Rust Assaults Lady Milione!? #3
Why?
A single enormous question—why—rose up and filled my entire mind.
Milione Archibold.
The youngest daughter of Archbishop Archibold, and one of the most famous women in the entire kingdom.
Why would a woman like that put on a mask, hide her identity, and go around smashing people's skulls?
Of course there could be any number of reasons!
Even I—kind, devout, and more diligent than anyone—had been forced to hide my identity and operate under the name Rust!
But the revelation was so completely unexpected that for a moment my vision swam.
The Las I knew had been the sort who snarled, “I want to tear Archbishop Archibold apart with my own hands more than anyone,” pouring pure rage toward the Archibold family.
Who in their right mind would have predicted that the person saying things like that was the daughter of that very Archibold?
It would be like discovering that the chairman of the country’s top electronics company put on a bat mask every night and prowled the streets of Seoul as Batman—.
Would you believe it?
That was exactly how I felt right now.
But there was no time to simply sit there basking in the sentiment.
Las shifted her gaze toward the base of the tower and spoke.
“Rust, the stories you showed me—I specially had people print them! The Gwichukdo, your autobiography and book of prophecy, will probably spread throughout all of Durgien!”
I’d been wondering who had the gall to publish my novel without the slightest concept of copyright.
Of course it had been Las’s doing.
Las’s true identity was the archbishop’s daughter.
It wouldn’t be surprising in the least if she had personal connections when it came to publishing and printing.
“Rust, there’s a bounty on your face too! A full fifty gold coins! That’s the kind of bounty they put on executives of Walpurgis, the Psychos, or the Gourmet Club!”
You fucking bitch!
You’re the one who put the bounty on me!
And now she was shouting with pure joy as if she knew nothing about it—I was genuinely furious.
But if I fought Las, I would lose. Guaranteed.
So I just held it in.
Las, somehow interpreting my silence however she liked, shouted even more joyfully.
“Now the high-ranking inquisitors from the Order will come after you! And the heretics of depravity will hunt for your existence too! Right now, when everyone’s attention is fixed on the new star—that’s when we have to show them something real!”
Las’s words were true.
A bounty of fifty gold coins.
Bounty criminals with gold-coin prices meant big shots, and of course the inquisitors or mercenary teams dispatched to catch them would be skilled professionals.
And the heretics would take notice of me too—.
Something along the lines of, “Who the hell is this guy getting such a huge bounty right from the start?”
“I, Las, who claim the name of the Great Sin Seat. And you, Rust, who had a massive bounty placed on you the moment you were wanted. We will leave Durgien and set a great fire across the kingdom! Right?”
“Probably.”
“That’s why today’s work is important. Rust, you’re planning to rape Archbishop Archibold’s youngest daughter with that huge thing of yours, aren’t you? To raise your infamy even higher!”
…No, I have no such intention?
But behind the mask, Las was the same crazy bitch I had always known.
“To the heretics and cultists, the name Archibold is worse than an enemy! If you violate and rape his daughter, you’ll raise your name high even among the cultists! Indeed—you are a villain among villains!”
No, I said I don’t want to.
But Las’s next words made a chill run down my spine.
“But if you fail, then tonight I’ll raid the Agarpe territory myself to raise our renown. There’s no better way to raise the bounty!”
If I failed to violate and rape Milione, Las would mobilize and raid the Agarpe territory?
I could almost smell the scent of various things burning at the tip of my nose.
I couldn’t turn this peaceful territory into hell.
“Fine. I, Rust, will rape the daughter of Archibold.”
“Ohhh!”
Las was full of anticipation behind the mask.
Looking at her tightly clenched fists, I decided to ask something I’d been curious about.
“More than that—you’ve been using the word ‘we’ since earlier. What does that mean?”
“We are we! We are needle and thread! Blade and hilt! When you think, I act! Las and Rust—someday we will rise to the peak of all heretics and crush the kingdom! Right!?”
It was a story that painted itself all too vividly before my eyes in every direction.
