Chapter 298: The next day was unfortunately rainy (1/2)

It could easily be imagined that today of all days won’t be a good day for the city of Kannaoi, so I would like the weather at least to be good.

That wish of mine was crushed by a downpour that would make me want to stay at home even if I had an umbrella.

“Is this the Water Spirits trying to annoy us…or is this a hindering rain?” (Makoto) <The ‘hindering rain’ refers to a song Yarazu no Ame.>

But instead of stopping the return of a loved one, it is to deny the future that has already begun moving regardless of one’s will.

Thanks to my Magic Armor, I could walk within this rain that falls as if it doesn’t want anyone to advance, and I arrive at my destination.

Now that I think about it, when I am walking in this rain, the shape of my Magic Armor can be seen which is a point I probably have to improve.

Well, even if I say that, though it is early in the morning, it is still dark out there because of the rainy clouds, and there’s most likely not gonna be anymore successive assassination attempts against me in Lorel.

A bitter smile came onto my face from the clear figure of the Magic Armor being hit by the rain while I entered the building.

…Yup, there’s a lot of guards.

Of course there are.

This is a prison, and the one inside is the leader of the rebels that attacked Kannaoi last night.

I had the guards, who were doing their best and staying up all of last night, sleep with magic for a bit.

I arrive at the place where Haruka Osakabe is in custody.

Just as always, they have done their best to make preventions for spies.

A tatami room where fences set in all directions reach all the way to the ceiling…a prison cell.

Haah…this is the first time I have seen a tatami room prison.

Haruka is in there.

She was in seiza, raising only her head to look at me.

The guards may not have noticed me, but as expected, this person did.

“Good morning.” (Makoto)

“Why…did you not kill me?” (Haruka)

But I didn’t show it in my face and give her a morning greeting.

She didn’t greet me back.

Looking at me with clouded, or maybe muddy eyes that had lost the life in them, she asked me this.

She had her forehead stabbed with a needle made from magic power, of course the person herself would think she is dead.

And in reality, Iroha-chan also misunderstood at first.

“You are Iroha-chan’s mother. It would be easier to incapacitate you rather than kill you and then have you revived. Also…” (Makoto)

“…”

“I failed to kill you before. Honestly speaking, that’s the biggest reason. By the way, in my personal opinion, the best way to save you would be to let you die.” (Makoto)

The charm of Tomoki doesn’t alter memories.

To be perfectly honest here, a love for another person that would lead you to do anything without a care no matter the sacrifices is something that I don’t understand at all.

It may be an emotion that you should prioritize, but placing it above all else without limitations is…you know…

But people who have been charmed will prioritize obeying Tomoki over everything else.

“‘I failed there, so I tried this’, is what it feels like you want to say.” (Haruka)

“Yeah, embarrassingly so.” (Makoto)

It is as if your life until now fades away, and Tomoki descents like a God.

The family and friends you held precious, your lover suddenly fades and loses shape, making you obtain self-satisfaction from acting for his sake.

Betraying the trust of others, stealing fortunes, and at times killing. Gleefully performing all of this by ‘your own volition’.

To be honest, even with the charm dispelled, it is already too late.

People that have lost everything due to drugs, dragged the people around down with them, and fell to ruin; when those people get released from their addiction, just what is awaiting them?

This is just my imagination here but, many people would go back to drugs in order to forget reality, or take their own lives while they are still sane.

That’s why I killed those three without hesitation.

For those girls, death would have been salvation.

I still personally think that that was the best action to take.

Just that…taking the choice of killing ended up being an incredible minus for us.

We had to fight a strong opponent we didn’t need to fight, the Adventurers of Origin.

“…I will at least give you my thanks.” (Haruka)

Haruka-san must have read something from my hesitation, after a small silence, she lowered her head.

That action while she is in seiza strangely makes her give out a dignified aura.

I don’t remember doing anything to be warranted gratitude, so I shrunk instead.

I am being directed a dogeza, but for some mysterious reason, I felt small.

After a while, she lifted her head and, with all of her grieves showing in her face, she looked at me straight.

Her clouded eyes had a slight light return to them.

“Thank me, huh. Are you saying that you can still find light by living?” (Makoto)

Last night, when I incapacitated her by asphyxiating her, I thought that she would choose death no matter what Iroha-chan said.

It is because we clashed blades and received her all that I was pretty confident in that evaluation of her though…

Since she thanked me, I suppose that evaluation was wrong.

That she is able to choose living even at this point is something that requires an incredible deal of mental fortitude.

What kind of hope is she looking at? I was a bit interested in it, so I tried asking.

“No.” (Haruka)

But Haruka-san’s expression didn’t change as she shook her head.

Hm?

“?”

“Thanks to you stopping my suicidal actions brought by despair, I can use this life of mine to fulfill my duty. This is a thanks for that.” (Haruka)

…So living really was not a choice.

I am sorry for Iroha-chan, but I think this is something that can’t be helped.

Even though Haruka-san is a woman in such an influential position, she was way too flashy in her actions as a prisoner of Tomoki.

I have heard that she was a brave woman but gives a quiet impression, and yet, this time’s incident was way too shocking.

The amount of people killed with the dagger of assassins, and the danger of their schemes, were the most threatening in the history of Kannaoi.

Judging from how she spoke, she is probably thinking about being judged by the law, and reducing -even if a bit- the amount of obstacles that will remain in the government.

