Chapter 3: Good and Evil

Chapter 3:
Good and Evil

 

I SPENT THE TWO WEEKS after that earning as much LP as I could. After that, I found I’d gotten quite comfortable with life in the castle town. Of course, I also kept up my surveillance on Iesu—although his day-to-day life wasn’t particularly eventful. At least there were no more attacks from the soldiers in the time that I watched him. He just worked diligently in his butcher’s shop and hung out with his neighbors. After two weeks, I was wondering if he could be such a bad guy after all.

The one thing that made him change his routine was when he discovered someone with a valuable skill. When that happened, he quickly used his Brainwashing ability to bring them into the fold. It was strange how selective he was about it. I mean, he didn’t just go for brute strength—something else was informing his choices. Maybe it had more to do with their personalities?

Whatever the case, the Brainwashing gradually wore off over time if Iesu didn’t keep in touch, so he held large meetings on the weekends in a warehouse. I knew I was onto something when I saw the swordsman who’d fought with that street performer walk in, but I was ultimately too scared to infiltrate the gathering.

“I should get going.”

I stared up at the ceiling of my room and steeled myself. All of my hard work had resulted in around 11,000 LP, and it was time to act. Around two or three times a week, Iesu went to a bar alone at night—just to drink, from what I’d seen. This was exactly the chance I had been waiting for. I had to get more information about his skills. There was no way I could make a move against him until I understood what Uninhibited could do. I really didn’t want him to find out what I looked like, but given how much LP I had at my disposal, I figured I should be able to manage.

“Time to get up, Noir,” Nina called. “Breakfast is ready.”

“Thanks again.”

“I made you an extra-large portion. You’re a growing boy, and it won’t be long before we take down Iesu together!”

By now, Nina and the rest of the Shields of Righteousness recognized me as a comrade, but I wanted to keep some distance between us. I mean, all I really wanted was to get home and see Emma and my other friends again. But Nina and her people were completely consumed by revenge. I was a little worried it might rub off on me, especially given that Iesu seemed to be motivated by the same thing. I just kept thinking: What would I do if someone killed Alice? I didn’t think I’d ever be able to forgive them.

“Did you learn anything about him?” Nina called through the door. “Did you find out where he is?”

“Still working on it.”

“Oh. Well, keep at it. By the way, an envoy from the castle has come to see you.”

“Got it.”

Nina smiled when I opened the door, but I couldn’t look her in the eye. No way was I going to tell her and the others where to find Iesu. I was sure that they wanted him dead, but I was determined to capture him alive. No, I would have to act alone.

I hurried downstairs and went out into the backyard to meet with the envoy and the several soldiers that had come with him.

“How are things progressing?” he asked.

“I think Iesu’s going to go drinking tonight or tomorrow,” I said. “That’s when I’m going to strike.”

“Trying to catch him drunk, huh? Not a bad idea. Do you require reinforcements?”

I hesitated. I could probably have used the help, but if Iesu Brainwashed them, it would just mean more enemies for me to fight.

“I wanna try it on my own first,” I said. “But I’d appreciate it if you could provide me with some cuffs or other restraints.”

“Understood. We’ll have them delivered this afternoon. Now, regarding Iesu’s whereabouts—”

“Shh!” I hissed.

Someone was listening on the other side of the door—I was sure of it. I ran over and wrenched it open to find Nina standing there, looking startled. Honestly, I couldn’t blame her for wanting more information.

“S-sorry,” she stammered. “I was worried about your breakfast getting cold.”

Exactly how much had she heard? It couldn’t have been very much. After all, the door was thick. Still, I said farewell to the soldiers and headed down for breakfast, then rested until midday when the envoy came back with the restraints I’d asked for.

The rope was made out of some kind of special material that no one could break. That meant it was time to hit the road. I stowed the rope away in my Pocket Dimension and went to check on Iesu.

“Welcome. Thank you for your loyal patronage, sir.”

When Iesu was working in his shop, he really was just a regular, good-natured guy. His customers seemed to love him too. He wasn’t up to anything unusual at that moment, so I headed back to the inn for a nap. That evening, I went back to his shop and I waited. Around eight, he closed up and headed to a bar.

“Good,” I muttered to myself. “It’s today. I knew it.”

The thought made me a bit anxious.

Two hours later, Iesu was done at the bar. He walked out into the night moving completely normally. I guess he hadn’t drunk much. He took the same path he’d followed to get there, then detoured down an alleyway.

