Ch.8829. Does Having Nothing Mean You Can’t Do Anything? (2)

My nose hurt.

No, what hurt was the act of breathing in.

The very act itself was painful.

As if the outside air had turned into blades seeping in.

Even the air being absorbed felt painful.

I exhale with a “hoo,” releasing the heat I had struggled to take in.

The heat in my lungs is instantly expelled through my mouth and nose, yet the burning sensation remains.

My body felt like it was burning up, but contradictorily, chills ran through me.

‘This is the worst.’

My mind is hazy.

The full-body muscle pain was almost trivial compared to how the situation was worse than expected.

I’m painfully realizing why I was told to organize my thoughts before waking up.

Right now, simply enduring and persevering was an excruciating ordeal.

“Are you awake?”

An unfamiliar voice came from beside me.

“……”

That woman.

Asess, was it?

She seemed to have other self-proclaimed titles, but that’s all I could remember at the moment.

Anyway… let’s start with what needs to be done first.

“I have… something to ask.”

“You want to satisfy your curiosity first, even in that condition?”

“How much do you know about me?”

The Demon Lord had said it.

Venus recognized that woman.

And Venus had used a similar, perhaps identical, bodily function as her.

And judging by the briefly similar movements, he pointed out that the two had learned the same thing and influenced each other.

In other words, she was either from the Salvation Knights or connected to them.

Even if Kariel himself hadn’t known much since she appeared because his mind was fluctuating, the Demon Lord seemed to have observed and grasped the situation.

“That question is too vague.”

“Not me as someone’s child, but me as you know me. By that standard.”

“This sounds like some philosophical question. Interesting.”

She rubs her chin with her index finger.

“But seeing that you don’t remember me, I guess the rumors I heard were true.”

“……”

“We used to hang out quite a bit, you know?”

At that, Venus, who had been leaning against a wall, cut in with disbelief.

“What? You two had that kind of relationship?”

“What kind of relationship? How vulgar.”

Asess clicked her tongue reproachfully.

“My coming here has nothing to do with you. In a way, it’s no different from you seeking me out.”

“…You mean the sword.”

The one who draws the sword.

And if it’s the sword of Grandeus?

The Salvation Knights couldn’t have overlooked that.

“No one assigned it to me… so is it because of some prophecy or something?”

“Your quick thinking hasn’t changed, I see?”

“……”

She, Asess, was treating me as if everything was perfectly natural.

As if even my competence or perceptiveness was completely expected.

In other words, she’s evaluating the current me based on who I was in the past.

“If I were the person you remember from the past, what do you think I would do next?”

“First, you’d assess the situation. But once that’s done, you’d take action.”

“……”

I struggled to move my body, extending my feet out of the bed.

Naturally, more perplexing than the pain was the overwhelming weakness and chills throughout my body.

Just from the slight reduction in warmth, my entire body began to tremble.

“Where are you trying to go?”

“…I need to address the immediate issue first.”

Breathing heavily, I gestured toward the outside with just my gaze.

“Isn’t it quite noisy out there?”

“…The sound wasn’t that loud. You must have good hearing.”

“It’s obvious.”

Beyond lying, this would be deception or fraud, but that’s beside the point.

…Does the truth even matter right now?

Just walking, no, even standing upright was torturous.

I had only stood up, yet the world seemed to flip upside down.

“Are you going to be okay?”

“……”

I don’t know.

Has my physical condition ever been this terrible before?

Still, it’s a familiar process.

Being in poor physical condition was never something to be proud of.

…In a world where even that led to insult and contempt rather than sympathy.

How many times was I torn apart for even that being considered a flaw?

As a result, I pretended to be unwell when I was fine, and pretended to be fine when I was at my worst.

…I always acted as if my condition was abnormal.

‘How unfunny.’

Only at my absolute worst do I end up reproaching myself, realizing that even that was what? Childishness? Clumsiness?

Anyway, it was a useless farce.

Watching me and deciding this wasn’t right, Asess, who had been supporting me, finally chided Venus.

“Aren’t you going to help?”

“…Why interfere when a man is trying to stand on his own feet? That would be the real insult.”

“How can you be so narrow-minded?”

“A crazy woman like you would never understand.”

Venus and Asess seemed quite familiar (?) with each other in many ways.

After catching my breath for a while with Asess’s brief support,

I opened the door and left the secluded room of the chapel, walking down the narrow corridor.

The commotion became more directly palpable.

Yet still, with my body in its worst state, my mind was hazy, and with chills, weakness, pain, and dizziness all overlapping… it was truly the worst.

I’m realizing how breathing alone can be hell.

But.

…That’s my problem.

The world isn’t kind to someone like me.

“I’ll go alone.”

“Alright.”

At my words, Asess slowly released her support and stepped back.

“……”

I’ve gotten used to standing.

I never thought realizing that would feel so gracious.

I slowly move my steps.

Despite no interference or hindrance, each step forward became increasingly heavy.

And then.

