REAPER SCANS
Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer
[Translator – KonnoAren]
[Proofreader – Loopin]
Chapter 228 | Full of Suffering (1)
“We must kill him!”
Deathbringer stepped forward at that shout. Tak. His hand touched the iron bars of a makeshift prison, which the craftsmen had prioritized building despite their severe lack of manpower.
“How do we know the Demon isn’t recovering its strength at this very moment?! We must kill him immediately…!”
“How? How do you plan on killing him? The Hero’s unconscious and shows no signs of waking. Most of the wizards have also fainted, so how?”
“We’ll have to find some way…!”
Inside the prison was a person tightly bound by iron chains and rope, breathing calmly.
“Hah. Fine. Let’s say you somehow manage to do it. But what if instead of killing the adventurer, all it does is awaken the Demon?”
“That’s…!”
“What will you do then? What if the Demon wasn’t whispering lies to buy itself time to recover? What if it was telling the truth? What will you do if it awakens at full strength?!”
Deathbringer knelt, lowering himself to the prisoner’s eye level. However, even after he did that, their gazes didn’t meet.
The prisoner had yet to awaken, and even if he had, blessed cloth covered his eyes.
“Besides, didn’t you see it yourself, Bishop? Even with its throat half-severed, it fully recovered within minutes. Do you really believe we can kill something like that?”
“But we can’t just leave the Demon be! My lord, you saw it yourself! If that thing wakes up again…!”
“Then even those who barely survived will be slaughtered. Yes. I know. But I also know that the condition the Demon set was that it would immediately awaken should we try to kill the adventurer. So tell me, Bishop, do you truly wish to see every last citizen of Bemurchen die?”
“That’s not what I meant, my lord!”
“Oh, it isn’t?! Then tell me, how is what you said any different from gambling with the lives of the entire city?!”
However, Deathbringer saw things differently.
“Bishop, do you realize how dire our situation is?”
“…I have eyes and ears too. How could I not know how hard you’re working right now, my lord? How could I not know how many things are still beyond our reach? But…”
“But?! But what?! Do you really know? Because if you really did, you wouldn’t be saying ‘but’!”
“My lord.”
“What we need right now is swift cooperation and unity! Right now, the real threat isn’t the Great Demon locked inside that body, but our lack of food and medicine, Bishop!!”
He remembered the face beneath that blessed cloth. That memory made it easy for him to picture it as clear as day.
“My lord, I understand that, but—”
“Enough! I don’t need those words. Instead, let me make something perfectly clear here as the lord of Bemurchen.”
Yes, he knew precisely what face lay beneath.
“I will not! I will absolutely never lay a hand on that man. Not until the citizens of Bemurchen have regained their stability. Even if God himself opposes my decision!”
“My lord!!”
…He also knew how the owner of that face once tried to slit his own throat.
Deathbringer leaned against the iron bars. He seriously wanted to cry.
“If you wish to brand me a heretic, do as you please. But that judgment should wait until after every last citizen has reached safety and can let out a sigh of relief.”
“…You may regret this.”
“I don’t care. Moreover, the Bemurchen Magic Tower has also agreed to take the same stance as me, so don’t waste your time going to them hoping for another answer.”
As he did that, the shouting in the background began to fade. The clinking of metal that followed could only belong to the lord and his knights.
“Franz.”
“Yes.”
“Take five soldiers and station them here. No one may lay a hand on him!”
“Understood!”
“And if anyone tries, no matter who they are, cut them down right then and there. I will take full responsibility for whatever happens after.”
“You can leave this to us, my lord.”
The lord shouted loudly as if to ensure everyone heard him, and at that moment, one knight and five soldiers surrounded the prison.
Of course, Deathbringer, who was sitting right in front of it, drew plenty of glares. Their eyes seemed to ask what the hell he was doing here.
But in the end, no one forced him to leave.
The sole reason was that the lord recognized his face and ordered them to leave him be.
Deathbringer was grateful for that small kindness. And a little more besides for deciding to protect the Demon Knight despite all that had happened.
“Well, I’m off. The west isn’t responding, criminals are using the chaos to run rampant, and I now have to waste soldiers on guarding this prison. This is really upsetting.”
“…Try not to be too angry, my lord. The Temple is only acting out of caution.”
