Katahane no Riku

Chapter 82.The cycle of?revenge

The person standing there had a tall figure.

It was an weird looking person that was wrapped in gray cloths, and his gender couldn′t be identified. All Rook was able to notice was that his pair of eyes clearly didn′t look at him in a favorable impression.

“Uhm… Who would you be?”

Rook ended up completely overwhelmed by the pressure that was being given by the person. Without knowing what he should do, Rook decided to ask who the person was, having both of his hands clenched.

When Rook asked the person that, it felt as if that person became very shocked. With his eyes wide-open, he falteringly stepped back.

“Don′t you remember me!?”

“Ah, uhm… Please, wait a moment. I will remember right away.”

With his hand in his forehead, Rook silently looked at the person in front of his eyes.

After narrowing down people by the height of that person, he couldn′t think of anyone in his memory that had corresponded to it. After pondering for a while, Rook set his resolve.

“Yes, I remembered it! You were that person from that time, right? Iya, it really has been a long time!”

Rook decided to act as if he knew that person. Because he didn′t know that person, he spoke in an ambiguous way. If Rook was to keep talking to the person just like that, he would eventually be able to remember him.

“…You remembered, didn′t you?”

“Of course. Iya, it really has been very long. Have you been well?”

“Yes, I′ve been, thank you.”(TL note: I′m not sure how to translate this -.- ->おかげさまで<- The translation literally means “Yes, I′m fine” when asking “How are you?”. The problem is that this might be meaning something else instead of the literal meaning in this case… Not sure, I am just getting the feeling)

The tension in the tone of the person gradually increased. Have Rook saying he knew the person got the opposite results? Rook felt his face gradually becoming stiff.

“Uhh… Uhmm, sorry.”

He didn′t know well why it happened, but he thought he should apologize for now. Having decided he would do that, he lightly lowered his head.

“As if I would let you pass by just with an apology.”

Holding Rook by his neck, the person raised him up. On the tip of his feet, Rook was barely touching the ground. When they got close enough to the point where both were about to have each other′s noses touching, Rook was able to finally notice the person was a woman.

“Eh, eh!?”

“Because of you… It′s because you tricked Charlotte-sama that Charlotte-sama has died.”

With a voice deep to the point of being scary, she pressed Rook with her words.

“Charlotte!?”

Rook finally noticed the woman in front of his eyes was a demon, and also noticed she was someone that idolized Charlotte.

“I see, so that′s how it is…”

Rook understood now.

This was something Asty Gortoberuk had plotted.

Inside the game, Asty Gortoberuk was very polite to provisional demon lord, and there were many scenes where she would treat her with care. That′s why Rook was able to understand [the revenge for creating a reason for Charlotte to be killed] in Asty′s point of view.

“To meet someone that adored Charlotte-chan in the place I′ve passed my last moments with her. Hahaha, indeed, this is very rough…”

Rook grasped the hand that was holding his neck.

“Sorry. I′ve done something I can′t make up to. I don′t know… how I am supposed to apologize to you. That′s why, please, beat me.”

Rook set his resolve.

He didn′t imagine she would forgive him just by him letting himself be beaten. Besides, even if she was to beat down Rook, who was the one to cause all of this, Charlotte wouldn′t be coming back, in the same way Selestinna and Rebecca wouldn′t be coming back either.

“The things I have done to Charlotte-chan… The pain you are feeling because of all this… I want to understand it, even if it is only a little! If I can lessen your pain by letting you hit me, I don′t mind being beaten!”

Rook didn′t like pain, but he felt that he wouldn′t be a man if he ran away now. No, if he was to deny this woman′s pain and make up some weird excuse, then he would be only a human waste. Rook tightly shut his eyes.

“You…”

The tremble of the hand that was holding him by his neck told everything. Bracing himself, Rook prepared himself for the impact.

”…This is the revenge for Charlotte-sama!!

Together with a roaring sound, Rook′s cheek was slapped with great force.

The slap unleashed with her well trained muscles by Charlotte′s close aide, a tiger demon that would be made fun of by being called macho woman, had dealt an excessive amount of damage to Rook. While spinning around, his body was sent flying to the main street. With many of the people getting caught up by him along the way, Rook hit the wall of a building.

“G-gh… It hurts…”

Dizzy, Rook waveringly stood up.

Rook′s soul was of a weak good-for-nothing Japanese college student, but his body was one of a main character. There was no possibility of him dying just by being sent into a wall, and he hadn′t even broken any bones.

“I… really didn′t die to that.”

But even so, it didn′t change the fact that the pain he was feeling was worse than what he had ever felt until now.

While rubbing his back, Rook moaned in pain. And then, before he could be aware of, Keity Fostar got in front of his eyes, standing in his way.

“Hou, for you to still be fine after one of my attacks.”

“N-no, this isn′t really being fine…”

“This is Charlotte-sama′s pain!! May you taste it, you foul spiritualist!!!”

Keity unleashed another attack at Rook′s stomach.

With his body being sank into the wall, Rook′s view started becoming filled with stars.

“What?”

“Is this a brawl?”

“Wow, how flashy.”

