Chapter 14

After the fight, Yuusha wipes the sweat from her palms and exhales.

Her body complains of tiredness. Probably because today’s enemy was so unpleasant.

He was a guy who made her cringe just thinking about him. Thinking about the cleanup that was about to follow made her feel even worse.


“Yu,Yuusha! Are you okay!?”


Matari runs up to her and she shows her left hand. The healing is already finished, so there’s no problem. She took care of the poison before it could spread.


“It’s okay. That last part was a bit unexpected though. Look,there’s not even a scar.”


Matari looked at it and let out a sigh of relief.


“I’m really glad. I was going to join you, but it looked like I was just going to get in the way.”

“It’s tough if you’re not used to one-to-many combat. You’re going to have to learn that.”

“Yes!”


Yuusha looks at the living dolls lying near the entrance. It seems that she incapacitated them with a shield until the end, she hadn’t used a sword.


“You, didn’t use a sword. Wasn’t it hard?”

“Yes, it was hard, but I still couldn’t do it. I felt like they were just being manipulated. I mean, I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize for anything. No matter what I say, in the end you have to make your own decision. That’s what’s most important.”


Even if you fail as a result. Even if you regret your choice, it’s important to choose for yourself. Yuusha thinks it’s the worst thing to just leave yourself at the mercy of someone else’s directions or fate.


“I understand!

“Good. Well, let’s clean up first, shall we?”


Yuusha announces this and looks around. The living puppets that were bing manipulated and bounty hunters all fell down.

The bounty hunters were wounded in the battle but it doesn’t seem like there are any who are likely to die soon. They will regain consciousness after a while.

The puppets, on the other hand, have been freed from Russ’ control, but it’s unknown if they can be recovered.


“Matari, they’re bleeding, patch up the bounty hunters. I know they’re a stupid bunch, but it has to be done. We’ll get our share of the thanks later.”

“Yes! I’m going to go bandage them!”


Matari takes out a bandage and starts running.

Yuusha shouts out to the stunned Edel, who was dumbstruck.


“Hey there, Pinky!　You can’t keep moping without helping.”

“…e?”

“It’s you, you! When I say pink, you’re the only one it could refer to, you Pinky!


When Edel realized that she was talking about herself, she stands up with a scoff and runs over to Yuusha.

She seemed to be unexpectedly well, despite collapsing just earlier.


“Who’s Pinky! My name is Edel. Edel・Weiss!”

“Shut up.”

“It’s not Pinky! I’m not Pinky”


Is it an unpleasant memory? Edel’s face turned red and she repeatedly calls out the words.


“Please don’t scream next to my ear. If it weren’t for us, you’d be a pervert’s toy.”


Yuusha pokes Pinky’s forehead with a gleeful grin.

What’s important at this point is to give a grin and a ridiculing smile. By doing this, you fuel you opponent’s anger.


“Th-th-th, this damn brat! I’d be better off without you guys…”


Pinky starts to scream, but as if he remembered the battle she just had, her voice became quieter and quieter.


“Pi, Pinky. What’s wrong? Did you hit your head earlier?”


Matari, who is wrapping one of the bounty hunters in a bandage, gingerly rubs salt on her wound.

At times like this, natural personalities are more cruel.


“No, no, you’re absolutely right. I would have been a puppet of Russ. I don’t mind if you call me Pi-Pinky.”


Edel, aka Pinky, drops her shoulders.

Matari gently rubbed her back to comfort her. Yuusha thought it would be rather counterproductive, but she didn’t interfere.


“What’s wrong? You have a admirable attitude all of a sudden. I don’t mind if you act like you did before.”

“….Kuh, whatever you say. You’re the one who took out the bounty target Russ. It is an impressive feat.”


Muttering that, Pinky walks to the place where Russ had been earlier.

After thinking for a moment, she retrieves the 『left hand』 that Yuusha cut off and puts it in a small bag.


“I can give it to you if you want? You seem to be related somehow. I just happen to be the one who took care of him.”

“I don’t want it. I don’t take credit for other people’s work. I think I’ve said it before. … huh, I’m kind of out of it.”


She tosses the bag with the left hand in it to her. Yuusha don’t feel good holding it, so she quickly tucks it away into the leather bag.


“I don’t really care, but these guys can’t get back alone, can they? We can leave them alone, but they’ll surely be eaten by demons.”


The living dolls have fallen down with empty eyes. Even if they regain consciousness, but all their bodies are heavily damaged. That is the price of being forced to fight recklessly.


“It’s like somebody’s been fiddling with their brains. There’s nothing to be done in this situation. No amount of healing techniques are going to fix this. It’s a pity.”

