264. To kill (8)
“…whenever it is said that it is meaningless to distinguish between the two.”
“I think we need to differentiate now.”
Dan shrugged.
In fact, he had already taken some care. That was the thing I took care of.
If ‘Deon Hardt’ had not the slightest sense, he would have been induced and pushed to do it on his own. Rather than not paying attention to his soft side as a human being, he would have rather tried to remove it.
In the end, it means that it was an action that could have been taken because at some point, Dan began to be conscious of the existence of ‘Deonhardt’ rather than ‘disaster’, like clothes getting wet in a light rain.
“Come to your senses, Master. As a result, the leader of the revolutionary army is definitely dead. Isn’t that what’s done?”
“…Is that all you are saying about sending an innocent person, even a child, with a bomb?”
“yes.”
“You crazy bastard.”
“What’s the problem? Disasters don’t discriminate against such things. Moreover, many people have already been caught up in the current war and died. There are probably many children among them, and there are even more innocent people. Why are you being so hypocritical now?”
I’m out of breath. Deon looked like he was suffocating.
“…what is done with intention and what is done without intention are not the same.”
“What does intention matter if the result is the same? Whether intentional or unintentional, the person is already dead and there is no turning back.”
The sharp tongue that always points outwards targets Deon Hardt.
Deon slowly closed his eyes and opened them as the words became like a dagger and cut at him sharply. What came into my eyes, which I opened to capture the world of complex emotions, was blood streaming down my face. Blood rising from below with terrifying force.
The water level, which had otherwise been steadily rising, seemed to have gained momentum due to this incident, swallowing up to the knees and sloshing around as if aiming for the thighs.
“…Do you know what the most shitty thing is right now?”
A slow voice came out.
Deon, who had been looking at the silent Dan, raised his head as if he could no longer look at him. The tight ceiling filled my vision, as if I was feeling frustrated.
“I feel like I’ve become the same person as that bastard.”
“….”
“And you too.”
Even though they don’t look alike at all, Dan’s face looks like that of a peacock. Unable to overcome the fatigue that was weighing him down, Deon sat down on the bed and gently closed his eyes.
The suppressed voice fell with bitter emotions.
“get out.”
“….”
“Get out. Can’t you hear?”
Dan bowed silently and turned his back.
…Where should I go?
Dan, who left the barracks, raised his head instead of walking straight away. Eyes whose emotions cannot be read embrace the clear sky.
‘I don’t want to go back to the barracks assigned to me.’
When I’m alone in a quiet place, all kinds of thoughts come to mind. Should I just go for a walk?
…Let’s try walking first. I set out without a specific destination.
What seemed like a long walk stopped sooner than expected.
“step?”
Because a voice from behind caught my ankle. Dan looked back.
“What are you doing here?”
I saw a simple face that seemed to have no worries in the world.
“…Lord Milan.”
“Huh?! Why is your face like that!”
Was this the territory of mad dogs? As I was looking around with dry eyes, Milan made a fuss.
“Where did you get beaten up?! Who is it? Who hit you!”
“What? Dan got beaten up by those damn demons?!”
“Our student?”
“I think I need special training for this…!”
After hearing Milan’s fuss, members of the Knights Templar flock from all over.
Dan, who was quickly surrounded by a crowd of people, raised his hand as he became aware of the spot where he had been hit by the gaze focused on his cheek to the point where he thought he was going to break through. I touched the newly swollen cheek and felt a belated pain.
“ah.”
“It’s swollen so black!”
“Purple, blue, and red… what kind of paint did you put on your cheeks?”
Is it that bad?
Actually, I thought my head fell off when I got hit. My mouth burst too.
‘It’s weak compared to a warrior who hit him in anger.’
In the meantime, it seems he was controlling his strength in his own way. If I had failed to control my strength or applied just a little more strength, my head might have really fallen off.
‘Maybe the head itself exploded.’
