Volume 3 Chapter 13-2 The One to Blame is You
"Even if you kill me, you won't get a heap of gold coins. But if you dissect me, hey, maybe you'll discover something new. Doesn't go against your slogan ── 'Slay monsters, feed humanity.' Thing is, your holy book also says, 'don't throw weaklings at monsters you can't handle, because that's just stupid.' So, asking the knights to kill me right now? Sorry, but that's just plain idiotic."
Horace's expression shifted, just a little.
"Second reason? You're just so damn pitiful."
"──!"
"All you had left was faith. The one thing you held dear was your daughter. But then, the gods threw a shiny stone at you, your daughter turned into a Demon Lord, and now──nothing. Nothing to lean on. Nothing left to love."
Horace crouched down, bringing his face close to Silvio's.
"You, in the old days, you built this iron cage around your heart. You locked yourself and your daughter in, kept everything else out. Your daughter found her wings and broke out. But you? You're still trapped, living just on scraps of memories she left behind."
Sometimes, people don't even feel anger when they're blamed.
That happens when they understand their enemy──and see that, honestly, all that's left is misery.
"Third reason... well, you're not even worth getting mad at anymore."
"...Huh?"
"Hey. You got any clue what your dear Pastor did? What's going on with him now?"
Horace stifled a sigh as he spoke.
"Four years back, he screwed everything up. Pastor hoarded magic doodads against mind-control, then planned this grand Demon Lord hunt. He dragged in a ton of Adventurers, craftsmen, merchants... The bars and brōtḥels got crushed with rules to keep 'em happy. Headquarters racked up a billion in debt... And in the end? The Adventurers all ended up as his puppets.
Not even a month ago. Pastor blew up half of Jewel City Lapis. He used a gem on himself, turned into a dragon, and just went wild. Dozens dead or worse, from what I heard.
Hey, you ── you're the one who prepared a bunch of useless magic items to defeat the Demon Lord, dragged a lot of people into it, and made Pastor suffer... and you, you're the one who researched pointless magic manipulation techniques, involved a bunch of people, and made entire countries fall into poverty just to save the Demon Lord.
You're the one whose wild ideas caused a huge explosion and killed and wounded a lot of people, and you're also the one whose wild ideas made a golem attack Theocracy Nation, causing even more casualties.
What's the difference? Honestly, you're worse than Pastor."
Horace lined up the facts.
"So, do you know what's happening to Pastor right now?"
"..."
"This... there's absolutely *no information* about it. People say Pastor should take responsibility for the 100 million gold coins, for causing the huge explosion in Jewel City Lapis, and for all the deaths and injuries. They're calling for a harsh punishment."
Horace's gaze from above was cold, colder than ice.
"I heard a few people were allowed to see Pastor's current situation, locked up underground at the Association's headquarters. But all of them... they're staying silent."
With a deep sigh, Horace spoke.
"Don't you think... terrible things are happening down there? Things that can never see the light of day?"
"Ugh! Nnngh!"
"Finally realizing the weight of your sins, huh?"
Horace stood up.
Before turning his back on him, he muttered once more.
"Oh, and just so you know, blaming me for not telling you 'you can't directly manipulate magic' would be cheating. You wouldn't have listened anyway, and you should've figured out it was impossible during your research."
With that, Horace turned and started walking away from Silvio.
"I'm done here. I came because you did something stupid like attacking a nation with a golem, and I'm here to stop that. I want the world to stay the way it is for now. If this is left unchecked, it'll cause an international crisis. That's all."
Horace continued walking as he spoke.
"I'm irresponsible. I don't care what you think, or what you say or don't say. I'm not going to criticize you. Hell, I don't even need to take down the bounty on you. I couldn't care less."
They walked... all the way back to where Rangella's group was.
"Let's head back, everyone."
"...I suppose so."
"Phew... feels like I've had a lifetime's worth of surprises."
They all moved towards the door.
"Oh, right... about that thing restraining Silvio. It's a real head-scratcher to unlock it by himself, but from the outside, it's a cinch to take off. Got it? 'Do what you want with it. I don't care'... Later."
With those final words, Horace and the others left the Great Church behind.
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