A golden light drapes across one side of my vision.

-How primitive the crowd is. Watch carefully.

Well, you probably already know that well.

====

As anxiety and anger built up, their hostility grew stronger.

The crowd surrounding the front of the chapel was repeatedly threatening and intimidating those blocking their way, as if ready to drive them away at any moment.

“The whole village is in danger because of you!”

“Bring that bastard out right now!”

“You know you’re all accomplices?! Do you think we’ll just leave you alone?!”

Leo raised his voice as if trying to calm them down.

“Why is everyone acting like this?! This won’t solve anything!”

“Outsider, stay out of this! Hey! Luiness! You say something! Why are you protecting that bastard?!”

“…It is a believer’s duty to protect all who enter God’s courtyard.”

“We don’t care about Irenis Church principles or whatever!”

“Be honest! What are you plotting?! Ah, I get it! Are you just trying to get something out of him because he’s a descendant of that great hero?!”

“With your good looks, you’ve always acted high and mighty! So you had this talent! Well, with legs like yours, I guess you need to look after yourself somehow!”

“So! How far have you gone?! Have you already gone all the way?!”

At those words, Luirin stomped the ground.

BOOM!

“These bastards just can’t stop saying the worst things! You! Want me to break your legs into pieces?! Want to limp for the rest of your life?!”

“Y-you little brat! How dare you interrupt when adults are speaking!”

“People with no roots are always like that!”

“I heard that little brat also came crawling in following that hero’s descendant!”

“That’s why he’s so desperate to protect him!”

Even a word or two of protest suddenly becomes an excuse, a forced argument.

No matter what is said, it doesn’t get through.

It wouldn’t be this frustrating even if you were shouting at a wall.

“W-wait! Look over there!”

“Huh?”

As a different kind of disturbance arose, those guarding the chapel entrance reflexively turned around to look behind them.

And.

It became clearly evident why all their attention was focused there.

“M-master?”

“…You’re up?”

Luirin and Leo spoke with anxious eyes, but he only met their gaze without bothering to respond.

“……”

Luiness cast a precarious glance, but Kariel calmly let that pass too.

He walked past them with steady steps, neither fast nor slow.

“Hey, brother. Are you going to be okay?”

Even to the wolf-faced beastman Gehben’s question, Kariel just gave a slight nod.

When Gehben looked past him toward Asess inside the chapel, she merely shrugged.

As they made way, he was naturally exposed to the countless people holding farming tools, implements, and instruments, and

he approached them without a trace of agitation.

“Ah, you were hiding inside until now!”

“Do you think we’ll f-forgive you just because you’re coming out now?!”

For some reason.

Somehow.

Everyone confronting him began to be enveloped by an inexplicable chill and anxiety.

His attire and appearance draped in pitch black.

His skin color so pale it appeared almost white in contrast.

With no trace of blood, he almost gave the illusion of being a corpse.

And yet.

Those eyes.

Those golden, amber-colored eyes.

…They felt extremely ominous rather than beautiful.

And someone watching realized that this unease was similar to another time.

The gaze of a beast with yellow eyes staring intently at them.

The reason they had survived then was probably because the beast had just finished hunting.

The satiated beast seemed to have no particular interest in them.

So it just watched and did nothing.

They wisely retreated to avoid provoking the beast.

…Normally, at the moment of encounter, praying for God’s mercy wouldn’t have been enough.

Perhaps it would have been better to earnestly pray for a less painful death.

“Whatever choice you make, you will die.”

Amidst all this, when he uttered those words in a low voice that was somehow distinctly audible,

all kinds of negative emotions erupted over the quiet atmosphere, like pouring oil on fire.

“What does that mean?!”

“It’s all because of you!”

“Speak clearly!”

“How dare you say such things in your position?!”

The angry crowd spewed their fury as if ready to pounce at any moment.

And Kariel took in the sight without any emotion.

The scene evoked a strange sentiment in those watching.

And.

Is this what they mean by wearing oneself out?

Despite all the condemnation, when he didn’t even blink an eye, the criticism began to wane.

However, this situation was a precarious structure that could collapse at any moment.

Even if you prop up a fallen pillar, how long can a building with collapsed pillars maintain its form and integrity?

“Whether you kill me or not. The result is the same. You will die somehow. You will die unjustly. You will die painfully. That’s the reality.”

What is he…

“What nonsense is this?!”

“I heard that if only you die, the village can be safe!”

“What does being the son of a great hero have to do with anything?!”

“It’s because you came here and brought discord!”

“I can’t stand this anymore!”

“Me neither!”

Finally, several hot-blooded men rushed forward.

And Kariel saw.

The dark desires and anxieties in their eyes.

How they were rationalizing their actions by mixing these emotions.

“Aaaah!”

“Master?!”

Due to the distance, it was already too late to protect him.

No, maybe it was possible to intervene with split-second timing!

But, regardless of Luirin’s concern.

“Ugh?!”

Kariel suppressed their violence.

Not just suppressed.

