Chapter 273: What I can give (5)

Chapter 273: What I can
give (5)

Heh.

With
a sound of mockery, Cleassia’s lip corner twisted.

“Do
you think I would tell you that?”

“I
don’t know. But in my experience.”

Idelbert,
who answered calmly, also raised her fist.

“People’s
reactions change when they’re beaten until just before death.”

-Thwack!

A
heavy fist filled with anger pounded Cleassia’s fat body.

With
each punch, the sound of flesh tearing and meat being tenderized rang
out repeatedly.

“…crazy…”

“Hey,
don’t listen. Turn your head…We don’t want to get caught in the
crossfire.”

Other
outlaws imprisoned in different cells turned their heads in fear of
Idelbert’s rage.

Coolid
also averted her gaze. Perhaps she thought it would help with
repentance.

It
seemed that she was staying quiet since there would be gain either
way if the demon worshipper spoke.

“……”

Balkan
watched Idelbert throwing punches with an uncomfortable feeling.

‘She’s
being swayed by emotions.’

His
master who had passed down numerous combat experiences to him.

Having
seen Idelbert’s fists and felt them countless times during their
training, he could tell that Idelbert had always maintained calmness,
constantly thinking while moving intuitively.

But
now, Idelbert was throwing punches while engulfed in emotions of
anger and hostility.

As
she wielded her body, not yet fully recovered from the battle with
Diana, with a mind that had lost its coolness, rough breaths escaped.

It
had transformed from the punch of a skilled warrior to the clumsy
punch of a back-alley thug.

—That
bitch who tried to brainwash my little sister. Where is she hiding?

And
the reason for all this would be related to Idelbert’s taboo.

“…Master.”

I
quietly approached and grabbed Idelbert’s shoulder.

It
was difficult to just watch her being swayed by emotions like this.

“Remove
this hand, disciple. The punishment is not yet over.”

“Don’t
you know that it no longer has meaning, Master?”

Cleassia,
who had been provoking Idelbert and running her mouth until just a
moment ago.

“You
think… I would, willingly, open, my mouth… just because you do
this?”

Despite
being beaten to a pulp by the consecutive punches, her two manic eyes
still contained deep contempt and mockery.

“Demon
of Envy. If we awaken that one, we can live in a world full of chaos
again!”

The
person consumed by the emotion of envy raised her broken arms and
worshipped the being she believed in.

“A
world where even the most decent person doesn’t hide their ugly envy
and jealousy! If everyone in the world harbors such emotions, they
won’t be hurt by mediocre sympathy and kindness! You who reject and
don’t accept this perfect world are the evil that eats away at this
world!”

Not
being able to proudly accept their own ugly jealousy.

Deep
contempt arose as I faced the ideology of this crazy woman who wished
for a world where everyone envied and was jealous of each other,
wanting her ugly jealousy to be accepted as a natural emotion.

I
seem to understand why people despised demon worshippers.

They
were mad psychopathic terrorists who tried to overturn the whole
world to justify their twisted ideology and desires.

“Look,
disciple. This woman hasn’t been beaten enough. She’s still spouting
nonsense as if it’s a proper ideology.”

“…Then
I will make this one repent. Master, please rest now. Your fists are
bleeding too.”

The
clumsy punches had become harmful to Idelbert as well, with blood
forming on the torn skin.

At
the voice filled with concern, Idelbert gave a very faint smile and
patted Balkan’s back with a palm that wasn’t bloodied.

“Don’t
worry. It’s not related to you. It’s my personal revenge, so I won’t
drag you into it.”

Balkan
bit his lip at that resolute voice.

“That’s
a hurtful thing to say.”

“What?”

“If
it’s your revenge, Master, why is it not related to me?”

-Flinch!

At
that voice, Idelbert’s black cat tail stood up stiffly.

Unlike
the tail showing an intense reaction, I asked Idelbert, who had a
dazed expression as if hit by a hammer.

“If
I were to die, would you not seek revenge against the one who killed
me?”

“No.”

Idelbert
immediately shook her head.

It
seemed like an unpleasant thought just to imagine, as her brow was
deeply furrowed.

“I
don’t know who would have killed you, but I would immediately go find
that person and cut off their head. No, just cutting off the head
wouldn’t be enough. I would make them feel the pain of becoming a
living corpse by denying them food for a month and controlling their
breathing. …No, no. That’s still not enough. I would turn them into
minced jerky and make Shuding eat it three times a day—”

After
listing dozens of execution methods, Idelbert suddenly came to her
senses and shook her head vigorously.

“Besides,
talking about dying is too extreme an example. This and that are
completely different cases.”

“They
are not different. Master, you would calmly do such cruel things for
my revenge. I am the same.”

If
he were to die, Idelbert had promised to avenge him.

‘Then,
what I must do is the same.’

I
too must help with her revenge.

“If
you would move for my revenge, Master, I should rightfully help with
your revenge as well.”

“……”

Faced
with eyes filled with resolute will, Idelbert turned her head quickly
and grabbed her black cat tail tightly.

-Swish.
Swish.

Representing
her pounding emotions, her cat tail that couldn’t be controlled waved
rapidly, but when she grabbed the middle of it with a strong grip,
the tail moved gently, controlled by the fierce force.

Idelbert,
who bowed her head deeply to hide her flushed face, spoke as if
reluctantly.

“Yes,
if you insist that much, well. I guess it can’t be helped. Ugh…
let’s stop here for today.”

-Thud.

Idelbert
let go of Cleassia’s collar and looked at Coolid.

“Heal
me a bit.”

“Sigh…”

Coolid,
who nodded with a deep sigh, prepared to leave the underground prison
with Idelbert.

