REAPER SCANS
Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer
[Translator – KonnoAren]
[Proofreader – Loopin]
Chapter 233 | Full of Suffering (6)
“…The exact numbers aren’t clear yet.”
Among the countless people surrounding me, a man dressed as a wizard whom I’d never seen before spoke up. His gaze was locked directly onto my eyes, so transparently that it made me feel strange.
It was almost as if he was looking at the real me, not the Demon Knight.
“I didn’t ask for exact numbers.”
“Even so, my answer remains the same.”
But of course, that couldn’t be true. My half-closed eyes fell slightly. The exact numbers weren’t clear yet. His answer would remain the same. Those two responses alone weighed heavily on my mind.
I had expected this, but hearing it confirmed that I had really lost control again.
“Why didn’t you just kill me?”
“Well. Maybe because a proper execution wasn’t ready yet?”
A proper execution? I paused to ponder what he meant by that, then eventually understood that they weren’t ready to execute me yet.
Still, I wondered why they hadn’t just beheaded me, an easy task considering I was unconscious… Maybe they wanted to do it formally. Or maybe my companions… had stopped them.
“How much do you remember?”
In the meantime, the wizard who’d answered all my questions thus far was now asking some himself. I closed my mouth for a moment, considering how I should respond.
“…Up until the moment I fired the signal flare.”
“The signal flare, huh?”
This time, it was he who fell silent. Those blue eyes, without whites or pupils, simply stared down at me.
“Did you know this would happen?”
Fortunately, that heavy gaze didn’t linger for long. What he asked in its stead, however, was missing any semblance of context
If he asked me something like this while completely stripping it of anything to go off, how was I supposed to answer? I frowned slightly, weighing my answer.
He’d asked me if I knew this would happen, right? That meant, he was really asking whether I’d fought knowing I’d lose control, right? That sounded about right, didn’t it?
However, was that even important right now?
“If I say yes, does that mean I’ll die?”
I couldn’t deny that when [Rage] triggered, I became a serious threat. I might not remember exactly what happened, but the aftermath alone was proof enough.
However, was there really anything in that fight that could have triggered [Rage]? Did something actually push me to the brink, to the point where I lost all reason?
“If I say no, does that mean I’ll live?”
On the other hand, what was the situation like at the time? Did they have the luxury to hold me back just because there was a chance I might run wild? Could they have handled everything on their own, without me?
“Don’t waste time with meaningless questions.”
I didn’t know the full extent of the damage [Rage] had caused. But back then, I’d believe it was the best decision I could’ve made.
I knew the risk of [Rage], but I was also pretty confident I could control it, considering what had happened in the Great Forest. Until the moment I collapsed, I never imagined I’d completely lose control.
So in the end, this was an accident. An accident where misfortune triumphed over good intentions.
“At this point, nothing will change.”
The damage was simply too substantial to be covered up with good intentions. In the end, someone had to take responsibility.
“…So just do what you have to do.”
As soon as that thought settled, all the strength drained from my body. If I had to compare it to anything, it was a feeling close to utter powerlessness.
“I won’t resist anything.”
However, no one could say anything about this. No matter how terrible the outcome, I’d truly done my best.
I really had done my best.
* * *
“Are we really just leaving it like that?”
“If it weren’t okay, we wouldn’t be doing it. At least he’s not trying to escape.”
“Even so… Sir Sergei, what do you think?”
“What? Me? I mean… If you ask me, executing him immediately would probably be—”
Watching the soldiers chattering in front of the iron bars, Meister pursed his lips.
Tonight’s guards included the loose-lipped Sergei. His eyes, through calm, carried a sharpness to them.
“Discipline sure is a mess here.”
“Urgh!”
“…Sir Great Master.”
“Ah, that wasn’t directed at you, Knight Sergei. Or the soldiers here.”
Meister recalled when he’d forged Sergei’s sword and, with it, a fresh wave of regret.
Regret over dealing with Sergei constantly interfering with the production, throwing in opinions like “so-and-so said this material is better” and “so-and-so prefers that style.”
“By the way… don’t you think we need to get the soldiers back in line? I get that they’ve been through a lot these past few days, but they’re still supposed to be the city’s defenders… And yet here they are, spreading rumors, complaining about protecting a Demon, and dividing the civilians. There’s obviously a reason why things are being handled that way.”
With that, he grabbed the shoulder of the soldier standing next to Sergei and tightened his grip.
Even a great master didn’t have the right to just manhandle a knight—and vice versa—but a regular soldier was fair game.
The poor soldier caught in the middle immediately froze up. Not that it mattered to Meister.
He pretended to massage the soldier’s shoulder while slowly digging his fingers in harder. Unable to cry out, the soldier clenched his teeth and desperately looked to his superior.
“Am I wrong, Sir Knight?”
