I brought DeB back alive, fully prepared to be suspected. I had even prepared an excuse to throw out after stopping the Temple if they tried to kill him.

But there was no need for that.

Whether they had grown a grudging affection for him and convinced themselves to let it slide this once, or whatever else. Thanks to them, they didn't throw a single question my way, let alone suspect me.

The party, including Kimchi Dumpling, handled the opinions saying he should be killed, so there was no room for me to step up in that regard either. It was a fortunate thing, if I had to say.

Of course, just in case, I had set up a smokescreen by looking at DeB with conflicted eyes, or clenching my teeth while gripping my right arm tightly to pretend I was agonizing over it.

"To chase the demon, the slacker's recovery must take priority. However, we cannot spend that time idly. Thus, I have invited the Young Lord."

Meanwhile, the Inquisitor, who had calmly escaped the holding room, opened the conversation. It was a good thing I hid on the roof of the lodging without anyone knowing. I almost missed all of these conversations.

Of course, the part that made me happiest while eavesdropping was what those two dumplings had just done.

As expected, the Inquisitor is the best dumpling, the best Hero. A lot of my worries over how to restore Meat Dumpling's self-esteem have been alleviated.

"We also plan to consult with you regarding the demon subjugation, but there is something we must hear first. Young Lord, what on earth happened?"

Setting that aside, this is the part I needed to focus on right now. I waited to hear what they would say from an angle where I could catch glimpses of their faces.

"... Since I've already been caught, there would be no point in hiding it any longer."

The person, who emitted a sense of pitifulness beyond just sorrow despite having those looks, opened his mouth after a long while.

"First, the entity that clashed with the Hero's companion is Biryuho."

"Wait... if you mean Biryuho...!"

"The Archmage understands immediately. Yes, it is the entity you are thinking of. The former ruler of the western lands who disappeared several centuries ago."

"Why would such an entity..."

At the Archmage's question, the Young Lord's expression became strange for a moment. He looked somewhat dejected, or to put it crudely, it looked as if reality had hit him hard.

"In the past, I unknowingly saved a cat."

"A cat?"

"It was soaking wet in the rain and shivering, so I felt sorry for it and just tossed it some food... but it turned out that it was Biryuho."

"... That is a rather bizarre twist of fate."

"Yes. However, it seems that Biryuho quite liked that small connection. Since then... the entity became a little severely obsessed with me. Claiming that I belonged to it..."

The Young Lord took a rather long breath at that point. The others were much the same.

An obsession from none other than a primeval beast. And in a situation where he even had a fiancée, at that.

The Young Lord's life was truly twisted up.

"Then your inability to converse properly last time was also...?"

"Pardon? Ah, are you perhaps referring to the day you brought the letter?"

"That is correct."

The Young Lord made a troubled face at that question.

"That was not me. It was Biryuho pretending to be me."

It was understandable that he felt troubled.

"... That is surprising. I did not notice anything strange."

"Haha..."

Separately, I finally understand why the Young Lord acted like that that day.

He hadn't seemed the least bit happy despite receiving a letter from his lover, and it was because it hadn't actually been him.

It makes sense why he was beyond reluctant and downright disliked it.

A letter arrived from the official lover of the human it was obsessed with, so there was no way it would have liked it.

The reason it hadn't properly answered the cat story must have been because that cat was itself.

"Then the letter..."

"Unfortunately, I could not see it. Because Biryuho burned it."

Ah, then the talk about a fishy smell must have been because of that too. I don't know why Biryuho smelled a fishy scent from me—maybe because of the Sea Dragon's pearl?—but it mentioned it both times, in the form of the Lord and in its true form.

Thinking about the passerby who babbled about me smelling fishy, maybe that person had also been Biryuho in disguise?

"Hmm. This might be a presumptuous question, but could the beast crisis in Camberer..."

"... That is also Biryuho's doing. It has not been long since I found out either, but... who else but that entity would cause such a thing?"

The cause of the beast crisis had also been revealed. I naturally thought it was a demon's doing, but it was an unexpected culprit. To think a spiritual beast would attack a city because it was crazed by love.

I had kept the possibility in mind, but it seemed the demon pulling tricks on DeB and this incident were truly separate matters.

Did that mean the weight and seriousness of this crisis disappeared? That wasn't the case either, though.

Yeah, aside from anything else, hadn't victims already emerged? And fatalities at that? Then whether it was a demon or a primeval beast, it had to be struck by the iron mace of justice. Regardless of its race, there was absolutely no reason to forgive it the moment it killed people as it pleased.