I turned the corner behind him and steeled myself. This was it. There was plenty of space and no one around to see us. It was the perfect spot for a fight. I closed the distance to him.

“Iesu, I demand satisfaction.”

“What makes you think I’m Iesu?” he asked, turning around slowly.

But he didn’t look anything like the kindly butcher now. His gaze was icy cold, and my breath grew ragged in my throat. He didn’t even have an intimidation skill, but his aura was overwhelming.

“I have a Discerning Eye,” I said.

“That has a short range, doesn’t it?” he asked. “I should have noticed you staring at me before… Oh, now I remember.”

He must have seen me chase down the older woman who’d stolen Lola’s wallet.

“I know your Fangs of Wrath need money,” I said. “But you killed that woman because she failed to pick a pocket. That’s way over the line.”

Iesu shrugged. “Can’t be leaving evidence lying around. Plus, she was going to die sooner or later.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

But he just pulled a knife from his jacket. The blade was huge—almost a foot long. I swiftly used Discerning Eye for Items.

 

Strong Knife

Grade A

Skills: Sharp Edge

 

My sword had Sharp Edge too. It made a huge difference in the quality of the weapon, but before I had the chance to think much about it, Iesu came right at me.

He raised his knife to strike, but I calmly parried. He seemed much less experienced with a dagger than Emma, and he didn’t have any skills to back him up either. I just had to make sure not to get cut. I countered with a large downward strike.

“Hmph!”

Iesu dodged with a back step, but not quickly enough to avoid the blow entirely. He looked down at the sliced sleeve of his jacket with annoyance.

Ha! You see?! I can hold my own in close-quarters combat! I might even be able to win this.

“You’ve got some impressive skills,” he said. “Why don’t you use them for my cause?”

“Never. You’re a criminal.”

“So are the nobles. So is the king. Tell me: What’s the difference? They use innocent people as playthings. I want to save this city from such squandering bastards. I want you to lend me your power…I know you want it too…”

The world warped around me and my concentration slipped. All I could hear was Iesu’s calm voice echoing through the blank space of my mind.

Lend me your power. Lend me your power. Lend me your power. Lend me your power.

Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all…

No, wait! This was his Brainwashing skill! It was just as well that I was a higher level than him and had thought to pick up that mental status effect skill. I’d have been lost without them.

Iesu seemed to realize his skill wasn’t working on me. “You really should have let yourself be Brainwashed,” he said. “Now I’m going to have to kill you.”

Iesu shuddered with murderous rage, and I almost didn’t notice the puddle of purple liquid that formed around my feet. It was the same technique he’d used to kill that thief! I jumped backward just as Iesu fired off a series of attacks.

“Ugh, Stone Bullets?”

But they weren’t. They couldn’t be, because ten of them appeared in the air beside him all at once, and he fired them off one at a time. I dodged and parried with my sword, but it wasn’t easy, and just as I thought the worst of it was over, he got close enough to strike out with his knife. I couldn’t get out of the way in time. Thankfully, the cut was too shallow to be dangerous, but damn, his sword was sharp! Strangely, Iesu didn’t press his advantage. Instead, he tried to regain some distance between us.

In the next moment, water rained down from overhead, drenching me through.

“Huh? What?”

Was it raining? No, the sky was supposed to be clear that night, and besides, this was far too much water all at once. At least it didn’t seem to contain any kind of fast-acting poison.

“Think you can dodge this time?” Iesu asked with a daring smile.

Before I knew it, rocks flew at me again. I finally understood what he was trying to do: He wanted to make my clothes so wet and heavy that they slowed my reaction times. But I wasn’t worried about that. As long as I kept my head in the game, I wouldn’t have any trouble dealing with…

Wait. Why was I swaying? Surely I wasn’t at my limit already!

I looked down at my feet and found the cobblestones were undulating beneath me. I didn’t have time to be amazed, though—more rocks were already flying at me. This time, I took three direct hits. The ones that hit my arm and thigh hurt a ton, but it was the last one that really did the damage.

“Ugh…”

It nailed me right in the temple. I staggered back, trying to keep my footing. It didn’t seem to be a particularly serious injury, but it was bleeding and it ached. Worse, it had slowed me down. If Iesu came at me with that knife again, I’d be done for.

