Is It Bad That the Main Character's a Roleplayer?

Chapter 127: That’s Enough (2)

That blackmailing bastard made a desperate attempt, thinking I would be swayed, but he was mistaken.

The worst outcome would be if that guy survived with my help and continued being chief or became warchief. I might not know much about the Jatav tribe, but I knew Atarte was the kind of guy who’d set back the lives of his people by decades.

However, I couldn’t just ignore the children.

So, in the end, I played my last card.

“Hah, you came. I knew you wouldn’t be able to abandon the kids, huh?”

Leaving behind Akata—what the Archmage called the child—would have likely resulted in her being taken hostage, so I brought her along. Survival came first, no matter what brutal scenes would unfold before us.

However, even if Akata was safe, the other children were still at risk. The same applied to the child Atarte held in his hands at this very moment.

He used two of his six arms to lift the child onto his shoulders. Seeing the child’s crying face, it was abundantly clear they weren’t enjoying this at all.

“I’ll be in trouble if you use Arcane Power, after all.”

Ah. So, he was using the child as a meat shield to protect his head from my [Arcane Spear]?

“Also, I need to be wary of that priest on your side, right? I might not know much about this, but I can sense Arcane Power.”

Atarte pointed behind him as if to say he would kill the kids if we tried anything funny. I saw children tied up such that they were hanging at the height of an adult.

It seemed he had done this after he observed me taking care of the rebels.

It had been a while since I last encountered such an absolute bastard.

“So, are you going to help us now? They came here with a small elite force, taking advantage of our lack of priests, so they’re mostly using magic and even brought along the Jahukaya. However, there aren’t many of them. If we take care...”

Seeing this made a surge of furious heat rise to my eyes.

‘Aren’t you angry?’

Really.

‘Don’t you want to kill him?’

Irritating.

‘Don’t hold back.’

I’d never thought living like a pushover was wrong. The losses I’d suffered were mostly manageable, and sometimes, these losses even provided some with irreplaceable opportunities.

‘You don’t need to endure this anymore.’

But sometimes, seeing people trying to exploit my goodwill made me sick.

‘Let’s just kill them all.’

Did they think they could take advantage of me because I stayed quiet? I wasn’t that kind of easy person.

“Demon Knight?”

「Rage」

I recognized the depth and intensity of this boiling anger. It was so unbearable. With my stress level already incredibly high, I couldn’t handle any more of this disgusting situation.

“Demon Knight!”

「Nullifies all status conditions except Rage...」

But that didn’t matter.

「ig──@# further status4#^con7%$to$$^&[email protected]

#$*^[email protected]#[email protected]@#&*?????」

I already knew what would happen if my forcefully suppressed anger erupted and what results it could bring.

“Demon Knight, what are you trying to—!”

「Error!」

First, I focused my anger away from the children and civilians around me.

‘...How?’

It was different from when I was on the island.

Back then, I was furious at so many things: the enemies tormenting children and the gory sights they made me witness. Yet, I had to suppress my emotions. That only amplified my anger until I fell into [Rage].

But the situation was different now.

Now, I could release my anger before it could paralyze my mind. It was okay to do so.

‘How can you control your anger?’

If one could direct one’s anger in the right direction and act in a purposeful and rightful manner, then anger wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, either.

Releasing water before the dam broke wasn’t a sign of impatience but a wise action.

‘How?’

Thus, I focused on my target and concentrated the surging Arcane Power in my right arm into one point.

‘A mere human.’

“Demon Knight—!”

And when the Arcane Power was fully gathered into a single point, I unleashed all my anger and sorrow along with it.

My Arcane Power, which had been 2,941 points, instantly plummeted to 0 as I fired a pitch-black beam.

───!

With a thunderous roar too loud to even call a sound, a long, black, serpentine energy beam streaked across the sky.

Where this giant snake had passed, it looked as if a giant had taken a bite out of the forest, leaving nothing behind.

The sight was so overwhelming I couldn’t even let out a dry laugh. In a world where Arcane Power and swords were a common sight, this felt like it would become part of a myth.

“Try it.”

So come on, you bastard. Let’s reset the board.

“You will soon realize that the lives of these children are directly tied to your own.”

You're not the only one who can threaten others.

* * *

...I thought I could finally bring him down this time.

「Ah. Aaah...」

* * *

“...What?”

“What? Are you surprised by my unexpected reaction?”

Our surroundings grew silent. It was an eerie silence, quite incongruous for a battlefield where two tribes were fighting against each other.

“You thought I would fear carrying away the corpses of innocent children?”

