Vol 2 Chapter 29 – The Scumbag

The next morning.

After yesterday’s mess, I returned to my bird form and went back to the blanket just in case, but nothing particularly problematic happened after that.

I was able to sleep soundly on the cheap but soft bed.

“Good morning, Puria-san.”

“Yeah, mornin’, Nine.”

“Man, this room stinks. Ah, but I’m gonna go talk to Farmer-san first. I really should have said this yesterday, though.”

“Come to think of it, when that petty thief broke in yesterday, did he make any noise?”

“Nope. That guy didn’t even have lock-picking tools, so I guess that’s how it is.”

“You ain’t gonna make him pay?”

“It’s fine. Puria-san protected me, after all. Let’s let the gentle-looking Farmer-san stay gentle, shall we?”

Looking at the man saying such things with a smile, Puria Harp narrowed her eyes.

What a nasty piece of work.

I wonder what that corrupt priest will think when he sees this bloodstained room.

Come to think of it, I feel like there was something I wanted to ask. Must be my imagination.

Well, if I can’t remember it, it probably ain’t a big deal.

I had Puria-san, who looked like she wanted to say something, escape through the window, said good morning to a pale-faced Farmer-san who looked like he hadn’t slept a wink, and asked him to clean the room.

While I was at it, I begged for some priest’s robes and pocket money, and he gladly lent them to me.

My face naturally broke into a smile at the thought of living comfortably for a while.

The moment I stepped outside the church, Puria-san immediately flew onto my shoulder.

“You really are the worst. You’re completely in scumbag territory.”

“They started it, so what’s the big deal?”

“That burglar didn’t even have a weapon or anything, and it looked like he really just intended to steal, ya know.”

“It’s just the difference between a robber and a burglar, right? Either is fine. There’s no point in talking about someone who isn’t here anymore anyway.”

In her bird form, Puria peered at Nine’s face from his shoulder.

Looking at his expression, the guy had his usual frivolous smile.

Even looking into his eyes, she couldn’t see into their depths, unable to read any joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure.

And yet.

“What’s wrong, Puria-san? Making such a cute face as always.”

The hand that came to stroke her beak as he said that was so warm and gentle it made her involuntarily blink.

Even though there wasn’t a shred of sincerity in his words or actions.

The gestures he showed from time to time were just so tender that it left her completely confused.

She wasn’t such a cheap woman that she’d easily fall for a man like this.

Besides, this guy was a shady bastard who she still couldn’t even clearly tell was a friend or foe.

She needed to stay firmly aware of that fact.

“Look, Puria-san, it’s a beautiful day today. Shall we take a walk and think about what to do from here on?”

Saying that, he gently tickled under her chin with the back of his finger this time.

“Ahn.”

Without thinking, she found herself rubbing her face against Nine’s finger.

Rub, rub.

It feels good, so it can’t be helped.

She continued making excuses to herself like that.

Rub, rub.

When I think about how this warmth might be lost in just a little while, I feel a slight pang of loneliness.

Puria Harp didn’t realize.

That before she knew it, she, who was supposed to be his watcher, no longer felt even a hint of discomfort when he consulted her about their future plans.

I was walking down paths that seemed to have as little foot traffic as possible to avoid drawing attention, yet still looked relatively safe. But as expected of the slums, it seemed getting tangled up with unsavory folks was inevitable.

Right now, I was in the middle of being dragged into a back alley and threatened.

It’s rough, man.

“Hey, leave all the cash you got on ya.”

When surrounded by well-built skinheads like this, there really wasn’t a single thing I could do.

Tia-sama is useless at times like this.

And I can’t exactly have Puria-san transform in a place like this.

Or rather, Puria-san doesn’t have any obligation to save me in the first place.

As the only method available to me right now, I was currently showing off one of my specialty moves: the dogeza.

Dogeza.

It is the act of throwing away one’s dignity.

This act, expressed in just three syllables, involves completely surrendering one’s pride to the other party. It’s supposed to be the most humiliating act of all, however.

“Like your damn prostration is worth anything! Hurry up and hand over the money, you bastard!”

