Chapter 63: Hatred is another Emotion
The hero candidates are now in their third year. Finally, there is only one year left until graduation. Whether they think that one year is long or short depends on each individual. It depends on the situation.
Among the hero candidates, the one who feels it is the longest is probably Yuya.
Yuya no longer hides his will from anyone. He wants to finish his school life quickly and go to the Luine Kingdom. That is Yuya's current feeling.
On the other side of the coin is Jin.
After seeing Yuya's overwhelming power, Jin decided that the more time he had to train himself, the better.
Most hero candidates had the same idea as one of these two. Either way, the remaining time is one year. And the same is true for bidders.
"They've completely beaten us."
"Yeah, they took him instantly."
The usual three-kingdom conference. Even so, Princess Grace is no longer participating.
"I wonder what the Luine Kingdom did to him?"
"It seems they have let him experience as much luxury as possible."
"Luxury?"
"As good as royalty, if not better. The best food and wine are served every night, and his maid takes care of his personal needs. Even the nightly chores are taken care of."
"...To that extent."
Princess Milianea frowns when she hears what the Luine Kingdom has done. Heinz's last words about taking care of him at night made Princess Milianea uncomfortable.
"Other countries did it too. But if the Luine Kingdom were to do it, it would be on a much larger scale."
"Yes. But you did your research. We didn't get any information."
"Yuya told me himself."
"You?"
Princess Milianea thought about the meaning of telling Heinz of the Lemberg Empire about the contents of the hospitality of the Luine Kingdom. But there is nothing behind this.
"I didn’t ask for it. He was curious to know if that's the kind of life I lead too."
"Is that so? Is that the way life is in your home country?"
Princess Milianea smiled and threw a question she knew the answer to.
"There is no way I can live like that. I am not in such a position, and the empire is a country of warriors. Such laziness is unacceptable."
"Did you answer him that way?"
"Yeah"
"You are an idiot. You should have said the same."
With this, Yuya knew that he would not be able to do the same thing in the Lemberg Empire. Heinz's answer put his home country at a disadvantage.
"I didn't even think about it."
"What's the reason?"
"I thought I had a bit of a knack for scheming, but in the end, I was also a knight of the empire."
Heinz takes pride in being so. That pride did not accept Yuya.
"You didn't think he was worthy of the empire?"
"That's right. An imperial knight must be solid and strong. We cannot accept anything that disturbs that."
Originally, Heinz's evaluation of Yuya was the lowest in terms of personality. His dislike of Yuya finally exceeded his appreciation of his abilities.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. This is not negotiable."
"Then you'll narrow it down to Mei Katsuragi."
"That's right"
Heinz clearly admitted that the Lemberg Empire had narrowed down its bid to Mei.
"Is it okay for me to know that? You should have planned to hide it until the end, right?"
"If the Luine Kingdom shows its will so far, there is no need to worry about it."
"Maybe it's a fake."
"It doesn't matter if it is."
"Why?"
Since he says there is no problem, he should be confident that they will drop Mei in the bidding. Princess Milianea wondered why.
"Mei Katsuragi is proud. She doesn't take kindly to being weighed in the balance."
"That's the same for the Lemberg Empire."
"I've cleared up that misunderstanding."
"......Yes. So that's how it is. So not only the Luine Kingdom, but also the Lemberg Empire has completed its bidding process."
Princess Milianea took it as a sign that the Lemberg Empire had exchanged some kind of agreement with Mei.
"Not to that extent. But the odds are stacked against us. All we have to do now is to make sure of it."
Heinz honestly said that he had not fully taken in Mei. But this was proof that he had reached a point where he was ready to talk about it.
"What are the odds?"
"As expected, I can't tell you that much."
"That's right."
"I'm not going to give you any leeway, but what about you?"
The bids of the Lemberg Empire and the Luine Kingdom have been decided. The only remaining one is the Izrim Magic Kingdom.
