Vol 3 Chapter 51 – Wouldn’t Killing You Set Her Free?

“Hey. No idea who you are, but can you wait a minute?”

“Hm?”

One of the Heroes, Alan, called out to Al.

Well, from his perspective, of course he wouldn’t know him.

After all, Al is just some nutjob who calls himself a Hero.

He glanced at the legitimate Hero, Alan, and offered a single line.

“Who are you?”

“Hey, that’s my line…”

Alan looked utterly drained.

He seems like a pretty selfish type, but too bad for him.

My Al is on another level when it comes to not considering other people.

“Master, Master.”

Antares tugged lightly on Al’s sleeve.

Seriously, where did all that madness she showed at the start go…?

She’s acting just like a loyal dog begging for attention…

“That is one of the Heroes, Alan. He is a villain-in-the-making who uses the power and authority of a Hero to fulfill his own selfish desires as he pleases.”

“What… did you say…?”

“Oi, hold on! Saying it like that to him is a bad idea!”

Al’s sharp gaze pierced right through Alan.

Oh boy, that guy’s a goner.

Well, he’s just “in-the-making,” so he should be safe. Or not. Who knows.

“Well, in any case, grilling you will have to wait. So, what do you want?”

“(I’m definitely sneaking away later)… Yeah, it’s about that idiot Hero.”

“Hm?”

Alan’s gaze fell upon Melia, who was panicking helplessly at the sight of the battered Rayphia.

Al had her in a position where he could kill her at any moment, so she was unable to move.

…Seriously, I have no idea which side is justice and which is evil anymore.

“We’ve known each other a long time, so I know this much: it’s hard to believe she would’ve voluntarily betrayed humanity to side with the demons. She was the ‘goody-two-shoes of all goody-two-shoes’ type that I can’t stand.”

“Oh, is that what she was like?”

“You’ve known her longer than I have… How can you be so uninterested…?”

Alan shot Antares a look of pure exasperation.

I know he wasn’t just saying that to cover for his former comrade.

After all, the fame of the Hero Melia was on a level that no other Hero could hope to match.

Alan does whatever he wants; Ruru and Lois are whimsical; Antares is insane.

That was apparently the reputation of the current generation of Heroes.

Hah. The guy who’s even more insane is the one dragging me around against my will.

“So you’re saying there’s a possibility that this wasn’t the fool’s own will, but that another’s power is involved.”

“Yeah, that’s right. When she was fighting me, she was spouting all kinds of embarrassing crap about love and what-not. Which would mean…”

“Charm.”

“Yeah. She’s an idiot, but she’s not a complete idiot, so she should’ve had countermeasures for that sort of thing, but…”

Alan, who had nodded at my words, looked at Melia with exasperation.

Then again, when you’re up against a Hero, this kind of thing happens pretty often.

Since Heroes can wield the power of a Holy Sword, trying to defeat one with brute force is an incredibly difficult task.

Basically, they won’t lose in a one-on-one fight against anyone, leaving you with little choice but to try and crush them with overwhelming numbers.

That’s why the methods the Demon Lord’s army typically uses to defeat Heroes are, first, assassination.

Catching them with their guard down, slitting their throat in their sleep.

Then there’s things like poison.

Another method is to be put under a mind-control spell, like the charm that was likely used on Melia this time.

The existence known as a Hero is dealt with not through direct confrontation, but with underhanded tactics.

Incidentally, while it’s usually the Demon Lord’s army that kills Heroes, humans do their fair share of killing them, too.

Sometimes they’re from an enemy nation, or they’re crushed by a country that fears the Hero’s immense power…

Not that I care, anyway.

“Which means there’s a possibility she was hit with a charm strong enough to break through those defenses.”

“I see. And the one who showed the strongest reaction was you, demon.”

“!?”

Al stared hard at the eyes of the captured Rayphia.

S-So scary…

Being stared down by those murky, mud-dled eyes would make anyone flinch.

And it wasn’t just Al; Antares, who had similar eyes, was also staring intently.

I want absolutely no part of that.

“What did you do to her?”

“W-Well, that is, umm…”

Rayphia stammered.

…That’s basically the same as saying you did something.

However, Al just nodded.

“Hmm, well, I’m sure there are things you don’t want to talk about. I cannot force you to speak. I am a Hero, after all.”

I don’t know any colleagues like you.

Ignoring Alan’s thought, Al spoke gently.

“So, please, speak when you feel like it. Ann, do we have any thick nails?”

“They are prepared.”

“As expected of you, Ann.”

“Ehehe.”

From her pocket, Antares took out a thick… a seriously thick nail.

…It looks kind of rusty. That doesn’t mean it’s been used before, does it?

It’s probably better not to ask where on the human body that nail has been inserted, right?

Antares, who had produced such a ghastly object as if it were perfectly normal, looked pleased as punch to be praised by Al.

Yikes…

“Actually I’m a succubus demon so I can use a very strong charm and since I was chosen as one of the Four Heavenly Kings it’s especially powerful and with this power my job is mostly to create collaborators inside the enemy ranks to gather information and commit sabotage so I don’t actually have much combat ability and I have no pain tolerance so please forgive me I’m begging you!!”

Whoa. She said all that in one breath. People really will do anything to avoid dying.

Rayphia despaired, sweat pouring from her… actually, it looked like every bodily fluid was pouring out of her.

How did she manage to say all that without taking a breath?

Seriously, people can do anything when they’re cornered.

She’s a demon, but I guess she’s the same as a human in that respect.

“Tch, I see. A succubus’s charm, huh. And from one at the Four Heavenly Kings level, no less. No matter what mental defenses she had, someone who isn’t a specialist like her wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing about it.”

“Hmmm…”

Alan’s face twisted bitterly.

Al, who had been listening, put a hand on his chin, thought for a moment, and then spoke.

“In that case, wouldn’t killing you set her free?”

“…………”

Rayphia fell silent.