446 – The Reason I Wish to Be King -5-

“Orphan brat!!!”

-Orphan brat…

-Orphan brat…

-Orph…an… brat…

Shuen’s bold voice echoed through the sewer, rolling onward.

“Hey…”

All while besmirching the name of Gairo’s mother.

“Hey you… crazy son of a…”

Ruin stared at Shuen, eyes trembling.

“Why’re you spewing such drivel all of a sudden…”

He was already struggling to figure out how to win; if he provoked him too, things were just going to escalate.

Of course.

“That one IS an orphan brat, though!”

Shuen, overflowing with righteousness and pride, had no intention of backing down.

Shuen, spewing unspeakable words at Gairo, widened his eyes and pointed a finger.

“Weird stuff is comin’ outta his body!”

“…”

“Sticky and dirty stuff!”

“Still, there are things you say and things you don’t. Even *I* don’t mess with family….”

Realizing things were going sideways, Ruin shot a sideways glance at Gairo, muttering to himself, and bit his lip anxiously.

“Look at that b*stard.”

Whether it was because Shuen had him all riled up, a white smoke had begun to emanate from Gairo’s goo.

-Did he just… what did he just say?

Even with those rabbit ears stuck on, the baldy looked…peculiar.

Didn’t quite know what to call it.

“…What did you say about my mother…?”

This wasn’t normal. I was sure of it.

“Shuen, let’s just… hold back for a moment.”

Ru-in said, trying to gather his tangled thoughts, to the twitching-lipped Shuen. He seemed off, so maybe a little breather was in order.

-I’ll give you another chance.

See? The bloke’s even offering some leniency. Maybe just swallow your pride, find his weakness….

“Slime-y!”

You son of a b*tch.

“…Take it back!!!”

Ru-in, hand clamped over Shuen’s mouth, eyed the still-standing Gailo warily. Just please, shut that cursed mouth.

“Take it back…!”

“…No-oo! Why should I take it back!”

“Don’t you need to buy some time to find that b*stard’s weakness!”

“A noble doesn’t take back their words!”

“Would *you* like it if someone called *your* mother a slime?”

“You green algae, how dare you insult a noble!”

“No, I mean, I’m not saying *you’re* the slime, I’m saying *he’s* the one who said it!”

“It’s true though… No… Wait a minute. I think I messed up.”

“Yeah… You *really* messed up.”

“It could be his father’s side, not his mother’s.”

Ru-in mentally screamed at himself for blurting that out loud.

“I must be losing it…”

He figured that everyone even *remotely* connected to Ricardo were just… not right.

“Even so, I have no intention of defending the father of a criminal! A slime-phile… this needs to go to a noble inquest for proper punishment!”

“Hey…”

“Not only does he engage in same-s*x relations… But to dare… to dare to make a child with a… a slime! Such impiety!!!!”

A cold dread settled in the air.

-…I gave you a chance.

“So what if I’m a social misfit!”

-I offered you a chance to be forgiven.

“Shut your mouth!”

This is truly chilling.

-How dare you…insult the mother who gave birth to you and raised you?

“Then she shouldn’t have raised me like this!”

-How dare…

Shuen exhaled sharply through her nose, solidifying her resolve as a noble. To show pity, even once, would be a disgrace to her aristocratic pride. She upheld her conviction for her own cause.

The empire forbade homos*xuality.

“You’re going to die!”

To eradicate those who dallied with monsters.

Of course, the Empire’s laws did not explicitly punish marriages between ‘people’ and monsters possessing ‘intelligence’ and human forms. Nevertheless, as the eldest daughter of the Tetra family, guardians of the law, Shuen decided to fortify her will.

Because, no matter the process, the feeling was disgustingly foul.

“Green slime!”

“What.”

“As a commoner, you should go out and fight like one! This prideful me will provide cover from the rear.”

“We were supposed to fight together.”

“Are you senile? Why would I, a noble, fight alongside a commoner? I can fight magnificently all by myself.”

“Seriously…”

Letting out a sigh, Ruin grudgingly conceded Shuen’s point to some extent.

‘The blockhead is not entirely wrong…’

Observing the man before him intently, he could understand why Shuen had used the word ‘Slime.’

-Squish.

Magic nullified.

Physical attacks also nullified.

Looking at just these listed qualities, it would seem like he was clad head-to-toe in the world’s strongest armor. But, coincidentally, a creature known as a slime possessed those exact same abilities.

Of course, slimes were overwhelmingly inferior in hardness and magical resistance. Ordinary slimes inhabiting dungeons would evaporate from a single fireball.

However, with the prefix ‘Elite,’ slime subjugation turned into large-scale monster subjugation, garnering them considerable respect among adventurers.

Indeed.

-You won’t meet a pleasant end.

Right there, practically glued to my face, was this guy, “Gailo.”

“Shuen.”

“Yes?”

“The slime’s weakness?”

“Fire, it is!”

“…”

No, fire didn’t work.

After launching hundreds of fireballs at its head, I was already well aware it didn’t work.

“It’s not fire.”

“But the book said it dies if you scorch it with fire, it did!”

“You saw it too. That b*stard isn’t affected by fire.”

“That’s so, it is.”

“Then…”

How long had I been racking my brain? Gailo, no longer waiting, started to approach, dripping translucent, bubbling slime.

-The slime you’re dismissing isn’t from some worthless creature. It was created through experimentation…

Shuen, looking at the man, yelled.

“How dare you insult my parents, you do?!”

-…

“Forsaking the natural order like that! Disappointed, I am!”

Don’t insult family lineage.

-…You won’t die painlessly.

“Snot-looking thing!”

-Fine, I’ll show you hell.

Ruin, eyes wide at their argument, looked at Shuen and asked.

