Vol. 1 Chapter 16

~We had a long discussion~

Translated by Raizu
Edited by Mirp

[Taichi-san, this is a good opportunity, so let’s stop worrying about the assassins. It’s also about Fram-san. I am completely alright and have no injuries, and Fram-san has been taken care of. Enough is enough.]

Marl said that as soon as Fram woke up.
I frowned at that remark.

[It’s not something that can be taken lightly. I messed with Fram’s life.]

I tried my best to color myself in a bad light, but Marl didn’t flinch at all.

[That’s what I’m saying, Taichi-san. In the first place, I don’t think the fault lies with Taichi-san, right? After all, Taichi-san’s life was targeted. If you don’t have the resolve, you shouldn’t point your blade at people at all.]

[But, I raped Fram. And left her alone without fulfilling my responsibilities…]

[Responsibility? There’s no such thing. Fram-san turned her blade to Taichi-san and lost. It doesn’t matter if it’s a mission or what. Fram-san herself is to blame. Since she didn’t get killed, it’s wrong for Fram-san to hold a grudge against Taichi-san. That’s just a blind grudge.]

Marl slashed my words away. I’m also flabbergasted by her outspoken words.

[It’s mine! It’s my fault that Fram’s life has been ruined! Such a one-sided “I can’t talk about it, who the hell are you, Taichi-san?“]

Marl looks at me with a disdainful gaze. I was shrugged off by that gaze, and I couldn’t make any retort against her.
For the first time, I was glued to Marl’s eyes.

[No matter how strong he is or whether he is a hero, Taichi-san is, after all, just a human being. Taichi-san knows how far his eyes can reach and how far his hands can reach. Make all the people involved happy. There’s no way that even God can do that. Please take care of your self-esteem as well.]

I was cut down and thrown away, and I couldn’t help but be embarrassed.
I felt like I’m being rounded up. But, I couldn’t argue back.
What Marl was saying was a theory that was too good for me. I wanted to accept it.

But, wasn’t this a kind of brainwashing?

Was it okay to change the subject so easily? Was my sense of morality and ethics to that extent?
Despite my conflict, Marl continued to spin her words.

[Rather, Taichi-san is a complete victim. His life was targeted just because he was a hero, and as a result he was traumatized. Do you realize? He killed the assassins at that ruin. To put it bluntly, Taichi-san is abnormal, right? If I get even the slightest bit of anger, the hoops will come off immediately. The same applies to today’s adventurer’s guild. If you are the same Taichi-san from the time I first met him, he should’ve been able to do it peacefully without making such a big deal in the first place.]

Marl’s words gave me a shock as if I had been hit with a blunt weapon. I felt the illusion that my feet were crumbling.
I…I…for Marl’s sake.

[To be honest, I’m happy when you get angry for my sake. I’m happy that you don’t hesitate to do everything in your power to protect me, and I’m happy that you don’t even mind killing if it’s for me. It’s painful for me seeing you hurt and change like that. Of course, it’s because I love Taichi-san as well.]

Have I changed? Me? Oh really?
I thought about what happened in the guild again.
I was asked to hand over Marl, but I declined. This was natural.
I hit him back because he hit me hard first. I don’t find this funny either.
He brandished a weapon, so I blocked it, broke it, and threatened him. Yeah, I don’t think it’s normal to do it with bare hands, but I don’t think there’s anything abnormal about the action itself.
And I tried to make the guy who brandished the weapon know, the consequence of trying to take Marl away from me, of trying to hurt me. I might seriously kill him, if the old man who seemed to be the leader of the other party didn’t apologize. But, I was persuaded by Marl to stop. Yeah, that’s funny… Huh?

Why did I go so far as to consider killing the other party? Wasn’t it strange? The intimidation from smashing the opponent’s weapon with bare hands should’ve been enough.
No, but they tried to hurt Marl. Like those bastards.
Huh? Wait?

