NOVEL WEB Chapter 182
“I pulled it out!!!”
With that shout, my friends charged at me all at once, unleashing their abilities.
Rocks and ice erupted, binding me tight, while the slimes floating nearby were swept away by some unseen force, and the slimes aimed at me were blocked by a wall of flame trying to stop them.
Lightning burst forth, halting the slimes’ movement, while incomprehensible magic wrote unknown symbols across the sky.
It was a sight beyond bleakness, terrifyingly chaotic. It looked as if the entire world was only against me, a truly horrifying scene.
But I wasn’t afraid. In fact, I felt an unsettling sense of relief.
Even to the point of thinking, wow, these kids have really grown up.
Was this really the end, or was it that strange peace that comes from having all rights stripped away?
Perhaps I didn’t have to worry about anything anymore and could simply let it flow.
That might be it. But more fundamentally, perhaps it was because I was convinced they would never hurt me.
It’s hilarious, really. Just a moment ago, I was shouting about wanting to die, and now that I’m sure I won’t, I’m relieved. How absurd is that?
I couldn’t move my limbs, let alone my neck, but I didn’t feel uncomfortable. At least I could blink and twitch my lips.
“Ah, how ridiculous. After all that fuss, I’ve completely lost. You guys win. Do as you please, kill or spare me…”
So, I declared my surrender to the kids who were approaching menacingly.
They didn’t look too convinced, but hey… I was the one who betrayed them first. It wouldn’t be surprising if trust was at rock bottom.
I was ready to take a beating and get kicked all at once. Even if that led to my demise.
So, I just accepted whatever they decided to do. With a thousand words to say, I had no room for complaints whatsoever. Just like I thought before, I was going to hand over my leash to them.
Whether they killed me or spared me. Wherever they sent me. Whatever they turned me into. From now on, they could do as they pleased.
“…Blanca.”
The first to speak was Lapiz.
She was backlit, so I couldn’t quite see her expression, but it was clear she had a lot she wanted to say.
“…Do you still want to die?”
After a long silence, her first question was whether I wanted to die.
“If you want to kill me.”
“Do you think I would want that now, you idiot?”
Lapiz looked down at me for a while, then threw me a question.
“…Was the value of the time we spent together worth so little? You’d turn your back on us and side with those crazy losers?”
So was the worth of the memories we shared really that little?
True, her words were a bit harsh… but I understood since it was Lapiz saying it. To her, those folks must have only looked like lunatics.
“…Until that point.”
As I said that, Lapiz’s expression clearly showed she was furious, ready to kill me at any moment.
“But after leaving, I finally realized how enjoyable and precious the time I spent with you was. And I came to that conclusion. I made a foolish mistake that I can never take back.”
“If you knew… if you really knew you made a mistake!!! You should have come back and admitted it then!!!”
With her sanity nearly crumbling, she punched the ice prison I was trapped in repeatedly, but honestly, it didn’t feel all that scary.
Well, considering she was crying so much, how could I have felt intimidated?
“If that happened, we… I would have accepted you, you know…!”
Lapiz seemed to blame me, but at the same time, she almost looked pitying.
So, for her, I knew saying this might come across as insincere.
But I had to say it. At the very least, she had the right to hear it.
“…You were friends, but they were family.”
Looking back now, it seems I followed the Liberators for that reason. They were family. To be precise, that person and Justitia were my family.
It’s not that they weren’t precious to me. It’s just that at that time, that person and Justitia were more important.
…Even if the result turned out like this.
“Such… such…”
Lapiz was choked up now, unable to articulate her words properly, just weeping like a broken faucet.
It seemed unlikely she could handle any more of this conversation.
“Lapiz, Lapiz! Calm down, it’s not over yet. You know? Until we board the airship, we need to keep you tied up, so just until then…”
Yeonhwa approached Lapiz, trying her best to keep her grounded by chatting with her, gently pulling her away from me.
The next to arrive was Minho.
“…What a sight.”
He took a look at me trapped in the ice and rocks and said that.
