“Ah, me too!”
As soon as Linea said that, Aurora raised her hand high and shouted the same.
“I want to go too!”
But I mean, we’re heading to the battlefield, not going on a trip to an amusement park.
Linea was still staring at me intensely, and Aurora’s raised hand wasn’t any less determined.
…Hmm, this is troublesome.
It was none other than me who asked them to treat each other as equal friends. I even went as far as to stop Linea from using honorifics. So there shouldn’t be a problem with this request. Anyway, as long as we recognize each other, the fact that we are friends won’t change.
Can I refuse this request as a ‘friend’?
When I first said I would head to the battlefield, all the kids I was familiar with had stood up. And I had rejected their requests as a ‘friend.’ Although they didn’t exactly look perfectly convinced, most of them accepted it. Eventually, I encountered them unexpectedly on the battlefield due to an accident I never foresaw.
But meanwhile, Linea and Aurora had followed along. Of course, these two already had some familiarity with me at that time, and their following was likely more because they ‘wanted to’ rather than just being my subordinates. However, even back then, they couldn’t follow beyond the Wall. The power needed beyond the Wall was mine.
Later, when I went to catch the Witch of Lust in the battlefield, they couldn’t go beyond the Wall either.
…But if I think a little more, I don’t remember them being absent when it came time to face a witch inside the Wall. Aurora and Linea had been with me even when it was the Witch of Jealousy or the Witch of Hate.
Writing this down does give the vibe that they only want to be useful when it suits them.
“……”
I furrowed my brow, momentarily closed my eyes, and asked the Gnome officer, who was still looking at me.
“…If we go outside, can you promise us certain protection?”
“Yes, of course. The Saintess reported in detail about what happened the last time you went to the battlefield, and based on that, we’ve set up a defensive line to ensure a thorough purge down to the underground.”
In other words, they’ve taken care to ensure that we wouldn’t be dragged down.
“Also, we won’t be headed for the areas that have collapsed. Under no circumstances can we put the Saintess in danger.”
…Hmm…
If another soldier had said that, I might have been a bit moved, but hearing it from a Gnome soldier made it sound like I couldn’t kill the production plan for the new bomb, and that felt a bit uneasy.
No, upon reflection, everyone cherishes me for their own reasons. Even if it isn’t just the Gnomes, there are plenty of people who want my Holy Power or Holy Water. It’s somewhat ridiculous to expect deep human relationships with people I’ve just met for the first time.
“Then, please ensure that you can respond even more securely. I’ll be taking these two along.”
Upon saying that, Linea and Aurora wore complicated expressions, unsure whether to be happy or to protest. Of course, what they said about wanting to go to the battlefield with me wasn’t a mere whim. There’s no way they would ask me to go along with that sentiment. Given that I usually spend almost 24 hours a day with these two, I could at least read their expressions somewhat.
“You said we’re equal, right? Then obviously ‘the escort should be equal’ too, don’t you think?”
As friends, this level of unreasonable demand should be accepted.
No, in fact, it would be the Gnome soldiers who would be the ones accepting this unreasonable demand.
…This highly sought-after Holy… bomb? Holy payload? Tactical Holy? Whatever the proper name might be, I’ve got to assume it’s a weapon strong enough to bear with the hassle of needing my power to create. It would be plenty effective against the Demons, who use their power as their own.
And the social bonds among the races in Human Society need to be reinforced too. The Demons are the ones who ‘created’ the witches. If they reveal themselves, there will certainly be people attracted to their powerful forms. It’s impossible to completely prevent such occurrences, but it can at least be minimized. To do this, everyone living in this society must learn to love their regions.
They need to attach themselves to their home so it’s not easily thrown away. They should feel their territory is undeniably theirs. They should feel like they want to live long in this place, never wanting to leave.
And to accomplish that, ancient conflicts between the races must be resolved one by one.
The testimony of the Witch of Resentment should be the first step in that process.
*
“……”
The Witch of Resentment, sitting before me with a collar of restraints, said nothing. She wasn’t staying silent to conceal something or guard information.
She looked like someone who had given up completely.
“I told you I would come to see you again, right? Given the current situation, it seems more like you came to see me instead.”
“…Huh.”
At my words, the Witch of Resentment suddenly made a low sound. Then, she began to laugh unpleasantly, “Heh heh heh heh.” Her laughter transformed gradually until it became a stifled sound, like a person struggling to catch their breath.
Was what I said that funny?
…Well, I know that’s not really a genuine laugh. It’s what you’d call a maniacal laugh. Everything she believed in has crumbled. It’s hard to keep one’s sanity when pushed to the brink. Yet upon reflection, her situation was nothing to laugh about.
