The Punishment Hall (16)
The Punishment Hall (16)
"......"
"......"
Pinned flat, I looked up at her. Monica traced her fingers over my chest.
Smoothly, like handling a treasured piece of porcelain.
Her finger stopped and dug into my navel.
"Pabababak."
I didn't remember her being this kind of character.
I caught Monica's hand with a light smack.
"Quit messing around. Are you going to give me that camera or not?"
"I'm thinking about it."
"We're close, aren't we? Weren't we friends? Come on! We're practically family!"
"Friends only when you need something. Sure. The rest of the time you're all 'big sis, big sis.'"
"Hey, at first you were definitely a diligent warden."
"I am a diligent warden. Just during work hours."
Monica leaned her head against my chest with a soft thump.
"So? Are you going to do it or not?"
"Do what?"
"...Zahard, you're only staying here for about a month, right?"
Monica rubbed her cheek against me as if trying to leave her scent behind.
"Even after you go back to the church headquarters, please accept my letters. Like pen pals?"
"That much, sure."
"...Really?"
"Do I seem like I wouldn't?"
Silence fell.
Monica murmured.
"There are people who don't keep their promises."
She clutched the hem of my clothes tightly. Her fox ears drooped.
"Rehabilitating prisoners is enjoyable, of course, but the most enjoyable thing is always when prisoners leave in a 'proper' state. When they leave, they always thank me. They say thank you for looking after them, that they'll definitely come back to visit someday. But among those people, the ones who actually come back are rare."
"......"
"Being a warden is a lonelier job than people think. You're shut away in one place, and you have to keep sending people off. I'm human too. I have prisoners I'm close with, and I sometimes talk with them. But all of that is just a fleeting connection, isn't it?"
"Can't you just get close with the other guards?"
"I always have to set an example for my subordinates. The other wardens... don't really like this place. They think they've been exiled, which suits the name Punishment Office. I volunteered, but everyone else was just demoted. If I'm the only one grinning like an idiot, I get fingers pointed at me all the time."
So she was always diligent and kept a somewhat cold attitude during work...
There was a reason for that.
Monica whispered quietly.
"Will you keep in touch?"
"I will."
"You're not lying?"
"Of course not. When I say I'll do something, I do it. But if you get that lonely... couldn't you just apply for a transfer to another post?"
"I do like rehabilitating prisoners itself. There's a bit of a thrill to it... and above all, among those who leave saying thank you, some people really do go on to live well."
Monica suddenly lifted her head. She leaned in close enough that our lips could touch.
Oh. I can see them. Fangs.
Her teeth are white too. Does she brush well? Never thought I'd get a look inside a beauty's mouth like this.
"I think this job suits me perfectly! Except for the part about having no friends!"
"You have a friend."
"Huh?"
"Right here."
I grinned.
"Aren't I your friend?"
"...I do. Sometimes Zahard feels older than me."
"I am older."
"R-really?!"
"In spirit, I'm a grandpa."
Monica scratched at my navel furiously.
"Don't tease me!"
. . .
"What's that?"
"A camera."
"A picture?"
Amar tilted her head. I snapped a quick photo with a click.
A polaroid that developed immediately. Amar flinched.
"Is it a mirror?"
"A frozen mirror. You can capture a moment with this."
Amar, looking interested, casually placed her hand on the camera. She looked it over this way and that, then stared at me.
Her heart-filled eyes were shouting. That she wanted it.
I nodded.
"It's a gift. Amar. It's yours, so use it however you like."
"Really?!"
Amar hugged the camera and rolled around. She kept pressing the switch recklessly.
Photos burst out.
"Wow...!"
"You're going to run out of film."
"Film? What's that? There's a limit to how many pictures you can take?"
"Fifty shots at a time is the max... but there's a supplier, so you can take as many as you want."
"As many as I want?"
"Taking a photo means it's a moment important enough that you want to remember it clearly."
"An important moment..."
Amar hugged the camera. She glanced at me.
"...Do people take pictures when they do naughty things?"
What incredible insight!
"Surprisingly, there are people like that."
"Naughty."
"You like naughty things."
"You don't really like them."
