Vol 1 Chapter 32 – That Is Exactly Right【Vol 1: The Beastkin Hero Arc】

Let’s rewind time just a bit.

In the guest room of the chief’s mansion, Asmodeus spent her time simply sitting in a chair and dangling her legs.

Because she couldn’t take her sword form in front of Leonhardt, she was currently on house-sitting duty.

“I’m so bored.”

She had told Allen that he ought to appreciate her more, but she ended up being the one forced to recognize her partner’s worth all over again.

Being alone was dull and lonely.

Only the ticking of the clock’s second hand echoed in the room. Just as she let out a sigh and considered reading a book from the shelf, the chief entered the room with a troubled expression.

“What is it, what is it? A difficult conversation would be lost on an innocent little girl like me, you know.”

“Sorry, Ardie-chan. It’s just, um, there’s something I wanted to ask.”

Stuttering slightly, Kohaku scratched his cheek and continued.

“The truth is, the Artificial Hero that Noir-sama captured has woken up.”

“Oh ho!”

Asmodeus’s eyes instantly sparkled. She stood up on her chair and leaned forward to listen.

“And then, and then? Don’t tell me he escaped?”

Kohaku tilted his head at Asmodeus, who asked this with inexplicable glee, and denied it.

“No, we have him restrained with magic-sealing crystals piercing his hands and feet, so it’s fine. But apparently, when he first woke up, he screamed at the top of his lungs.”

“Hmm?”

Well, that was to be expected.

Asmodeus could understand how he felt. To come to a city and grandly declare war only to be carried in with the whites of his eyes showing just a few hours later was way too embarrassing.

He’d probably want to crawl into a hole and die.

“So, one of the vigilante guards keeping watch told him, ‘You lost to Noir-sama, so behave yourself.’ When he did, strange as it is, he stopped resisting.”

“Well, isn’t that a good thing?”

He docilely settled down, did he? How boring. Asmodeus let out a yawn.

“Yeah. That part was fine, but now it seems all he says is to let him see Noir-sama. For some reason, he wants him to hear his words of gratitude directly.”

“Huh?”

Did he hit his head hard or something? Or did the electric shock fry his memory?

“He says it’s thanks to Noir-sama that they, the Artificial Heroes, can still act with their emotions intact right now. We have no idea what it means, but apparently, he keeps muttering about it. Stuff like, ‘Were you planning to save even us?’ or whatever. Do you have any idea what he’s talking about?”

“Hmm. I might understand if I meet him. Can I go see this guy?”

She couldn’t figure it out just from Kohaku’s explanation. However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that his accidental actions had somehow worked out for the better.

Things like this happened quite often with Allen. Regardless of his own intentions, his luck was terrifyingly good. That was why Asmodeus decided to go ask him directly.

Arriving at the vigilantes’ station, Asmodeus dismissed her guide and guard, stepping into the underground prison cell all by herself.

Inside the cell, it was terribly cold, to the point where a thin layer of frost clung to the walls and floor.

“You. You aren’t just some little girl. I hear you’re claiming to be his younger sister, but who exactly are you?”

The wolf-kin young man inside the cell was chained and padlocked to the wall, in a gruesome state with red crystals piercing through the backs of his hands and feet.

Even his flowing blood was frozen solid. Perhaps they judged that unless they went this far, there was a risk of him escaping.

That said, strangely enough, she didn’t sense any hostility. After having all this done to him, she thought it would normally be impossible not to harbor murderous intent.

“My name is the Thunder Annihilation Sword, Asmodeus, the legendary sword that struck down the Demon Lord.”

“Don’t say that yourself, yourself. Wait, huh, seriously?”

“Indeed. I am the source of the power that knocked you unconscious.”

Acht looked with skeptical eyes at the little girl puffing out her chest proudly.

“Setting that aside, I hear you want to meet Noir and thank him. Are you out of your mind?”

“I’m perfectly sane. I’m truly grateful to him. To think the Obsidian Knight survived and was moving in secret to thwart the Empire’s schemes.”

Asmodeus remained silent.

It couldn’t be helped that Allen’s true identity had been exposed, since he had seen Geofried. But she really didn’t understand the latter half of his statement.

Allen consistently only wanted to be a NEET and hadn’t tried to stop the Empire’s ambitions even once.

“Don’t try to gloss over it now, okay? I hear he’s calling himself Noir. I was surprised when I heard that name. I’ve heard that guy recovered a certain ancient artifact from the ancient ruins ahead of the Empire.”

“Ancient ruins? Could you mean the 【Cursed Brain of Domination: Brain Order】?”

Acht widened his eyes slightly, the corners of his mouth turning up.

“It really was you guys, huh. The professor was furious and said he couldn’t do the final adjustments.”

“What exactly is this ‘final adjustment’?”

“Originally, we were slated to have our emotions erased by the 【Cursed Brain of Domination: Brain Order】 that was lying dormant in the ancient ruins. Weapons don’t need emotions, right? Because we have emotions, we end up doing whatever we want. Originally, I was supposed to destroy the city immediately, but because I still had my emotions, I wanted to try a test of strength against the strongest of the beast-kin.”

Asmodeus simply listened.

“Eight years ago, in the city of Dornbelt where the First Artificial Hero Creation Project was executed, the Obsidian Knight couldn’t save many children. But it was different this time, wasn’t it? At the same time he stopped the Empire’s ambition to invade the Demon Continent, he ensured that we—who were scheduled to become complete weapons—remained human. Isn’t that right?”

Before she knew it, Asmodeus’s hands were sweating. There wasn’t a single thing she could agree with in the words Acht was rattling off with such conviction.

However.

“That is exactly right. Allen saw through it early on, realizing that entities like you would serve as military assets for the Empire’s invasion of the Demon Continent. And he had decided to save you all this time around. But, unable to track down your location no matter what he did, he resolved to at least prevent you from becoming complete weapons and headed to the ancient ruins.”

She had no choice but to agree. If she agreed, they might not have to fight the Artificial Heroes anymore.

If that happened, it would definitively benefit Allen.

In contrast to Asmodeus, who was getting nervous, Acht laughed weakly with an expression like a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

“To think he was moving to save not only the common folk caught up in the war, but even us, his enemies. So this is what a true hero is.”

Allen, your reputation is going up again in a place you know nothing about.

“Hey now, Acht or whatever your name is. Right now, your comrades, Allen, and Leonhardt are trying to kill each other.”

“What?! Where? Don’t tell me they’re in the Royal Capital?!”

“Indeed. That’s right. However, it is an utterly fruitless battle. Since you all are people with emotions, you should be free to choose whether to obey the Empire or rebel against it.”

Acht remained silent.

“You might be obeying out of fear of Hermes, but I don’t want you to let Allen’s feelings go to waste. Live honestly according to your heart.”

“Honestly according to my heart.”

“Mhm, mhm.”

Acht, who met Asmodeus’s gaze, cast his eyes downward and stared at the crystals piercing his hands and feet.

“Hey, I have a favor to ask.”

“Very well.”

You’re not going to betray us, right? Asmodeus thought to herself as she granted his request.