Chapter 66

"Was it to clear the path for me?"

"It was. Much to my annoyance."

Despite his futile resistance, Harold had ended up sharing a boat with Erika. Seeing no further need for secrecy in this situation, he candidly confessed the sequence of events.

Upon learning the truth, Erika lowered her head deeply in apology.

"I am truly sorry that my brother has been so selfish."

"If you’re going to apologize, you should have kept that man on a shorter leash from the start."

Harold thought to himself that his mouth was spouting rather unreasonable complaints, yet he knew that if Erika could control Itsuki, his opportunities to meet her face-to-face would dwindle. For the sake of his mental health, that would be better for both of them. He truly wanted her to succeed in that regard.

Well, putting that aside, Harold thought, steadying his nerves. He decided to take the initiative and confront her.

"So? Surely you didn't go to all this trouble just to ask about such trivial matters."

"……You are right. There is something I wish to confirm with you, Lord Harold."

"I’m under no obligation to answer your questions."

Judging by the likely nature of her questions, there were very few things he could actually answer. His current position, the details of his missions, and anything related to Justus—he would almost certainly have to remain silent on all of it.

"Of course, it is fine if you only answer what you are able to."

"Hmph. Keep it brief."

"Thank you. Then, I will ask frankly: why did you try to break off our engagement at that time five years ago?"

Erika lowered her voice, likely to prevent the boatman from overhearing.

The boatman himself showed no interest in them, busy with his practiced introduction of Kablan. It looked less like he was speaking for the benefit of the passengers and more like he was reciting a forced script. It was a half-hearted job at best, but for Harold and Erika, it was perfect.

"What do you hope to gain by asking something so obvious?"

"Let me rephrase the question. Why was it at that specific moment?"

By "that moment," she meant the immediate aftermath of the re-deliberation, when his execution was overturned and his transfer to Justus's Research Institute was finalized.

After the retrial, Harold had thrown that demand directly at Tasuku, who had been present for the verdict. Harold remembered clearly that while Tasuku had looked sorrowful, he hadn't seemed particularly surprised. He had likely been mentally preparing for such a day to come for a long time.

It had been unexpected for Harold, who had assumed Tasuku would express some degree of roundabout joy at Erika's engagement being dissolved.

The real struggle had been with Hayden and Jessica—Harold's parents. Naturally, they had vehemently opposed the decision, persistently trying to persuade him that he should reconsider or that it was just a lapse in judgment. Even so, Harold had remained firm: he had no intention of marrying Erika.

Letters from his father, Hayden, still arrived periodically attempting to sway him, but this was a path Harold had decided on even before meeting Erika. He wasn't about to bend now.

In truth, he had requested the engagement be broken immediately after the verdict, right as he was about to leave the chamber.

His goal was to make it clear to everyone—and above all, to Justus—that his connection with the Sumeragi family was severed.

The mysterious miasma currently plaguing the Sumeragi Territory was actually Justus's handiwork. If Harold had maintained friendly relations with the Sumeragi family after joining Justus, there was a risk that the source of the medicine neutralizing the miasma would be traced back to him.

If that happened, suspicious eyes would turn toward why a ten-year-old Harold knew how to manufacture a drug that increased immunity to miasma. Being under such suspicion while serving under Justus would be fatal.

He regretted, too late, that he hadn't been more insistent about keeping the resistance medicine a secret. Although it hadn't been made public, quite a few people within House Sumeragi and their associates knew Harold had conceived it. Furthermore, if the existence of his map predicting the contamination range came to light, there was a non-zero chance that a suspicious Justus might dissect him out of pure curiosity.

Since Harold lacked the eloquence to talk his way out of contradictions when facing a mad genius scientist, he had no choice but to eliminate the possibility of being questioned entirely.

In short, it was for self-preservation. In the original story, there was no scenario where Harold served under Justus. Originally, after being defeated twice by Rainer’s party, Justus was supposed to exploit Harold’s desire for revenge and grant him a secret drug called the "Astral Potion."

It was a doping item that amplified one's internal magic power—the Astral Body—to a level incomparable to a normal state.

However, the human body couldn't handle that level of reinforcement. The Harold of the original story was consumed by his own bloated power, eventually warping into a monstrosity that couldn't be called human before dying as his body collapsed.

Harold knew he could avoid that fate as long as he didn't ingest the potion, but there was a drawback: Rainer and the others wouldn't gain the massive experience points from the "Berserk Harold" boss fight. He would have to compensate for their lack of growth by strengthening their equipment or teaching them effective game tactics.

Regardless, the reason he had joined Justus despite knowing it deviated from the original plot was simply because it was the only way to survive. Justus had appeared before him in the underground dungeon and presented an extreme ultimatum: "Which do you prefer: a quiet execution, or helping me with my work? If you come with me, I will grant you power beyond your imagination. Though, that itself may be its own kind of hellish suffering."

To stay alive, he had to accept. Even though it was a choice with a staggering probability of death.

Helping Justus meant aiding his ambitions. By necessity, he would become an enemy to Rainer’s party, and if the plan succeeded, the world would end. It was also highly likely he would be discarded as a pawn.

Even as a survival tactic, it wasn't a choice one should make lightly... or so it should have been.

This was something Harold himself often forgot, but his mouth possessed a function beyond just automatically converting his words into insults. It had only activated twice before, both times shortly after he arrived in this world.