[When you say that, it’s certainly strange, like…]

[To be frank, my love is too heavy! It’s my fault that I’m too cute…dadadadada! Ow oww that hurt!]

I grabbed Marl’s head while she was making a triumphant face. It felt like it’s been a long time since I’d done something like this.
I let her go because it looked like she was truly in pain. “Uh-oh. Love hurts”, Marl said while holding her head.
Yeah, I felt like my head was a little clearer. It’s a little annoying to say that I was admonished by Marl.

What Marl said was pleasant to the ear. Just as she said, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me.
It didn’t sound like a malicious argument, but I don’t think it would have been better if Fram had actually been killed.
Killing the surviving assassins at that time seemed like overkill, but she was a genuine assassin. Even if I tried to take her alive, I probably wouldn’t have been able to take care of her on my own.
It might have been different if I had known that Squad 1 would come after that, but I didn’t know that at the time.
The limit was one Fram, or at most one more. Then the rest of them would have been killed anyway.

I don’t know if I was able to make that decision at that time, but I think Marl would’ve made that decision at that time if she was in my shoes.
And Marl would have gotten her hands dirty for me. That’s how it felt.

[…I can understand it in theory, but I’m not convinced.]

[That’s how it is. I still don’t know everything about Taichi-san, but from what I’ve heard, in the country where Taichi-san grew up, killing and being killed wasn’t something very familiar to you, yes?]

I agreed with Marl’s words, who had suddenly revived.

[Then, adapt to this. That’s how this world works.]

When Marl, who was a local, said that to me, I couldn’t help but agree.

[By the way, Marl. I violated Fram.]

[It is said that after killing a person, even a skilled warrior will embrace a woman to distract him from his fear. Taichi-san was a virgin, so he was just a gentleman who didn’t kill Fram-san in a frenzy after committing a crime. It should have been a target. Isn’t that right, Fram-san?]

Marl looked at Fram after saying that.
Fram, who had been silent until now, silently agreed with Marl’s words.

Was Fram’s reaction really sincere? Did Marl tell you to agree to whatever she said in the bathroom?
Doubts started to rise.
However, since Marl was not Fram’s master, she cannot force Fram to speak or act.
Given the content, would it be possible for her to consent without being forced? Did you threaten her by telling that I will kick her out?
It’s not good. Once you start doubting, there’s no end to it.
But, one thing was clear.

[I don’t think I can stand it if you encounter something like that.]

[Then, no matter what, please stay on my side and protect me. If I can’t protect myself and I end up in such a situation, please comfort me and heal me. As long as Taichi-san is alive, I will never give up on living.]

[What if I die…?]

[I’ll follow you too. Taichi-san, you can’t follow me even if I die, right?]

[What’s with that? That’s cheating.]

[Women are cheating.]

Marl said so and smiled.
I think it was the biggest smile I’ve ever seen.

[Regarding Taichi-san killing the assassins, I will forgive him even if no one forgives him. At that time, Taichi-san got his hands dirty to protect me. Like I said at that time, it’s my fault. Ah, I’m afraid my cuteness will captivate Taichi-san!]

[Really…how can you be so sure?]

[Because I’m a Princess!]

At my words, Marl puffed out her chest with a triumphant look.

I used Iron Claw on her, putting more force to dispel Marl’s smug face.
Right now, she’s groaning at her feet, whispering things like “I’m not going to be safe“.

[Marl says this, but what about Fram?]

Fram closed her eyes for a moment after hearing my words, then spoke after thinking.

[What Marl-sama is saying is correct. It’s not that I don’t have something to think about, but as Marl-sama told me, it’s nothing but a blind grudge.]

Saying that, Fram smiled wryly.

[Everyone in the unit, including myself, were prepared from the moment we picked up the sword. It’s just that we were mostly not on the receiving side of things. Even infants and babies who had no way to resist had fallen victim to our blade.]

She looked down at her hands and laughed with a self-deprecating smile.

[It’s probably just a matter of retribution that I’d been forced to expose my shame. That’s all.]

