Chapter 30: Farewell
Return to the royal capital and turn Setanta into a demon――.
What Patricia does after leaving the ruins is really quite simple.
However, when thinking about how to accomplish this goal, there are multiple options and it is hard to make a decision.
According to the demon man, Setanta is being housed in a hospital within the walls of the royal capital.
Or so it was written in the newspaper.
In order to get to the hospital, she naturally had to pass through the gates of the royal capital, but this is where her options diverged.
The question is whether Patricia will reveal her identity to the guards or not.
If Patricia reveals her identity, it will be revealed that the wife of the hero, whom they thought was dead, has returned, and the city will be in an uproar like a beehive being poked.
After that, she would eventually be able to meet with Setanta, but Patricia's actions would probably be severely restricted due to the questioning of the guards and others in the royal capital.
Now that Setanta must be turned into a demon as quickly as possible, such a situation might result in Setanta becoming a holy tree when the time limit arrives.
There may be an option to persuade the guards and others not to cause a commotion, but the knights, squires, or soldiers here know Patricia. The difficulty level of persuasion is quite high. If they can be persuaded successfully, she may be led to Setanta in secret, but the success or failure depends on the personality and way of thinking of the guards to be persuaded, so it is still not certain.
(So I must pass through the castle gate, concealing my true identity.)
Patricia quickly applies a thick layer of makeup with the cosmetics the man gave her.
With her hair tied up and a hood over her head, it is impossible to tell at a glance that she is Patricia.
If someone who knew her looked closely, they might recognize her, but she was confident that anyone who had only seen or heard of Patricia's appearance would never recognize her.
(I'm glad I didn't have a conspicuous appearance like Piercarlo D'Alessio)
A red-haired, fair-skinned girl is a common sight in the royal capital.
She is also skilled in the art of concealment, so she has no intention of making any mistakes that would be revealed by her behavior or other actions.
She should be able to conceal her true identity.
The next problem is breaking through the security of the hospital.
Since her identity is concealed, she has to meet Setanta without being noticed by security.
Depending on the severity of the security, in the worst case, she may not even be able to enter the facility.
Hence the second option.
She can either ask for someone's help, or she can try to do it on her own.
If possible, she would like to ask Melvina, Gwendolyn, and Kat for help, but what Patricia is about to do is an act that is in direct opposition to the Holy Tree Church. If she is judged by the laws of the kingdom, she was not sure what charges she will face, but at worst she could be charged with mayhem or treason. Considering that collaborators would also face similar charges, she could not easily involve the girls.
Considering this, she should try to do her best on her own, but depending on the deployment and skill level of the soldiers, it may be impossible to break through the security with her current equipment.
(Regarding this, let's think about it after I checked the guard's deployment there.)
If it is easy to break through, go straight in.
If it seems impossible, ask for someone's help.
The third problem is where to turn Setanta into a demon.
Since a certain amount of Patricia's lewd fluid must be applied to him, she can't do things in his bed in the hospital.
She needs to get him out of the hospital.
He is said to be in a state where he cannot move because both his hands and feet are covered by the holy tree, so she has no choice but to put him on a cart or something and transport him.
(The entertainment district in the western district. I will bribe the poor people there for a room. Let's turn Setanta into a demon there.)
Although it is a long way from the hospital in the northern district, if she goes west of the Academy, the streets will be less crowded and the guards, except for those off duty, will not stop by.
"I can do it. I can do it. It's okay, Patricia."
She looks in the mirror and says to herself.
She has done many difficult missions in the [Frozen Plains].
In both her hometown of Lowell and in the hero family, no knight could do everything Patricia can do. Patricia had confidence.
"Alright."
She put the make-up kit in her bag and stood up.
A room in an abandoned building.
The sound of birds chirping and singing echoed in the air.
In the morning sun, a young woman with thick makeup was born.
(That man is...)
From the room―― the place where Patricia and the man had spent about three days, came the sound of a scrubbing brush.
The room was stained with Patricia's and the man's lewd fluids.
If the lewd fluid had been blood, it would have been the scene of a gruesome murder.
It was not something that a little cleaning could fix.
It might take all day if it is not done properly.
(No need to say goodbye)
It would be troublesome if she called out to him and told him that she was going to take revenge on the [White Knight] later and that they should decide on a meeting point.
The white knight is a powerful enemy.
He is an opponent that mankind will have to defeat someday, but right now she doesn't have the time to be bothered by him.
