"The Republic's request..."
Luke muttered blankly.
The Habsburg Republic had commissioned their kidnapping. That was absolutely impossible. No matter what tricks the Republic might have pulled, winning over Daisy and Luke was unthinkable. Their devotion to Dantalion was genuine.
"L-Lord Lodbrok. Daisy is..."
"Please answer my question with one of two responses: yes or no. I will ask again. The Consul of the Habsburg Republic commissioned the kidnapping of you and Daisy von Custos. Is this true?"
Luke fell silent.
Somewhere, a Memoria spell was being activated. Luke barely managed to grasp the situation. By collecting his false testimony, the Demon Lord's army intended to win the battle of justification that would come later. Meeting Ivar's resolute gaze, even Luke — woefully lacking in political insight — could piece together that much...
*'Depending on how I answer, the truth will be set in stone forever.'*
Luke lowered his head.
*'Daisy's feelings toward the Duke. Her devotion. All of it will be rendered as though it never existed. Officially, historically — as if it never once existed...'*
Daisy, who had heinously betrayed the faith of the father who had taken in a commoner as his adopted daughter.
Luke, who would testify to that betrayal.
Luke trembled at the cruelty of this arrangement. He knew. To Daisy, Dantalion was everything. And the other party was now demanding none other than Luke — the man who loved her and was her own flesh and blood — to deny all of it.
"What's the matter? Did you not understand what I meant by 'answer'?"
"..."
Luke's throat was so choked that his voice wouldn't come. It felt as though his esophagus had swollen and was pressing hard against his windpipe. Even his breathing grew ragged. Luke had no choice but to shed tears.
Was this what atonement looked like?
That you must betray even the thing you hold most dear?
"Yes...."
Luke spoke in a trembling voice. Even to himself it sounded unbearably feeble, and Luke immediately realized he would need to pronounce himself more clearly. Ivar Lodbrok's threatening silence was wordlessly demanding as much.
"The Consul of the Habsburg Republic... commissioned Daisy and me... The Custos territory was riddled with the Republic's agents. They approached me secretly while I was making rounds through the village."
"The Republic's spy approached you. And then what happened?"
"They asked me to kidnap one Demon Lord — anyone at all, it didn't matter — one the Demon Lord's Army deemed important."
The soldiers around them began to murmur.
There was unmistakable hostility in those whispers. Colluding with the human race was the deepest shame a Demonkin could bring upon himself. A traitor was the most despised kind of person, regardless of era or profession.
"And you accepted?"
"Yes."
"What reason was there? Lord Dantalion took you in as his adopted daughter and adopted son. Before that, you were nothing but feeble slash-and-burn farmers living in the barren backwaters of Frank's frontier — with nothing to your names."
Ivar Lodbrok reprimanded Luke without a single falter. The maid who had once handled cleaning and menial chores at the Demon Lord's Castle had vanished entirely. In her place stood the Vampire who had single-handedly built the greatest trading company in the Demon Realm and become the ruler of an entire city.
"A wild dog feels gratitude toward the master who shares even a single meal with it. And yet you — Lord Dantalion elevated you from commoners to nobility. It is a debt you could spend your entire lives repaying and still not discharge. Why did you betray His Lordship and side with the Consul?"
"Because..."
Luke's shoulders shook.
And then Luke realized how he needed to answer. He figured out how to keep Daisy's name out of the dirt.
"...I wanted to become a hero."
"A hero?"
"Yes. A hero who would slay the Demon Lord and save mankind... Even though I was born a wretched slash-and-burn farmer, I believed I could leave my name in history. There was no crime worthy of Grandfather actually condemning me. But the reason — the reason didn't matter to me at all..."
Ivar let out a hollow, incredulous laugh.
"Vanity? The pinnacle of foolishness. You threw away the benefactor who saved your and your little sister's lives — all for a desire as petty as that?"