"As long as the two nations look the other way, we have nothing to worry about."
"Jin Takamiya, as usual."
"There is no one else."
"......I suppose so."
Certainly not among the hero candidates. And Heinz cannot put into words any other possibility. Heinz is exploring that possibility as well.
"And Jin Takamiya will still get stronger."
"I'm sure he will."
"And Yuya Kisaragi could be complete."
"...What?"
This information was new to Heinz.
"I have inquired at the church about his current capabilities."
"What was the result?"
"Just as he himself said, Yuya Kisaragi has become a hero, not an egg or apprentice. His special abilities are extraordinary. He has four levels of swordsmanship, speed, and strength. All magic resistances are three levels. He had not only advanced swordsmanship, but he had also acquired a skill that seemed to be unique to him, the light attribute swordsmanship."
"……I see."
Overwhelming talent. This hero is almost certain to become an enemy of the Lemberg Empire. Heinz's expression darkens at the thought of this.
"Jin, on the other hand, does not go that far. His swordsmanship was the only one with three levels, and the rest were only good for two levels."
"So that's how far apart they were. No wonder that's the result of the competition."
"But Jin Takamiya's title is Holy Knight Apprentice."
"...I see, it's not a complete one. But I can't say that it will shrink completely."
A hero and a holy knight. Heinz does not know what these two finished models are. There may still be differences.
"I know that. But actually, there is one special skill that Yuya Kisaragi lost."
"Lost? How is that possible?"
Losing a talent. Heinz had never heard of such a thing.
"[Growth Correction]. He doesn't have this skill that he should have had now."
"…Are you saying that he just grew faster than others thanks to [Growth Correction]?"
"I'm talking about the possibility of that. Isn't it sad that there is no such possibility?"
The hero of her own country will one day surpass Yuya, who becomes his enemy. Certainly, if they did not believe that, they would not be able to do it in the future. No one wants to fight a battle that has already been lost.
"But is it okay? Telling me about the information you obtained by paying money."
"It was for telling me about the hospitality of the Luine Kingdom."
"I see."
"And the cooperation is over, isn't it?"
"...It is."
Coordination among the three countries is no longer necessary. Princess Grace does not participate because the Luine Kingdom thinks so too.
"Each of us has decided on a candidate. From now on, it will be a competition, not a cooperation. We must also think about raising our own country's hero."
"Yeah"
"And when it's done"
"...Enemies of each other."
"It's bound to happen."
The battle for continental supremacy is about to begin. Many of the hero candidates do not understand, but this has already been decided.
"Can't we just be friends forever?"
"That's right"
"...I feel like we can keep our personal friendships?"
"Ara? Could it be that I stole your heart?"
With a charming smile, Princess Milianea says this.
"No way"
Heinz replied with a wry smile.
"That's right. You have a fiance, and the other party is royalty."
"Yes. And you are also a princess."
"Yes. I'm the princess of the Izrim Magic Kingdom. Nothing else."
"Yes..."
The royal family, especially women, are not allowed personal love affairs. Regardless of the person's feelings, the marriage is decided by politics.
"So, this is the last time."
"Yes, this is the last time."
"Goodbye"
"Yeah……"
Even after exchanging farewell greetings, the two did not immediately leave their seats.
"...You go first"
Turning her back on Heinz, Princess Milianea told him to leave the room first.
"……I understand."
Heinz got up from his seat and stared at Princess Milianea's back.
He almost reached for her back, which seemed to be trembling, but he managed to hold it back and turned around vigorously, as if shaking something off, and walked straight to the exit.
The sound of the door closing slowly echoes in the room.
◇◇◇
There is an awkward atmosphere in the room.
Emily came suddenly. She looked so distressed and wanted to talk to him that Ren had no choice but to let her in, but when they sat down, Emily would not talk. She just looked down with the same pensive expression she had on her face when she arrived.
Ren decided to talk to her because he couldn't understand anything at this rate.