After turning Setanta into a demon, the next step is to hurry back to the hero's territory and go retrieve mine and Kat's children, who are in the care of Setanta's three remaining wives. If possible, she would also check on Setanta's two younger brothers.
If she were to do anything like defeating the white knight, the calendar's month would change.
"――――"
Patricia bowed toward the room with the man and left the abandoned building, killing the sound of her footsteps.
(Speaking of which)
After exiting the building and entering the wheat field, she turns around.
The hood, which was pulled over her eyes, was filled with the smell of cosmetics and lily perfume.
(These cosmetics are the same ones Melvina used. And the lily perfume......)
She remembers the back of the demon man from earlier.
His back in her memory was distorted―― the image of a young man with black hair flickered for a moment.
Melvina's fiancée.
The reason for the recent smile on her dear sister-in-law's face.
The man of destiny who came into her life, perhaps for the first and last time.
"――――"
She shakes her head that it can't be.
Christopher was a very brave, strong, and wise man, albeit a bit frivolous, and a gentleman among gentlemen who had Melvina's best interests at heart.
That could not be the pervert who relentlessly licked and sucked Patricia's armpits and ejaculated by handling his penis with her hair.
It couldn't have been the person who murdered many church knights and cut off the human race as trash.
(I must put an end to this foolish fantasy and head for the gates of the castle quickly.)
Patricia steeled herself and ran along the well-maintained road through the wheat fields.
× × ×
Breaking through the gates of the royal capital was easier than expected.
Or rather, all she had to do was show her pass and give a suitably made-up identity.
On the one hand, she thinks it is lax security, but on the other hand, considering that tens of thousands of people a day enter and leave the gates of the royal capital, She thinks this level is unavoidable.
But now Patricia is a demon, so this means that humanity has now passed an enemy into the king's lap.
(The pass is not associated with the person's personal information)
Patricia thinks as she speeds through the gates.
(Demons can enter the royal capital by killing a person and taking their pass.)
Of course, the pass must be up-to-date.
It would be a pain to have to get a new one every time the pass number is updated. However, if one takes the trouble, one can easily enter the royal capital, just like Patricia.
She understood the dangers of the royal capital only because she had been reborn as a demon.
Especially in the slums, it's hard to know what's lurking there.
(The royal capital, Yggdrasil, is a bustling place of light and evil.)
Patricia moved to the west district of the capital and entered the slums, where the stench of death and venereal disease was rampant. The eyes of those around her were sharp. Patricia had to climb over a low wall each time someone approached her to pickpocket her or walk faster to avoid them.
She didn't use the holy arts.
She doesn't even know if it works.
However, Patricia's physical ability had improved to the point that she did not need to use it.
There is a holy art called [Swear to the Blue Holy Tree], and her physical ability has improved to the same degree as when she used that art.
She is accustomed to the use of force and is dexterous, so she can handle it, but she must be careful not to make impersonal movements on the spur of the moment.
If she is seen kicking a wall and instantly going onto the roof, she might be reported to the guards, depending on the person.
Patricia found a suitable woman in a corner of the slums, a place where many prostitutes lived, and rented a room by telling a bunch of lies. The reward was leftover cosmetics and lily perfume that Patricia brought with her. The poor prostitute would have been desperate for these things.
Patricia gives her only the lily perfume and says she will give her the rest of the cosmetics when she returns with a man, and leaves the slums.
From then on, Patricia's heart was ringing like a fast bell with anxiety.
(Will Setanta listen to me?)
She can't imagine him agreeing to become a demon.
He stubbornly refuses to bend to what he believes is right or wrong.
This has always been the case and will always be.
Whether it was right or wrong for him to protect his children by becoming a demon―― although they had been warriors together for many years, Patricia did not know what would his decision be.
No, in fact, she thinks she will be rejected somehow.
Or rather, he would probably reject her.
So it was Patricia who always folded, respecting his wishes.
Because of that, she has recently left most of her schoolmates in the same class to die.
While she was holed up in the art room, escaping reality, she decided to push through what she thought was right the next time so that this would never happen again.
And by next time, she meant right now.
If he becomes a demon, Setanta might be saved.
Just as Patricia vomited the branch of the holy tree, he should excrete the elements derived from the sacred tree and instead mutate by taking Patricia's fluids into his body.
This would stop him from becoming a branch of the holy tree―― it should.
Nothing was certain, but Patricia was gaining something close to certainty from the fact that she had spit back the seeds of the holy tree.
If she could persuade Setanta, she was certain that she could save him.
If she could save Setanta, he would be able to prevent a family upheaval in the hero's family and save the lives of his precious sons.
