Chapter 66

【”So you came to escort me?”】

【”Yeah. And it’s damn annoying.”】

【”I am sorry for my elder brother’s selfishness.”】

【”If you were going to apologize, you should have taken hold of his reins from the get go.”】

【”So, that’s it? You didn’t do all this just so you could ask me about something that trivial, right?”】

【”…. Indeed. There is something I’d like you to confirm, Harold-sama.”】

【”Just keep in mind that I have no obligation to answer your questions.”】

From the questions he could expect, there was hardly any answer he could freely give out to her. Be it his current position, or the contents of his mission, he had to keep silent about basically everything when it came to the matters related to Justus.

【”Of course, it’s fine to just answer what you can, Harold-sama.”】

【”Mhm, just hurry and get this over with.”】

【”Thank you very much. Then, I’ll get right to the point. Why did you try to cancel your engagement with me at that time five years ago?”】

【”Why ask about something that obvious?”】

【”Allow me to rephrase my question. Why did you do try to cancel it at that timing in particular?”】

『Hand over that power. I’ll teach you what true hell is, bastard. 』

That was the brisk decision the original Harold had foolishly taken in the game.

【”That was because it was the best setting for me to cancel it.”】

【”You actually wanted to make it known to your surroundings that you’ve cut your ties with the Sumeragi family, right?”】

【”Well, I wonder about that.”】

【”You went that far and ended up all alone for…”】

【”What’d you say?”】

【”Nothing, don’t mind me.”】

【”Was that all you wanted to confirm?”】

【”There is one more thing. Could you tell me to where the truth starts and ends in those rumors about you?”】

【”I have no interest for these detestable kinds of things. I don’t know about them so whether they’re true or not is none of my concern.”】

【”There is the one about you being a “knight killer” who slaughtered dozens of knights. Then there is the one that said you had a with a devil and that you could get riches by kidnapping children and selling them to him. And, also, the one about you dyeing your hands with every evil deed in existence, therefore completely mastering the path of evil. I guess there are other ones, but these are the main rumors circulating.”】

As for the kidnappings rumors, it came from the times when Harold would take the orphans and juvenile vagrants that he happened to see in the slums and on battlefields, he would then leave some money and goods for them and take them to an orphanage that he deemed to be decent. Harold could count the number of times he did that on one hand so it shouldn’t have caught Justus’ eyes, and yet the matter was somehow still exposed to him. That made Harold realize all over again how terrifying Justus really was.

【”Yes, this hand of mine is tainted with blood and sins. But, so what? The weak can only blame their foolish selves for turning into preys.”】

【”Perhaps we can’t understand each other because our values differ too much, but….”】

【”But, with this hand, you’ve protected my important people. That’s the undeniable truth. So, no matter how much of a sinner you are, I’m willing to accept you.”】

【”Well, that’s probably what my brother would tell you. I mean, he likes you a lot after all.”】