72
Chapter 72
"...Lucy Valiere."
The Leader of Black Fang, who had appeared before her eyes before she knew it, called out a name she had never given him.
But come to think of it, it wasn't particularly strange.
That man had always been like that.
From the very first time they met, he had seen right through everything.
-You have no right to judge me.
-Did you think I wouldn't know about the things you've done all this time?
The ugly side of the Holy See, which Lucy had only learned about today.
Their horrific acts of cooperating with the Empire to gather children and harvest Divine Power.
That man had already figured it all out a long time ago. The reason he had shown disgust towards her, a Knight of the Empire, back then must have been because of that.
'If only he had told me about the dark side of the Holy See back then.... No, that's a selfish thought.'
It was an obvious conclusion.
This was only the second time Lucy had directly faced Black Fang.
When they ran into each other at the Black Market, it had been the first time seeing each other for both Lucy and that man.
To the Leader, Lucy was nothing more than a Knight of the Empire he had just met.
What reason would he have to trust such a Knight with a secret?
This was classified information that could shake the Holy See to its core the moment it was exposed.
Yet he would blab about it to a Knight of the Empire he was meeting for the first time?
What if that Knight reported it to her superiors?
What if the Holy See noticed the leak, disposed of the evidence, attempted perjury, and thoroughly prepared for the revelation?
It would mean throwing away the chance to take down the Holy See just to give a piece of advice to an Imperial Knight.
Rather, it would have been far stranger if he had told her all of this back then.
'Then what he said back then.......'
Only then did Lucy feel like she could finally understand the words the Leader had left her with at the Black Market.
-Whether you truly know nothing. Or whether you are just putting on an act. It has nothing to do with us.
-We simply fulfill our mission.
It was a declaration that regardless of whether Lucy, as a dog of the Empire, had a hand in this nauseating affair or not, they would do what had to be done,
and that they would bring down the Holy See in the name of Black Fang.
If Lucy hadn't orchestrated all this, Black Fang would have eliminated the Holy See in their own way.
Trust in the Holy See had already plummeted to rock bottom due to the video Black Fang had spread anyway.
What if Black Fang had exposed that secret at the right time then?
What if that inhumane facility, which ground up children to extract Divine Power, was revealed to the entire world?
The Holy See would never have been able to survive.
Just as the Leader of Black Fang had declared, the name of the Holy See would have been erased from history.
"What are you doing right now?"
The man standing before her asked.
His voice was incredibly fierce.
Lucy could tell.
That the man before her eyes was genuinely furious right now.
Come to think of it, it wasn't exactly strange.
The massacre Lucy had just committed was inevitably going to be known as Black Fang's doing.
It was clear that Black Fang intended to bring them down by exposing the Holy See's secrets, rather than through an armed massacre.
Once this fact came to light, Black Fang would be framed as the mastermind behind this slaughter.
Of course, considering what the Holy See had done, public opinion would surely be somewhat in their favor, but.
This wasn't an issue of public opinion.
By creating a public outcry against the Holy See and having the citizens tear them down,
Black Fang's scheme was to let the masses gain experience fighting a massive power with their own two hands.
A meticulous stepping stone for when they would eventually spark a revolution in the Empire had been completely ruined by an idiot like her.
...Surely, it was better for the world if someone like her didn't exist.
As if dropping children into Hell wasn't enough.
She had even doubted, maligned, and hindered those who were trying to make the world a better place.
That was why it came to this when Lucy picked up the sword the Leader had tossed to the ground.
"I asked you what you're doing right now."
The man repeated.
His voice was even sharper than before.
Before Lucy could even bring the blade to her neck, the Leader grabbed her arm and stopped her.
And then Lucy realized.
The 'real' reason the man was angry.
...He was worried.
He was worried about her.
He was actually trying to save a piece of trash like her, a murderer who had even ruined his plans.
But.......
"Please let go."
Lucy said.
She told him to let go of the hand gripping her arm.
She asked him to just let her pay the price for her sins, as she rightfully should.
She had realized the depth of his ideals. She also understood the nobility of his desire to save people.
However, even so.
There are people in this world who are not worth saving. There are people who have no right to live.
Just like her right now.
Her body was stained with blood and gore.
She had killed too many people.
What stood here was not a being worthy of salvation.
Telling herself this, Lucy looked at the Leader.
And.......
The Leader took off his mask.
The face of a furious youth was revealed.
The man slowly approached Lucy and... opened his mouth to speak.
*****
My mind simply couldn't keep up with the situation.
Actually, it would be stranger if I could understand what was going on.
The Tracking Sigil had been flashing like crazy, so I had rushed over to the Great Temple as fast as I could.
Strangely, there was no one guarding the Great Temple. Wondering why, I stepped inside, only to be hit by the overwhelming stench of blood.
Corpses were scattered all around.
Before the shock of witnessing that grotesque sight could even fade, what I saw before my eyes was....
Lucy, suddenly trying to kill herself.
I sprinted over and snatched Lucy's sword, throwing it to the floor. When a kid suddenly tries to commit suicide right in front of you, you stop her first and ask questions later.
After putting out that immediate fire.
I asked her.
What the hell was going on right now.
Why she was suddenly trying to kill herself here, what was up with all these corpses, and why she was covered in blood.
I had a mountain of questions I wanted to ask.
But.......
'Why is she acting like this again?'
I had asked her clearly, but she didn't answer. Wondering what the hell she was doing, I looked at her, only to realize her state was somewhat bizarre.
I quickly racked my brain.
Even if she was keeping her mouth shut like that, I could at least infer what had happened here.
Let's start with the most important thing first.
Why was the Great Temple in this state?
Just who was the mastermind behind all this? If I thought about that, I could somewhat understand the current situation....
'...Wait a minute.'
Wasn't Lucy the culprit, in all likelihood?
I couldn't think of any other possibilities besides her.
There were no other suspects in sight.
It was also strange that she was the only one randomly alive at this massacre scene.
Above all, the spoiler post had stated that Lucy was a horrific murderer.
If Lucy, the renowned villain of this story, had orchestrated all this, it would mostly add up.
...But for some reason.
I didn't get the feeling that this was the answer.
Instead, I had a gut feeling that I was missing something.
I was still deep in thought when it happened.
Lucy suddenly reached for the sword I'd thrown on the floor. Terrified, I quickly grabbed her arm to stop her.
Harsh words instinctively spilled from my lips.
It would have been stranger if they hadn't.
Having gone through something similar before my possession, I absolutely could not stand to see someone take their own life right in front of me.
However, Lucy looked at me and spoke.
"Please let go."
To let go of that hand.
To just let her die.
...It was only then that I realized the truth. It would have been stranger if I hadn't.
When I first met Lucy, seeing her act so normally for a murderer, I had formed a few theories.
And one of those... was a 'split personality.'
Applying that theory to the current situation, everything clicked.
The reason Lucy had committed such an act.
And the reason she was now agonizing with guilt after killing everyone here.
She felt responsible for the crimes committed by her other personality. That was clearly why she was trying to end her life now.
In this moment.
There was only one thing I needed to say.
I slowly approached her.
"You're just running away right now."
Certainly.
I couldn't even begin to fathom the weight of that guilt.
Even if it wasn't intentional, people died because of her actions.
A sense of sin far beyond my imagination must have been crushing her.
But even so, death is absolutely not the answer. I could never accept that.
"You're just trying to look away because facing your sins is too overwhelming."
No matter how heavy the crime.
No matter how little confidence she had to live with such a burden.
I could not let her make that choice.
So, I declared.
"Do not run from your sins, Lucy Valiere."
Do not use death as your escape.