CH 203

I thrust the spear into the floor, leaving myself unarmed.

There would be no need for weapons in the upcoming battle.

「And?」

Khius answered my question with a monologue.

「The first country I destroyed was a small one. It was a country founded by war refugees. It was the country of my first wife. She was a beautiful woman, so I took her as a spoil of war.

As a slave, of course.

I had planned to thoroughly savor the princess of the ruined country and then release her when I got tired of her.

Well, I never got tired of her until she passed away, no, not even after she had left this world. She was the only woman in my life who could make me forget everything.

It sounds weird coming from a faithless man like me, but she was a goddess akin to St. Lyridias. I suppose that's why she departed so quickly to be with the gods.

But she did leave me a child.

She left me something to live for.

Since then, I've destroyed two countries.

The number of people I've killed is………………meaningless, though it's probably in the thousands to tens of thousands. I killed every last soldier. Whether they were brave or ran away, I sent them to their deaths without distinction.

I set fire to both the old and babies alike.

I raped women. And when I tired of them, I gave them away to starved soldiers.

It made no difference to me whether they were royalty or commoners. They were nothing more than sacks of flesh.

But when I returned home, my child would be waiting for me.

As a loving father, I would hold my child tight.

By masking the stench of blood, the beast can be hidden behind the mask of a father. I'm a clown, if I do say so myself. Even so, I hoped to see my child smile. This is not a lie. And even if it were, it would become real if I added substance to it. This is the life I've chosen」

「And?」

Perhaps he missed my point, but he’s speaking of unrelated matters.

Or is this just a long preamble?

「Even a contemptible beast like me has two things that I hold dear. One is the child my late wife left me. The other is my friend」

「………………」

It may be necessary to hear him out, but this is a topic of no interest to me.

「My friend Dilbert made me a hero even though I was nothing more than an expendable soldier. If it weren't for him, I would have finished up dead as a shadow absorbed by fame」

I blurted out something that had suddenly occurred to me.

「Were you a【heroes' spearhead】?」

「Oh-ho, as expected of you. There are only a small handful of people in Elysium who know that name」

Barfuru's face flashed across my mind.

That damned shitty dog. He refuses to eat anything but the most expensive meat………oh, wait, that's the wrong one.

「That's right. I used to be a【heroes' spearhead】. I devoted everything I had to help create the illusion of heroism. With a sense of duty that even a rat wouldn't care for. But now, there's only one person I pledge allegiance to.

I care not for the teachings of St. Lyridias or the bloated politicians. The eight beast-hunter kings are as good as trash to me. My loyalty is to my friend, to the friendship I have with Dilbert. ………And that's precisely why!」

Khius's anger was rekindled.

He ravaged the mangled remains of the doll some more.

「I cannot forgive them! I cannot forgive them! These demons that beguile people's minds and plunder knowledge! They must have instigated Dilbert and dragged our country into this vicious cycle of darkness!」

「Hey」

Listen, dammit.

And learn.

「Wasn't this doll working under the orders of your friend?」

「Why do you believe that? Have you been beguiled as well?」

What a pain in the ass he is. In the end, this guy only hears what he wants to hear.

As much as it bores me, I'll have to explain it to him.

「I know a creature that's similar to these guys」

I picked up a part of the doll at my feet. It was the part where the skeletal wings grew out of.

「He said that he was created by a demon. According to him, that demon stole the knowledge necessary from somewhere within the Lyridias Order. This doll――――――」

I fiddled with the wing. It didn't open as wide as I thought it would. It wouldn't work properly either. At its base, I spotted a puckering of flesh that wasn't a scar.

Under the influence of alcohol and completely against my will, I had once taken a long, hard look at the Guild President's body.

It was beautiful to the point of obsession.

His wings had worked like a bird's, its movements very natural. This, combined with his beautiful features, was enough to leave most women in awe, which gave me an idea of why the Guild President was so unpopular with the ladies.