I forced my body to stay standing, but when I looked at Iesu, I saw him panting. What was wrong with him? I opened up my Editor skill to find out.

 

Uninhibited: The wielder can manifest anything they can imagine but cannot directly manipulate living creatures. The more abnormal the phenomenon, the more concentration and stamina the use of the skill consumes.

 

Wh-whaaat?!

The skill’s description made me want to shriek. Could Iesu really turn anything he imagined into reality? That was just insane!

The only saving grace was that it couldn’t be used to directly poison or paralyze me. The stamina cost also explained why he was so out of breath. He’d been using the skill over and over, and he was starting to tire. That meant I had an opening. At least, I did in theory. Unfortunately, I hadn’t recovered enough to take advantage of it yet. Time to use Editor again!

Delete “manifest it in reality” — 25,000 LP

That seemed a little extreme. Well, then, destroying the skill was out of the question. Even worse, Iesu seemed to have recovered.

“You’re good,” he told me. “But let’s see how you like it when you can’t move!”

Suddenly, the buildings on either side of me grew arms that reached out to grab me. They looked vaguely human, but they were far too long and spindly. They were strong too. What kind of an imagination did this guy have?!

I cut through two of the strange arms and retreated to try to rethink my strategy, but Iesu was having none of it.

“You’re not getting away from me!”

More arms shot out from the buildings. I slid and jumped, my heart thumping with abject terror as the inhuman hands grasped and snatched at me. Then, as if things couldn’t get any worse, a volley of arrows appeared out of thin air. As flustered as I was, I managed to use Holy Flame to reduce them to ash. At least I still had my wits about me. I was pretty proud of that, to be honest.

For now, there was only one thing for it: I fled. I ran down the street as fast as I could, trying to keep an eye on Iesu over my shoulder, but he didn’t give chase. Out of stamina again, eh? Lucky me.

I managed to get far enough away that I could return to the inn. Nina was still awake, cleaning the floor. She looked up at me as I entered and frowned.

“Noir? You’re bleeding.”

“I just smacked my head on something in the dark. It’s not serious, so don’t worry. Good night.”

“S-sure,” she stammered. “Night.”

No way could I tell her about the fight with Iesu. I couldn’t let the Shields find out about him. I needed to get this job done on my own.

So I headed back to my room and treated my wounds with a salve. None of them were serious, and the fight had only made me stronger. If anything, it was the psychological damage I was worried about. I mean, could that guy seriously manifest anything he could think of? It was monstrous!

I flopped down on the bed to think over some possible countermeasures. Maybe I couldn’t break Iesu’s skill outright, but perhaps I could find a way to weaken it. I could even use Bestow to bind his legs and stop him from moving. I fired off ideas like that, one after another, until I started to doze. I must have been wasted.

I really didn’t want to fight Iesu more than I had to. After all, I had some sympathy for everything that had happened to him. The whole Noble Fight Club thing was horrific, but was there really anything that I could do to stop it? No matter how high my level got, I’d still be powerless against things like that.

“What should I do?” I muttered.

But my eyes drifted closed before I could find an answer, and I drifted off to sleep.

A while later—I’m not sure how long—I heard a low, heavy voice speaking to me from far too close

“You know, only fairy tales have heroes.”

 

***

 

I sat up with a start to find Iesu standing beside me. Damn it! Had he followed me here? Worst of all, he had a knife in his hand. His eyes were ice cold.

“But in the real world, everyone is a hero,” he said. “Don’t you agree?”

He didn’t wait for an answer as he swung the knife straight at my heart. I only just rolled away in time, narrowly avoiding death as the knife ripped through the bed. Somehow, I got to my feet and grabbed my sword from the table.

“If you’d kept your mouth shut, I’d probably be dead by now.”

Iesu shrugged. “I wanted to kill you in battle. I don’t always understand my own heart, but that’s what it wanted. Sometimes you just have to follow it.”

I knew what he meant. There were times I acted purely on impulse too.

“I understand,” I said. “But can we do this somewhere else? I promise I won’t try to run.”

There wasn’t much room to move in the room, and I didn’t want to cause problems for the inn. Oddly, Iesu didn’t like the thought of fighting in there either, because he didn’t argue.

Before he could change his mind about it, I pulled open the door and headed downstairs, but Nina caught me before I could get outside.

“Noir? What’s going on?”

“Nothing! I’m just heading out!”

I hurried through the back door with Iesu right behind me.

