Slave to Righteousness (IV)

“So then… what should I do until the wedding?”

I wonder now that the timeline for spreading the news about the Demon Lords has been set in stone.

Obviously, Ariesa will be busy doing her actual work as a Knight and making sure the heroic wedding goes smoothly, but I don’t have anything planned. I’d feel weird to just sit on my ass the whole time while Ariesa’s working so hard. I wonder if there’s anything I can do too.

“Is there anything I can do to help out? I don’t mind putting in some work.”

“Oh. Well, about that…”

Huh? Why’s Ariesa suddenly looking away and muttering? Is something wrong?

“I’m sorry to say this but I’m not sure there’s anything for you to do.”

“Oh. Really?”

I guess there’s nothing I can help with. Well, I suppose that’s fair. I’m just an outsider after all. I have nothing to do with the affairs of the knight order or the hero’s wedding.

Kinda sucks, but it’s not the worst thing. It just means I can do whatever I want in the meantime.

“So then, it’s just free time for me until the wedding? I guess I can find some things to kill the time with. I did want to go exploring the city some more.”

“Actually. I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”

Ariesa states in a solemn, somewhat regretful tone.

“Huh? Why not?”

“Well, first of all, you still need to carry out the rest of your jail time.”

“Eh? I do!?”

“Of course. You’re still under arrest right now.”

Shit, she’s right. I completely forgot over the course of the conversation. I’m not in here by choice; I got my ass thrown in jail!

Once this talk is over and Ariesa leaves, I’ll just be left to rot here all by myself. Of course, I can’t help her with anything if my ass is stuck here.

“I do feel bad about this, but the law is the law. Although I understand your motives now, the fact still remains that you committed a crime. I can’t just ignore and pardon you.”

“Uhhh, yeah, I get it… it is my own fault.”

There’s no helping it. If you do the crime, you do the time, as they say. I’ll just have to sit here and endure until my time is served.

“So how long do I have? Am I even gonna be out by the time the wedding ends?”

“Actually, you’re rather in luck. The carriage driver you attacked has asked to drop the charges against you.”

“Huh? They have?”

“Indeed. She has asked only that you compensate her for the damage you did to her property and nothing else.”

That female carriage driver I fought? The one who completely beat me up?

Even though she was kicking my ass without mercy the whole time, she was willing to drop the charges against me… I wonder why. I guess, looking back, she never did seem very hostile against me. She was understandably angry and frustrated, but she wasn’t trying to kill me.

I didn’t notice it earlier because of my rage-blurred vision, but perhaps she’s actually a really nice person.

“So then, what’s the deal? Am I being charged right now or not?”

“On her request, the charges for attempted robbery, assault, and destruction of property have been dropped. However, that still leaves the crime of public disturbance. In such cases, we typically just hold the offender at the Knight Post for a night or two.”

“Oh, that’s it? That’s nothing!”

A day or two in this cell? That’s light work. I could pass most of that just sleeping.

Not to underestimate how boring a jail cell can be, but I think even a softie like me can handle one or two nights if I really have to.

“Geez. You were making it sound like I’d be stuck here forever. So, I get to go after the two nights, right?”

“…”

“Ariesa…?”

Ariesa takes a small breath as if preparing her nerves for something and then stomps her foot down.

“No. I can’t let you go free after that either.”

Her voice is firm and cold. It is the same voice she used when we were first met.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Under the circumstances, I have no choice but to put you under custody until further notice. I will need to keep you under my eye and away from other people at all times.”

She declares so with all the authority and might of the knight order. No, it is no longer a declaration now; her words are nothing less than iron-clad command.

“But… why?”

I ask her, despite already knowing the answer deep down.

“Because you’re a Demon Lord. I can’t just let you go free anymore.”

She states coldly with just the tiniest hint of apology.

“As long as we don’t know exactly what the Demon King may be planning with you Demon Lords, you’ll need to be placed in isolation to keep you from harming anyone. And if the Demon King is able to possess your body, then someone needs to be there to monitor you and stop you in case the worst scenario occurs. For the sake of peace, you need to be put in special custody.”