And it wasn't as if Biryuho was a benefit to the city either, judging by the phrase 'disappeared a long time ago.'

Then shouldn't it be made to pay a fitting price?

"However... you do not need to worry about that part anymore. Because I will no longer overlook my duties."

"What do you mean by your duties?"

"The cause of this incident is my engagement with the Young Lord of Camberer. Biryuho is interfering because it does not like this engagement. Then, wouldn't it be solved if I break up with the Young Lord of Camberer?"

"Pardon?!"

However, it seemed the opinion here was a bit different. He wasn't discussing punishment, but merely bringing up a countermeasure.

"But..."

"I am the Young Lord of Ednium, and the one who will become the next Lord. Furthermore, the rights granted to me come at the price of the responsibility to bring safety and a better future to the people of the city."

"..."

"I have no intention of neglecting my duties for the sake of my rights. That is the weight of this position. In fact, since I wasted a week's time simply because I did not want to break up with Mia, I also think I can't push it any further. Camberer has suffered tremendous damage in the meantime..."

The Young Lord met the gaze of the person who had jumped up the most, the Inquisitor. "I am fine." That smile rather looked relieved.

"... I do not feel this is the right choice. What sin have the Lord of Camberer and its residents committed?"

"You are correct. They have no sin. They certainly have no reason to be struck by such a disaster. However, a natural disaster does not strike with a reason."

"Biryuho is not a natural disaster."

"No, at the point where we cannot hold it accountable for its sins, it is no different from a natural disaster."

"Why can we not hold it accountable?!"

"Because humans do not have the power to stand against that entity!"

"...!"

"... In the first place, Biryuho has no reason to follow the laws of humans. Just as a human does not apologize to the colony for stepping on a few ants. In that regard... Mia, the Young Lord of Camberer, will understand. Of course, she will be extremely angry... but it cannot be helped. I must protect the people of my city, and... I want to protect Mia and Mia's city as well. I wish for them to not get hurt and die anymore. By my choice, and no one else's."

I marveled at his attitude, which was comparable to a certain second son I had seen in Camberer.

Although those who had already suffered damage would criticize him for not making even that choice sooner, it was still a conclusion he had reached through his own efforts, wasn't it?

It wasn't as if he had wanted them to die, and the Young Lord only looked to be around twenty. For such a young man to willingly sacrifice himself to save others, that devotion should be recognized.

Well, devotion or not, I was extremely displeased with that bastard Biryuho.

After all, putting it nicely, this was just noblesse oblige; in reality, wasn't he just a living sacrifice?

Furthermore, setting aside that couple's issue, there were still people left behind who had lost their families due to the beast crisis.

The Young Lord of Ednium keeping his mouth shut meant that they too could not speak up. What sin had they committed that they had to just keep their mouths shut and let it pass?

"... No, this is an issue that should not be understood. Such a one-sided sacrifice must not be understood!"

However, while I was having those thoughts, the Inquisitor spoke up.

As expected of our Kimchi Dumpling. She didn't disappoint my expectations.

"Even if it is difficult, we must not simply let it pass! We must punish it without fail!"

Yeah, way to go, our Kimchi Dumpling! Tell him we should fight that wicked Biryuho! I destroyed the Sea Dragon, so you think I couldn't catch Biryuho?!

Let's catch that tiger bastard who acts like a thug without doing a damn thing! While we're catching demons, let's beat that thing up too!

"Did I not just tell you? There is no way we could punish Biryuho..."

"Just because it is a primeval beast does not mean it is invincible!"

"There is no way Biryuho will meekly admit to its sins! And we cannot kill that entity, can we?!"

At the words of the Young Lord of Ednium, the Inquisitor's eyes deepened.

"Why can we not kill it?"

It was the eyes of a Heresy Inquisitor who only knew one thing. Or perhaps the eyes of a steadfast person who refused to compromise despite having realized something.

"The depth of punishment must not change according to authority, wealth, or power. And in the case of murder, if there is no room for extenuation, a death sentence is always handed down. That is the kind of sin it is, to harm someone. Then, is Biryuho, who killed dozens of people simply because they displeased it, not also a subject for the death penalty? Am I thinking incorrectly?"

"Um, Inquisitor. Even so, Biryuho is an object of faith..."

"I saw the corrupted Sea Dragon in the western sea. That too was an object of faith, but when people started dying because of it, the people took up swords. Is this any different from that?"

"... I have briefly heard the story of the western sea. However, wasn't that place in a crisis where the entire West Sea was going to perish?"

"Dozens of people died, solely for its own desires. Since that means Biryuho prioritizes its own desires over human lives, is there any guarantee that such an incident will not be repeated?"