“Oh, is that so…”


Matari is severely depressed by Edel’s words. That’s how the world usually works.

There is no need to try Yuusha’s healing techniques. Even if she uses a healing technique, she will only end up creating a broken person. Even if she can fix the body, she can’t heal a broken spirit. On the contrary, she’d like someone to teach her about it.

Yuusha’s psychological strength won’t be able to last that long either. She’s exhausted right now.


“Pinky, is there any way to get these bounty hunters back to the surface quickly?”

“Yes, it’s possible with the transfer stone. I have one, and Russ was trying to use his earlier. As long as you store the location, you can make a round trip.”

“Can we take more than one person with us?”

“Just hold on them and it’ll be fine. The transfer effect will take effect on them as well.”


At Edel’s words, Yuusha briefly nodded.


“Good. Matari, you use the transfer stone and explain the situation to the gatekeepers as you see fit. After that, arrange for those who need it to be treated. Pinky, you take the bounty hunters to the surface. You can charge these idiots later for the hassle. I don’t care if you bleed them dry.”


Yuusha exhales once she says that.


“Yuusha, what about you?”

“I’ll go back and do what I have to do before returning. Somebody has to do it. I’ll finish by the time you get back to the surface. I’ll see you later.”

“…I’ll help you with that.”


Matari tried to stay behind with a tense face, but Yuusha shook her head.

Somehow, she didn’t want Matari to get involved in these things. And she didn’t want her to see her doing it.


“It’s fine. Let me take care of these things. Look, some of them are going to bleed to death if you don’t hurry. Go on, get going.”


Yuusha forced a smile and turned her back to Matari.


　

◆



Once she finished what she needed to do in the basement, Yuusha decided to ask Edel to take the sacrificed dolls to the surface as well. It might have been fine to incinerate them on the spot, but she figured it was better to leave them to their families if they had any.

The survivors of the bounty hunters were receiving first aid treatment at the square in front of the labyrinth. There were nine of them. They were the lucky ones.

Matari had been trying to explain the situation to the gatekeeper, but he didn’t seem to get the picture. She tried her best to explain with gestures, but he doesn’t seem to be able to put the pieces together.

The gatekeeper, who sees Yuusha, approaches her and pressed her to tell him the details of the situation.

When Yuusha glares at Matari, she scratches her head, shrinks back, and apologizes.

There is still some cleanup to be done on the surface, so Yuusha tells him she will tell them more about it later and quickly leaves the labyrinth entrance.

Yuusha, Matari and Edel continue walking without any particular conversation. The destination is not the guild, but the slum area.

The slums are isolated by a fence, so there is only one entrance. The church guards are always on the lookout for those passing by.

The streets are lined with derelict buildings. After walking for a while, they saw a girl sitting on some rubble. She is licking hard candy and observing the people passing by.

Her clothes are nice and stylish, looking well built, but they are faded and dirty. They don’t know if she picked them up or if they were her original possession.

Her face looked somewhat well-bred.

Yuusha approaches and calls out to her.


“Can I have a word? Are you familiar with the area?”

“I don’t know much about it. It’s only been a couple of weeks since I came here. But Koron is familiar. He knows everything.”

“I’m an acquittance of his. Would you mind calling him over? I’ll reward you.”

“Is sister a friend of Koron’s?”

“Well, something like that. I’ll give the reward to you first. Here, buy yourself a nice meal.”

“Wait a minute.”


Yuusha gives the girl a silver coin. The girl bites the hard candy and brisk walks into the alleyway.

Edel calls out to her.


“Do you know some of the kids here?”

“Well, one of them. He promised to show me around next time. Maybe he knows that trash’s house, too. It would be a waste of time to look through these wrecked buildings one by one.”

“Sure, it’s hard to tell who lives where just by looking.”

Matari looks around at the building. Some of the houses are obviously uninhabitable, some are without a roof, others are in a crumbling state with laundry hanging out to dry.


“This place is the same as ever. All the filth of the city gathers here. It’s a dumping ground for people’s malice.”


Edel spits dismissively. her usual detached attitude is not there.


“Are you familiar with this place?”

“…a little bit.”


As Edel muddled her words, Yuusha didn’t listen too closely either. There are some things you don’t want anyone to hear.

As they stood there in silence, the girl from earlier returns. From behind her, a group of boys appeared, armed with rusty swords, hoes, and broken pots and pans. Their faces are tense and their bodies are trembling.

There’s Koron, equipped with a sword with a broken tip. When he sees Yuusha, his face relaxes and a look of relief appears on it.


