Chapter 89 (1/2)

89.THE DISCUSSION DECIDING TRUTH AND FALSEHOOD

At the Demon Lord castle.

It had been a few hours since the Demon Lord army have departed to the location of the seal.

With his arms inside the pocket of his coat, Vrusto Asuteroid was walking at a corridor. The only sounds in the empty corridor were the sounds of his steps. There weren´t any people going through the corridors right now.

It was only obvious.

This was because most of the demons had gone out.

“Really, why do I have to do this…. Hm?”

Right at the time he turned to another corridor, he noticed there was somebody in front of the room he was headed to.

Roppu Nezaarand was standing there. He was standing in front of the door as if he was guarding the room. Vrusto slightly tilted his head in confusion.

“Ah, isn´t it Roppu? Are you on guard duty?”

When Vrusto talked to him, Roppu averted his eyes away in hesitation.

“R-rather, why is first lieutenant Vrusto here in the castle?”

“Stupid, it´s obvious. I am here to protect ojou-chan.”

Vrusto looked at the door of the room.

That room was the one given to Riku Barusak for her house arrest stay.

She should be feeling down… Rather, it would have been good if her condition was something that could be expressed by something as cute as [feeling down]. Vrusto´s expected that she would soon escape from the room and plan on a way to catch up with the Demon Lord army.

“This is about that ojou-chan. I can already imagine her “yandere” emotions becoming worse and she starting to run amok.”

Vrusto let out a tired sigh. In his mind, Vrusto could clearly imagine how possible it was for Riku to be now entangled in thoughts such as: “I definitely won´t forgive captain who left me out of the battle” or “n.o.body will kill Rook except for me”.

“And so, I came here to stay on guard so that she won´t escape. Alright? So you can go now.”

“I think major general Riku will definitely not go out. That´s why I think it is fine if I am guarding the door by myself.”

Vrusto used his hand to push Roppu away, but Roppu didn´t budge off the door. Vrusto slightly raised his eyebrow. Roppu was a very meek soldier. At least, Vrusto had never seen he go against his superiors. He would move in accord to his superior´s orders and would definitely accomplish his mission. This was one of his good points.

“Who told you to stay on guard here?”

Vrusto´s position was that of a captain. Compared to that, Roppu was only a major sergeant.

Whether it was in the military rank or in the time of service, Vrusto was far off better. Because of how Roppu was still opposing him, it would mean that the one that ordered him was at a even higher standing. However, Vrusto didn´t have any guessed about people that fell under those conditions.

“Sorry. I was told I couldn´t tell anybody, so…”

“Couldn´t tell anybody, is it?”

Vrusto lightly scratched his cheek with his claw.

“Actually, I was also a.s.signed to be on guard here. I was ordered directly by captain Leivein.”

“You´ve been ordered by general?”

“Yes. So leave it to me for watching over ojou-chan.”

When Vrusto said that, Roppu´s face became pale in an instant.

Vrusto narrowed his eyes. There was no doubt it was a demon that had a position lower than Leivein that had ordered Roppu to stay in guard there. If it wasn´t for that, he would definitely imposingly say something like “But even so, I cannot speak about it”. Instead of that, his att.i.tude has changed. In other words, he had been ordered by a demon of status lower than general.

“That´s why I will ask you once again. Who was the one that told you to keep guard here?”

Vrusto gave one more step closer to Roppu.

Roppu´s face was increasingly becoming pale. After one more push, he should be able to make him surrender. However…

“Sorry, it is impossible.”

Shutting his pale lips tightly, Roppu refused to comply to Vrusto´s orders. His thin legs were trembling like those of a little fawn, but his resolve wasn´t shaken. Rather, there was a strong light in his meek eyes. The instant Vrusto saw those pair of eyes, he was able to guess who Roppu received his orders from.

“Ha… Alright, I understand it now. I know who was the one that gave you those orders.”

Vrusto gave a long sigh.

And then, at the next instant, Vrusto´s fist went straight to Roppu. The difference between their physiques was evident. It was an attack that if Roppu received directly, the only mystery that would be remaining was whether he would be able to stand up or not. However, Roppu took the attack head-on.

“Kuhah!”( 「っくはっ！」)

The fist that was thrown with all of Vrusto´s body weight hit at Roppu´s chest.

Blood and air was pushed out from his mouth.

“The reason why you are so obstinate at keeping your mouth closed is because those were ojou-chan´s orders, right? Now that´s even more the reason. Can you let me pa.s.s?”

Vrus...o...b..ought his fist back.

Although he took easy on Roppu, his fist still hit a weak spot. To Roppu, who didn´t have experience in true battles, this was a very severe attack. Actually, his body started to wobbling downwards.

“Sorry, Roppu.  Really, that stupid girl. What is there inside her room for her to make him keep guard here!?”

It happened in an instant.

Vrusto´s eyes became wide-open.

Roppu grabbed Vrusto´s arm. The strength Roppu showed by trying to stop Vrusto with his whole body weight made Vrusto´s inner alarm ring. Roppu used the momentum of when Vrusto swung his arm to shake him off and jumped.

“Sorry, first lieutenant!!”

Roppu´s right knee hit Vrusto´s face.

Roppu would run through mountains and valleys, and sometimes, he would also run alongside horses through the battlefield. The strength of his legs that had been trained by being a messenger had been made into an attack that even reverberated through the bones. The attack that made Vrusto´s the brain tremble and his sight become blurry.

“…k, stupid! When apologizing….”

However, Vrusto wasn´t someone that would be put down with just that.

Holding the knee that hit him at his nose with his arms, he threw Roppu at the wall.

Roppu didn´t expect there would be a counter attack so fast. Without being able to absorb the impact, he hit at the stone wall on his back.

“…you should do it after you already won!!”

Roppu fell down to the floor.

But even so, his fighting spirit didn´t vanish from his eyes. Putting his hand at the ground as if he was going to tear it off, he kicked the floor using his prided leg strength. While bleeding from his lips, he approached Vrusto with a ghastly expression.

“That would be my line!!”

Just like that, Roppu slid a sweeping kick at Vrusto.

Vrusto dodged with light steps. However, that was in accord to what Roppu was planning. With his right fist, he threw in an uppercut.

“Stupid, that´s not enough!!”

With his fist having been blocked,  Roppu´s chin ate Vrusto´s left elbow. That attack made Roppu fall to the floor once again. He was squatting in pain, but his fighting spirit was still burning. After giving Roppu one last glance, Vrus...o...b..oke the door open with a kick. Bursting through the door with a flashy sound, the dreary room that looked like a prison cell entered his sight.

It was a lonely bedroom that had only the minimum amount of furniture. Every time Vrusto would come to Riku´s room when he had business with her, he would be affected by the dreary feeling of emptiness of the room. (TL note: Before they said that this was a room that was given to Riku for her home arrest though… As far as I am concerned, Riku would live in rooms of that sort, so I guess this is why Vrusto is saying that. .-.)

The owner of this room was nowhere to be seen.

“Tch, she already ran away.”

After picking up one of the black feathers that was spread through the floor, Vrusto started to feel a bad feeling.

There was n.o.body on the bed. At this room that didn´t have even a wardrobe, there weren´t any spots she could hide at. All there was at this room that felt like n.o.body had been living in was the black feathers scattered around.