fortunate thing was that this brick wall wasn't completely inflexible even in a moment of crisis.

He didn't really want to admit it... but as long as he could convince that Heresy Inquisitor, the conversation after that would be quite easy.

"That's right, that's why I'm saying we should target it."

There was only one commonality between the dragon and the Demon Knight. If left alone, both entities could inflict massive damage to the main force.

"If we kill the dragon in advance, the damage will be halved, and if the Demon Knight overcomes the demon, it can be reduced entirely."

However, unlike the Demon Knight who was located in a hard-to-target place, the dragon was said to be isolated on the outskirts of the city.

According to the words of the person brought along as a guide and informant, isolation wasn't enough, and it seemed they had even restrained it under the pretext of preventing a rampage.

There would surely be bastards guarding the place, but he figured it would be better than the castle. If it was even restrained, they might be able to kill it very easily.

This was well worth taking a gamble on.

"Understood."

"Good. Then let's review the route. You've planned it out, right?"

"Of course I have. Now we just need to decide."

Deathbringer accepted the outcome he had requested in advance. As a result of four locals putting their heads together, the map was marked with the dragon's expected location and several routes leading there.

"Hey, Thief."

"... There are five Thieves here, you know?"

He snapped back at the inflexible Heresy Inquisitor's words. That displeasure disappeared the very next moment.

"Will he, truly be alright."

Well. Would he really be alright? In a castle where not a single explosion or commotion signifying an anomaly had been heard since the torches went up... could they really hope for that knight's safety?

"... He is Sir Knight."

The two people averted their eyes from the clearly visible truth. Twenty and twenty-one. It was too early an age to hold a meeting while speaking of the downfall of someone they admired.

* * *

I checked the newly popped-up window.

Rage. 'Nullifies all active status ailments' was extremely attractive, but the last line of the description bothered me slightly.

It said the madness gauge fills up as you perform certain actions. What were those certain actions, and what happens when the gauge is full?

Most of all, I didn't know why this status ailment suddenly appeared. If it was going to be generated just because I got a bit angry, shouldn't things like 'Despair' or 'Frustration' have popped up a long time ago?

I also didn't really know why my mana was flowing out in streams even though I didn't want it to. It was even more bizarre that it started from the arm that supposedly had a demon in it.

"Give them. To me."

"Uh..."

After checking the madness gauge that was still converging on 0, I looked back at those who were mouthing words, unable to bring themselves to ask a question.

By the time I smiled brightly, the mana in my right arm blazed even more fiercely in accordance with my intentions. It was a more violent airflow than usual.

"You don't want to?"

Remaining in that state, I approached the four-syllable one, who was at the center of the three. Because she was about a span shorter than me, I had to lower my head a bit to meet her gaze when I got within thirty centimeters.

Even then, it didn't align properly thanks to the four-syllable one staring stiffly straight ahead, but anyway.

"Not going to answer?"

I momentarily wondered if it was okay to act this arbitrarily, but I steeled my resolve as I looked at the shivering children.

The fact that civilians were even in this kind of slaughterhouse was already despicable, so how could I leave the children here? Let's just push through like a tyrant until we move the kids somewhere else.

"When Gretchen desires it, what could stand in the way? Please, pick and take whatever you wish."

The four-syllable one calmly gave an answer. It seemed to have worked decently enough. Even though it felt like they might turn around and stab me, saying 'fuck a Great Demon or whatever', if I kept this up.

"Then just the children."

"The children, understood."

"Move them. I don't like wide-open spaces."

"The underground prison within the castle is empty. I will distribute and move them to the prison."

Hiss. Based on this world's setting, the prison facilities probably weren't good. My conscience hurt too much to put children in a place like that.

However, outside or anywhere else had too high a chance of them getting caught up in things when an incident broke out... so considering their safety, that would be better.

"You speak quite well."

I deliberately brushed back the four-syllable one's long hair with my right arm, which was overflowing with mana.

"... It is an honor."

Only then did the four-syllable one meet my gaze. Her black eyes, which I looked into properly for the first time, were writhing with ambition and the boldness to achieve it, something even a layman could easily read.

"Who did you say you were again?"

At that point, I asked for her name again.

It was because I judged that for an ambitious person, there were few things as exhilarating as having their name remembered favorably by a superior.

"I am Focalor, O Wrath."

"Focalor."

And asking again when already knowing the name was usually a clear, roundabout way of saying, 'I view you favorably, so I will remember you'.

As expected, the four-syllable one's—no, Focalor's—eyes changed. It was to the point where my chest grew cold at her blatant greed.

Just what was she hoping for—no, it was obvious. Power and authority, or if she went a bit further, eternal youth and immortality. What other reasons could there be?

And that was none of my business. The moment Focalor used her ambition to trade away her homeland and her people's lives, and the moment she created a place of madness to butcher people, her ambition became a category I could not understand.

I don't know what right I have to say this, but she would pay the price.

Just as the slaughterers in Earth's history had done.

"O Gretchen, I can guide you to something you might enjoy."

On the other hand, those who didn't know my thoughts were fidgeting for a different reason. This was especially true for Naberius and Bifrons, who were of the same rank as Focalor.

It was as if catching the Great Demon's eye took priority over fear.

"How about hunting a Hero? A Hero is isolated within the city. Those called his companions are nothing but insignificant bugs."

However, while Naberius merely fidgeted and didn't open his mouth, Bifrons came forward rather boldly.

To push hunting a Hero onto me as a form of entertainment. She must have really wanted to get on my good side.

"You know."

I moved my tongue after confirming that the children were being led away by the guards.