“What, it’s Yuusha-oneechan! Hey Silka, she’s not a bad person. She’s even let me off the hook once.”

“Is that so. I thought they were a hooligan.”

“…Hey, who’s a hooligan? Rogues don’t reward you in the first place.”

“Calm down, Yuusha. She’s just a kid.”

“I’m not mad at her. I’m just complaining.”


Matari patted me on the back. Her lukewarm eyes seem to be appeasing a child.

Frustrated, Yuusha pinches Matari’s cheek as hard as she can. The brave man looks at the teary-eyed boar girl and snorts.


“If we’re not at least that vigilant, we won’t be able to survive here. Sorry sister.”


The girl called Silka mutters nonchalantly.


“Good grief, don’t make me panic. Guys, break it up! You can go back and play with Yatum!”

“Aye. Koron, come back soon.”

“Hehe, we’ll just keep playing cards.” “I was the boss next, right?” “No, it was me.” “You just lost!”


The boys behind him pull into the alleyway with a buzz as Koron gives the order.


“Didn’t you guys get in an orphanage?”

“An orphanage? The orphanage is already full and there’s no room for us. Our place is in the back alley here.”

“Ids that so. But you have someone taking care of you, don’t you?”

“Hehehe. Would you like to meet him? I told him about Yuusha and he said that he wanted to meet you. I’m sure you’ll get along great.”


Koron laughs as he scratches her nose. Yuusha softens her expression as well, but there’s something she has to do today.


”Sorry, I have some stuff I have to do today. Can you introduce me another time?”

“That’s okay. We’ll be somewhere around here. So why are you here, then?”

“You seem to know your way around here. I was just wondering if you know about a certain house.”

“Heh, the slums are my garden, you know. You can ask me anything. I know everything from escape routes to hidden passages.”



Koron crosses his arms proudly.


“I want to know where the bounty target Russ Nubes lives.”


Edel asks Koron, but he cocks his head with a huff.


“There’s a whole bunch of bounty targets out there. I can’t bother to remember their names.”

“Then how about a weird puppeteer?”


Matari, who had been rubbing her cheek, asked loudly, and Koron frowns and slaps his hands.


“Ah, I get it. That smelly shop. The old man in the shop is kind of suspicious, and his eyes are scary. We’ve been careful not to go near it.”


“…would you show us around? Of course I’ll pay you.”


When Edel tries to give him the money, Koron waves his hands in the air, saying he didn’t need it.


“Don’t worry about it. Yuusha and Matari-neechan are already friends. But I’ll wait in front of the store. It’s really smelly in there.”

“Okay, that’s all right. Then show us the way.”

“Now, follow me. Don’t get lost in the crowd.”


As Koron runs off, Yuusha also begins to run in a hurry. As expected, Edel gradually fell behind.

After going on for a while, Koron stops near a certain dreary shop. He points out that this is the place, and he painfully pinches her nose. Even though it’s the front of the store, there’s a strange, peculiar smell.

It’s an unpleasant mixture of a bloody and rotten smell. It seems like incense is used to try to cover it up, but it doesn’t seem to be working.

Yuusha thanks Koron and decides to go inside. Koron and Silka are watching the situation without moving.


“……You lived in a place like this. I heard that he made a living as a illegal appraiser. How could a proud sorcerer fall so low?”

Edel mutters with a scowl on her face. Yuusha observes the store. All of the tools with unknown purposes around them are covered in dust.

“Fuu-. Well, it doesn’t matter. There’s probably a lot of things in the back that I don’t even want to imagine.”

“Maybe, no, I’m sure you’re right.”

Edel mutters heavily and then stays silent.

What should Yuusha do. Clean up the materials that the scraps would that were left behind. She can roughly imagine what’s in there. She and Edel will be able to endure it, but what about Matari?


*cough**cough*“What is this smell? It’s like a rancid smell, a rotten smell. Oh, I think I’m going to throw up.”


The teary-eyed Matari holds her mouth and struggles to hold back the urge to vomit.

Yuusha rubs her hunched back and urges her to leave.


“Matari, you need to get out. Nothing good will come of this, you know. Leave it to me again”

“But…”

“You’ll hold the entrance. There’s no need to push yourself.”

“… no. I’ll follow you. I’m Yuusha’s comrade so I’ll go with you!”

“By any means?”

“Yes.”

“……..Don’t overdo it”


Yuusha gives her a word of advice, and Matari nods while holding her mouth.

Yuusha and Edel proceeded ahead, followed by Matari, who was steeling her heart.


”……..You’re so kind to that girl.

“The are some things she doesn’t have to see. The remnants of a wretched man’s nightmare. She don’t need to see those things.”