Nina frowned at him. “Who’s that?”

“Umm, just a friend. Don’t worry about it! I won’t be long!”

She was still staring at us, but we managed to get safely outside. We had to get clear of this place. I broke into a jog, making sure Iesu was still behind me. Where would be a good place to do this? The park was probably the best bet. It was still dark, and the whole place would be more or less deserted. There was a ton of open space, and the footing was even.

That settled, I headed to the park and stopped just beside the pond. When I turned around, Iesu was right behind me. He wasn’t even winded.

“People talk about you like you’re evil,” I said. “But you’ve been surprisingly cooperative.”

“We only commit crimes for the money,” he shot back. “I’m always careful to make sure innocent people don’t get hurt.”

“What about that thief of yours?” I asked. “You killed her right in front of me.”

Iesu’s expression twisted with distaste. “She pimped out two of her own children. And when they got sick, she had a man kill them.”

I wish I hadn’t asked. What a horrible story. The swordsman I’d seen Iesu Brainwash hadn’t seemed like a particularly good person either. Was he only Brainwashing people who deserved it?

No, I couldn’t start thinking like that. I didn’t have much mental fortitude at the best of times. It wouldn’t take much for him to pull one over on me.

“I don’t care what she did,” I said. “You can’t just go around killing people. You can’t take justice into your own hands. It isn’t right.”

“Justice is in the hands of the victor,” said Iesu. “That’s how the world works. You think the nobles only kill evil people? They’re evil themselves! They do whatever they please.”

Before I could argue, I had to dodge. Somehow, his emotional outburst was accompanied by an actual explosion. Had he done that on purpose?

This can’t be real!

I managed to avoid the blast, but it was stronger than I’d expected and sent me tumbling across the grass. By the time I got up again, Iesu was right next to me. Would I ever find a way to beat this guy? I wanted to cry.

I watched the tip of his toe drag slowly across the ground, then lift up into the air. Little dramatic, my guy! In the end, he just kicked me. It didn’t do too much damage, but it was enough to send me flying again.

“Huh?”

The moonlight above me suddenly disappeared. I looked up and saw a massive boulder plummeting out of the sky toward me. Was this how it felt to be a bug? All I could think of was my father stepping on a cockroach. I scrambled to my feet and managed to get away just in time.

When the boulder hit the ground, I flinched, expecting another explosion, but instead it simply disappeared. At the same time, the ground under my feet became thick and sticky. I couldn’t move—damn. I looked up at Iesu and found him staring at the ground beneath me.

That Uninhibited skill really did let him do anything he wanted. All I could think to do was try to interrupt his concentration. I fired off the largest Stone Bullet I could muster.

“Well, well, how unusual.”

He’d noticed it wasn’t just a normal Stone Bullet, but he easily stepped out of the way. Still, I didn’t need to hit him—I only needed to distract him. The ground was already getting firmer under my feet. I probably needed to keep moving, so I broke into a run and circled around him.

“Haaah…haaah…”

Iesu was panting for breath. He had to be getting low on stamina again. He was trying to conceal it, but there was no hiding it from me. My strategy was working. I snatched a few rocks up from the ground and threw them at his feet.

“Tch!”

He pulled his foot back reflexively, but he was getting slower. Yeah, he was definitely getting tired now. All I needed to do was draw this battle out, and maybe I could win. But just as I was getting excited about that idea, a wall of water appeared in front of me—so suddenly that I had no time to react. The wave crashed down on me, washing me away.

“Arrgh!”

I choked and swallowed a bunch of water. It was salty, as though it had come straight out of the sea, but my biggest problem was that the current pulled my sword from my hand and carried it away. I managed to get back to my feet and fired several Icicles at Iesu, but he dodged out of the way easily, as though he could see the future. I was starting to panic. No matter what I did, he was faster than me. I was going to lose.

“W-wait,” I stammered.

I don’t even know why I said it. There was no way he was going to stop just because I asked him, so I was amazed when he simply fell over. Had he slipped somehow?

“Haaah…haaah…”

His shoulders heaved as he tried to catch his breath. Throwing out so many impressive effects had cost him. But rather than rushing to attack, I took some time to ensure my victory.

Extreme Stamina Consumption — 4,800 LP

Using Get Creative, I made a skill that made it easier to spend stamina. Now all I had to do was Bestow it on Iesu. How easy that would be depended very much on his natural affinity—Bestowing a skill like Slow on a fast and agile target cost a lot, but giving it to a more sluggish target was a cinch. It turned out that Iesu was built for endurance, because it was going to cost me another 4,800 LP to Bestow it on him.

