LS – Chapter 197: That’s why I won’t hesitate

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TLN: Hey guys, Reigokai here!

I know this is a bit of a late clarification, but when Nameless uses me and me, I only use them when explicitly stated in the Japanese text.

If there are other pronouns that don’t have that, it may not be that he has switched to a normal state, but more that the English required it to not sound awkward. Japanese can go without using pronouns a lot but that doesn’t fly with English.

That’s it. Enjoy the chapter!

—-

People see dreams of their past. 

By seeing scenes of the experiences you had when you were a child or a young man inside your dreams, you can process just how much this experience influenced you.

Fun memories, moving memories, and memories that angered you. 

“Seraes-sama, excuse the intrusion.” 

My consciousness got clearer at the sound of the knocking of the door. 

I reconfirmed that I was taking a nap on top of the chair and fix my breathing. 

One of my disciples opened the door not long after and showed up. 

“A visitor?” (Seraes)

“Yes, he didn’t introduce himself, but he said Seraes-sama would be able to tell who he is.” 

“…Guide him to the guest room. I will receive him alone.” (Seraes)

“Understood.” 

I lean deeply on the chair after seeing my disciple leave the room indifferently. 

I don’t even need to remember what the dream I saw while I was taking a nap was. 

The dream of the past I see is always the same after all. 

But I must process the meaning of why I am seeing this dream. 

That’s the reason why I am an Archbishop -my origin after all. 

I swiftly finish fixing my clothes and head to the guest room. My disciples have already moved away from the guest room. 

Most of the guests that show in my place don’t introduce themselves. 

My disciples understand correctly the meaning of this. There’s people in this world they must not get involved with, and they understand who it is that should make contact with those kinds of people.

“Excuse the intrusion, Archbishop Seraes.” 

An unknown man, but the way he talked made me know who he is. 

“So you showed up boldly, Raheight.” (Seraes)

“My appearance is a whole different human, so I don’t know if to call it bold though.” (Raheight)

“You have come to the facility of the Yugura Church despite being a criminal. What else would you call that?” (Seraes)

“True. But intentionally letting me escape makes you even bolder as an Archbishop of the Yugura Church.” (Raheight)

Raheight laughs. 

Even if his appearance is different, his mannerisms are the very same as what I saw in the prison of Kuama. 

This man is a dangerous individual. I understand this plenty well, but there was a reason to free this man. 

Raheight, the underbelly of Leitis, has grasped the truth of the world that even the Yugura Church doesn’t know of. 

I ended his life with his weapon with the condition that he will provide me this information. In order for him to be able to use the teleportation magic set in his soul once his body died.

The surface pretext was that he died due to excessive torture. 

I was made to suffer a bit of shame from this, but there was enough worth.

“Get to the main topic. I have no intention of spending my time having a long talk with you.” (Seraes)

“My apologies. We captured the resident of Yugura’s planet the other day. I would like to negotiate his return. Do you need proof?” (Raheight)

“I have already heard about it. What are your demands?” (Seraes)

“You may already have an idea, but…” (Raheight)

Raheight speaks of what he wants. 

It is possible for me to obtain those things, but it would require me to take quite the risk. 

I put both on a scale and ask myself which one I should prioritize just as I have done until now. 

“Fine, wait around 3 days. I will make the preparations.” (Seraes)

“That’s faster than I expected. So you already predicted this would happen and made preparations beforehand, huh.” (Raheight) 

“Don’t pry unnecessarily.” (Seraes)

“Right. Where should we do the trade?” (Raheight) 

“The place I will be heading to the day after tomorrow. You people should be able to keep an eye on me without issues, right?” (Seraes)

“Understood. Then, I will do so. Speaking of which, how long do you plan on staying in the Yugura Church?” (Raheight)

The Hero Yugura that defeated the Demon Lords left teachings to protect the order of the world. But the reality was that the one who created the Demon Lords was Yugura himself, and he didn’t teach the humans the technique to defeat the Demon Lords in the true meaning of the word.

What this means is that the worth of the Yugura Church itself, which has been getting ready for the resurrection of the Demon Lords, has been lost. 