Dan, who had been swiping his tongue over the area where he could taste blood, suddenly raised his eyes to a hand grabbing both of his shoulders. Serious eyes came into view.
“Who are you?”
“….”
“What kind of bastard made it like this?”
A sight that is rarely seen except during battle. I looked at him and laughed sarcastically.
“If I tell you, will you take revenge?”
“of course!”
“….”
The answer came back, paying no heed to the grating voice.
Dan closed his mouth for a moment, then raised the corners of his mouth.
“Master said so.”
“…Captain?”
“yes.”
“….”
The hand that was on his shoulder slowly fell.
Milan, who took a step back, broke out in a cold sweat and avoided eye contact. When I saw that, a mischievous smile came to my mind.
“Aren’t you going to scold me?”
“You’re the captain…”
It seemed like Milan wasn’t the only one who was embarrassed, and the surroundings were in turmoil. The knights each exchanged glances.
“Who?”
“He said he was the captain.”
“I don’t think I misheard… The captain said that? That can’t be possible…”
My child can’t do that…
Words that only an anxious parent would say come out here and there. Meanwhile, Cletor, who was thinking deeply about something, raised his head and glanced at Dan.
“Did you get into some kind of accident?”
“….”
“You had an accident, right? Our captain may be a bit harsh, but he doesn’t really put a hand on his subordinates.”
Dan rolled his eyes slightly without answering. As if to replace his silence, other people’s voices continued one after another.
“That’s right. Even though it wasn’t a battle, did you hit me while I was doing medicine?”
“I couldn’t reach my face, so I hit my back. The force was scary, but it was still cute…” “It
didn’t even hurt…”
That distracts from the topic. Anyway, these are not helpful things.
Clutter clicked his tongue and looked at Dan again.
“So what kind of accident did you get into?”
“…”
“If the captain made your face look like this, it must mean he was quite angry…”
And when I came to, I found myself grabbed by the collar. Dan, unable to accept the situation, blinked his eyes blankly.
Regardless, Cletor, who was said to be the calmest of the Lofty Knights, paid no heed and waved the hand holding his collar.
“How dare you make the captain angry?!”
“…This is the one who got hit one-sidedly…”
“You must have done something wrong!”
“….”
It’s not wrong….
They have a lot of trust in their leader. Dan’s expression became strange as he seemed to be shouting that there must be a reason for Deonhardt’s murder.
***
Deon, who had left the barracks and felt a presence moving away, finally put both feet on the bed and hugged his knees.
As I bury my face in my knees, the blood level lowers as if it is still trying to help me breathe. Still, he was out of breath and let out a laugh.
“Fuck.”
As the shitty situation continued, the cursing that had been reduced at best increased again.
…I have nothing to say because in the end, it’s all because of me.
I need something or someone to help me breathe. In times like this, if I had crazy, noisy crazy dogs around, I would have no time to think about anything else… but not now.
Deon didn’t want to go out.
So, I impulsively picked up the communication table.
And then I stop – I realize it again. I had no one to contact with peace of mind.
Although Lyrinel is easy to handle, that doesn’t mean you can relax. Besides, this damn situation right now is also because of Lirinel’s actions…
“Haha.”
The ridicule he spewed out because he thought his own appearance was so ridiculous was so weak that it felt like he was going to die at any moment.
In this situation, there was only one opponent that came to mind. Someone who will blow wind into the flame that is shaking precariously as if it will go out. Deon operated the communication table.
– Deon?
As if I received the signal almost as soon as it came, I heard the voice without waiting.
Yes, in times like this, it’s better to stick to revenge. Deon’s expression improved as he heard the familiar voice of the person who would fuel his desire for revenge.
– what’s the matter? Has something big gone wrong?
“That’s not true.”
– then?
“….”
There was silence.
In fact, I contacted him impulsively. Deon, who hesitated about what to say, finally closed his mouth.
Even though there was no answer, the Demon King did not reprimand.
