Chapter 101: Resolve Now then, was it Vero... Vero? Veni? What was her name again?
Anyway, since I've helped out the Troll Demon, I should probably get going on the next task.
There's a reason I call that demon girl—who barely escaped with her life after being thrashed by Akito's followers—a "troll."
She appears early on like she's going to be someone important, but then she disappears for about six months. Was it until Akito started his second year? Or maybe just before that? Regardless, she vanishes for a while.
During that time, she gets kidnapped by humans and subjected to all sorts of experiments.
Sorry humans are such pieces of shit.
While wandering around with her injuries, she gets captured, gang-raped as a matter of course, and tormented by humans before finally managing to escape.
After that, she grows to loathe humanity and spends her time pulling all sorts of "troll" stunts to get in Akito's way.
You know the type in games—the character who shows up whenever you're about to forget them, picks a fight, gets beaten, runs away, and repeats the cycle until they finally have a change of heart at the very end.
She never actually interferes with anything vital; she just pops up and initiates a battle, so she doesn't really impact the main story.
However, because of her hatred for humans, she ends up committing massacres, which ruins the reputation of demons and results in a lot of innocent casualties.
"... ..."
Honestly, I can't look at this with a "game" mindset anymore.
In all seriousness, I feel pathetic for having laughed at them as just "characters" or "extras" until now.
They are all alive, and they are people I encounter in my reality.
I've reached a point where I can no longer remain indifferent to them dying just for the sake of plot progression.
I should have felt this way much sooner.
Sigh—
Anyway, while I intend to support Akito from the sidelines, I plan to save as many people as possible who would otherwise be sacrificed in the process.
The Troll Demon is no exception.
I can't exactly leave her to be passed around and experimented on.
And I hate the idea of her committing a massacre only to sob, "What have I been doing all this time...?" after a few words from Akito. It feels like a cheap attempt at a redemption arc.
If I prevent it beforehand, there's no massacre and no suffering demon.
Well—it's not like I'm some amazing person, and I'm certainly not a saint like Akito who looks out for total strangers.
But I've made up my mind: as long as it doesn't derail the story, if it's happening right in front of me, I'll do what I can.
"Turk? You're high-level talent, why are you here?"
"My future brother-in— I mean, you're my lady's top disciple. It's only right that someone of my caliber shows up to keep up appearances."
The Greyhounds who had been waiting for the commission all grinned.
I don't know what they're so happy about, but if Frey sent someone like Turk, she must have put in a lot of effort.
I'll have to show her some affection later.
I led them toward a nearby abandoned factory.
What is this place?
The factory that creates the Troll Demon.
It's where the bastards who torment that demon—Vero or Veni or whatever—reside.
With one hand in my pocket and the Etiquette Infuser resting on my shoulder, I walked boldly toward the front. The guys guarding the main gate flinched.
It was fine for me to walk in like I was heading to a gang fight.
I only had five Greyhounds, including Turk, behind me, but in reality, there were far more mercenaries hidden around the factory.
I couldn't sense them, but since that was the plan, they had to be there.
As if to prove it, one of the guards picked up a radio to say something, but he just kept clicking the button and shouting, seemingly unable to get a signal.
So they can even jam radio frequencies. Pros, indeed.
As we drew near, they swapped their sticks for weapons and took combat stances, but their heads were pierced by mercenaries dropping from above, killing them instantly.
Where the hell did they jump from? Isn't the factory roof incredibly high?
The mercenaries, acting as if the small fries' mana barriers weren't even worth noticing, easily dealt with the guards and vanished, dragging the corpses away without even making eye contact with me.
Wow—so that's what a professional looks like.
"I should make sure never to mess with the Greyhounds."
"Haha, you finally realized we're scary? It would've been nice if you'd known from the start, but you're strong now too, so we can't exactly look down on you either."
Turk laughed heartily and slapped me on the back.
I appreciated him acknowledging my hard work.
The people here are the absolute scum of the earth, so it's better to deal with them now before Akito can try to "redeem" them with his talk-no-jutsu later.
In the original timeline, the Troll Demon kills them all when she escapes, so I wouldn't have run into them anyway, but I've already changed the timeline where she meets these guys.
Creak—
"Hello, everyone!!"
I shouted as I pushed open the massive iron doors. The people inside looked at me in shock.
A few reacted quickly, switching their sticks to weapons, but the Hounds were already positioned everywhere.
Bathed in their wary glares, I gave them a smile.
"And goodbye."
The moment I finished speaking, Greyhounds sprang out from every corner and began the slaughter.
How the hell did they fit inside those oil drums? Are they ninjas?
Seeing a brute pop out of a drum and slit the throats of the scum who had been staring at me was both impressive and gruesome.
Amidst the cacophony, blood and flesh splattered, and the sight of severed body parts rolling across the floor was nauseating.
The stench of blood, in particular, was so thick it felt suffocating, making me want to gag.
"Never killed a person before, have you?"
"No."
"Want to try?"
Turk, who was by my side acting as my guard, asked while looking me straight in the eye.
His usually boisterous and cheerful expression was now dead serious.
"Yes. It's something I have to go through eventually."
I'd made up my mind ever since returning from the Adrian Factory District.
I came from a peaceful world, so I'm not used to this, but the city and Yggdrasil will continue to be attacked, and I have to fight.
This isn't a forgiving place. Living as a mage, I'm bound to kill someone sooner or later.
Turk dragged over a piece of trash whose mana barrier had been shattered and neutralized, dropping him in front of me.
Without hesitation, I swung the Etiquette Infuser with a full follow-through and crushed the man's skull.
The sensation was disgusting.
In the Illusion Space, there was no feeling of cutting flesh, and monsters have tough skin, so the sensation of hitting a human is different.
