Chapter 98 - Chapter 14: "I Shall Make a Gallant Exit"
Good day to you! I am Violia Nico Fortesia!
Right now! To that Pin-Hane Girl who framed me! I have said this!
'You have betrayed me?!'
...In other words! I!
In front of everyone's eyes, have publicly declared, 'I was joined in hands with this Pin-Hane Girl'!
"Eh?"
The Pin-Hane Girl is looking blankly, but the knife in her hand was stopped by me before it could pierce my abdomen!
For me, who has repeatedly won the martial arts tournaments by a landslide, stopping an attack of this level is child's play!
...But surely, from beyond the glass, it will look as if I have been stabbed. I stopped it after drawing it in as close as possible.
"Eh, ah, my hand won't move..."
I whispered softly into the ear of the Pin-Hane Girl, for whom this was apparently unexpected.
"Have you forgotten? I am a woman who can kill a dragon alone."
At this, the Pin-Hane Girl turned pale. Yes.
After all, I carried the corpses of dragons, wyverns, and other ferocious monsters to the counter where the Pin-Hane Girl waited, time and time again. It seems she has finally remembered my prowess.
I am a dragon-slayer. I can sufficiently pin down a single slender arm of an amateur!
While bending my body and acting as if the knife had pierced my abdomen, I stopped the Pin-Hane Girl's hand... and then, I kicked the Pin-Hane Girl away all at once!
At the same time, I snatched the knife away and threw it aside while performing as if it had been thrust into my stomach.
Clatter, the knife that slid across the floor with a sound... is colored red.
Why? That is naturally... because of the Succubus Blood!
I have used the Succubus Blood I brought as a spare as a plentiful amount of fake blood!
"...Kuh."
I crouched down on the spot in an exaggerated manner, and while hiding myself well from the masses, I quietly took out the bottle of Succubus Poison from my breast pocket and hid it in my sleeve, making everything ready.
"How dare you betray me... but do not think you can kill me with just this much!"
And standing up, I glared at the Pin-Hane Girl, who had also stood up, and gave her a piece of my mind. It makes for quite a stage performance, does it not?
By the way, during this time, I keep holding my abdomen, which is set to have been stabbed. Since I am wearing a red dress, it won't be easily found out even if blood isn't constantly coming out. It is sufficient to have scattered a little fake blood on the dress and at my feet.
"B-Betrayed...? What are you talking about? I just thought I'd defeat a bad person..."
"Yes. From your perspective, this must be nothing like a betrayal... It seems that while you were leaking information about the Royal Family to me, you were also siding with the nobles. You had no intention of sharing a goal with me from the beginning. Is that not so?"
There is no way the Pin-Hane Girl, who can only say childish things like 'I just thought I'd defeat a bad person,' could make an immediate defense. Besides, in this kind of suspicion, the one who casts it first basically wins.
Look. Beyond the glass, both the masses and the soldiers are looking at the Pin-Hane Girl blankly.
"For this country to escape from corruption, a completely new power is needed. Even if the Royal Family perishes, if rotten nobles who would become a second or third Royal Family take their place, nothing in this country will change."
When I suddenly speak like that, the Pin-Hane Girl only looks even more blank. But, having looked blank here is your greatest mistake.
"But certainly, if you only want to reap profits, it would be better to listen to the nobles who secretly wish for the ruin of the Royal Family! To throw away both ideals and convictions, betray both the Royal Family and me, and the place you arrive at is nobles who only care for money?! Have you no shame!"
Me, resolutely denouncing the Pin-Hane Girl.
The Pin-Hane Girl, being denounced silently for content she has absolutely no memory of.
...Is it not obvious which one the masses will believe?
"No... you did not have ideals or convictions from the beginning. Since that time you sided with the Elsemarin Guild and sold me out, nothing has changed! Then, what I shall do is the same! I shall finish you here! For the sake of this country's future! ...I shall not let you lay a hand on the future Saint!"
While spouting nonsense, I charge toward the Pin-Hane Girl.
"W-What is it?! Please stop!"
Seeing me take an unarmed combat stance while protecting the wound on my abdomen, the Pin-Hane Girl finally began to panic and become frightened.
For now, she seems to have understood at least that 'she has fallen into a bad situation.' It is already too late, though.
"Don't come! I-I still have weapons?!"
"Yes, stab me if you want to! Or do you not even have the courage to stab me unless it is a surprise attack from behind?! ...Here I come!"