[But, it’s not as simple as that.]

Fram nodded obediently at my words.

[Well, it’s not something that can be easily resolved. However, I was defeated after pointing my blade at Master. Originally, I should have been killed, but I was allowed to live. On top of that, I was bought as a slave.]

[Is that okay?]

[It’s not a matter of good or bad. It’s what it is.]

I can’t help but be convinced. Or rather, scared.
Is it really okay to do that? I’m afraid of that.
It’s scary to accept new values.

I gave it some thoughts for a while.
No, I couldn’t seem to find an answer.

That’s why, even though I hesitated, I decided to use my trump card.

[…Fram, it’s an order. All lies are forbidden.]

[Yes, master.]

[Were you instructed to talk to Marl in the bathroom?]

[I did not.]

[Did you receive instructions to affirm everything Marl said?]

[I did not.]

[Did you receive any threats from Marl?]

[I did not.]

[What do you think of me now?]

[You’re surprisingly timid.]

Fram said so and smiled.
Don’t look at me with such kind eyes, it makes me want to die.

[…Leave me alone, I’m in the middle of self-loathing. I’m canceling the previous order.]

[Yes, master.]

I let out a sigh, and Fram chuckled, wondering if my appearance was strange.
Oh shit, I want to die.

[I understand well what Taichi-san thinks of me.]

[Because you’d do anything for me.]

I got back at Marl, who was lying on the floor and looked up with quizzical eyes.

[Isn’t that obvious?]

Marl grinned while lying on the floor.
I decided to forcibly convince myself that it would be like that if I had come this far.
This world had its own rules. There’s a saying, when you’re in Rome, do as Romans do.

That’s why I had to be careful from now on.
We must not lose sight of ourselves, and we must act with the awareness that those rules will affect us as well.
If I lose, Marl will be similarly raped and killed.
It takes power to protect our rights. In this world, power is justice.

That’s why you have to be careful about how you wield your power. Intoxicated with power, you must try not to be swayed.
I had to think about what justice was in my own way.
I must never again make the same mistake I made with Fram.

But, I must never hesitate to get my hands dirty.
Otherwise, what’s mine will be taken away from me.

[But, that’s right… Master seems unconvinced no matter what. Shall I take revenge in my own way?]

[That’s fine, but… I think we should free you from the slavery first.]

Otherwise, Fram will have to put up with a lot of pain to slap me.
But, Fram shook her head.

[Basically, criminal slaves who have committed serious crimes cannot not be freed. There are some exceptions, but there’s no need for that. Don’t worry about me. Like I said earlier, sword in hand. I’d been prepared since the time I brought it to you.]

Hearing Fram’s words, a heavy feeling was building up in my chest. My stomach was churning.
Despite me being like that, Fram said something outrageous.

[Let’s break the relationship with Marl-sama and Master apart. That would be my revenge.]

Saying that, Fram smiled. It was an oblique development.

[Wait a minute! I won’t allow that! Absolutely not!]

Gabbah, Marl stood up as she barked.
In response, Fram showed a bewitching smile.
Umu, Fram has an overwhelming advantage in terms of sex appeal. I had no desire to put my hand out.

[Taichi-san! This person is no good after all! Let’s kick her out!]

[Oh, Marl-sama, can’t you believe in Master’s love? If your love with Master is solid, I shouldn’t be a threat, but… this seems easier than I thought.]

[Whadidyousaaay!? I’ll take you on that fight! I’ll show you the power of love between me and Taichi-san! Well, Taichi-san, I won’t let you sleep tonight!]

After that, I was devoured like a wild beast by Marl before the sun set.

[Gufufufu, there’s still a long way to go.]

[Stop! I have zero bullets left!]

[Isn’t it fine to shoot blanks? Come on, come on, there are still more tricks I learned from the maids!]

[Hey, stop it, you idiot. Hey, please stop it. …..Aaa! ]

Marl’s wild beast rampage continued until I fainted.