All the same, I didn’t hesitate. This was exactly why I’d spent the last two weeks building up LP.

“And now…there you go!”

“What…what did you do?” Iesu snapped.

He was losing his edge; he didn’t seem to realize what had changed.

“I know your weakness now,” I told him. “You don’t have enough stamina to keep going, and that will never change now, no matter how much you train. You could even kill yourself by trying. Surrender now.”

“What…?” Iesu blinked at me. “You think my life still has value? I haven’t feared death in a long time. Not since I saw my sister’s corpse in front of me!”

I’d thought I had him, but the glint in his eye told me otherwise. If I wasn’t careful, I could get swept up in his energy. Instead, I retrieved my sword and readied myself as Iesu got back to his feet. He was covered in mud and wiped his face with the sleeve of his jacket. His eyes were burning with cold.

“This whole city is filthy,” he growled. “The buildings, the streets, the people who live here, even the king. It’s rotten through.”

“You know,” I said, “I have a little sister too. I—”

“You think you can understand?” he shouted. “One day she was there with me, and the next she was gone. When I saw her again, she was dead. Mutilated. All the signs of her suffering carved into her corpse. Like hell you understand that!”

Suddenly, I remembered Alice’s smile.

She was always there, always looking out for me. And I was sure Iesu had loved his sister just as much. If I were in his place, would I really be that different?

“Kid, you’re using your power to aid that filthy rat of a king. You’re just another one of his dogs. And I plan to take you down with me, even if it’s the last thing that I do.”

There was nothing I could do to stop him. Iesu poured every last drop of his strength into one final, terrifying attack.

“Arrgggh!”

A sharp wind whipped around me, tearing up the arm I threw out in front of me. Thankfully, the wounds weren’t very deep, but there were hundreds of them. Blood poured down my hand and dropped into the grass. It was like the wind had turned into razors.

Before it could envelop the rest of me, I pulled the Shield of Champions out of my Pocket Dimension. With its Durable skill and A-Grade Fire, Water, and Wind Resistance, it had already saved my life a number of times and was probably about to do so again. I hid myself behind it and backed away, trying to wrest some control over the situation.

“You think…you’re clever…” Iesu panted.

He could hardly speak. The more impossible things he brought into being, the more concentration and energy his skill sucked out of him. And with the detrimental skill I’d Bestowed on him, he was nearing his limit. All I had to do now was keep backing away until he hyperventilated and died.

Wait. Was that really what I wanted?

The second I got caught up in thinking about that, I was enveloped in a pillar of flame. There was no way out, and no gaps to slip through. Despite the Shield of Champions, I felt the heat burn my skin. I had to do something fast!

“What do you think will happen first?” Iesu called from somewhere beyond the flames. “You roast to death, or I croak? I guess we’re about to find out which one of us is stronger!”

I couldn’t see him through the fire, but I heard the fearlessness in his voice. All the same, I was confident I would win this one. I still had a few thousand LP left over, after all. I could use it to give myself Fire Resistance—but I’d already had a better idea.

Focusing my mind, I made the biggest Water Drop that I could muster and sent it rocketing straight up into the sky. It rose and rose until it couldn’t fight gravity any longer, then broke apart and showered back down again. It wasn’t enough to put out the flames, but it drenched me to the point that the worst of the fire couldn’t touch me, at least for a while. Long enough, in any case, for me to raise the Shield of Champions and press forward out of the wall of fire.

“Hmm…haahh…”

Iesu gasped and grabbed at his throat. He was struggling to breathe. Had he pushed himself so far past his limit? Or was he still trying to use Uninhibited, despite everything? I was impressed by his tenacity, but I didn’t let it distract me. I dropped my shield to the ground and sprinted toward him until—

“Urgh?!”

I sliced through his left arm just below the elbow, severing it completely. Between the pain and his difficulty breathing, finally, it was enough. Iesu crumbled to the ground and clutched at the wound at his elbow, trying to stop the bleeding.

I felt…

I felt bad for him.

How strange. I’d never felt that way about an enemy before, but Iesu was different. He was indomitable. Even now, he was still trying to talk.

“Kill me, then!” he snarled. “What’s wrong with you? Do you enjoy watching people suffer?! You’re no better than the king!”

