Hicks… Said nothing. He let Mika shout her matched version with Takeshi… And then just took us all to a cart he rented.
It was time to go back to the Capital.
"S-sato," Mika then started, "It's not like he died because of you or anything.. S-shin I mean."
She started, startling me and the rest.
Takeshi stared a dagger at her, while Hicks looked to the floor of the cart, without making any expression.
"Like... You just... Like... Uhm... Didn't see that trap. N-no one would blame you for his death... so... Just lead better next time..."
She stopped. Frantically looking at Hicks, who kept his eye pointed to the floor. The sound of cartwheels grinding against dirt beneath our feet and two pairs of horses hoofs clashing against the ground.
"Just, like, you should pay attention better a-and—"
"Mika," Hicks interrupted, looking at her lazily.
"That's quite enough." He let out firmly.
She immediately fell silent, her gaze dropping to the floor.
Sir Hicks never got angry at us. He was always understanding, always calm, never one to shout. But right now, his words felt as though they shook the entire carriage. There was something different about him.
'Somehow, I hope he knows they're full of shit… But at the same time… I hope not.'
'Nothing good ever comes out of simply slapping a bully's wrist. They'll just be more ruthless unless they're completely removed in some way. And neither Hicks, nor the kingdom would ever do that, because they're A-ranks necessary to kill the demon lord…'
'And I, am not.'
I gulped as time stretched.
'Makoto,' I called again, silently.
'As an F-Rank like yourself, you'd have it much worse than me here. You're lucky to have died.'
A small chuckle slipped out of me inside the carriage.
It surprised me.
"Something funny?" Takeshi asked, his tone edged, almost threatening. Mika lifted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing.
"No," I said calmly. "I just remembered something."
I turned my gaze to the window, watching the scenery blur past.
I wasn't laughing at them.
I was laughing because I understood it now.
How easy it was to sound reasonable.
How easy it was to justify myself against someone weaker.
'In the end, I'm not any better.'
I bit my lip, hiding my face from view as I tightened my fist.
------------------------------
Varolon greeted us with flowers.
White stone towers, banners snapping, the smell of baked bread drifting through warm streets. People looked at us with the same shiny eyes as always, like we were a parade, like we were proof the Goddess hadn't abandoned them.
My boots were still stained with cave mud.
Mika's hands wouldn't stop rubbing against her skirt.
Takeshi limped, pretending he didn't.
Sir Hicks walked ahead of us through the palace halls.
Knights saluted him. Servants bowed. No one asked where Shin was.
At the main corridor, Hicks slowed and turned.
"You will return to your dorm wing," he said. "Wash. Eat. Rest."
Mika nodded too fast.
Takeshi swallowed and nodded too.
Hicks' eyes passed over us like a scale weighing meat.
"I will speak with Sir Nickelson," he added, voice neutral, "and report."
He left us there, boots clicking away beneath portraits of old kings who looked like they'd never been cornered in their lives.
The hallway felt colder as soon as he vanished.
'....'
"I'll go to my room," I spat, turning around and walking away.
"No, you're not." Takeshi said, gripping my shoulder, "We're going to see Kazuya. He'll wanna hear this from us first."
Mika nodded, looking at me. As if urging me to come along.
"Can't wait to make me the scapegoat huh..." I murmured, my voice barely over a whisper, causing Mika to jolt.
"Fuck was that, you shit?" He pressed my shoulder, squeezing it so much I heard it cracking.
"Grrgh... N-nothing... NOTHING!" I groaned as he finally loosened his grip as he glared at me. I could see Mika almost smile in relief as I 'agreed' to come with.
'You really are his lackey. His bitch.' Is what I want to say.
But he's an A-Rank.
And I'm B.
"... Okay."
Without looking at one another, we then headed to the heroes' lounge.
I heard laughter through the door before we even entered.
Normal laughter.
Someone complaining about training.
Someone bragging about levels.
A chair scraping, a plate clinking, somebody yelling "No way!" over something stupid.
I pushed the door open.
Warm light spilled over us.
27 classmates were inside, scattered across couches and chairs, hanging around the long table of palace snacks like it was an after-school hangout and not a war camp. Clean uniforms. Clean hair. Clean faces.
