Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer? - Chapter 75: From the Very Beginning (10)

「This is a breach of contract.」

Breach of contract? What?

「Stop messing around!」

Don’t shout so loudly. Dogs that bark too loudly will…

* * *

“Excuse me? Awaken a Great Demon—”

“Give us more details!”

Deathbringer couldn’t even click his tongue as he looked at the person who’d beaten him to it and was confronting the man. Even the iron wall’s usually naive face, similar to that of a child, was unusually stiff.

And he knew when she made this type of expression. The Inquisitor usually looked like that when she heard information about dangerous things, specifically Demons.

“I don’t really know the details. I just overheard some things.”

“Then tell me what you heard. This is very important.”

The man looked rather shaken at someone else’s sudden interference. She was being quite pushy, as well.

However, perhaps because his survival depended on them, he didn’t keep his mouth shut for long, even if he seemed a little surprised.

“All I heard was that if they succeed, the Great Demon that left them will return and… They would be able to take away the Hero’s sword.”

The Hero’s sword. They didn’t need to think for long to grasp the meaning of these words. The Hero was using a mace, after all, so there was ultimately only one person who could be called her sword.

Even if said sword was rather bad-tempered, and instead of following the Hero’s words, wielded the Hero herself as his weapon.

“…The Demon Knight is in danger.”

“We need to go find him right away.”

Deathbringer had a rare moment of agreement with the Inquisitor, but it wasn’t anything to be happy about.

This could be an incident even worse than their plan failing.

“Hey, what are you talking about?”

“Did the plan go south?”

Was it because those two people, who had stayed incredibly calm even when seeing the Demon Knight running rampant in the castle, suddenly had such serious expressions? The thieves who’d finalized their comrade’s disguise came over carefully.

As one would expect from people who made their living by thinking on their feet, they already seemed infected by Deathbringer’s anxiety.

That wasn’t anything good, either. Low morale could cause even operations with guaranteed success to fail. They somehow needed to regain their momentum.

But how? Just how could they do that? It was hard for them to even get over their own shock, so how could they comfort others?

He bit his dry lips.

He had known how dangerous a gamble this plan was ever since the Demon Knight came up with it.

However, since they were led by the Demon Knight, the greatest force they had, he ignored all the risks.

He wasn’t even capable of imagining that man losing to anyone.

However, was that really the truth? Was there really no way the Knight would be defeated?

“We need to get out of this place right away.”

Deathbringer lowered his gaze as he saw a certain someone, whom he thought was inferior to him at these things, giving out firm orders.

Instead of relying on the Demon Knight’s strength, he should have kept in mind how weak he was against a prepared enemy.

Instead of focusing on the image of him hunting a dragon on his own or walking confidently through a city filled with Demons, he should have remembered him lying on the floor covered in mortal wounds, his face pale in Tatara.

In the end, he had joined the group no matter what to make up for that weakness, despite not being as strong in battle…

“The enemy already knew the Demon Knight would come here! They definitely know our location, as well! We need to move now! Quickly!”

“What?”

“What do you…”

“And you, I would ask for your cooperation as we go. Please come along.”

However, he couldn’t do that. He had been unable to piece together the information fast enough and get the situation under control.

Because of that, the Demon Knight was currently exposed to an enemy blatantly aiming for him. He let him go alone into a place that obviously held strong malice against him, even though he’d heard certain things already.

“And you.”

What now? What should he do if their enemies really had gotten to the Demon Knight? What if the Knight was already being devoured by the Demon and would face them as their enemy…?

Just… Just how on earth were they supposed to get through this?

“Hey, hey! Hey, Thief!”

He didn’t know. Nothing came to his mind. Though they were never completely safe, he now absolutely had to make a plan that would let them at least keep their lives.

The opportunity lost due to his negligence, and the image of the person who might have fallen into mortal danger because of it, flashed before his eyes.

“Hey, get it together!”

And then he felt a tremendous shock run through his cheek. While his teeth didn’t break, the force was enough to split his lip.

“You idiotic bastard! We’re in the middle of enemy territory! No matter what happens or who comes our way, we can’t give up! Do you understand?!”

He was then grabbed by his collar. Green eyes, much brighter than his own, shone clearly before him.

“If you’ve finally returned to your senses, tell me what’s next! I’m not good with infiltrations and the like. Aren’t you supposed to be an expert in that field?!”

He saw himself reflected in them. He looked incredibly stupid, even to himself.

“…What are you talking about! I was clearly thinking about it!?”