I knelt down beside him. “This sword isn’t for killing. I used it to save you. If you keep living as you have been, you will die.”

“And what?” Iesu spat. “Is surrendering to you any better?! It might even be worse!”

He was probably right. If I took him to the king like this, they’d make him suffer terribly before they executed him. They’d want to make an example of him. I shuddered.

“I’m not telling you to forget your sister,” I said. “But you have to choose to live a different life. There’s still a future waiting for you, Iesu. Or at least, there could be.”

Iesu looked up at me. “You’ve got what you wanted. You’ve beaten me. So why are you the one crying?”

“I-I didn’t realize…”

I wiped my eyes with my sleeve, but the tears wouldn’t stop coming. It left me wide open to attack, but more than that, it was just embarrassing. And still I couldn’t stop. Every time I tried, I just kept thinking about how happy Iesu and his sister must have been when they were together. It reduced me to ashes. There was no way I could fight against it.

But instead of taking advantage of my weakness, Iesu asked, “Can you really forgive what I’ve done? I’ve killed people. I’ve killed a lot of people pursuing my goal, even if they were all evil. And I forced them to steal, before I did. My sister hated to see people in pain. She hated it more than anything. Do you think that she would forgive me?”

“Even if she couldn’t—even if the gods will not forgive you—I will.”

Iesu fell silent after that, and I tore strips off of his clothes to stop his bleeding. He didn’t struggle at all. He just lay there and let me treat him.

“You’re a kind soul,” he said at last. “But you know that you’re in danger, right?”

“Maybe,” I said. “But I don’t want you to die. Living with one arm won’t be easy, but it has to be better than death.”

“I’ll be fine,” said Iesu. “But I will not promise to give up my quest. Not yet.”

“But you should,” I urged him. “You need to abandon your old identity and start a new life somewhere. Though ultimately, that’s all up to you. Although, even if you choose to continue, I’d prefer it if you used another name.”

He laughed at that. It was the first time I’d heard him laugh.

Would he really choose another path, or was I just being foolish? Childish? No. I had given him another chance, and he would find a way to use it. I believed that. I had to believe it.

Once I’d stopped the bleeding, I stored his severed arm away in my Pocket Dimension. Iesu didn’t have any use for it anymore, and I needed it for what I had planned next.

I didn’t know what else to say to him now, but in the end, I didn’t get the chance.

A voice carried to us on the night wind, full of hate and rage.

“How touching. But do you really think that I will forgive your evil deeds so easily?”

It took me a moment to realize the voice was Nina’s.

 

***

 

Nina’s twisted expression and bloodshot eyes made her look like a completely different person. It made me think of how even the laziest of cats turn into a monster the second a mouse walks past. Only the mouse she was hunting was Iesu, and she would do anything to get her revenge.

“It was cruel of you not to tell me you’d found him, Noir.”

She must have followed us from the inn. She must have overheard our entire conversation too. She turned her attention to Iesu.

“So even a lowlife piece of garbage like you can feel pain, huh?” she asked, glaring at him. “Do you even remember Parat? Do you remember killing him?”

Iesu took a shaky breath. “Yes. I remember that boy.”

“Well, I hope you remember murdering him, because that’s exactly what’s about to happen to you!”

Her voice rose to a booming shout and her body began to swell and grow. A horn sprouted from the center of her forehead. Her muscles bulged, and her skin took on a reddish hue. In the empty park under the moonlight, she looked both magical and utterly terrifying, and her transformation wasn’t just aesthetic. When I checked her with Discerning Eye, I found her level had risen to over 150.

Still, what she’d said had made me curious. I turned back to Iesu. “Why did you kill Parat?” I asked him.

Iesu coughed. “He was a sadist. He’d tortured and killed people. Women, children, the elderly. He made the weakest ones kill each other. I saw what he was doing, and I killed him.”

I wasn’t surprised. It must have reminded him of what happened to his sister. By the sounds of it, Parat was no better than the nobles and their sick little fight club.

I looked at Nina for some sign of shock, but her expression didn’t change. She didn’t even bother to deny it. She must have known all along.

“Parat had his flaws,” she said at last. “But he was still my little brother.”

“I think what he did goes beyond having ‘flaws,’ Nina,” I said.

But my careless words just made her angrier. Blood vessels stood out on her forehead. Somehow, I managed to put myself between her and Iesu. My hands were shaking.

