Chapter 57

What had happened at the White Goat Inn was to be reported to the inquisitor on a different day.

The knights who investigated the Purple Scorpion Inn and the Green Crab Inn, accompanied by the inquisitor, confirmed that the activities conducted there violated the kingdom's laws. They then arrested the guild masters and guild members. Each of them would be interrogated individually, and punishments would be handed down according to the severity of their crimes.

The guild master of the White Goat Inn wore a collar not because he was forced to, but because he willingly followed his master's commands.

The master, known as the 'Gray Jester,' had her meaning explained to me by the guild master of the White Goat Inn.

In the past, adventurers in the Albein Kingdom did not belong to any guilds but took on jobs individually. Some adventurers went on quests for fame or treasure without accepting any commissions.

However, a hundred years ago, the first adventurer to surpass the SS rank appeared in the kingdom—this was the master. She established the 'Adventurer's Guild.'

The master named her guild the 'Serpent Handler Inn' and gathered excellent adventurers to serve as guild masters. She completed requests from the citizens and nobles of the capital, earning the absolute trust of the people, rivaling that of the king. As the first guild, it had no symbolic color and was 'colorless.'

However, the master never intended to stay in the capital from the beginning.

Ten years after founding the guild, she suddenly disappeared without any warning, causing great confusion among the adventurers.

After losing her absolute charisma, the four SS-ranked and eight S-ranked adventurers followed her example and founded their own guilds.

Some of the remaining guild masters, unable to come to terms with her abrupt departure, called her a 'jester' and accused her of deceiving them.

The title 'Gray Jester' was born, symbolizing the ominous gray that other guild masters did not choose. At the time, even the guild masters did not know her name.

Despite this, the guild master of the White Goat Inn continued to worship her in secret, even after the succession. He deified and revered her without change.

It wasn't that the master had orchestrated this. The guild master of the White Goat Inn never forgot that she could return and dominate all the guilds, placing adventurers under her control.

The White Goat Inn aimed to solidify its position as the top guild to prepare a suitable chair for her when she returned.

Unaware of this plan, I had three guilds under the White Goat Inn leave its jurisdiction. From that moment, I was seen as a person to watch by the White Goat Inn.

However, after investigating my background, the guild master of the White Goat Inn did not try to destroy my guild but focused on strengthening his control over the remaining guilds.

--- But the times were changing. After we returned from defeating the demon king, the number of monsters visibly decreased, and adventurers who primarily hunted monsters lost their jobs.

First, the Purple Scorpion Inn, then the Blue Archer Inn, turned to evil deeds. The Green Crab Inn, unable to adapt to the times, was completely absorbed by the White Goat Inn's invitation.

As the master said, there was no longer a need for twelve guilds in the capital.

The guild master of the White Goat Inn needed the collars to maintain his power. The master accepted this request and made the collars—so she was not entirely blameless. She knew what they would be used for, made the collars, and had the guild members wear them, giving them orders that could cost their lives.

Still, I did not immediately turn her over to the inquisitors.

There was something I had to say, even if it was too late. So I brought her back to the guild house.

◆◇◆

I couldn't let her lie in Verlene's bed, so I changed the sheets and had her lie in mine.

It has been about two hours, but she hasn't woken up. She is experiencing temporary magical exhaustion from defending against my attack, so I need to supply her with magic, but it's not that simple.

The issue isn't the technique but whether the master wants to receive my magic.

So, I am waiting for her to recover naturally. I can't even touch her to give her magic.

I carried her here on my back—hesitating even to do that because I still respect her.

She taught me how to live. She told me to do as I pleased when I set out to defeat the demon king.

Now, I understand why she let me be. She believed I would return to her.

I never told her how much I didn't want to kill her, even if she wanted me to.

"Master, I've brought you a drink. Would you like to take a break?"

"No. She can teleport at any time... I can't let her disappear while I'm not watching. Thank you for your concern."

"...When you say thank you like that, it throws me off. Even when you're weak, there's still something charming about you, Master."

Verlene, reverting to her former demon king tone, placed the drink on the table beside the bed. It's a cold tea made with 'Misica grass,' which has a calming effect.

After taking a sip, the tightness in my chest eased. Verlene smiled and replaced the cloth on the master's forehead to cool her down.

When recovering magic, one's body temperature rises. Her wounds from my attack are healing, but she has used up her magic—now we can only wait for natural recovery.

"Verlene, you seemed to know who she is. She's not an elf... I don't know of any other sub-races that live as long as she does. Who is she...?"

"Powerful magic, vast knowledge, and immortality. She wanders the lands, bringing blessings to those who revere her and curses to those who scorn her. Such beings are said to exist even among the demon races."