“…No, Sir Great Master, you are correct. I will look into this.”
Sergei, however, was already mentally exhausted. Since that day, every time he encountered Meister, he was forced to endure constant verbal abuse.
No, not just verbal abuse. Whenever he visited the workshop for weapon maintenance, he’d have to wait longer, pay extra, or deal with Meister’s endless nagging. He only kept going because Meister’s craftsmanship was unmatched and he never missed a deadline.
“Then, may I ask what brings you here…?”
“If you had a brain, you’d already know the answer… Are you under the impression I came here just to admire your stupid-looking face?”
Yeah. Right. Sergei swallowed his tears as he endured yet another tirade of insults from this great master targeting his intelligence.
If he could turn back time, he would’ve never dared to complain and piss this guy off. A familiar wave of regret washed over him.
“Then, did you come to see the prisoner…?”
“That’s strange. Was there a prisoner here…? I just came to visit my guest.”
“Huh? What do you mean, your guest…?”
However, Sergei didn’t know. He didn’t realize that even if he hadn’t made that mistake back then, Meister would’ve ended up hating him anyway for his lack of awareness and intelligence.
“It really is strange, isn’t it? We all have the same thing attached to our necks, but somehow, its performance varies so much… If you still don’t get it, then forget it. Just get out of the way.”
“…Erm, if you approach recklessly, then—”
“Seriously… Sir Sergei, I never knew you were this much of a stickler for formal procedures. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind the next time you bring in a request.”
“…I guess that warning won’t be necessary. At least, not for you, Sir Great Master.”
Meister narrowed his eyes at the knight who’d wasted more than a full minute of his precious time, all while knowing full well that he would end up backing down.
He was already exhausted from the past week, having spent sleepless nights crafting supplies, and as such, he was even more irritable than usual. How very thoughtful.
“Anyway, brainless meatheads like you are the worst.”
Still, at least this one had some measure of flexibility.
He thought of Dietra and Franz, who were easy to talk to but always followed rules to a painful degree, and he felt thankful that neither was on duty today. If they had, they’d have definitely insisted on asking the lord for permission first.
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – KonnoAren]
[Proofreader – Loopin]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
Thud.
Anyway, after kicking up a sufficient fuss, he’d expected the person inside to have reacted by now, but the man remained silent.
Meister smacked the bars of the cell.
Swish. Only then did the prisoner inside turn his head ever so slightly. Even then, it was only a glance before he returned to his original position.
“Why did you agree?”
Still, as long as he was listening, that was enough. Meister leaned against the bars and asked.
“You’re really going to die at this rate.”
The words that slipped out of his mouth carried sincerity. He felt such suffocating frustration.
“You really might be executed.”
He’d never felt this way before except when his research hit a dead end. Meister dug through his coat in irritation.
However, even when he found what he was looking for—a cigarette—he couldn’t light it. There was no fire.
“Refuse it.”
He let out a deep sigh at that. His frustration just doubled.
“You haven’t killed anyone. No, not no one, exactly… but the number of people you’ve saved far outweighs those who died.”
Clang. His forehead pressed against the bars.
“And that’s not me showing you pity. That’s just a fact.”
Of course, he wasn’t naive enough to believe no one had died. Not when entire buildings had been wiped out of existence. Even if the evacuation had gone well, there was always a chance that someone had been left behind.
But he also didn’t believe the number of casualties was high. Not when he recalled the route that damn green-haired bastard had taken him through.
Any stragglers left behind, surrounded by relentless Demons and tides of molten lava, wouldn’t have stood a chance. Most were probably long dead by then.
“You saved people. More than you realize. Maybe even everyone who survived here.”
And as for what he’d done.
Even if it wasn’t him, even if it was the thing inside him, the fact remained that he’d taken down the most dangerous Demon inside the city.
And that nest of Merfolk he’d heard had been by the shore was also completely gone.
If the adventurer’s testimony that the Merfolk were planning to nest along the coast was true, then that, too, would’ve become a great threat to them in the future. However, this knight had wiped them out before that could happen.
It was he who’d taken down the massive turtle that had stopped along the shore, and he who’d driven out the Demons that had been terrorizing the people from above!
“And it’ll be the same moving forward. Your strength could save even more people. It might require some adjustments, but still. So why are you so eager to give up already?”
And none of this was by chance. The fact that the lord and other people weren’t killed in the final moments was proof of that.
If you actually looked at all the testimonies and evidence, the people of Bemurchen only survived because of the Demon Knight’s efforts.
So, there was no reason for him to die, not because of some vague fear of his potential threat.
No one had the right to fear him after he’d saved them.
He had to be allowed to live.
“So…”
“Uncontrolled power is worse than having none at all.”
At least, that was his opinion. Not everyone felt that way.