“Balkan.
Why aren’t you coming along?”

At
Coolid’s question, Balkan clenched his fist and glared at Cleassia,
who had been beaten to a pulp.

“…I’d
like to have a conversation with this one for a moment, would that be
possible?”

“Hmm.
According to regulations, outsiders shouldn’t even be here, let alone
having a private meeting with a prisoner…”

-Glance.

Coolid
looked at Balkan for a moment and wore a contemplative expression.

‘…If
he’s someone Idelbert trusts so much, and has holy power similar to
Lady Sheriff…’

It
might be good to create a debt now.

Coincidentally,
in a few months, one of the most important events of the order, the
True Repentance Ceremony, will be held…

Coolid
spoke as if it was nothing.

“If
you participate in the order’s event that will be held in a few
months, today’s me might become a bit dim-sighted.”

“If
you call, I should naturally go.”

“Hoho.
Is it because I’m getting old? My sight is a bit blurry. I should go
out and put in some eye drops.”

Coolid
turned her steps with a satisfied face at the deal that ended
quickly.

Idelbert
looked at Balkan and the axe he carried on his back for a moment.

Then
she patted his broad back and whispered quietly.

“Don’t
overdo it.”

“I’ll
be moderate.”

Balkan
smiled softly at the voice filled with subtle concern.

Idelbert
was one of the few individuals who saw through Bunny’s magi
concealment, along with Zirnier, the creator of Bunny.

Even
though Bunny’s power and concealment ability had grown stronger after
receiving part of the Sloth demon’s magi, it wasn’t at a level to
evade the eyes of someone as skilled as Idelbert, and we had sparred
with weapons, so it was natural.

Judging
by how she seemed to have already noticed what I was about to do, the
period we spent as master and disciple was definitely not short.

Shortly
after they left, Balkan and Cleassia looked at each other with a cell
bar between them.

“What
the hell are you?”

Cleassia
asked, filled with feelings of doubt.

“What
the hell kind of bastard are you?! What’s your purpose?!”

The
image of a man wearing a helmet was captured in Cleassia’s eyes as
she trembled and growled.

“You
imprison me here, make that senior priest your ally, and play master
and disciple with the Adventurer Union leader who has been chasing us
from before?!”

“Would
you even listen to what I say now?”

I
chuckled and pointed my axe at Cleassia.

“What
are you trying to do? If you kill me now, wouldn’t you suffer more
loss?”

“I’m
not going to kill you. Why would I kill you? You need to spill all
the information you have, right?”

“Ha.
Do you think I, a faithful servant of the one who will resurrect the
Demon of Envy, would reveal even a single piece of information about
that one?”

It
was a foolish and impossible thing.

The
idol of the demon, the faith in those who follow a distorted belief.

All
of those things made up Cleassia, so.

“No
matter what torture you inflict, I will not open my mouth to you
bastards.”

“It’s
not torture.”

“Huh.
Then are you saying you’re going to make me repent? You? Ha!”

Cleassia
mocked with an expression that didn’t hide her incredulity, and he
nodded.

“That’s
right.”

“…What?”

To
the voice expressing doubt, Balkan simply pointed his axe.

Crack—

As
the cold axe blade split in half and revealed vicious teeth, a shadow
began to cast over Cleassia’s face.

“You
will open your mouth on your own with submission.”

Crunch—!

In
a world filled with pure white, Cleassia opened her eyes.

“…Where
is this?”

Heaven?
Hell?

This
place was too desolate to compare with places that had such clear
colors.

A
sense of facing an emptiness that had devoured everything, including
the world and herself, leaving nothing behind.

[Foolish
one.]

A
woman’s voice echoed throughout that empty world.

The
moment she heard the voice that seemed to pierce her brain,
Cleassia’s entire body was covered in goosebumps.

‘What,
is this—’

Just
from hearing the voice, she shrunk like an insect facing a carnivore,
confronting such horrible and ugly magic that gave her goosebumps all
over her body.

She
had never heard or faced such a terrible aura in her life.

‘…No.’

She
had.

The
axe that the guy who destroyed the plan she had worked on for years
and caused her downfall was carrying.

From
there, magi similar to this had—

[The
will of my subordinate is my will. How pathetic that a person who
handles magi cannot perceive that deep meaning.]

With
each word uttered, the immense magi that contained a grand caliber
pricked Cleassia’s entire body like needles.

Eventually,
Cleassia faced a being sitting majestically on a throne with legs
crossed.

That
being was looking down at Cleassia indifferently.

For
a moment, her eyes went to the oddly numerous restraining chains
scattered under the throne.

Cleassia,
feeling the magi possessed by the being before her, knelt in
astonishment.

-Tremble…

The
joy of facing a great being boiled up throughout her body.

And,
everything was roughly understood.

Why
that man had raised holy power, why he carried an axe imbued with
magi, why he tried to bury her to gain the trust of the order, why he
had infiltrated as a disciple of the Adventurer Union leader…

‘After
all, he was a demon worshipper too!’

Didn’t
they say to deceive your allies first to deceive your enemies?

—You
will open your mouth on your own with submission.

Cleassia,
feeling that she finally understood him at this moment, bowed to the
great being.

“To
the one who is a part of the seven great demons and has risen to the
seat of Gluttony, this lowly creature offers greetings.”

Bunny,
seeing Cleassia bowing to her, held back laughter inside.

‘I
was preparing to enchant that guy according to the scenario recited
by my attached creature…’

Looking
at that appearance, it seemed unnecessary.

The
next day.

“…What
is this?”

The
worshipper of the Demon of Envy received a letter.