Ch.200Argument

What story should I bring up?

How should I treat her?

A victim who lost her body because of me.

A monster who has slaughtered countless people.

The strongest among those I can rely on.

Yet, a beast that must never be set free.

Someone who harbors resentment toward me… and a roommate who must stay with me.

All these aspects came together to form the person called Hersella.

I needed Hersella, yet felt uncomfortable around her.

However, since I cannot reject her forever… I should somehow understand and accept her.

“…Why did you do such cruel things?”

But after all my contemplation, what came out of my mouth was an impulsive interrogation.

The atrocity that took place in the prince’s palace garden.

I wanted to know why she did such things, what thoughts drove her to commit such acts.

[Is that the first thing you say to me? A question like that? How pathetic.]

Hersella’s voice was mixed with contempt and mockery.

“That’s…”

[Well, fine. If you’re so curious, I don’t mind answering… Why did I do it? Obviously because it was necessary. Because of you, who flinched like a maidservant and got yourself defeated like a fool.]

“Necessary? Such acts? …Because of me?”

[Yes. Do you think I find human flesh delicious? But because you surrendered your body to the ghost sword, I had no chance of winning without doing that. If I had lost, would you even be breathing leisurely now?]

…

I had no rebuttal.

If she had lost… when I woke up again, I would have been barely alive with my life completely ruined.

Looking at it that way, she was practically my lifesaver. Even if she helped me only because our fates were bound together.

[So don’t dare question me about such trivial matters. It’s all because you’re weak. You stole someone else’s body, yet you don’t know how to properly use it and only manage to damage it, you fool. Let me tell you, watching you fight made me feel like I was going to die from frustration.]

“…Was I that bad at fighting? I thought I was doing pretty well until now…”

Of course, the strange techniques Hersella showed that day were things I couldn’t even imagine.

I didn’t know Karma of Murder could be handled in such ways.

Still, I had fought hard and was confident enough in my record…

[Shut up. I feel like I’m going to burst with anger.]

Apparently Hersella didn’t feel the same way.

Fierce irritation and anger swept through my mind.

[It’s good that you recognized your lack of skill and devoted yourself to swordsmanship. It wasn’t bad that you awakened your own Karma and defeated the Champion. But in the end, those are just foundations barely built on an empty field. What do you think is the source of the power that has kept you alive, the strength you’ve enjoyed until now?]

…Karma of Murder.

The ominous power that grows stronger by slaughtering innocent people.

That was an undeniable fact.

[The fastest path to becoming stronger is right in front of you, yet why do you turn away from it? What’s the reason you foolishly choose to take the long way around when there’s a shortcut? You’re not afraid of the blood of Werebeasts and monsters, but you fear seeing human blood?]

Hersella spat out fierce sarcasm.

[No, that can’t be it. You’re not some youngster who’s never killed people before. In that burning village, didn’t you also enjoy it? I was quite pleased with you back then.]

That was because they were evil people.

Criminals who needed to be eliminated. It was completely different from killing innocent people.

“So you want me to massacre thousands of innocent people like you did? And then end up going mad and dying?”

This was advice I couldn’t accept.

The path Hersella suggested—I knew very well what its end would be.

[Are you bothered by that priestess’s words? The words of a foolish girl full of blind faith and contradictions? A warrior should stay away from sorcery and shamanism.]

“…I’m not a Ka’har warrior. I’m an imperial knight.”

[Your words flow smoothly. Even though you don’t even pledge loyalty to the Empire. And I haven’t personally killed thousands with my own hands either. How long would it take to kill that many one by one?]

What is she saying?

Before being called the Were Eater, the most famous name for me was the slaughterer who killed thousands of Danes.

“Everyone says that when they see the Karma of Murder you’ve accumulated.”

[That’s a misunderstanding. Others would need that much bloodshed to accumulate this level of Karma. I’m different. The number I’ve directly killed… would barely exceed a thousand.]

“…A thousand or thousands. What’s the difference?”