I am fully aware of this. 

There’s already no worth in enforcing the teachings of the Yugura Church. 

“Yugura created order in the world regardless of who he truly is. I need to use him to protect the order of the world.” (Seraes)

Even so, the influence of the Yugura Church is big. They have many connections spread around the world and have the power to interfere with a variety of events. 

There’s still no need to throw away my position as an Archbishop of the Yugura Church. 

“I think that you leaving the Yugura Church won’t change their influence that much as you were someone that managed the other face of the Yugura Church. Now then, I will be taking my leave.” (Raheight)

Raheight exits the room. 

Thinking of the objective of Leitis, I can guess the demands they will make to me -and also the developments after that has been achieved. 

Order will be trampled down by the new order. 

Will I be able to accept the new order as someone who lived to protect order? 

If I can’t…

“I will have no choice…but to become order itself.” (Seraes)

◇◇

According to the report of Dyuvuleori, that man had come out from the cave that was the headquarters of the Scarlet Demon Lord.

But that’s when his scent was cut off. 3 new scents were mixed in at the same time. 

Two of them matched the two that were by the side of the guildmaster of Morgana, Ritial Zentry, when he was cornered. This has led us to believe that he has been abducted by Leitis. 

We were surprised by the fact that he killed the Scarlet Demon Lord, but it doesn’t change the fact that we are still worried about his safety. 

Raheight was affiliated with Leitis and he was aiming for that man’s life. 

He has been captured by such people, so there’s barely any leeway here. 

“The fact that he wasn’t killed on the spot means that there was a reason why they wanted my friend alive. But as long as we can’t grasp the objective, we can’t loosen our search.” (Marito)

“Right. Purple is continuing her search by infiltrating the devils in the nations. There aren’t many monsters within the control of Blue that have infiltration skills, so she is avoiding countries with a lot of people and searching mainly mountains and forests.” (Gold)

The Gold Demon Lord and His Majesty are forming plans for his search. The knights that were sent to the Nether have been called to retreat. 

They will be returning to Taizu soon. 

“What about the golden foxes?” (Marito)

“They are creatures that chase scent. It is hard to chase someone after they used teleportation magic to move. We are having them carried with the devils of Purple and searching the countries, but…it is basically an inferior version of Dyuvuleori’s nose.” (Gold)

“That’s enough. I have mobilized the anbus of Taizu. I have made preparations for Mejis and Kuama to move too.” (Marito)

“But the anbus were already following the trail of Leitis, right? If they didn’t get a clue at that stage, I find it hard that they will find anything now.” (Gold)

“There’s a high chance they will be making a move if they are using my friend. What’s important right now is to keep our senses sharp in as many places as possible to detect anything.” (Marito)

His Majesty and the Demon Lords are moving for the sake of searching for him. 

And yet, I can’t do anything. 

I was of no use in battle at all. What would I be able to do? 

“Lady Ratzel, we will be returning to Taizu now. You should finish your preparations too.” (Marito)

“…Yes.” (Ilias)

“You have your role too. I will have you interact with the Demon Lords in place of my friend. You are more acquainted to the Demon Lords than me after all.” (Marito)

“In place…of him.” (Ilias)

“This one will be acting as the king of Gahne. Ya can just hold the reins of Purple and Blue.” (Gold)

Substitute…for him… I would like to do it if I can.

But what has he actually said to them? I remember what he has done with the Demon Lords. 

There should be nothing physically impossible for me that he could do, but even I know that’s not all there is to it. 

“…”

“That’s the face of someone worrying a whole lot.” (Gold)

“I said to act in place of him, but there’s no need to move like him. In the first place, I would have already placed a replacement if there were someone who could. Just concentrate on maintaining the present relationship in the time he returns.” (Marito)

“U-Understood.” (Ilias)

“Lady Ratzel, this matter is different from before. You fought while placing my friend as max priority for protection. You simply lost against the Scarlet Demon Lord due to pure difference in skills. My friend slipping out of this place was his own decision. There’s nothing to fault you for.” (Marito)

“The one who couldn’t see through Ser’s change and left him alone was the Taizu King anyways.” (Gold)

“…That’s how it is. What we should do right now is to save him, and then, avoid something like from happening again.” (Marito)

I don’t see the usual energy from His Majesty. 