“I know. And they aren’t wrong to be concerned.”
However, his favorability with them had its limits.
“Honestly, I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing here. If this is what the Demon actually wanted… When the time comes, we might not even have the chance to strike.”
Well, the way he saw it, the lord could only afford to protect the Demon Knight because no one had been directly harmed by him.
“But there’s another possibility I can’t ignore. The great sage did give out a warning after all.”
“My lord…”
“Hah… I just hope this adventurer doesn’t betray my expectations.”
If the rampaging Demon Knight, or rather the Demon who’d taken control of his body, had harmed the citizens in any way… the lord would’ve never reacted like this. For all the shouting and yelling he did before the bishop, he was hesitating here and now.
“Anyway, I leave this to you, Franz.”
“Yes.”
Still, kindness was kindness. Pulling his forehead from the iron bars, Deathbringer only hoped the lord’s stance wouldn’t change.
“…Sir Knight. Are we truly doing the right thing? Is it truly right to protect something like… a Demon?”
“Silence. Our duty is to follow orders, not question them.”
“But…”
“If it weighs on you so much, change how you think.”
“…?”
“Your doubts about these orders stem from your fear of what’s inside that cage. In that case, think of this as the only thing keeping you from ever facing that fear again.”
Hearing the conversation between the knight and soldier nearby, he felt something resurface in his mind.
“Trying to kill him would only wake the evil within him.”
『Consider this your warning. The moment any of you drive a blade into this heart, I’ll take over.』
The scene that had replayed constantly in his mind that morning rushed back, complicating his thoughts again.
『Of course, from my perspective, I’d much rather you do. Then I’ll win the bet and this vessel will become completely mine.』
The Demon wearing the Demon Knight’s face showed quite unexpected behavior. Despite calling itself Wrath, its voice was so languid and unbothered.
If Deathbringer were being completely honest, the real Demon Knight always sounded far angrier than this Demon ever had, which was quite strange.
『But… Right. Warning you like this was also part of the bet.』
It threw out words that severely blurred the line between truth and lies, sowing confusion among the people here.
『…And why should we believe you??』
『You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Didn’t I already tell you? I’d prefer it if you didn’t. After all, there’s nothing easier than just wiping you all out, right?』
It knew exactly how its words would divide people. There would be those who believed it and those who didn’t… It said what it did to lead those two factions to fight each other.
『Honestly, if not for the bet, I would’ve just killed you all already…』
All that just didn’t sound like “Wrath” at all. It sounded more like deception, trickery, fraud, and manipulation.
『Look… See how the bet with Gretchen is keeping me in check…』
And yet, despite knowing all that, was there a single person here who wouldn’t fall for its tricks?
When the Demon had reached for the lord’s throat, not one of them could react to it, let alone move.
…If the Demon hadn’t stopped itself, or, if it spoke the truth, Gretchen’s bet hadn’t held it back.
They would’ve had no choice but to watch their lord die right before their eyes, right?
『Seriously, aren’t I pitiful? I only want to kill you all and live in peace… So why is Gretchen stopping me?』
No one could physically see that so-called “bet.” However, they could see the Demon’s trembling hand, frozen just a paper-thin distance from the lord’s throat, unable to move forward.
They’d also seen it laugh right before asking for their pity.
The fingers curled back, veins bulging against its skin from the strain. That’s when it lowered its hand with a curved, half-lidded smirk.
『Well, whatever. Gretchen may love mortals to a pathetic degree, but… you don’t care for him, right?』
It seriously was a conniving Demon to the very end.
『Right? That’s how it is, isn’t it? You’ll ignore his devotion. You’ll discard his sacrifice, and in the end, you’ll execute him, right? You’ll let me win the bet, right?』
It had set the stage perfectly, proving its danger undeniable while making them question whether it was truly trapped or simply playing them, leaving the people hesitant to attack it recklessly.
『I believe in you. So, if possible, do it soon.』
Then, yes.
It let out silent, breathless laughter before lowering its head.
『…The lord, huh? Is the Hero alive?』
『…?』
『If she is… tell her.』
At that moment, the one who emerged was the person who should be suffering the most here.
『I’ve failed to repay her trust, so she should prepare a proper execution.』
Seriously, that Demon knew exactly how to break a person.