(His sons―― Shifu and Nito's lives are at stake.)
Setanta will reject her without thinking deeply, or will reject her out of disgust for the demons. She will refute it with reasoning.
He usually ends up putting out his hand before his mouth, but now he can't hit Patricia.
(And if he won't listen to me―― I'll do it by force)
Patricia's green eyes light up with a ruthless color.
They were the eyes of a mother protecting her child.
If her husband, who doesn't understand, brings up pride or mission or something noble, She'll force him to face reality.
Make him realize that he has become a weak man who cannot even force Patricia to shut up.
(I can't back down either. I'm sorry, Setanta.)
As long as she has fallen into a demon, she will protect only her child at all costs.
For that reason, even if it's forceful, she will let Setanta live.
She absolutely cannot give up.
× × ×
The security at the hospital in the northern district was far less than Patricia had expected.
Or rather, not much different from normal times.
The number of guards has only slightly increased.
In addition to a large number of teachers and students who had been detained as a result of the attack on the previous extracurricular activities, and the fact that Setanta, who was unable to move, was supposed to be receiving medical treatment, neither the state nor the church was doing anything to protect the hospital.
(What does that mean?)
Patricia went around the hospital and tilted her head as she checked the security arrangement.
She wonders if this is because Setanta has become a holy tree and there is no longer a need to maintain strict security. At this thought, her heart began to beat wildly against her ribs.
(The only time you are allowed to enter the hospital is when the patients are on the grounds. Once they cross the wall, they are free to come and go as visitors.)
The hospital is divided into two main areas, with a large canal running between the two areas and a bridge over the canal.
There are no fences around the stairs that lead down to the canal, so it is best to enter through the canal. She would follow that same path if she took Setanta out.
Patricia will enter the irrigation canal from the street to the north of the hospital, and then walk along the narrow foothold to the bottom of the hospital.
(This canal is dripping with garbage and wastewater. It would be a pity to soak Setanta in it. I have to be careful.)
Patricia went up the stairs and finally entered the grounds of the hospital.
There, she grabbed an old woman who appeared to be a visitor from across the bridge and asked her which building Setanta was housed in. Fortunately, he was housed on the top floor of the largest building in front of her.
She thanked the old woman and go around to the back of the building.
There was a large pile of empty barrels in the back of the building, and the walls were protruding in places. Patricia jumped on the barrels without a sound, put her hand on the window, recoiled, jumped on, and climbed up to the roof as lightly as a spider.
The roof has small windows and chimneys for ventilation.
On the other side, where Patricia had climbed up, there appeared to be a veranda.
After a little hesitation, there was no sign of humans from the small window to let in light, so she slithered in like a snake from there.
(Good)
She landed with a small sound.
Inside was a hallway with well-polished wooden floors and old but well-cleaned white walls.
Patricia checked to make sure that the top floor was unnaturally free of soldiers, and then approached the largest room at the far end―― and opened the door.
"Setanta..."
The moment she closed the door and looked inside the room, her husband's name escaped Patricia's mouth.
Setanta was lying on a white bed.
The window leading to the veranda was open, and the cool breeze was blowing through it.
Setanta was alive.
But he was only alive.
His body, which was not covered with a blanket or anything, was now a holy tree.
Blue phosphorescent skin.
Both of his legs grew straight out like managed cedar trees, and from the ankles onward, countless tentacles sprouted like tree roots. His torso was human-shaped but had the texture of tree bark and glowed blue.
Both hands are tree branches.
A few small leaves sprouted from the ends of the branches.
From the neck up, the body was also covered with bark-like skin, but only the key parts of his face, such as his mouth, nose, and eyes, seemed to have the texture of human skin.
"Setanta!"
Although she made a heartless decision, could not hide her upset at the horrifyingly sad appearance of the man she had been with for so many years.
Patricia rushes over to Setanta's bed and takes his hand, which is now a tree branch.
"Uu... Pat, huh...?"
"Yes, it's me! It's me! It's Patricia! Setanta, do you understand?"
"Kill him."
"Eh?"
Setanta's blue eyes flashed.
"That, fucking demon, kill him...!"
"There are no demons here.... we lost the battle the other day."
"……We lost……?"
"Yes."
"――――. I see... In that case, quickly, heal my body, and kill him."
"Setanta, listen to me."
Patricia looked back toward the door, searching the hallway for signs of life.
Still no sign of anyone.
She turned her attention back to Setanta, and took his bark-like cheek between her hands.
It really did feel like bark.
