Chapter 87 - I Want to Speak (3)

People generally tend to look down on things they haven't experienced themselves.

It means that even if they hear about the dangers, if a greater usefulness exists, they will often try to accept it after rationalizing it.

Just like right now.

"I have well observed your exploits. Although there was an unsavory incident... I hear you still provided a great deal of help."

I quietly looked at the Archbishop who was newly dispatched from the Temple. It was an extremely friendly attitude.

Was it because I more than doubled the sluggish pace of reclaiming the island? Or because I stood on the battlefield in the Inquisitor's stead to pave the way so she could rest? Or was it because I minimized the casualties of the Temple people, regardless of whether they were hostile to me or not?

"Thank you for helping to reclaim the island."

Well, whatever. Whatever the reason may be, the Archbishop ultimately judged me as a useful card and decided to let it slide.

"Archbishop!"

Of course, upon hearing the Archbishop's decision, the Bishop who had directly faced my rampage jumped up and down. It was only natural, as he was someone who still insisted on the death penalty due to my danger even after seeing my exploits.

"You must not take him lightly! Who knows when that man will lose his reason again!"

"The Hero vouched for him, and hasn't he proven himself over the past few days?"

"Archbishop!"

Personally, I didn't fail to understand the latter's position. I just hoped the former would win because it happened to be my life on the line.

"I don't know why you're acting so sensitive."

But did that mean I liked the former? That wasn't really true either.

There was nothing more infuriating than a superior who didn't understand the hardships of the field, and secondly...

"Wow, I'm losing my appetite..."

Just as DeB said, coming up and suddenly talking to someone while they were eating only ruined their appetite.

I continued my interrupted meal regardless of whether the Bishop was trying to persuade—or rather, argue with—the Archbishop. I was so hungry because I hadn't been able to eat while reclaiming the last city and holding out until reinforcements arrived.

The Inquisitor must have reached her breaking point from the accumulated fatigue—even though I had snatched up all the most grueling tasks—and passed out before she could even eat, but anyway.

"Sir."

And just as the meal was almost over, DeB, who had finished eating before me, subtly rolled his eyes while holding food in one hand. It was a signal to quietly slip away.

"You may go."

The Archmage, who had accompanied us and supported us not with force but with a pen, also gave us covering fire. He seemed to have noticed that I felt uncomfortable around people after that day.

Or maybe she was the one who was uncomfortable. Since that day, she had been strangely... keeping her distance. Even so, she never left me abandoned among the crowd, nor did she ever let me go alone when I left my seat.

Anyway, I didn't refuse that consideration. Now that I had a record of going on a rampage, I no longer wanted to be involved with the Order.

A conversation with the high-ranking officials of the Order? That was even worse. Kimchi Dumpling was enough of a connecting link between the Order and me.

"Wow, seriously. Look at everyone suddenly changing their attitudes."

Under DeB's guidance, I secretly slipped out of the dining hall—if you could call it a secret when only the Bishop and the Archbishop didn't see it. The gazes that had been silently but continuously watching us were cut off, and I finally felt at ease.

"Once we set sail at dawn, there won't be any more reasons to see their faces. Phew."

My feelings exactly. Once tonight passes, we can finally leave this island.

"They say there'll be a triumphal ceremony or whatever in Zakrati... but even that will be over in a day."

Come to think of it, the work itself wasn't much different from what we did in other regions, but strangely enough, I was completely sick of it.

Was it because the scale of what we experienced was so large? We had been doing things on a city level, and this time it suddenly jumped to a regional level. Thanks to that, the time we spent here was also overwhelmingly long...

"More importantly, is it finally time to get our reward? Man, ten million gal."

Mmm, that's true. We spent nearly a month in the Yabad region alone. It was enough to make anyone sick of it.

"Ah, we have to receive the sword too, right? A sword made from a dragon's scales and teeth, I can't even imagine it."

Still, just as DeB said, all that was left now was the settlement.

Leaving behind the one who was making a bigger fuss than me, I slowly returned to the place I had been assigned.

The unorganized corpses of people and demons greeted me here and there. The smell of ash fluttering from the buildings reduced to rubble was a bonus.

"Yo, you're here?"