“A nightmare, indeed. There’s nothing beyond that. Just emptiness. ….Come on, let’s go to the back.”




What awaits Yuusha and the others who entered the depths of that world is a hell.

It’s a scene that cannot be described with words like “horrible”.

Even if you covered your eyes, the horror is burned into your brain. Even if you covered your ears, you can still hear the vengeful voices, the sounds of insect wings. The rotten smell which cannot be blocked even if your nose is covered.

A girl is being kept alive despite the state of her body. She seems conscious and occasionally scream in agony. Even if she wants to die, she isn’t not be able to. Her parts are scattered all over the place.

Beyond the pool of blood, the humans who have lost their will are waiting for ‘their turn’.

As Yuusha looks at the dolls near the walls, her face contorts.

They must have been kidnapped by Russ and had their brains played with. With empty eyes, they just keep looking in front. They are simply puppets, just breathing.

But there are some people who are reacting to us. They haven’t been toyed with yet, or maybe they’re made to do so on purpose. That criminal insinuated that they are willing to be dismantled.

“–Ah, ah, ah.”

Yuusha looks back and sees Matari with her eyes wide open and unable to say anything. It seems that she can’t even move.

It’s natural for an ordinary person to be like that. It’s crazy for someone to be able to endure this.


“Matari, get out of the house!”

“–e, a, aa, wha, what is, this?”

“It’s useless. That’s why I told you to stay outside.”


Yuusha stands in front of the stunned Matari and puts her hands on her cheeks. The dazed Matari focuses. Yuusha uses a hypnotic spell to forcibly stun her. For the hypnotic spell to work, the target must be in close proximity to the caster and in a vulnerable weak state of mind.

With both conditions met, Matari collapses on the spot. Yuusha carries Matari out of the hell and moves her to a place with fresh air.


*Cough**Cough*


Edel also holds her mouth and coughs violently. There are faint tears in her eyes. It seems that she, who controls the dead, was also an ordinary person. Then maybe the same kind of person should clean up the madman’s aftermat . Yuusha smiles.


“Are you okay? You can stay out there too. I’ll take care of the rest.”


Heroes are used to seeing this. This is what usually happens after the demons attack a village. They treat humans as toys for the sake of entertainment. It’s a rather depressing task to bury them. Naturally, the demons who do that also include fallen humans. In fact, the percentage was rather high.


“It’s okay. I’m a necromancer. I’m fine with this much. It’s okay.”

“Is that so, okay. ….. Now then.”


Leaving Edel, who is holding her mouth, Yuusha uses her healing techniques on those willing and likely to be saved. Her mental strength is being drained away, but she can’t just abandon them here.

Out of the dozens of victims, only five could be saved. Their spirits are delirious from the intense fear, and Edel takes them out of the house as they struggle. She can’t guarantee that they will recover to their former state in the future.

And then those who were no longer in need of help were dealt with. The girl, who must have been suffering endlessly, had a peaceful expression on her face at the last moment.

This was excruciating to Yuusha. She should be used to this, but something about it made him feel like he was going to crack. Like something sour is about to flood her stomach.

She tries to disguise the nausea, but she couldn’t help but let her complaint leak out.


“You know, when I see this stuff, I can’t help but think”

“…what?”

“I must have died in the wrong place.”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s what it means. Now, after this.”


This room seems to have been used as a materials storage area.

Yuusha’s gaze is on a door that is tightly locked. An unopened hell awaits.


“I don’t like it, but we have no choice but to go.”

“…What more could there be?”

“You’ll have to ask that criminal about it. Though, if he were here, I’d tear him to pieces before he answered.”


Yuusha pulls out her dagger and forces the lock open. She kicks open the door and enters.

Inside, there is one magical light, and the walls of the room have tags with spells written on them stuck everywhere.

In the center of the room, a magic circle was drawn and a girl was lying with her hands folded on it.

It was obvious that she was treated differently than the other humans.

Yuusha moves closer to the side and looks at the girl.

Her eye holes are hollow and do not see anything.

If that criminal had gotten a hold of Yuusha’s eyeballs, he would have put them in here. Yuusha grits her teeth at the disgusting sight.

The bare body is well-formed, but it looks somewhat distorted. If you observe it closely, you can see that the parts are joined together. The skin is attached in a way to hide the seams.

— and the girl is living in this state.


“K, Katarina?”

“Do you know her?”

“… Russ’s daughter, who died five years ago. Since she passed away from the epidemic, that man has gone mad.”