Then their eyes landed on us.
The room's sound thinned. Conversations died mid-sentence. A few smiles slid off their faces when they noticed Takeshi's limp and the dirt on our clothes.
And in the center of the room, like the lounge had been built around him, sat Kazuya.
Relaxed. Leaning back. One ankle over his knee. Cup in hand. Laughing at something Kiriko said as she hovered near him, giggling too loudly.
"Speaking of which, where's Rinnacchi?" She asked, looking at Kazuya.
"Ah. She got called today too for her training or whatever. Can't help it being S-Rank like me and all."
"Haah.." Kiriko sighed, "I hope they don't work her too much to the bone..!"
His gaze met mine, Mika's and eventually settled on Takeshi.
"Yo," he said, bright and casual. "Look who crawled back."
A couple people forced a laugh.
"Y-yeah," Takeshi muttered, "Wassup, man."
Kazuya tilted his head, "Damn you look like ass. Don't tell me that D-Rank dungeon actually did a number on ya'll."
"No, no," Takeshi shook his head as he stepped forward, "It's just—"
Then a voice from the table cut through the pause.
"Wait," a boy blurted, eyes scanning behind us. "Where's Shin?"
Mika's mouth opened immediately, like she'd been rehearsing the timing.
"H-he died," she said.
The room froze.
Someone's cup slipped from their hand and clattered. Kiriko's giggle snapped off. A girl near the window covered her mouth with both hands.
"Died?" another student echoed, voice cracking. "What do you mean died? Like... in the dungeon?"
Mika nodded, eyes wide as she looked down.
"Yes. Trap. It happened fast."
A few students stood up.
"Holy shit."
"No way."
"In a D-rank?"
"Actually... Dead...? Like, a corpse now? Or, is getting revived just now or something? Like—"
"SHIT, MAN!" Takeshi yelled at the chatter, "FUCKING DEAD. You all fucking illiterate!? CAN'T BE REVIVED. Got his ribcage fucking... caved in by a trap. Funeral is gonna be later this week..."
They all gasped and went silent.
Kazuya's cup lowered slowly to the table.
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees; his expression light.
"A trap," he repeated, voice soft. "Okay."
His eyes moved to Takeshi.
"Takeshi," he called, snapping his attention, "You're A-rank. Mika's A-rank. Shin's a B-Rank, but he's a Thief. Not a complete idiot. So tell me."
He tilted his head.
"How does someone die to a trap in a D-rank dungeon with you two there?"
Takeshi's jaw tightened. His eyes flicked to Mika.
I couldn't help but gulp, bracing for the inevitable.
My heart was pounding in my ears.
'The moment Kazuya learns of their pseudo truth, I'm done for.'
Mika stepped in.
"It was one of those... ceiling ones," she said quickly. "Like, a big one. He didn't see it."
A boy near the couch frowned.
"W-wait," He stammered, "But he's a thief, how could he not see it?!"
"I-I don't know... It just happened..." Mika mumbled, looking down.
'She's...' I gulped, looking up at Mika, 'Not... Blaming me?'
At that moment I hoped we could stop talking about it.
That they'd accept this as the explanation and be done with it.
"Sato," A voice called. Sharp.
"Don't you have Trap Detection or something?"
But reality is... These animals always need a villain.
Of course they wouldn't let it go.
Everyone's eyes slid off Takeshi and Mika.
They slid to me.
'What am I supposed to answer? That I didn't activate it to conserve mana? No. Some of them know that the amount it takes is negligible... But if I say the truth... It's my word over theirs. Fuck, what do I—'
"Did you miss the trap?" Kazuya asked.
My throat tightened. My mouth opened. Nothing came out.
Someone scoffed from the back.
"He's not even answering."
Another voice, sharper, whispering loudly on purpose: "That means yes."
Mika's voice slid in, trembling.
"H-He was leading," Mika said quickly. "So he— I mean— he would've seen it first. A-and he usually calls those out, so I just thought he'd warn Shin before he stepped on that one— I mean— it's not his fault!"
The room stirred like a kicked nest.
"What?"
"Wait, what do you mean 'didn't warn him'?"
"He was right there!"