「Yeah, it's pretty badly made. Compared to him, this doll is just a shoddy piece of work that's all appearance. There’s no substance in its creation. It's completely hollow and empty. That's why I know. That this one is the original」

Furthermore, it was something the creator had gotten tired of midway through.

It was a creature tossed aside instead of being improved.

「Don't be ridiculous」

「It's the truth. I’ve been bestowed with the gift of insight by Gravius, the night owl, sister god of Minerva. Appraising things is one of my specialties. If my eyes were blind, I wouldn't have been able to create the ramen that you enjoyed with such relish」

「Take it back. Or will you stake your life on that drivel?」

Clichédly, the tip of the sword was pointed at me.

In my current state, a stab to the throat or heart would kill me instantly.

「Even if I take them back, it won’t erase the truth. Taking the truth as lies is the mark of a fool」

The sword burst into motion.

Its edge cut through the air.

No, he's just making a threat.

「Ffft」

Even though I already knew it, I couldn't stop a gasp from escaping. I felt something cold on my neck.

The hero was looking at me with muddled eyes. That was where his weakness lay.

「Khius, I’m curious. Why aren't you fulfilling your friend's order without delay? Isn't that what you've always done? Are you now abandoning your mission over some whitewashing and lip service? Or is there some reason why you cannot let your friend's evil deeds go unchecked?」

「Is there any reason to answer a dying man's questions?」

「Think of it as a parting gift for the dying」

「I refuse」

Then it can’t be helped.

「I'll answer it for you then」

I pulled a stack of written documents out of my pocket and strewed them across the floor.

「What are these?」

「Take a look」

I urged Khius on with my chin. He picked up one of the documents and his expression changed.

「A list of my purchases, huh?」

So what? his expression seemed to say.

「Your family is pretty big, isn't it? The katanas you got as souvenirs alone numbered thirty. Hair ornaments, knick-knacks, cosmetics, seasonings, there's enough stuff for fifty people」

「So, what's your point?」

「What's my point, you ask? I'm just impressed by how cautious you are. Is this from your experience as a spearhead? The goods are being transported with great care and through a variety of hands, making good use of knights, merchants of the center continent, and "islanders". Despite all the contacts I have, I was only able to get a rough idea of where those goods are headed」

「You……」

It seems that he's caught on to my threat.

Here's where the problem begins. I'll need to be clever in the use of falsehoods.

「Tell me, Khius, you've grown to love your child very much, haven't you? And that love has trickled outwards. Maybe it started because your child wanted a playmate, or maybe your child sought a woman's touch, or maybe it was to atone. One by one, more and more people were gathered, and soon, there was no stopping it. In order to support all of them, more people were added. With this and that, a community was formed. The story about you buying an entire island for your mistresses wasn't just a rumor, was it? How many people are there in total?」

「I don't see any need to tell you that」

「By our estimates, there are just under 500. That's more than enough for you to call yourself a king. That's why you feared your friend's evil deeds. No, you simply shielded your eyes from the truth」

「What the hell are you planning on doing?」

He's finally realized that I’m poisonous.

I guess I ought to put some pressure on him here.

「A hero who feels compassion for others can't commit mass slaughter. No matter how bloody your past may be, if you take the path of righteousness from now on, you will surely become a respected hero who's remembered for generations to come」

「What are you saying? That I should betray my friend? Are you suggesting that I rise up in revolt against Elysium?!」

「I'm glad to see that you're quick to catch on. That's exactly right」

Khius raised his sword.

「Souya, consider your next words carefully. You're trampling on the honor of a hero, you realize?」

If he swings that sword down on my head, it'll split me in half. Well, that makes us even.

I'm holding a knife to his throat as well.

「Can you really destroy Lemuria?」

「I can. It’s easy, I simply have to kill my own heart and feed it to the beast. When I awaken from the dream, all that's left will be the rubble under my feet」

「I see………………」

That's within my expectations.

In the end, he's just a dog.

When all is said and done, he's just a beast that follows orders.