He was just leisurely waiting for the other person to get lucky and reading the atmosphere. He roughly grasped the situation and slowly opened his mouth.
– Come to think of it, the leader of the revolutionary army died….
“….”
– They’re nothing special other than the leader, so they won’t go on a rampage for the time being. Now that one of the intrusive forces is gone, things will go more smoothly. congratulations.
The calm voice subtly gets on my nerves.
You probably did it knowingly. Be quick-witted. The corners of Deon’s mouth turned up with a cool aura.
“You got the news quickly.”
– Because the 2nd Corps Commander is working hard.
“aha.”
At some point, Develania began sending information less frequently.
Deon fell silent again. In silence, as if they didn’t care, a consistent voice discussed daily life.
– Are you practicing your spear skills well? Well, I’m sure you’ve learned it all by now.
“….”
– Next time I come back, I’ll try teaching you how to use a bow.
“….”
The Demon King, who continued to say some nonsense after that, soon ended the communication due to time constraints.
Deon also obediently accepts because he has achieved his initial goal. The Demon King, who was about to end communication with a final greeting, let out an exclamation as if he had remembered it too late.
– Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you. The ban on you has been lifted. You can take medicine as much as you like while you are out on the battlefield.
“….”
– That’s enough then.
The voice that filled the barracks disappeared after making a statement that opened a hole in the air.
Deon, who was quietly looking at the turned off communication table in the silence that had returned, roughly threw it on the table. Ever since Dan got slapped, the monster plant, which had been frozen and watching the situation like a normal plant in the human world, began to move slowly.
“Suck.”
“Oh, it’s okay now. I’m not angry.”
“Pfft.”
“Okay, okay.”
I wasn’t sure what it was about, but it seemed like he was giving me some sort of consolation, so I accepted it, but then a signal came through the communication box again.
The monster noticeably hands me a communication stone. Deon suddenly accepted it and made a puzzled expression.
It’s probably not the demon lord you just communicated with, so who is it?
“Who…”
– Deon!
“…Lirinel?”
The timing isn’t very good. No, I received the call after communicating with the Demon King, so I guess I should say it’s not a bad thing.
When he hears the voice, he remembers that Lirinel was at the core of what Dan did, and his expression hardens, but his emotions have been sorted out to some extent, so he won’t make any rash remarks or actions.
He calmly opened his mouth, reminding himself that Lirinel was a useful weapon.
“Why did you contact me?”
– The Demon Lord said that contacting me now would not be a hindrance!
“Ah… I guess you have something to say.”
– Um… No, the Demon King told me not to run my mouth carelessly!
“Oh yeah…”
Then why did you contact me? I quickly swallowed down the words that rose up for a moment.
‘…I think I know roughly.’
He must have wanted to receive praise since he successfully eliminated the leader of the revolutionary army.
The devil’s advice is also understandable. Certainly, in the current situation, if Ririnel had even mentioned the incident of being the head of the revolutionary army out of excitement at the thought of being praised, it would have had the opposite effect. Even the devil is so quick to advise that already.
‘Nevertheless, the reason I urged him to contact Lirinel…’
Is this guy specifically following me?
Having someone who follows me purely and without bad intentions will help to some extent with my precarious psychological state of having no one to rely on. Moreover, Lirinel is almost blind.
Deon looked down at the communication table for a moment, feeling like he knew the devil’s intentions.
“Lirinel.”
-Yes Deon!
“…Someday….”
I called the name without thinking, but in reality, it was more like talking to myself.
I paused for a moment, lost in thought, and then spoke slowly.
“…The day will come when you will hate me too.”
The day will come when you will hate someone so much that you will want to kill them. So, if we attach affection for no reason, it will be a loss to this side.
– yes? Is that possible?
In a voice that seemed to be telling the obvious truth, Ririnel’s voice became stiff, a rare occurrence.
Deon, listen carefully. The resigned mutterings to myself were followed by a serious answer.
– Even if he tries to kill me, I will still like Deon.