A girl near the snacks hugged her arms. "That's insane... Shin died because he forgot?"
A boy's voice, low and mean: "Or because he didn't forget."
The words landed and spread immediately.
"Holy shit," one guy muttered, eyes narrowing at me. "Shin picked on him back in our world."
A girl snapped her fingers like she'd found the missing puzzle piece. "Oh my god. Revenge."
Another student, louder, feeding it: "He wanted him to die."
Accusations turned into certainty in seconds. Ringing in my ears.
It's happening.
"Bastard."
"I saw Shin shove him in the hallway once... But even then, to kill him? Is he unhinged?"
"N-NO WAIT! H-he seriously just forgot, it could've happened to anyone!" Mika shouted hurriedly, but her voice was drowned in the whispering.
"Mika... You don't seriously believe that," Kazuya sighed, "How could you "forget" a trap that could kill you?"
"It's... I... Uhm..."
Then Takeshi stepped forward,
"It was a mistake, Kazuya. He really didn't mean it." He said firmly.
"Y-YEAH! He w-was actually super useful! A-and saved... Uhm, helped us a lot!" Mika added.
'Feeling guilty much?' I thought. But despite my contempt, I couldn't help but feel relieved as they stood up for me.
"Even Takeshi...?"
"He wouldn't lie..."
"Maybe it really was a mistake..."
"Yeah, he's just a nerd after all. He wouldn't kill someone, right?"
But even then, the guy we were facing wasn't normal. It was Kazuya.
A faint smile on his face. Only visible to me.
'You fucking nerd,' Kazuya thought to himself.
'Don't think I forgot your stunts... Calling me a snake... Questioning me back then,'
'Imma teach you where you belong.'
"Damn," Kazuya said, looking at Mika and, "Takeshi, even you're covering him? Wow. Both of you are doing it so fiercely..." He chuckled, walking back and forth with a smile as he scratched his hair.
"... And to Sato of all people."
"Covering...?—" Mika blurted.
"C'mon," Kazuya said, "Pay attention to what you just said: "He usually tells you about traps,"..." His smile deepened.
"And he didn't warn Shin about the exact one that got him killed..."
Mika's face paled.
'I almost feel sorry for her…'
'... If it wasn't my FUCKING neck on the line.'
"So she's covering for him..."
"Did he threaten her? Omg!"
"T-that's not what I—" Mika blurted before Kazuya leaned in close.
"OH?"
She froze.
"So you're saying... You lied to me?" Kazuya whispered.
Mika opened her mouth. Words wouldn't come out.
"N-... No.. I'd... never..."
"And there you all have it. Sato... You really got him killed. One of us." Kazuya said as he turned to me. Mika and Takeshi both looking away.
My hands trembled.
"Holy shit..."
"Actual fucking psychopath..."
The whispers started again.
"Nerd got some powers and thinks he's an anime revenge protagonist. You were right about him Kazuya!"
I could hear blood in my ears.
'If I say anything, Takeshi will kill me. I should just stay quiet... Let them assume whatnot... And talk to Sir Hicks. He said he'd report. There's a good chance he knows what happened, he looked like that. Maybe I was wrong about him not seeing through their deceit. Maybe he did see through it... Please... Please let him see through it...'
Bile rising up in my throat. I felt dizzy.
'Things… Can't get any worse…'
... Is what I wanted to believe at that time, at least.
"So," Kazuya said, voice calm, "you got Shin killed."
"Because... What? You wanted revenge? You're really that petty?" Kazuya finger slapped my forehead.
It hurt a lot.
"Hnnngch..!" I groaned as I winced.
Is it his STR points?
"Fucking murderous monster."
"We should punish him ourselves."
"Yeah, we could be next!"
They all erupted again.
I shook my head, too quickly.
Even though I'd decided to stay quiet, the words just escaped from me at that moment.
"N-no!" I said, finally finding air. "I tried to warn him! They were sprinting, they weren't listening, I-I saw the mechanism and I yelled and—"
Mika snapped her head toward me like a dog hearing the wrong command, her shoulders tensing.
"So, you're calling Mika and Takeshi liars now!? After they tried covering for you!?" Kazuya yelled.
Just like that, her body relaxed.