"I do."
Amar flinched in surprise. She urgently studied my face as if the sky had fallen.
"If you like them, why don't you pounce on me?!"
"Because I'm still getting to know you?"
"...Once you know everything, will you pounce on me?!"
"That's not it."
"It's complicated."
"What in the world is easy?"
I held out my hand to Amar. We'd gotten somewhat closer, so now I could ask without watching her reaction.
It meant our relationship was improving, little by little but surely. A good sign.
What I wanted to teach her was proper human emotion. Feeling happy when you're happy, feeling sad when you're sad.
If I taught her how not to be desperate for love, she definitely wouldn't seduce the guards.
"Give me the camera."
"Giving it to me and then taking it back is mean."
"I'll give it back, so hand it over. What I'm going to do is something different."
"Something different?"
"Amar has to stay here, but the camera doesn't, right?"
I shook the camera.
"I'll take pictures for you. A ton of them."
Amar blinked.
"Why?"
"Because I want to show you."
"......"
Amar nodded quietly.
. . .
"What is that?"
"A camera."
"I know that. What I'm asking is something else."
Valkan frowned.
"Why are you shoving it at me?"
"Come on. Why are you being like that with me?"
"What do you mean, us! We're enemies!"
"We're enemies who've crossed swords hundreds of times, and friends. Come on. Stop playing hard to get and come here."
"......"
What is it with this guy? Isn't he unbelievably cheeky?
"Do whatever you want."
I'd never met anyone so willful. Valkan swung his sword through the air. A thunderclap rang out.
The thunder of the Lycos, the Beastfolk warrior mercenary company that had sworn loyalty to the Church of Ra, was returning.
Not much longer until I return to my prime.
「Valkan. I can't... I can't see ahead.」
He swung. When old memories surfaced, the thunder grew fiercer.
"...You."
Valkan stopped his sword.
"Why are you helping me?"
"I'm not helping, I'm training."
"You could do this with any other guard."
"Because I'm an outcast."
"That figures."
"What?! I have lots of friends, you know?!"
Valkan let out a short laugh. Then, without realizing it, he raised his hand.
I laughed? Me?
I, who's been forcing myself to live without even finding a reason to live, laughed?
"...This is insane."
Spending time with a madman must have driven me crazy. Valkan swung his sword hard. He struck Zahard's head with the flat of the blade.
"This is your fault!"
"Why are you taking it out on an innocent person?!"
Click.
A photo was taken.
. . .
"Photography... it didn't exist in Lizardfolk civilization."
"You didn't have anything like this?"
"There were murals. The priestesses mostly painted them. I had some interest too, but... warriors had to hold spears."
Rakkum fiddled with the camera. It's small. Human objects are incredibly small.
If he put even a little more strength into it, it would break. To think that this one tiny thing could capture a picture on the spot...
"Human advancement is truly terrifying. I suppose the Lizardfolk's decline was only natural."
"Didn't the Lizardfolk accept civilization to some extent?"
"Only a very small minority. The majority are like the blind with open eyes. Cypress trees that believe themselves strong."
"Meaning they break easily?"
"You've been listening well to my stories."
"Of course. Whose stories would I not listen to?"
Rakkum tossed the camera back with a light thump. He flicked his fishing rod lightly.
Honestly, fishing with him wasn't fun. But it was the only time of day he looked forward to.
It's much tastier than eating fish raw.
Even without saying much, it's incredibly enjoyable.
"...Young guard."
"Yes?"
"You are clear and blue. You pretend otherwise, but you hide kindness."
"No way. I'm the type who wouldn't bat an eye if someone died right in front of me."
"Only when it comes to people you don't care about. Once you're entangled with someone, you're the kind of person who would prioritize a friend's life over your own."
"I'm completely selfish?!"
"Your instincts say otherwise."
People who throw away their own lives for others are rare. So rare that it's safe to say they don't exist.
Goodwill is merely a value that changes depending on the standard. Someone's goodwill can be someone else's malice.
There is nothing absolute in the world. Just as he was a hero to the Lizardfolk but a criminal here.