Feeling like if I continued this conversation any longer I’d start going bald in circular patches, I decided to simply turn and leave.
As I silently started down the tower, Las called after me.
“I didn’t mention it. There’s this monk named Hyde. While you’re at it, I’d like you to give that guy a thrashing too. The way he pretends to be good is disgusting.”
“…….”
“The more someone claims to be devout and good, the more rotten they are underneath—. Rust, those were your words, right? It appears five times in the Gwichukdo as a major line. Hyde—that guy is exactly that type.”
Las.
Whether this girl’s instincts were good or bad, past or present—I still couldn’t tell.
“Hyde, I was worried when I couldn’t see you!”
Psyche.
She came running toward me in full armor.
It was ten o’clock at night, heading toward midnight.
Normally it would have been time to lie peacefully in bed, but tonight the Agarpe territory was as noisy and busy as if an emergency had been declared.
It was because of the rumor that the Great Sin Seat Las would raid the territory tonight.
“I just went to the bathroom for a bit. More importantly, Psyche—is everything alright?”
“So far I don’t see any particular problems! But she’s a woman who claims the name of ‘Great Sin Seat.’ There’s no telling when or where she’ll do what!”
“That’s a correct observation. No one who claims the name of a Great Sin Seat is normal. Especially in the case of the Great Sin Seats of Wrath—since they inherit the position by killing their predecessor—”
As far as I knew, “Las of Wrath” was one of the great sinners selected after Pope Gregory proclaimed the “Seven Deadly Sins that devour humanity” some twenty years ago.
After that, countless criminals had charged at the Great Sin Seat named Las to seize that name and gain fame—.
And through mutual slaughter, they had inherited the name.
Therefore, claiming the name “Great Sin Seat Las” was the same as advertising yourself as a psycho warmonger.
And among heretics, it also meant “the strongest powerhouse.”
“Therefore, Psyche—if you encounter someone claiming the name of Las of Wrath, it’s best to avoid them.”
In reality, the Las I knew had also been targeted countless times by heretics aiming for that name and prestige.
She had crushed them all with her bare hands and repelled them, though—.
Psyche was surprised by my explanation.
“Hyde, you know an awful lot about the Great Sin Seats, don’t you? I didn’t know the details to that extent. The Agarpe territory is rather dark when it comes to news from the Order…”
It felt like she was asking, You bastard, who the hell are you to know so much?
While I was searching for an excuse, Psyche grasped my hand tightly, as if moved.
“My husband Hyde is truly a man of great learning! Taking you as my husband is a great blessing for me and the Agarpe family!”
“That’s true enough.”
“Then what about that man called Rust—Lust? Lust. It’s the same name as one of the Seven Deadly Sins proclaimed by Pope Gregory, isn’t it? Is he also a Great Sin Seat?”
“He is not. Pope Gregory has left the seat of the Great Sin of Lust vacant to this day and has never appointed anyone to that position.”
According to the Order’s regulations, there had never officially been a Great Sin Seat of Lust.
I didn’t really know the reason either.
And I didn’t want to know.
It would just be the opinions of old men getting heated over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.
Anyway.
Psyche spoke.
“My husband Hyde—I will definitely protect you today. But since we don’t know what might happen, you must be careful. And if my prediction is correct, that man Rust will appear today as well.”
“What? Why do you think that?”
Psyche’s insight was astonishing.
When I asked about the reason, she answered calmly.
“From what I saw, Las seemed to be controlled by that man Rust. The fact that she has appeared here means Rust is nearby as well—. Perhaps—”
What.
What is “perhaps”?
Soon Psyche cried out as if she had realized something.
“Everyone, listen! The target of those raiding the Agarpe territory tonight is none other than Lady Milione Archibold! We must further strengthen the security around Lady Milione!”
Psyche Agarpe’s logical circuits possessed an innately outstanding sense of intuition.
To instantly grasp that the cultists were targeting Archibold—how accurate.