'Fucking whore...!!' I called in my head.
The room's voices grew louder. Aimed at me.
And maybe it's because I got bullied by him for so long, but... His anger looked so, so fake.
My chest tightened.
"Stop lying!!" I said, louder, and my voice cracked. "I'm telling you what happened!!" My head turned, scanning the whole room, looking at everyone.
A boy near the couch scoffed. "Of course you are lol"
A girl muttered, disgusted: "He's trying to drag them down with him."
Someone else, louder, almost excited: "That's what cowards do."
I could feel it.
The sigh of relief coming from Mika.
"IT'S NOT MY FAULT!!! THEY DIDN'T LISTEN!!! SHIN FUKCING PUSHED ME ASIDE!!! HE IGNORED HICKS!!!" I screamed.
"Yell more see if we believe you xD"
"Murderer and delusional :D"
"T-Takeshi, STOP HIM!" Mika turned to Takeshi.
Takeshi just looked away, not saying a word.
"Takeshi..?" Mika looked at him, confused.
"I DIDN'T DO IT!!! I DIDN'T KILL HIM!!!" I screamed.
"Now he says kill. We didn't say you killed him..."
"So Mika was covering for him. Maybe Sato actively murdered him when they didn't look?"
"Psychopath."
"STOP IT!!!" I screamed harder, my throat tearing, "STOP IT—"
Slap.
Loud ringing in my ears. My neck snapping sidewards from the force.
The room going silent.
"Shut the fuck up already. Holy shit," Kazuya let out calmly, looking down at me with disgust. "Fucking psycho."
Even Mika didn't talk anymore.
"I-..." My voice came strained and weak, "I'm saying the truth... I... I'm saying the truth..!"
My vision blurred, not from pain, but from the sudden clarity of it.
This was school.
This was the hallway.
This was the bathroom.
This was Makoto on his knees.
"Tough shit. Facts speaks for themselves. Yell like that again, and I'm slapping you harder." He turned around and started walking away.
"We can't lie to these people who treated us so well." Kazuya continued, "We'll say the truth. That you killed—"
"Go…"
I gulped.
"Go fuck yourself… you piece of shit..!!!" I growled.
My eyes widened.
Mika's and Takeshi's eyes widened as well.
"What was that…?" The room was silenced as Kazuya spoke in low tone.
He turned around.
"Care to repeat that line… But louder this time?"
My hands shook. Loud ringing in my ears.
I just wanted it to stop.
Mana surged through my palms like a reflex, like a cornered animal biting without thinking.
"Spiked Vine Trap...!!" I whispered.
Green light erupted.
"The fuck, you used a skill on me—"
The floor beneath Kazuya split and un-thorned vines shot up, spiraling around his legs, his waist, his arms, binding him tight. He jerked in shock.
The lounge exploded.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
"He used a skill!"
"He trapped Kazuya!"
"Stop him!"
Both Mika and Takeshi stood still.
"HE'S TRYING TO KILL HIM LIKE HE KILLED SHIN!!"
Kazuya's face warped from surprise to rage so fast it looked like two different people.
'Just stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop...!!' I chanted in my head. I just wanted him to stop.
"FUCKER!!" he roared, veins showing in his neck. "LET ME GO OR I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!"
My arms trembled from the strain. The vines pulsed, alive, feeding on my mana.
I couldn't breathe.
I didn't even realize I was crying until I felt it on my lips.
"Stop," I croaked, voice breaking. "Just stop...!"
Kazuya yanked against the vines, furious, then snapped his head toward Takeshi…
And that's when I saw it.
The world froze at that moment as I looked at my spiked vines choking his limbs. Right on his right thigh… I saw it.
Blood.
'Actual blood.'
My eyes widened. My vision tunneled.
'He can bleed.'
More mana surged through me without me commanding it at this point. As if I unlocked something dormant. I commanded the vines to clench harder and harder.
"Gaahkk!!!" He shouted. At my level, they could only puncture his skin, probably. But not crush him.
'But I made him bleed.'
I'll probably die for this.
'That's fine.'
That's absolutely fine.
'That blood on my spiked vines is worth every second of it…!'
My teeth clenched so hard, I could feel them cracked.