"At first... at first I never intended to betray anyone. It was nothing but fantasy. The stray thoughts that pop into your head while walking down the road... anyone carries two or three delusions like that tucked away in their mind. And the Republic gave me the chance to make one of them real."
Let him play the part of the foolish traitor.
Luke had no confidence he could ever become as wise as his little sister. He couldn't even pass himself off as wise. But he could play the part of a fool.
Was there any human as foolish as himself? As far as Luke knew, he was the most witless person in the world—and so he had no doubt that playing the fool was the only answer that could work.
"You're saying the Republic gave you the chance?"
"They said they'd fabricate whatever justification we needed. All we had to do was create an opening. They'd dress us up as heroes all we wanted—just kidnap a Demon Lord and bring him back."
"Despicable and evil..."
Ivar Lodbrok bit down hard on his teeth. His expression and tone were impossible to mistake for acting. As if answering his fury, the Royal Guard soldiers shouted out in outrage. The air buzzed with agitation. Faces flushed red.
In the midst of it all, Ivar Lodbrok pressed on with the interrogation.
"You accepted the Republic's proposal for a reason as petty as that?"
"My little sister... Daisy was against it. She said it was too dangerous, that the chances of success were slim. But ever since we were children, she's always been soft on me. When I pushed, she'd go along with it whether she wanted to or not. I took advantage of that loyalty of hers..."
A brief moment.
Ivar, who had been driving forward with a ferocity as sharp as a winter frost, paused for just an instant.
"You're saying it wasn't Daisy von Kustos—you were the mastermind."
"Yes. From the start, my little sister mostly stayed at the Demon Lord's Castle. She only showed up in the domain during official events. She wasn't exactly an ideal target for intelligence agents to approach. I, on the other hand, was always wandering around the domain, so I'd have been easier to recruit..."
Luke looked up at Ivar Lodbrok.
His face was covered in desperate pleading.
He would take every last shred of shame upon himself. Just let his sister's honor be preserved. Whatever they asked in this interrogation, he would answer exactly as they wished—if only they would grant him this one wish.
For that was the final devotion a foolish brother could offer his sister.
"..."
Ivar Lodbrok bit down on his lip. His sharp canines drew blood. The faint taste of iron spread across his tongue.
She was conducting the interrogation alone. Dantalion had given her the script, but it was impossible to stop the interrogation now and run to Dantalion asking what to do. Ivar Lodbrok had to handle Luke's confession using only her own discretion.
'Dantalion.'
Ivar silently begged for forgiveness.
'I'm sorry. Girl, Ivar Lodbrok. For the first time, I will act against your wishes, Dantalion.'
The golden-haired vampire's eyes turned cold once again.
"Not content with betraying your lifelong benefactor out of selfish ambition, you even dragged your own flesh and blood into it. You wretched traitor. If you have a mouth, then try making an excuse."
"......"
Luke lowered his forehead toward Ivar's direction.
Luke slammed his forehead against the ground over and over. His skin tore open and blood ran down. Dust covered his entire face. Yet still, Luke continued to beat his forehead against the earth.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry...!"
Thank you.
"I committed a sin worthy of death. My— my eyes were blinded. By the name of hero. I don't know. I don't even understand it myself. I wasn't in my right mind back then. Please forgive me...!"
Thank you.
"L— look. I brought Barbatos back. To be forgiven for my sins... O— of course, it's a grave sin. I may not even be forgiven. But I'm reflecting on it... m— my life. Yes. Just please spare my life...!"
Truly, thank you.
Thank you for protecting my sister's honor.
Thank you for allowing me to carry all of this filth by myself.
Luke simply beat his forehead against the ground with that in his heart, and although Ivar exchanged no words with him, she could feel it. Everything Luke said was the opposite of what he truly meant. The tears Luke shed carried the exact opposite meaning from what others understood.
Not tears begging to be saved.
But tears of gratitude for being allowed to die like this.