“So you are saying you will receive the punishment of the law as a rebel and accept your death?” (Makoto)

“Yes.” (Haruka)

“…For the sake of the Osakabe household?” (Makoto)

“Yes.” (Haruka)

“…”

If Haruka-san had the intentions to, I could have faked her death and have her go into hiding in a base of the wasteland somewhere via Asora.

With that, I could have let Iroha-chan meet her every now and then.

But…her expression denies this possibility straight on.

She has completely accepted death.

Even if we were to hide her, she would one day disappear and never return.

I don’t know how long it will take for her punishment, but she…probably won’t have a change of heart.

Did me not killing her at that time have meaning because she now has a meaning in her death? …I kinda feel fuzzy about that.

“The trial has already finished. I will be executed the day after tomorrow.” (Haruka)

“?! Done? That’s pretty fast.” (Makoto)

“Last night all the tops of the Ministry of Justice were gathered in the castle, and the trial itself wasn’t something complicated. Capital punishment was a sure thing, so what was left was to decide the day.” (Haruka)

So fast!

Taking too much time would be questionable as well, but the judgement being given right in the night of the incident is impressive.

The fact that Haruka-san is accepting the whole blame is also one of the deciding factors of this.

What she did was basically a coup d’etat.

No matter how many underlying circumstances there were, if the things she did were lined up, the capital punishment wouldn’t shake.

Like in Japan where external pressure can push it to be capital punishment.

“The day after tomorrow, in front of the populace, as the leader of this time’s coup d’etat?” (Makoto)

“Of course. I was a heinous criminal that dropped society into panic. I will definitely remain in the history of Lorel as one of the worst villains.” (Haruka)

The most effective execution. The way to use your life, huh. If that’s the case, her husband that’s apparently bedridden might be the one who will give the execution order. Using it as a public example. A major power like Lorel cannot show mercy since this involves their future government.

“…”

“But you have been acting like a completely different person from last night for a while now.” (Haruka)

“Eh?” (Makoto)

“Even though you were a stern young man that was unreserved and cruel to the heart of people, their way of being, and even towards their fleeting wish for death.” (Haruka)

“Uuh…” (Makoto)

Haruka-san looks at me, showing a glossy smile as she laughs as if it is amusing.

I am not good at dealing with a smiling beauty that wafts this kind of thick resolve for death.

Last night she made this type of face several times.

“Right now you look like a flustered boy that has just turned into an adult and isn’t used to society.” (Haruka)

“Haha…” (Makoto)

“Such a drastic change. Must be the talent to treat death. I couldn’t have that no matter how much I tried.” (Haruka)

“I wonder about that. I am aware that I am slightly special, but wasn’t what you lacked, Haruka-san, the resolve to face death?” (Makoto)

“I am not a new recruit that’s scared of dying in the battlefield.” (Haruka)

“It is simply that you were able to trample down the battlefields with just your violent levels of talent while still maintaining the heart of a scared new recruit.” (Makoto)

“…”

“Last night, you see, I thought about it for a bit, you know.” (Makoto)

“?”

“That you and I are a bit similar. You stay scared, I stay ununderstanding. But only the way to act in the battlefield, we can understand it without any doubts.” (Makoto)

“! How vexing. I don’t want to be lumped in the same category as you even if it is as a joke!” (Haruka)

“Is that so. That was rude of me then.” (Makoto)

“…By the way, what’s your business here? It doesn’t look like this is a visit to state your farewells.” (Haruka)

Oops, right.

It is raining this hard, so I thought I would go back for today, is what I thought, but it is not like I came here just to see how she was doing.

I think I would be able to visit her upfront if I were to ask for it, but it will no doubt affect the trust the people of Kannaoi have towards me.

That’s the kind of voices I heard around when I thought about speaking with Haruka-san for a bit. Then, I should do so stealthily in the early morning, and so here I am.

Leaving aside the thing about the execution, I wanted to talk a bit about the charm.

“I wanted to hear a bit about the matter of the charm.” (Makoto)

“You are a person that rubs the heart wrong in every possible way.” (Haruka)

“Depending on the situation, we—ah, right, now that I think about it, I haven’t properly introduced myself. I am the representative of the Kuzunoha Company, my name’s Raidou. This time around, I ended up getting this involved due to my connection with Sairitz-san and your daughter, Iroha-chan.” (Makoto)

“…You…! …I am Osakabe Haruka. My daughter has been under your care it seems, Raidou.” (Haruka)

Crap.

Looks like the timing of my self-introduction was bad.

But you know, it would have been a bit creepy to introduce myself in the battlefield when there was no actual proper time for it.

“And so, it would be fine to have us investigate the perfume over on our side. But you broke through the charm of the hero on your own. What was the timing for it and what served as the trigger? I am personally interested in it.” (Makoto)

“So this is not you asking every single detail about how I fell into the plans of the Empire?” (Haruka)

“I am not really interested in that part. Even if I don’t ask, your relatives will come later and push you to speak, right? …It is certain that it will become a fantasy telenovela.” (Makoto)

I mutter out my true feelings at the end.

It unintentionally came out from my mouth.

“Huh?” (Haruka)

“No, it is nothing. And so, what was it? By the time I met you, you were already normal. Probably at the time you engaged your daughter, too. I see, around the time the hotel was attacked. When my employees, Lime and Levi, were buying time, or when you were pursuing them.” (Makoto)

If not, Jin and the others wouldn’t have survived.

“Aah, so those two were your subordinates after all. They were way too strong to be Kannaoi soldiers. Even though they weren’t even people to begin with, I apologize for having injured them.” (Haruka)

“It is a given in the battlefield. Don’t mind it.” (Makoto)