Crush him and he'll wag his tail for you.

「Fair enough, but have a look at this one last thing」

The last card I had to play was a vial containing an insect.

It was the dead body of a wheat-colored insect that resembled a grasshopper. There were also some small white eggs that looked like grains of rice inside the vial.

「………Where did you get that from?」

「As I thought, you’re aware of what this is. It seems that weakening countries by messing with their food supply is something Elysium routinely does」

This means that the baldy, who had managed to defend against that, is pretty capable in spite of everything.

For some reason, I find that frustrating.

「These insects that nest in wheat are a legacy of a spy who washed up on this land」

「Libera Araruledo, huh? I didn't know he was working with you」

I couldn't help but burst out laughing at his misguided words.

Khius glared at me sullenly.

「Working with me? That's not it at all. I'm the one who drove him out of this country」

Would anything have been different if I had worked with him, I wonder?

Well, it would likely have been for the worse.

「I don't see what you're getting at, Souya. What's the point of bringing up these pests? Are you thinking of denouncing Elysium's deeds? No one will believe you. Even if they did, they would already be Elysium's enemies to begin with, like the Myriad Kings. Or the abandoned people of countries Elysium has brought to ruin」

「That's not it. I'm not going to do something that stupid」

I won't speak of justice.

I have no interest in you guys' notion of justice or evil.

「These insects have been modified by someone working with me」

A bug drone for demonstration purposes landed on the palm of my outstretched hand.

The bug drone is a mosquito whose head has been replaced by electronic components. Makina creates them by breeding mosquitoes that are harmless to the ecosystem.

Apart from that, that A.I. has an interest in studying insects. This is a particularly harmful pest that was developed in the course of her research.

「This wheat-eating insect reproduces much more aggressively than the ones you guys use. What's more, it flies. According to our forecasts, if a single colony of them comes to age and a season passes without any action taken against them, they will spread to every island in the vicinity of the center continent within seven days, devouring all the wheat, no, they'll devour "everything that can be eaten". It'll be like being thrown into hell」

Oh, that’s right.

「Calling them "wheat-eating insects" isn't going to cut it. I should give them a grand-sounding name. Locusts……isn't a word that the people of this world are familiar with, is it? It also sounds dumb. Another Agi―――――using that is probably not a good idea. Let's see……………… Ah, that's right. That one's great. I'll go with that. It fits the bill perfectly」

The king of locusts. The fifth of the seven apocalyptic events.

Said to be invoked by an angel's trumpet. The original meaning of "that".

「Abaddon」

The adventurer who was charged with defeating the Abaddon has brought a new Abaddon into this world.

In the words of Barfuru, this is yet another ironic work of the gods.

「Souya, what are you………」

「This morning, a ship set sail. It’s bound for the islands in the vicinity of the center continent. The goods it carries include materials from the dungeon, weapons and armor, accessories, seasonings, and wheat flour with these Abaddon in it. Their eggs are safe to eat, but if they somehow find their way into soil, they will start to multiply. Well, the wheat flour isn't really of good quality, so it might get used as feed for livestock, I suppose. Well, there are many ways in which the eggs can hatch」

「Are you insane?! That’s going to cause a famine of unprecedented magnitude!」

Among the islands that will be caught up in it is Shuna's hometown, the Azorido archipelago.

That's why I didn't want to do this either.

「I know. That's the idea. I doubt Elysium will do much to help. There's nothing in it for them. No, I suppose there's a chance that the Abaddon could hit the center continent itself」

And this right continent as well.

「Khius, I don't know which of the islands is the one you want to protect. But I've narrowed it down to “one of the center continent islands between the center and right continent". So I simply dragged all of them into it」

「………………No way」

The beast looked at me like he was seeing a monster.

「That's my blade. And I'm pointing it at the entirety of your family right now」

「Give the order to stop this!」

He made a cheap threat by swinging his sword down.

It cut open my cheek a little, but the regeneration point made the wound disappear without a trace.