The Pin-Hane Girl was thrusting her hand into her breast pocket as a 'bluff,' but before that hand could come out without holding anything, I closed the distance to the Pin-Hane Girl all at once... and tackled her, then we scuffled.
...I am not worried about a weapon. After all, I do not think this girl has a second weapon.
Most likely, she didn't even have the first knife as a weapon, but had it as an accessory for a 'Saint.' Knives have the meaning of warding off evil, and holy silver is also used for warding off evil. For the Pin-Hane Girl wearing a pure white dress, a holy silver knife would certainly suit her.
I mean, if she were to prepare a weapon properly, even if it were a holy silver knife, she would bring one with a bit more blade length that isn't so cheap.
...Therefore, there is no 'next' for a single cheap knife she just happened to have as an accessory. she was just bluffing.
Well, even if it wasn't a bluff, I attacked at this timing.
After all, is it not too convenient?
'I still have weapons.'
It sounds as if she is about to leak the Succubus Poison now.
I scuffled with the Pin-Hane Girl and quickly knocked her to the floor.
While trying to pin her down as she was, I couldn't put in much strength in order to protect the wound on my abdomen. Thus, while we scuffled, the Pin-Hane Girl gradually became disadvantaged...
And the moment I grabbed the holy silver knife that was rolling on the floor.
"N-No way, you... stop it!"
...At that moment, I made it look as if the Pin-Hane Girl had taken it from her breast pocket and dropped the bottle of Succubus Poison on the floor, breaking it.
Clink, the bottle that broke and shattered, and the pink liquid that leaked from there and spread on the floor.
And me, freezing, and the Pin-Hane Girl, unable to move.
The venue fell silent.
...I gradually let impatience surface on my face and shouted.
"Ah! Do you intend to harm everyone, including yourself?! What a thing to do...!"
And immediately after I shouted that while taking a large distance from the Pin-Hane Girl and the broken bottle.
The Pin-Hane Girl twitched.
"Ah... aah...!"
And the Pin-Hane Girl, whose body convulsed with twitches, inhaled plenty of the vaporized contents of the bottle that had broken right next to her... and finally.
"Aheeeaaahhh!"
She completely blew her top.
The disgraceful behavior of the Pin-Hane Girl that started from there was, how should I put it, quite far gone.
It is more gruesome than embarrassing. I feel not a shred of reason. It is so bold that I am surprised. Even beyond the glass wall, the reaction is like, 'Hieee.'
"Kuh... as I thought, you were hiding this! To try and take everyone here down with you...! Ah, how gruesome...!"
Since the Pin-Hane Girl, who is only saying 'Ahe ahe,' does not talk back, I can frame her as much as I want.
"W-What on earth is this...?"
"No... what is that person doing...?"
The other Saint candidates are also speechless at the sight of the mind-blowing scene unfolding before them. Well, I suppose so. I feel like being speechless myself.
"A-Ah... I-I wonder what happened to me, I feel somewhat strange...?"
"Could it be that we will also become like that person? No, I don't want to..."
And the Saint candidate who was in a position somewhat close to the Pin-Hane Girl began to tremble! Finally, the Succubus Poison is about to spread through this entire room!
"Everyone, this way!"
Carol, who had evacuated to the wall, sprinkled holy water on the floor to create a barrier while sheltering several Saint candidates behind her.
...Ah, that holy water is real holy water. Specifically, it is something with the effect of exorcising evil. It has a fair amount of effect in preventing the Succubus Poison. Of course, it stops at 'fair amount.'
The Saint candidates who followed Carol's instructions and evacuated behind Carol seem to have successfully avoided immediate 'ahe' thanks to the effect of the barrier.
On the other hand, the fools who hesitated in their judgment by pointlessly viewing Carol as an enemy were increasingly overcome by the Succubus Poison on the spot, losing their reason and beginning to show their own disgraceful behavior.
And those with a moderate amount of reason left began to show disgraceful behavior while crying. They are the ones making the cheers rise the most beyond the glass. As I thought, humans need a moderate amount of reason and shame...
"Atemi!" (T/N: A strike to the body to cause unconsciousness.)
Now, as for me, I am preferentially knocking out the girls who are not nobles and are not my enemies. Since I have repeatedly won the martial arts tournaments by a landslide, knocking out trembling girls is no trouble at all.
...In short, I am giving them the right to lose consciousness before they show disgraceful behavior. Looking at it this way, I appear to be a truly virtuous person, do I not? Yes.