『You’ll see soon… Killing a Demon won’t be so easy. So make sure she’s thoroughly prepared.』
Yes, he knew far too well.
『…I’m sorry.』
Damn it for this.
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – KonnoAren]
[Proofreader – Loopin]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
Shhk!
At the sound of something being sliced, Deathbringer’s head snapped up.
“Ah, sorry.”
The apology came just after the sound brought back memories of a dagger cutting halfway through a throat and blood gushing from the wound.
The memory, which was burned into his mind, left Deathbringer reeling.
“Are you insane? Cut it properly.”
“I said I was sorry.”
“If you’re sorry, take the smaller piece!”
“What was that, you bastard?”
However, the cause of the sound this time was something different. It was just a soldier’s knife slipping against some food. They were forced to eat here because they lacked the manpower to leave their posts.
“Both of you, stop. There are plenty who haven’t even this much. Do you really want to fight over this?”
“M-my apologies, sir.”
Deathbringer forced his heart to settle as he watched the sight. His stomach growled, empty from going without food all day, but he didn’t mind. He wouldn’t leave this place just to find something to eat.
With the iron wall and Miss Fighter still unconscious and the Archmage too busy saving others, there was only one person left to watch over the Demon Knight.
…If that man woke up and tried to kill himself again, there would only be one person to stop him.
“Sir Great Sage.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“What brings you here?”
“First, this.”
Had he been crouching here for too long? He only noticed this new presence when they called out. Judging by the voice and the knight’s address, it seemed to be the Great Sage Surging Azure Lake.
“I was asked to give this to you.”
“I see.”
“Second, the lord has asked me to check his condition.”
“I’ll escort you.”
“Do as you wish.”
Now that he thought about it, Azure Lake was said to have the ability to see the true essence of a person… He only hoped whatever was seen wouldn’t somehow lead to the Demon Knight’s death.
No, more precisely, that the Demon Knight…
“Take it.”
His thoughts were cut off in that instant. The great sage had stopped right beside Deathbringer.
Then, a delicious scent spread through the air. It was like… the smell of food…?
“My hands are about to fall off. Hurry up and take it.”
“…?”
As soon as Deathbringer raised his head to grasp the situation, he found himself already holding whatever Azure Lake wanted to give him.
It had been half-shoved into his hands. He didn’t even have the chance to reach out before the bowl was practically pressed against his face.
“Thank you…?”
“Tsk.”
Deathbringer glanced down at the thin soup inside the wooden bowl—which appeared to have been hastily carved, judging by its rough finish—before looking back up at the great sage. He was being carried on someone else’s back, clearly looking injured.
That made this even weirder.
Sure, he was grateful, but… why was the great sage giving him this?
“Get rid of that dumb look. Your guardian asked me to bring it. I only did so because it was convenient.”
Like that, Deathbringer’s doubts were completely resolved.
The lord had called the great sage to check on someone’s condition, and unless he’d lost his mind, that someone was definitely the Demon Knight… It seemed he’d just grabbed some food for Deathbringer while he was at it. The guardian he mentioned… was probably the Archmage.
“…A remarkable sight.”
As he heard those words, Deathbringer’s irritation flared up again.
He had no idea what kind of essence the great sage could supposedly see, but he highly doubted it’d be anything good in the Demon Knight’s case—since there was a literal Demon inside him—so calling whatever he saw “remarkable” sounded like nothing but mockery to Deathbringer.
“I’ve been disillusioned with people for a very long time…”
Before Deathbringer could snap at him, Azure Lake continued his words.
“But for the first time, I find myself wanting to reconsider their potential.”
He wasn’t quite sure, but… it seemed that, unlike the people from the Temple, these comments about the Demon Knight were overwhelmingly positive.
It wasn’t just a statement about keeping the Demon Knight alive, but of recognition, like he understood just how much effort the Demon Knight had put in.
“So there really are people like this in the world.”
But that only made it more painful.
Because even if the great sage offered such praise, most people here would still equate the Demon Knight with the Demon inside him.
In this world, devotion most often went unrewarded, unnoticed even.
But he knew even with how things were, the Demon Knight would still accept it…
And that was something he couldn’t help but feel sad about.
So unbearably sad.
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