Chapter 437
Episode 437: Declare Now (10)
“It looks like we’ve finally been discovered.”
The white crow muttered as he glanced at the small window in the basement. Through the viewing window through which he looks up, a few of the Inquisitor’s ankles can be glimpsed running around.
[I was lucky.]
I didn’t say those words to the world in particular hoping for an answer. However, the woman wearing the bearskin stretched and punctuated his words.
[I didn’t think I could last even a week.]
No, maybe it wasn’t a coincidence.
Just as he muttered to himself without much thought, there is a high possibility that the Archdemon also muttered a monologue that only came together by chance.
[Sigh.]
However, what is important is not the appearance of this situation.
The white crow looked away from the window and watched what the Great Devil was doing. The being who got out of bed for the first time in three days is just opening the safe in the corner of the room.
[Ah, I like it when I work with Sarah. Everything is ready.]
The safe with the storage spell is filled with pre-made food and drinks. Of course, they definitely didn’t make it themselves. Sarah’s devoted lovers – or should we call them followers? – had already placed it there.
“I didn’t know that great devils also crave food.”
The taste of the food is not too bad as long as it is made with sincerity. They must have lured someone who is good at cooking to use it for this purpose in the first place, so if it doesn’t taste good, it would be a problem as if it weren’t there.
[Because it’s not like we don’t have a tongue. Even though there are people who act like they don’t have a tongue.]
Regardless, the Great Devil of Sloth chose sandwiches as his food to eat. The criteria for choosing a food were how much effort it took before eating it and how much effort it took when eating it.
[It doesn’t necessarily have to be delicious, but if I had to choose, I prefer the delicious one. So, do you want to eat one too?]
“Because I ate early.”
Even if you try to eat it, all you will get in return is telling you to bring it yourself. As for whether I really want to eat it that much, I don’t really think so.
So the white crow politely declined the offer. [Okay.] The Great Devil who didn’t do any Katabuta went back to bed, holding the sandwich.
[Hmm, good. I heard they changed the scented candle this time and it’s pretty good.]
“Is that so?”
[huh. I sleep well… it’s not bad.]
The white crow paid attention to the Great Devil’s words with his sense of smell.
“It’s definitely good.”
A slightly sweet smell wafted under the scent of the scented candles the followers had lit. It had a vanilla-like scent.
“But is it okay for this to happen?”
[What?]
“If the Inquisitors were so venomous, they would try to find me, even if it meant searching every house.”
[Oh, it’s okay. You can tell by just looking at your replacement, right? Dreams projected into reality do not particularly oppose divine power.]
“It’s fascinating. “Even though it is a magic based on human sacrifice, it does not oppose divine power.”
At about that time, the white crow lightly touched his cheek. As an authority on life-type magic, the face I have been touching over the past few weeks bears no resemblance to the existing one.
[of course. Because this isn’t magic.]
“This is my first time hearing that.”
The hair that used to be kept short grew long enough to reach the floor. The color also became closer to black, making it difficult to recall the original color.
The color of his eyes changed to a glacier-like grayish blue, and his pale skin tone became even darker. I took off the dress I used to wear because it was easy to move around in and no longer has it. The only thing he wore was clothes that revealed his new tattoo.
[okay? I thought you would have noticed.]
“I don’t know everything, Master of Boredom.”
Even low-pitched voices, which were uncommon at best, were raised in tone and given new characteristics by remodeling the vocal cords. At least no one would recognize his identity based on his appearance. I don’t know if you can tell from his behavior.
“The only thing I know is… that’s right. It’s just that you’re not a pureblood demon.”
However, in the process of repairing the severed ligament, the gait and hand gestures were twisted a lot. Is there anyone who can recognize this? I’m a bit curious about that.
[How did you know that? Well, it doesn’t really matter.]
“Does the fact that projecting dreams isn’t magic have something to do with it?”
[huh. This is a characteristic of my species and not part of the technology created by Oman.] The
white crow was curious and continued to ask questions to the Great Devil. Sloth’s greatest advantage was that most of the time she asked him a question that would relieve his boredom, he readily responded to it, assuming she didn’t do anything to get out of bed.
“If you don’t mind, may I ask why you went under Satan?”
[huh? Why did I go under the king?]
“Yes.”
[There’s no real reason….]
Of course, even this conversation might end up being ‘annoying’ at some point. The white crow smiled as sweetly and softly as possible so as not to displease the Great Devil.
[My species normally travels across dimensions through dreams. If you don’t move on to your dreams at a certain cycle, you will die. But it was so annoying to me…]
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like sloth was bothering me yet. He munched on his sandwich and took a sip of heated milk.
[Instead of being offered a dream that will not be destroyed by Satan, I decided to cooperate with him.]
“A dream that will not be destroyed.”
[But… I’ve been thinking about it lately, but it seems like this deal was ruined.]
“Why?”
[No matter how I look at it, it looks like we’re going to lose.]
Cluck, mumble, mumble.
After saying that, Sloth focused on eating. What I really wanted to hear was the latter part, but I couldn’t press it. The meal, which was neither too gluttonous nor too formal, continued for a while.
[Oh, I ate well.]
As if the wait wasn’t worth it, the person who finished the eating activity did not continue talking. When eating, he still kept his upper body upright, but as soon as the bowl was empty, he lay back down.
“Are you going back to sleep?”
[huh. There are a lot of things humans have done… Haam. It takes some effort to stay in a dream…]
After a few seconds had passed since I snuggled under the blanket, my voice began to slacken and become garbled. No matter who heard it, it seemed like they were consumed by drowsiness.
[You too now… Hmm. Refrain from modifying or anything like that… It’s not fun if you get caught…]
“Keep that in mind.”
