Chapter 14 Don’t Make the Mistake

 

“… Too late. Bella and the others, they didn’t kill him on the spot in the heat of the moment, did they?”

“Fufu. I think you’re worrying too much. Ada. No matter how poor the other party may be, the girls are well aware of what they are up against. I have a bit of concern about …… Ben, but …… the other two will stop him properly.”

A corner of the town of Gaimin.

Oddly enough, it is a neighborhood of “Franz and Mary’s Love Nest”. Ada, and her friends are in a desolate house, located far from other houses.

A safe house used for meetings with the open warring factions, which is kept secret even from Vince and his friends. They already have a similar base of operations in the People’s District, as well as in the town of the outsiders.

The girls had been working under the radar to make preliminary arrangements to proceed in earnest with the warring factions. These arrangements were nearly complete.

Now, if they could obtain the approval of Vince, the head of the group, they would be able to tell their compatriots, who were spending their time in hiding in human society, that the time had come to launch a counterattack.

She dreamt.

She would free her brethren hiding in the MacBrayne Kingdom and exterminate humans. Restore the pride of the demon tribe.

Then, she will be praised by the people of her home country, and she will triumphantly return to her faraway homeland as a hero……. She has visions of herself like this.

She already has no regard for Al.

That fragile human race is just a tool for Ada. A convenient tool to help her negotiate with Vince. She does not feel anything special about the tool.

Yes. This is what many humans used to think about demons.

Demons are slaves. A slave is a thing, and it is up to the owner to decide how he or she wants to treat it.

It is a long time ago now. It was so long ago that the Kingdom of McBrayne was still just a region of the empire. The demon tribe has a history of such dark days.

As a result, the demons have a history of escaping the dominion of humans and finding a new heaven and a new earth.

However, Ada’s words and actions prove that the demon tribe is only a ningen after all. What they do is righteous, and they are allowed to do whatever they want to humans. How very ningen-like. She is more like a human being than a human being.

She is unaware of it. Furthermore, she is unaware of her own self.

“Hmm …… still they’re slow. Let’s go check on them for a bit. ……”

“Ada is a worrier. ……”

“If you’re that worried, I’ll go look.”

The big man responds. Among the young warriors in the reconciliation faction, he is capable of going toe-to-toe with Ada.

“Garon. Sorry, can you do me a favor? Go kick the Bella’s asses.”

“…… Phew. Got it.”

Garon assured her with a nihilistic smile, and the moment he stood up.

The sound of a window breaking can be heard.

And garon shreds near the belly and splits in two.

It instantly turns into a thing.

After a moment of silence, a thud …… And the upper and lower bodies fall to the floor.

The floor is stained with blood. Now, who in the world is going to clean it up?

Ada is exposed to a gallon of blood and feces at close range.

She just stood there, stunned.

Greta, another girl from the demon tribe, was also unable to move as if she was being stared at by Medusa. Stopped thinking.

“Is …… ……?”

“………… eh?”

They know. There are things in this world that they do not understand.

……

…………

“Huh, was it …… Ada? That amount of mana is the only great thing about this girl. I served her because she seems to be Vince’s favorite, but she’ s not …… good at all. Too late to judge the situation. I think it’s about time Vince and his friends got wind of it. ……”

Al is aware. He is aware of these rapidly approaching signs. He has a good idea of what they are. They are probably members of Vince’s family. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing he can do about it.

If you get hit, you hit back.

Do it before they do it.

Do it after you have lost.

If you sense a sign, do it.

This is the Falconer family way.

Al does not know.

What were their circumstances and why did they attack him? He has no interest.

No explanation is needed. No excuses. No apologies. Just die.

Al instantly activates all his physical enhancements, swings, and throws with all his might. A dead body with no fingers on one hand.

The corpse flies into the house at considerable speed through a window that was broken by the “shooting” earlier. The corpse landed with a deafening boom, and bounced like a catfish. Ada and the others seemed to have avoided this time.

“Aaaaahhhh?”

“……. !!!!”

It is totally undeserved. All you can do is panic and go left and right. Al reveals more and more his disappointment with the capital aristocracy.

“…… Huh. What a pity. I’m done serving you.”

Dozens of “bullets” were waiting to be fired, and they were unleashed with a slight time delay.

A barrage of “bullets. Just violence. Just pure destruction.

……

…………

On that day, a house on the outskirts of the town of Gaimin was suddenly turned into a pile of rubble.

Was it the work of the spirits of the dead? There were a few rumors about the theory of dead spirits among some people … but the majority of people did not believe it. And so it goes. It is too direct to be the work of a dead spirit.

……

…………

Al carefully erased the traces of mana before the Vince family arrived and left the scene. The stone left a magical trace when it landed, but there were almost no direct witnesses, so it was a good thing. ……

Amazingly, Ada survived Al’s “bullet” barrage.

