Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer?

Episode 292: Understandable (8)

Chang!

[Don’t fuss, Grethen. When this kid loses his strength, I will deal with him even if I don’t like him.]

Of course, the thrown knife didn’t work. The person who struck down the sword with his sharp nails sneered.

“Eat some shit.”

But are you going to give in to that? I created a few more daggers and threw them. Chang, Chang, Chang. None of it worked, but I felt much better. I was finally able to at least throw a knife at that bastard.

[A no-good guy…]

「…You shouldn’t attack him carelessly.」

But the boy wasn’t very happy about my help.

Since he hasn’t made any special movements since entangling the devil’s arms, it’s unlikely that my dagger throwing was interrupted again. It just seemed uncomfortable for me to get involved in the fight.

“Your soul is big enough to overcome the devil, but that devil is cunning enough to come out of your soul and scratch the world.”

“Explain it clearly. “I’m telling you to be careful. You can’t attack me.”

“…Even if you kill the phantom, it will not die. “It’s just that the spirit that endures all that pain becomes exhausted.”

Is it because of what I’ve experienced so far? Even when dealing with a child, his tone of voice was a bit blunt. However, despite the thorns, the boy did not mind and warned me.

“A devastated mind narrows its horizons and only pursues the salvation in front of it. “Without even knowing if it’s a lie or the truth.”

Beneath the whispering voice, layers of extreme fatigue and regret are holding everything back.

“…You can’t do that. “Then you will be eaten by the devil.”

It was the foundation that the boy experienced alone and built alone.

“So you stay behind. “I will do the fighting.”

Even if you are strangled or stabbed with a knife, you will not die. The weight of what the devil had said was vaguely palpable.

[The spirit of sacrifice… It’s really admirable.]

Before I knew it, I saw a boy standing in front of me. The boy’s back was still small. Just like any growing child who has not yet fully grown up.

[But I told you. No more. You are no longer qualified to stand on this stage.]

At the same time, the boy was a knight. The straight back, moderately spread legs, and two hands tightly gripping the sword proved it.

“I know.”

The dazzlingly bright sword blazed. The light was more gold than amber, more sun than torch.

A sword burning more intensely than a wood fire illuminated a shattering world.

“Still, I will stop you. “As always.”

The boy’s gold-stained hair sparkled like sparkling ash.

[no. You can’t do it.]

「…!」

However, that beautiful light did not change the game.

bang! The moment the demon’s pitch-black flame sword collided with the boy’s sword, the collapse of the white world began to accelerate. The horizon has already been consumed by black, and now even the scenery on both sides is falling apart.

[Follow the ‘promise’.]

「Ugh…!」

The boy gave more strength as if to fight against it, but it was okay. The cracking may have slowed, but it has not stopped.

Only then did I come to my senses. The sword that emerged from my hand pierced the devil’s side.

[…Troublesome.]

“Ah!”

Whether it’s an article or something. In the end, the boy was a child and I was an adult. And as an adult, it was impossible for me to just be protected by a child. Even if she did something unforgivable to me, even if she committed a crime that the whole world would point at.

For any sin, children deserved a chance to atone. Just because it’s a child.

[Did you want to experience death, Gretchen?]

“Not really, since you’ve already experienced it so well?”

I never wanted to be with a knight again… Devils aren’t knights, so it’ll be okay. I suddenly kicked the devil’s leg, which had dodged the blade.

[It’s no use.]

However, if you stir the smoke that had a shape with your hand, the shape will be crushed and it will not disappear. The devil’s body was like that too.

Its legs dispersed like flames and smoke, passed through mine, and rejoined, returning to its original state. My eyes widened at the unexpected reaction.

[Have you forgotten whose strength was supporting you out there?]

But there was not long time to be surprised. Hwareuk. The sparks that came out of her hand splashed onto my body. I hurriedly rolled on the floor, but flames eventually reached one of my arms.

“─!!”

There wasn’t even a scream. I opened my mouth as the pain burned my skin and gnawed beneath it. It was a pain of similar intensity as when struck by divine power.

“Pull yourself together and think of yourself without any injuries!”

Luckily, the moment I followed the boy’s advice, the flame burning my body disappeared. More precisely, the boy put out the flames by quickly cutting out the spot where the fire was.

Cancan!

While the boy and the devil came together three times, I managed to regenerate the spot. It’s nice to just hope for a cure, but in many ways, I felt like crap.

“If you don’t get your mind right, you’ll fall right away. This is…”

[Exactly. So, do you want to give up?]

“Fuck it…”

I let go of my trembling hands and held the sword. The pain that was felt without any trick of controlling the level of pain was incredible, but I had been in this much pain a lot recently, so it was worth enduring.

Cough!

“Ah, you shouldn’t swear…”

My sword knocked away the flame that was trying to cut the boy.

[Anyway, things with huge souls are unnecessarily stubborn.]

Then the devil tried a few more attacks and, realizing that it wouldn’t work, retreated. The brief lull gave me time to catch my breath.

[it’s okay. After all, time is on my side.]

I don’t think giving and receiving sums is a necessary action. I looked at the general situation using the devil’s words. It may be a false number, but seeing as the boy remains silent, it is unlikely to be a very wrong prediction.

“…Hey.”

“…Did you call me?”

“It’s meaningless to beat him up, right?”

Still, I checked the authenticity just in case. The boy nodded with a heavy face.

“I don’t know if it overwhelms me… It’s of no use in this situation.”