Chapter —. (continuation)
"I'll cut off my arm. M-my leg too. I'll live the rest of my life as a cripple. I don't care if I can never hold a sword again. Just please… please spare my life…"
Luke was saying those words.
"Your sister is already dead. An innocent blood relative was sacrificed because you threw a reckless rampage. No, it wasn't just her."
Ivar Lodbrok likewise uttered words that did not reflect her true feelings.
"The countless soldiers and civilians who died because this war broke out—all of those lives were cut short because of your pathetic vanity! And yet you still wish to live? And yet you have the audacity to ask only that your life be spared?"
"I'm sorry… b-but Barbatos is here."
Luke pointed to Barbatos, who lay beside him.
"If it weren't for me, Barbatos would be dead! The Consul of the Republic is a terrifying woman. There's no way she would have let Barbatos escape unharmed. D-don't you understand? If Barbatos had died there without anyone knowing, then the true culprit behind this war would never have been revealed…"
"Ivar let out a scoff.
"The Republic lost anyway. To eliminate future threats, they would have dealt with not only Barbatos but you as well. It's far cleaner for anyone who knows the truth to simply disappear. You traitor. You only ran away because you were afraid that if you stayed put, you would be the one purged."
"That's not true! I-it absolutely isn't! I truly regret what happened and wanted to ask for forgiveness…"
"You still refuse to face your own ugliness to the very end."
Ivar gazed down at Luke with an expressionless face.
"I, Ivar Lodbrok, issue this command on behalf of my lord, His Excellency Dantalion. Luke. Kiss my feet."
"O-of course! I'll apologize however you want!"
Luke scrambled over like a dog and pressed his lips to Ivar's boot. The surrounding soldiers stared at him with expressions of disgust. Every one of Luke's actions was being recorded in Memoria.
"Stand up."
"Y-yes."
Luke carefully rose to his feet.
In that instant—Ivar swung his dagger.
The blade split a straight line through the exact center of Luke's throat. A jet of dark crimson blood erupted from where the dagger had sliced through flesh. Luke clutched his neck with both hands, but the fountain of blood spurted through the gaps his palms could not cover.
"......, ......"
Luke dropped to his knees.
He tried to say something, but no sound came from his throat anymore. Blood had stained his esophagus. The world went white before his eyes in excruciating agony. Ivar gazed down at Luke and delivered his verdict in a cold voice.
"Luke, son of the hill farmer. You have been consumed by selfish greed, betraying your benefactor, your own kin, and driving the innocent people of this continent into a pointless storm of blood. There is no question—your sentence is death."
"......"
"May you sleep for eternity."
What meaning lay behind those words?
Luke felt the strength drain from his entire body, and before long, he collapsed. The pain did not subside. His throat burned with agony. He could vividly feel the sensation of blood seeping away, the touch of life ebbing from him. Yet Luke was glad—that a death befitting him had finally come.
Had he done well?
Had he done right until the very end?
*Daisy.*
His consciousness shrank to a distant pinpoint.
The space left inside him was so small that it could hold only a single word. He had to decide now what to leave behind in this place. A single word that no one would ever hear. And so—a single word meant entirely for himself.
Luke slowly closed his eyes.
*Daisy.*
A tiny whisper.
Those were Luke's last words.
============================ Author's Afterword ============================
[Reader Comments]
SuCheonCheonSa// You've always made it into the rankings even without being the first to comment. HAHA.
CurtisAxel// Yap yap.
NineBreaker// The final conclusion is weird!?
WhenEatingYogurtStartWithTheSkin// The real reason he went around looking for so many women is because he could never find the one his heart would settle on.
halem// Yeah, Luke is gone.
UaaagghAaaaggh// Neeeeh...?
HanmoePerson// ;_;
TheDaybreak// Thank you.
∑zero™// Yeah, I feel like it's almost over too.
FishPerson// It doesn't really matter in the current situation anyway.