It was an act of survival instinct, but Ada was able to instantly deploy a barrier with the enormous amount of mana she had.

It was very poor magic, but there was no difference in her survival. That is something to be admired.

However, it seems that she had the privilege of witnessing her friends, Garon, Ben, and Greta, being reduced to pieces of meat from a special seat. ……

The closing of her eyes might have hindered the development of the barriers … and such calculations and fears gave her time that seemed like an eternity to her.

Well, except for Greta, who was already turned into a piece of meat. Don’t worry so much. Al would have said so without a care in the world.

“…… ah …… ah …… ah …… ah …… ah …… ah …… ah …… ah ……”

Teeth clattering and shaking uncontrollably. Her eyes are unfocused. There is no response when I wave my hand in front of her eyes. She is also incontinent. Drooling. She is in a complete state of shock.

“Only …… Ada. The others are …… not even …… discernible. ……”

“……Wow, what a ……No, no, I can’t be frolicking. I’ll leave the rest to old Vince! We’ll be out of here as soon as possible. ……! Cover every trace possible!

When the Vince Clan members…… Demon clans rushed to the site, which had been turned into a pile of rubble. Only Ada was left shivering, having lost her sanity.

We do not know what happened here. However, we can see that they were tortured unilaterally by magic.

She managed to endure. But the others could not. That was all.

Bart, Bella, Ben, Greta, Garon.

Sure, they were all chirping about the pride of the demon tribe and breaking free from human domination, much to the chagrin of Vince and the other adults. But is that all? They were not bad enough to be killed so easily and unilaterally.

Vince’s family members were also filled with dark feelings. Yes. After all, demons are just people. They are nothing more than ningen.

But such logic does not work with Al.

He was attacked, so he did fight back.

It is a very simple philosophy of action. It is laughable from Al’s point of view that the side that made the first move plays the victim. ……

……

…………

………………

“Oh no. I came here yesterday. I had no idea that I would suddenly be attacked at the institute. What was even more surprising was how weak and feeble the attackers were. I am sure that Vince’s family does not have anyone as weak and stupid as them, but ……”

Next day. Yes, the next day.

Al visited Vince’s mansion on the same day after finishing his daily routine in the main hall of the institute. With a nonchalant look on his face.

As he got closer to the mansion, he saw many people who were in a panic, but Al couldn’t understand what it meant. Really.

“……! What can I do for you today, Mister Al?”

“Ha-ha-ha. You know what I mean. ……………… to clean up after those idiots.”

The light suddenly disappears from Al’s eyes.

Mana is calm. Peaceful. There is no anger. No heat. He simply speaks quietly.

“Mister Vince. Those men are not from Lord Vince’s family. They are not related. Strangers. No matter what happens, I will not get involved. …… Is that clear?”

“……U……!”

Vince is a demon tribe. A demon among demons who have lived for two hundred years. He is the head of the reconciliation faction.

But now, he is being held captive by Al. The people around him, who had been in a state of panic just a few minutes ago, are unable to speak to him because of the abnormal atmosphere. They cannot do anything.

“……Well, if I say so, …… what will you do about it, Mister Al?”

“I will kill the woman Ada. It’s a quintessence. She survived, didn’t she?”

“! That is! …… A, Mister Al! Those guys sure made a fool of themselves! But the sin has been paid for with …… its life enough! I get down and apologize! Please, please, no more!”

What is this guy?

Al thinks. Is this guy also a coward?

“Huh? Redeemed with your life? She’s still alive, right? If you try to harm people, you can’t complain if they try to harm you back. It’s as simple and straightforward as that. Even children know the logic. Of course you know it, don’t you, Mister Vince?”

Al does not understand. Why Vince hesitates.

A member of the family. It would certainly be regrettable if it were a successor, for example. It may simply be love as a blood relative or family member.

If that is the case, Vince should have taught Ada to choose the right person to attack. This time, she made a mistake. So please forgive me. That would never go over well. Al’s logic.

“If the world could just say, “I made a mistake and I’m sorry,” there would be no need for laws or violence, right?

…… Yes, that’s right. Think of it this way. Ada messed with demons she couldn’t compete with. That’s why they died. Tables got turned back …… See, think of it this way, don’t you?

Do you apologize to the demons? Do you try to reason with the demon and make it understand? Do you hate that individual demon and want revenge? …… Well, you never know about revenge.”

“……a, Mister Al……. Do you …… insist on killing that girl …… and ……?”

(Of course not. What is he talking about? I don’t care if you are a professional assassin like Mary, you attack someone completely for your own gain, and then when you find out that you are no match for them, you ask them not to kill you? Idiot. In that sense, Mary was still more graceful. She seemed to do her killing completely as a business, and counted on her getting turned around and dying. …… Well, she was weak, but…)

Al is truly dumbfounded by Vince’s gutless question.