Overwhelmingly so.

He naturally caught the attack of a man swinging an iron axe with his bare hand, and with just his left hand at that.

“Huh…?”

On the other side, despite the clear difference in size, he didn’t yield an inch and instead seemed to be overpowering his opponent.

Moreover, he subdued all the men who rushed at him in this manner, not retreating but advancing and easily subduing them all.

In an instant, he took the breath away from everyone watching.

“If you’re willing to kill others, you must be prepared to die yourself, right?”

“Eek?!”

“Huh!”

“Hiccup!”

Despite his quiet voice, those who heard it up close, right in front of them,

were struck by a shock as if their hearts were being gripped.

So much so that just meeting his eyes made their legs give out and they collapsed.

“Do you want to live?”

The collapsed men nodded in unison as if they had made a pact.

“I ask you all as well. Do you want to live?”

Eventually, Kariel’s gaze shifted from bottom to top.

Toward the crowd spread around.

Despite his small voice and the continuing commotion,

his voice was strangely etched clearly into their ears.

Want to live?

What… of course…

“There is a way.”

What?

“A way for you to live even if I die.”

If these people.

Were truly from the outskirts or remote areas, villages or places that reject the outside world.

This kind of approach wouldn’t have worked.

They say crowds become ignorant, but even that varies according to basic levels.

And these people already have some understanding.

The descendant of the great hero.

And the immediate threat of the remnants of the demon tribe and their leader pressing on the village.

Some of them know well that even if they avoid the immediate crisis, the village can never be the same.

Especially those who have seized real power, the actual ruling class of this place.

Even so, they might think that if they can just avoid the momentary crisis, they can always go elsewhere and start anew.

…But would that really be easy?

One of the culprits who caused the death of the great hero’s child.

In a way, it wouldn’t be strange if they were branded as the focal point or the main axis.

Can they really escape that anger?

Would the great hero, out of generosity, forgive their evil deeds and set aside his grudge?

……No way.

Therefore.

When that culprit, instead of making excuses to save himself,

…rather expressed his intention to throw himself into danger.

At that moment, no one could condemn him.

No, someone might have thought it was deception and lies.

But at least at that moment, it was so.

He didn’t raise his voice, nor did he show any emotion.

In an instant, he dominated the entire area.

“Freedom and happiness don’t suddenly fall from the sky. Miracles and salvation are the same.”

But.

“What you need now is neither salvation nor a miracle.”

Just one thing.

“It’s silence.”

Everything is.

“It’s my fault.”

So.

“Consider it my fault and stay locked up in your homes. If anyone asks, unite in saying it’s because of me, and no matter what anyone says, proclaim it’s because of me.”

But your actions stop there.

“That way, the responsibility and resentment won’t be transferred to you. The outside danger? Do you really think they would touch you? After the example shown earlier, do you think they would care about you?”

In front of the embedded sword of Grandeus, some might have died at the hands of the remnants along with the commander.

But from the village’s perspective, they’re still a minority.

Their families and friends might not understand.

Yet, Kariel himself didn’t kill them.

Blaming Kariel himself for that is truly a shabby self-rationalization.

After all, they were humans who came with the intention of harming Kariel himself.

He wasn’t the kind-hearted type to feel sympathy for that.

Let alone feeling guilty for being caught in the aftermath? No way.

He is not that kind-hearted a person.

“The moment you touch me, you’ll incur the wrath of the Empire, and my father is, for now, that Rueld.”

Huh? Rueld?

…The Knight of Radiance?

What, what? I didn’t hear about that?

“And that anger will be borne by those outside. You don’t need to bear it. Isn’t that why some of you haven’t been able to take a hard line, because some of you know this?”

That’s why they wanted him to leave this village voluntarily, or somehow drive him out.

In the end, they hoped that the source of the problem would disappear, would vanish.

Unfortunately, the stage where it could be resolved at that level has already passed.

For them, even this was a dilemma.

It’s troublesome not to act, and problematic to act.

So they pretended to act, thinking and thinking.

…They were just waiting for a solution to appear.

But if no solution appeared, they might have thought, “Let whatever happens happen.”

“And what are they afraid of that they came here and threaten us?”

It’s very simple.

“They were afraid that I would draw that sword, the holy sword of Grandeus, and drive them away.”

What? The sword of Lord Grandeus?

Holy sword? Did he say holy sword? That was a holy sword?

So… that’s why not just anyone could draw it?

But.

He says he’s the son of the Knight of Radiance?

Then.

Is the child of the very person who killed Grandeus now trying to draw that sword?

How did he know it was a holy sword?

What on earth is going on here?

“The only important thing is this: if you follow my words, you will live; if not, you will die.”

At those words, everyone who had been expressing confusion fell silent at once.

On what basis could he speak like that?

I don’t know.

I really don’t know, but…

“So you must hide behind my back.”

I declare.

“I will never hide behind this village, and even more so, I will never hide behind you.”

Even if I die.

“I will always face death with dignity.”