If I had been able to fight off the Scarlet Demon Lord, if I had been able to stop him; everyone is aware of their lack of strength. 

I return to my room and begin packing my luggage. 

I have barely brought any personal possessions. If anything, it is mainly packing up the things that man brought. 

He wasn’t involved in any plans in this time’s war, and carried on a variety of preparations, considering the many possibilities. 

I can’t grasp the use of everything, but there’s most likely things here that were prepared in case we were of no use.

“—How laughable. I kept on saying ‘You are weak, so I will protect you’ and yet, I couldn’t do anything. And there you went, defeating the Demon Lord by yourself…” (Ilias)

I have trained in order to not lose to his fast pace. I ended up having the delusion that I had caught up to him. 

But the reality was that there was a gap impossible to fill between him and me. 

Not even vexation welled up in me. I simply felt pathetic. 

Wolfe entered the room while I was packing. 

Wolfe’s expression seemed clouded, and it felt as if her heart was elsewhere. 

“Ilias…where’s Shishou?” (Wolfe)

“Still unknown. His Majesty and the Demon Lords are still searching. We will return to Taizu for now and wait there.” (Ilias)

“Can’t we…go search for him?” (Wolfe)

“…We don’t have the ability to. What we can do is to be ready to move immediately at full power when necessary, and also to protect the place he will return to.” (Ilias)

“…Yeah.” (Wolfe)

Wolfe’s growth was dizzying. 

She got a sweeping victory against the subordinates of the Purple Demon Lord, and continued being of use to him with overwhelming skills. 

But her having been easily defeated by the Scarlet Demon Lord has broken her confidence she has built up until now. 

Even if the effects of the Strife are gone, it will take time to recover the broken spirit lying inside her. 

“Don’t worry…is something I can’t say, huh. I am also unbearably worried about him. Even if he can pull off things far better than us, it doesn’t change the fact that he is still in danger after all.” (Ilias)

“Shishou…will return, right?” (Wolfe)

“…I can at least say he will try to -even if he has to rely on us.” (Ilias)

“That’s right. Even if apart, he is the type of man that would count our movements in his calculations. In that case, we should move the same as we usually do.” (Ekdoik)

Ekdoik was leaning on the door at some point in time. 

I normally would notice his approach, but it seems like I am out of it as of present. 

“Ekdoik-san…” (Wolfe)

“We won’t be able to move forward if we just wail about our lack of strength. It is exactly at times like this that we have to grow stronger.” (Ekdoik)

“Yes…” (Wolfe)

“A message from Gradona: ‘We will resume training at Taizu. Come to the company of Ban once you are back in form’.” (Ekdoik)

“Gradona-sensei did…?” (Wolfe)

“That’s right. Wolfe, you have been blessed with great teachers. It depends on you where you will be growing from there.” (Ekdoik)

“Ekdoik, what do you plan on doing after this?” (Ilias)

“I will head to Mejis with Blue and Rakura. There’s a number of things we have to wrap up. We will meet up as soon as we grasp the location of Comrade. Later.” (Ekdoik)

Ekdoik said this and left the room. 

Ekdoik should be worried about him as well, and yet, I can’t feel he is agitated at all. 

Could it be that he is not that bothered that that man is gone? 

The Blue Demon Lord showed up while I was thinking that, as if missing each other. 

“Hey, have you seen Ekdoik?” (Blue)

“Ekdoik showed up in this room a moment ago, but he left already.” (Ilias)

“Argh! We are going to be departing soon, so don’t go waddling everywhere!” (Blue)

“Heard you are going to Mejis. Mejis is the holy grounds of the Yugura Church. Try not to cause problems and trouble Ekdoik, okay?” (Ilias)

“You don’t need to tell me. I am the one worried about Ekdoik.” (Blue)

“Ekdoik? What do you mean by that?” (Ilias)

“Did you not notice? His mind is in disarray like never before. Aah, right. I can feel the pulse of his mana as a Demon Lord, but you people normally don’t use those kinds of techniques.” (Blue)

“He didn’t look that way though…” (Ilias)

“It seems like something happened aside from the matter of Natora-san -his mother. And yet, that man disappeared once he came here, right? Well, the person he consults with at every instance is gone, so I do understand how he feels though.” (Blue)

…Am I an idiot? 

