Me, the Weakest Member of the Hero’s Party? I’m the Villain Though? - Chapter 51
Suspicious Dungeon
Before Gerard could barge out the door, Tallin appeared at just the right moment, opening the door and coming in.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long. There was something urgent I had to take care of…”
It was impeccable timing. As he tried to enter the reception room, he came face-to-face with Gerard, who was standing by the door, and flinched in surprise.
Since Gerard hadn’t been there in the morning, this was their first meeting. Tallin looked flustered, unsettled by Gerard’s gaze looking down at him from above.
“W-Were you perhaps just about to leave?”
“No, I was just on my way to drag you out.”
“…Pardon?”
Tallin looked thoroughly alarmed, but Kyle quickly grabbed Gerard’s shoulder and pulled him back.
“Let’s all sit down for now. There’s something we need to discuss.”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
Once Kyle had seated both Tallin and Gerard, he reached into his pocket with a grave expression. What he took out was none other than a mercenary badge.
When Kyle quietly placed the badge on the desk, Tallin’s eyes began to tremble anxiously.
“You seem to recognize what this is.”
Elonen voiced what I had wanted to say.
“That’s… It’s not that I tried to hide it on purpose!”
Sure enough, Tallin cried out, bringing both hands together in front of him.
Seeing how he confessed before anyone even questioned him, as if his own guilty conscience gave him away, it was clear he had deliberately kept it hidden.
“Alright, then. This time, please tell us everything honestly, without leaving anything out.”
Kyle said, folding his arms.
At that, Tallin hung his head with a tormented look. His legs were trembling and his hands kept fiddling nervously with his ring. It was obvious how anxious he was.
“…So, the thing is, this is what happened…”
After a long silence, Tallin slowly parted his lips.
“Originally, the Barony of Caindel was a fertile and abundant land. The people never went hungry, and we were prosperous, selling surplus crops to other regions. It was always a peaceful and quiet village.”
Where was he planning to start this story? The party listened with patience, not interrupting Tallin’s lengthy account.
“But that peace didn’t last. ‘That person’ appeared about this time last year.”
“‘That person’?”
A hint of fear crept into Tallin’s eyes. He seemed terrified, as if even referring to the figure might bring disaster.
“Yes, ‘that person’. He demanded we offer up not just our crops, but all sorts of tributes. He threatened to harm the villagers if we didn’t comply.”
I was starting to feel frustrated, since he wouldn’t state outright who this person was. But I decided not to interrupt and waited for him to continue.
“At first, we tried to resolve things peacefully. But no matter how prosperous we were, it became harder and harder to meet his demands. That’s why we hired a mercenary company, and, as you might have guessed, the result was…”
“They ended up getting wiped out instead.”
At Kyle’s guess, Tallin nodded and buried his face in his hands.
“So you knew from the beginning that this wasn’t some simple rat attack.”
“I’m sorry. I was afraid that if I told you about ‘that person’, you wouldn’t help us. I didn’t mean to deceive you on purpose.”
He knew all along, yet still chose to keep quiet. I wanted to call him out, but Tallin’s voice was trembling so pitifully, as if he might cry at any moment.
“If you’re truly sorry, then tell us who this ‘that person’ really is.”
Kyle said, suppressing his anger as much as possible.
At those words, Tallin slowly lowered his hands from his face and began to speak.
“So, about who ‘that person’ is…”
Tallin swallowed hard, as if even saying it was difficult, and tried to steady his breath. Watching him only made everyone more anxious.
“I’ve never met him myself. I’ve only ever heard what he wants through a messenger.”
Even though he said he’d never met him in person, Tallin’s eyes were filled with terror. I wondered just what could be so frightening.
“So, the identity of ‘that person’. He’s not human, at the very least?”
“As far as I can tell, I don’t believe he’s human.”
Either he is or he isn’t, what’s with the uncertainty?
It seemed Tallin had never even tried to find out who was receiving the tributes.
“Why do you think he isn’t human?”
“Because he controls monsters. I’ve never heard of a human who can command monsters. So I believe he might be a monster himself.”
A being who controls monsters. That sent a chill down my spine. It seemed that one of the two guesses I’d been considering had been correct.
