Chapter 42 – First Part Cleared

—Uaaaaaaah!!!

Cries of triumph erupted in the town square. I listened to them as I spoke to the former landlord.

“Now, I will spare you your life, just as promised. So I hope you’ll do your best to make an apology that will be accepted?”

“Aaarrh? Ooooaa?”

According to the contract scroll, he would not be able to speak properly until the people… the former slaves… accepted his apology. And it was like this that we came out into the town square.

“Ah! It’s the War Maiden!”

“And the bastard landlord is with her!”

… War Maiden? Were they talking about me? Was it because of my speech? Genocider and now War Maiden… I give up. It doesn’t really matter what people call me.

“Everyone.”

I called. It was a little unsettling how quiet the town square suddenly became.

“The former landlord wishes to apologize for everything he’s done up until now. Please listen to him.”

I said as I led him up onto the stage, and then left him there.

“Now…?”

“But if the War Maiden says so…”

“If we only have to listen…”

They said. And with expressions of rage and hate, they watched as the landlord took off all of his clothes and bowed with his head on the ground… It was rather difficult to watch…

“Woooo! Aughee!? O! Ooo!!”

Silence filled the town square. It was even more quiet than before… You could hear the shifting of clothes. It made you believe that time itself had stopped.

“A-are you mocking us!?”

“What does the bastard think he is doing!?”

“Eww!!”

“I don’t think the women should see this!”

“… Why? Landlord?”

After a moment, the place was filled with angry cries and screams. Most of them were so angry that it felt like they could kill with their eyes. But I could also hear the groans of despair from those who sympathized with the landlord. It seemed all but guaranteed that he would be like this until he died, without ever having his apology accepted.

Well, they could just use him as decoration. While he would not be able to do much now, I was quite sure that, had he been able to talk, the people would have beaten him to death immediately. Still, this was hardly a pretty sight.

“… Was all of this really necessary?”

“No. Eighty percent was just for fun.”

Ronove and I talked quietly amidst the shouting.

“You…”

“Well, now there is no one left among the people who want to support him. Am I wrong?”

“…”

Nobles… Especially if they are landlords, required power that cannot be seen, such as reputation and dignity. Even if his apology was somehow accepted, he would not be able to return to being a lord, much less a noble. The central government would likely abandon him.

Besides, he wasn’t really human anymore. He was a crying object.

“Well then, shall we get going?”

“…”

Don’t you think it is time? The revolution has ended. There was less exciting work to do after the battle, like unification and working out how to make the central government recognize this assembly… it was all important, but not his job. Besides…

“You want to kill me, don’t you?”

“… You’re too dangerous.”

“Am I? Maybe you’re right.”

“I don’t even understand why you cooperated… But I’m sure that it wasn’t for the right reasons.”

Well, it’s true that I just wanted to torment these nobles who hated me. It was a game where I got to make them taste defeat and humiliation. Indeed, I never seriously thought that I wanted to help people.

“You are one with chaos and have no human attributes. I cannot accept the idea of you taking credit for this freedom movement and becoming influential in the government.”

“Oh, how disappointing.”

Still, I had fun doing it. So getting no reward didn’t bother me too much.

“We are finally free… It would be a pity to have all of that ruined from the inside by someone as evil as you.”

Oh, my. I’m being called evil now? I don’t recall doing anything that bad…??

“I understand that I must look very shameless, saying this to someone who helped us. You can hate me as much as you…”

“Oh, how long is this going to take? Can you just get to the point?”

His excuses were very long. Perhaps he did feel a measure of guilt over erasing my great contributions to the cause. But I’ve been made to wait from the moment I met him.

“I too… have been wanting to ‘play’ with you. I’ve been restless for a while now.”

“…”

The four that were said to be highly skilled were not able to satisfy me at all. But he was from the landlord’s mansion and seemed to be holding back because he was in town. Yes, this sounded very fun indeed.

“So… where do you have to be to use all of your power?”

“… Come with me.”

He said as he turned his back to me and started walking. It was a place outside of town and close to the sea…

——

Quest No. Extra

World Quest: Krebskulm Liberation Front – First Part Cleared

Client: Sage Ron, Ronove

Request details: Accompany Ronove during the attack on the landlord’s mansion while the Krebskulm fighters are causing chaos throughout the town. Defeat the landlord’s guards and make his defenses crumble.

> In order to prevent future trouble, defeat Ronove at his best and survive.

<This route has opened up because your karma level is vastly lower than usual.>

Rewards: 5 levels worth of experience points, one million G, blessing of the true Sea God Krebskulm.

Warning: World quests are quests that will influence in-game scenarios and future quests. Regardless of its success or failure, it may not be repeated.

Do you accept?

Yes/No

——

… Oh? I see. A diverging route… So this is where the karma starts to affect things. My low karma was the reason that he was so hostile from the moment that we met.

In any case, let’s push ‘Yes’ and follow Ronove for now.