I Decided to Abandon the Traitors Who Planned to Use and Dispose of Me, the Hero, at the Last Moment. - Chapter 07: Behind the Scenes of "Serves You Right!" (Part 1) — You Must Be So Frustrated

Chapter 07: Behind the Scenes of “Serves You Right!” (Part 1) — You Must Be So Frustrated

—I’ve walked a life full of losses.

It might sound dramatic to start off like that, but in my previous life, I was definitely on the losing side. 

My childhood sweetheart was easily stolen by a flashy senior, and I didn’t have the means to get any sort of revenge. Even though I threw myself into studying to ease the pain of heartbreak, I still failed to get into my top-choice university and ended up at a backup school. I kept trying and trying, eventually landing a job as a local government worker, only to end up in a toxic workplace with an abusive boss. Trapped between endless complaints and harassment, my spirit slowly crumbled. My life ended abruptly when I got hit by a car while protecting a child I didn’t even know.

The only moment I could call “payback” was shortly before my death. The childhood sweetheart who had betrayed me like a worn-out rag ended up getting dumped and returned to her parents’ house in despair. When she asked to get back together, I firmly rejected her. That small “serves you right” was the only victory I could claim.

…In the end, I became nothing.

That was my life—Tōru Shimokitazawa —a life that didn’t even reach my thirties. 

But just when I thought I had died in that accident, I found myself in a room with black-and-white tiled floors, white walls, and nothing but a table and chair.

“Nice to meet you, Tōru Shimokitazawa. I’m Jane, and this is John. We work as guides for people who are being reincarnated into another world. Today, we’ve determined that because you lived an honest life and died saving the life of a child you didn’t even know, you’ve earned the right to be reincarnated into another world. That’s why we’ve brought you here.”

The girl, dressed in a Gothic Lolita outfit, along with her companion, offered me the opportunity to reincarnate into another world. The idea of getting another shot at life after death sounded pretty appealing, and since I didn’t have any reason to refuse, I agreed. After I gave my consent, Jane looked a little apologetic as she continued.

“…Well, actually, there’s something a bit complicated we’d like to ask of you.”

Apparently, in a world managed by a goddess who was a friend of Jane’s, a war between humans and demons had broken out. The goddess had tried to end the war by giving divine revelations to a hero’s party, but somehow, that plan had gone awry. It seemed that the conflict might have been manipulated by someone, possibly from the human side. The information was vague and unreliable, but the situation had spiraled out of control because the people of that world lacked faith. As a result, the goddess couldn’t communicate effectively, making it impossible to talk to anyone there. In desperation, they had taken a gamble, but it hadn’t worked out, which is why they were now asking for help.

The request was for me to join the hero as additional support.

It sounded like the goddess had made a pretty big mistake, taking a huge gamble and losing. Maybe the humans weren’t as righteous as they seemed. When I gently pointed this out, Jane looked into the distance with a sad expression and replied.

“…The goddess said gambling is only fun because the pain of losing makes it interesting.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Sure, as a goddess, that attitude is pretty terrible, but as a gambler, there’s something oddly admirable about her straightforwardness. She seems like the kind of goddess who might run some sketchy cult. I mean, gambling with the fate of an entire world and messing it up isn’t exactly a good move, but I got the gist of the situation, so I nodded.

“Okay, got it. So, I just need to stick with this hero, figure out who started the war, and take them down, right? I’ll do it.”

“You’re agreeing pretty quickly.”

Jane said, tilting her head in curiosity.

“Well, considering I thought my life was over, just getting another chance is already a blessing. And besides, from the way you talk, it sounds like this goddess is really in a tough spot. It’d feel wrong to turn down the request.”

“…You really are a good person. Thank you, Tōru Shimokitazawa —or rather, Mr. Toru (Thorn). I’ll make sure to give you a generous reincarnation bonus as a reward.”