【Wait, what are you saying?!】

【One last thing, Chief. You haven’t just gambled with the lives of these children here. You’ve staked the lives of all the children in this village.】

Not knowing why he was so angry made it even scarier.

【Chief...?】

【That’s a lie. Don’t get swayed! The enemy is right in front of us!】

【...】

However, it seemed their morale was fluttering quite a bit.

【It’s true!!】

At that moment, the child behind me, Akata, shouted loudly.

【That man told me to kill this person, too!! Just because he said that he didn’t want to help!!】

Hey, why was she pointing at me as she spoke...

【...Akata?】

【Whatever, you said that it was highly likely yesterday, right?】

【But if you do this...】

【My whole family is dead, so what’s the point of this tribe surviving, anyway? I’d rather see this damn tribe burn if it means I can watch Atarte die.】

Hey...

【Ch-Chief, is that true?】

【Don’t be swayed! Are you going to believe the words of a rebel’s child with the enemy right in front of us?! You should already know that the rebels colluded with the Jatav!!】

【That bastard doesn’t care about the tribe’s fate! He said if we were going to be defeated anyway, we’d all be dead, so he took all the children hostage!】

In the midst of this chaos, I found myself feeling despondent. Despite my giving these guys a way out, they left me out of their talk... Hmph.

Slice!

At that moment, Atarte drew his sword. No, more accurately, he swung it since he’d already drawn it.

In any case, the fact remained that he’d just beheaded someone. It was the person who’d been muttering the most fervently to him.

Atarte’s face, seething with rage, surveyed the surroundings with a cold glare.

【I am your chief. If there are those among you who would be swayed by the words of an outsider and a rebel’s child, you’d be better off throwing down your weapons and joining them.】

Did he have any... charisma?

I couldn’t really tell. After all, to me, he was nothing more than a domestic abuser and scumbag who held children hostage, or, in other words: ‘a waste of oxygen and a piece of trash that couldn’t even be recycled’. Even if he had charisma, I would absolutely say he didn’t.

However, that was just my opinion. The people around us were quick to comply. Despite someone having just died, they chose submission over opposition.

He wasn’t chief for nothing, I guess. Still a scumbag, though.

【They can’t attack civilians! Use that to your advantage!】

【...Yes!】

It seemed Atarte was somewhat capable. Despite significant losses, he still managed to regroup his forces, making them hold their ground.

Considering he couldn’t even call for help and lacked priests, it was quite impressive. Still a scumbag, though.

【Damn bastards...】

Regardless of the Vigabol tribe’s fate, I certainly hoped the Jatav would at least kill Atarte.

I continued glaring at the bastard holding the children hostage. Naturally, I was waiting for the moment he released the hostage so I could kill him. It was hard to hope for his defeat like this, considering the children might get caught in the crossfire.

That bastard surviving, let alone winning? Those kids would have to live their lives under the rule of this bastard who’d taken them hostage.

Ah, how infuriating.

‘Please. Kill him.’

Couldn’t I just deal with him somehow?

‘Kill everything that annoys you!’

Seriously, if only I could deal with just that guy...

“Mister.”

Was it just my imagination? I felt like I heard a voice I shouldn’t be hearing...

“Mister Knight.”

“...!”

I turned my eyes toward the voice I’d heard amidst that ringing in my ears. There, between the houses, I caught a glimpse of a green pair of ears and a tail. Behind him, a muscular fighter was peeking out, not entirely hidden.

“Erm, well. Is there anything we can help with?”

“Berserk wants to fight.”

These guys were truly funny. When did they get here? And why were they hiding like that? Half of Bers’ body was sticking out...

Wait a second.

I looked toward Deb and Bers again.

If this went well... couldn’t we actually save the children?

“Wizard.”

“...? What is it.”

This wasn’t something I could handle alone. I called out to the person with the highest intelligence stat here. It was time to come up with a plan.

【Damn it, their resistance is too strong!】

【Damn. They said not to worry, that even if the rebellion failed, it would still weaken their forces...! This is why you can’t trust people from other tribes!】

【Commander, the Jahukaya have taken heavy damage! What are your orders?!】

【Use that device! Damn it, I didn’t want to rely on that outsider’s item, but we have no other choice. Throw it!】

Just when I decided to come up with a plan...

【Throw it!】

Amid the fierce battle, a small vat was thrown into the middle of the village.

【Huh?】

【A-Aaaaaah!】

【Uwaaaargh!!!】

“...It’s the curse!!”

Disaster began to spread around us.