Ekdoik was saved by him even more than me. 

That man led Ekdoik, who didn’t know about human society properly, and even lost the objective he had been living for until now. 

Ekdoik even prioritized staying by his side despite having become the demon of the Blue Demon Lord. 

That man should be a bigger presence for Ekdoik than me. Him acting normal must have been his way of being considerate to us. 

“Please tell Ekdoik: ‘We will do what we can on the side of Taizu’.” (Ilias)

“Yeah, please do. You are the only ones who can keep an eye on Purple. I will look after those siblings.” (Blue)

“You like looking after others, huh.” (Ilias)

“P-People who can leave that be would be the weird ones!” (Blue)

This isn’t the time to feel all depressed. 

What I have to do right now, what I can do, is to protect his place to be. Also, I should reconfirm the reason why I hold a sword.

◇◇

Now then, what should I do?

No, you could say this is a situation I can’t do anything about. 

I was kidnapped by Raheight and his group, and by the time I noticed, I had been tied up on a chair in an underground prison. 

There’s obviously no factors that allow me to escape. 

Judging from the scent of blood stabbing my nose, this is not your regular prison. It is a place they use for other things too. 

“Judging from how hungry I am, it seems like I have been sleeping for around 3 days…” 

I spit out the cotton pushed into my mouth. 

It seems like it was seeped with some bad tasting soup. That must have been their attempt at the bare minimum food and moisture. 

It was tied up by a string so it didn’t get stuck in my throat, but I would like them to treat me a bit more like a hostage. 

I am feeling the worst thanks to this. 

The pain in my whole body has lessened a bit, but my body is terribly weakened. 

“I-I-It seems y-y-y-y-you have woken…up…” 

I hear the voice of an unfamiliar man from behind me. 

His footsteps slowly grew closer, and just when I thought he was right behind me, his face peeked out from the side all of a sudden.

An ugly face covered in scars; it is not only from cuts and blunt hits. There’s also melted ones made from burns or chemicals. 

He is certainly not the type that walks under the light of the sun no matter how you see it. 

“Aah, nice to meet you. Are you the torturer?” 

“T-T-T-T-That’s right… I am…Zuccho. I-I-I am s-s-super good…at this job…” (Zuccho)

He is without doubt the type of person you can’t persuade.

But a torturer? Is there any information they would like to get from me at this point? 

“And so, Zuccho, what’s the job given to you? If you want to get out information from me through torture, too bad, my tongue is lighter than a feather. I am confident I would spit out anything just from being shown the tools.” 

“I-I-I-It is okay… M-My duty is…to discipline you.” (Zuccho)

“I don’t have such tastes though.” 

I direct my gaze somewhere else. 

It resembles the torture room of Kuama. There’s a one-way mirror close to the ceiling. He is most likely looking down at me from there. 

“I would like a reasonable person to be stationed here as a set though. You are listening, aren’t you, Archbishop Seraes?” 

“—Raheight said he didn’t tell you about me though.” (Seraes)

“Raheight said I would be of use for negotiation. There’s only a limited number of people who would want me. Even more if we account for the people who can make a trade with Leitis.” 

If I was dealing with the Colorless Demon Lord, there would be no point in setting this Zuccho guy. 

In the first place, this interrogation room clearly has seen its years. You could say it is a useless facility for the Colorless Demon Lord who just has to eliminate the ones who have broken into the forbidden. 

Raheight was acting in Kuama after he disappeared from Taizu, so the chances are low that he made new connections. 

In that case, by process of elimination, there was an extremely high chance the person who could gather the people Leitis wants, and the person who could have let Raheight escape, was Archbishop Seraes. 

“Looks like your brain works well.” (Seraes)

“What did you give Leitis in exchange for me?” 

