Allegiance Test
The plentiful of gazes that are directed at me. The greengrocer’s Obaa-chan, the hunter Oji-san, the Onee-san from next door, everybody is looking at me.
Furthermore, it’s not one that carries familiarity as usual, but gazes that scorns me. Those are not gazes that are directed to a human being.
I was dumbfounded and look at the villagers when, my hair was pulled from the back, forcefully made to raise my face. Then, the guy standing next to me. When I thought I have seen the guy before, it was the priest that gave me the oracle.
“I think that everybody has already heard about it but, this guy possesses the power of a demon! The one called 『Dark Magician』, the same power as a vexatious person that has once bare his fangs towards the Holy Kingdom!”
The villagers start making a ruckus to the priest’s words. Once bare his fangs towards the Holy Kingdom? Who exactly is he talking about? I’ve never heard of such story even in history.
“The grand priest at that time somehow defeated him but, the Holy Kingdom received a large number of casualties. To that extent, is the immense strength of the Dark Magician. Controlling the spirit, controlling the corpse, the Dark Magician assailed with an army of the dead. If our side is defeated, the defeated becomes a subordinate of the Dark Magician and assaulted us, he assailed with such an extremely atrocious method”
The priest continues his speech that made no sense. But, the villagers believe in the words of the priest without thinking about its truthfulness, and turned their gazes filled with animosity towards me.
“In order to exterminate the demon as quickly as possible, from our Goddess Fistoria-sama, we are endowed with the power of the oracle. The result of that is as seen, we were able to find him.”
The priest shouts in an exaggerated tone. There was such a purpose to the oracle. The villagers raise voices of astonishment. But above that, the thing that they are astounded about is
“Of course, this demon cannot be let to live but, this village that has hidden him is also guilty of the same charge!”
Is what the priest said. The villagers that heard it, starts shouting that it’s unrelated to them. But, the soldiers that came alongside the priest begin unsheathing their swords as soon as the villagers shout.
“Ple, please wait! We didn’t know that he was such a demon! Please believe us!”
The village chief who was terrified begins begging for his life with his head on the ground. The villagers around also start doing the same. The priest sees the sight, and a disgusting grin appears on his face.
“Then, show the proof that you are not related to this guy! Once per person anywhere on this guy. If you stab with this knife your life will be spared!”
……Wh, what is this person saying? I couldn’t believe it. However, something even more unbelievable happened. That is, the village chief picked up the knife that’s on the ground.
Then, he staggers towards me as he mutters something.
“……Y, you’re kidding. Ch, chief yo, you’re not really going to stab me, right!?”
“My bad, Hardt. We don’t want to die. That’s why you’ll be our sacrifice. It’s fine, isn’t it? Because you’re a demon that’s fine even if you’re dead.”
……I didn’t understand what was being said. No, I properly heard the words but, my heart, my brain didn’t want to comprehend.
‘It’s not my fault.’ ‘He’s a demon so it’s fine even if he’s stabbed.’ mutters the village chief. From my point of view, the villagers appear to be demons.
Then, the knife was swung down. The knife that was swung down without hesitation stabs into my left leg. An intense pain runs through my brain in an instant, a scream made of an incomprehensible voice came out of my mouth. To the point where I doubt whether that’s my own voice.
Shocked by my screaming voice, the village chief pulls out the knife in a hurry. The moment the knife was removed, a person that came alongside with the priest heals the place that was stabbed.
Aa, again, I’m healed enough so that I can’t die. Since they are at it, it’d be better if they kill me instantly.
After the village chief stabbed, the villagers also in turn lose their hesitation. No matter whether it’s an adult or a child. Everybody that lives in this village thrust the knife into me.
I don’t even know how many times I was stabbed. I scream when I’m stabbed, just like when I was locked up, no matter how many times I scream or call for help nobody stops, nobody saves me.
My fingers were cut off, ears were sliced off, stabbed multiple times in the same spot, the only places that haven’t been cut yet is my eyes and tongue.
The reason why they didn’t crush my eyes was to have me be aware of my crime. It’s just, receiving the oracle receiving the occupation and that’s all, what crime do you say I exactly have.
The ground is dyed red with my blood, to the point where there are puddles of blood. After getting stabbed by hundreds of people, I no longer feel pain. I even have the composure to think about how I’m still not dead after all this.
Furthermore, those guys in front of me no longer appear to be humans. They appear as demons that are worse than demons.
“With this, is it almost done? Then, you guys as well”
After the priest said something, somebody was brought along. Naturally, they are the faces that I remember. My childhood friends’ faces. One side is pointing at me and shouting something but, the me who has both ears sliced off couldn’t hear anything.
The guy who picked up the fallen knife during that time, Lig is standing in front of me. Then, a disgusting smile that is unimaginable from the Lig until now floats up to his face when our eyes met. As if, he was waiting eagerly for this moment.
Lig swung the knife down with the smile on his face. The knife that was swung down, thrust into my right eye.
A pain that is incomparable to everything before runs through my entire face. But more than that, the anger and the hatred towards Lig is even stronger. Are you so glad that I’m dying! So, so glad!
I wonder if my anger and hatred were conveyed, Lig shivers and pulls out the knife with force. My right eye is overflowing with blood but, I glare at Lig without paying it any mind.
The anger welled up when I was stabbed by the villagers but, an incomparable anger and hatred welled up towards Lig.
As expected, deep in my heart because they are childhood friends, there’s a part of me that had some hope that’s why. Even now, I’m pissed off at myself that had held even the slightest hope.
Then, the one Lig passed the knife to next was, Stella.