Volume 3 Chapter 20 ACT.56 The Destination of Grudge (II)
Noah stepped in between them stopping Rai, and took his position.
Then, taking off his helmet to reveal his bare face, he spoke in a gentle tone to the timid Count Eltor, trying to sound as kindly as possible.
"Count Eltor, you have committed a grave act of betrayal against the Holy Church (us). Normally, we would dispose of you right here and now, but──"
Noah deliberately cleared his throat, trying to change the atmosphere.
With a cheerful smile that seemed out of place in this wretched scene, he continued.
"Unfortunately, the Reincarnator you were dealing with was disposed of by us earlier, so if we don't make a deal now, we'll lose the chance to uncover their schemes."
With a nonchalant air, as if he had casually trodden on a wildflower blooming in the wrong place, he spoke of taking the Reincarnator's life.
"So, how about striking a deal with the Holy Church (us)?"
"Wha──, me──?"
Count Eltor, still struggling to grasp the situation, echoed Noah's words in a daze.
Like a child who doesn't understand words, he repeated the sounds without comprehension.
"Yes, please report everything you know about the Reincarnator's (their) circumstances and purposes without missing a detail."
Behind his light-hearted smile, Noah's eyes held no joy.
He was not emotional.
──This was not an act of mercy.
Everything was just part of Noah's *strategy*.
"If you do that, well, your title will be restored──"
Noah subtly narrowed his eyes, gauging Count Eltor's expression.
Trying to figure out what he truly wanted.
What would make him switch sides.
The answer had already presented itself.
"We'll assist you in living with your daughter, and of course, we'll arrange for her to receive proper medical care."
In that moment, a shadow appeared, peering into the half-destroyed room.
Peeking out from behind the broken door was Count Eltor's young daughter.
"──Papa?"
──That word was the deciding blow.
* * *
Everything was settled.
However, there was one person who was not convinced.
Stepping out of the room where the young girl and her father were hugging each other through tears, he punched the wall with all his might.
──He was strong, but his fist felt strangely *weak*.
"What are you doing, senior?"
Noah called out to Rai from behind.
He felt a sense of unease, instability, emanating from Rai's back.
"Isn't this for the best? We're not murderers, so it's always better to avoid killing, right?"
Noah crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
His gaze flickered towards where Eltor and his daughter stood.
"Even you wouldn't want to kill a father and leave his little daughter alone, would you?"
Rai nodded slightly at Noah's question.
It was true, Rai thought to himself.
He knew it better than anyone.
The pain of having no place to return to, no one waiting for him.
That's why, not adding another child with that kind of background was a blessing.
──But.
"Noah, you know about the Aldra Rebellion, right?"
"Yeah, the worst event caused by Reincarnators with cheat (special ability). A lot of people were driven mentally unstable and forced into the killings."
"What happened to those people?"
"Well, I think, after Aldra was defeated, the mental instability was lifted, and most received treatment from the Holy Church and returned to *their normal lives*..."
──BANG. BANG, BANG, BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.
Rai pounded the wall relentlessly, over and over.
The sound grew increasingly stronger and more violent, cutting off Noah's words.
"What do you think I thought the first time I heard it?"
Noah was speechless, frozen by Rai's unusual state.
Ignoring him, Rai continued.
"I thought it was *ridiculous*."
He said it in a strong voice, laced with hatred and resentment.
"The people who attacked my village, killed my mother, burned my sister... are they forgiven just because the Reincarnator was the cause?"
Rai removed his helmet and turned to face Noah.
Noah looked at him and shivered.
A face contorted in a mixture of laughter and tears, filled with hatred, sorrow, resentment and... a myriad of other emotions.
"*I... won't... forgive...*"
With a voice brimming with sorrow, Rai sang.
"Even if the cause is the Reincarnator, if they had a hand in it, I want to kill them."
Singing, the avenger Rai harbored endless resentment.
No matter how far it went, the Reincarnator and all those connected, the ordinary folk.
──To the ends of the earth, to the very end, he sang of wanting to kill them all.
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