Chapter 118 Air
"Lord Hiiro! This is a serious problem!"
Voices of blame echoed in the clear blue sky.
"The witch is dead. I took it out. Look at this evidence. So what's the big deal?"
"I don't care about her hair! Lord Hiiro, I appreciate that you took down the witch. But why did you throw her body in the river?"
"What difference does it make? What good is dead flesh?"
The next morning, after a rainy night, Hiiro returned to Joosa and boldly announced in the central square, where all the squad members, theater troupe, and townspeople had gathered.
"I killed the witch," he said, holding up a bundle of red hair believed to belong to Roze.
But when they heard he had just tossed the body into the river, Haboch was furious. His eyes filled with madness as he confronted Hiiro.
"That's obvious! It's to deliver justice. The great sin that witch committed cannot be washed away without being executed by the flames of justice. We must burn her to prevent any disaster from coming to this town!"
"Justice?"
"Yes! It's actually our mercy towards the foolish who have strayed from the path!"
They refused to face death, clinging to their decayed present.
Their claim of righteousness pushed Hiiro to throw away his hesitation.
His fist struck Haboch's cheek without a moment's delay.
"Don't make me laugh, you bastard."
"Ugh!?"
It must have been a powerful blow.
The merciless hit easily lifted the old man's body off the ground.
The crowd gasped as the town mayor fell backward without even being able to brace himself.
A chilling silence filled the air. But Hiiro ignored the commotion around him and grabbed Haboch by the collar as he fell.
"It was your damn town that made her a witch. You think burning is justice?. If you want justice, then shouldn't you be the one to burn first?"
"H-Hiiro!"
Intense emotions up close. It's impossible to resist the thick killing intent from the sneaky old man who keeps using death to his advantage.
All he can do is groan like a bug with its limbs torn off.
Maybe it looked so pitiful that Hiiro tossed Haboch aside like trash. He even turned his back, not wanting to look anymore.
"Ah, wha... what a brutal act! I'm the leader of this town, you know? I'm a civilian!"
But of course, the town leader, a member of the Inquisitorial Council, barked back. A man who had toyed with life for so long couldn't just stay quiet in front of a young knight.
"Lord Shidou! W-what is the meaning of this? A knight should never act so violently against the citizens! As the leader of the squad, do you condone this outrage?!"
"...Indeed."
"Using force for personal reasons is utterly unacceptable. Merifar, once we return to Headquarters, we will discuss your punishment. Understood?"
"Hmph. Do as you please."
As a knight, he was part of the organization. Shidou, who valued discipline, couldn't let Haboch's cunning complaint slide. Hiiro probably knew that too. He just shrugged, not even bothering to argue.
"Ha, ha. Serves you right. Yes, even if you're praised as a hero knight, you're just a young fool who doesn't know reason. You should know your place──ugh!"
Feeling good about the young knight's punishment, Haboch tried to mock him further, but this time a sharp chop struck his face.
Though it was held back considerably, it still hurt like hell. The old man's eyes widened not just from the pain, but from shock.
The one who delivered the chop was Shidou.
"W-why, captain, are you also committing such barbaric acts?!"
"That's obvious. This is a use of force based on the public reason of suppressing a ruthless criminal like you."
"Ruthless criminal?! Did you just call me, the leader of this town, a ruthless criminal?!"
"Indeed! The inhumane acts using the white beast's memento mori. We, as knights, cannot overlook the barbarity that toys with human death. Therefore, we will restrain you and escort you to Headquarters. After that, you will face judgment."
In the first place, Haboch has misunderstood everything.
The crime of inciting a witch hunt as a form of vigilante justice. The crime of turning the deaths of others into personal gain and mocking them. If you look around the dark corners of this town, there are far greater sins lying in wait than witches.
If anyone deserves punishment, it is their turn next.
"Th-This is ridiculous... Such tyranny cannot be allowed!"
Even though he has committed heinous crimes, Haboch is just an old man. Naturally, he has no power to resist the knight order.
With no way to fight back, he stepped back from the one-eyed figure in front of him.
"Don't move."
"Eh?!"
"You wouldn't want to lose a leg before facing a heavy punishment, would you? Don't even think about trying to escape now."
"Ah, ugh..."
It was Shura who stopped his retreating, thin legs.
She had taken on a large number of beasts alone and joined back after taking them all down. She was shaken by the news of Hiiro's disappearance, but now that he has returned, her anxiety has been lifted. What fills her heart now is anger towards the coward.
"Ugh... I knew it. The knights have indeed been deceived by the witches! Listening to the witches' lies has turned them into their pawns!"
"Wow, didn't see that coming."
"Mr. Town Mayor... are you still saying such things?"