“Then talk to me already. Don’t just keep those thoughts in your head!”

“I-I got it already. I’ll tell you while we move.”

Deathbringer calmly gathered his mind and relaxed his body as they conversed as usual. After waking from his panicked state, he finally began to see what he needed to do.

“For now, Mr. Stand-in, don’t go in there.”

How did the enemy know the Demon Knight was coming here? There were two possibilities.

Firstly, they were prepared for it the moment the Demon Knight came to this island. Secondly, the traitor stationed in the secret port reported that they would come here.

“Hey Mister. When did the preparations for that ritual to awaken the Great Demon begin?”

“Erm… I think it started the day before yesterday.”

The day before yesterday. Two days ago. At almost the same time they left the secret port. In that case, it seemed those occupying Ayu Hin had hastily prepared for their arrival after hearing from the spy that they were coming.

“So they know…”

Whether they were part of the strategy meeting, overheard something, or gave their report upon seeing them leave, the spy definitely informed this side that the Demon Knight and the others were on their way here.

So, it was safe to say they also knew of the other intruders’ existence, too.

“Have you overheard them talking about preparing for intruders or something like that?”

“It’s nothing much…”

“Even if it’s just something small, please.”

“I don’t think I heard anything, really… Ah, I heard some say that even if rats came in here, they would just turn into Zombie food, anyway.”

Right. He knew it. But for them to willingly let them in…

“How was the discipline of those guards?”

“Hah, they were pirates before. Do you actually think they would have even one disciplined bone in them?”

This might be a trap, or it might be due to extremely low levels of vigilance. For instance, since they didn’t know their travel route, the higher-ups might have just said to keep high vigilance and tightly secure every region, but the lower guys simply ignored their words.

“Great.”

And to him, it seemed to be the latter. He came to that conclusion not only because they were in without asking any questions but also because of the attitude of those guys he saw guarding this place, which was terrible.

Of course, it still might be a trap intended to lure them here. However, if this really was a trap, why hadn’t anything happened yet?

No matter how one looked at it, this was a consequence of low discipline. They had been incredibly lucky. That was all.

“Hey, Miss Ironwall. Is there anything wrong with this guy? A curse, maybe, or does he possess Demonic Energy?”

“No. I’m sure of it.”

“Good.”

Lastly, in that case, there was little chance their chosen guide would turn out to be the Demon Worshiper’s henchman or unknowingly notify their enemy of their location due to a curse.

Deathbringer lifted the lock in his hand and locked them in once more. He heard the other prisoners screaming as they thought he’d abandoned them, but now wasn’t the time to be considerate toward them.

“Let’s move before those guards come to their senses.”

“Are we going through the secret passage again?”

“We shouldn’t use the same path we came here through.”

“Then how should we move?”

It wasn’t certain that their enemy didn’t know their route. So he quickly barred them from going the way they came.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t share all the information I have with you.”

Instead, he tried to call to memory the hiding places only he had heard about. He could only hope that the Guard Captain or the Treasurer, who had told him about those places, weren’t the traitors.

“Are you sure this’ll be fine?”

“Have I done something like this just once or twice? The more escape routes we have, the better. You’ll often encounter these kinds of situations in this line of work, after all.”

“Damn it, I’ve probably done this a lot more than you, though.”

“Just shut up and follow me.”

Deathbringer ignored the others’ opinions and just grabbed the man’s hand to make him keep pace with them. The man, who’d barely even eaten in a long while, had trouble keeping up with his walking speed, but he couldn’t care about it as they were in a hurry.

“First, we’ll have to go to a safe house. Then we can think about our next steps.”

Would the Demon Knight hold out until then? That unbearable anxiety he had felt traveled back up his throat.

* * *

* * *

Lukkwan opened her eyes, feeling a dull pain running through her body. Rattle. The rattling of thin chains echoed in her sensitive ears.

“…!”

At that moment, she came back to her senses. The events that happened before began quickly flashing through her mind one after another.

After the Demon Knight left her behind, she tried to evade all the guards somehow and searched for something like an office or anything similar…

“So, you’re finally awake, huh, little kitty cat?”

She gritted her teeth, disgusted by the derogatory term that reduced her to nothing but a mere beast. There was no need to think about what kind of situation she was in. Ah, the face before her was one even a five-year-old child of the Yabad region would recognize, after all!

“Pirate King…!”

The tanned skin characteristic of a seafarer and that cut-off left ear. His hair was shaved off at one side, a big scar decorating his scalp in its stead.

