Volume 4 Chapter 22 [World Conference SIDE] Hysteribaba. Also, Artea
A woman with long scarlet hair approaches the cell, swaying softly.
Her tall stature and large breasts draw the eye no matter what she's wearing.
She wears clothes that look like a costume from Sevenstar Academy, but it's not cheesy──she's graceful.
But her personality is probably always fierce.
Ginji calls her "Hysteribaba," and the necklace she wears now is, according to Ginji, a "mental correction magic tool."
Basically, without such items, it's considered unsafe to let her out.
How strong that "item" truly is doesn't matter much, but to Ginji, it's clearly serious.
Artia snaps her fingers and makes a chair appear, then sits with her legs crossed.
Her stockings-covered legs are easily visible, and she seems to be staring at the mini skirt's edge, as if to see underneath.
...Her apparent age is mid-twenties, but Ginji calls her a "fossil," so she's actually super old──way past that. Well, she prefers mature women, so he'll keep quiet.
"Well, Gaspar. Your fate has already been decided."
"You... who do you think you are! I, head of the Redless family──"
"Your name is no longer 'Gaspar Redless'──just 'Gaspar.'"
"...What? What do you mean by that!"
"Long story short, I've disowned you from the Redless family with my authority."
"N-no way! That's impossible! There's a limit to lies! I am still Gaspar Redless──the head of the Redless family!"
"Sure, believing it or not is your choice."
Artia smiles slyly. And...
"...I want to punch the fool who once gave that woman (Hysteribaba) too much power."
"Even the 'Calamityshade Dragon' tries to avoid conflict with Lady Artia. There's no helping it."
"That's from her prime, though..."
Close to the corner, Ginji and the armored man are talking.
There have been various clashes before, but Ginji probably can't accept Ariatia's current position or standing.
He speaks somewhat bitterly.
"Well, Gaspar. You've been sentenced to life in the Prison Dungeon's 'Door of Despair'."
"Prison Dungeon. That weapon you mentioned earlier, the one coming from near the entrance──that's what you're talking about? What are you saying! I won't be guilty no matter what I do! I am like a god!"
"..."
For Ginji, it's recent memory that Valzeil yelled at the noble nobles who treated him like a god at the world conference headquarters.
Bloodline Nation's beginning is the belief 'to protect our people even without praying to gods.'
That means relying not on some divine being, but on their own strength.
There are many ways to interpret this, but most agree on 'breaking away from religion.'
It's utterly absurd that the rulers of Bloodline Nation think they've become gods.
(Is he trying to pick a fight with the founders of the world conference? No, if he knows he's doing it and say it──that's still bad... )
Ginji felt like giving up and just going home.
Probably won't be allowed, though.
"You might not know... but a god isn't a ruler. It's just a 'group of 4 who ran away from a woman.'"
"Huh?"
"Haha, that 'woman' is something even I can't handle. Hahaha, what a pathetic self-proclaimed thing."
Artia knows.
She can't say more here. Since she's also part of the Order of the Sealed Dragon, talking too much about her missions can make her blood boil with pain.
That's why her words sound vague, but her face says that calling oneself a god is essentially 'self-harm' and 'self-contempt.'
"Well, I don't really care about your view. Of course, I can't decide alone to send you to the 'Door of Despair.' But in the upcoming meeting, that decision is guaranteed to happen. There's someone who will absolutely not forgive you."
"Ever since, I've been a being that transcends mere matters of forgiveness or permission!"
"Indeed. As you say, no one's going to grant you human rights, let alone discuss forgiving or not forgiving. Hmph."
Atria smiles.
"Twelve years ago, an incident occurred that I had cut ties with. I'll expose everything about it. It's about the death of Valzeil's brother. Now he rests in the royal cemetery at the 'Cradle Hill' in the far east of the kingdom, but you're the one who pulled the trigger."
"Twelve years ago? Valzeil's brother died? What on earth are you talking about? And who even is Valzeil?"
"...Hah"
Atria sighs.
What is common sense?
Its exact definition may be elusive, but if I had to explain it roughly, it's 'something verbalized within the wisdom of living in your community.'
People are influenced by others' ignorance, and for the first time, they verbalize their actions in the moment.
Thus, numerous common senses become 'phrases,' spoken by people, and through their spread, they become 'recognized.'
It's such a trivial matter that Atria has no intention of preaching about people's ignorance.
However, as a fact, 'the lack of awareness of doing something worthy of hatred' is a very terrifying thing.
Gaspar's ignorance is irrelevant now.
His fate is sealed. All that remains is for the contents of his bag of tricks to be revealed.
"Ginji, can't you do something about this?"
"No chance. All that's left is to be consumed by the flames of hatred, I suppose."
"...I suppose so."
Atria stands up from the chair.
At the same time, the chair turns to dust and vanishes.
"Ginji, you should leave this room soon. It's about time."
"Hm? Alright."
Ginji, who had been sitting on a chair against the wall, stands up as Atria tells him to.
"Hey! Don't ignore me! Get me out of here! Hey woman, I'll make you my lover. So hurry up... Hey! Are you listening? Hey!"
Ignoring Gaspar's words completely, Atria and the others leave the room.
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