"Right now, you cannot fight the demons. But I have a way to cure you."
"Cure……?"
Setanta vaguely repeated Patricia's words.
Then he looked at his own half of the body, his large eyes fluttering.
"...That's right. I'm, becoming a holy tree."
"I may be able to stop the holy tree."
"Really? Can I, demons, my enemies, kill?"
(You're so obsessed with killing demons...)
Although she wondered about this, it was not surprising considering his life so far.
He has hunted and hunted and hunted the hostile demons, and finally, he failed to hunt the last one and is now on the verge of ending up like this. It could be said that this was all he had in his life.
Patricia looked into Setanta's inhuman blue eyes.
"Please calm down and listen."
"Annoying. Shut up."
"Eh, I still haven't..."
"Ah?"
"I'm sorry."
(Weak! Why are you so lame! Do your best, Patricia!)
Despite being resolute when it comes to things other than Setanta, when confronted with this illogical beast, she shrinks back out of habit as usual. But it is no use shrinking now.
"Oi, Pat."
"What is it?"
"What's your way of helping me?"
"That's……"
Patricia was not sure whether to tell the truth or not.
However, it was obvious that Setanta would be furious and kick Patricia out if she said, "I'm going to turn you into a demon" in the course of this conversation.
She cannot tell him the truth.
She must deceive him.
But it is difficult to deceive him with his animal-like intuition.
Logic doesn't work, so lying won't work either.
Patricia's least favorite person was actually Setanta.
(Is there a need to question and answer?)
The rational, cold-hearted side of Patricia whispers in her ear.
(He can't move. I'll reap his consciousness to silence him. Then carry him out. That's the end of it.)
"Oi, Pat."
"Setanta, listen to me."
"No, I won't."
"Why―― why!"
Patricia kept her voice down, but she still used a strong tone.
“Why don't you always listen to me? I understand that you listen to my opinions and don't adopt them after careful consideration. But, but...... if you deny everything from the end, I'm no better than a golem...... just following your orders!"
"Yes, you are a golem."
"――What was that?"
Setanta's eyes widen, and his mouth moves as if driven by something.
"You are a golem. You will silently help me kill the demons, and when you grow old and weak, you will be the nursery from which the next warrior will be born. You are of no more or less value to me now that you have become the wife of the hero noble family."
"――――"
She should have known about Setanta.
They were together for many years.
They've been fighting side by side all this time.
However.
However…….
"......Why would you say such a thing?"
“Patricia. Kill the demons!"
"I'll kill them. I'll kill as many as I have to!"
"Help me kill the demons!"
“―――― .…………”
(What is this...)
Patricia left Setanta with a look of despair on her face.
She doesn't know him like this.
No, she might have known it, but she had closed her eyes and had not tried to see him until now.
In her mind, she hears the [God's Eye]'s words reverberate.
Myo, myo, myo, myo.
"――――"
Patricia's eyes change to the ones she would use to kill an enemy.
Her muscles creak, and the fingers of her right hand take up a position to tighten around his neck.
"Pat, what's wrong?"
“……, …….……Kuh……”
It is useless.
She can't do it.
It was the same with Gwendolyn.
Even when Gwendolyn stopped the White Knight with her own body, Patricia was unable to kill the enemy with her own in the end.
Enemies can be killed.
Even those with whom she had no close relationship, she could kill without mercy for what she had to do.
But those she fought together as comrades-in-arms, she can't kill them.
(I can't kill it. ――I can't kill Setanta's determination.)
She can't kill his pride.
His thoroughgoing way of life cannot be denied.
If Patricia were Gwendolyn.
Or if it was Kat.
She was sure that they would have turned him into a demon, forcibly or without thinking.
But Patricia was Patricia.
She couldn't kill all of Setanta because she was strangely compassionate toward people.
"Oi, Pat! Can't you hear what I'm saying! Don't ignore me!"
"Shut up."
"Ah?"
“Shut up...... I'm already at my limit. I've had enough of you."
"What?"
"If you think of me as nothing more than a golem, then my loyalty to you has been a castle in the sand. I can no longer do this with you."
"What do you mean!?"
“It means I am no longer your first wife or anything. ――Yes, from the beginning, I was not suitable for you, a lowly woman like me. I was right to promote Gwendolyn as your first wife after all. Although you called her crazy and kept her away."
“…What happened all of a sudden? What are you talking about, Pat? ......Damn, is this another one of my usual dreams? Damn Holy Tree, you've got to stop showing me these weird visions!"