His identity was more than clear: it was Vipurit, a demonic man whose mother would have rather aborted, boiled, and eaten had she known about her pregnancy earlier.

“I didn’t expect you to wake up first, but well, it doesn’t really matter either way.”

Had she been caught by that abominable traitor? Good enough.

She had joined this mission prepared to die, anyway. What mattered was whether she could witness that damn bastard’s throat getting torn out before she died.

And there was only one man who could rip this guy to tiny little shreds.

“It seems you’re looking for the Knight.”

Where had the Demon Knight, that incredible monster who ripped apart a sea monster and sunk several ships by himself, gone to? Could it be that he, too, had failed?

“The Knight you’re looking for is over there.”

After he gave a signal, someone came up from behind her and grabbed her face. It seemed they were trying to force her head to change direction. However, she was of the Shaggi race.

Of all the races, the Shaggi were the most superior in physical prowess.

Bite!

So, she managed to roughly shake off the person’s hand and bit it right after. The person wore no gauntlets or protective gear, as she immediately felt her teeth pierce through skin and muscle.

“Guwaaargh!”

A scream left his lips. Vipurit, who had worn a disgusting smile as if wanting to appear benevolent, now seemed cold.

“Deal with him.”

There was a sound of something getting swung. Bam! Followed by the sounds of a skull cracking and blood spurting. After the smell of blood spread through the area, she couldn’t hear any screams anymore.

Slump.

The corpse of a handsome young man landed before Lukkwan’s feet.

“Grab her.”

She didn’t even have time to feel surprised. A hand even more vicious than before grabbed her head. She couldn’t fight it this time; their difference in strength was simply too much.

“Now, let’s take a good look at the Knight who will be dealing with you.”

They eventually managed to turn her head. Although she had half expected it, they forced her to look at an incredibly cruel and brutal ritual taking place in the corner of the room.

“That guy, who even took care of the Kraken…!”

Corpses were piled around them, and the magic circle was absorbing the blood flowing from them and continued glowing with an ominous light.

Moreover, in the middle of the circle, she saw someone whose face she had grown quite familiar with throughout the day. He was the Demon Knight she had trusted and believed in so much.

“What are you doing to him?!”

“I’m just returning it to where it belongs. Isn’t a vessel just a vessel? What’s important is the content it’s filled with. It shouldn’t be anything but a vessel.”

Content? Vessel? It was difficult for her to fully understand what he was talking about, although she had an inkling. Knowledge about Arcane Power was exclusive to the Magic Tower and only rarely reached the general public’s ears.

However, she was absolutely sure that it meant nothing good. Clatter! Lukkwan violently shook her body. However, even with her massive 190cm tall body, she couldn’t free herself of her shackles.

“Don’t worry. You don’t have to understand my words. When that body’s true owner fully awakens, you can just serve as his entertainment and die.”

Shit, who would stay still after hearing such words? Lukkwan intensified her resistance. However, her restraints and the hand holding her didn’t fall off her.

“However, it is a bit disappointing. If it weren’t the Great Demon’s vessel, I sure would have liked to have my way with it…”

“It truly would have been satisfying to have such a vigorous young man.”

His atrocious actions of dragging handsome men and beautiful women into his chambers were already known throughout the region. Furthermore, if they made even the slightest mistake, they would get killed by him.

Lukkwan spat in disgust. Although it didn’t reach that damn devil’s face, it did hit the hem of his clothes.

“You dare…”

Rustle.

Just as Vipurit’s eyes moved to look back at her, a slight noise sounded.

In the next moment, that person’s gray and black hair, which had been split into gray and black, turned completely black.

It traveled from the roots to the ends as he raised his body. Like drops of ink staining clear water, blackness completely consumed the gray-white strands.

“Aah, finally.”

It seemed as if a Demon had taken control of him.

“One of the 72 Knights, Focalor, greets the esteemed ‘Wrath’.”

Lukkwan hadn’t thought much about their hair dye being black. It was simply the most common hair color in these lands. However, what she couldn’t believe was that the dye’s effect only kicked in now.

“We have prepared an offering for you, so please indulge in it to your heart’s content.”

…However, was this color change really due to the dye? It was long past the time it should have taken effect. Even if he wasn’t compatible with Arcane Power, his hair should have changed color ages ago.

So, was this really the effect of the hair dye that just happened to kick in right as he woke up?

“Ah.”

