「Damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn!」
I ran through the dungeon corridors. This was bad, really bad.
「No way! Someone saw me kill that guy?!」
「Kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill!」
‘Thud.’ Something trashy bumped into me, so I immediately swung my sword down.
「Aaahh!」
A random explorer I encountered. I cut them down and kept chasing that damn maid.
I could still make it in time. With that much blood loss, she shouldn’t be moving fast.
「Hah… hah…」
But my prediction was wrong. Now I stood at the dungeon’s entrance.
I calmed my breathing and stepped outside. Stay cool… stay calm…
「Tch… ngh」
Outside, in the glow of dusk, a group of explorers had gathered.
「Hey, what’s going on, everyone?」
As I asked, Hikari stepped forward.
「Hey! Hikari, what’s this all about?!」
「Shut up…」
She glared at me, her eyes swollen red from crying.
「What’s wrong? Why the scary look? C’mon, don’t make that face!」
I took one step toward her, then suddenly collapsed forward. I looked down.
My right leg was gone from the knee down.
「Huh…? Hurts hurts hurrrts AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!」
I looked up and saw that brat who used to kiss up to Kaminagi (that bastard) holding a bow.
「You little shitttttttttttt! Do you know who you’re shooting at?! I’ll crush your whole damn familyyyyyyyyyy!」
As I tried to stand up, the world spun around me.
「Ghahhhkk!」
I turned and saw a kid who looked exactly like the other brat slamming a massive shield into me.
「Kuhfuwaaahhh!」
My mouth was on fire with pain. I tried to put strength into my arms, but they wouldn’t move.
As my consciousness began to blur, someone grabbed my head.
I looked up, Hikari stared down at me.
「I won’t kill you. But you’ll pay for what you did to Yuuki.」
Then, with one hand, she stuffed me into a body bag and dragged me off.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
◇Doctor A (attended to the suspect)◇
「It was a total wreck… His leg was torn off, full-body compound fractures, severed nerves in all limbs, one lung collapsed. Honestly, it’s a miracle he’s even alive.」
◇Doctor B (also involved in treatment)◇
「We tried everything to keep him alive. Barely holding on, really. But it’s only until the death sentence gets finalized…」
◇Citizen A◇
「Honestly? That was satisfying. He killed multiple people, and even took out someone overseas known as a “Hero.” Death penalty is the least he deserves.」
◇Citizen B◇
「I thought the footage was a bit much… Wait, he killed over ten people? Oh my god, I didn’t realize he was that much of a monster. Scary…」
◇Cosmetics Company A◇
「Due to the incident, we have canceled all promotional projects that featured him as a commercial model. We sincerely apologize for the trouble caused.」
◇TV Commentator S◇
「Man, what a brutal case. Killed dozens out of personal grudge. Even endangered uninvolved civilians. Let’s get some insight from a legal expert now.」
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
◇Two Weeks Later◇
The sound of the television playing in the hospital grated on my nerves.
Damn it… This is infuriating… My plan was flawless. So where did it go wrong?
That’s right! Grandpa! I have to tell Grandpa! He’ll fix everything, he always does!
「Heh heh heh… Ish not ober… nut por meh…」
I’ll destroy Hikari, and those damn brats too! As long as I have Grandpa’s power!!
「Sorry, but that’s not happening.」
「Huh?」
Someone was standing there. A man I didn’t recognize. Who the hell let him in!?
「Your grandpa, your parents, they’re all already under arrest. No matter what you try, it’s over for you, Hisazumi.」
The man’s face came into the light. I was sure I didn’t know him… and yet I knew him very well.
「yuuurr(Y-you’re)… u bam kessh(you damn pest)!」
「Still calling people pests, huh?」
「Shaakkaak(Sh-shut up)! M wan opd shosen won(I’m one of the chosen ones)!」
「Can’t even understand what you’re saying anymore… Honestly, you’re the one who looks like a pest now.」
He held out a mirror, and what I saw reflected in it was a grotesque body, missing both arms and legs, writhing with maggots.
Is that me? Is that really me? My body… my body… my body my body my body mybodymybodymybodyMYBODY, !?
「HGYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!」
With that scream, my consciousness slipped away.
-0-
◇Kaminagi Yuuki’s POV◇
「Welp, looks like he finally snapped. Oh well. He’ll live long enough to stand trial… Heal.」
I healed the parts of Hisazumi that were on the verge of death, and regrew only his legs.
「Now then, since we can’t pin anything on Hikari and the others thanks to this mess, you still want to go another round?」
I turned to face the old man we’d dragged out of his detention cell, Hisazumi’s grandfather.
「Who… Who the hell are you…? You were supposed to be dead…」
「I’m not that easy to kill. I’ve got a god on my side, you know? And you, who dared to lay hands on us, have already lost. I’ll take everything you ever cared about. Everything you built, I’ll tear it all down. The life you gambled, it’s ours now.」
「Hmph… You think it’ll be that simple to take?」
「Of course not. But if you die here, everything falls apart. You’re the pillar that holds it all up. Knock it down, and the whole building collapses instantly. You think I’d overlook that? That’s capitalism for you. Though honestly, your company’s value is already hanging by a thread.」
「You think it’ll all fall just because I go down…?」
「Too bad for you. The fact that you sent assassins after me, your little plot with that neighboring country to have me killed, it’s all out in the open now. Oh, and the Hamelin incident? That cover-up? Yeah, that’s out too. The people involved have already confessed.」
I let out a low villain-like chuckle.
「You little brat…」
「Still feel like gloating now?」
I asked him, and whether he gave in or simply realized it was over, he opened his mouth with a bitter expression.
「I’ve lost… completely… I thought I left no trace…」
「Well, that’s the thing. God sees everything.」
After that, I had the old man sent back to the detention center and returned home.
-0-
Author desu.
Maybe the getting what he deserves moment wasn’t harsh enough…
But honestly, having someone who abused their power be judged by the law,
That’s humiliation in itself.
≪Additional Information≫
This is a world where the judicial system still functions.
So the heroines’ actions would be considered excessive self-defense, or rather, outright assault, since Hisazumi never directly expressed the intent to kill them.
If he were to die, the world would perceive the heroines as people who just used brute force to kill someone. Naturally, there would be opportunists who would take advantage of that.
At this point, yes, Hisazumi is a mass murderer. But the law and constitution still protect him. Depending on how his family moves, the heroines could also be prosecuted and ruined. (Hence the healing, so he wouldn’t die.)
Even in decline, their enemies still hold real power.
This is still a law-governed nation we’re dealing with.
So yes, for someone with such high pride, becoming a criminal… a crawling worm… and being exposed like that for the whole world to see is already pretty humiliating.
Besides, he’s not a literal monster.
He still has human rights.
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