Chapter 220
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「HILBERT!!! You pig who’s worse than a beast!!! Have you forgotten the debt you owe me!!!」
Hero Ryuguin raises his voice without regard for those around him.
「Hilbert, apologize!!! This is your final warning!!! Are you my enemy??? Or my ally??? Make it clear right here, right now!!! If you’re my enemy, I’ll show no mercy!!!」
He’s breathing heavily with 「Huff!」 「Huff!」 perhaps from extreme excitement. His throat-straining shouts are bizarre. Maybe this is just how he behaves whenever things don’t go according to his plans.
「Sir Hero, I haven’t received a single favor from you that I need to be grateful for.」
A complex expression crosses Hilbert’s face.
It shows anger and exhaustion, but not just that—
「Besides, I haven’t been your ally for even a second.」
It shows overwhelming sadness.
「Sir Hero, you seem to have convinced yourself that you’re some kind of big shot, but the way you speak about obvious things as if they’re special knowledge is truly childish, hopelessly foolish, and utterly ridiculous.」
「HILBERT!!!」
「Oh, yes, I’ll be sending you a bill later for all the trouble I’ve taken care of, plus compensation for this injury. Look forward to it.」
「HILBEEEEEERT!!!」
Ryūgūin’s face contorts into an expression that would make a demon proud.
Then, he grinds his teeth so hard they might crack and looks down. His expression becomes hidden in shadow.
Madison doesn’t miss his chance.
「Hero Ryūgūin, does this mean you admit to your misdeeds in Lemone?」
If he nods here, this will all be over.
But it won’t be that simple—
「Ah, ah, ah, ah」
Ryūgūin’s voice echoes.
「Ah ah ah ah ah」
His meaningless voice is frankly eerie and frightening.
After his voice trails off and several seconds pass, he faces forward again.
His expression has returned to its former composed state.
「What did I do? I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about specifically. But, well, let’s assume I did do something—」
The intensity of his emotional ups and downs is honestly terrifying.
Right now he’s calm again, but—
「You people from this backward world wouldn’t understand, but in the world I came from, there’s a concept called PTSD.」
Madison and many others are rational people.
Even when spoken to like this, they don’t interrupt his speech.
「It’s called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, you see. Basically, psychological trauma from shocking events can leave various mental and physical disorders that last for a long time.
For example, soldiers returning from war, even after returning to peaceful lives, can never heal from their mental wounds from the battlefield. They continue to suffer from symptoms that interfere with daily life, like insomnia and panic attacks.」
Ryūgūin’s dramatic, showy movements become even more exaggerated.
「Do you understand? The Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeon—which has claimed countless lives in your world—do you know how difficult it was to conquer it?
You wouldn’t understand. You who work in this magnificent castle, return to your mansions where beautiful wives and children welcome you home, and enjoy peace without any want—you couldn’t possibly understand.」
He performs like a stage actor before the dignitaries without the slightest hesitation.
It’s like the Ryūgūin Theater.
「My heart is in tatters.
You could say I’m suffering from PTSD.
The brutal battles in the Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeon have eaten away at my heart, and now I can’t even sleep alone.
Until now, Mika and I have conquered seven Nexbies. The hardship and pain of that is beyond your imagination.
So listen to my story and try to imagine it.
Have you ever had your arm torn off because you couldn’t dodge an enemy’s attack?
Have you ever eaten sand to stave off hunger?
Have you ever endured the fear of knowing that as you approach the deepest level, the enemies get stronger, with no guarantee you’ll survive the next encounter?
Arrows of flame come at us like a curtain of bullets. Even the slightest touch means your body burns away. I held my breath inside Mika’s barrier.
The boss monster of the Blade Dungeon was a formidable opponent. Our one-on-one duel with his transcendent sword techniques could have gone either way. My victory was a paper-thin miracle.
Do you understand?
No—you’ll never understand in your entire lives!!
How much pressure I’ve endured!!
With my scarred heart, I’m afraid to sleep at night!!
To maintain my peace of mind, and to be able to attack the Nexby again for humanity’s sake, I needed human warmth!!!」
Ryūgūin clenches his fist in front of his chest and puts on a tragic hero’s sorrowful expression.
He’s quite the actor indeed.
「Are you saying you brought misfortune to many people for that reason?!
And do you really think such an argument will work?!」
Madison raises his voice for the first time in response.
Clear anger can be seen among the lined-up church officials.
But it doesn’t reach Ryūgūin.
He shrugs his shoulders as if to say 「oh well.」
「I do think so. Even if I committed some crimes, I really didn’t want to do such things, you know? You understand, right? But if it was necessary to protect the peace of the Arcana Kingdom and all its people, some sacrifices were needed. That’s all there is to it, right?」
「You bastard—」
「Because that’s how it is, right? You people too would gladly sacrifice the small for the sake of the greater good!! Oh, please don’t give me that lame line about ‘we would never do such things.’
Because you people—」
Ryūgūin takes a deep breath.
「You summoned us!! That itself was nothing other than sacrificing ‘us’ as the ‘small’ for the sake of the ‘Arcana Kingdom’ as the ‘greater good’!!」
He spreads both arms and spins around on the spot.
「How dare you criticize me, who has made great contributions to the country, while overlooking what you yourselves have done!!!
You fools!! Have you no shame!!! Shame!!!」
Silence doesn’t fall.
Ryūgūin tilts his head again. This time it’s from confusion rather than provocation.
Madison, grinding his teeth hard enough to be seen from afar, speaks quietly.
「I see, certainly your argument has some logic to it. I sincerely apologize for our people summoning you—」
Ryūgūin puffs up his nose with an expression that says 「See!」
「However, there are falsehoods in your story. And they shake the very foundation of your claims.」
Madison’s gaze sharpens.
「Hero Ryūgūin, you did not conquer the Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeon. The truth is, it was conquered by a Holy Knight who is now missing—isn’t that right?」
At this question, Ryūgūin shows his greatest disturbance yet.
Large drops of sweat run down his forehead.
「What proof do you have for such nonsense—that’s right,」
An imaginary light bulb appears above Ryūgūin’s head.
「There’s an easy way to prove that I conquered seven Nexbies. Just ask my three heroes who have fought alongside me, the hero, for the sake of the nation!!」
「Very well. Then we shall accept the hero’s proposition and ask them. Saint Mika, the wise Angelica, and sword saint Eris—the three of you. Answer only the truth.
Was it truly Hero Ryūgūin himself who conquered the seven Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeons? 」
The moment Chancellor Madison asks this, Ryūgūin grins as if to say 「This is my victory. 」
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