"That is..."

"There are those who commit evil without harboring corruption. I learned that such beings must be guarded against the most, and even now, after experiencing many things, my judgment remains the same. One who has committed evil once can do it a second and third time unless there is some intervention. Because they have learned that no one will stop them regardless."

"..."

"I will ask again. Do you still think it must not be killed?"

"... There is no way we could kill it."

"No, that is not for the Young Lord to judge."

The Inquisitor stared straight at the Young Lord with an adamant gaze.

"The strength of the evil that must be punished is our share to resolve."

Ah, you bet your ass we can kill it. When I clashed with it earlier, that bastard was nothing special.

"... No."

However, the word spat out after a long while was a denial.

"Why is that?"

"Even if you truly could kill it... there is an issue."

"An issue?"

"In the past, the drying of the land began ever since Biryuho disappeared. It is unknown if it is truly related, but if it is the truth... if Biryuho were to be harmed, the land might become barren all year round."

"... That is."

"I do not wish to make such a gamble. It is not just my life on the line, but the lives of the residents as well. If the entire east were to run dry, it would be the lives of not just thousands, but perhaps tens of thousands, or even millions."

With this, neither the Inquisitor nor I had anything more to say. Because neither of us had the courage to risk millions of lives just to exact the price for killing dozens.

"... I see. I understand."

The Inquisitor ultimately declared defeat.

"... I apologize for not being of any help."

"No, this is... simply a matter that humans cannot resolve."

"... It may not be much of a substitute, but I can offer a small piece of help."

The one who stepped forward to replace her was the Archmage.

"What do you mean by a small piece of help..."

"Is the important thing right now not to make the beast crisis stop even a day sooner? To do so, the annulment needs to happen quickly."

"That is true...?"

"Therefore, I will deliver the message through magic."

"Is that possible...? There shouldn't be any Mages in Camberer..."

"There is an investigation team from the Magic Tower that decided to stay in Camberer for a while. It just so happens that I have a way to contact them. I will be able to deliver it much faster than sending a messenger."

Listening to their conversation, I brought up random thoughts to soothe my bitter heart.

Anyway, the other primeval beasts had been fine—the Sea Dragon had gone a bit crazy, but that was because the child meant to inherit it was corrupted, not because its original personality seemed rotten—so why was this one like this?

If it's Biryuho, it's a white tiger. If it's a white tiger, it's a tiger. Why is a tiger's personality like this? Did it fail to gain humanity because it didn't have garlic and mugwort?

"... Thank you. Thank you."

"I am only sorry that this is the only way I can help."

"No, this is truly the greatest help of all."

Seriously, why are there so many unreasonable things in the world?

The Young Lord of Camberer, Mia, remained silent for a long time at the urgently delivered telegram.

And after all the reports were finished and the Mage left, she slumped down as if collapsing right there in her office. Her longtime friend and aide, Johanna, discreetly studied her expression.

"Are you okay?"

"Not only have we figured out the cause of the beasts' attacks, but we're told it will stop soon, so I should answer 'of course I am'... but I just can't."

"Mia."

"Hah, that it will be solved if you and I break up? That it will end now? Are you kidding me? People died! Twenty-five people died!"

Mia placed her hand on the sofa while slumped on the floor. Her fingernails, deformed from holding a pen for over eight hours a day, clawed at the sofa's fabric as if to tear it apart.

"Not only am I having my lover stolen right before my eyes, but the residents of my castle died as well, so how am I supposed to let this go without even punishing the cause!!"

It was wrong. It wasn't 'as if to tear it.' Her fingernails finally pierced right through that thick piece of fabric.

"Y-Your hand will get hurt."

"How, how could this be."

"Mia, you couldn't use your hand for a while last time you did this. Let's let go of this for now and talk."

"How could...!!"

At Johanna's soothing, the sofa was barely freed. The body slumped on the floor was also forcibly raised and moved to the chair in the office.

"How could the world be like this."

Even so, she couldn't pull herself together. Mia placed the back of her hand over her eyes.

Honestly, she felt disillusioned. To the point where everything felt futile in an instant, even though she thought she had endured well for a long time.

"After my mother passed away, I endured a woman who I don't even know where she rolled in from swaggering around and taking control of the household. I smiled and endured my position being threatened by a bastard child just because he was favored, and becoming the one in charge of cleaning up that idiot's messes. But is the result of living like that a sudden disaster and an ending where even the person I love is taken away? Is this right?"

"Mia..."

