The Betrayal Begins — Part 2
Ten minutes later... Ruko's eyes slowly opened. The first thing he saw was the mansion ceiling. The second thing he saw was Aqua staring directly into his face. The third thing he saw was Aqua somehow even closer than before.
"AAGH!" Ruko instinctively threw a punch. Aqua ducked. The punch missed. Instead, it hit Kazuma who had just walked into the room. THUD. Kazuma stumbled backward.
"WHY AM I ALWAYS THE ONE GETTING HIT?!" Ruko slowly sat up while holding his head. His entire body felt like someone had used him as a football. "What happened?"
Kyouri immediately spoke. "Ruki! You're finally awake!" Ruko turned. His eyes widened. Kyouri was tied to a chair. Several ropes wrapped around her body. Darkness stood behind her like a prison guard. While Megumin sat nearby watching.
Aqua looked ready to throw holy water at her at any second. "Why is she tied up?" Kyouri looked offended. "That's what I've been asking for ten minutes." "Fair." Ruko stood up.
Then everyone suddenly surrounded him. The atmosphere changed instantly. Kazuma pointed at Kyouri. "Explain." Megumin pointed at Kyouri. "Explain." Darkness pointed at Kyouri. "Explain." Aqua pointed dramatically. "EXPLAIN!"
Ruko immediately regretted waking up. His ears started hurting already.
"What do you mean explain?"
"WHO IS SHE?"
"WHERE DID YOU FIND HER?"
"WHY IS SHE LIVING?"
"WHY IS SHE PRETTY?"
"WHY DID YOU BRING HER HERE?"
"WHY DOES SHE CALL YOU RUKI?"
"WHY DOES SHE LOOK AT YOU LIKE THAT?"
"WHY—"
"SHUT UP!"
The entire room went silent. Ruko's veins bulged. His ears were literally starting to ring. "I'll explain if you stop acting like Rabid Goblins." Aqua gasped. "Rabid?!" "Yes I'm talking to you. Who else is a rabid goblin here." "That's rude." "Good! Take that has a lesson."
Ruko rubbed his forehead. Then he started explaining. Well... Partially explaining. Some truths. A lot of lies. A few half-truths. And a mountain of nonsense. According to Ruko's story—
He found Kyouri imprisoned inside the castle. The demons apparently planned to use her for strange noble-related purposes. She somehow got caught in the chaos during the battle. The castle exploded. Everyone died. He rescued her. The end.
The room became quiet. Very quiet. Too quiet. Kazuma narrowed his eyes. "...You're Freaking Lying." Ruko immediately pointed. " It's an objection." "This isn't a courtroom." "Still an objection."
Kazuma sighed. "I know you're lying." "And I know you know I'm lying." "And I know you know that I know you're lying." Megumin immediately stood up.
"My brain hurts." Darkness nodded. "Mine too." Aqua had already given up following the conversation. Meanwhile Kyouri simply looked impressed. Ruki could lie with a completely straight face. His face start to sparkle.
That was almost admirable. Almost. Eventually everyone gave up. Mostly because dealing with Ruko was exhausting. The conversation shifted. That was when Ruko noticed another person. A familiar silver-haired thief. Ruko blinked. "Oh." Chris looked over. "Oh?"
Ruko pointed. "I thought you were some new NPC." Silence. Chris smiled. A very dangerous smile. "Ruko." "Yeah?" "I know you treat everyone like NPCs." "Well... some are true." "But be reminded."
Her smile widened. "NPCs can kick your ass anytime." Ruko stared. Chris stared. The room stared. A battle of pride was happening. Finally—
"Heh." Ruko crossed his arms. "Like the NPC got a mouth to spare." Chris twitched. "You little—" "Don't care."
A visible vein appeared on Chris's forehead. Kazuma immediately grabbed a chair. "This is better than theater." Megumin nodded. "Agreed." Eventually Chris gave up before she actually strangled him.
"This is lame..." "...Same."
The room finally calmed down. Ruko stretched. "I'm tired." "No kidding." Kazuma rolled his eyes. Ruko pointed at him—eyes sparkle. "You." "Me?" "Private conversation. Now!"
Kazuma looked suspicious. "Why?" "Because I said so." "Terrible reason." "Still works." A few minutes later... Everyone left. Well... Almost everyone.
Kyouri was dragged out after protesting loudly. The room finally became quiet. Ruko sat down. Kazuma sat opposite him. Silence filled the room. Then Ruko leaned forward.
"So." Kazuma sighed. "So." "What happened after the fight?" "No." "Please?" "No." Ruko immediately activated his ultimate technique. Sad puppy eyes. Kazuma physically recoiled.
"DISGUSTING!" "Please?" "STOP THAT!" "Please?" Kazuma looked away. "...Fine." Victory. Ruko mentally celebrated. Then Kazuma started explaining.
How he died.
How he returned to heaven.
How he met Eris.
How he was offered rewards.
How he was given the chance to return.
Everything.
Several minutes later... The door suddenly opened. Kyouri stepped inside. Apparently nobody could stop her. Or maybe nobody wanted to. She walked over.
"I have no idea where my room is." "Hm... I guess that's fair." She sat down. Then looked at Ruko. "What did he tell you?" Ruko nodded. Then began explaining.
"The Ending." Kyouri blinked. "The what?" "The ending." "What ending?" "The ending ending."
"..."
"..."
"...Continue." Ruko grinned. "The Reward."
He explained how Kazuma defeated the Devil King.
How he reached heaven.
How he was offered incredible rewards.
How he could have returned to Japan with unlimited wealth.
Kyouri's jaw dropped. "WHAT?" She nearly fell out of her chair. "YOU GOT TO BE SERIOUSLY KIDDING ME!" BONK. Ruko karate chopped her head. "Oww!"
"I'm not finished." "You're abusive." "Continue listening." Then he explained the next part.
"The Final Trick." Kazuma choosing Eris. The prank. Aqua. Everything. Kyouri stared blankly. "That information is completely useless." "A correction." "Then why tell me?" "Because it's funny."
Kazuma nodded. "Yes, Fair fair." Kyouri wanted to throw something. Then came the final explanation. The True End.
Kazuma's teleport point. Eris's realm. The fact that he could technically keep coming back. Again. And again. And again. Kyouri sat frozen. "So..."
She slowly turned toward Kazuma. "You can't actually stay dead?" Kazuma scratched his cheek. "Basically. Since like I'm immortal.".Kyouri looked horrified.
"Then revenge is literally pointless." Ruko snapped his fingers. "Now you're getting it." Kyouri collapsed backward. Her entire revenge plan had just been deleted. Ruko leaned back. "So instead of revenge..."
"..."
"..."
"We focus on removing that relic inside you." Kyouri groaned. "That sounds like a lot of work." "Well, it is." "I hate work." "I know."
For a moment everything felt peaceful. Normal. Calm. Then... Something changed. A strange feeling passed through the room. Like a cold wind. Like something invisible had brushed past them.
Ruko paused. "..." Kyouri paused too. "..." The feeling somehow disappeared. Ruko rubbed his arms.
"Did you feel that?" Kyouri slowly nodded. "Yes." Her expression became serious.. "And I don't think that's normal."
The room suddenly felt colder..Neither of them knew it. But somewhere... Something had already begun moving. And the next day....Everything would change. To be continued...