To an opponent who finds no significance in the exchange of dignity, it yields absolutely no meaning.

It’s a tough world out there.

Although I was protecting my head, my back was being ruthlessly kicked over and over. Just as I was genuinely starting to feel a sense of crisis without even being able to awaken my self-defense skills, it happened.

“What are you doing!”

In that dim alleyway, my savior had appeared. Apparently.

I couldn’t see them because I was mid-dogeza, though.

“Hah? The hell are you!”

“This ain’t a show! Get the hell out of here, dumbass!”

I am a show, actually.

Lookie here, it’s a magnificent dogeza that brings no shame to the three thousand worlds.

The admission fee is totally free if you just exterminate these skinheads for me, alright?

“Doing something like this. Are you full-grown adults not ashamed of yourselves!”

They’re doing it because they aren’t ashamed, you know.

Whatever, just please save me as quickly as humanly possible, I thought.

While thinking such things, I raised my head. It was hard to see against the backlight, but someone was standing there imposingly, pointing a finger in our direction.

At a glance, they looked weak. Scrawny, even.

“Shut up! Hey, get ‘im!”

“Yeah, let’s strip this guy of everything he’s got too.”

To those guys, I arrogantly declared:

“Senpai, please take ’em out! This guy is getting cocky!”

“W-Wait a minute! Why are you the one egging them on!?”

“I’m on the side of whoever looks stronger.”

When I stood up and said that while puffing out my chest, one of the thugs silently kicked me to the ground.

Guess he didn’t like that.

As I kissed the dirt once again, I heard the sound of several large objects collapsing and raised my head in surprise.

There stood the completely uninjured stranger, and the skinheads scattered all over the place.

Ah, I was wrong.

There was no mistaking it, this person was the one who saved me.

From those ruffians, with their rare courage and strength that belied their appearance.

What a truly heroic figure.

A hero must be greeted with appropriate praise.

I spread my arms wide and sent words of adulation to the savior before me.

“Ah, thank you so much. You are a wonderful person. A hero!”

“Do you not have any pride?”

Course I don’t have anything like that.

But well, I’d happily lick Garon-san’s feet clean, though I have no intention of licking yours.

Because, I’m on the side of the demons.

If I had to call something my pride, it’d just be about that much.

That being said, it was a fact that I was saved.

I didn’t want to be an ingrate, so figuring I should at least treat them to lunch, I invited them to a nearby eatery.

“You really saved me. Ah, apologies for the late introduction. My name is Nine.”

“I am Abyss Helen. Don’t worry about what happened back there. That was just the natural thing to do.”

Abyss.

A name I feel like I heard yesterday.

Ah, the thug at the tavern was talking about them, the Hero’s companion or something. An Apostle, I think they said?

I see, that explains why they were so strong.

—You must not speak so casually with such a person, Nine! An Apostle, of all things. T-to think they play at being gods. It’s truly comical.—

Tia-sama, keep quiet!

Even though you didn’t even help me earlier!

Ignoring the whining voice that I was already entirely used to, I faced the person in front of me once again.

“So you are Abyss-sama. I have heard much of your great reputation.”

“N-No, it’s embarrassing. I myself am nothing special. I’m really just an extra attached to the Hero-sama.”

“That can’t be true. Your actions earlier were those of a true hero.”

A hero. A hero.

Hahaha. A hero, he says.

I’m the one who said it, but, haha, it cracks me up. Heeheeheehee.

Whoops, my benefactor is right in front of me. It’d be rude to let it show on my face.

Gotta be careful.

“I-I can’t help but blush when you praise me that much.”

“Come to think of it, why is Abyss-sama here? Where are the other Apostles?”

“I’m the only one in this city. The others are scattered all over the world, so it’s a bit hard to get in touch with them. Well, the reason I’m here is because this is Ista’s final stronghold.”

In other words, the general consensus was that if this city, Tiamaria, were to fall, everything from Ista to Riel Marl would fall into the hands of the demons.

Therefore, to ensure they could withstand a large-scale attack at any time, the Apostles rotated so that at least one of them was permanently stationed in this city.

What a pain.