“What are you staring at, you weirdo?”
I knew it wasn’t the time for jokes, but I couldn’t help responding that way the moment I heard his words.
“I have a lot to say, but this doesn’t seem like the right place.”
“Fine, say whatever you want…”
What he wanted to talk about was likely my true identity and why I did what I did. It would be awkward to say it in front of everyone.
“Serves you right.”
As soon as Minho stepped back, Seolhwa made a sudden comment.
It was so out of the blue that I was at a loss for how to respond, but since that’s just how Seolhwa is, I just replied unenthusiastically, “Yeah, really.”
“You went on about playing friends, but did you still think of us as friends?”
“That’s…”
I wished she wouldn’t bring that up.
I had to use such strong words to strengthen my resolve.
“I wish I could say the same to you, Seolhwa. Everything we went through so far… was it all fake? Was it all just an act to tear down the Heros Company?”
Ageha joined in, looking a bit fierce as she asked Seolhwa that question.
If you look for that much detail, I could certainly respond.
“At first.”
“Then, when exactly did you mean it?”
“…I don’t know either. When was it?”
It really felt like I had become genuine friends at some point.
“…Was it when I got swept up with those kids and the suicides? Sorry. I really don’t know. At first, I was just playing around, but at some point, we actually became friends.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Did you think you could do spy work with such half-hearted intentions…?”
Who could have imagined it would come to this? If I had known, I wouldn’t have even started. As I bitterly laughed at my own state, Ageha muttered if I was really laughing at such a time.
“I know, it’s not the time to laugh… But, heh, I just can’t help it, it’s funny… Pfft…”
I didn’t even know what was so funny, but I couldn’t stop laughing.
It wasn’t the time for laughter, but I couldn’t hold in the giggles like a crazy person.
“Sorry, sorry… Huff, huh… Ah, I feel a bit better.”
“…I guess we should also have a psychological evaluation done.”
Changwon, who had been quietly observing, muttered that.
“Don’t you have any questions? You seem to have plenty to ask.”
“What good does it do to ask a question that’s already been asked?”
Ah, so there’s no need to ask again about something that’s already been inquired. If that’s the case.
Look, while Yeonhwa was all busy comforting Lapiz right now.
The last one remaining… oh.
“Finally caught you, Blanca.”
The last was Jinhyeon.
“You must be so pleased to finally be able to deliver the punishment that befits a sinner.”
He’d just mentioned a crime and whatnot, yet how had he not changed at all?
I guess people don’t change in just a year. Even if that year happens to be one that comes once in a lifetime.
“…That’s right. You still have sins left to atone for.”
What do you mean, “still have”? If there are sins remaining, that’s fine, but what do you mean by “still”? I asked for clarification since that expression was bugging me, and he replied as if it was nothing serious.
“You betrayed our trust.”
“…Then what about the sins you’ve resolved?”
“The crime of causing chaos in society while being part of the Liberators.”
“I don’t remember standing trial.”
“That has never happened. But, you’ve already paid your debt, right? In death.”
…His words are really beautifully phrased. Did he have to go that far?
Even if they could speak freely since they harbored no good feelings, I had just said they were like family.
Ah, maybe Jinhyeon wouldn’t care about that at all.
If that’s what he planned, then go right ahead. I told him to do as he pleased, and he raised his hand as if to use his abilities…
But then he stopped.
“I won’t let you escape so easily. Live. Live and keep apologizing to us. Reflect on your sins and chew them over. That’s the punishment I’m giving you.”
So I was to continue feeling guilty?
…Would it be better just to let me live? From the way he spoke so grandly about guilt, it seemed he still had a long way to go.
“So… what happens to me now? Will I return as an experiment subject for the Heros Company? Or will I be locked away in solitary confinement, never to see the light of day again?”
“That won’t happen. Your fate is in our hands. And we… have no intention of sending you to such a place.”
“Heh, how generous.”
“But you will undergo a simple investigation.”
Investigation, huh.
How draining.