Or maybe Windhand playing peekaboo in our room was the real bonus.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I suppose you came with the Archbishop's side?"

"I'm the one who gave them a ride in the first place, anyway. And I'm the one who'll be giving you guys a ride at dawn, too."

"Ah."

I ignored the room that was set up like a guesthouse and sat on the bed I had claimed.

For reference, the Inquisitor was also sleeping in the same room, rolled up tightly in a blanket. It was something that happened because there were barely any buildings left standing, let alone intact rooms.

"But why did you come here then?"

DeB set the food he brought on the bed right next to the Inquisitor and went to find his own spot.

That created a layout where DeB and I occupied the wall side by side, the Inquisitor was sleeping on the opposite side, and Windhand was sitting in the middle.

"Well, it's not like I'm here on official business..."

Windhand rolled his eyes before soon looking my way.

"I remember you turning me down last time, but you're the only one I can turn to."

Soon, his eyes squeezed shut and he bowed his head with restraint.

"Please. Let me pay the ten million gal you're supposed to receive from the Lord of Zakrati instead."

It was a request too heavy and sincere to be sharply rejected like last time. To the point where even someone maintaining a persona would probably at least listen to the reason.

"I know, of course. This isn't something I should be trying to convince you of. However... you're the only one I can persuade."

"Persuading the sir doesn't seem any easier than persuading the Lord, though."

"No, to me, you're the more viable option."

Windhand hesitated before adding another word.

"Because that person... won't try to be indebted to me—to us—anymore."

"Us?"

"I'm talking about me and my brothers."

At that point, a curiosity that couldn't be resolved with the clues given so far began to arise.

No, seriously. Just what kind of relationship did they have to make him want to pay off a debt on her behalf? Even just listening to his words, it gave off the nuance that not only Windhand but his brothers would also step up.

"... Why?"

"...?"

"I understand the desire to pay it off on her behalf. I could just accept that and be done with it. But I really don't understand why you're going out of your way to do so."

Fortunately, DeB asked on my behalf. He seemed quite curious about it too.

"Rather than just outright asking to let you pay off the debt, why don't you explain the situation and ask? That would at least make it easier to persuade him, I think."

Windhand's expression changed slightly at DeB's words. He seemed to be agonizing over whether he should say this or not.

Even so, he made his decision upon seeing my expression, which looked like not even a needle could pierce it.

"Because that person is my mother."

Like a bursting dam, bombshell remarks began pouring out.

"Pardon?"

"Not my biological mother. My biological mother passed away 40 years ago. She took me in after that."

"... The Lord?"

"Yeah."

Once the floodgates opened, they did not easily close. Windhand dry-washed his face and poured out the circumstances he had kept tightly hidden.

"It's not just me. Chimawa of The Outlaw, Watia of Blue Moon, Innocent Tony, Lion Kampen... and many other pirates grew up under her. If you include the kids who didn't become pirates, there are even more."

"No, how did that...?"

"Because we were all dying as orphans."

Even DeB hadn't expected this, as his ears and tail stood straight up.

It was the same for me. It was a good thing I had my eyes closed, pretending not to be interested; otherwise, it would have been quite difficult to control my expression.

"To explain this, I have to go back 40 years... After the zombie outbreak 40 years ago happened and was resolved, the Yabad region was in an uproar over the orphan problem. Because the parents evacuated their kids first, about a quarter of the survivors were young children. Zakrati was no different."

"Ah, so?"

"Yeah. You've probably already guessed it, but the one who stepped up then was Piuon. She took everyone in, saying she couldn't let the children die."

However, the story was not over yet. Windhand leaned back.

"In the process, she was even stripped of her position as successor... Ah, she wasn't the Lord yet back then. The Lord at the time was on the side opposing Piuon's charity work."

"... So that's why she was stripped of it."

"Right. Not only that, but all her support was cut off, and she was kicked out of the castle, too."

"Wait. Then what about the supplies to feed and clothe the kids...?"

"Piuon earned the money to cover it herself, of course."

"Huh? Is that even possible?"

"Does it seem possible? With how many kids there were."

He waved his hand dismissively. It was an atmosphere where he would have already popped open a bottle if there were any alcohol around.