And then he thinks. Vince and I are definitely not on the same page.

“Huh, …… what’s that? Are you this much of a coward? I can’t get used to being in the capital. It’s too late for that, Mister Vince. If you wanted to save Ada, you should have disciplined her a long time ago. Don’t mess with the wrong person, and don’t mess with someone you can’t beat. Do you really want me to say that? Me?”

“…… ah……(No good. …… this one doesn’t understand anything you say to him. ……)”

Vince knows this.

What Al says makes sense as a warrior’s logic.

But he still can’t stand by and watch any more of his young compatriots get killed in front of his eyes.

Besides, Ada was forcefully put to sleep after returning to the mansion……. and has yet to wake up. Perhaps when she wakes up, she will have a mental breakdown.

Bert and Bella had their heads obliterated, and Vince and his friends took pity on their bodies. ……

The bodies of Ben, Greta, Garon, and others were not even decently left behind. Ben’s finger was left behind, which is still in good shape. …… And on top of this, even Ada. ……

“…… Mister Al. I still can’t let you kill Ada. …… The girl made a mistake. That mistake should be corrected, but I want her to live to reflect on her mistake. That is my decision as chief. ……”

Vince, too, is determined. He looks squarely at Al with determination in his eyes, and denies it. He does not hide his mana’s arousal.

(Hmph. Say so from the beginning. Instead of making silly apologies and excuses, you should say, “As the head of the family, I won’t let you kill her, so back off.” If you can’t even understand such a thing, then you must be one of those people who have lost your mind after living in the capital,…….)

“…………”

The people around him finally seemed to have made up their minds along with Vince.

Depending on the response, Al would be dealt with. Tension is high because of this.

Al, on the other hand, looks at Vince and the others with a cold …… heart. The eyes are completely devoid of any heat. It’s just a confirmation.

“Then you should be careful. When I am attacked, I fight back. That’s all. I’m rather forgetful and I already vaguely remember what Ada looks like …… but the next time I recognize her, no questions will be asked ……, all right?”

It was as if we were talking about the weather or a cup of tea without substance.

“……….. I understand. I swear that Mister Al will never see Ada again.”

“Ha. Mister Vince. I don’t need you to play the aristocrat. You let those stupid and soft people run wild, and now you expect me to believe in such an oath?

Violence for violence. Unreasonableness for unreasonableness. Mercy for mercy.

This time, I will show mercy to Vince, and we will call it quits.”

Al easily pulls away.

The light has already returned to his eyes, and the air around him relaxes.

In fact, Al did not care about Ada. He just wanted to nail Vince for being so …… gullible …… about allowing freedom to the clan members.

Al never thought that Vince’s words were not modesty or self-mockery, but that he really was this much of a fool as a family member, though.

(What’s with the rootless spirit? You just want to appeal to the younger generation to be tolerant. That’s naivete. Tighten up where you need to tighten up. When young people make a mistake, they don’t just pay for it with their own lives. It will also cause trouble for those in your clan and those who fight with you. If this were a battlefield, it would have been Vince’s job to take care of Ada and the others who got the better of him.)

The light returns to his eyes and shoots straight through.

Vince, realizes Al’s intention here. And also the naivety of their own.

(…… underestimated. No, I underestimated the humans, and the true fighters like you, Mister Al. The long period of peace had loosened us up. We wanted to give freedom to young people, but we did not know that this idea would kill them. …… Sometimes it is the chief’s role to show firm determination. …… I am sorry. Forgive the foolish chief……)

……

…………

A reconciliationist of the demon tribe. The demon tribe that lives among the human tribe.

In the game’s story, they split from within in response to a call from the main demon tribe’s territory. It is the rise of the open war faction.

The chief and other old-timers were unable to stop the young people from running amok, and in the end, they were unable to make a clear choice between humans and their demonic brethren. …… Ultimately, the chiefs and old-timers of the reconciliation faction, in the shadow of the hero’s successes, lose their lives at the hands of their demonic brethren, the open warring factions. Until the very end, they talk about coexistence with the human race.

Al does not know. He does not care.

Because he was attacked, he only fought back. There is no great intention in itself. It is like a conditioned reflex.

However, the impact of this incident on the reconciliation group is significant. …… Before the main game begins.
 

TL :

Ningen
1: Meaning “Human” in Japanese.
2: A derogatory name or statement to someone.
3: A mythical sea monster.

A word meaning “mortal” or “human” in japanese.

It is famous for being used by the character Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super.
“Filthy ningen!”

There are many terms to the word. If you want, You may google for better understanding.