Chapter 23: Dinner with the Villain (4)

“I understand.”

“You understand? Do you really?”

“Yes. After everything you’ve been through, how could you possibly endure it unscathed? However—”

The moment my grip tightened around the dagger hidden inside my robes,

I channeled all my mana and lunged at Commander Balthazar without hesitation.

Thud—

“Guh…!”

With explosive speed, I shot forward and drove the dagger straight into Commander Balthazar’s throat.

Deep—right into the very core of his neck.

Pretending to warm myself, I had been circulating mana throughout my body all along—just for this moment.

I had only one chance, so I took every precaution to ensure there was no room for error.

“The real problem isn’t this world—it’s you, Commander.”

“Kayron, I… I am…”

Slash—

Commander Balthazar never finished his sentence.

Because I had already severed his head from his body.

His corpse collapsed onto the floor with a dull thud, and his head rolled to the side.

I watched as the bloodshot eyes, now detached from his body, gradually faded into lifeless white.

Even though he likely couldn’t hear me anymore, I crouched before him and spoke clearly.

“I respected you. But how pathetic… To think everything I admired was just an act to fuel your madness.”

Commander Balthazar had called me his most valuable asset, but in truth, the real foundation of the Crusader had been him all along.

The pillar of our cause.

The one who, through sheer charisma and skill, convinced the entire world to cooperate with the Crusader.

A man so overwhelmingly powerful that he could bring down an entire nation single-handedly.

“…We only survived this long because of you.”

The Crusader had managed to hold their ground in this merciless, frigid wilderness—repelling wave after wave of demons—because of Commander Balthazar, an ideal leader.

But no matter how exceptional a leader was, once their true, rotten nature was revealed, they could not be allowed to continue.

At the very least, by dying this way, he would be remembered as a righteous hero slain by his treacherous subordinate.

Leaving Commander Balthazar’s cooling corpse behind, I turned away without hesitation.

His wife would soon witness this gruesome scene, and for that, I felt a twinge of guilt.

But there was no other choice.

I needed to get out of here—

“Feeling relieved, Kayron?”

“…!”

I doubted my own ears.

A voice—far too normal, far too unscathed.

And it came from an entirely different direction.

The moment I turned my head toward it, my mind went blank.

“How… How is this possible?!”

Holding a neatly prepared plate of fruit, Commander Balthazar stepped out from his house and into the courtyard.

“That’s a little disappointing. Did you really think I’d go down that easily?”

“I cut off your head. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“You did. But that wasn’t me.”

With a casual nod, Commander Balthazar gestured toward his own decapitated body and severed head lying on the ground.

“Care to take a closer look?”

The moment he finished speaking, both the corpse and head erupted into a violet flame and vanished in an instant.

“…Magic?”

“That’s right. You know better than anyone that I’ve never lived a life intertwined with magic. But the god I serve… has granted me a rather peculiar gift.”

With an air of leisure, Commander Balthazar seated himself at a table in the courtyard, setting the plate of fruit down.

“Sit down. I promise I won’t harm you. At least, not tonight.”

“Hah. Do you really think I’d sit and chat with you?”

“You don’t have a choice. Not even you can escape now.”

As soon as Commander Balthazar spoke, a faint violet glow engulfed the entire house.

“Sit.”

“…”

For now, I had no choice.

I had to sit.

“Honestly, I sensed it from the very beginning. The moment you reported back to me after dealing with Razen—from then on, I suspected something was off in the way you looked at me.”

“If you knew, then why did you leave me alone until now? You could have taken care of me much earlier.”

“Suspicion and certainty are different things. After that, you tracked down and eliminated Sophia, who had been hiding, and you swiftly subdued Benedict without faltering, even when he was under temptation. That’s when I was sure. And,”

Commander Balthazar picked up a neatly sliced piece of fruit with a fork and extended it toward me.

“Have a bite. From now on, let’s continue leading the Crusader together.”

“…What?”

“I said, let’s keep working together. Didn’t I already tell you? At least for tonight, I have no intention of harming you. Now, take it.”

I stared in disbelief at Commander Balthazar, who kept acting so favorably toward me.

But a piece of fruit from the very man I had just betrayed wasn’t worth accepting.

When I didn’t take the fork, Commander Balthazar’s expression darkened.

“I’ll say this one last time. If you don’t eat this fruit, I will kill one of my own children.”

