105. Where there is no light
“…Are what you say really true?”
“Of course, I only say what I hear. But it’s not difficult to find out the truth. “Anyone who lives here can be arrested and interrogated.”
Alfred planned to capture and interrogate everyone here if necessary.
“No, that’s enough. “Anyway, you can guess the situation by looking at the people living here.”
“I just can’t believe it…”
Stella listens to Alfred’s explanation and wonders if he may have misheard.
No matter how ruthless it is in some cases, Alfred’s explanation was very cruel even considering that.
They’re kicking people out into this dark, smelly basement.
Isn’t the reason for kicking him out even more outrageous?
“It’s not enough to intentionally raise taxes and make people’s lives poor, but then mobilize soldiers to take over the homes of those who can’t pay taxes and evict them to places like this. How can they do this to their own people? And why did you do that?”
Stella asked Alfred back.
The situation is plausible, but the reason is not yet understood.
“If that’s the reason, you already saw it above, right? Currently, people from other countries are flocking to the Kingdom of Hermod. Especially those with a lot of money, such as nobles or wealthy merchants.”
As Alfred said, the Kingdom of Hermod allowed rich people from other countries to live in the capital by paying a high price.
“The world is currently in chaos. Although the war is over, it is common for monsters ruled by the Demon King to be released and attack small villages. “It is not uncommon to find cases where the remnants of the defeated Demon King’s army destroy a small town.”
This environment probably caused citizens to be evicted from paying taxes.
Originally, no matter how much a kingdom is, if it doubles or triples the existing taxes like that, even if there is a justifiable reason, it will cause great dissatisfaction from the people.
However, if taxes are raised using war and national security as an excuse, there will be nothing left to say.
As the Kingdom of Hermod spent money on security, there was no damage from external demons or monsters, and on the contrary, many villages, cities, and places outside were devastated.
No matter how murderous the tax, it seems to have been better than actually being killed by monsters or demons.
“Couldn’t you convince the remnants of the Demon King’s army to stop them?”
“Can I persuade you? It’s easier to annihilate the remnants. Moreover, I was treated like a temptress who sat next to the devil king, flattered him, and bewitched him with her beauty.”
Alfred covered his beak with his wings and laughed.
“What do you mean, a temptress who bewitched the king?”
“There’s a court lady who usually sits on the king’s side and whispers plots in his ear. Something like that.”
“What a demon-like thought.”
In short, if he wanted to kill Alfred, he wanted to kill him, but he was never loyal enough to be persuaded.
Alfred, who had been criticized by the demons for being a traitor in the first place, has no way of persuading them.
“Besides, even if it’s a monster, the rumors about the Demon King’s Army are wrong. It was Hermod who intentionally blamed the Demon King’s Army for what happened, and in reality, they did it themselves.”
“The Kingdom of Hermod was overtaken by the Demon King’s army? “Then who on earth did that?”
Hermode’s henchman who raided and destroyed villages and cities in the name of the Demon King’s army.
“Countless villages and cities disappeared, and countless people died. But does this mean that all of this was passed on to the Demon King’s army by the Kingdom of Hermod?”
“To begin with, the Demon King’s army was almost completely destroyed. Four years ago, Hermod mobilized his knights on a large scale and chased them down one by one, killing them all. “The situation for the remaining forces of the Demon King’s army may not be good enough to commit such an act.”
A being who killed countless people, burned down houses, and passed on that infamy to the devil’s army.
“In the end, there is a separate culprit. And we’ve already seen the criminal.”
Alfred looked at Morian with a smile.
At the same time, Arcel’s cold eyes turned to Morian.
I had already seen it with my own eyes in the first place.
Morian, along with the elves, cut down every single villager who hid the elves, even children.
That cruel yet merciless appearance.
“Now, wait a minute. I definitely heard the explanation that they were in cahoots with the devil’s army. So, the queen told me to punish the traitors in the village…”
“It’s better not to think that the Demon King’s army will communicate with humans. “They are a class that truly hates humans, so no matter how beneficial it is, they will not join hands.”
Morian realized what Alfred was talking about.
This is because among the villages that Alfred described as examples, there were villages that he had previously destroyed with his own hands.
“Morian.”
“Yes?”
Arsel called Morian’s name.
“Why don’t you just be quiet for a moment, because it’s distracting you from organizing your thoughts.”
Eyes that resemble his own cold eyes.
It seems like she wants to cut off Morian’s head right away, but she doesn’t seem to do so because of the grace she received before and because Morrian is still young.
“…Yes.”
However, the hostile intention was clearly felt by Morian as well.
