Vol 2 Chapter 55 – The Condemned Knight【Vol 2 – The Condemned Knight Edition】

“Ugh, let me go!! Who do you think I am!? I’m Klet Laboy, president of the Laboy Trading Company!!”

“I know. That’s exactly why we’re here, isn’t it?”

Me and Klet, walking down the hallway of the trading company’s mansion.

Though it’s less that Klet is walking, and more that I’m dragging him.

I mean, he keeps trying to run away.

The futile effort of chasing a repeatedly escaping Klet is, in its own way, quite a reward for me, but getting lynched by the Gray Guild members seems even better.

To make that happen, keeping Klet, their client, as a hostage seems more likely to get people to attack me.

“And another thing, please stop struggling so much. It makes you hard to drag.”

“Stop dragging me! Do you know who I am…!!”

“I would stop dragging you if you stopped struggling…”

“Of course I’m going to struggle!? If I get caught, there’s a high chance I’ll be executed!”

Well, that’s… what you call reaping what you sow, or getting what you deserve…

It’s not like he was falsely accused or framed; this is the consequence of his own actions, so I don’t feel a shred of sympathy.

…Though I do aspire to be executed for a crime I didn’t commit someday, that’s not you.

“…Still, it’s awfully quiet.”

I muttered what I’d been wondering as I walked down the hall.

With so many Gray Guild members around, it wouldn’t be strange for it to be much louder…

“Hahahahahaha!! Leaving the women behind was your mistake! They’ve probably already been captured! Maybe they’re even having a rough time of it right now!!”

Klet burst out laughing.

Hmm… I can’t deny they might be captured, but I doubt they’re having a rough time.

If they were, I’d probably be able to hear the Gray Guild members’ raucous celebration.

But it’s truly silent.

I can’t hear any angry shouts or screams, of course, but not even the sound of laughter.

Then again, I don’t hear the sounds of battle, either… What in the world is going on?

Heh… This is getting exciting.

“It was over there, I believe.”

“Hahahahahaha!! You fool! To think you’d willingly come back to where my bodyguards are!! Hey, you guys, it’s me! Hurry up and save me!!”

We arrived at the room where we were first welcomed when we came to the Laboy Trading Company’s mansion.

Klet is overjoyed, thinking the Gray Guild members are inside.

Yes, feel free to make a scene.

If this makes them all attack me at once, there’s nothing that would make me happier.

Come on, let’s get this lynch mob started!

I put on a beaming smile and, since one of my arms was unusable, kicked the door down…

“…What is this?”

Klet muttered in a daze.

Even I, who had been ecstatic just moments before, found my eyes widening at the shocking sight.

…No, it’s not shocking. It’s gruesome, I should say.

The room was in shambles, a scene that suggested a fierce battle had taken place.

Thanks to Klet’s new-money tastes, even things like the tables and chairs must have been fairly expensive.

They were now destroyed beyond recognition.

If that had been all, neither Klet nor I would have stood there frozen.

If there was a battle, this much is to be expected.

The problem was the bodies scattered everywhere.

The numerous corpses were likely all Gray Guild members who had been Klet’s bodyguards.

Among them, there was no sign of Eleonora-san or Miriam.

It wasn’t just the sheer number of bodies; what stunned Klet and excited me was the state of their injuries.

Some had their faces smashed in. Some were missing most of their upper bodies. Some had their lower halves crushed. There were even those who weren’t just lying on the ground, but were embedded in the walls, still bleeding as they died.

It was all too gruesome. It was, literally, a sea of blood.

What a magnificent sight…

“Miriam.”

I spotted Miriam standing there, dropped Klet, and went to her side.

He might try to run, but… seeing the shocking end his supposedly helpful bodyguards met has left him in a daze, so he probably won’t be able to.

There were bloodstains here and there on Miriam’s cheeks and body, but it was clear the blood wasn’t her own.

“What on earth happened…”

“…The Condemned Knight.”

“Pardon?”

I asked, hearing the words Miriam muttered softly.

Huh? Did I just hear a phrase that really piqued my interest?

“Erik-san, you’ve returned.”

A quiet voice calls my name.

When I turn around, I see Eleonora-san, smiling happily at me.

If this were all I saw, I’d probably think she was just a kind knight who was worried about me.