"Are you visiting the cemetery again?"
"Wrong"
"Is that so? That was a lie the other day."
"…………"
After answering Ren's question, Emily shuts her mouth.
"I don't want to hear you ask about the children."
"Wrong"
"Then what?"
"...Can you kill the hero?"
"Yes?"
The words that finally came out of Emily's mouth were unexpected for Ren.
"I know that you have been working for the guild as an escort for the hero candidates."
"So?"
"You did a perfect escort."
"Perfect is an exaggeration."
"If you can protect him, you can also kill him, right?"
Emily tells Ren to assassinate Yuya.
"If it's a request, go to the guild. However, the guild doesn't accept assassination requests."
There's no way Ren would get involved in it.
"It's a personal request."
"I don't do that kind of work"
"I know. But I don't know who else I could ask."
"…By the way, why?"
Ren swallowed the words that he was not the person to ask for, and decided to ask the reason for the time being.
"I can't forgive that man as a person."
"What is your reason for not forgiving him?"
"…………"
"If you can't say the reason, we can't proceed."
"...He humiliated Her Highness."
"I see. I see. A personal feeling."
Another possibility is to act as the Anti-Hero Alliance. However, Ren decided that what Emily was saying was true, judging from her brooding expression.
"Are you convinced?"
"Not at all"
"Why!?"
"The princess had agreed to that. You don't mean to tell me that she was forced to do it, right?"
Princess Amalia approached Yuya. The reason she allowed her body to be used by him was because of their agreement.
"......But that was by agreement."
"He promised to become the hero of Saint Miriam Kingdom."
"Yes"
"He is a man who breaks his promises without hesitation. It's wrong to play tricks on someone without checking who they are and what they want."
Ren thinks she deserves it. Ren does not believe Yuya has a shred of integrity. He thinks it's foolish to be fooled by someone like that.
"I think it was a mistake. But that doesn't mean I can forgive him."
"Do you really want to kill him?"
"Yes"
"Then, what kind of compensation will I receive for accepting that request?"
"I will pay you properly."
Emily intends to prepare a reward for the request.
"Money?"
"Of course"
"If I fail, I will die. It's only money for a job like that."
Ren wasn't satisfied with Emily's reward.
"I will prepare a reasonable amount."
"I'm not short of money. My life is frugal."
"Then, please tell me what you wish for.”
"That's right... I'd like to hold a woman with the status of a princess once."
"What!?"
Emily let out a surprised voice at Ren's request. She never expected him to say such a thing. It would be so. Ren doesn't want to take the job, so he's saying the unreasonable.
"No? But she's already been humiliated so much, right?"
"...Even if that's the case."
Emily's body trembles with anger at Ren's insulting words about Princess Amalia.
"You can't forgive him for doing so, so you will kill him. If I do that, you'll have to kill me this time."
"That's right"
Emily thought that Ren withdrew his request.
"Then, I'll go with you."
"……Eh?"
Ren changed his request to Emily herself.
"If you give me your body, I'll consider it. However, in your case, I can't just do it once. After all, you're just a maid."
"The worst..."
Emily glared at Ren with sharp eyes.
"You can say whatever you want. But I won't give up on this condition. You should try to feel the same as your master. Only then will you understand your hatred."
Ren doesn't really want to hold Emily. He's just trying to get her to give up by offering conditions she'll never accept.
"…………"
"If you can't do it, go home. It's not like I really want it."
"……I understand."
Words of approval came out of Emily's mouth.
"Is it okay?"
Hiding his inner surprise, Ren asks a confirmation question.
"In exchange, be sure, the hero."
"Then take it off."
"Eh!?"
"The reward is paid in advance. So take it off."
"Ren! That's terrible!"
Shizuru interrupted from the side. Ren and Emily are not the only ones in the room. Shizuru, Rin and Luna are also there. Ren told Emily to get naked in the presence of these people.