"――――"
Patricia looked down at her ex-husband, who was on the verge of becoming a holy tree and smiled sadly.
She doesn't get along with this man.
She can't understand him, so she needs time to let go of her feelings.
Patricia cannot deny this man now.
She needs at least one night to deny him.
Time is precious, but she doesn't think she can get sexually aroused in this state of mind, so she had no choice.
"I'm going to go cool my head a little. When I come back, it will be your last time, so please be ready by then."
"Oi, wait!"
"I won't wait."
Even as she said that, Patricia dutifully stopped.
Setanta is still looking up at the ceiling.
Perhaps he can't even lean back.
He no longer has value as a hero.
He can't leave seeds for future generations.
He has no value to his enemies or to his allies, which is why he is left in this state of security.
"Goodbye, Setanta Lou."
Patricia made sure that Setanta could not take a second look and disappeared soundlessly from his room.
× × ×
She couldn't even have a proper conversation with Setanta.
She had expected to get into trouble with him about his demonization, but this was the result before that. However, she thinks it was a very typical ending for Setanta and Patricia.
(Let's break in again before dawn tomorrow before the city wakes up. That bed looks heavy, I should get a more portable storage that looks easier to carry.)
Patricia nonchalantly fills in the necessary steps in her mind as she goes up north from the hospital's sewers.
Security is not a problem.
With Patricia's ability, she could get through that level at any time.
(For three days and three nights, I will straddle the reluctant Setanta and masturbate.)
What are you going to masturbate with?
That's right, she wanted that demon man――.
She was actually quite excited to be forcibly fucked by that demon.
She thinks she's a helpless pervert, but she can't help it.
Even if she put a stop to it with reason, whether she likes it or not is instinctive.
Sexual intercourse with that man was fun―― but, as an in-law to her husband and as a devout follower of the Holy Tree religion, she was only drawing a certain line.
That's gone now, too.
(I am a bad girl, Father)
Patricia remembers the man who had praised her as a good girl.
Setanta, her father, her mother, and Kat could not understand Patricia to the end. They never thought she was such a lousy woman.
"Hic... kuh."
(Eh……)
"Uu... guh... uu... uuuu."
(I)
Crying――?
The edge of the canal.
In the corner of the sandy area where the garbage had washed up, Patricia sat and cried, as if hiding from the people walking on the paved path overhead.
It was pathetic.
She was frustrated.
She wondered what all she had built up to this point.
She deserved everything.
Patricia Lowell, a lousy woman, had dug this grave, but when it came down to it, she couldn't help but feel sad.
The worst.
A woman so lousy that she deserved to end up like this.
"Um, are you okay?"
"......?"
"It's you. You there."
"......"
Patricia wiped her tears with her sleeve at the sound of the voice from above her head.
Her makeup was smeared on her sleeve, but that wasn't the point now.
She had to say something in return and leave the place, because she shouldn't stand out.
"Eh...by any chance, is that you Madam?"
"――――?"
"Madam! You're madam, right? It's me!"
"...Marie?"
Patricia looked up at the familiar voice she had not heard for several days.
Then, the face of a servant of the Hero Family, looking very disheveled, flashed into her field of vision. She removed her hood and peered at Patricia, who was crouched on the edge of the canal with her hands on her hips.
"I knew it! Madam Patricia! You are safe. Yufimia-sama told me that you had passed away! You can't just sit here like this, we have to inform someone right away!"
"W-wait!"
Patricia hurriedly stood up and took Marie's hand.
"I'm sorry. For some reason, I'm hiding myself now. Could you pretend you didn't hear anything or see anything? Look, it's small, but I'll pay you to keep quiet."
"E-eh? What's going on? Everyone was hurting about you. Melvina-sama was crying so much."
"I'm sorry."
Patricia put pressure on her hand to hold the maid back. "I can't give you any details. Trust me, so keep quiet."
"Y-yeah..."
"Um, can you tell me a little bit about what's going on with the hero family now? Look, I'll pay you extra for the information."
"――――"
When Patricia held out the silver coin, Marie's face instantly clouded over.
She has a very easy-to-understand personality.
When she is sad, she is sad; when she is happy, she is happy.
The fact that her face clouded over probably means that something unfortunate happened.
Or rather, since Setanta was in such a state, it would be strange if her expression did not cloud over.
The maid who was temporarily hired by the hero family accepted the money and looked at Patricia's face again. and open her mouth.
“It seems that there has been an internal conflict in the hero territory.”
"――――"
(Internal Conflict?)
Thanks for the chapter
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