So if he were to keep his closest friend by his side, he would want someone like him. Someone who clearly distinguishes enemies and clearly keeps allies close.
"...People are three-dimensional."
"That's not wrong."
"A good person to someone can be a bad person to someone else."
"That's obvious."
"But even so, we trust those who are close to us. We show trust and form relationships. Young guard. You have shown me trust."
"All we did was fish together."
"From the fish's perspective, aren't we like brothers running side by side with spears on our shoulders?"
Rakkum grinned.
"I've told you all my stories. I talked until my mouth was sore. So it's your turn. Brother."
"...Huh?"
"Tell me your story. I've grown curious. About my friend's story."
"There's nothing special."
"Tell me only as much as you want to."
"......."
Zahard fiddled with the camera. Then he smiled faintly.
"Well... if you insist... I do have a lot to tell."
"That much?"
"I've lived quite an eventful life."
Zahard shrugged.
"I'll tell you. Rakkum."
Click.
A photo was taken.
. . .
Tsubaki asked.
"What's that?"
It was somewhat clumsy, but the sentence was complete. There were still many shortcomings, but Tsubaki was quite pleased with it.
One of the few successes in life earned through hard effort. Speaking made her feel good, so Tsubaki beamed.
He, having decided to speak casually, answered comfortably.
"This? It's a camera."
"Camera?"
"It takes pictures. Like this."
With a click, Tsubaki was photographed. Tsubaki, holding up the photo, opened her eyes wide.
"Amazing technology!"
"It's magic. Magic."
"I... I want that too..."
"Here."
"Yes!"
Tsubaki busily went around taking pictures here and there. The cell was fairly spacious, but there wasn't much in it.
The exercise equipment she'd pestered Zahard to buy. The snacks she'd secretly asked him to bring in.
She photographed the bed with its clean sheets, and took plenty of pictures of the scribbles that covered the walls.
Even the small crackling explosions she made with her hands.
"......! Zahard! Look at this! The explosion is captured in the photo...!"
"Pretty, right?"
It was pretty. It felt different from seeing it with her eyes, a strange feeling.
After taking pictures with enthusiasm for a while, Tsubaki quietly stopped the explosions.
There was something else she wanted to photograph.
The things she'd worked on all this time.
"......"
She swallowed dryly and reached out. She photographed the time pressed onto paper with a pen, one page at a time.
She didn't stop until the paper was dyed black. Thanks to the person who gently encouraged her, she was able to keep going without stopping midway.
At first it was hard. But as she kept at it, it got a little better.
Once it got better, she grew greedy. Once she grew greedy, it became fun.
Just like when she first learned explosions, she couldn't stop anymore.
Because of one person. Because of the one and only person who looked at her properly.
All of this was possible.
"....Hey."
Tsubaki clutched the photo of the notes that had spilled from the camera.
"Really... aren't you scared of Tsubaki?"
"I'm not scared."
A hand touched her head with a light thump.
"I told you. I'm a few hundred times more dangerous than you."
Even that feeble joke was nice. Tsubaki smiled.
"...Hehe."
Click.
A photo was taken.
. . .
"...Hm?!"
It's delicious. Eve opened her eyes wide. She bounced up and down without realizing it.
"T-try it! Zahard! This is delicious!"
"...Oh?"
Zahard opened his eyes wide.
"It really is. It's good."
"R-right?! I've gotten pretty good at cooking now!"
A proud feeling seeped through her body. She grinned without realizing it.
"What should we try next?"
"How about a meat dish?"
"Meat?"
"Growing boys tend to go crazy for meat."
"So you can eat it?"
"No? The person who'll eat it is someone else."
Vague words as always. Eve glanced down at the cookbook.
"...Hey."
A thought suddenly came to mind. It just came to mind, without any particular reason.
The ladle she'd set down fell into the pot. It made a soft sound.
"Zahard... why are you teaching me this?"
"You'll find out later."
"...You never tell me anything..."
"I said you'll find out in time. So? Are you going to stop?"
"......"
Eve quietly picked the ladle back up.
"I'll do the dishes today."
"......?! Eve has finally grown up...!"
"You're way younger than me, what are you saying!"
Click.
A photo was taken.