"You, who are not a part of this, stay out of it."
"But……"
"Shut up. If you can't shut up, get out."
"…………"
Shizuru chose to remain silent. Right now, Shizuru can't bring herself to disobey Ren's orders.
"What are you going to do now?"
"...At least get rid of them."
"That is not needed"
"...The worst."
Emily bites her lip in humiliation.
"Say whatever you want. If you don't like it, you can stop. I'm not forcing you to do anything."
Seeing Emily like that, Ren didn't withdraw his request.
"...I understand. I'll take it off."
"By the way, have you ever done it before?"
"……No."
"Your first time is in public. It's a great experience."
"…………"
"Wouldn't it be better to stop?"
"Shut up! I'll take it off now!"
With trembling fingers, Emily tries to unbutton her top. It doesn't go well. Not only were her fingers shaking, but her tear-stained eyes were also getting in the way.
Still, she took her time and undid the buttons one by one. Ren watched silently, but when all the buttons were undone and she was about to take off her top, he suddenly opened her mouth.
"Can I ask you one thing?"
"What?"
"With that much resolve, why didn't you do anything?"
"...There's nothing I can do"
Princess Amalia wanted it. Of course, Emily tried to stop her. But when Princess Amalia showed her strong will, she couldn't. But that's not what Ren wanted to hear.
"If you're prepared to be held by me, let him hold you. Kill him when he's caught off guard. Why didn't you do that?"
"……Eh?"
"Even if you get dirty, being forcibly held by someone is a tragedy. But murder is different. Is that what you think?"
"…………"
Emily hadn't thought of that. But when Ren pointed it out, she realized that she couldn't deny it.
"If so, you still have something to protect. And in order to protect it, you're trying to get your hands dirty."
"I……"
"Or are you using the murder request as an excuse to set me up to do the same thing he did to your master?"
"…………"
"Go home. I don't trust you."
"Yes……"
Emily dropped her shoulders in disappointment and left the room. He was sure that she would never come close to him again. Ren thought that was the end of it.
――Two days later, Princess Amalia herself came to visit.
"Emily was rude to you the other day."
"She's not rude. It was just a hassle."
Ren did not know what Princess Amalia's intention was in visiting.
"...I came here today to talk to you."
"I thought the conversation was over"
"It's not over, I want you to pretend it never happened."
"...Ah, would it be a problem if someone knew that she was trying to kill the hero?"
"That's right"
Princess Amalia suspects that Ren will use Emily's assassination request against her. That would be rude to Ren.
"What about the hush money?"
Frustration made Ren spit these words out of his mouth.
"Just like Emily said, you're the worst man."
"As I told Emily-san, you can say whatever you want."
"……What do you want?"
"What should I get?"
Princess Amalia's cheeks blushed with embarrassment just because of Ren's words. She has made up her mind about what she thinks Ren will ask for.
"Isn't that kind of thing called egotism?"
After reading that feeling, Ren's frustration grows more and more. Ren hates people who are overly self-conscious like this.
"...But with Emily."
"I'm not serious about that. I'm not actually interested in Emily-san or you."
"…………"
Normally, she would be able to deny it, but behind Ren now are Luna, Rin, and Shizuru, all beautiful women. Princess Amalia is also a beautiful woman, but still, seeing the three of them side by side, she can't help but convince her that this is the case.
"About the hush money."
"Yes"
"Let's see if I can get you to tell me which countries are participating in the Anti-Hero Alliance."
"......I can't"
After thinking about Ren's request for a while, Princess Amalia refused.
"I guess it's impossible after all. Then what shall I do?"
And Ren ponders again.
Princess Amalia, being Princess Amalia, tried to figure out why Ren was making such a request, but she had no idea.
"Well then, put the Anti-Hero Alliance back together. Not the church side, but the smaller nations."
"That, too, is impossible."
"Why? The Saint Miriam Kingdom is supposed to have a certain amount of influence among the smaller nations, right?"