I know this much. What are such beings called, and where do they come from and go to?

Verlene, looking at the sleeping master, continued.

"She is probably one of the 'Remnants.' Beings created by the gods when they still existed in this world... the survivors of those creations."

The first time I saw her power, I thought:

She's like a divine messenger. She can do anything and knows everything.

I remembered the look on her face when I said that.

She looked very sad and said, "There is one thing I cannot do."

"Even if she is a 'Remnant,' I wouldn't be surprised by any identity. But how long has she been alive?"

"Since the first humans were born in this world... it's possible to think that."

I couldn't understand it. Every time the master said she raised me to be the one who could kill her, I couldn't understand why she would say such a thing.

But if Verlene's hypothesis is correct...

She founded the adventurer's guild in the capital a hundred years ago to find an adventurer with the power to kill her. When she saw no such potential, she disappeared.

Eighty years later, she found me in a corner of the same country, Albein. Why did she return to a place she had passed through before—did she walk the world for eighty years and come back?

But it all fits. I can understand why she wanted me to kill her.

Because she has lived too long. If the one thing she can't do is choose to die...

"Still, I can't accept her. When she wakes up, I'll deny her right away."

"That's harsh. But perhaps it's the disciple's duty to advise the master when she is losing her mind."

"...I'm a poor disciple. I lied to her. I deceived her until the end."

--- I'll teach you everything you need to live, and in return, you must kill me in the end.

--- You might think I'm crazy, but to me, it's a serious issue.

--- If you keep this promise, you will be free. Until then, I will be bound to you.

"I never intended to keep that promise. When I left her to defeat the demon king, I never... intended to return..."

I clenched the cold glass so hard it almost shattered.

I had always avoided looking at how terrible a betrayal I had committed. I couldn't admit that I wanted to die, and I couldn't indulge in such nonsense.

I justified myself by not knowing her, living carefree, and seeking my own happiness.

From the beginning, everything I gained was given to me by her.

"...Don't blame yourself so much."

When the glass started to crack, Verlene's hand overlapped mine.

She then embraced me from behind. Tears I shouldn't have shed ran down my cheeks.

"To you, she was an important person. If you can start over, that's all that matters. What she did may be a sin, but there must be a way to atone for it."

"...I'm the one who pushed her this far."

"We won't let you shoulder everything. I've seen how serious and self-critical you are. That's why I can't leave you alone. If you push yourself too far and suffer irreparable emotional damage, we'll have to do something about the woman sleeping there."

She was joking, but she was serious. Her thin arms, which held me, were filled with a strong resolve not to let go.

"...We will follow your decision. The beast people captured and sold by the Galamdoor Trading Company should bear some responsibility... but the White Goat Inn and the corrupt guilds were already rotten. Perhaps they only sought her help when she returned...?"

"That... we don't know yet. We'll have to wait until she wakes up..."

Natural recovery is so slow, but there's nothing we can do but wait.

Even if she wants to die, it shouldn't be allowed. I no longer have the will to hurt her—however, if the technique I used earlier had killed her, I would regret it forever.

"If you're hesitating, I'll revive her by any means necessary if her heart stops. We also want to have a word with her when she wakes up. Don't toy with our master."

"...Please be gentle. If she and everyone else start fighting, it will be hard for me to stop them."

"...Mm. Now that I look closely, you've been crying. Don't show your weakness. Even hugging you like this is a struggle for me."

Verlene, blushing, took out a handkerchief and wiped my cheeks.

If she sees this side of me...

But the master still hasn't woken up. Instead, I sensed an ominous presence behind me and slowly turned around.

"...Hey. It's not a good hobby to watch silently."

Miralca, Yuma, Aileen, and Cody, who had been hiding, reluctantly came out.

"I thought it would be better to wait outside... but if you're having such an important conversation, I should have been here."

"Hic... sniff. Dick, you've been suffering so much... to be told to kill someone so important to you... and to keep it to yourself..."

"Um, it's not right to say you're being honest, but that's what I thought. But because Dick defeated the master, he can now express his honest feelings... Ah, sorry, I'm not crying?"

"...Your troubles are deeper than any of ours. My problems seem so small and embarrassing... Is that unfair?"

Cody says this, but there are things even best friends can't say.

I never intended to say it. But if I hadn't, I wouldn't have truly opened up to them.

--- But knowing they heard everything...

Even I can't pretend to control my emotions, and I can feel my face heating up.

"...Pretend you didn't see that. I didn't cry; my eyes suddenly hurt."

Whether this excuse worked or not was clear from the expressions of the five of them.

They entered the room, looking like they were about to laugh but also on the verge of tears. Verlene, however, hugged me possessively and smiled contentedly over my shoulder.