Chapter 45: 45

Chapter 45 : A hollow, wavering heart in a prison under the moon, in the quiet of daytime.

It was in the guard station of Benjamin village.

There was a cell in the back guarded by the red-haired woman, Kilim.

Inside it, a young girl was sitting on the edge of a modest bed.

Her name was Hydra, and she was a member of the Hero’s party until they kicked her out by sending her chasing after Seto.

Her complexion had gotten better after being fed, but she looked completely detached from everything, and the feeling of being tired of life was weighing down on her shoulders.

[Hey, you’ve got a visitor.] (Kilim)

[Visitor?] (Hydra)

[It’s Mayor Scarlett. Looks like she wanna talk to you.] (Kilim)

[What’s there to talk about at this point? Look at me, I’m a criminal. I used to be a member of the Hero’s party, carrying the expectations of my country, my father, and by extension, all of mankind on my back. And now… I’m just a pathetic mess.] (Hydra)

[And it’s because you’re such a pathetic mess that she wants to talk to you once. I’ll call you again when it’s time.] (Kilim)

Hydra helplessly watched Kilim leave after she said that.

She was dressed in prison clothes instead of her martial arts uniform, and her long dark hair, instead of being tied in buns, was let loose in a messy manner.

She looked nothing like the gallant and awe-inspiring female martial artist she used to be.

She was like a powerless girl who had witnessed the end of the world.

[…The village of eccentrics, huh…] (Hydra)

She hung her head and mumbled to herself.

Though it had been to find Seto, perhaps fate had had a hand in her getting washed up here.

Yeah… I guess I’m an eccentric too. Hehehe… I thought I had been on the straight and narrow until now. I followed my father’s teachings, revered good and despised evil. But… At what point did I go wrong with that? (Hydra)

She asked herself that same question for a long time, her vacant eyes fixed on the floor.

After a while, Kilim returned and put shackles on her.

[Hehehe… How cautious of you. Do you think I even have the will to resist at this point?] (Hydra)

[You’re a martial artist, so I can never be too careful with you. Just saying, but even if you try to resist-…] (Kilim)

[I know. I wouldn’t want you to tackle me again.] (Hydra)

With a self-mocking smile on her face, she went to the visiting room set up in the guard station.

There, she met the village mayor Scarlett, and Ryodou Anacondell.

[How are you feeling?] (Scarlett)

[…Terrible, as you can see.] (Hydra)

Hydra answered with her eyes cast down.

[I’ve heard about you. If I recall, you are a member of the Hero’s party, currently on a journey to defeat the Demon King, aren’t you…?] (Scarlett)

[“Former” member, to be precise. I can’t go back anymore. Neither to my country nor the party… What right would I have to return to them?] (Hydra)

[Just what in the world happened to you? Satis-san and Seto-kun told me what state you were in when they saw you. It did not sound reassuring, though…] (Scarlett)

[I know. …They said I looked like a ghost, I bet? That’s right, I once agreed with the Hero’s decision, and voted Seto out of our party. What do you think happened after that? We couldn’t fill the void left by his departure, the party’s order was disrupted, and we began to hate each other.] (Hydra)

Hydra spoke in detail about what happened after Seto was banished.

At first, she spoke with a feeling of self-mockery, but then, tears began to well up, as if in repentance, as she exposed all the maliciousness in her heart that had accumulated over time.

[But now, I don’t know anymore. I don’t know if expelling Seto was the right thing to do. Sure, his way of fighting and thinking was brutal. He wouldn’t stop attacking until his foes were dead. …And I scorned him for it. I thought fighting only for the sake of killing was an act of “barbarism”. And without even questioning his position as a boy soldier, only focusing on the good and evil in front of me, I had distorted my own view of the humanity and justice my father taught me. I saw Seto, who had struggled so hard to survive in the harsh environment that is the battlefield, only as a ruthless, devilish child. By looking down on him, I was under the impression that I was on the side of good.] (Hydra)

Then, she met Seto again in this village, and witnessed the change in him.

However, his new attitude was unacceptable to Hydra, who was backed into a corner.

She was supposed to despise killing, but she wanted him to be a killer for her own protection, and when she finally met the boy again, he refused.

────I’m not a soldier anymore.

────I want to live my own life.

His words were like a denial of all the hardships Hydra had endured, and they proved extremely effective in rousing up her exhausted spirit.

In the end, she was defeated by Satis, whom she heard was living by Seto’s side, and was incarcerated in the village’s prison.

At that same time, the two protagonists departed from the village.

[In the first place… Did Seto even despise the fighting, his enemies, or evil? No… He didn’t hate any of those. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have made sense for him not to retaliate against me. I should’ve realized that… Despite being tossed around as a soldier amidst the hatred and warfare of friends and foes alike, Seto never resented anyone.] (Hydra)

[…I’m guessing that was due to the kid’s innately high sensitivities. Soldiers are compelled by their nations to hate and kill their enemies. Same goes for boy soldiers. I’m sure the kid despised his enemies at first, but he must’ve realized along the way that this kind of sentiment was pointless.] (Ryodou)

Ryodou, who had been listening to Hydra in silence, joined in the conversation.