“You need to leave him alone,” I told her. “Let me handle it.”

“Parat had abnormal strength,” said Iesu. “You should avoid close combat.”

I nodded and picked up my sword.

Nina laughed. “Look at you. You’re exhausted. Do you really think you can beat me?”

She didn’t wait for me to answer as she rushed me all at once. Her movements were simple and predictable, but she was so incredibly fast that I could barely track her. I swung my sword about, just trying to keep her back.

Thwap!

Something struck me hard across the cheek and the world spun around. I had to struggle to stay conscious. Before I could get back up again, something kicked me in the stomach and sent me rolling across the grass. I was still sore from fighting Iesu. This was too much. I wanted to sob.

“This is your last chance, Noir,” said Nina. “Give Iesu to me, or I’ll turn your body into a sieve.”

She pulled a rock out of her pocket, and I pretended to stagger as I got up—to give me a chance to use Discerning Eye for Items on it. But the stone was…just a regular stone? I didn’t understand.

“Ever since I arrived here,” I said, “I’ve lost track of what ‘right’ even is. But I’d rather choose what I can see and feel over any lofty ideals about justice.”

“So you’ve chosen death. You are a fool!”

A gust of wind rushed past me. I tried to dodge out of the way of the stone, but it hit me right in the arm. I couldn’t stop myself from screaming. I didn’t think it was broken, but it really hurt like hell.

“Come on!” Nina roared. “I’m going to smash you to pieces!”

She grinned at me. It looked like she was having fun. I couldn’t sense anything from her besides pure, sadistic glee. Was it a side effect of the transformation?

“Here, kid!” Iesu shouted behind me. “Use this!” He picked up the Shield of Champions with his remaining hand and tossed it to me.

“Thanks!”

I held it up to guard against the rocks. However strong Nina was now, a rock was still a rock. While I sheltered behind the shield, I came up with a plan. I hunkered down and stopped moving. I could still hear rocks bouncing off the shield, but they couldn’t hurt me.

“Is this how a man fights?” she demanded. “You’re pathetic. Did you leave your balls back at home?”

I heard faint footsteps between the crack of the rocks. She was coming closer. It was working.

“Hah!” she shouted. “Got you!” She was standing right over me. Her face contorted with a horrible smile and she seized me by the collar, dragging me up off of my feet with her herculean strength. “It’s over, Noir.”

“You’re right,” I said. “It is.”

I might have been a coward, but I wasn’t cowering in fear. I was waiting for her to get in point-blank range. Now that she had me in her grasp, I fired off Blinding Light. As the bright white haze poured out of my fingers, Nina reeled backward.

“Augh!”

Unable to see, she stumbled away from me and I seized my chance. I swept her legs out from under her and she fell flat on her backside. Then I grabbed her by the arm and used one of the pins Leila had taught me, twisting until the bone snapped.

Nina roared and howled. I tried to grab her other arm, but before I could get a hold of her, she grabbed me and flung me up into the air again.

“Too strong…” I somehow managed to right myself in midair and landed magnificently on my ass. Yep. What a hero.

“Damn you, Noir!”

Nina charged me again before I could get up. Fear grabbed me by the throat. I tried to run, but it was useless. I was about to die. She was going to kill me.

But before Nina could reach me, a towering wall of earth shot up between us. Nina crashed right into it and brought the whole thing down on top of herself. Talk about hardheaded!

Of course, this miracle was Iesu’s doing.

“This is your only chance,” he rasped, gasping for air. “End this.”

“Got it.”

I gathered myself up and decided what to do. I figured thunder would be best. It was difficult to use in the middle of combat, but while Nina was still fighting to get out from underneath that wall, it was perfect. As she struggled, I nailed her with a Thunderbolt.

“Damn…it…all…” she groaned.

She flopped over and stopped moving. I’d won!

I mean…I had won, right? She could still have been pretending. I approached her carefully, but she was out cold. My thunderbolts weren’t anywhere near as powerful as the real thing, and her ogre form probably protected her from serious injury.

Iesu, on the other hand, was struggling to breathe again. I helped him to his feet.

“I guess this is goodbye,” I said. “I know I keep going on about it, but I really hope that you think long and hard about how you want to live the rest of your life.”

“I hope you’re not expecting me to thank you,” Iesu snorted. “And like I said, I’m not promising anything.”