「It cannot be stopped. No matter what I do, it can no longer be stopped. The seeds of disaster have already been sown」

「What are you thinking?! Do you have any idea how many people are going to die because of this?!」

「Somewhere in the neighborhood of 610,000 people. If the Abaddon were to make it to the continent itself, that would probably double the death toll」

「That's not something a human would do. ………………No, you’re just trying to deceive me, aren’t you?!」

Well, I'd also like to stop with the jokes.

I didn't come to the alternate world to become a mass murderer after all.

「If that's what you think, then so be it. You're free to believe me or not」

The bug drone took off from my hand and flew towards Khius.

It was cut in two with a single swing of his sword.

The bug drone burned up in a blaze of sparks as the pyrotechnic device used to destroy any evidence activated.

「Khius. You shall soon see wheat-colored clouds. Swarms of all-consuming Abaddon. And when that time comes, it will be too late for any of us. It'd be the end of the world」

「You're talking as if it's not too late」

「It's not too late」

It all comes down to this.

「Tell me, Khius Logret Londahl, wouldn't you like to be a real hero?」

「What…did you say?」

I'm gonna stuff it down your throat.

「You’re a hero with blood on your hands. You've gotten to where you are on the backs of countless corpses. You know it yourself, and that's why you don't take pride in it. You fixate your thoughts on trivial things like friendship and fellowship. But there’s a way to turn your evil deeds into a source of pride. Save more lives than you've taken. Save the entire world from the threat of the Abaddon」

「………………」

「There’s a way to weed out the Abaddon. It's a task that will take a very long time. It may not be something that can be accomplished in your lifetime alone. It's a simple task, one that requires you to lay down your sword and get yourself dirty crawling on the ground in search of insects. Even so, it's better than being a killer. A whole world's worth better」

「………………」

Khius did not answer.

Gripping his sword tightly, he had bottled up his emotions.

「Today, right here and now, kill the hero called Khius. Cast Elysium aside. Then rise again as a solitary, unsung hero」

「What's the way you spoke of?」

I'll give you a quick glimpse of the right answer.

「The way to find the Abaddon and the way to manage the creatures that prey on them. And the way to make pesticides in case of emergencies. If you leave this land, I'll give this knowledge to you, along with the ship itself, when you're out at sea」

「………………I can't betray my friend」

「Then can you abandon your family to their deaths?」

「………………I can't do that either」

「You're such a fortunate man. Most people never have the chance to make that choice」

「Choice, huh?」

Yeah, that's right.

You dog.

How lucky you are to be given freedom even though you were just a kept dog. If that bastard Barfuru had known, he'd have beaten you to death.

「Life is all about choosing the path towards obtaining happiness. It's also life to choose, realize you've made a mistake, and then crawl back up again. You don't have to live a life where all you do is kill people at the bidding of others. If you've got the rod and balls, then choose the life you want and seize it for yourself!」

「Tch」

Khius averted his eyes with a click of his tongue.

I smiled.

I gave him the smile of a monster that had devoured people before.

「Come, Hero, choose. What will you kill and what will you let live? Wager it all on sword or wheat」

It's been a while since I've done something befitting a follower of the god of misdeeds.

Whatever his answer may be and whatever outcome it may bring, I’m satisfied with that alone.

「I……」

Khius raised his sword―――――――

Woah, so this is what everything was all about. Putting the entire world at stake just to threaten someone……it’s not something someone without a few screws loose could do…

Btw, Souya was about to rip off Kamen Rider there when he was thinking of names. He was one syllable short of saying “Another Agito”. XD

Also, please tell me I don’t have to explain “the rod and balls”……

Oh, and “the smile of a monster that had devoured people before” is what Souya himself had used to describe the magistrate’s smile several chapters back. He was purposefully riling Khius up, wasn’t he? He even used the magistrate’s exact words to reply him before this.

What will Khius choose? And stay tuned! If you thought that was a killer negotiation, there’s a more godly one coming!