Well, in reality, I am just knocking them out to narrow the attention beyond the glass wall to me, Carol, and the Pin-Hane Girl. For that purpose, I am making sure to quickly tidy up the clothes of the Saint candidates I knocked out and lay them down to rest quietly.
"Atemi! ...Young lady over there! Can you remain sane?! What great mental strength!"
And here, I address Carol. Carol is still sane inside the barrier.
Carol, who has taken the antidote beforehand, naturally does not receive the effect of the poison. Ohohohoho.
"If I have prayers to God, this much is...!"
Carol is standing tall and straight while muttering words of prayer. In the midst of the Pin-Hane Girl and other Saint candidates doing 'ahe ahe,' Carol's figure looks almost divine.
"Oh, is that so! Then I shall prioritize the others. But you should also speak up if you reach your limit. It would be a great pity to break that beauty of spirit here. I shall prioritize helping you! ...Atemi!"
While winking at Carol, I set about knocking out the next Saint candidate!
When I had saved all the Saint candidates except for the Pin-Hane Girl, myself, and Carol by knocking them out, Carol was standing there firmly sane. The Pin-Hane Girl is still doing 'ahe ahe.' She looks happy.
"...Truly great mental strength."
Now, I sat in the chair next to Carol and let out a sigh.
"Are you... alright?"
"Yes. Thanks to the wound, I am sane."
There, I showed Carol the abdomen of my dress soaked in blood, and let out another sigh.
"...Well, enduring until the time is up is no trouble at all."
Beyond the glass wall, the masses seem to be watching the conversation between the two of us, who are incompatible. Some people are focusing on the Pin-Hane Girl, though.
"What will you do? Should I knock you out?"
"No. This poison will eventually thin out, and I intend to endure as long as I can. Besides, having someone to talk to will distract me, right?"
Carol said that and gave me a wonderful smile. How adorable this girl is. She is truly adorable. And I raised this adorable girl! I can boast of it with pride!
"...You are indeed suited to be a Saint."
"You as well. You are the one who saved everyone here."
"Oh? I am a villain who left the traitor to show her disgraceful behavior without helping her, just because she was near the broken poison bottle, you know? Besides, you were the one who created the barrier and sheltered the others."
There is still voting time left, but for now, it seems I can enjoy chatting with Carol for a while longer.
Since I am at it, including the impression manipulation for the masses, I shall have a chat here.
"...By the way, why did you help me?"
"Eh?"
"At that time, you said, 'Watch out.' Yes, you said that. Why was that?"
"That is... a person was about to be hurt. Is it not natural to inform you?"
"Oh? I am an arch-criminal, you know? Surely you know the name of Violia Nico Fortesia?"
...When the Pin-Hane Girl came to stab me, Carol saying 'Watch out' was surely her natural reaction. Simply, Carol, who holds affection for me, must have blurted that out, forgetting her role-playing for a moment.
"...Even if you are a criminal, you are still a person. No matter who it is, they should not be hurt. Thinking that... no."
But Carol is indeed a solid and clever girl.
"I did not think of anything. I simply cried out like that at that time. There was no reason... if there is a person who is about to be hurt, no matter who it is, I would act like that."
She properly gave a reason after the fact and acted perfectly like a Saint. It is a 100-point answer.
"...As I thought, you are suited to be a Saint."
I am immensely proud of my student.
Eventually, the Pin-Hane Girl ran out of strength, lost consciousness, and became quiet, and the poison thinned out... and then, the hands of the clock were about to approach 4:00 PM.
In other words, the end of the voting time.
The door of this glass room will open, and finally, the soldiers are strictly surrounding the room, waiting for 4:00 PM to capture the arch-criminal Violia Nico Fortesia who is confined inside.
"Well then. It is about time for me to take my leave."
I said that to Carol, then stood up gracefully from the chair and stared at the clock hanging on the front pillar.
While watching the soldiers increase their vigilance as I stood up, and the masses buzzing behind those soldiers wondering what was happening... I waited intently for the hands of the clock to move.
3:57 PM. 58. 59.
A tremendous explosion occurred all around the glass room, and the soldiers were blown away.
The glass room maintained its guardian magic firmly until the moment it became 4:00 PM, protecting me from the explosion, and when the explosion subsided, it opened its door with a click. 'Good work,' I suppose I should say.
"Well then, everyone, good day to you!"
I gave a graceful bow and gallantly left the glass room!