"Stop him you retarded fucker!" he barked. "NOW!!"
Takeshi gulped.
His hands were on his claymore, but he didn't move.
"Sato, stop!" Takeshi whispered with a growl.
But I crushed Kazuya even harder. Even when I know it won't kill him. Even then, I could see more blood coming out. Just a bit more was enough to give me more power to go on.
"A MESSAGE FROM MAKOTO, YOU FUCKER!!!!" I screamed.
"IF I LIVE!!!! I KILL YOU ALLL!!!!" My throat tore. I pressed even harder as two of my vines grabbed his arms as he flailed them frantically.
"FUCKING DIE, BULLY BASTARD!!!"
Blood burst from his legs now. Spraying.
'God.'
'This is orgasmic.'
'I think I'm smiling.'
"FUUUCKK!!!!" Kazuya screeched, his eyes wincing.
"Was Sato always this strong..!?"
"Isn't he a B-RANKER!?" They said.
'Yeah, you'd think that. But Kazuya is a fighter-type. He has to have his arms and legs free to use an attack spell. I can feel it. He's repeatedly using his healing. But his wounds are closing on my vines. So all he ends up doing is wasting his mana while his blood still sprays fresh.'
'I was his natural enemy.'
I could hear Mika stepping away, shivering.
Sweat dripped down Takeshi's temple.
His eyes flicked to me.
Kazuya shouted again, louder, uglier.
"FUCKING KILL HIM NOW!!" He shouted to him.
And Takeshi swung.
'Eh...?' I thought as I saw a red flash in my vision.
My arms went weightless, then gone.
Warmth burst out of me in a rush that didn't make sense.
I looked down.
My arms that I held up in the air at Kazuya were now on the floor, spilling blood as though they were plastic bottles.
So much blood.
It sprayed and poured and spread from my stumps across Kazuya's uniform in a widening arc.
My scream tore out of me raw.
"AAARRHHH! AAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The vines around Kazuya unraveled as my mana snapped, collapsing like dying snakes as I fell to my knees, writhing on the ground, blood leaking out of me.
It was still spraying out of my stumps.
'I see now,' I thought.
'Takeshi used his claymore to cut my arms... Ahh..'
'They're spraying so much... When will my body run out of blood? I already feel weak... Maybe it's just stress? When does the stress end and the dizziness begin? I—'
I slipped on my own blood and fell to my back, looking at the blood showering over me.
Mika snapped her palm to her mouth, eyes widening as she looked at me.
Kazuya stumbled free, ripping himself loose, breathing hard.
Takeshi stood there with the claymore, shaking, staring at me writhing on the ground like he couldn't understand it came from his own swing.
The room had gone feral.
Somebody screamed.
Somebody gagged.
Someone sobbed.
A chair scraped back violently.
But no one rushed to help.
They backed away.
They made space.
They watched.
Kazuya looked down at me, irritated first, not shocked.
Then he exhaled like he'd been waiting for a slow internet video to buffer.
"Fuck, finally," he said. I could see his injuries healing before my eyes.
He shoved Takeshi in the shoulder, hard enough to jolt him.
"Jesus. What took you so long?! Fucking idiot. He was trying to kill me!"
Takeshi's face was bone-white.
"S-... Ah... Sorry man... I... Ah..."
My vision narrowed. The ceiling light smeared into streaks. The room sounded far away, like water closing over my ears.
The last thing I saw was Kazuya already turning his head toward the crowd, already talking, already reclaiming the room like this was just another inconvenience.
Then darkness.
When I woke, cold stone pressed into my back.
My throat was dry. My head throbbed.
I tried to move and pain flared so hard my body locked.
Iron bars.
A cell.
I looked down.
My stumps were wrapped tight in bandages, stained dark.
My stomach turned.
'It was real... My... My arms... They're... Gone...'
I swallowed and tasted metal.
"H… ah…"
I chuckled weakly.
"Worth."
Outside the bars, sitting on a wooden chair like he'd been there for hours, was Sir Hicks.
He looked tired.
Not angry.
Not surprised.
Just tired in a way that made him seem older than the last time I'd seen him.
His eyes met mine.
"You are awake," he said softly.
"And now," Hicks added quietly, "we will speak."