Chapter 49 – Faith & Believers (9)

Faith & Believers (9)

Ellie was a target for annihilation.

Yet, I thought it would be okay. I had connections with some of the higher-ups in the Demon King’s army, and I had a certain standing within the army myself, so I believed she would be safe unless something out of the ordinary happened.

“The Demon King’s command is to kill all humans within the containment zones. It’s because of a prophecy that a traitor who might collaborate with the hero could emerge from within… Anyway, they say there’s not a single person worth sparing~”

And such delusions were completely shattered by Nerati’s words. The fact that she spoke with a hint of joy made it all the more disgusting.

Regardless, the important point was the decision to kill all humans in the containment zones. Even if I, being treated as a demon, might not be included, it was certain that Ellie could not escape death.

I didn’t care if I died. But she must not.
Just being with Ellie made me happy. She was the one who had been healing my past traumas bit by bit. She was someone I had to protect, even if it meant opposing the Demon King.

Was there any way out? As I pondered this, Gele, who came along with bottles of alcohol, gave me the answer.

At first, the method seemed absurd, but if it succeeded, it could save her without any unforeseen variables. Moreover, given the current situation where I could expect cooperation from two of the Demon King’s army suborinates, I thought there was no chance of failure.

There were only two days left until the abolition of the containment zones.
There was no reason not to try.

But whether Ellie would accept this or not… was unknown.

*

Surprisingly, Ellie agreed without much fuss.
Even though I hadn’t brought up any details about the plan, she readily agreed to the idea of escaping the containment zone. Normally, she might have set conditions or something… but she showed her trust with a smile and a simple affirmation of her belief in me.
She trusted me, as she always had.

I hated myself for continuing to lie to her.

I didn’t know how long we could enjoy this happiness. Surely, the day when all my lies would be exposed were bound to come. Could I endure it then? If my last bit of life’s purpose were to leave me…

Ah, I don’t know.
I’ve thought too deeply.

First, we had to escape the containment zone.

But that problem was resolved far too easily.

With the help of Gele and Nerati, two high-ranking officers, we were able to devise an escape route effortlessly. It took merely a day. In just one day, everything was settled.

Ironically, all that was left was to wrap everything up and flee.

I knew I could be surrounded by an angry mob, so I wanted to escape as quickly as possible, but I couldn’t. A command came down insisting that I must attend a meeting of the Demon King’s army or something of the sort.

“It’s okay, it doesn’t seem like it will take more than two hours at most. Waiting until then is no big deal. Take your time and go. I’ll be waiting for you, no matter how long it takes.”

Ellie reassured me that it was fine for me to go, as if there was nothing to worry about.
I wanted to escape the containment zone with Ellie right away, but she was always busy taking care of me. Truly, she was more than I deserved.

So, with Ellie’s farewell, I headed to the Demon King’s castle. The citizens seemed resigned to their fate, their faces expressionless, as if they had accepted their impending death.

Nothing of particular importance happened at the Demon King’s army meeting. It was just a typical meeting filled with mundane discussions that lasted a few hours, after which I could return.

I didn’t need to attend, but to maintain trust within the Demon King’s army, I had no choice. Since I was designated as a second-generation demon sword or something, I had to build a solid trust.

On my way back, a factory suddenly caught my eye. The factory where I worked, the one that had taken countless lives. I was drawn to the factory as if under a spell.

The factory, which I visited for the first time in a while, had maintained its former appearance. And like someone bewitched, I found myself heading to a small room where a lever was placed.

The familiar smell filled the terrible place, unchanged, creaking as always. I had killed too many. If I gathered all the people I had killed with my own hands in this place… No, let’s stop there.

I didn’t know why I had come to this place before leaving the containment zone.
Maybe I just wanted to confront my past one more time, without any significant reason.

Perhaps I wanted to heal my guilt-ridden heart. I thought I had left all those feelings behind since meeting her… but it seemed like guilt would never leave my side.

So, once we escape the containment zone, I’ll confess to her all that I’ve done.
No matter how she reacts, it felt like the only way to move forward.

I had to face what I had done someday. If I hadn’t come here, I would have kept hiding it and eventually walked the path to my own ruin.

I knelt in front of the lever. And I clasped my hands together.

“If there is a proper God in this world.”

It was my first prayer in this world.

“I will pay the price for all the sins I have committed, so please, just once, just this once.”

Whatever choice Ellie makes, please let her be happy.