Then, the person who just raised his body finally let out a sound. It was short, like the hapless first sounds of a newborn or the last sounds of the dying.

Then he raised his gauntlet-clad arm and touched his head. It was a movement one usually made when overcome with anger. His blank gaze into empty space and his wrinkled brows added to her guess.

“Do you have a headache? It might be an after-effect of forcing you to wake up like this. Let me examine you.”

Someone jumped toward him from a side of the room Lukkwan hadn’t been paying attention to. That person, who seemed like a shadow, was dressed in robes that made it obvious to anyone that he was a Demon Worshiper.

“Please hold my hand first and stand up—!”

Stab!

“Urgh!”

Did that Demon Worshiper actually get close to the Demon Knight and reach out a hand to help him?

As soon as he grabbed the hand and stood up, something poked out of the Demon Worshiper’s back. It was a bloodied blade.

Everyone in the hall stood up straight.

“You know.”

And this person who had easily acted just then opened his mouth.

“I am not quite partial to people touching my body.”

Funnily enough, his tone of voice was extremely soft and gentle.

“So, please keep that in mind next time.”

Although she had only known him for a single day, she knew the Demon Knight would never in a trillion years speak in such a soft voice.

“Hmm.”

The Demon Worshiper fell to the floor as he pulled out his sword from his body. The same was true for Lukkwan’s hope.

She didn’t know what those Demon bastards did to him, but the Demon Knight was no longer on their side. There was no longer any hope for them.

“G-Great Demon, why…?”

Someone standing against the wall, as the now dead Demon Worshiper had before, reflexively opened his mouth.

The Demon Knight… No, the thing possessing his body tilted its head.

“Are you asking me a question right now?”

He really had a nice voice. Hearing his light tone, she fell into resignation. Those weren’t empty words.

Until now, she hadn’t noticed his voice because the emotions within it were so sharp, they could cut through flesh…

“How fun.”

His voice was quite sweet and soft. A voice that could win over anyone with just a few words.

Looking at him more closely, she felt the same way about his face now that the deep creases, severe anxiety, and dark shadows of anger from an unknown source had completely disappeared.

What remained was a very handsome young man with an extremely bright smile reaching his pale cheeks.

She might have described it as a peaceful and idyllic face if not for the blood that had splattered on it as he stabbed that Demon Worshiper.

“P-Please forgive my insolence.”

“I shall, since I’m very generous. Please accept my generosity.”

“Ah…! Thank you, Thank y—!”

However, that was just his outer shell, nothing more.

Stab!

“You shouldn’t accept it so quickly.”

“Urgh!”

After stabbing yet another person to death, he looked around with a soft smile on his lips, his face soaked in even more blood. A thin layer of red flesh coated the blade in his hand.

This sight was so very horrifying because of this extreme contrast. Instinctive fear began to rise in her.

“So, hmm. What did you say your name was…? Portugal?”

“…It’s Focalor.”

“Right, Focalor. Are you angry?”

“How could I possibly? Everything within this castle, within this city, are sacrifices we prepared for Gretchen.”

“I see, I see…”

At that moment, the amalgamation of malice smiled even brighter than before, seeming satisfied.

“Then, this one over there, as well?”

And finally, its gaze landed on her.

“Of course.”

She felt like her time to die had come.

“Hmm, a cat?”

This person who approached her with light steps touched her cheek with the back of his left hand.

She could bite his hand like she had done with that other person if she wanted to, but Lukkwan couldn’t bring herself to do it. It felt like some invisible energy was binding her.

She couldn’t do anything but stay still. Cold fear coursed through her veins, taking over her whole body.

“This whole castle is also mine, right?”

“Indeed.”

“I see. Is that so…?”

That thing talked to Vipurit. She didn’t know what he was thinking. She hadn’t the courage to look at him even with her face raised.

“I like cats… Let her go.”

And then, a sudden order left his mouth. Her heart was now beating faster for a different reason than when she was waiting for her death.

“Pardon? L-Let her go?”

“…Are you questioning me?”

“Release her immediately.”

The key was swiftly inserted into her shackles, letting out a jingling sound. What came with it was a fragile hope, a slight ‘Perhaps’.

Lukkwan hurriedly looked up at the Demon Knight’s face.

“Let’s play tag, little kitty.”

However, her hopes were immediately crushed.

“I will wait here for 30 seconds, so if you haven’t moved far enough in that time… I will kill you.”

From the beginning, the only thing left in him was a Demon with an endlessly black and ominous aura around him.