. . .
The Demon of Love, Amar, looked up at the wall.
First there was one. Then two.
The accumulating photos were densely stuck to the wall.
"...Werewolf."
A scowling face was captured in the photo. But sometimes he was smiling. Sometimes he wore a smile so bright his scars twisted.
"...Lizardfolk."
The scales were a little scary. But his expression was gentle. He sometimes chuckled like an enlightened old man. The sight of him gobbling a fish in one bite was quite funny.
"...Murderer."
There weren't many properly taken photos. But there were definitely photos taken with care. The splendor of bursting fireworks and, in contrast, the stillness of the notes.
"...Martyr."
She could see a back view of someone cooking. There was also a shot of someone waving a hand as if to say don't take the picture. The way she blushed shyly was very pretty.
And...
And at the very end...
"......."
Amar stared blankly up at the photos. She placed her hand on the photo hanging at the end.
A smiling man's face.
And next to it, her own photo.
"...I don't know."
Amar pulled the photo off with a light tug.
It felt strange. Seeing her own appearance was incredibly odd.
She's pretty. But she's pretty, yet something seems missing. Why does she feel this way?
"When you don't know... what should you do?"
The demon's back rippled black. Amar wanted to ask.
The shapes of the photos she looked up at were many. But the one she always clung to was always the same.
「It's okay to do nothing.」
She had done anything to be loved. Even if it was painful, she followed.
If there was another way... if that were really true...
What is real love?
I don't know. I don't know at all.
Amar hugged her knees. She closed her eyes and emptied her thoughts as usual.
When she imagined melting away, her surroundings grew quiet. Before she knew it, everything disappeared and only she remained.
There was only one thing before her eyes.
"......"
Amar stepped into the mental world only she could see. She placed her hand on the massive black heart that could burst at any moment.
Chains made of the emotion called love wrapped around it. They held back the beating of the black heart that could burst at any moment.
The demon's second heart, grown by feeding on malice and hostility, hatred and fear.
Amar wished it would not burst.
Because she knew that the moment it burst, she too would crumble.
"...I don't... want to die."
The black heart beat loudly once.
Amar emptied her emotions. As always, to survive, she tried to love everything.
Because love...
is the only emotion that can understand everything.
. . .
"Your Excellency."
They called to him. Dwayne raised his head.
He opened his closed eyes. Outside it was bright. The sun was rising beyond the window, and birds chirped as usual.
"Your Excellency."
Voices looked up at him. Dwayne drew a deep breath.
He stared blankly beyond the east. It would come. It was about time for it to arrive.
"Your Excellency."
Seven kneeling paladins cried out earnestly. They pressed their heads to the ground.
"The time has come."
"...I know."
The work beneath the surface was all finished. All that remained was to wait for the signal fire.
He had rushed the work. Fearing that the unpredictable Inquisitor Zahard and the rapidly rising fame of Dimona would ruin things, he had hastily built the incomplete tower.
But the foundation had always been solid, so there was no major problem. It was a plan that had been built up over years, after all.
The time had come, so he only needed to execute it.
If something was an eyesore, he only needed to remove it.
"Filamon will burn. It's a necessary sacrifice. Everyone there will die. You could even call it martyrdom."
Dwayne murmured. The corner of his mouth lifted.
"The Punishment Office will send people in a hurry. They have few personnel to begin with. Director Veronica will command them herself. Once they leave the Punishment Office, we just need to make our move then."
"......"
"The signal fire will be lit by Paladin Commander Pablos, whom I sent to Tantalos. Amar will move. The monster that has absorbed human malice with its whole body for decades...! The demon that accumulates emotion will burst! Everyone will be swept away! A horrific spectacle will unfold!"
The flames would be large enough to pierce through the entire north. When that happened, he would gain his justification.
"The justification to bring down Cardinal Arpina! The justification to drive out the opposing forces within the church!"
Dwayne's priestly robes fluttered in the wind. In the pouring light, Dwayne smiled broadly.
His elevated voice poured out sincerity.
"Is it not coming! A new era!"
The fading glory of Ra would shine once more.
Beneath the miracle born from his own hands!