“…!”

The moment I heard those words, I snatched the fork from his hand.

What I had seen in that hardened, chilling gaze just now—

It was inhuman.

“Don’t be so tense. As I’ve told you, I have no intention of letting this world perish too quickly. On the contrary, I’ll help resist the demons even more fiercely and fight until the very end.”

“…Because it wouldn’t be fun if it all collapsed too soon?”

“Exactly. Besides, I was born and raised in this world, after all. I suppose you could say I’m simply taking responsibility in my own way.”

“…Then what if—”

I tossed the fruit into my mouth.

Since I couldn’t kill the traitor before me, I took out my frustration by chewing and swallowing the fruit in small, jagged pieces before continuing.

“What if the god you serve and those demons fail to destroy this world?”

At my question, Commander Balthazar shook his head leisurely.

“You need not worry about that. The demons will only continue to grow stronger—far beyond what you can imagine.”

“That won’t happen as easily as you think.”

Bang—

I slammed the fork down into the table, embedding its prongs deep into the wood.

“As you already know, I’ve already slain two demons hiding in the shadows. And that was just the beginning. From now on, I will hunt down every single one I find. And if the opportunity arises—”

I deliberately pulled out my dagger and pointed it at Commander Balthazar.

“I will kill you as well.”

“Hehe. Go ahead.”

“…What?”

“I promise you. From now on, you can hunt down as many demons as you like. I won’t interfere.”

Commander Balthazar grinned, looking thoroughly entertained.

“In fact, I encourage you. Please do so. It’ll make things far more interesting.”

“…You’re truly insane. You’ll regret this.”

“I doubt it. The world’s destruction is inevitable. As long as I can enjoy myself along the way, that’s all that matters. You may leave now.”

As soon as Commander Balthazar said those words, the violet energy that had encased the house dissipated completely.

Without hesitation, I stood up before he could change his mind.

“But before you go.”

“I thought you just told me I could leave.”

“I have one last question. It seems you can see the blessings granted by the gods… How did that come to be?”

A scene flashed through my mind.

The Apostle’s energy that had surged into me just before my regression.

But there was no reason to share that information with Commander Balthazar.

“I don’t know.”

“Is that so? I have my own suspicions. To the great beings I serve, we are nothing more than insignificant insects.”

With a satisfied look, Commander Balthazar gave a casual wave.

“Farewell, Kayron.”

“I’ll be going now. Tell your wife—tonight’s meal was truly excellent.”

That was the final cue.

Without looking back, I stepped out of Commander Balthazar’s house.

And as I clenched my teeth, I made a silent vow.

One day—without fail.

I would bring that traitor to justice.

***

“Welcome. I knew you’d come.”

Seated in the courtyard, Commander Balthazar slowly rose to greet his late visitor.

“Where is Kayron?”

“He just left a moment ago. Come inside. My wife set aside plenty of food for you.”

Commander Balthazar paused for a moment, his voice and expression heavy with thought.

“But before we go in, there’s something I need to tell you.”

He spoke with an air of somber reflection.

“Kayron… There is something wrong with him. You feel it too, don’t you?”

“……Yes. I’ve also noticed the sudden change in him.”

“If two of us are feeling the same thing, then that only adds weight to the possibility. You sense it. I sense it. The Kayron we know isn’t the same anymore. Perhaps…”

Commander Balthazar hesitated for a brief moment before exhaling the next words heavily.

“He may be connected to the demons.”

“…What?”

“Otherwise, how else could he so easily track down and eliminate demons in hiding? Of course, this is still just a theory. But it’s worth investigating.”

He firmly grasped the visitor’s hands in his own.

“That’s why your role in all of this is more important than ever. If Kayron is straying down the wrong path… then you may be the only one who can stop him.

I’m asking this of you, Avelin.”

“……”

Avelin looked down at Commander Balthazar’s hands, still tightly holding onto his own.

After a moment of contemplation, he finally responded.

“I will fulfill my duty. As a Crusader.”

“Good. That’s the spirit. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear…!”

Because his head was bowed, Avelin did not see it.

The way Commander Balthazar’s eyes flickered with a burning violet glow as he spoke.

But Commander Balthazar also failed to see something.

Even as Avelin pledged his loyalty with words, his expression twisted ever so slightly—betraying the distaste he felt at Commander Balthazar’s words.

-- The End OF The Chapter --

 

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