But I can’t just yell at her to stop laughing. To someone in her state, everything in sight seems amusing.
Above all, if I leave her be, she’ll likely switch to an intense depression mode. While depression isn’t exactly positive, it’s certainly better than not being able to answer because of laughter.
After drumming my fingers on the desk for a while, the laughter finally diminished, leaving only heavy breathing filling the interrogation room.
“So, we’ve met like this.”
After catching her breath for a while, the Witch of Resentment murmured, “What do you want from me? Information about the Demons? Or revenge? Are you planning to keep me alive to torture me for threatening you?”
“Why would I torture you when I’m not even a witch?”
I mean, I do have a bomb around your neck.
Even though the necklace has torture functionality, that’s not the main goal. If you have to explain, it’s like putting an electric shock collar on a dog to keep it from barking.
…That makes me sound even worse.
“Ah, of course, I’ll need to extract information from you. But as for the torture part, if I wanted that, I would have sent you to the gods. The punishment awaiting you would fit you perfectly.”
“How merciful of you.”
It seemed like she found that thought rather kind-hearted. Is it because I’m not torturing her directly?
She wouldn’t say that if she knew what kind of guy the Demon God was.
Of course, if I were to mention that here, she wouldn’t believe me at all. Since she’s never experienced death, she has no idea.
“I have a reason for keeping only you alive among the three witches who were there, including you. I have one request.”
“Ha.”
Upon hearing my words, the Witch of Resentment made a sound of disbelief.
“A request?”
“Yeah.”
“……”
She narrowed her eyes, trying to gauge whether I was attempting to deceive her or not.
“…Can I ask for something in return?”
How bold of her! After being captured, she’s still seeking to negotiate for cooperation! Still, she didn’t activate the collar on her neck. If her resentment turned towards me, it would mess up my plans.
“The price has already been set. It should be one you’ll be satisfied with.”
As I said that, she realized I had no intention of negotiating at all and smirked.
“Then let’s hear it.”
“I’ll help you meet the elves you sacrificed to the Demons. No, not just those, but all the sinners who had been offering elves to Arlil.”
Upon hearing this, the Witch of Resentment, who had been bowing her head low, suddenly raised her head.
“…What?”
She seemed utterly incredulous.
“But those are matters from hundreds of years ago…”
She muttered.
“You’re certainly going to die. That’s your fate. Even if you have a way to avoid execution, once we remove your Demon power, the aging will begin. After several decades, you’ll ultimately die.”
I leaned slightly towards the witch and said, “And I mentioned, right? ‘The soul is an immortal being.’ So your soul will meet the gods someday. Naturally, you’ll be able to meet others’ souls too.”
“……”
The witch’s eyes trembled as if she had never thought about this for the past many years.
“Whatever you say to them when you meet, that will be your own matter to resolve. Whether you continue to air your grievances or seek heartfelt apologies; that won’t be something I can intercede in. But I can at least arrange for you to meet.”
Isn’t that right?
[Yes, that’s correct.]
It was Ariel’s voice, which I hadn’t heard in a long time.
“……”
The Witch’s eyes darted around. She seemed to be deep in thought, weighing whether what I said was sincere and whether she truly yearned for it if it were possible. Her head was likely spinning with confusion.
“So, what’s the condition?”
After a long moment of contemplation, the Witch of Resentment looked at me and asked.
“First, I want you to testify in court about what you suffered in the past.”
At my words, the Witch’s mouth dropped open in shock.
“Testify about everything the elves did in the past, the entire history of sacrifices and massacres, exactly as you know it. That needs to be concluded as the first condition.”
Even after hearing my words, the Witch of Resentment stared at me for a long time, incredulous, before finally collecting herself enough to ask,
“…The first condition means there’s a second condition, right?”
“Correct.”
I nodded.
“This second condition is for after you meet the gods. You must meet all the souls who suffered or perished because of you, sincerely apologize, and seek their forgiveness. That’s the second condition.”
Is it possible?
[Even if you don’t mention it, that process will inevitably happen after death. There are conditions, though.]
Some people might never forgive her, and there might be others who don’t wish to meet her. Some might simply want to forget. In such cases, you would have to respect the victims’ desires.
However, just as this elven witch wished vengeance upon those who tormented her, there will be many victims who want to confront her. At the very least, she must genuinely apologize to them, right?
No matter how long it might take.
“……”
The Witch of Resentment remained silent for a while.
Eventually, she nodded her head.
