Chapter 112 (1/2)

Chapter 112

When they heard that Erica had woken up, Liner and the group felt relieved.

They were finally able to smile again.

Harold’s open hostility and his victory over them all had been a heavy blow for the group.

Not only were they feeling hurt by Harold’s betrayal, they were also anxious about their own power.

After experiencing his overwhelming strength for themselves, they wondered: if he fought them again, would they be able to win?

But even the joy of knowing that Erica had woken up did not last.

This was due to Lifa’s expression; though she was supposed to be sharing good news, her face was grim.

It was so apparent that even Liner, who was quite dense when it came to the subtleties of people, had noticed.

When Liner asked if something happened, Lifa looked liked she was thinking about something for a moment before she replied to him.

―― “Erica wants to talk to you so come to the hospital tomorrow.”

She was implicitly asking them not to go see her for the day.

Normally, Liner would have asked why she did not want him to go there, arguing that he wanted to see her immediately as soon as she woke up, to confirm that she was safe with his own eyes.

The reason he had not done so this time around was that he could guess from Lifa’s mood that this matter would bring nothing positive.

Moreover, Liner was having a hard time sorting his own feelings since the other day.

In short, in his current state of mind, he was reluctant to hear any other bad news.

Liner was not the only one feeling that way.

All the other members of the party were feeling more or less disheartened; none of them really tried to look deeper into Lifa’s words.

The next day, Liner and the others went to visit the hospital, feeling almost gloomy at the idea of what was to come.

For some reason, when they arrived, Lifa did not guide them to the room where Erica had been hospitalized.

Instead, she took them to a meeting room inside the hospital.

Knock knock knock

Each of Lifa’s knocks on the wooden door sounded heavier than the last.

Though he could only see her back, Lifa had never looked so small in Liner’s eyes. The others were likely feeling the same.

【”Please come in.”】

Erica’s voice came from inside.

Her tone was the same as usual but that only made Liner and the others feel even more uneasy.

【”Hope we’re not disturbing.”】

As she said so, Lifa was about to open the door, but her hand stopped on the doorknob.

Then, she addressed the group without turning around.

【”Everyone… I’d like you to stay as calm as you can once you’re inside. Especially you, Liner.”】

【”…What do you mean by that?”】

【”You’ll understand once you’re in.”】

Without answering Liner’s doubts, Lifa opened the door.

Erica was sitting on a chair in the meeting room, wearing a kimono, as usual.

When Liner heard Erica had run out of magic, he did not expect to see her looking so healthy.

He was a bit relieved.

But that feeling only lasted for a moment.

When he saw the girl and the man standing behind Erica, the relief in Liner’s heart made way for a thunderous fury.

【”Y-you…!”】

These were the two people who had hurt his parents and stolen his sword.

Liner immediately tried to ready his weapon, before recalling he hadn’t brought it with him.

The next instant, after confirming with a single look around the room that there were no objects he could use as weapons here, he readied himself to dash forward and attack with his bare hands.

【”Please wait.”】

Erica stood up silently and stepped forward like she was protecting the two people.

Of course, this did not dissuade Liner.

【”Why would I?! They’re the thieves who hurt my parents!”】

Liner’s words made the girl standing behind Erica tremble from her shoulders.

She seemed to have been scared or startled by something, but this was not Liner’s problem.

More importantly, Liner did not understand why Erica was protecting those thieves.

He even started being suspicious of her.

Maybe she was on their side, too.

【”Liner.”】

There was no hint of threat in her voice, and yet, when Erica called out Liner’s name, he could not help himself from flinching.

Next, she looked at him dead in the eyes and asked him a question.

【”What do you intend to do them?”】

【”Well, that’s…!”】

Liner tried to answer back but he was at a loss for words. There was one thing he knew for certain: he could not forgive them.

But if he had to say what he specifically wanted to do to them, he wouldn’t be able to.

That naturally didn’t mean he was going to forgive anything, but Erica had made him aware of that he himself did not even know what he wanted to do.

【”Do you simply want to vent your anger? Or will you only be satisfied if they receive a proper punishment?”】

【”I-I’m…”】

【”…If you do not have a clear answer, then please hear them out. It will not be too late to make your decision afterwards.”】

In accordance with Erica’s words, the two people who had been standing behind her came forward.

‘What does she mean, hear them out?’ Liner was filled with doubts as he looked at the girl and the man.

They were slowly approaching him, but the second they arrived in front of him, they stopped and bowed as deeply as they could.

【”We are terribly sorry!”】

【”We’re really, really sorry!”】

This unexpected apology left everyone in the room, starting from Liner, completely confused.

The only people who did not react were Lifa and Erica.

For a moment, the meeting room was shrouded in silence.

Everyone present was looking at Liner, save for the two people who were still bowing down.

【”… What do you mean, you’re sorry?! You injured my dad and mom! You might even have been planning to kill them! You can apologize all you want, I’ll never forgive you!”】

What kind of person was Liner?

Anyone who knew him would answer that he was a straightforward and honest young man.

He had a strong sense of justice, he never told a lie, and he hated injustices.

His parents had done nothing wrong. How could he forgive these two people for hurting them?

【”If you were going to apologize after the fact, then you should not have done it in the first place!”】

The anger in Liner’s tone made the air tremble.

The thin body of the girl cowered from Liner’s angry voice.

She was still young.

On the other hand, the man who was with her seemed to already be an adult.

His bow remained flawless, unaffected.

But this did prompt him to talk.

His words came out slowly, like he was thinking about them as he spoke.

【”It is as you say. What we did is unforgivable, and we are not going to come up with any convenient excuses to make you forgive us.”】

【”…What are you trying to say now?”】

【”I assume full responsibility… for the crimes we’ve committed. Therefore, would you agree to let Lilium, the girl, off?”】

【”Mister Ventos?”】

The girl, who was apparently called Lilium, jumped in surprise like she hadn’t been told about this beforehand. Her confusion was written all over her face.

However, Ventos continued to talk like her reaction was of no concern to him.

【”We’ll confess to everything we did, and why we did it, be it the burglary or anything else. If after that, you decide to leave some more room for discussion, then please leave Lilium out of――”】

【”N-no! You did nothing wrong mister Ventos!”】

【”…That kind of explanation will not be satisfying for him nor his parents. No matter our reasons, I need to take responsibility for our actions.”】

【”Then I’ll take responsibility with you!”】

The two people started arguing with each other.

For some reason, Liner found himself unable to do anything other than watch from the side.

The one who ended up putting a stop to that was Hugo.

He had been silent the whole time, but maybe he couldn’t bear the mood anymore.