“There’s no need for me to answer.” (Seraes)

“It is most likely the books left by Yugura that are sealed in Mejis, right? Aah, also the body Raheight used to infiltrate Mejis.” 

“…” 

The objective of Leitis is to find the Illegitimate of Yugura. 

Even if the true objective that lies ahead of that is still within pure speculation, there’s a high chance that they are researching the Illegitimate. 

The biggest clue for that would be the books that Yugura left. 

“You’ve crossed quite the dangerous bridge there. If it is brought to light that the books and Raheight’s body are gone, it will be easy to tell that you are the perpetrator.” 

“I simply did it because there was worth in doing so -including what will be happening from here on.” (Seraes)

“Worth in the acts that this man, who seems to love torture, will be doing…huh. Looks like my sense of worth will never match yours.” 

“I have no interest in your sense of worth. I will have you become a tool to destroy the Demon Lords.” (Seraes)

“I see. We really don’t match.” 

The objective of Archbishop Seraes is not to get information from me. It is to instill the fear of torture in me, and control me. 

The use of that is to eliminate the 3 Demon Lords on my side. 

He must want me to read the names of the Demon Lords only I can read. 

“The torture will continue until the day you will never want to go against me. Train you until not only your heart but your body acts on its own.” (Seraes)

“How scary. What if I just drop dead?” 

“That man is an expert in torture. He can continue torturing you without killing you even if you are weaker than a child.” (Seraes)

“Zu-Zuccho…knows the body…of h-humans…well… I-I can definitely…t-torture you…in a way…t-that it doesn’t kill you.” (Zuccho)

There’s no lie in those words. 

This room has been used for a long time for the sake of that. 

There’s no doubt he has the skills to be called a pro in torture. 

“Torture training underground, huh. I can’t believe that’s something an Archbishop who treasures order would do. No, you must be deluding yourself into thinking you can maintain order with that.” 

“It is not a delusion. I have eliminated many people who have brought harm to the order until now.” (Seraes)

“The ones you judged as bringing harm to the order, right? I can feel strong will when you speak of order. Were you made a plaything by the outlaws that grew in numbers because of the increase in monsters? Not only you but your important people too—” 

“I have no intention to talk with you. Zuccho, I leave the rest to you.” (Seraes)

I hear a door closing from the one-way mirror. 

Now then, what should I do? 

I have resistance to a bit of violence, but there’s close to no chance I will be able to endure torture even as me. 

I could end up having my heart broken, turned into a puppet of that man, and my hands pointed at Purple and the others. 

“N-Now then…I-I will m-make the preparations.” 

Zuccho seems to be lining up a variety of tools behind me. 

It is impossible to convince this man. It is only when on equal grounds that a negotiation can take place. 

It is not like it is impossible for Dyuvuleori and the others to come save me, but if it comes to karma, I don’t think I can expect much.

(What do I want to do? No, there’s no need to ask that, huh.) 

My standing has completely become that of me due to the enemies I have been facing. 

In other words, I would need to decide purely on me.

I personally treasure my life over the life of the Demon Lords. 

Ilias and the others should be able to manage somehow depending on how they do it. 

In other words, I should let things run their course. 

You could even say losing my heart once would be the most painless choice.

(But that would make the presence of me pointless. Right, fulfilling the reason for the existence of my standing as me… is something that I should do. I am sorry for me, but I will let me do as I please.) 

If I move here, I am sure I won’t be returning to the side of Ilias and the others. 

But right now I am the one with the rights of my body. In that case, there’s no reason at all to hesitate. 

“P-P-Preparations are d-d-done. N-N-Now then, l-l-let’s begin.” (Zuccho)

“—You seem to be having fun, Zuccho-kun.” 

“O-O-Of course. I-I l-l-love this s-stuff after all.” (Zuccho)

“I see. Then, I will give you a present. I will provide with even stronger catharsis.”

I turn only my head and look at the eyes of Zuccho. 

Archbishop Seraes, your mistake was that you didn’t leave a 3rd party just like I said. 

You will be sorely regretting this later. 

My eyes reflected in the eyes of Zuccho were muddied to a degree where even I could tell. 

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