"Hoo, right. Calling him a bastard is wrong. Since that little shit is my stepmother's child. Even if he's a child that the guy I call my father had through a secret affair before my mother even passed away, they're claiming he's a child who only inherited my stepmother's blood for now."

While speaking, she slammed her fist down on the desk in a fit of rage again. BANG! Her fist rang out with a tremendous sound.

"Even so, this isn't right. How have I lived, and how have I endured? I finally solidified my position and was just about to live happily with the person I love, but it's not allowed because of some beast bastard eyeing my man? And on top of that, even though there are residents who died because of that bastard, I have to just shut my mouth and let it slide? Does this make sense?"

"It's not a beast bastard, it's Biryuho..."

"Whether it's worshipped or not, a beast is a beast! If it truly wanted to be treated like a god, it shouldn't have left, or else it should never have returned!"

Meanwhile, Johanna, who knew her liege and close friend's temper well, shuddered at Mia's shout.

"Despite not showing its face when I wanted to die from the agony, how dare it. How dare it..."

But more than that, she felt immense pity for her liege.

Because she had seen everything—how much she had suffered between her stepmother, who had barged in as if she had nothing to fear after her mother's death, and her younger brother, who acted more arrogantly than anyone while hiding the fact that he was a bastard.

Furthermore, there was only one reason Mia had endured through that pain: because her mother had left a dying wish asking her to take care of the city.

For the sake of that single dying wish, she had endured her favoring father, her checking stepmother, and her arrogant younger stepbrother to become the Young Lord praised by all the city's people. Without even thinking of her own happiness, solely to keep that single dying wish.

That was why the Young Lord of Ednium, who had made Mia happy, was even more delightful to her...

"Johanna."

"Yeah."

"What makes me angrier is that there is absolutely no way to resist. If I could have it my way, I'd want to say we should beat that beast bastard to death, but for a mere animal, it's so strong..."

"... Mia."

"Ah, it's not just that it's strong. Since there would be more people making a fuss about what would happen after killing that beast, or shouting that it's more profitable to leave it alive and receive its grace forever than to kill it. Yeah, of course. Honestly, it's more beneficial as long as it wasn't their own families who died."

"..."

"... But you know what's funny? The moment I realized that for all those reasons, there was no way to get rid of that bastard or punish it, I actually thought about just throwing everything away and running off with Leon. That kind of thought occurred to me."

"...! You...!"

"Really pathetic, right? How could a person have such thoughts. Putting aside the possibility of successfully running away, who would take care of the people who suffered damages if I left? If I leave, this city will fall to that piece of shit, so what about the side effects from that? What about the probability of the city's people shedding blood due to the wrath of the remaining Biryuho?"

"... Mia, for you to think of the Young Lord to that extent..."

"It's incredibly irresponsible. I know. I know too... but on the other hand, it's like this. Damn it. Why did my mother leave me such a dying wish? I've never had a single complaint until now, but right now, it's just so sorrowful. I know it's a position where I must sacrifice as much as the rights we enjoy, and I know I shouldn't step back from any responsibilities. Even so, I, I..."

Johanna merely hugged her tightly as she looked at her friend finally bursting into tears.

Why couldn't someone like you, who had handled that position so excellently, receive a single reward? Since it was you, and no one else, who was the Young Lord that we could enjoy a better life, is there truly no way for us to repay you? She herself harbored such questions.

"Is it here?"

Over the course of a day, DeB recovered his body. It wasn't a full recovery, but it felt like he was past the point of dying while wandering around on someone's back.

Furthermore, the party to hunt the demon—though with this size, the word raid team would be more fitting—was fully formed during that time.

With thirty soldiers provided by the Lord and around forty capable Priests—we decided to leave out the Mages since it took too long for them to get here—the situation was ready for departure as soon as I joined.

Because of that, dragging it out any longer would break my character. I barely folded my thoughts of showing up even later and revealed myself to them.

It went without saying that the party departed immediately as soon as I returned.

"Yes."

"... I feel demonic energy. I think I can track it now too."

And the moment we arrived deep within a certain forest after riding for half a day.

"Wait, the demonic energy is getting closer—!"

"Uh, it's approaching?"

[Hah, a mere human dares to find me?]

The demon revealed itself. It was a demon with the exact same appearance as the one who had given me the veil, and the entity DeB had previously testified about.

As expected, DeB wasn't a traitor.

[I don't know what trick you used—.]

"I will kill you, demon."

Also, since it's certain that bastard tormented our Meat Dumpling, I'm not letting him go nicely.

'Kill.'

Brace yourself, you punk. You're fucking dead now.