[But even if one understands that, as a soldier, they’re not allowed to escape the battlefield. Especially if they’re a boy soldier. The kid kept fighting. Even though he knew this was all an absurdity created by the grown-ups, the kid fought for his country and for the adults. …And for you guys, the Hero’s party.] (Ryodou)

[…!?] (Hydra)

Hydra suddenly remembered something.

It was at the end of a battle.

Seto had laid waste to their enemies.

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Whether they were humans or monsters, he showed no mercy.

But he did not feel any pleasure in killing, nor any sadness for the dead.

What was reflected in his eyes was an endless emptiness.

It was the look of a “killer” who destroyed his enemies in a clerical, workmanlike, and warlike manner.

It was a cold, inorganic, and expressionless face, something a child his age was not supposed to make.

Seto’s thoughts on the battlefield diverged from those of his fellow party members.

It was not that he did not feel anything about killing, he simply concluded that there was no point in feeling anything about it.

[…Why…? Why didn’t anyone do anything nice for him? Why didn’t I reach out to him back then? Why didn’t I walk up to him when everybody hated him and he had to eat by himself in the dark? Why didn’t I invite him to eat together…? Isn’t that precisely the sort of humanity my father taught me? How could I misunderstand the meaning of humanity like that…?] (Hydra)

[Humanity… As in, a compassionate and benevolent heart, yes? …Such a marvelous philosophy your father has.] (Scarlett)

[And yet, on my journey… I trampled on my father’s teachings. Hahaha… What have I done with my life…?] (Hydra)

Hydra smiled in self-deprecation with tears streaming down her face.

She looked so frail that it was hard to believe she was one who had led the mighty life of a martial artist.

[About Satis-san… I don’t know about the time she was the enemy of your group, but she was a wonderful woman. She loves Seto from the bottom of her heart. I’m sure she’s part of the reason he’s changed, isn’t she?] (Scarlett)

[Satis? …Now that I think about it, she did say that she was no longer a general of the Demon King’s army. I don’t know the whole story behind this, but… I see. I guess Seto knows what it is to be loved now. And yet, here I was… treating him like a tool, huh… I was so wrong about everything on a fundamental level.] (Hydra)

Though her face was soaked in tears, there was a hint of satisfaction in it.

And for the first time, from the bottom of her heart, she congratulated Seto for finding freedom.

He would have been at a loss what to do after being kicked out, but he met Satis on that same day, and was finally enjoying his life.

Who in the world would have the right to trample on the happiness he was feeling right now?

Hydra’s heart was cleaned of all malice.

At the same time, the despair that had been weighing on her body also vanished.

[My, you have a much brighter look on your face now.] (Scarlett)

[…Mayor, as a consequence of my short-sighted actions based on my immature ideology, I have caused a great deal of trouble to your village. Please punish me as you see fit.] (Hydra)

Hydra spoke formally, and bowed to her two visitors.

She was ready to face the consequences of her own crimes.

Even if she was to be beheaded, she was willing to accept it.

[Punish you, you say… What should we do, Ryodou-san?] (Scarlett)

[You’re asking me? Well, let’s see… Kilim, take off her shackles for now.] (Ryodou)

Hydra looked up in surprise.

Kilim removed her shackles, making her arms feel lighter instantly.

[…Why?] (Hydra)

[No particular reason. I’m just the kinda guy who feels pissed off when he sees a young woman like you chained up and stuff.] (Ryodou)

[But… I’m a heinous criminal. I’m a bad person, you know!?] (Hydra)

[You had your own reasons, right? And sad ones at that. You too have been played by the times. Just like us…] (Ryodou)

[Eh?] (Hydra)

[Hydra-san. From now on, you are free. …Or so I say, but before you leave this place, you have to recover first, you hear? The village sorcerer may have treated you, but you still need to rest your body. Please stay in our village for a while.] (Scarlett)

[W-Why…!? Why are you treating me so kindly…!? This doesn’t make sense! Even though I’m… a despicable person…] (Hydra)

She got up from her chair and raised her voice with sadness.

Seeing her like this, Scarlett answered with a smile.

[Why, indeed… Perhaps because this is “the village of eccentrics”, and I’m the mayor.] (Scarlett)

After saying that, Scarlett and Ryodou left the guard station.

Hydra was deeply moved by the warmth of this village, and decided to stay there.

[Say, are you sure this is what you want? To go back to your cell once more…?] (Kilim)

[It’s fine. Please let me stay here for just one more day. …Right now, I want to stay in this cell.] (Hydra)

Hydra sat on her bed again in her prison cell.

On the other side of the iron bars installed in the wall, she could see the sky.

The daytime moon was out, faintly showing its white surface, and silently watching over Hydra.

Her face looked peaceful, as if something that was possessing her had left her body.

She would stay in the village and think about what to do from here on out.

The same way Seto and Satis had tried to figure it out.

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