The people that were enjoying themselves in their costumes started to gradually gather around the surroundings. As if they were going to see the play of a circus, they started to draw in close to Rook and Keity.

Keity didn′t notice the situation of her surroundings and kept savagely hitting Rook.

“May you know Charlotte-sama′s pain! The pain of being thrown away after being toyed by you is not of this extend!”

Every time Keity ended a sentence, she would send a slap or a punch at Rook. Without any resistance, Keity′s attack would hit Rook′s face or stomach. Gradually increasing the intensity of her attacks, the cheers of the people of Derufoi started to increase.

“Uwa… It looks like the womanizing of that handsome guy was too much for his own good….”

“Yes, hit him more!”

“Make him beyond recovery!”

The humans were cheering for Keity. Whistling of cheering was also heard. When it had become to that point, Keity finally came back to herself.

“Tch, for me to receive cheers from humans… How humiliating.”

Keity clenched her teeth.

She clenched the fist that was hitting Rook′s face even more tightly.

“…Have you really regretted what you had done?”

Keity asked Rook. Rook′s face was full of bruises. Surely, even if someone that knew him was to see him now, the person wouldn′t be able to recognize it was him right away.

“…Of course.”

Moving his swollen lips, Rook spoke of his true feelings. Hearing those words, Keity briefly thought about something.

“Hey, spiritualist. Don′t you hate this world that had stolen Charlotte-sama′s life?”

In order to not let the other humans notice what she was speaking, Keity lowered her voice and asked Rook.

“Indeed, it was because Charlotte-sama became involved with you spiritualists that she had been executed. However, if you truly care about Charlotte-sama… Then, we shall destroy this world that has killed Charlotte-sama together!”

“The world… that killed Charlotte-chan?”

When Rook moved his lips, Keity once again grasped him at his neck. Lifting him up as if she was going to throw Rook somewhere, she approached her mouth next to his ears.

“Yes, it′s revenge. Let′s destroy the current Demon Lord army, which had tricked Charlotte into her death, the spiritualists, and also that shitty annoying red haired demon!!”

“This…”

“Do you think it is impossible!?”

Keity pressed Rook down to the ground.

With cracks appearing at the pavement, Rook sank into the ground

“Sorry, I can′t agree to your… request.”

While coughing, Rook looked at Keity.

“Revenge… is something that is not good.”

Rook hated the demon race that had killed Selestinna.

He hated the demon race that had killed Rebecca, Kurumi and his head maid, Mary, to the point of wanting to kill them. He detested them so much that it wouldn′t be enough if he tore the limbs of each of them with his own hands.

However, the one who brutally killed all those heroines was the heroine he had thrown away, Riku Barusak.

Being thrown away, bearing hatred to Rook and the spiritualists during those ten years… Riku was recruited into the Demon Lord army, which was supposed to be their enemy, and had been refining her blade of vengeance. The fear Rook felt at the moment that sharp blade was pointed at him was something that he would remember every time before going to sleep.

“It′s not good to seek revenge.”

Rook thought. Surely, if his feelings had led him to kill Riku at that time… No, he didn′t know if he would be able to kill Riku with his own strength, but if he had to killed her, what would things have become like?

Perhaps someone that cared about Riku in the same way Rook cared for Selestinna would start looking for the opportunity to kill him.

“Revenge only calls for more revenge. This is an infinite loop. That′s why… if you don′t cut yourself off from this cycle of killing and being killed…”

Rook waveringly stood up.

The inside his mouth was becoming filled with blood.

“I want to see a world where everyone can be happy. I′ve decided this is the only reason I am going to draw my sword for!”

“You damned idealist!!”

Loudly roaring, Keity amassed strength at her fist. Because of how much strength was in her fist, being in clad in a thunderous wind blow, the fist carried a capability of dealing fatal damage to Rook it hadn′t until now.(TL note: Improvisation -.- ->轟音の風を纏い =???)

“I won′t forget what you′ve done to Charlotte-sama! I will have her revenge on everyone that drove her to her death! If you are going to side with them, then I will truly have you stop breathing!!”

Keity seriously attacked Rook.

Because of the impact, the pavement was smashed and the surroundings were filled with white smoke from the dust. Together with the thundering sound, the spectators started to raise screams because of the fragments of stone that flew around.

“Hmph, you childish spiritualist.”

Keity was showing a smile and was certain of her victory.

“Why have you ran away from prison, macho woman?”

From the other side of the white smoke, a red haired person approached Keity. Because of how surprised Keity Fostar was, she became stiffen.

“Why you!? Why are you here!?”

“Well, it doesn′t matter, right?”

The sound of something being swung was heard from inside the dust. With the smoke being blown by the wind, the figure of that person became clear.

It was the figure of a girl that felt out-of-place to this city.

With her small body and her ominous red hair tied up, she brandished her huge halberd. However, there wasn′t any arm through the right sleeve of her clothes. In other words, it was an one-armed girl.

“Sorry, but this human is my toy.”

Riku Barusak.

It was Rook Barusak′s elder sister, and the girl that had cornered the provisional demon lord Charlotte Keity respected to her death. Riku Barusak had calmly entered at the stage.