So to make Ista fall, we absolutely have to defeat at least one Apostle, huh.

I wonder if Aroma-san knows about this.

She probably knows. But well, just in case, I’ll keep it in the corner of my mind.

“So you’re like the sword of justice, preventing the invasion of monsters. That’s so cool.”

“A-Ahaha.”

Perhaps feeling awkward from being showered with praise, he blushed and looked down.

He’s surprisingly naive, isn’t he.

I thought he’d be putting on hero airs, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

“It’s about the monsters too, but this place is also close to the demon territory. It wouldn’t be strange for a demon invasion to happen at any time, and when the demons attack in earnest, I think it would be tough for the soldiers here to protect the townspeople by themselves. So I thought I could help out, even if only a little. I just hope this also aids the Hero-sama.”

“Wow, how admirable.”

Admirable, admirable, none of your damn business.

Doing completely unnecessary things, aren’t we.

Hero, hero. The Hero, eh.

I’ve never even met you, but I hate you.

You’re Christela’s enemy, right?

You’re the entity trying to kill that girl, right?

I absolutely despise you. Because she belongs to me.

Just keep dancing to the tune of gods or whatever shady idols you worship.

Don’t get involved in my game.

We don’t need trash like you.

“That’s why I’ve been helping out with monster extermination and patrolling the areas with bad public order around here, hoping to reduce the burden on the people of this city even a little. But it seems I don’t have a very good reputation around these parts. I wonder why that is.”

“Well, the people around here seem to make their living off monster extermination, after all.”

Of course they’d hate it if you stole their source of income.

The wealthy folks in this city might be happy about it, though.

But to the people who earn their keep by hunting monsters, you’re nothing but a nuisance.

Well, profit and loss change depending on a person’s standpoint, so I guess it can’t be helped.

Besides, you did save me.

I don’t really intend to speak ill of you.

I don’t, but.

“Hmm. Well, even so, I believe this is what I can do. If the demons disappear and the world becomes peaceful, I think they’ll be able to take on safer jobs, too.”

“…”

I was wondering why my heart had been pricking me for a while now, and I finally figured it out.

Ah, I just don’t like this person’s eyes.

Brimming with hope, living earnestly toward a proper goal as a human being.

So dazzling.

It pisses me off.

My reason is telling me that it’s not a bad thing or anything, but.

But I don’t like it.

What is it that I don’t like so much?

Even though this person saved me.

No good, I shouldn’t be thinking such rude things.

But, I feel kinda frustrated and hazy. Should I take a little peek?

“Hey, Abyss-sama. Why did you decide you wanted to save the world alongside the Hero-sama?”

A shiver ran down his spine.

Feeling as though ice was crawling down his back, Abyss involuntarily squirmed in his chair.

Suddenly, he felt as if the look in the eyes of the man sitting across from him had changed.

He had thought of him as a rather obsequious person, but right now, he couldn’t sense that kind of atmosphere from him at all.

That said, staying completely silent would be rude, and it wasn’t a question that would cause any harm to answer.

Abyss opened his mouth without breaking eye contact with Nine.

“It’s a common story. My hometown was destroyed by monsters. After that, I was taken in by relatives, but one day, I awakened to ‘power’.”

“Ah, you possess the alias of ‘Superhuman Strength,’ don’t you? Was that, oh my, something you suddenly obtained? Not through steady training or anything?”

“Haha, with my build, no matter how much I trained, I could never obtain the kind of muscle strength to be called that. A few years. Maybe ten years ago, around that time, I obtained this supernatural ability. I think it’s mostly the same for the other Apostles. Well, I do put in the effort to master it, though.”

“Hmm.”

“They say the revelation about the Hero-sama was also given around that time. I believe this is God’s will to defeat the Demon King. A divine arrangement for humanity to defeat the Demon King with their own hands.”

“Abyss-sama,”

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever thought this? ‘I don’t need this kind of power.’ Or perhaps, ‘If I had gotten this power sooner, I could have saved everyone in my hometown.'”

“That’s.”

“‘Why now.’ ‘The ones I truly wanted to save weren’t you people.’ ‘Even though my precious people are already gone.'”