It was, so to speak, "Scripted Reproduction." Lines he had spoken in the game would simply force their way out of his mouth. Although the timing and context differed from the game, the situation of Justus offering power to Harold was identical to the original story.

That was exactly why his mouth, after erupting in a high-pitched laugh that even he found repulsive, had replied:

"Give me power. I'll show you what true hell is."

It was the foolish, instantaneous decision of the power-hungry Harold from the original game. Thus, through a sequence of events he never intended, Harold became a soldier in the service of the Last Boss.

It was beyond unexpected. He had agonized over how to navigate this route ever since—a problem that remained very much ongoing.

Savoring those bitter memories, Harold finally answered Erika's question.

"Because that was the most advantageous moment for me."

"Was it because you were able to signal to everyone that you had severed your ties with the Sumeragi family?"

She had guessed it perfectly, almost as if she were reading his mind.

That should have been impossible, which made Harold wonder why she had reached that conclusion. Could she know something about Justus? The thought crossed his mind.

"Who knows."

He dodged the question without mentioning Justus's name.

It was hard to believe Erika had information that even El hadn't managed to grasp. Even if she knew of Justus's true nature, she shouldn't be able to perceive Harold’s specific motives. It was more likely that Erika hadn't read his mind, but had reached a conclusion from her own perspective that just happened to align with his words.

"To go to such lengths just to be alone..."

"Did you say something?"

"No, think nothing of it."

Harold had been so lost in thought that he’d missed her quiet murmur. He was curious, but her dismissive tone suggested she wouldn't elaborate even if he asked again.

Still, he decided it would be wise to keep an eye on whether Erika—or rather, the Sumeragi family—was investigating Justus. Since Itsuki had been able to mediate a request for him, they weren't complete strangers.

Because he had assumed the ties were completely cut, the possibility of the Sumeragi side taking action regarding Justus had slipped his mind.

"Is that all you wanted to confirm?"

"I have one more thing. Regarding the stories I hear of you through rumors... how much of it is actually true?"

"Regrettably, I have no interest in rumors. I don't know what's being said, and I care even less if it's true."

"The 'Knight Killer' who brutally slaughtered dozens of knights. The kidnapper who made a pact with a demon and sold children into slavery. The 'Supreme Ruler of Evil' who has mastered every atrocity in existence. There are others, but those are the most prominent."

He’d heard them all before. Hearing them recited by another person really drove home how terrible his reputation had become.

Most of it was thanks to Justus’s embellishments.

Regarding the "Knight Killer" title, he had merely happened upon a group of knights about to be wiped out by monsters. There were barely ten of them, and by the time Harold arrived, over half were dead and the rest were dying. He had fought seriously to eliminate the monsters, but in the end, only two survived. Both were so badly injured they had to retire immediately.

As for being a "kidnapper," he had simply been picking up orphans and vagrants from war zones or slums and leaving them at decent orphanages along with money and supplies. He’d only done it a few times and should have been unobserved, yet Justus had somehow known. That realization had only reinforced the man's terrifying reach.

The "Supreme Ruler of Evil" bit was likely just a caricature of Harold born from various rumors. Justus had even lamented over that one, complaining that it "lacked specificity and was poorly crafted," so the man likely had nothing to do with it. It was a massive headache that Justus was so dedicated to ruining his reputation that he would actually criticize the quality of the slander.

Whenever he heard these rumors, Harold couldn't help but think: If any of that were true, I’d have been caught a long time ago.

Erika seemed smart enough to realize that, so her asking suggested she was still half-doubting him. Normally, he would want to lean into the villainous act to ensure her opinion of him remained at rock bottom. However, once Erika became Rainer’s ally, he needed her to trust him just enough so that she wouldn't disregard his warnings or information entirely. If she wouldn't listen, he’d be forced to relay everything through El.

"It is true that these hands are stained with blood and evil. But what of it? The weak who allow themselves to become prey are merely fools."

It was an answer that practically screamed "elitist prick." He considered it an achievement that he had restrained himself from using the term "inferior species."

Harold looked down at the palm of his right hand. He had used the sword in this hand to cut down both monsters and men. He couldn't deny that, but it didn't mean he felt nothing.

"Perhaps we truly cannot see eye-to-eye, given how different our values are. However..."

Suddenly, something warm and soft enveloped Harold's right hand. The heat spread gently through him.

It was Erika’s hands. She was holding his right hand, cradling it gently against her chest as if it were something precious.

"With this hand, you protected those who are dear to me. That is an unshakable truth. Therefore, no matter how great a sinner you may be, I am prepared to accept you."

Her gaze was intense, drawing him in and making it impossible to look away.

His reason screamed at him to break eye contact, yet Harold felt enchanted. Almost against his will, he began to squeeze her hand back—

"Or so my brother might say. He is very fond of you, after all."

Just as he was about to return the grip, she released him. As the lingering warmth on his hand met the cool air, Harold's composure snapped back into place.

He realized she had been teasing him with that mischievous smile. Flustered and embarrassed, Harold looked away toward the horizon, crossing his arms with his freed hand.

To the soundtrack of Erika’s quiet, playful laughter, Harold remained stubbornly turned away, trying to hide his blushing face until the boat finally reached the pier.