"Shut up, you little girl! How disgraceful for knights to lean towards witch! Joosa and all the people who love this town! Now is the time to bring the fire of judgment upon those who are like witches! Capture them and burn them! For our justice!"
There was no way to escape anymore. The only option left was to go all in for one last gamble. He had to ignite the madness of 18 years ago once more. Haboch raised his voice to the breaking point.
If he couldn't do it, destruction was inevitable. That was the only choice left.
"W-What's wrong with you all... why isn't anyone standing up?!"
But no one agreed with his plea.
On the contrary, there were quite a few townspeople who looked at Haboch with cold eyes.
"Ha, Haboch..."
"Well, yeah..."
Even the old men of the Inquisitorial Council were trembling weakly.
There was no light in their eyes. A deep resignation, deeper than the bottom of a swamp, covered them. Haboch was confused by their despondency, as they all shared the same doom.
"Hey, town mayor. You still haven't realized... oh right. You passed out in the middle of the fight and apparently didn't regain consciousness until this morning. So you wouldn't have noticed."
It was Marcus from the theater troupe, not a knight or a townsman, who voiced his question.
"What do you mean I haven't noticed?"
"That wind barrier, it had a hole in it, right? So it seems like it managed to keep the beasts out... but I heard the conversation between the knights and Rose."
"W-What...?"
But the awkward parts should have been before the hole appeared. Haboch was suspicious of this reaction, but as Marcus continued explaining, everything in front of him went dark.
"So, the folks from the Inquisitorial Council were completely shaken. They were trembling with pale blue faces, thinking they'd be revenged upon or killed... and they started confessing."
"C-Confessing!? W-Wait...!"
"That's right. It means that no one in this town is unaware of your disgusting misdeeds. Until last night, the townsfolk were filled with fear. But after a night's sleep, they managed to cool down a bit. Then they thought it over. Rose... no, the witch is gone. So now, where should they be looking for the real sins?"
"N-No... ah..."
"Well, it's time to pay the piper. My condolences, that's all I'll say."
Caught by the consequences he had avoided, there was no escaping now. With a final word that felt like a stab, Haboch crumbled to his knees.
Hiiro felt no sentiment for his comical yet pitiful end.
A cold glance was cast aside, as if to say there was no more need for it, and he turned on his heel.
""Hero Knight!""
The voices of the townspeople stopped Hiiro as he walked away.
Hiiro didn't look back. His emerald eyes were gazing up at the blue sky.
"What should we do from now on...?"
"We made mistakes too. How can I atone?"
"Please tell us. Please, please..."
It was the Inquisitorial Council that stirred up the witch hunt, but it was the townspeople who surrendered to the horrific frenzy.
They turned the innocent into the guilty, branding a woman as a witch. They too were sinners.
The punishment they received was cruel and unfair, like a twisted version of what is right. The pleas were likely screams against the weight that now bore down on them.
"..."
It would have been easy to push them away, saying he didn't care.
He could have cut them off, telling them to think for themselves.
How much easier it would have been to shake off the idea that there was any way to atone for death.
But they were the ones who shackled themselves with the chains of guilt. Even as some townspeople still turned their backs, claiming it was all the Inquisitorial Council's doing, they chose to face it, however weakly.
"Don't forget."
Then, there were words he should share with them. Even someone like him had words to admonish.
"You gotta remember what you did was wrong. What you stole. Whatever messed up everything. Make sure to think 'bout it and don't shy away from facing the consequences."
Once, he was Atami Shou, who chose the wrong path.
Now, he still carry the festering, painful scars.
"Don't forget."
Not the words of a hero, but of just one human.
"Even if it hurts, you gotta keep your head straight about what's happening right in front of ya."
He expelled everything that had built up in his lungs.
Eventually, Hiiro began to walk again.
This time, his legs didn't stop.
There were no voices to hold him back anymore.
* * *
The sun, which had been absent yesterday, now brightly illuminated the lush green leaves.
The damp, earthy scent of nature filled the air, reminiscent of summer after the rainy season.
"..."
The sound of the waterfall echoed loudly. How much of the tribute offered here was genuine, and how much was false?
The view of the valley from here changed the meaning of holding on a lot. It might seem small compared to 18 years, but at least for Atami Shou now, it looked different.
"...Death or now. It doesn't matter which one I should think about; comparing them is pointless."
Thinking about death. Thinking about now.
She said she preferred the latter, but in the end, there's no real difference between the two. Death (past/future) and now are inseparable.
There's no witch left to tell me that living is like this.
──So, let's bury all my regrets here.
To watch over them. Carried by the wind.
"See you."
She whispered, letting go of her red hair.
The wind from her hometown blows through the valley.
Her red hair scatters, carried far away.
She doesn't know where the wind goes. She was only asked to see them off.
Eventually, the red fades into early summer.
And then the scarlet is gone too.
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