Is a terrorist who killed 5 people twice as good as one who killed 10?

Essentially, there’s no difference.

[The efficiency is different. Can’t you even realize that? When others kill ten, I can kill just two and accumulate equal power. So what faster way is there to become stronger?]

Efficiency.

Her slaughter of people was explained by just those two words.

With the same mindset as an athlete looking for a better diet, she had calmly committed atrocities.

Feeling a shudder of alienation, I unconsciously clenched my fists and trembled.

“You committed such acts just for efficiency…?”

[Do you think it’s wrong? How am I different from you people? Humans slaughter livestock and turn them into blood and flesh to survive. Imperial knights slaughter monsters and Werebeasts to gain strength. You did the same. Let me ask you, how are they different from me?]

“You’re trying to justify what you’ve done with such sophistry? Monsters and Werebeasts are enemies who attack humans! We don’t kill them to become stronger; we become stronger as a result of defending against them!”

I couldn’t stop the anger and passion from filling my voice. Fortunately, it wasn’t loud enough to be heard outside the hospital room.

The more I conversed with her, the more disgust welled up inside me.

[They attack me too, don’t they? Even if I don’t attack first. Westerners may be innocent to you, but not to me.]

“That’s because you’re a slaughterer! After plundering and slaughtering those who have no power to resist, how can you say you’re the same as us?”

It was like a pleasure-seeking serial killer taunting a soldier, saying they’re both the same kind of murderer.

Of course, there’s as much difference between them as between the gallows and a firing squad.

[Do you spare monsters weaker than yourself? Does that priestess show mercy to Werebeast cubs?]

“……”

Her way of thinking was fundamentally different from mine.

To the point where I wondered if it was impossible for me to understand her.

What meaning was there in preaching human morality to someone who doesn’t even distinguish between humans and monsters?

[You can’t answer. Of course you have nothing to refute. The difference between you and us is not actually that great. Hmm, I see. So this is what it feels like to win an argument. It’s quite fun.]

Hersella lightly sneered, apparently taking my silence as submission.

I didn’t even feel like refuting her.

“…Let me ask just two more things. Is that alright?”

[By all means, speak. You’re still just a thief who deserves to be torn apart, but our conversation has been quite entertaining. I’ll specially bestow my mercy upon you.]

Her tone was haughty.

“What does a human life mean to you?”

[Food.]

At this point, I gave up on any emotional exchange with her.

This wasn’t a person but something closer to a carnivorous animal.

“Why did you try so hard to become stronger so quickly?”

[Revenge.]

…Revenge?

Surprisingly, it was a much more human motive than I expected.

In other words, it was a motive that didn’t suit her.

“When you don’t even see people as people, whose revenge are you trying to get?”

Hersella was silent for a moment, then reluctantly mumbled.

[…That’s none of your business. I’ve already answered your two questions, so know that it’s enough.]

She apparently had no intention of telling me.

I could guess roughly even without hearing the answer.

Who else would this woman have been close enough to swear revenge for, other than her own mother?

It was obvious just from the fact that she carried her mother’s sword until it broke, even though it wasn’t recognized as her master and couldn’t infuse Karma of Murder.

[Let me ask you in return, who exactly are you? Judging by your words and actions, you’re not Ka’har, are you a imperial sorcerer?]

What sorcerer?

“…I was just a soldier. I went to sleep and woke up suddenly in someone else’s body.”

There was no reason to explain in detail.

Even if I did, she wouldn’t understand or believe it.

[A soldier. Considering you didn’t know how to use a sword, you must have been a mere low-ranking soldier. How foolish. Trying to be a soldier with a woman’s body who doesn’t even know swordsmanship. You won’t see a good ending.]

Does she think I’m a woman…?

I considered correcting her misunderstanding but… ultimately decided against it.

If she found out that the person who had been using her body as their own for half a year was actually a man, she might go berserk with shame.

To be honest, I doubted whether this woman even had such emotions.