That is, if she weren’t completely drenched in blood spatter, and if she wasn’t wearing those terrifying, spiky, and massive gauntlets on both arms.

“It seems you’ve brought Klet Laboy back as well. Just what I’d expect from the Altruistic Charity Hero.”

“You’re too kind. But, Eleonora-san, what is all this…”

What is this magnificent spectacle? Please, let me in on it… I was about to continue, but Eleonora-san’s gaze fell on my left arm, cutting me off.

“Erik-san, you’re badly injured.”

“Oh, well… it’s nothing serious.”

That’s a lie. It’s serious enough that I’m hoping this pain will last.

Hearing Eleonora-san’s words, Miriam, who had been in a daze, snapped to attention and lunged toward my arm.

“S-Sorry! I’ll cast a healing spell right away.”

“Yes, please.”

A warm light emanates from Miriam’s hand.

Then, as expected of Miriam, my left arm, which had been in a miserable state, recovered at an astonishing rate, until finally, it was no different from before the injury.

Ughhhhhhh…! But the intense pain during this recovery is also magnificent…!

If you can just endure this agony, there’s no healing magic user superior to Miriam in terms of recovery speed and completeness…

It seems to be unbearable for most people. I, for one, gladly accept it.

“Thank you, Miriam. As always.”

“…Mm-hmm.”

As usual, the kind Miriam seems to feel guilty about inflicting pain.

She heals my wounds and gives me intense pain… I don’t know a more magnificent magic user than her…

“I see. So the one who hurt you, Erik-san, was you.”

“Hih, hiiih!!”

Eleonora-san slowly approached Klet.

Klet let out a shriek and scrambled backward, but his legs had given out, and he couldn’t stand up to run.

…Technically, the one who destroyed my arm was the werewolf… but from his last words, it doesn’t seem like he attacked me of his own free will.

“W-Wait!! A-Are you going to kill me here!?”

Klet raised his voice.

“Is it okay to kill me here!? A knight killing me without a trial is out of the question, isn’t it!? And there’s no proper evidence! Do you think you can get away with killing me!?”

It seems he’s prioritizing his immediate survival.

With a blood-drenched Eleonora-san approaching, it’s only natural to be scared.

However, contrary to Klet’s hopes, she didn’t stop walking.

“You incited the Gray Guild members with the intent of silencing us. Furthermore, your statement about making me and Miriam-san into slaves… I won’t let you say you’ve forgotten.”

“Guh…!”

“Moreover, you resisted Erik-san, who chased after you, to the point of leaving his arm in such a terrible state. The evidence for the slave trade may still be lacking, but the fact that you tried to enslave or kill us is more than enough to deem you evil.”

Klet is gradually being cornered, both physically and mentally.

“Besides, as for the evidence of the slave trade, a search of this mansion will surely turn it up in droves.”

Seeing Klet’s behavior up to now, it’s a given that he hasn’t destroyed any evidence and that it’s scattered all over this mansion.

“But, Eleonora-san. Are you sure about this? The evidence and reasons may be sufficient, but if you act on your own authority, your reputation will…”

It’s not that I’m trying to protect Klet in the slightest, but what he says has a point.

Those in higher positions don’t take kindly to their subordinates punishing criminals on their own.

The court system, for what it’s worth, is still functional…

However, Eleonora-san brushed aside my concerns.

“It doesn’t matter. To destroy evil is the mission of I, who am justice. It must be done.”

“…I see.”

Eleonora-san’s resolve is extremely firm.

There’s nothing more for me to say.

“W-Waiiiit! You can’t kill me… Klet Laboy!! There are many nobles and knights who have accepted my donations!! If you kill me in spite of that, your life will be…”

“To destroy evil. That is the mission of I, who am justice.”

Eleonora-san no longer responded to Klet’s words.

She raised the gruesome and grotesque gauntlets that must have taken the lives of all the Gray Guild members lying here.

“Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiih!!!!”

The gauntlet was brought down on the screaming, crying Klet.

“Hic…!”

Miriam must not have been able to watch; she pressed her face against my body and looked away.

However, I, who didn’t take my eyes off Eleonora-san and the others, was able to notice.

Her mouth was twisted into an arc.

“…Isn’t this just the best?”

I couldn’t help but say it out loud.