"...I lost that trust."
Princess Amalia had played a central role in the Anti-Hero Alliance, though only for some members, but she is no longer in that position.
A woman who has feelings for a hero who should be killed is not to be trusted.
"Because you're a traitor. This is no good either. It's useless."
"……What's on your mind?"
"Is it necessary to talk about it? I can only think of the disadvantages of talking about it."
"…………"
There is no doubt that it is related to the Anti-Hero Alliance, but Princess Amalia has no idea what will happen from there.
"There's nothing I want. It can't be helped, so you owe me one."
Ren ignores Princess Amalia, who is in deep thought, and proceeds with the conversation.
"Owe?"
"I'll get it back someday"
"How?"
"I can't think of a way to do that, that's why I'm in trouble. If I thought of something, I'll tell you."
He doesn't think there is merit in making Princess Amalia owe him. This is Ren's honest feeling.
"Then I don't know what you will say. This is a disadvantage."
Princess Amalia, who does not consider herself worthless, cannot believe Ren's words.
"Didn't you come here to ask me to shut up?"
"……Yes"
"Amazing. Another brazen woman like Shizuru."
"Why me..."
Shizuru seems dissatisfied with her name being mentioned.
"It's a synonym for brazen."
"...That's terrible."
"It's true. Shut up. You're interrupting the conversation."
"…………"
Shizuru did as Ren said and fell silent. Princess Amalia, who had been interested in her for a while, finally couldn't help but ask.
"She's the saint, right?"
"She is not a saint, but a woman with the title of apprentice saint."
"How is that different?"
"It's completely different. Just because she has a title doesn't mean she's the saint inside. In fact, this woman is far from being a saint, she's just――"
"No!"
Shizuru panicked and interrupted Ren's words.
"You deny it?"
Ren cast a cold gaze at the still Shizuru.
"Don't say that in public."
"In that public place, you—"
"Please!"
"...Okay. So, what were you talking about?"
Ren stopped talking to Shizuru and turned to Princess Amalia.
"What is the relationship between you two?"
But Princess Amalia was not ready to return to the conversation. She was not sure what to make of the relationship between the two of them.
"Landlord and Housekeeper"
"......Why is the saint staying here?"
"Not a saint, but an apprentice saint."
"I understand. Can I call you Shizuru?"
Tired of Ren's insistence, Princess Amalia asked Shizuru for permission to call her by name.
"Okay."
"Why are you staying here, Shizuru?"
"I don't have anywhere else to stay."
"Why?"
"That's……"
Shizuru's words were clouded by Princess Amalia's question. Face-to-face, even Shizuru couldn't say that the cause was her.
"It seems that it became difficult for her to stay at Kisaragi's place."
Ren answered instead.
"Yuya's..."
"That's right. Isn't it strange that another woman stays at his residence while the person himself goes to another woman?"
Ren had no reservations about Princess Amalia or Shizuru.
"......By other woman, you mean me."
"Who else?"
"I see. So you're here?"
Princess Amalia turned her question to Shizuru again. Because she thought that if she asked Ren, he would answer with sarcasm.
"I had nowhere else to go, so I relied on Ren."
"There are other places. You can go to Katsuragi's place."
Ren complained to Shizuru's answer.
"I want to stay here"
"I don’t want you here. Yes, how about the hush money is to take this woman in?"
"That's!? I don't want to!"
"I'm not asking you."
"I want to stay."
"I don't want you to stay."
"Even so, I still want to be by Ren's side!"
"...Why? Don't tell me it's for atonement."
Ren knows that he has been very hard on Shizuru. But why Shizuru is so adamant about staying in this house is beyond Ren's comprehension.
"No reason. I just want to be by your side."
"...What are you up to?"
"I'm not thinking about anything. I just want to be by your side."
"…………"
Shizuru did not consciously answer, but as a result, she spoke to Ren in a really effective way. There is no reason. When she says this, it is impossible for Ren to argue it out. He was not very good at talking to people without reason.