I originally kept it buried for a while because I received help, but after learning more about the details, it seems I couldn’t keep it buried forever.
Parents hugging their young children, shedding tears, begging for their lives.
Morian cut down those parents along with their children without a moment of hesitation.
As if he had no affection for his parents at all.
“And I want you to disappear from my eyes as soon as possible. “I’m not very good at controlling my emotions right now.”
Arcel said, clenching his fists and shaking.
I could see him suppressing his emotions as much as possible.
“…I’m sorry.”
In the end, Morian tried to leave the place.
“Hold on, Arcel, let’s talk for a moment.”
But Stella caught it.
And then I took Arcel and headed to a corner.
“Why don’t you calm down a little? Of course, it is true that it is an act that can never be forgiven… But I don’t think that means doing it right now.”
“Are you telling me to forgive that guy? What right do I have? Those who fell victim to that sword no longer remain in the world. “There is no one in this world who can forgive.”
As expected, Arcel seemed to be distraught with betrayal and anger after learning the truth about what he had seen.
“All those who could forgive would have died from that cursed holy sword.”
Of course it is worth it.
In return for sacrificing his life for peace, the Kingdom of Hermod also promised to cooperate as much as possible.
But even though it seemed peaceful, in reality it was just a mask made of lies.
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand Arcel.
“Please calm down for a moment, but it’s not right to throw it away right away. Maybe I wouldn’t have done that if I had known the truth. Besides, that kid knows the details of this matter.”
It wasn’t that Stella didn’t have feelings for Morian, but I still didn’t think she was like this.
She had done something similar herself in the first place.
Stella still remembered accepting the queen’s words as the only truth and pointing the arrow at Arcel.
Although her judgment was clouded due to her illness, the Queen’s words were so wicked that it was difficult to suspect that they were lies.
Could the young Morrian have judged that correctly?
“And that demon is the one who carried out more massacres than that one. The countries and people that disappeared under his orders are said to have suffered most of the damage caused by the demon lord’s army.”
Furthermore, criticizing Morian here was tantamount to hypocrisy.
Alfred, who is with Arcel right now, is a clear villain.
Of course, she helps now and doesn’t do anything like she did during the time of the Demon King’s Army, but the scene of the entire city being wiped out with just one gesture from Alfred still remained in Stella’s memory.
If those who died by the Morrían were like small embers, those who died at the hands of Alfred were like a huge forest fire.
“Are you blaming Alfred here and now? “How much do you know about Alfred?”
“Well, that’s-“
Then Arcel frowned and raised his voice.
Stella looked a little embarrassed.
It was the first time Arcel was so angry at him.
“Anyway, what Alfred did was something someone else in the Demon King’s army would have done, even if it wasn’t him. In addition, the day before Alfred deliberately attacked a city, he even warned the citizens of the city to evacuate in advance. “It was just a stupid noble lord holding on to the residents as he pleased.”
Honestly, I knew Alfred was a strange guy, but I had no idea he would do something like that, just like Arcel said.
-By the order of our great demon lord, we will blow up this city in exactly 24 hours! If you want to survive, I recommend that you evacuate immediately. I don’t ask for your understanding. –
Who on earth would kindly warn the enemy to take refuge because they will attack this place tomorrow?
Even the reason why the residents of those cities died was because the lord ignored the warning and forcibly locked the doors and locked them up.
-Why didn’t they evacuate the residents despite the demon’s warning? And even if you evacuate the residents right now, it’s not enough to lock the door!
-Why are you trying to run away without even fighting? My land is guarded by strong walls and brave knights. Besides, what will happen to my land and treasures if I run away?
From Noble mtl dot com
-Of course I can’t win, so I’m trying to run away. When animals encounter predators, do they run away rather than fight?
-Satan?! Since when are you here?!
-Then, as promised, I will erase this city. I have given you 24 hours, but I hope you have all evacuated.-
-No! Wait a minute…!-
-I don’t like it? I want to get off work quickly.-
Arcel’s memories were filled with cities that had disappeared before his eyes because he had ignored his and Alfred’s warnings.
Of course, Alfred did it in an attempt to screw up the Demon Lord, but comparing it to Morian’s, Arcel’s feelings were likely to be hurt.
Especially when he looked at the vain sight of the city being erased before his eyes, his feelings of helplessness and frustration ate at him.
-My territory?! What are you doing now, hero! There’s that Satan in front of you right now, and you don’t even think about fighting… Ugh!
-Oh no, there’s no need to cry so hard, right? I saved the lives of the children as a service, so take them and run away. The warrior is having a hard time because he has the wrong boss. –
Even in that hell, the one who held out his hand was Alfred, who ironically was the one who created hell.