“What?”

“‘Even if God chose me, I won’t choose God.’ ‘This power exists to satisfy my own desires.’ ‘As long as I have this power, I can live however I please.'”

“Stop.”

“‘I don’t care anymore.’ ‘If only the rest of them suffered the same fate as me.'”

“Stop it!”

Silence. The entire restaurant fell dead silent.

Even so, he felt he had to stop the words of the man in front of him named Nine.

Now he understood.

This person must have lived a harsh life too.

Those words he was muttering just now. He was surely thinking back on some irreversible past of his own.

Placing a hand on the shoulder of the man who had looked down after receiving his shout, Abyss spoke to him, trying to sound as gentle and calming as possible.

“I don’t know what happened to you. But, I want to continue using this given power to help people from here on out.”

“Is that so.”

Hearing his reply, Abyss felt relieved.

Because that tone of voice had lost that somewhat maddening, crazy atmosphere from just a moment ago.

He surely holds some painful past as well.

That might, perhaps, stem from circumstances similar to his own.

To help people like that, he would continue to wield this power.

Abyss Helen renewed his resolve.

“I’ve shown you something embarrassing. I apologize.”

“No, no, don’t worry about it. I’m sorry for raising my voice too.”

“Umm. If it’s alright with you. Could we speak again sometime?”

Abyss was at a loss for words for a moment.

Because he realized the man in front of him was a rather eccentric individual.

However, being looked at with such clinging eyes, his innate disposition to be a good person made him swallow any words of rejection.

Also, the fact that there was someone who would talk normally with him, who apparently didn’t have a very good reputation in the slums, might have pushed him to accept.

“Ah, of course. I’m staying here. If you ever want to talk, feel free to drop by.”

Saying that, he gave Nine the name and a map of the inn he was using.

And so, the two parted ways and began to walk off.

Telling each other they would meet again.

Abyss thought to himself.

Just like that man, everyone has scars.

And by continuing to do his best, he might be able to heal those scars even a little.

Or perhaps, he could slightly reduce the number of people taking wounds they didn’t need to bear.

Abyss’s future was filled with hope.

Even if the world was covered in the terror of demons and monsters, he believed that one day, by the hands of Apostles like himself and the Hero, they could surely clear it away.

Yes, he believed it from the bottom of his heart.

Turning his back and walking away, the man who had been talking with Abyss just moments ago sneered at him.

“Puria-san. Come on back.”

Whoosh. Cutting through the wind, the harpy with the appearance of a cute little bird gripped Nine’s shoulder with the same legs she had drenched in blood yesterday.

“Oh man, that was scary. I’ve seen that guy before, though I didn’t know his name. He’s a certified monster who beats Minotaurs to death with a single punch, that one.”

“Hehe, so scary, so scary. Hey, Puria-san?”

“What is it?”

“He says the world will become peaceful if the demons disappear.”

“When we were brats, we were taught that the world would be peaceful if humans disappeared.”

“Heeheehee.”

Hilarious.

Absolutely hilarious.

I love humans too, but to think that everything would be peachy keen if the demons were just gone.

I don’t hold such a crazy delusion.

I took a peek, but I never expected him to actually believe something like that from the bottom of his heart.

Humans are always such fools.

They’re idiotic creatures who frantically search for enemies if they don’t have any.

If the demons disappeared, it’s obvious they’d just start fighting among themselves.

On that point alone, the demons are far wiser.

Though the foolish ones are the cutest.

After all, that’s what Tia-sama said.

I’ve decided.

Abyss Helen. I’ll use him.

Whatever.

I don’t care if I’m an ingrate anymore.

I don’t like that guy. I really don’t like him.

As for the reason. Umm, Tia-sama, you hate that guy, right?

—A foolish question. I hate everyone involved with the Saria religion.—

Ah, if Tia-sama hates him, then that’s a good enough reason.

I’ll have Abyss-san and his ‘Save the People Syndrome’ act as a shining billboard to gather attention, all for the sake of protecting my own life.

After all, I’m a full-fledged human being too.

Abyss-san, please make sure you save me too, okay?

Heeheeheeheehee.