The plan to persuade and rally the riffraff to drive Bagest away completely fell apart due to some ridiculous rumor someone leaked.
It was a terribly tragic situation.
Not just for me, but for everyone gathered in these slums.
“Things got tangled up, and not just a little….”
While it seems extreme and reckless at first glance, that method was actually the most moderate way to minimize bloodshed.
“As always?”
“…Yeah, just like always.”
There was no way to stop this crisis midway.
Bagest would probably try to completely destroy the slums while they were at it.
With the remnants of Abandon in chaos due to the mass deaths of their executives and the sudden attack, they could conquer the slums with minimal loss.
So they would fight to the bitter end. Until they could wipe out every last riffraff resisting them.
And then, they would probably find me again among the corpses.
‘Well… whether the remnants of Abandon get wiped out or not isn’t really my concern…’
I didn’t particularly feel any sympathy for them.
Among the residents of these slums, only those affiliated with Abandon had enough energy left to pick fights with others.
They were nothing more than human trash, typically engaged in a daily routine filled with murder, robbery, assault, human trafficking, rape, drug dealing, and pleasure killing.
So it didn’t matter if they lived or died; I could kill them without hesitation and exploit them without guilt, planning to dispose of them later.
They were all scum that would only cause harm to others if they stayed alive.
Bagest weren’t as atrocious as Abandon, but they casually killed people and were just as willing to kidnap and sell civilians.
‘Still…’
The only thing weighing on my mind was that not everyone living in the slums was scum affiliated with Abandon.
There were those who flowed into the slums due to catastrophic life circumstances and the lower-class people who had nowhere else to go. Addicts born from drug-addicted parents or abandoned orphans.
Most ended up crawling into Abandon and becoming the same kind of trash, but not all of them reached such a tragic end.
Among them, there were a few who had not chosen the life of thieves and remained powerless and innocent victims.
Right now, the men who Bagest were busy killing weren’t those innocent victims but clear criminals affiliated with Abandon.
‘…So if they die, will that really end it?’
I couldn’t be sure. And that made me a little anxious.
What exactly would Bagest do to the surviving residents after that?
Maybe they’d just collect taxes and call it a day.
Or they might kill a few as examples and decide it was enough to walk away.
Or they could selectively capture those who could be sold for profit as loot.
Or, perhaps… in their attempt to satisfy their unfulfilled violence, they might launch a slaughter festival against the survivors.
It was all uncertain until I witnessed it firsthand. So all I could do was sink deeper into my worries.
If things turned out that way, and Bagest didn’t settle for Abandon, would I be responsible for the suffering and deaths of those sacrificed?
Would I?
By killing Daniel and claiming to be Krimhilde of the eagle, I had given Bagest the justification to interfere madly in the slums, hadn’t I?
“…….”
It was hard to say it wasn’t the case. It might not all be my fault, but I couldn’t deny I had some responsibility.
…Yeah, I had been the cause.
Though it wasn’t my doing that escalated things to this level.
“Haa…”
A sigh mixed with coldness chilled my chest. My tongue felt a bitter taste.
Just like when I slaughtered the knights and soldiers pursuing Brunhilde.
Honestly, I felt a pang of guilt even as I thought about it.
When the guys from Abandon said this was all my fault, I had disregarded their foolish words as trash, but I couldn’t just sweep away the suffering of innocent people like that.
Could I?
What would I say if all those wrongfully sacrificed cried out that this was my responsibility? What could I even say?
The thought of that made my conscience throb fiercely.
“…….”
Instead of a rational and wise suggestion to escape from the mess, a reckless, dangerous, and unlikely plan kept swirling endlessly in my throat.
“Given the situation, there’s only one way left.”
So when Friede suddenly spoke to me, I flinched in surprise, my shoulders jolting as I let out a sound like I was about to hiccup.
“Huh?!”
“Geez…! Why are you so startled? You scared me….”
Even Friede was briefly taken aback by my reaction.
“Ahem, ahem… Anyway, as I said earlier, there’s only one way left, right?”
“Uh… I guess so…?”
Friede had a slight smile, as if she had a plan, but instead of agreeing, I just trailed off uncertainly.
I couldn’t be sure that her proposed solution aligned with my thoughts.
“Their boss’s name is… Arkan? No, Lakan, right?”
Oh, this seems like it might match my backup plan….
“Yeah, Lakan. Lakan Krakel. So…?”
“We go fight him and take him down. If we win, we’ll demand they leave quietly with their subordinates.”
Friede said with a confident smile.
Her suggestion matched the backup plan I had just thought of: a dangerous, risky, and overly naïve idea.
That’s right, it was an incredibly courageous and reckless proposal called direct confrontation.
I couldn’t voice the words I had hesitated to say due to my anxious heart.
…Yeah, this girl really is a hero.
Her character was on a completely different level from someone who simply stole a body, and she was incomparably noble compared to a mere criminal.
“What do you think?”
Friede asked back.
“…….”
I felt like I had to say something, but my lips were stuck shut with glue; I couldn’t find the words.
Refusing was burdened with guilt, yet agreeing felt way too risky.
I wanted to survive safely until the day I grew old and died, and I wished the same for Friede.
I would do anything for that.
To protect our safety, I could even brush aside the nagging guilt.
So I couldn’t agree to put us both in danger with such a reckless plan….
“…It’s okay, Hilde.”
Did Friede notice my inner conflict? She gently grasped my right hand with both of hers and spoke sweetly.
“I know. You must feel anxious. You’re worried. You’re hesitating. It’s always been like this.”
Yeah, it always had been.
Though I had grown stronger, my power was still vague in the presence of true strong ones. Good situations tended to turn out tangled up in misfortune.
All the events I had experienced so far had somehow worked out due to desperate struggles, efforts, and bad luck.
Looking back, if I had stumbled even a single step along the way, I would have faced annihilation. It was all a precarious tightrope walk.
That’s why I was always anxious, always worried.
Eventually, I felt like the day would come when I would slip off that tightrope, and I feared that today might be that day.
“Friede, that means… I….”
As I was about to explain myself, Friede cut me off by placing her finger against my lips and smiling.
“But, this time… No, from now on…”
She looked at me and said.
“…From now on, can you trust me a little more?”
With an expression that seemed to plead for something. Not just a cute girl, but a woman longing for the love and trust of her partner.
“Please trust me. I’ll protect you, and I’ll succeed. As your disciple, as your girlfriend… and as a hero.”
I stared at her face for a long time, entranced. In the familiar scenery, I felt like I discovered something completely new.
Flustered. Confused. Bewitched. Hopeful.
Trust. Yearning. Affection.
“……Okay, I’ll trust you.”
After a long silence, a quiet word slipped out, carrying all the emotions I felt.
Immediately after, my lips brushed against hers without me realizing it. The taste of intertwined desire and affection was as sweet and intense as a lemon soaked in honey.
“Guhh…! Get your romantic play somewhere else… you crazy girls…!”
The curses from the half-dead riffraff didn’t even register in my ears.
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