Yuusha stares at the girl named Katarina. Is the original part of that girl still there? For this doll, which has been made from patched up pieces, has been given a name again, and has been given a soul.

“……….”


Yuusha takes her gaze off the girl. Just looking at her gets her irritated. She must take action as soon as possible. You should not leave the remnants of a madman behind. Yuusha puts her hand on the dagger at her waist.

Edel reaches for the girl’s body and begins to examine it.


“….She has a heartbeat. She’s breathing. Do you think she’s alive in this state?”

“He’s put everything on the line for it. Human persistence is a terrible thing, isn’t it? Whether it’s correct or not.”

“Does it have Katarina’s soul in it? Katarina is really here. Katarina–”

“Edel. Don’t call out to the girl any more. There is no need to cause her any more suffering.”


Yuusha puts the dagger to the girl’s heart. Her nightmare needs to end here. Katarina’s hollow eyes turn to Yuusha. I almost seemed like her mouth moved. She’s trying to say something. Are they words of resentment or words that beg for mercy?

She must never hear it. Yuusha’s heartbeat quickens and her breathing becomes erratic. Cold sweat runs down her back. For some reason, she thought Katarina had a thin smile on her face.

The hand gripping the dagger starts trembling. But she has to do it. Someone has to do it. And that’s a hero’s job.


“–Haah, haah, haah.”

“…I, I’ll do it. It’s something I have to do.”


Edel grabs the trembling hero’s hand and forcefully takes the dagger from her.


“…….Are you sure? You’ll regret it.”

“I’ll regret not doing it. I have to do this. I am Katarina’s sister.”


Edel places her left hand on Katarina’s empty eye sockets.

She puts her right hand into action and slowly sinks the tip of the blade into her chest. The sharp blade pierces her body. Black blood gushes out of the wound. A great deal of blood spills out of her mouth. Katarina spasmodically stretched her hand into the air and tries to grab something. After a few moments, the hand drops as if it had deflated and stops moving forever.

Katarina’s heartbeat and breathing stopped completely. Katarina has died for the second time.

The puppeteer’s nightmare is now brought to a end. How many people had been involved in it so far? She has no idea, and she doesn’t want to know.


After everything is over, Yuusha and Edel walk out of the store. It seems that Koron, who was very attentive, called the guards. The transporting of the humans who were healed with healing techniques has begun. A crowd has gathered as well.

It would be best to leave quickly before it becomes troublesome.

Edel is holding Katarina’s corpse, and Yuusha carries Matari’s unconscious body on her shoulder.


“What are you gonna do with that girl? You’re not…”

“I wouldn’t do that. Don’t even joke about it. This girl will be buried where her family rests. She won’t be lonely.”

“Yeah. Maybe that’s a good idea. So her rest is never disturbed again.”

“……….”


Yuusha turns her attention to what Edel had put in her waistband. She confirmed that she had put something from the workshop in it.


“Hey, what did you put in your bag just now?”

“A diary. Russ’s diary. I wanted to know how this happened. I thought it might give me a clue.”

“……I suggest you burn it now. It’s not fun to look at the diary of a madman.”

“I’ll get rid of it as soon as I read it. Just like you requested.”

“Right. Well, I’m sure that outcast left something like that hoping someone would read it.”


Yuusha also keeps a diary. Did he also want to leave something behind? Yuusha wonders what the difference is between herself and him.

She immediately shakes her head, thinking it’s ridiculous. She is a hero and he is a demon. That’s all.


“Was it Matari-chan? Give the girl my regards. I’m going to go straight to the cemetery.”

“Well, we’re going home. This time, you owe me one. Make sure you come back.”

“If I remembers. Well, I wouldn’t be able to forget your face and character even if I wanted to.”

“Yes, yes. I can’t seem to forget your gaudy pink color, either.”


Yuusha waves her hand at Edel with a flailing hand. She’s tired from using too much magic, and feel terribly dizzy.

Also, there’s a rotten smell clinging to her body. She want to wash it off right now. She wants to just lie down. She wants to sleep like a dead man.


“……Really, thank you.”

“What did you say?”

“I, it’s nothing.”

“Okay. See you later, Edel.”


Yuusha didn’t look back and walked away. Koron and Silka came up to her and helped her carry Matari.

They seem to be good at taking care of others, even though they are children. The exhausted Yuusha thanked them honestly.

The hypnotic spell didn’t seem to be very effective, and Matari soon woke up.

She wanted to go back to the paradise pavilion and fall into bed immediately, but they have to take care of the bounty first. It is extremely unpleasant to keep the criminal’s left hand so close.

Yuusha announced that they are heading for the Warrior’s guild and began to walk with heavy steps.