“What… what did you just say?”

“Not to be ashamed of one’s parents, I said!”

“…No, before that.”

“That he looked like snot, I said!”

“Right… snot needs to be wiped.”

Gailo, exploding with rage, clenched his fist and started running.

‘Thump-thump.’ Hot ichor steamed from Gailo as he pounded the earth, closing the distance.

“This parricide, I shall deal with him!”

Shuen began to prepare a large-scale spell.

He could kill him.

“…”

Though the sewers would collapse, and they’d die together.

Ruin, having seen through Gailo’s weakness, chanted a spell in a low, chilling voice.

“Hydro Cannon.”

Thinking that filth could simply be washed away.

A round magic circle formed above Ruin’s head, and droplets of water began to fall.

-Plink.

One drop.

-Pitter.

Two drops.

-Pitter-patter.

Three drops.

Gailo’s stride faltered as he stared with trembling eyes at the falling water, and Ruin, feeling a surge of elation, said,

“Try washing yourself a bit…”

No need to fear the ichor, be it slime or poison. Filth could be washed away, after all.

“You filthy b*stard!”

The moment Ruin spoke and a powerful jet of water surged toward Gailo, Ruin shouted to Shuen,

“Fire!”

“A great spell…!”

“Not that!”

“…Hmph.”

·

·

·

After the fierce battle had ended, Ruin approached the still form of Gailo, prodding him with the tip of his boot, head cocked in question.

“Hey.”

“Four?”

“So it was sweat.”

“…Then I was right, wasn’t I!”

“Maybe not! That b*stard said he made it in a lab. Something’s just…wrong with his body!”

Unable to unearth the truth, Shuen gave a regretful smile, nodding slowly.

“I am curious how he made it, though…”

“…”

“I shouldn’t ask, should I?”

“Are you out of your mind.”

“…It might be useful.”

“Useful for what?”

“For Shuen’s first night, of course!”

“…”

Ruin found Ricardo’s acquaintance unsettling in more ways than one.

*

With a chilling breath, Mikhail’s blade severed the hand of the ‘sinner’ wielding a studded club.

“…Ha.”

“….”

“Monstrous b*stards.”

The tremor at his fingertips wouldn’t fade.

Slaying monsters didn’t frighten him, but to him, ‘murder’ was still a distant notion.

Ricardo had said.

-I am not accustomed to killing either.

That he, too, disliked taking a life.

In the past, seeing Ricardo cut down people without hesitation, he’d thought him a emotionless killer.

-We could try talking to him!!

-And if I hadn’t killed him?

-…That’s…

-If I hadn’t killed this man in this very spot, do you know how many would have died?

-Even so, this isn’t right. This is….

-Ten faculty. Fifty-two students. Twelve assistants.

-…

-More will die, but are you still alright with it?

I couldn’t grasp Ricardo’s willingness to sacrifice the few for the sake of the many.

Now I can understand.

Why Ricardo made such choices and didn’t hesitate to swing his sword.

Because one must be selfish.

Mikhail, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, spoke to Yuria, who was gazing at the fallen man with a complex look.

“…I’ll finish this, Yuria.”

Yuria, her face set, shook her head at Mikhail’s words and slowly approached the fallen man.

“No.”

“…”

“I’ll do it.”

The man, watching Yuria with trembling pupils, let out a snicker, spitting out a derisive laugh.

“…I can understand the knight, but what are *you* supposed to be.”

Yuria, staunching the wound on the man’s arm, offered a faint smile, ignoring his words. The man, with all his tendons severed, couldn’t even twitch a finger.

The man, knowing that fact better than anyone, realized that his impending death had been postponed and hurled a question at Yuria.

“Why is a healer allowed on the front lines?”

“…”

“Has the Empire’s educational policy changed?”

“…”

“A battle tactic that puts healers in the vanguard… Looks like you’re planning a war.”

Having finished staunching the bleeding, Yuria gazed at the man with compassionate eyes and asked:

“Just one question, if you please.”

“…To ask a question when you haven’t answered a single one of mine, eh…”

“How many have you killed so far?”

“…Huh?”

“I can let you pass peacefully.”

“…A final mercy before I die, is it?”

“…Yes.”

Yuria’s curt reply drew a dry chuckle from the man, who then fell deep in thought.

“My first kill was my father, a drunkard prone to fits.”

“…”

“He beat me so badly, one arm never straightened properly. Look, even now this elbow acts up, and you lot saw the weakness, didn’t you?”

Each time he recalled those he’d killed, a smile began to spread across the man’s face, as though reliving the moment.

“The fifth was a wealthy couple.”

“…”

“I was determined to make an honest living, but then a carriage came along, right in the middle of the mountains.”

“…”

“Back then, I was a brigand, so I killed them. No other reason.”

“…”

“This one’s a secret, but killing that young nobleman… that was just pure fun.”

“…”

Silently listening all along, Yuria placed the tip of her finger on the man’s injured arm.

“I’m a soft-hearted person.”

“…So what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Even now, hurting someone pains me, makes me hesitate.”

“…For someone so soft, you sure know how to hit hard.”

“…Because you’re my enemy.”

“…You pity me now, is that it?”

Yuria shook her head.

“No.”

“…”

“You have to die.”

“…”

“Otherwise, you’ll kill me.”

“Puh-hah. True enough.”

Yuria’s divine eyes began to glow with a golden light.

“I don’t think I can keep my promise.”

“…”

“I’m still rather clumsy with controlling my strength.”

Yuria steeled herself.

She set aside the notion of forgiving even the worst villains and hardened her resolve.

Because that was the only way to keep from stopping.

“It will hurt.”

Yuria’s clock was ticking.

“It will hurt… enough to make you wish you were dead.”