Episode 37: Thus Spoke the Emperor ③ ~ Trash Will Always Be Trash ~

　Roger's face turned pale, as if he knew what was going on with Falty and me, but he quickly regained his composure and smiled in a friendly manner.

"Hey, Raoul and Falty, i-i-i-i-i-it's been a long time. It's so tacky to go to such lengths as to disguise yourself just to meet me."

　I forced a smile to cover up my feelings, but I kept my expression neutral as I asked him.

"No more pretending, Roger. Before he died, the Pope confessed that you and this country plotted to assassinate Al."

"……That useless bastard."

　After gritting his teeth at my words, Roger seemed to give up and broke into loud laughter.

"Kuh…… Kuhahahahahaha! Yeah, that's right! I was the one who drove that Alberic kid into a corner, and I reported it to the emperor! ! That kid died so easily after being thrown around like that. Serves him right! ! ! ! "

　That smile made me want to punch him, but if I did, I would definitely knock him out with one punch, so I held back. That's not my goal.

"How can you say something like that? What do you mean, 'serves him right'?"

"Hahahaha! I'm sorry, but I never thought of you guys as my friends! ! On the contrary, I even feel resentment, especially towards that bastard Alberic……"

　To be honest, I feel the same way about Roger, so I can't say much about it, but I couldn't understand his resentment.

"Resentment? ……Isn't that directed at me too?"

"Of course it is, but my hatred for that kid ran much deeper."

　It was me who stopped Roger every time he tried to commit barbaric acts or rampage, so I thought he would hold a grudge against me…… But I wanted to hear Roger's side of the story first to find out what had happened between him and Al.

"That guy…… Alberic…… That little brat hit me, a genius, in the face! ! ! ! ! "

"………? ? ? ! "

　I don't understand what he's saying, or rather, I can't understand what he's saying, so my brain just froze.

"It was when I was walking through the forest during the journey. ……I found the most gorgeous dark elf…… She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in all my journeys.
　She lived in the forest and said she had no intention of fighting humans or demons, and she didn't show any signs of resistance, so…… She was so beautiful that I couldn't resist, but then Alberic showed up! !
　And then that guy…… He punched my genius face and let the girl escape! ! 'You must not do cruel things to those who are not involved in the battle, let alone those who are defenseless,' do you believe those words!?
　That brat didn't just ruin my fun, he damaged the beautiful face of this super-genius archmage with the world's greatest brain…… That deserves death, doesn't it? ! "

"……What the heck are you talking about?"

　I was so stunned that I couldn't say anything, but I managed to get those words out.
　……Did he betray Al because of that grudge?
　Also, Roger, your face isn't particularly handsome or anything. He has black hair parted in the middle and growing long, with dark circles under his eyes, not exactly the kind of face that appeals to women.
　Did he hit you in the face? Did you do that for such a trivial reason? ? I think that whether something is trivial or not is a matter of personal values, but…… this is the height of stupidity.
　Actually, it's ridiculous that this guy was chosen for the hero's party. What was the goddess thinking when she chose such a piece of trash…… I guess it was his abilities after all.……

"I didn't like how I was treated in the hero's party in the first place! Every time I tried to have fun tormenting girls, you always stopped me! ! "

"Of course we would stop you, that's the moral thing to do."

"Shut up, you stupid idiot! ! What's wrong with powerful people stealing from the weak? ! This empire is that kind of country! That's how I was born and raised! ! Despised for being from a fallen family, I fled to the kingdom! That's when I received a message from the goddess and gained the power to become the world's greatest wizard! That's why I'm going to get back at those who have looked down on me! What's wrong with taking back what was taken from me? ! "

"If that's what you want to do, do it to the people who mistreated you. You have no right to harm innocent people."