"Was that the relationship? This was surprising."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
When asked like this, even Princess Amalia doesn't have an answer. It was a word she said somehow.
"...Not a lover."
"Of course not."
"Her unrequited love"
"That's not true either. This woman loves herself more than anyone else. There's no way she'll fall in love with someone else."
Ren really thinks so. As long as he thinks this way, Ren will never approve of Shizuru.
"...You are the same."
"I hate myself"
"I see. Why do you hate yourself?"
"I've explained it to a lot of people. I don't feel like talking about it anymore."
Princess Amalia was talking to the irritated Ren in a way that irritated him even more. This is very similar to Shizuru.
"Then we can't have a conversation."
"I don't want to have a conversation. Or rather, why are we talking about this?"
"About Shizuru."
"…………"
Thinking that it was Shizuru again, Ren fell silent.
"This is also unexpected. Perhaps you have a weakness for this sort of thing?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Love, it seems you are not used to people liking you."
Princess Amalia misunderstands. Ren wasn't embarrassed because he was embarrassed. He is holding back his irritated feelings.
".. I don't remember being liked."
"I think she obviously likes you, though?"
"If that's the case, then it's annoying."
"You don't have to be so stubborn. Shizuru is beautiful even to me as a woman."
Misunderstanding that she had discovered Ren's weakness, she uttered these words in a flurry of excitement, further stimulating Ren's heart.
"What beautiful? This woman killed Kazuki with her filthy heart."
"That's……"
"And you are just as guilty. You drove her out of this world. I will never forget that."
"…………"
Princess Amalia didn't feel any drawback over the death of Kazuki, but when it comes to stories involving the Anti-Hero Alliance, she can't say she doesn't know anything about it.
"Get out of my sight. When I think about Kazuki, your tragic behavior really bothers me."
"...I understand."
"Take this woman with you."
"No!"
Shizuru let out a voice of denial.
"Disappear"
"No!"
No matter what Ren says, Shizuru has no intention of leaving this house.
"...Then, I'll make you want to disappear. I don't need a replacement for Kazuki here."
This was the first time Ren had mentioned Kazuki so clearly.
Kazuki's presence was growing in Ren's mind. Every time he learns about the foolishness of other opposite sexes, Ren thinks Kazuki is special.
Kazuki was also one of those foolish women. Even so, Kazuki becomes a special person to Ren.
Although it was Luna's plan, it had a greater effect than expected.
――In the pitch-black room, a vague white skin floats. Two slender white legs are wide open, and Ren's body is placed on top of them.
"Nhh... ahh..."
Ren looked coldly at Shizuru's face, who was gasping in the darkness.
"How are you feeling?"
"W-what?"
"I'm just asking how does it feel to be used as an outlet for my s*xual desires?"
"Don't say that..."
Shizuru is showing a sad expression at Ren's words that torment her. Shizuru knows, as much as she hates to admit it, that Ren is doing this just to hurt her.
"How does it feel to be forcibly violated by a man you don't even like?"
"I... about Ren..."
"Don't lie. You just want all the men around you to like you."
"N-no... nhh."
"Don't think I understand how you feel about Kazuki because of this."
"Nhh..."
"You are different from Kazuki. You cannot become Kazuki."
"…………"
These words hurt Shizuru's heart far more than being hurled with humiliating words.
"I will not allow you to cry. I will humiliate you more than you did to Kazuki."
"R-Ren..."
Shizuru felt like Ren was crying when he said that. Gently, unnoticed, Shizuru gently puts her hand around Ren's back.
"I will humiliate you more than you did to Kazuki. I will make you regret saying you would stay by my side."
"Ahh... R-Ren"
Ren's distorted emotions accuse Shizuru. This is the first time Ren has hit the darkness of his heart toward another person. Ren is unaware of this.
No comments:
Post a Comment