“If they had made a wiser choice, the number of people sacrificed by the Demon King’s army would have been reduced by at least half. And yet they never made that wise choice.”
As Arcel said those words, his bloody tears seemed to be flowing.
This wasn’t just a one-time thing.
It kept repeating.
Although they were clearly people who could be saved, many people always died due to personal greed or ignorance.
To the point where he wonders what he became a warrior for.
And so much so that I felt that the freedom gained in the name of the journey was actually like torture.
“Stella, if you say something like that one more time. “I won’t just let it go then.”
Arsel spoke in a low tone.
It contained a clear warning.
“…I’m sorry, I forgot what trouble you went through in the past.”
It’s not that Stella didn’t know those things at all, but in the end, she couldn’t open her mouth anymore.
However, at that time, she did not care whether humans were destroyed or not, so she just looked at it like everyone else.
Her heart felt tight as she felt like she had opened Arcel’s wounds, which were the most painful, for no reason.
“That’s it. I was so excited too. Wouldn’t you like to give me some time to think alone? “I’ll take a quick look around here.”
“Yeah, I’ll wait outside…”
Stella smiled and answered.
“…I’m sorry.”
In the end, Arcel left alone, saying he was sorry.
“Stupid ear, you still have a long way to go to understand our hero, don’t you think?”
Alfred flew towards Stella, who was left alone and looking down at her floor.
“Why, did you come here to punish me for gossiping about you?”
“No? What you said is true, but why even call it gossip? Just as you said, I am a villain who slaughtered countless people. “When I think about it again, I understand why people nicknamed me Satan.”
“…Is that now?”
“No, I didn’t understand because you were just comparing me to Satan or something. But by human standards, the most evil devil is Satan.”
Surprisingly, Alfred comforted Stella without being sarcastic.
If it were normal, I would have flown straight to Arcel, but I doubted it.
“Anyway, if you continue the conversation with too many facts, the story will go astray like it did just now. Normally, an angry child should be coaxed with sweet words rather than facts.”
“That means Arcel is a child.”
“You devil, you are already over 100 years old, so if you are a warrior, you are still a child.”
“…I guess so.”
I quietly nodded because it all made sense.
I no longer had any strength left to respond.
“Anyway, is it a big deal? “If I keep going like this, something really bad is going to happen. I guess I should pack my bags and run away with my pets before we all fly away… This is why I didn’t want to come to the Kingdom of Hermod.”
Alfred was thinking deeply while eating the remaining nuts.
“What do you mean by that? Are the humans planning another conspiracy?”
Standing on Stella’s shoulder, who was startled, Alfred shook her head.
“Of course, it’s because of humans, but we’re talking about Hermod’s non-human warriors. “I feel like the things I’ve been repressing for half my life will explode sooner or later.”
If things continued like this, Arcel’s patience would no longer be withstanding.
It was also a new threat.
The hero who defeated the Demon King who almost ate the world becomes a threat even greater than the Demon King.
Honestly, even if she was only half recovered, there was nothing that could stop Arcel as the curse that was eating away at her body disappeared.
“Could it be that Arcel said that? No matter how angry you are, that will never happen…? Besides, there’s you too.”
“Why should I stop it? No matter what our hero does, I will always stand by his side. “The world’s reputation is not of any interest to me.”
The reason Alfred has stopped Clen or prevented the witch’s embers so far is that he only helped Arcel because she didn’t want to.
It’s not because there’s anything particularly foolish or heroic about it.
“No matter what…”
But Stella still couldn’t believe Alfred’s words.
Arcel, who had dedicated her life to protecting a world that was of little help, could not even imagine changing the direction of her sword.
“Why are you pretending not to know? “I already know everything.”
Nevertheless, Alfred said that Stella was being mischievous by deliberately pretending not to know.
“What do you say I know everything about? “If I knew anything in the first place, I wouldn’t be doing this.”
Of course, it was only unfair from Stella’s perspective.
Alfred tapped his beak with his wing for a moment and then asked Stella.
“You are also a companion of the hero chosen by the Kingdom of Hermod, so there is no way you wouldn’t know why the humans tried to kill the hero, right? “I wonder if your colleagues would have done the same.”
“…What?”
“Oh, by the way, you were not a colleague chosen by the Kingdom of Hermod.”
Only then did Alfred clap his wings, saying he had forgotten.
“…I guess I have to get out of here. “If you want to live, dear ear, go to the land of the nymphs where her grandmother is.”
“Hey! What do you mean?! Explain it properly! “What the hell do you know!”
Stella quickly chased after Alfred, who was running away.