Chapter 4: Countermeasures, Meditation, and Desires
There was no deep reason. No deep thoughts either.
Originally, he had belonged to a traveling brigade that moved from place to place within the ranks of the Nameless. However, due to his bad habits and misconduct, he frequently caused trouble and was eventually expelled. Drifting aimlessly, he fell into the clutches of a bandit group, remaining thoughtless until the very end.
Even when he participated in the heinous act of attacking a mobile fortress, a crucial part of the city-state’s infrastructure, he didn’t think much of it.
If everyone’s doing it, it must be fine. We can pull it off. It’ll be okay. After all, we have the Boss with us.
So, without a second thought, he followed orders and attacked the mobile fortress.
Without a second thought, he followed orders, killed people, and reveled in the blood and the thrill of conquest. And then—
“So? Hurry up and continue.”
—Now, he was being interrogated by a golden-haired woman in the prison of the Alto Knight Order. She had slaughtered all his comrades.
“I-I-I can’t! Please, spare me!”
His voice trembled with fear as he desperately tried to speak. In the dim light, he couldn’t make out the golden woman’s expression. In her hand was a rusty sword, one that had belonged to one of his comrades. The blade, covered in rust, looked like a terrifying weapon.
“Why?”
“I’ll die! The Boss cursed us! He said it!”
I’ll grant you protection and a curse. In return, if you betray me, death will come for you.
It was true. One of his comrades, perhaps driven mad or terrified, had tried to kill the Boss. That man had been engulfed in flames, screaming in agony as he danced in his death throes.
“The bones will remain after burning. Convenient, isn’t it?” The Boss’s terrifying smile was still burned into his mind.
“That’s why I can’t betray him! I’ll die!! Please, spare me!!”
He didn’t want to die. Dying like that was too cruel. He pleaded desperately, but—
“But you killed others, didn’t you?”
The golden woman’s gaze was so cold it felt like it could freeze his heart.
“Many of the passengers on the Island Devouring Turtle were innocent civilians. You killed them, didn’t you?”
He wanted to say, “It wasn’t me,” “I didn’t kill anyone,” “I was scared!” The same shallow lies he’d used countless times before were on the tip of his tongue.
“But, but, they, they were rich, right? That’s why they were there?”
But perhaps it was the tension and fear that made him blurt out something else entirely.
“So they deserved to die because they were wealthy?”
“Yeah, that’s right!”
His true feelings slipped out. Shallow, despicable, and unfiltered.
“I-I mean, isn’t that fair?! They were born in the city, sleeping in warm beds! We’re the pitiful ones! We’re scared of monsters every day! Sleeping on the cold ground! We’re the ones who deserve pity!!”
“I see. So you killed them out of jealousy and hatred for the wealthy.”
“Yeah! We’re pitiful, right?! Right?!”
“I suppose so.”
As he spoke, he started feeling better, saying whatever he wanted. He thought he’d made his point. He expected her to frown and lecture him, and he was ready to laugh in her face. But—
“The Nameless and the city-dwellers—there’s a clear gap in their environments. A gap so wide it can’t easily be bridged by individual effort alone. To succumb to that and fall into evil—it’s hard to say it’s entirely that person’s fault.”
The golden woman didn’t get angry. (He didn’t fully understand her words, but it seemed to acknowledge his situation.)
“The world is at fault. It may sound like the clichéd excuse of a criminal, but it’s not something that can be easily dismissed in today’s world.”
She crouched down, her beautiful face smiling at him.
“I don’t think of you as a villain who reaps what he sows.”
“Heh… hehehe, s-so—”
“That being said—I still dislike you.”
And in the next moment, the rusty sword pierced his shoulder. The blade didn’t go deep, but the sudden pain was excruciating.
“Thoughtless, selfish, and always blaming others. The victims wouldn’t care about your excuses. And if this tarnishes the reputation of the Nameless who are trying to live honestly, it’s a terrible nuisance for them.”
“Huh?! W-wait!! I didn’t know!! I couldn’t speak!!”
“By your logic, it’s okay to kill someone just because you dislike them, right?”
Yes, that’s what he had essentially said.
“If you don’t want to die, let’s carve you until you wish for it.”
Without giving him time to curse his own words, the rusty blade mercilessly continued to cut into his flesh.
Some time later, he passed out from the pain and terror.
But when he woke up, there was no pain in his body. Strangely, he felt warm.
“You’re awake?”
Opening his eyes, he saw an incredibly beautiful silver-haired woman gently holding him and smiling. She was so radiant that the dim room seemed to brighten.
“Ah, ah, ah…”
“It’s alright now.”
Her voice was so kind—the kindest he’d ever heard in his life.
“I’ve healed your wounds. And the curse that was placed on you has been lifted.”
“Ahh—”
He couldn’t speak well, but he could feel it—the pain was gone. His body, which had been tortured by that terrifying golden woman, no longer hurt anywhere.
“Yes, you can rest easy.”
Amid the relief and confusion, her voice, as beautiful as a bell, seeped into his very being. It was so soothing, so irresistible, that he felt himself on the verge of sleep. Tears naturally streamed down his face. And then—
“So now, you can tell me everything.”
Prompted by her, he began to speak, revealing all the secrets he had been ordered to keep.
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Alto Knight Order Meeting Room
“So, the interrogation is complete.”
“Thank you for your cooperation, Shizuku.”
“Hmm… Good work. It must’ve been tough for both of you.”
[Did you feel scared?]
“No comment, little sister.”
Hearing about the interrogation of the surviving bandit, Ur managed to utter a few words of praise. Diz, perhaps amused by his awkward attempt at comfort, let out a small laugh.
Only four people were in the meeting room: Diz, Akane, Ur, and Shizuku. The rest of the knights had returned to their tasks of locating the bandits’ hideout and organizing the strike force based on the information they’d gathered.
Now, Diz was explaining the situation to Ur and the others, who had been hastily recruited for the urgent extermination operation.
“So, we’ve pretty much confirmed the bandits’ hideout, right?”
“Yes. But still…”
Diz seemed slightly displeased as she recalled the bandit she’d interrogated.
“The bandits had various spells cast on them. Not just enhancement enchantments, but also penalties for leaking information.”
“A necromancer did that?”
“Yes, and it’s a pretty powerful spell. The caster didn’t seem to care at all about the toll it took on the bandits.”
She almost seemed to pity the bandit. But noticing Ur’s gaze, she clapped her hands to shift the mood. Jenna, standing nearby, spread out some documents.
“Let’s organize the information. Our enemies are the necromancer and the bandit group. But to be precise, it’s more accurate to say the necromancer took over the bandit group.”
“Took over…”
“Yes. There have been a few sightings of this bandit group near Alto for the past few years. But their activities were small-scale—nothing like this major incident.”
Diz pointed to the Adventurer Guild’s records. There, incidents near Alto were documented, including a report titled “Bandit Attack.”
“Moreover, in the past, merchant caravans that were attacked by bandits had put out extermination quests through the Adventurer Guild, and adventurers had dealt devastating blows to them. The remnants of that group were taken over in this incident.”
This fact was confirmed by the surviving bandit they’d interrogated.
“The bandits are one thing, but the necromancer is a formidable opponent. And they’ve been meticulously preparing for this. You can’t take them on alone.”
“I understand.”
“We’ll leave the necromancer to you, Lady Diz, Lady Akane.”
Ur and Shizuku nodded. It was a bit humbling to leave the critical task to them, but lamenting their lack of strength wouldn’t bridge the gap. They had to do what they could.
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