"That's exactly the reason why my brothers and I became pirates. Our benefactor was getting more and more emaciated doing all sorts of menial labor to earn money, yet the money was still running out. To make matters worse, the orphans were only increasing instead of decreasing... In that situation, what else would brats who only knew the sea choose to do?"

"... Did the Lord agree to that?"

"Are you crazy? She absolutely opposed it."

There wasn't even a single cigarette here. For the first time in a while, I wanted to smoke. Listening to this sober made my chest feel so tight.

"The day my oldest sister brought back money from pirating, Piuon kicked her out, telling her to never show her face again until the day she died. And for the first time, she emptied a whole barrel of alcohol. She was someone who wouldn't even drink cold water in front of us."

"... What about that sister?"

"Piuon is someone who rarely breaks her word. She truly didn't look at her face until the day she died. It was the same for the other siblings who became pirates after that. Ah, of course, she held their funerals herself. Though, as is usually the case with seafarers, there were mostly no corpses."

"And you still thought about becoming a pirate after that?"

"I told you. That was the only thing we could do. We weren't even in a position to learn anything. Of course, the Lord tried to teach us something somehow... But honestly, isn't it true? Grabbing a sword and heading out to sea is much faster and easier than studying to read and write."

I was even badly craving alcohol, which I didn't even like. Rather than shoving booze into my stomach, I wanted to smash my own head with a liquor bottle.

"Of course, I'm not saying this was a good deed. But I grew up watching my brothers who had blood on their hands secretly come at night to leave behind meat, vegetables, and daily necessities for us to eat. And when I reached the age where I could go out to sea, there were still many kids younger than me. So what other choice was there? If dirty money could protect the family, we had no choice but to earn it even if it meant getting cursed at."

"..."

"The reason the Lord... won't reach out her hand to us relates to that story too. She's not an idiot, so how could she possibly not know that we were the ones leaving things behind after becoming pirates? She couldn't help but accept it even knowing where it came from, because she knew the kids would all die if she didn't. She let it slide even if it was miserable."

"... I guess she considers that a debt."

"Yeah. That's why when she became the Lord, she permitted privateers, which didn't even suit her temperament. She said she couldn't bear to stop the children who grew up from the failures of her own generation. Though of course, it doesn't fly with the pirates of the newer generation who grew up receiving welfare..."

Windhand chuckled slightly at that point. "Thanks to that, we don't even pay tribute to Zakrati, you know?" It wasn't a particularly funny story.

"I got a bit sidetracked... but that's also the reason why I want to redeem her debt. She seems to think she's indebted to us... but we are the ones who are truly indebted."

Ah, this was driving me crazy.

I barely suppressed the urge to vigorously scratch my head. Truly, this kind of story stimulated my inner conscience way too much.

I was supposed to be thinking about how my persona would react, but before that, my true self was already jumping up and down.

"So please, couldn't you let me... let us pay the ten million gal instead? Regardless of whether the Lord has the money or not, she is someone who can do far more with it. Unlike us."

B-but breaking character, breaking character...!

"Well, that's what he says, sir...?"

"Please."

The fear of breaking character defeated my conscience...!

"And so."

I actually didn't mind not receiving the money itself. I wasn't crazy about money, and what reason would I have to stubbornly collect the payment from people swept up in a disaster?

However, outright saying, 'Uh, sure, you pay it' here would definitely be breaking character, so.

"I'm sure I told you. I don't give a damn about your devotion. Do not drag me into your circumstances."

If it were a way to help without breaking character, maybe, but I couldn't help while risking a break in character. A dam collapsed not because of a giant hole, but because of a small crack.

RUSTLE.

Was it just my imagination? The bundled-up blanket behind Windhand seemed to shift.

* * *

"We've arrived."

Listening to the shout of Windhand, with whom I had become awkward—or rather, distanced to the point of a strictly business relationship—as of yesterday, I stood at the gunwale.

The sight of Zakrati drawing near was much improved compared to when we left. It was obvious just seeing that no smoke from flames was rising, and the ruined buildings were either demolished or under repair.

"People will be cheering when we disembark, so don't be too surprised, everyone."

Moreover, the harbor was packed with crowds clutching flags and handkerchiefs.