She was the one who first taught me what happiness felt like. For the first time since I was born, I loved and was loved in return. I’ve acted like a disgusting hypocrite just to make myself someone she could be proud of. It didn’t matter because my reason for living was solely Ellie. As long as she was always by my side, comforting me, that was enough.

But she doesn’t need to bear the burden of the sins I’ve committed. Even if she realizes the truth and leaves me, I hope she finds happiness.

That was what my heart wished for.

Oh God, may the one to be my wife be humble and kind…

A poem surfaced in my mind. It was definitely a poem that had made an impression on me at a speech contest… But this damned brain of mine couldn’t fully recall it.

Haha, it’s been a while since I’ve reminisced about the past.
It’s time to go now.
I dusted off my pants. And then I slowly stood up and looked out at the scenery.

As always, the landscape was ablaze.

Wait.
Why?

What stretched out beyond the window was an enraged mob. Their numbers were so vast they filled the grand square to the brim. A massive crowd of citizens were rampaging through the city, destroying everything in their path.

And some of them were holding long wooden poles.

Dangling from the end of those poles were the heads of factory workers.

The citizens had started a riot.
It’s a common tale. Why hadn’t I thought of it before?

Even a cornered rat will bite the cat. It was no different for humans. Would they be slaughtered without putting up a fight, or would they inflict even minor damage before being extinguished? The people of the containment zone had all chosen the latter. A riot attempted in secret, without any warning.

But it was a meaningless struggle.

Once the high-ranking subordinate intervened, no one would be able to stand against them. Not a single person would survive; it would be a total massacre.
You are not rats before a cat, but cockroaches before an elephant.

It should be that way….

So why isn’t the Demon King’s army responding?

There should have been an immediate response before that many people gathered, so why?

A sinister premonition flashed through my mind.
As soon as that thought hit me, my body froze.

It was such an absurd conjecture. It was something that could be dismissed as a delusion, but for some reason, it wouldn’t leave my mind.

The mob, advancing as they killed those who had collaborated with the Demon King’s army.

And……….

I had to get to Ellie.

It didn’t matter if the furious crowd attacked me.

I desperately prayed that my ridiculous conjecture was wrong, that no cheap tragedy would unfold, as I pushed the throbbing in my head aside and left the factory.

The same old path home.
For some reason, my steps quickened.

I deliberately chose a house in a secluded place. So that no one could find it, so that no one could intrude.
Even though it was a path unfamiliar to me… for some reason, I could find my way back precisely. I could intuitively recognize the way.

The road home was in chaos. Broken, destroyed, and burning. But it didn’t matter. As long as she was alive, that was enough for me.
Only Ellie’s safety was the reason for my life. Everything could collapse, but if she was alive, there was no problem.

Where is Ellie?

Turn twice in the alley and there she is, Ellie.
Her image, always approaching with a warm meal and a bright smile, was vivid in my mind. Just one more alley to go, surely after the next turn she would appear. Ellie, always greeting me with a bright smile.

I was out of breath.
Perhaps because I had run without stopping, I arrived surprisingly quickly.

Ellie… where is she?

The surroundings were eerily quiet.
Too quiet.

There was no sign of life. Although it wasn’t a place with many people, it was still too silent.

A faint smell of blood and guts hung in the air.
It was a smell I often encountered at the factory.

There shouldn’t be such a scent in this remote place, had something happened?

…Now was not the time to be looking into that.

So.

Where is Ellie…

Surely in front of the house, no… perhaps inside if the mob had passed through. With her personality, she must have suffered quite a bit to stay silent inside. She would be pleased if I praised her later for doing well, wouldn’t she?

Seeing nothing particularly strange around, I turned towards the front door.

Thud.

But something blocked my path. A long piece of wood stuck in the ground, substantial enough to be called a stake.

I had never seen such an object around here before. So I looked at it closely. And not long after, I realized that something was hanging from the bloodied top of the wooden stake.

Fluttering in the wind, it had the shape of a person.
My gaze naturally moved upwards.

With a stilled heart, I stepped back and looked up to find.

There was.

[The whore of the man who cooperated with the Demon King’s army]

A filthy wooden sign, and,

‘I may only promise, but I swear not to cry and to stand by your side in any situation.’

Her head, impaled on a stick after being executed,

‘Even if one of us should die…’

Her missing left arm and both legs, her beautiful, once beautiful body haphazardly pierced by the wooden stake.

‘So, please become my love.’

Her bisected torso, spilling crimson intestines,

It was her.

El,

She was,

She

was.