“Is that really true, though? We now know just how powerful that Great Demon is. We also now know the Hero alone can’t handle everything. So in a situation like this, is it really right to execute someone who can take on a Great Demon single-handedly?”
As he expressed his opinion, his voice cracking, a memory flashed through his mind.
『Mister will never listen to my pleas to keep living. He’s already consumed by vengeance, the belief that every Demon must be killed. He’s completely blinded by emotion, so emotional appeals won’t work on him.』
The words that green-haired brat had said came back to him at that moment.
『But… maybe if there’s solid justification, a rational argument, it might be different. That’s why I came to you. I… I’m too dumb to think of anything convincing myself.』
He’d wanted to stay until the very end, but realizing deep down that there was nothing he could do, he’d come to Meister, begging him to take his place.
“You might not know this, but the acid that Merfolk spit out corrodes iron and burns people’s flesh. Meanwhile, the alkaline bombs I developed melt flesh directly. Both are absolute poison to people.”
He swallowed against his dry throat as he recalled those words.
“But if you mix the two, they become something as harmless as water. Instead of one poison meeting another and turning into something even more toxic, they neutralize each other completely. Just like how your dangerous power wipes out demons even more dangerous than you.”
Would this argument work? He wasn’t sure. But it was the only logic he’d been able to come up with.
“So, damn it, if you’re really going to let yourself die just because your power is dangerous, then at least think about controlling it first. You’re… the second trump card given to our world.”
This was a rather shitty argument, one that reduced the person before him to nothing but a tool to be used efficiently and rationally.
Meister let out a frustrated sigh, shaking his head violently. 『This is a necessary sacrifice for everyone.』 He hated these kinds of words the most, but now he was the one saying them. He felt disgusted.
“I flipped a coin, and it came up heads twice in a row.”
It was hard to tell whether his words had worked, but the man who’d refused to even speak until now finally answered.
His tone was low and rough, like the voice of someone completely exhausted.
“So tell me, if I flip the coin again, do you think it’ll land on heads a third time?”
What he said sounded like complete bullshit to him. Did this guy actually think he was stupid enough to fall for such an obvious fallacy?
“Do I look like an idiot to you? You think I’d fall for the Gambler’s Fallacy? I know the odds are still fifty-fifty.”
His argument wasn’t based on some blind faith in luck. It was the result of spending a week weighing every “possibility” before coming to a final decision, with a bit of empathy and sympathy as the trigger.
“But this isn’t an independent event like a coin toss. The results of the previous rounds affect what will happen next.”
Of course, the principle of poison countering poison only worked if everything was aligned perfectly. But did everyone operate solely on logic and profit like gamblers? No. If he wanted to persuade others, he needed proper justification.
“Wouldn’t that bet be enough of a variable to use?”
And he’d come here because he’d prepared justification. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have wasted his breath trying to argue using pity alone.
“I considered the possibility that the Demon just said that to buy time, but the fact you’re awake now makes the existence of that bet even more realistic.”
Of course, there was still one slight problem. This justification wasn’t perfect… But if the Demon Knight cooperated, that would solve it.
“Then, couldn’t we use it again?”
If the Demon Knight confirmed “the bet could be used to control the Demon,” then from that point on, others could work their brains to figure things out.
“…What are you talking about?”
“Or is there some kind of limit, like this was the last bet you could make? Or does it require something specific to be established?”
Until he’d come here, Meister had been confident. If he could just figure out how the bet worked and what conditions had been set, the possibilities would be endless.
But if this was the last one he could make, or if something specific was needed to settle it… that would be bad. Meister frowned unconsciously as the thought of the worst-case scenario crossed his mind.
“That would make convincing the others quite a bit harder…”
In fact, Meister himself didn’t need any of this reasoning to think there was no reason for the Demon Knight to die. He couldn’t just say, “Hey, thanks for saving my butt! Now die, please.” That just wasn’t how this worked.
However, fear had a way of stopping people from thinking altogether, which made things a bit different.
There were times when Meister seriously wanted to smash their heads in with a hammer… but he couldn’t exactly do that to 90 percent of the remaining survivors. He had to have some patience.
“Tsk. Why do I have to use my brain to convince a bunch of idiots who clearly can’t be communicated with? Isn’t this the most obvious choice?”
Yeah, he had to be patient.
Clenching his fists, Mester thought of those useless people so blinded by fear that they’d thrown away efficiency, productivity, and even morality.
Wouldn’t a hammer to the head be the real answer here? It was a rather tempting thought.
“…Anyway, are you sure the bet isn’t an option?”
Still, he resisted. He shook off the temptation and got back to the point.
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about. What bet?”
But instead of an answer, what awaited him was the Demon Knight frowning, speaking as if he really had no idea.
Meister’s expression hardened.
Something was off.
A cold feeling crawled up his spine, like when he used the wrong reagent during an experiment.
____
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