Chapter 65: CH 64

It wasn’t far from here to the school, so I had Sol go on ahead and scout the situation at the back gate. And according to Sol, Ryudou and his group had already arrived. Among them were some familiar faces as well.

Naturally, they were the people who had once been a part of the Inochi-shirazu. Apparently, they all looked fidgety and restless. Perhaps they were feeling guilty for having betrayed Kuzuhara. In other words, they probably hadn’t wanted to betray him deep down.

As for Takasu and Tengawa, they had likely figured it was better to follow those stronger than them, so they had no reservations about following Ryudou. At the time, Takasu had looked so happy when he was told by Kuzuhara that he would be rewarded. But in the end, it seemed that he was just an idiot who deceived others and blindly followed the strong.

…Seriously, humans could be such self-centered creatures.

‘Genuinity’ didn’t exist when it came to relationships between people. Whether it was friendship or romance, it was no different from skating on thin ice. It was a fragile connection that could be easily broken if a strong external force was applied.

That was exactly why people couldn’t be trusted. Even if they smiled and said that they were your friend, they would abandon you if they were put in a disadvantageous situation. Once you actually witnessed such a reality, it would all become very clear to you.

Because of that, it would suddenly make you too scared to trust other people. But if there was one person who continued to be there for you, it was a different matter. Since that could make you believe that bonds were still ‘genuine’.

But if all of your relationships were ‘fake’ like mine had been, everything you had gone through with them would become meaningless. Even if you had laughed together, cried together, or grieved together in the past, you would become aware that it was all a lie. And then the feelings of regret about wasting time on something so stupid would come along.

“Master, there is a way to destroy those guys right now.” (Sol)

A dangerous proposal came from Sol. It seemed that she also felt discontent with those guys who had betrayed our side.

“Okay. Those group of guys are a bunch of murderers, and they’re traitors, too… There’s no need for mercy, but… let’s not do it right now.” (Komon)

“Are you sure?” (Sol)

“If we’re going to do it, we’ll do it after the dungeon attack starts. I don’t want Ryudou to be able to escape.” (Komon)

He wasn’t the type of guy to start fighting after seeing his subordinates dying one after the other. That was why it would be better to wait until after the match had begun. It would be easier to pin him down that way.

“But to betray someone who once had your back… Humans are such foolish creatures after all. Of course, milady is different.” (Shiki)

Not only Sol, but Shiki also seemed to have his own thoughts about the traitors.

“I’m a foolish human too, Shiki. We’re all the same in that we only think of ourselves.” (Komon)

I wasn’t saying that I was special by any means. I was a human being just like Takasu and the others, and I didn’t make a move unless it was in my best interest—even if it was inhumane to do so.

“B-But Master, you once saved a child before without any compensation!” (Sol)

I remembered it well because I was surprised to see the main person who had once bullied me, Ohsaka.

Indeed. Honestly, even I didn’t know why I had saved her. I could try to think of all sorts of reasons, but I didn’t think that it was a reason I could declare proudly.

“Enough about that. Sol, have you noticed any changes in the dungeon?” (Komon)

“Nothing has changed since yesterday… Ah, there seems to be movement on the enemy side!” (Sol)

“Movement? What happened?” (Komon)

“A… limousine? I think it’s called that. A limousine is approaching.” (Sol)

From what I heard, after the limousine reached the back door, Ryudou stepped out.

It seemed that he hadn’t arrived until just now. He was wearing a large fur coat that seemed completely unsuited for a dungeon attack. He had on a pair of sunglasses and was even chewing gum. His appearance was totally unsuited for a battlefield.

Well, I was wearing a hakama, so I couldn’t say anything about his appearance. Everyone gathered there bowed their heads to greet Ryudou.

There were still 30 minutes left until the start of the dungeon attack. Even though it was only a short drive from here, it might be time to head to the dungeon soon.

“…I guess no one’s coming back after all…” (Kuzuhara)

Kuzuhara’s words revealed his lingering attachment, as if he was still trying to believe in those guys who had just betrayed him.

“Isn’t it about time for you to stop with those useless expectations and talk about how the three of us are going to attack the dungeon?” (Komon)

That would be way more constructive use of our time.

“That’s right… Ugh, my stomach hurts. I’ll be out soon, just give me a second.” (Kuzuhara)

With that, he disappeared deeper into the house. I wasn’t sure if he really went to the bathroom or not.

Maybe he just hadn’t sorted out his feelings yet and wanted to be alone for a while. There was nothing he could have done about being betrayed by those he trusted with all his heart, but I hoped that he would be able to come to a clean resolution since the decisive match was about to begin.

“….Just a word, Komon.” (Chake)

Now that it was just us two, Chake spoke to me.

“Ara, what is it?” (Komon)

“….I thought I’d let you know about Saito-san.” (Chake)

“…? What do you mean?” (Komon)

Why now? I had some rising suspicions since I had already labeled him as a traitor, so I thought he might have some other purpose behind talking to me like this. Either way, I decided to continue the conversation to see if I could get some information out of him.

