Chapter 22

"I'm sorry."

"Huh? Lord Albert? W–why are you bowing your head?"

After I finished telling my story, Lord Albert bowed his head. What? I don’t understand. Why is he apologizing?

"My behavior was out of line. I made you uncomfortable, Yuka. I’m truly sorry."

"N–no! It's true that at first, well, you reminded me of my uncle and I felt uneasy, but that’s not how I feel anymore! I’m grateful to you, Lord Albert! You saved me from that hell. Please, raise your head!"

It seemed Lord Albert had realized how he had been acting and felt bad about it. I hurried to tell him how I truly felt.

"Even so, I still made you recall painful memories. I’m sorry."

Once again, Lord Albert apologized.

"T–that’s why, please raise your head! I—I owe you my life, Lord Albert. It’s because of you that I’m still here. I’m filled with gratitude. You took me in when no one else would..."

"...I see. Thank you for forgiving me, Yuka."

"No, I should be the one thanking you. You saved me, Lord Albert."

He still didn’t seem completely convinced, but he finally lifted his head. Good. I didn’t want him to keep misunderstanding.

"...Yuka, what do you think of that uncle and your boss?"

Kiyoharu and Kuzutani. What do I think of them...?

"...To be honest, I never want to see them again."

"...Is that all?"

"...If I’m being real, I hate them so much I could kill them."

That was the truth. I didn’t just hate them—I wanted them dead. I wanted them to vanish from this world right now. I wanted to strip everything away from them and drag them into despair. A murky, burning rage began to boil up again. Lord Albert nodded at my words, and then made a suggestion.

"I see. Then let’s take revenge, Yuka."

"...What?"

"We’ll bring an end to your past with our own hands. From now on, what matters is your present and your future. The worthless remnants of your past—we’ll erase them."

His jade-green eyes locked onto mine.

As if shattering the weight pressing down on my heart.

As if casting light into the darkness that anger had consumed.

"Revenge, huh. But... how?"

"Let’s see. Killing them would be easy, but that won’t satisfy you, will it? So, we’ll destroy them completely. First, we’ll break them mentally. Once they’re in total despair, we’ll destroy them physically. In other words, we’ll kill them twice."

"Kill them... twice..."

"If you’re against it, we can find another way. What do you want to do?"

"...No. That’s fine. Please do it."

"Understood. Then tomorrow we’ll go over the details. I’ll ask El and Mill to help too."

"Are El and Mill strong? I’ve never seen them in action, so I’m not really sure..."

"Hmm. Judging by your reaction, it seems you don’t know."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"El and Mill are from the Dragon God Clan. Alongside the Demonkin—my own kind—they’re known as one of the strongest races in the Demon Realm."