As I stared at my palm, still feeling the vibration of the strike, Turk kicked the corpse aside and looked at me.
"You're less hesitant than I thought."
"I prepared myself for this."
"... Right. When the job's done and you go home, get some sleep. Don't go drinking or anything."
Was that advice from experience?
I don't feel much of anything right now, but maybe PTSD will hit me later.
However, I have too much to deal with right now.
I don't have time to be pathetic—seeing the faces of the dead in my dreams or having my hands shake.
The unleashed Greyhounds, true to their name, tore through the opposition with overwhelming skill.
While I was talking to Turk about my first kill, the mercenaries diligently wiped out the entire base, all the way down to the basement.
The basement corridors were lined with corpses. I followed the path to inspect the laboratory.
Humans who had been treated like lab rats in iron cages looked at me with terrified eyes.
Some had been hideously mutated; others had been pushed beyond the boundaries of humanity.
This place is truly revolting.
A few places like this appeared in the story, so there must be plenty more in reality.
No matter how hard the government tries, those who conduct secret magical experiments keep popping up like cockroaches.
"Total of 87 neutralized. 24 rescued."
True professionals.
To keep track of their kill count in the middle of such intense combat and provide statistics immediately...
It's one thing for one or two people to be exceptional, but it means every mercenary who participated this time is at that level.
I couldn't even dream of imitating that.
At Turk's report, I looked at a survivor who had miraculously lived through being strapped to an operating table for human experimentation.
Bound by leather belts and gagged, they could do nothing but tremble.
"What happens to the people rescued here if we hand them over to the government?"
"The suits will categorize them and send them to hospitals or rehab centers."
"Even them?"
Turk glanced at the person I was pointing to—someone who no longer looked human—and shrugged.
"They'll go to a rehab center."
"I heard the treatment there is terrible."
"I don't know about the high-end centers used by top-tier mages or rich kids, but for the average person, it's basically just a prison."
"Can we negotiate using the research data from here?"
"It's possible. The suits will be salivating over the data more than the fact that some trash got taken out. They'll probably be the ones to initiate negotiations... or rather, threaten us to hand it over."
Turk really doesn't seem to like the government.
From Akito's perspective, they were a diligent, honest group working for the people, but I guess there's a dark side to everything.
"Copy the data for the Greyhounds to keep, and use the original to negotiate with the government. Make sure those people are sent to the rehab center I own."
"The one where the Geukryu Society kids are?"
"Yes, there."
When I saved Yukina, I also rescued those in similar positions who couldn't function in society.
At first, I left them to the government, but when I heard the rehab centers were like bottom-tier nursing homes that abuse the elderly, I built a center myself to protect them.
It might be hard for them to return to their original bodies, but at the very least, they can lead a life with human dignity.
After cleaning everything up and handing the scene over to the government, I returned home.
Is Yukina immersed in training again?
She just got back from a mission not long ago; she's far too diligent.
Maybe it's because I'm tired, but the empty house feels lonely.
Wait, it's not empty.
I smiled and raised my hands as I felt a blade against my neck.
"You can't even scratch my mana barrier with that. And is this how you treat your savior?"
"Why did you call me here?"
"That's because I'm a kind person who can't ignore a pitiful human... or rather, a pitiful soul?"
"I am not human. I am what you people call a demon."
The Troll Demon ground her teeth and spoke fiercely.
I get that you're on guard, but could you not grind your teeth right next to my ear? It sounds like nails on a chalkboard and it's giving me goosebumps.
"You're not actually a demon, though."
"... ..."
At my words, the Troll Demon fell silent.
They might have horns on their foreheads and eyes that look a bit reptilian, but these beings have nothing to do with angels or demons.
Among themselves, they called it... what was it? Anyway, they have a term similar to "human," and they're a race that lives perfectly well in their own world.
It's just that the unique mana within their bodies creates monsters, and when their world and ours connected in the past, they clashed with humans, leading to this situation.
This is why the first impression is so important.
"Are you a human who cooperates with us?"
"Nothing to do with them. Does helping you count as cooperation? And could you move the sword? I've had a very tiring day. I'm going to eat and go straight to bed."
After a moment of hesitation, the Troll Demon pulled the sword away and stepped back.
Seeing that she had no intention of attacking, I turned around slowly and saw that her wounds had been treated thoroughly.
As I looked at her body wrapped in bandages, she asked, still wary.
"Why did you help me? And why did you write an address under the recovery potion to call me here?"
"Hmm... I already answered the first question. As for the address, you needed time to recover."
"... ..."
"Just rest up. Your kind is sturdy, so you'll be back to normal in three or four days, right?"
"Did it never occur to you that I might kill you?"
"You can't. I'm stronger than I look."
That's right, kid. I'm someone who can kill now.
The Troll Demon stared blankly at my confident smile before letting out a sigh.
"Let's just eat. You can eat human food, right? By the way, what's your name?"
"...Veronica."
"Okay, Veronica. Sit there. I'll treat you to an amazing meal."
Right, that was her name.
She usually just showed up in the middle of things, got beaten up after a few lines, and left, so I couldn't remember it.
Today, I'll show her just how delicious human food can be.
"Ah..."
I confidently opened the refrigerator, only to see it filled with nothing but drinks. I slowly closed it.
I'd emptied the fridge before heading out on the mission.
Turning around slowly, I locked eyes with Veronica, who was sitting at the table watching me intently.
"Do you like delivery food?"
"I am in no position to complain. I will gratefully eat whatever you give me."
"Delivery food is delicious, too."
"I said I would eat it."
For a split second, a look of "how pathetic" flashed in her eyes, but unlike the foul-mouthed followers, Veronica understood her position as a guest and maintained her manners.
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