And so, my life continued. As part of my reincarnation bonus, I was granted enough combat strength to stand alongside the hero, as well as a body around the same age as the young hero. Jane explained that this was to make things easier between us, so we wouldn’t have to worry about awkward age differences.

“Thanks for that. Well then, I’ll play the fool—just like a harmless lamp in broad daylight!”

And so, I was summoned to another world as a force to maintain balance.

Reincarnated as a “warrior,” I subtly approached the hero’s party, pretending it was all a coincidence. To be honest, from my very first encounter with Marle, the mage who was supposedly the hero’s childhood friend, I got a strong whiff of something rotten—not a literal smell, but the stench of betrayal. My instincts screamed that she had already been unfaithful. Maybe this was one of the abilities Jane had given me, or perhaps it was because I’d been betrayed by my own childhood friend in my previous life.

As I spent more time with the party and got to know the hero, Elliot, I grew fond of him. He seemed simple and calm on the surface, but beneath that, there was a genuine kindness and thoughtfulness towards others. If this boy was being used by someone, then I figured I might as well guide him toward a happy ending.

“Elliot, I’m gonna make your life a whole lot more interesting!”

After joining the hero’s party, I fought against the Demon Lord’s army while secretly investigating the cause of the war. Though the root of the problem seemed to lie with humanity, the Demon Lord’s forces were still committing atrocities, so I did my best to keep things balanced. Some of the Demon Lord’s generals challenged me to battles, seeing me as a worthy opponent. I had a fair duel with the Enchanter, and we both agreed on the outcome—defeating him. As a result, his friend, the Shockwave User, marked me as an enemy, but that couldn’t be helped. If someone’s after you for avenging a friend, there’s not much you can do about it.

During our journey, I grew closer to Elliot, all while playing the role of a lustful fool to gather information. After suspecting that all the members of the party had been betrayed by someone, I dug deeper and eventually figured out that the culprit was the kingdom’s prince. From there, I began frequenting the high-class brothel he used, begging the workers there for help.

Luckily—or maybe unluckily—the prince had a terrible reputation at the brothel. He would use his wealth to ruin the bodies and minds of the women he called upon, and he abused his power to take his favorite girls away, never to be seen again. While the brothel workers kept quiet because of the royal family’s influence, they were filled with hatred for the prince and agreed to help me.

During the journey, I kept up my act, saying things like, “Nhoh, I’m so pent up, need to hit the brothel!” or “Ahhh, the girls there are irresistible!” I kept playing the fool, talking nonsense, and acting out. 

At first, people asked, “What does ‘Nhoh’ even mean?” but I ignored them and carried on. Eventually, they got used to it, and my trips to the brothel for “information gathering” no longer seemed out of place. Sure, the three women in our party looked at me like I was trash, but who cares what a bunch of traitorous hussies think? The little ones can’t comprehend the ambitions of the great!

Through the brothel workers, I made contact with the Dwarf workshop and, using ideas from my past life, had them develop a magic crystal capable of recording video.

The prince secretly summoned prostitutes to his private mansion, so I had the brothel girls plant the crystal there. Just as I suspected, we captured the incriminating footage of the three party women. Not only did we gather plenty of evidence for payback, but we even caught the prince plotting to assassinate Elliot—an unexpected bonus!

Honestly, looking back, I worked so hard. Gathering information and evidence while fighting and maintaining my cover—I was pretty proud of myself, to be honest. Really, I deserved a pat on the back for everything I pulled off.

I arranged for the footage to be distributed across various countries through the brothel workers’ connections. When I finally told Elliot about the betrayal of the women in the party, he broke down in tears, devastated by the fact that even his beloved childhood friend had betrayed him.

“Ah… this is too much… too much!!”

“It’s okay to cry for now. I’m here for you. Let it all out until you feel better.”

I totally get it. The pain of being betrayed by your childhood friend—it’s unforgivable! I understand because I went through the same thing!