Anyone who couldn't think of the word 'overcome' after seeing that would be an excessive realist.

"It isn't over yet, but the people are already treating it as if it's over."

Or someone too principled like the Inquisitor.

"Those words aren't wrong, but haven't we overcome the greatest hardship? That is precisely the significance of this event. Giving hope that since we've overcome the greatest hardship, we can conquer the remaining tasks as well. It is a kind of morale boost."

"Ah, I understand. Then asking us for a street parade is also...?"

"Indeed."

Still, it was a relief that the Archmage had returned. There was someone to explain things. Even if a lot was omitted because he was speaking to suit the Inquisitor's perspective.

"I wonder if it's okay for me to be included in that."

More importantly, since I had only traveled inland for a while, the seasickness was no joke.

I barely suppressed my churning stomach and let DeB's words go in one ear and out the other. At any rate, that guy also had a tendency to subtly downplay his own accomplishments.

"What would we do if you were left out? You're the one who saved the Hero."

"Ugh, that's..."

Even though I almost killed that Hero, that is.

I stepped away from the side of the ship at that point. My legs crossing the deck made thumping sounds as I headed down to the lower level of the ship.

The destination was the room assigned to me.

"Where are you going? You'll have to come back up soon."

The Archmage expressed his doubts at me. It wasn't a strange question, since staying on the deck was the right thing to do if we were going to disembark.

"Demon Knight?"

But I wasn't going to participate in the triumphal ceremony. I hated it because it was burdensome for my true self, and it was an act that didn't fit my persona.

So you guys go ahead and enjoy yourselves. I would disembark once the people at the harbor disappeared in droves following the street parade.

"... You're not planning to skip it, are you?"

"I will not play the clown."

I absolutely wasn't running away because I felt like I was going to throw up during the parade.

"Dear me."

The Archmage hurriedly followed after me. He seemed like he wanted to persuade me somehow, but unfortunately, my stance wasn't going to change.

Above all else, I had a cheat code.

"Do you know how famous you are in Zakrati? If someone like you skips it, the people will definitely be disappoin—"

Before the Archmage could even finish his sentence, I gripped my right arm and gritted my teeth.

Whether he interpreted it as the demon acting up or as me lacking the right to stand there, well. That didn't really matter.

"... I understand. I shall convey it well to the Lord."

Because either way, it would land on the Archmage as an unblockable attack. Mwahaha.

I easily shook off the Archmage and holed up in my room. Before the joy of not participating in something annoying could hit me, the seasickness was rushing at me, going, 'Hi! I'm seasickness!'

Doing this for the first time in so long really tasted like death.

KNOCK, KNOCK.

More importantly, who was it? The person who made the knocking sound.

I had defeated the Archmage, the only one who could persuade me, so why...!

"What is it."

I checked the visitor while keeping my body lying in the hammock. Actually opening the door or anything like that wasn't happening. If they had a problem with it, they could leave!

"Demon Knight."

But the voice I heard was an unexpected one. I blinked. I thought he wouldn't speak to me anymore, so why had Windhand come to find me again?

"I've prepared the commission fee."

I couldn't understand the words coming from the other side of the door for a moment.

I had a commission fee to receive from him... right! Hunting Bipurit and saving Zakrati were separate commissions.

I had pulled such a massive advance payment that I hadn't even thought about the final payment at all. There was also the fact that the content of the commission had drastically changed from the beginning.

"I scraped together this and that to gather up to seven million gal... Is it perhaps lacking?"

He was speaking to me, but as if his hurt feelings hadn't mended, Windhand spoke rather businesslike.

I didn't care much.

As for the money seeming a bit small compared to the content of the commission, well. It wasn't an amount that an individual, let alone a pirate, could pay in the first place.

It was the same even taking into account the penalty he probably received from the Archmage.

"I'll pay more if it's lacking. But I'll need some time..."

"I have confirmed it."

Decisively, given his disposition, he was a guy who would run around helping people in the future. I didn't want to stubbornly squeeze money out of someone like that. I accepted it without complaint.

It absolutely wasn't because my seasickness got worse from talking that I accepted it right away. Really.

As if the triumphal ceremony had begun, a massive roar of cheers started echoing from outside.