"Shut up! It's only obvious that you should take from the weak, where there's no risk! !
　And I've got a grudge against you for always getting in the way of my fun, Raoul! ! Just because I was at a disadvantage and had no chance of winning, you kept beating me up every time and wouldn't stop! !
　She doesn't seem to be here, but even though she's a former prostitute, Irene refused to have sex with me when I asked her, and then she beat me up really badly! Why won't you people just let me do what I want! ! I'm right ―――I'm not the one at fault! ! "

　No, you're clearly at fault here. It's mostly your own fault, and Irene has the right to choose. The reason you were treated like a sore thumb in the hero party was because you were always causing trouble, and you were quick to blame others for everything.
　No matter what anyone said, you never reflected on your actions or learned your lesson, so I had to keep an eye on you like a chaperone. ……But in the end, we were wrong not to purge this guy because we regretted losing his abilities. It is also true that if we had purged him, we would not have been able to defeat the Demon King in the final battle. Truly, this world is imperfect.

"Oh, I see. That is true. That's the kind of person you are. Other than magic and magic power, you werea complete failure of a human."

"Don't call people trash, you cuckold! You have no right to say anything to me, you murderer who killed your childhood friend after she was taken from you! You're the one with the cursed soul for killing your own woman! ! "

　……A cursed soul, huh? That might certainly be true. What happened to Janice was my fault.

"By the way, after coming to the empire and investigating here and there, I found out that you were also a victim of Alberic, weren't you?
　……At first, the Demon King intended to kidnap Alberic's childhood friend and corrupt her. But his childhood friend betrayed Alberic and got involved with another man, so the Demon King didn't dare to interfere, wanting to avoid any complications in the future! So he kidnapped Janice, who was in love with you, the hero's closest friend, and corrupted her! ―――The empire's intelligence agency is excellent. While maintaining a non-interventionist stance, they have been closely monitoring the global situation. ……How about it, do you get it now? You and I were both victims of the hero Alberic! ! ! Because you got involved with the hero Alberic, your life and the life of your precious childhood friend were ruined! Hahahahahaha! "

"You're really the worst piece of trash! "

　Falty recoiled from Roger's attitude and selfish assertions with a look of disgust, however, I feel that she has grown up because she did not lash out at Roger emotionally.
　……I wondered why it was Janice. That's why I can't immediately dismiss Roger's words as lies. But even so.

"……Even so, I won't blame what happened on anyone else.
　If there was any fault, it was mine for trusting that Janice would be okay――――The blame lies with me for letting things slide under the guise of trust. I could have asked her to be careful because she was close to the party of heroes, or to stay in a safe place. But it was my fault for not thinking that far ahead. That's why I should be the one to bear all of Janice's resentment and hatred."

"Come on, Celestial Knight-dono, you're being too serious. ……Well then―――― Please die."

　As soon as Roger flashed his fearless smile, a magical barrier appeared around him. Although similar to my barrier, Roger's magic barrier constantly consumed his magical power while in use. It didn't look like he was chanting……?

"Hahaha, this mansion itself has an incantation engraved on it, so if I buy enough time before it activates, I can cast any spell I know without reciting it inside this mansion! ! Did you think I was careless or stupid? I let my guard down because this is my castle, where I am invincible! You fool! ! "

　You were just being careless, weren't you? ? However, I sensed magic coming from Roger's stone statue in the room, so I grabbed Setsu-chan and jumped away, and there was a hole where we had been standing. The devil is avoiding it as if it were natural, but she's stronger than me, so there's no need to worry. That beam from the stone statue's eyes…… It was probably light magic.

"I had a trap ready in this room just in case! Everything is now activated, so you unarmed individuals have no chance of winning! With this, my magic will execute you all! Hahahaha! I did it! I won! ! "

"Hmm. Then I'll just go for it."

　Setsu-chan, who had been listening to Roger and me talk, reached out her hand while still in my arms, and Roger's torso and legs inside the magical barrier were frozen solid.

"Hahaha…… Huh? ! What is this ice?! It penetrated the barrier…… No, did it originate within the barrier? Is my magic being blocked? Uwaaaaaaaaaa! ? The magic power of the activated trap is being cut off? ? ? ! "

"Celestial Knight, you may continue."

"……Is there anything else I need to say to him? Anyway, thank you, Setsu-chan."

　Seeing Roger captured so pitifully, I sighed, realizing that nothing this scoundrel did ever worked out for him.

　

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