“There are only two of us?”

“Because there are two of us, the status quo is maintained. If it was originally….”

Tsk. Just as the boy was about to say something, the world cracked and he was gone. It was a little different from the one that was continuously collapsing. It was so clearly broken that it was noticeable. As if influenced by something.

“…Is it because of concealment of ignorance?”

“…There is that, but the fundamental cause lies elsewhere.”

“You broke the rules?”

“How did you do that?…”

“You said it out loud and then you said something new…”

If you talk like that in front of people, people will be able to guess. I rolled my head, squeezing the regenerated skin.

I’m not used to fighting with images, so I can’t beat up that devil, and as the boy said, fighting like this doesn’t seem to be going to improve the broken world, so I thought it would be better to try to deal with the fundamental problem.

“…In the end, the reason they kept quiet about me was because of the contract. “By breaking the rules first, you gave the devil an advantage.”

I shook my head and brushed my hair away from the boy who was watching.

If Munmund had not been in danger, would he have kept silent until the end? Looking at this tail, it seems like that might have been the case. No matter how I looked at the crumbling white world, it didn’t seem like a good sign for this side.

[okay. As expected, you have a good sense of humor, Gretchen.]

“…What about the promises that must be fulfilled?”

[What are you asking when you already expected it?]

But do you regret threatening you with Munmund? Not really. No matter how much it was meant for me, it’s annoying to try to wield it while covering my eyes and ears. Furthermore, I am tired of walking through tunnels with no end in sight.

I needed an answer.

Whether it is an answer that you can aim for or an answer that allows you to end the life you left behind on Earth without any regrets. Anyway, here’s an answer that will help me sort out some parts of my life.

[Delivery of truth. That’s the promise you and that kid made, right?]

And the answer only needed a few sentences.

“okay? “Then answer one or two.”

It would be nice if I could know everything, but if I did that, the concealment of ignorance would be completely broken. Considering the impact it would have on me, I was willing to give up a significant amount of the truth. After all, that fact doesn’t mean they’re sending me home.

「…?」

“Can I go home?”

So, how did this boy summon me, was it really the bodies of criminals that were written in it, why did it have to be me, and how did he know that I was going to create the setting for ‘Demon Knight’ and take the form to fit it? I decided to throw away all those trivial details.

“I’m not selling the opportunity to go home out of curiosity or anything like that. I only need to hear what I need most. So, tell me whether I can go home or not.”

If I could go back, I could have as many curiosity as I wanted to last a lifetime.

The boy bit his lip and sighed as he looked at me.

“I can go.”

A corner of the world suddenly collapsed. Maybe it’s because so many things collapsed at once, but the small cracks don’t go any further.

Fulfilling the current promise may have prevented a small collapse.

“How do I get home?”

“That…”

But what would happen if all this whiteness collapsed? At least it won’t end up looking good.

So I asked the second question I most wanted. This will be my last question.

“As for death, if the body you are currently using dies… or if you do not become corrupted for ten years… you can return to the original world.”

OMG!

Like a huge iceberg collapsing, a chunk of the world collapsed again. Actually, the answer I received was not as unexpected as I thought.

“…But why did you keep quiet about me under those conditions?”

death. Corruption. The actions of demons in literature are not new. Also, it was easier to deal with what I knew than what I didn’t know.

Why didn’t the boy say anything? I was wondering what if I had to kill a lot of people and offer them as sacrifices, but wouldn’t it be better to speak up and ask for their cooperation at this level?

Of course, the period is a bit long. Although it is a bit long.

“That’s…”

“Oh no. If telling him would give him an advantage, then don’t bother saying it. “I’m not that curious.”

Actually, I’m incredibly curious, but it’s not as strong as my desire to go home.

Instead, I thought about the conditions I had just heard. Either the body dies or it lasts for ten years. I was very fortunate that I wasn’t asked to give it to anyone.

“That’s enough. I heard it all. “What should I do now?”

“That…”

[It’s such a pity.]

However, contrary to my wishes, the situation did not end there. The devil grinned.

[First of all, I commend you for your cleverness in distinguishing priorities, Gretchen. The astuteness of maintaining ignorance without knowing the exact situation is clearly that of a smart person.]

Rustle. At the same time, the chains that were binding her arms cracked. On the other side of the shattered world, a huge hand of flame grasped the wall of the world.

[But ‘promises’ are not fulfilled so carelessly. Since I, the arbitrator of the promise at the time of making the promise, defined the concept of ‘truth’ as ‘all facts about the situation,’ it must be carried out as is.]

“What?”

[You can’t just listen to what you want to hear.]

I couldn’t understand what the other person was saying for a moment, so I had to use my brain a little more. All the facts about the situation. To put it more simply, it seemed to mean the whole story of how we ended up like this.

“You…”

“I’m sorry…”

I reflexively looked back at the boy. However, the boy’s face was indescribably pale. It seemed that the boy also realized his mistake.

“No, this dog…”

I instinctively tried to say what my heart told me to say, but I swallowed it. The child is shaking pitifully in that moment. That was my last line of reason.

“…So you have to listen to everything?”

[Right.]

“…Is this enough for me?”

[Then you shouldn’t have written the phrase accurately when you promised.]

However, the devil in front of the line of reason scratched gently.

[As a mediator of promises, I do not judge the current exchange to be appropriate. So you must listen to all the truth, but even if you don’t want it.]

A adult who gains a child who doesn’t know well.