"Did you just ask me a question?"

Asking for one's inclination was also a question. Bifrons's face paled as she realized her mistake.

"Th-That is..."

"Bifrons is a knight chosen by 'Avarice'. Please, withdraw your anger."

But before I could snap Bifrons's neck, Naberius beat me to it. Gaining new information was a bonus.

"Avarice chose her?"

I rapidly thought things over while looking down at Bifrons with a gaze that said, 'This one?'

I was already half-sure about the Seven Deadly Sins so I moved past that, but 'chosen by Avarice', huh.

Good. With this, I learned that the 72 Knights might be born from the selection of the Great Demons. Or perhaps there was a power dynamic among the 72 Knights.

It wasn't information I could use right away, but it wasn't bad to know.

"That is correct."

"I see... Is that so..."

Muttering like that, I slowly approached Bifrons. It was a bonus that my steps began to trace a circle, one step at a time, centering around her bowed head.

"But, isn't that a bit strange? Telling 'Wrath' to withdraw anger."

Circling around her, I fiercely debated whether or not to slice her neck. Sure, I could aim for an immediate weakening of their forces by taking her head, but given my position, it was natural to consider the aftermath.

Frankly speaking, the chances of them saying 'it can't be helped' and moving on when I killed Bifrons were much lower than it leading to 'Our ally has gone mad! Kill him!'

"Please, have mercy."

"And asking a demon for mercy as well."

Of course, thanks to the status ailment nullification, I could ignore the Mana Rampage and use my skills.

However, relying on that to just go for it bothered me because of the madness gauge.

Deducing from my experience of consuming hundreds of fantasy works, the most likely trigger for the gauge to rise was combat action.

Furthermore, given the nuance of the word 'madness', it seemed like it would lead to a rampage or going berserk once the gauge was full.

And it didn't seem like this game would just tack on an increase to ATK, CRIT Rate, and CRIT DMG (Attack Power, Critical Hit Rate, Critical Hit Damage) for a rampage or berserk state like other games either.

As expected, it was tricky to move recklessly.

"O Gretchen, the children have all been moved."

At that moment, Focalor interjected. It was good timing for Bifrons. Though not for me.

"Is that so?"

Hah, still, since I managed to save the children's lives, should I let it slide for now? I was in a rush so I only saved the children, but there were still several civilians remaining here too.

The problem was their reaction if I stepped up and said I would consume them as well—.

KABOOOOM!!

Suddenly, a massive explosion struck my ears. It wasn't loud enough to deafen me, but a sense of distance could be felt instead.

At the very least, it hadn't gone off inside the castle.

"What in the!"

The three of them, startled, gave various instructions to their nearby subordinates. They were orders meant to grasp the situation.

Bifrons, having heard something from Naberius, even left the area with Focalor while reading my mood. I didn't go out of my way to stop them. I needed to know what was happening too.

ROAAAAAR!!!

But what the hell was that roar that followed the explosion? It was an incredibly fierce and rough sound, yet it was distinctly made by a living creature.

"Could it be the dragon...?"

Naberius muttered near me. Only then did the puzzle pieces become a bit visible.

"Did you fail at managing your pet?"

Earlier they were talking about how the kids were sacrifices to be offered to the dragon or whatever, so something must have happened with that dragon.

"I-It shouldn't be a big problem. Our defenses regarding the dragon are thorough..."

"Divine power!"

Naberius's excuse could not continue to the end. Even though the city couldn't be seen because it was blocked by the castle, the pillar of light striking down from across the sky was clearly visible.

"... A Hero?!"

What reason could there be for a pillar of light made purely of divine power to appear in a city swarming with demons? To me, there was only one answer.

'My little guys are alive and well!' The corners of my mouth curled up with genuine emotion.

"Things have gotten quite... interesting."

With this, the situation changed a bit. I discarded my worries about the madness gauge and the effects it would have.

Now that the Inquisitor had started the dragon raid, there was no longer any need for me to stay still.

"You there."

"Y-Yes, yes!"

"Make them stop slitting the prisoners' throats."

More accurately, I shouldn't stay still.

Of course, blocking the mobs from joining in during a raid was standard procedure. Afterwards, I'd have to go help the Inquisitor's side too.

"Y-Yes, yes? A-Ah, I wasn't asking again! I will comply immediately!"

Without the three bastards from the 72 Knights noticing, I had the guys who seemed to be the next rank down halt the blood-gathering operation. Then I approached Naberius, who was giving orders to the soldiers, and slung an arm around his shoulders.

"Let's go."

"... I am worried that my lacking service may have caused you an annoyance."

"You've got quite a good sense for things too."

"Undeserved words, I will carry them with me for the rest of my life."

'If I killed him here, the guards might realize I betrayed them and start slitting people's throats again, so I should kill him on the way.'

Interrupting Naberius's command, I followed the path that Focalor and Bifrons had taken.

And when we escaped the castle and reached the castle wall entrance leading to the city.

I removed my arm from his shoulders and let Naberius go. Naberius caught up to Focalor and Bifrons without even realizing I was falling behind.

They were conversing with the executive personnel—Captain of the Guard or people like that—who had come running after sensing the anomaly.

"Focalor. How is the situation?"

"Naberius? Why are you not remaining at the castle..."

And, at a spot three steps away from them.

"It seems Gretchen has moved—"

SLICE!

"—huh?"

A massive slash, even rougher than usual, cleaved through the thirty meters in front of me.

The sky, heading past night towards dawn, was black without even a moon, concealing even the spurting streams of blood.

「Madness Gauge 1%」

It was a pitch-black night.