That’s how it is then. That’s the simple, cold, hard truth.

I am a Demon Lord. That fact alone means that I am no longer a person; I am just a danger to the world. It means that I am no longer allowed to do what I want anymore.

That’s how the world views me and that is how it will treat me.

In which case… I can already see what future lies ahead of me.

“…”

“Oh, but don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not saying you have to stay in this cell for the whole time. I can take you somewhere else to stay. In fact, I’ll try my best to arrange some really good accommodations for you.”

“…”

“And there won’t be any restrictions on what you do in custody. You won’t be able to leave, and you’ll be monitored at all times, but other than that, you can do whatever you want.”

“…”

“And, well, there’ll be free room and board of course. Three meals a day. Considering you’re new to this world and you don’t have any moon, that’s a pretty sweet deal, right?”

“…”

Ariesa tries frantically to make things sound just a little better and assuage my feelings.

But I don’t care about any of that. There’s only one thing on my mind now.

“… Ariesa. I have a question.”

“… go ahead.”

She must have some idea what it is as she just nods.

I take a breath, say a prayer, and then finally say it.

“What will happen to me after others learn that I’m the Demon Lord? What will they do with me?”

It is the one question I’ve grappled with ever since I first arrived in this world. It is the critical question that will decide my fate.

Ariesa must’ve seen it coming as she shows no surprise. She simply closes her eyes for a quick reprieve and then answers in her clear and no-frills manner.

“… it depends on what the leadership decides. For such an important matter, it will likely come down to the decision of the Royal Crown, if not a council between all four Kingdoms. But no matter who decides, most likely…

You will be promptly executed.”

“…”

Yeah. I figured.

I more or less already knew that since the very beginning. It was the most logical and most obvious outcome. I had accepted it when I started my journey to get here.

But deep in the back of my heart, I had always held some hope that it wouldn’t be the case. I wanted to believe that they would show me mercy. That they would see how good of a person I was and understand I would never be evil. That my righteous actions would be rewarded with everything I ever wanted.

All of that is gone now. There are no more delusions or fantasies. The only thing awaiting me is death.

“… I’m sorry.”

Ariesa apologizes with morose eyes and her head hung low.

I want to tell her it’s okay, but I can’t. Right now, I can’t even tell myself that.

Instead, I ask her an unfair question.

“Do you think I should die too?”

The question seems to catch her by surprise, but she doesn’t make any big reactions.

She just contemplates it seriously and answers honestly.

“I would want you to live. I know that you are a good person. I believe good people deserve to have good lives. I want you to have the life you deserve. However, what one wants and what should be done are rarely the same.”

She raises her head and faces me with her answer straight on.

“If it were up to me to decide, I would choose to kill you too.”

This time, there is no apology to follow her declaration. There is no asking for forgiveness or begging for understanding. She knows what she has said is terrible, but she stands by it nonetheless no matter how it makes me feel about her.

At the very least, I can appreciate that candor.

“… is there really no other option? Isn’t there any way to let me live?”

“It’s not that there is no other option. This is simply the safest one. As long as there is any risk of a second Demon King being born, it needs to be squashed as quickly and thoroughly as possible. Everyone here would agree. That’s the kind of evil the Demon King represents to this world. Thus, the safest way to protect the peace that we finally built after a terrible war is to remove any risk of danger by killing you.”

Yeah… that makes sense. I do understand why it has to be this way.

Frankly, if it were anyone else but me, I’d probably think the same.

One life for the World. It’s the easiest trolley problem to ever exist.

There’s no debate or question. There is only one choice.

There is only one way for this to end.

“I’m sorry. I know this isn’t fair to you. I know you don’t deserve this. You haven’t done anything wrong. You shouldn’t have to be forced to carry this burden. And I know that it is utterly shameless of me to ask this of you. But even so, I must. Mamoru Tokunaga, I beg of you—!”

With the heaviest of hearts, she bows before me.

“Please die for this world!”

… hearing that, how could I possibly answer her in any other way?

“Okay. I’ll die then.”