After Elliot finished crying, his eyes were lifeless. Those awful women had killed his spirit, but at least he was still alive. That’s something, right? Of course, we weren’t going to let this slide. We planned to repay them tenfold—no, a hundredfold! I suggested revenge, and Elliot was all for it. The plan was simple: we’d pull off the ultimate “serves you right” moment just before the final showdown with the Demon Lord at his castle.

The only unexpected twist was when I got forced into a one-on-one battle with Impactor, the Shockwave User, one of the Demon Lord’s generals. I couldn’t dodge, or the city’s defensive barrier system would be destroyed, putting innocent lives at risk. So, I took Impactor’s full-force attack head-on. It left a massive hole in my chest—a fatal wound. I thought I would die before our plan could be completed, leaving Elliot behind, but for some reason, Cecilia saved me. Although I lost most of my combat strength and the gift Jane had granted me, at least I survived.

…Why Cecilia saved me, I’ll never know. She didn’t answer when I asked. Maybe, even as a traitor, she had her own inner struggles. But now, it’s too late to understand.

Even after losing my combat strength, I couldn’t leave Elliot alone, so I continued traveling with him. I could only carry luggage and was well aware that the party’s women, especially Marle, looked down on me. But being ridiculed didn’t bother me much. I just wanted to stay by Elliot’s side until that moment of “serves you right” payback because that’s what friends do!

After we finally pulled off the ultimate payback, I brought Elliot to a commercial town, and we started living the good life—relaxing in hot springs every day. I made sure to thank the ladies at the brothel who helped us and spent my days hearing about the downfall of the traitors and the kingdom through the newspapers. I also felt a sense of relief, knowing that I had achieved the big goal I was entrusted with during my reincarnation—stopping the war.

With a tiny bit of leftover cheat power, I helped out the locals with their problems and enjoyed my days. La-Co Navet…? Ugh, my head…

Now, I’ve returned to the capital of the former kingdom. It’s been absorbed into the Demon Lord’s territory, but people are living their lives as they did before, likely thanks to the Demon Lord’s rule. I came back to witness another round of sweet revenge and, more importantly, to celebrate my friend’s big moment—Kingdom, I have returned! …or something like that.

The former kingdom is now bustling with activity, with people coming from all over. The reason? Elliot is about to marry the Demon Lord’s daughter, Asmodius, and the wedding is set to take place here.

The end of the war between humans and demons, followed by the marriage that would bridge their coexistence, was indeed a momentous occasion. But before the grand event, I had something to take care of. I made my way to a secret underground chamber in the former kingdom—one that even Elliot didn’t know about.

“Ah, Sir Thorn. Here to visit them, I assume?”

The guard watching over the place was none other than Marvellous, one of the Demon Lord’s ten generals. That such a high-ranking individual was stationed here meant the people inside were of significant importance. After exchanging greetings with Marvellous, I walked through the dimly lit dungeon until I found the ones I was looking for. With a friendly wave, I called out to them.

“Yo. You’ve both changed a lot.”

“Ah, AAAAAAAAH! Thorn!! It’s all your fault! You’re the one who tricked Elliot into doing this, you filthy scumbag!! You’re the lowest of the low!! If it weren’t for you, none of this would’ve happened to me!! DIEEEE!!! You shameless, disgusting piece of trash! I’ll gouge out your eyes! Snap your spine! Come here, you bastard! I’ll kill youuuuu!!!”

“S-Sorry! Please forgive me, Lord Thorn!! It was all my fault, I swear I’ll never do anything bad again! Please, just kill me, I don’t want to be tortured anymore! It hurts so much! And… my precious… it’s been chopped off, it’s gone! I just want the pain to stop, please make it stop!!”

Marle, once cute, was now nothing but skin and bones, with no trace of her former self. And then there was the former prince, Netrik, now bald and trembling in fear after being killed over and over again. Usually, they were tortured in the Demon Lord’s castle or other places, but for some reason, they had been brought here.

Even though they were locked up in separate cells, their contrasting voices echoed out. 

Well, well, they still seemed full of energy. Pathetic and helpless behind those bars… it must feel awful, huh?