[Yes…]
The person who was buried under the blanket and whose head was not even visible finally fell asleep. It was a sight I had seen consistently in the past.
In the end, the white crow shrugged his shoulders.
* * *
“No shame….”
While out for a mental walk, I encountered three people who were engrossed in the search. They were Daniel and Maxi Deathbringer, respectively.
“Okay. “I already know that I did my best at the temple.”
I don’t know how these three ended up hanging out together. Is it possible to assign people who know each other as much as possible to create a good atmosphere?
And isn’t it a prison made by the lord of the magic tower, a prison with no shame? Nevertheless, if it was penetrated, I don’t think it was a problem with the location or the person in charge. It doesn’t seem like the magic tower would have been guarded more strictly than a temple.
“I will definitely catch you and tear you to death. “I can swear to you.”
“No… there is no need for such a cruel oath.”
I was a little embarrassed as I looked at Maxi, who had a strange look in her eyes.
I know you’re upset that the informer escaped in the middle of the temple, but don’t make that promise to me. People who were killed by the White Crow would welcome such an oath, but I don’t like the death penalty.
“Damn, if only I had put a shadow on him…”
“I didn’t think anyone would be able to escape. “Don’t blame yourself.”
However, it wasn’t just Maxie and Daniel who were outraged by this fact. Deathbringer, who is skilled at tracking people, also clenched his fist and lamented.
It seems like he was upset that he couldn’t get any results even though he relayed the news to us right after hearing it from Daniel and Maxi and immediately joined the search. Even though no one blames them.
“Nari… you are very peaceful.”
“…It’s not really something to rush about, is it?”
It’s a shame that he escaped… but I don’t think it’s something that could be said to have been missed due to poor management. But is there anything I can do here? That’s not true either.
It’s hard for me to mourn over the fact that the white crow escaped from prison… because I don’t have deep ill feelings toward that human. I know that the White Crow is a criminal, so I feel obligatory hostility toward him, but… I don’t feel much more than that.
Unless it’s their business, people don’t feel truly upset when they hear the story of a prison escapee beyond a newspaper article. When you come face to face with the victim of the crime, emotional hostility may increase.
“Sometimes I don’t know Nari’s standards.”
“is it?”
“Sometimes he truly sympathizes… and other times he seems harsher than anyone else…”
“Well. Isn’t that because most people are not cross-sectional and I also fall into that category?”
Anyway, I hope everyone doesn’t get too upset and say it’s their fault.
With that thought in mind, I put the vegetable skewer into my mouth. Even at this moment, the booklet I had to memorize couldn’t leave my hand, but at least my body wasn’t in the magic tower. It was a sad happiness.
“No matter how much I think about you, I don’t think you are the type of criminal.”
Meanwhile, Deathbringer nodded to Daniel’s words.
“The type I mentioned here didn’t mean criminals…”
But that doesn’t mean I’m a great person. The adventurer broke the finished skewer in half, yelling that it was not even a seed.
“Whether they are criminals or not, people usually have various aspects. For example, there are people who are racist but are considerate of the socially underprivileged, and there are people who call for the improvement of human rights but are sexual assaulters.”
A skewer broken in half was not thrown on the floor. The person who put the trash in the inventory purchased a new snack. It was bread with salad inside.
“So don’t think that I am showing a good or empathetic side at any moment. “There are times when I just do it because I have to, not because I want to.”
Even if you throw away trash carelessly, no one will say anything. But even though I know that, I don’t do that.
But is he really doing that because he has a good heart? Perhaps his hometown made this the rule and he has lived by that rule for so long that he has come to follow it inertia.
It’s been a while since I learned that you shouldn’t blindly trust just one part of a person, but I get curious again every time this topic comes up.
How far can Nari’s sincere kindness go? And if everything else is just something you do out of ‘learned duty’, what kind of world is Nari’s world like, so that such things can become obligations?
“Separately, I don’t know why the word went here. Anyway, I don’t have any regrets about this, so don’t search too hard. “The Inquisitor and the Archmage will all have the same opinion as me.”
I want to picture it in my head, but as someone who was born and raised in a back alley, I don’t know. How strict the world must be for something like that to become mandatory.
“That’s…”
“More than anything… Even if he escapes, the enemy’s power won’t change much. If you run away for your life, that’s it. Even if you join the devil, it’s just like adding a life-type wizard. It is a pity that we were not able to provide a punishment appropriate to the crime, but now that we are facing a decisive battle with the devils, I think it is more right to save your bodies rather than focusing on just one person. “Isn’t it like you never know when something will happen?”
“….”
In that respect… I want to see it at least once. I know I will never experience that world, but…
“Of course, there is no guarantee that what I say will be correct, so don’t blindly trust me. “It’s just a wish if you didn’t force it too much.”
“I know that, so don’t worry. Also… thank you for your new perspective. “If you go too far in the hopes of catching a criminal and fail to respond when something happens, you will end up in trouble.”
“I’m glad you understand. I hope my remarks did not confuse you. “I also hope they catch him safely.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
“I will make sure to catch you before anything happens.”
no. If you go there, you will end up nothing more than a sea fish in fresh water.
So just after this is all over but before he goes back. I want to hear more about his hometown. Not as a discussion to bring out what is needed, as it is now, but as a way to hear about the way the world operates.
“…Now that you’re gone, let’s search again. Was the next area Kest Street?”
“that’s right. The last one is Bevet.”
“I hope there is a harvest….”
But can we be given that kind of time?
“More than that, is this knife really effective? I don’t think I can see anything in particular.”
“…From my experience, yes. “Even if I don’t know the standards, it’s better than nothing.”
As Deathbringer returned the unclean sword in Maximoyak’s hand, he glanced at Nari walking away.
Somehow it seemed like it couldn’t be done.
It was a vague yet clear intuition.