“You know how Saito-san was in prison before, right?” (Chake)

“Yeah. I don’t know what kind of incident happened, but all I know is that he did something morally wrong. And that’s why he bears the word ‘evil’ on his back, right?” (Komon)

“That’s not true!” (Chake)

“…! It’s not true…?” (Komon)

“Saito… bears the word ‘evil’ on his back to atone for his sins. At heart, he’s actually very sensitive and kind… And stronger than anyone else.” (Saito)

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“….I don’t really understand. Why are you telling me this now? Our relationship is just that of a client and a contractor. We’re not friends or anything like that, you know?” (Komon)

I thought for sure that he was going to try to convince me to betray him as well in this conversation…

Yes, I really thought that he was going to insinuate how evil Kuzuhara was and how worthless it would be to follow him and that he’d try to get me to come with him to follow Ryudou instead.

“…One time, I saw you clearing a dungeon. Rather, it would be more correct to say that I saw you defeating monsters, I guess.” (Chake)

He started talking about something I didn’t know again, causing my eyebrows to furrow unconsciously.

“At that time, I saw how crazy strong you were… And when talk of this match came up and Saito-san said that he would bring in someone else, I had responded saying that I was against it. There was no way that I was going to drag outsiders into our own problems.” (Chake)

I silently listened to Chake’s words.

“But when your name was mentioned, I thought that if it were you… our situation would be manageable no matter what happened, so I accepted Saito-san’s plan in the end.” (Chake)

“Hmmm. In your heart, it seems that I’m someone of great value to you then.” (Komon)

“Because I know just how strong you are. Besides, I know that you have friends, too.” (Chake)

“…?! …Right.” (Komon)

“I don’t care how you managed to acquire such strength. But… I felt that no matter what, you would protect Saito-san no matter what happened.” (Chake)

“….I can’t afford to lose my client after all. I will do everything in my power to protect him.” (Komon)

“But… if you still consider Saito-san as a villain in your heart, you might think about abandoning him at a critical moment, won’t you?” (Chake)

Certainly, even if it was a request, if the opponent was a guy like Ryudou, I might have considered abandoning him if I found myself at a disadvantage.

“That’s why I don’t want you to have a misconceived perception of Saito-san. I want you to be able to look at him without any bad impressions as you help him.” (Chake)

“…So? What are you trying to tell me?” (Komon)

“About Saito-san’s past.” (Chake)

After that, Chake told me what Kuzuhara had gone through in the past. That Kuzuhara had grown up in an orphanage. And that he met two people there.

I was surprised to learn that Ryudou was one of them, but I was even more surprised that Kuzuhara, who seemed innocent to women, once had a girlfriend that was older than him named Katsuragi Tomoe. And on top of that, Ryudou was also in love with her.

But what followed was the narration of a tragedy that made me want to look away.

“…So, in spite of the fact that Kuzuhara-san was framed by Ryudou, he chose to bear that sin and go to jail?” (Komon)

“Yeah, that’s right… Saito-san wanted to be punished for what happened…” (Chake)

But everyone around him was kind, and no one wanted to blame him. Aside from one person―Ryudou.

That was perhaps why Kuzuhara bore the punishment for the incident that Ryudou had caused.

…Why would he go to such lengths?

I would never have taken responsibility for a murder that someone else committed. It was insane to be willing to take false charges and be imprisoned for a crime he didn’t even commit.

No, well… maybe at that time, after losing his girlfriend, Kuzuhara might not have been sane. And that was why he made a choice that seemed unthinkable.

“I see. I’ll be straightforward about what I think after hearing what you just said.” (Komon)

“That’s not it. There’s one thing that you’re misunderstanding.” (Komon)

“Misunderstanding…?” (Chake)

“I don’t regret my own choices.” (Komon)

“Huh…?” (Chake)

“Even if people were to tell me that I made the wrong choice, I would hold my head high and continue through with the answer that I thought of myself. I accepted this request of my own volition. I have no intention to one-sidedly reverse my decision even if the client gives up. If I accept the request, I will definitely succeed and earn my reward. That is the choice I’ve made.” (Komon)

“….You…!” (Chake)

There was no falsehood in the words that I had just spoken. I was proud of the choices I’d made. And sticking to that was my way of doing things.

This was exactly why there was no way I would neglect a request that I had accepted solely based on how I felt. At the very least, I might want to be paid a bit extra for it, if anything.

Chake stared at me with wide eyes after he heard what I said, but he immediately looked relieved.

“….You’re really as strong as a hundred people alone.” (Chake)

“Don’t get me wrong.” (Komon)

“Eh?” (Chake)

“Don’t count me as someone who can take on a hundred people. Didn’t I tell you? I’m strong. You should at least say 10,000 people.” (Komon)

“…..Hahah, ahahhah! You, you’re one amazing woman!” (Chake)

“Ara, just don’t fall in love with me, okay?” (Komon)

“Pfft! Ahahaha! You can rest assured! I’ve already got a girlfriend to love after all!” (Chake)

Come to think of it, he did say something like that before. Chake laughed for a while, but then his face turned serious. And then, he said something totally expected.

“…You see, actually… I’m a traitor.” (Chake)

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