Of course, from my position of needing to “violate” and “rape” Lady Milione, it was the absolute worst!
And if I failed to violate and rape the young lady, the Agarpe territory would be crushed by an enraged Las, right?
My wife being too competent was the problem!
I was genuinely curious, so I asked Psyche.
“What on earth do you mean that the cultists are targeting Lady Archibold?”
“It’s clearly the plan of that lecherous man Rust. If you look at that cursed man’s story, the Gwichukdo, from pages twenty-two to twenty-seven there’s a story of forcibly violating the archbishop’s daughter!”
Pages twenty-two to twenty-seven?
I flipped through the Gwichukdo in my mind.
It was indeed that content.
“This was as good as a warning letter that he was targeting Lady Archibold! To only realize this now! Lady Archibold is in danger…!”
Saying so, Psyche ran toward Lady Milione’s room.
I followed after her as well.
For some reason, if I didn’t follow now, it felt like things would go very wrong in various ways.
Thus the door was flung open.
Milione was wearing a light, thin silk nightgown, leaning against the oil lamp and reading a book.
A novel she had read until it was tattered, no less.
“What? What’s all this commotion?”
“Lady Milione! What Rust is targeting is you! He’s probably thinking of raping and violating you to raise his renown and establish his position among the heretics!”
Saying so, Psyche frantically moved about—rummaging through Milione’s luggage, opening the wardrobe, and so on.
Watching that, Lady Milione frowned.
“Psyche, what are you doing right now? Opening the wardrobe that has my underwear in it without permission! How rude!”
“It’s necessary! According to the book that man wrote, he is a being skilled at transforming into any form and good at imitating other people! There’s a chance he’s already hidden himself in this very place!”
Psyche.
As expected of the woman I had taken as my wife.
Look at this sharp deductive ability.
No wonder she had cornered my Blood Crusade so many times.
In fact, I was already here!
Fuck!
But I started to wonder if Psyche knew the contents of the Gwichukdo a little too well.
As I felt that oddity, Milione asked.
“Psyche, aren’t you a little too well-versed in the contents of the Gwichukdo?”
“…Well, to defeat evil, one must know evil well!”
Ah, so that was the reason.
Similar to how monitoring agents who censor porn have to keep watching porn.
As I was thinking that, Milione bit her lower lip.
“Rust, that man is coming to violate me, is that it? The Agarpe family will have to put effort into security so that I don’t get violated.”
“We will! I’ll personally ensure thorough security so that man can’t lay a single fingertip on you, Milione!”
Crunch—.
A thick vein bulged on Milione’s forehead.
Did that mean she was angry?
Well, if Psyche thoroughly guarded her, that Rust wouldn’t be able to approach Lady Milione—and then Milione wouldn’t get violated.
Then that “Wrath” would explode upon Agarpe.
Whoosh—.
That was when it happened.
Somewhere, a hot blaze was felt.
—Fi, fire!
—The warehouse is on fire!
—It must be the Great Sin Seat Las appearing!
Looking out the window, flames were rising high.
Psyche was flustered at the sight.
“Why is there a fire?”
“Psyche, shouldn’t you go check right away?”
Milione looked at Psyche with narrowed eyes.
Psyche seemed to be deliberating, looking back and forth between Milione and the flames outside the window, her dilemma deepening in various ways.
At times like this, I should step in.
“I will protect Lady Milione by any means necessary so that no disgrace falls upon the name of Agarpe. Psyche, please go quickly. They need your help over there.”
“…Hyde!”
Psyche looked at me with very reliable eyes.
Swoosh—.
Psyche took a book out from her bosom.
It was Backstreet Nymph’s Village.
“Keep this with you! It’s my charm. This will protect you. Then I’ll be back soon!”
Whoosh—.
Psyche dashed out of the room like lightning.
Now the only ones left in this room were me, Hyde, and Milione.
In truth—Rust and Las.
But Las did not know my identity. This strange mask play.
Where would its end lead?