I nodded. “That’s fine. Just think about it. And go to see a healer. You’re going to need one after this.”

I couldn’t be sure, but I thought he gave me a small nod. That would have to be enough.

I headed out of the park but soon realized that I had no idea how long Nina would be unconscious. It felt too weird to go back to the inn, so I found a bench in a public square to spend the rest of the night.

When I woke up again, I was so cold that my limbs ached. I couldn’t wait to get back home and see everyone again.

 

***

 

The next morning, I knelt down in front of King Gyro. I presented him with Iesu’s arm and announced that he was dead.

“No body?” Gyro asked. He frowned, looking dissatisfied, but I didn’t let it ruffle me.

Instead, I told him that I’d used such powerful magic to kill Iesu that the rest of his body had burned to ash. Not even bones were left behind, just the arm that had been severed at some point earlier in the battle.

I told him what Iesu looked like too—sticking close enough to what he already knew that it didn’t sound like an obvious lie but making up enough of the details to give Iesu the chance at a new start, if he wanted one.

“Hmmm. Did he suffer when he perished?”

“He did. But his dying words were only full of hatred. He regretted not being able to destroy you and every noble in this city.”

“Yes, perfect!” said Gyro, his face lighting up. “Delightful!”

This was exactly what he wanted to hear. He clapped his hands in glee like a child. I supposed he’d always used his power to crush anyone who stood against him, and Iesu was the one person who’d managed to evade him. How disgusting.

Gyro cleared his throat. “However, it is not inconceivable that this arm could belong to someone else. We should like to extend your stay by another two weeks. Should Iesu not reappear by then, you shall receive your reward, whatever it should be.”

“No, thanks,” I said. “I’m heading home. I miss my friends and family.”

“You’re what?!” Gyro spluttered. “You shall do no such thing. We shall not suffer this insubordination!”

I got up from my knees. “Excuse me, but I am not one of your soldiers, Your Majesty. And I am not lying about this being Iesu’s arm.”

I mean, I wasn’t! The truth was unquestionably on my side on this one. Of course, how the king would react to it was a different matter. He was still frowning at me, so I decided to fit in another jab.

“And besides, could you even give me the reward I want? Because what I really want is for you to put an end to this revolting Noble Fight Club.”

Gyro gasped, his eyes widening with shock. At least he had the decency to look guilty about the whole thing. Somewhere in there, he knew that he was doing something wrong.

“You’re playing games with innocent people’s lives,” I told him. “As their king, you cannot allow that to continue. If you do, you will only lay the foundations for another Iesu to arise and oppose you.”

“Hrmph…”

Was that it? Seemed so.

I shot him one last look, then bowed my head and left. As I headed for the door, I broke out in a cold sweat, waiting for the soldiers to attack me. But no one moved, and soon I was safely out of the castle and back in the streets.

I headed straight for a shop that painted signs and billboards and purchased one of my own. It was expensive, but it would be worth it. The writing I wanted on it was simple: “The aristocracy forces innocent people to kill each other for fun. They call it Noble Fight Club. Will you stand for this? Rise up!”

When it was done, I hung it along one of the busiest streets in town. Just a little revenge from an entirely anonymous humble traveler.

It was almost time to head home, but I needed to stop at the inn first to get my bags. There was no one behind the counter when I arrived, so I crept quietly up to my room and gathered my things, leaving my payment on the counter. But Nina must have heard me, and she came out from the back before I could make my escape.

“Yes? Who is…”

She stopped and stared at me like I was her bitterest enemy.

“I, uh, figured I ought to pay you,” I said. “So, um, thank you. For everything.”

Nina counted my coins, her face glacier cold. To be honest, I was relieved she didn’t punch me.

“Get out,” she said. “I never want to see your face again.”

She didn’t have to tell me twice!

I did as I was told and headed for the door. It was a shame we had to leave things on such a sour note, but she had looked after me while I stayed here, so I bowed my head in respect on my way out. Nina’s expression grew colder.

“I’ll never forgive you for what you did,” she said. “Not as long as I live. It was wrong.”

“I don’t know if it was right or not,” I admitted. “But I stand by my choice. Goodbye.”

There didn’t seem much point in arguing about it, so I left quietly and turned toward the edge of town. It was tragic to have a friend turn into an enemy like that, but you can’t always please everyone.

Either way, I was on my way home at last. I set my eyes on the horizon and started walking.