Chapter 422. Don't Come Over Here!
When Roswaal tore open his shirt, the other three present immediately understood his intent.
Just like the contract signed after the failure at the Sanctuary, Roswaal intended to stake his own life this time to sign a contract that guaranteed he would never harm Hikigaya Hachiman or the others.
"For four hundred years, I have devoted myself single-mindedly to the study of resurrecting Teacher. Because the Gospels from the Tome of Wisdom were few and far between, I have never intentionally harmed anyone, aside from possessing the bodies of my own descendants."
"I know that the 'future me' is guilty of terrible crimes and is beyond forgiveness. But, seeing as none of that has happened yet, could you give me a chance to turn over a new leaf? Please?"
His low posture and total submission were astonishing. According to calculations, a Roswaal who had lost his leverage should have either abandoned everything and fled or faced death with indifference. He wasn't supposed to be the type to fear death or possess such a flexible spine.
But before resolving that doubt, Hikigaya Hachiman, after a moment of silence, asked a different question: "The Oni Village where Rem and the others lived—was it you who destroyed it?"
"No," Roswaal shook his head and confessed honestly. "It was the Witch Cult that carried out the massacre. I followed the instructions of the Tome of Wisdom to adopt the only remaining orphaned sisters; I took no part in the slaughter itself."
"At the time, I even saw Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory, appear there. Perhaps she discovered Ram's potential as the reincarnation of the Oni God and orchestrated the massacre specifically to break off Ram's horn."
To save his life, Roswaal added supplementary information. As to whether his deduction regarding Pandora's motives was correct, it didn't matter.
Regardless of the truth, it didn't change the absolute killing intent Reinhard and Hachiman harbored toward Pandora.
The two exchanged a look.
Reinhard hesitated for a moment. His original intention was to drag Roswaal to prison, but his Divine Protections had already informed him that Roswaal's words were true.
Currently, aside from possessing his descendants, Roswaal indeed hadn't had the chance to commit any truly heinous crimes.
Even regarding the matter of taking over his descendants' bodies, according to the noble laws of the Kingdom of Lugunica, Roswaal—as both a Count, the head of the house, and an elder—
legally had the right to pass judgment on his own juniors. It was difficult for outsiders to interfere.
While morally reprehensible, according to the laws of the Kingdom, there were no grounds for a conviction.
"You decide, Hachiman." Whispering his dilemma to his best friend, Reinhard chose to defer to Hikigaya Hachiman—the victim who had been harmed by Roswaal in the future.
"...Is your desire to survive so that you can continue to burn yourself out trying to resurrect Echidna?"
"No, quite the opposite." Roswaal's expression and tone turned fierce. "I want to live specifically to personally deal with that Echidna who has occupied the nest! That fake who disguised herself as Teacher and played Beatrice and me like fiddles!"
His killing intent was terrifying. After venting for a while, he managed to control his emotions. "Furthermore, I have absolutely no desire to die right now."
"After finally waking up, I realized how meaningless my past four hundred years have been. For the time I have left, I want to watch Beatrice find happiness because of you, and I want to strive for the forgiveness of Ram, Garfiel, and the others."
"You view Beatrice as a sister. However, as far back as four hundred years ago, I already treated her as a sister... You can understand that feeling, can't you, Hikigaya Hachiman?"
If he were dominated by the memories of the original future, Roswaal would have surely fled without a trace long ago.
But the future memories inserted into his mind did not hold the same weight or clarity as his current memories. In other words, Roswaal was being led by his current self, not the future self who had already suffered.
That was why he wanted to try his hardest to see if he could successfully beg for mercy.
Hachiman felt a gentle tug on the hem of his coat. It was Beatrice, looking up at him with a face that practically screamed she was pleading for Roswaal's life.
Reinhard's Divine Protections were fully active. Not only could he see if there was a "wind of lies" around Roswaal, but he could also see through his thoughts, his subconscious, and every other aspect.
This all-encompassing, dead-zone-free verification proved that Roswaal was telling the truth. There was no longer anything to doubt; he truly was a prodigal son returning home.
...Having received Reinhard's firm nod of confirmation, Hikigaya Hachiman also fell into a dilemma. After careful consideration, he chose to let Roswaal himself determine if he could grasp this chance at life.
"The contract stating you cannot harm Emilia and the others must be established, but I'm adding two conditions. From now on, you can never again take over the bodies of your descendants, and you must never disobey or distort Emilia's orders. One hundred percent obedience."
"Deal!" Roswaal was overjoyed. The first condition was something he already intended to stop after his epiphany. The second condition was even simpler because a kind soul like Emilia would never give an order that involved torturing him. He had nothing to worry about; he could agree to it without a second thought.
Watching Roswaal agree in such a hurry, Hikigaya Hachiman continued with the words he hadn't finished: "Don't be so fast. It's not that simple.
After signing the contract, I will only forgive you if you can earn the pardon of Emilia, Ram, Garfiel, and the villagers. And even then, you'll still have to serve a few years in prison.
Can you accept these? Or would you rather stake everything on a fight to the death here?"
Even if Roswaal's crimes hadn't been implemented yet, he couldn't get off with zero punishment, because in a sense, he had already done those things.
"Ha... hahahahahaha—!"
Laughing toward the sky, Roswaal's clothes fluttered loudly in the wind. He laughed heartily for a good while. No one but him knew exactly what was in his heart, but it was clear.
The reformed Roswaal accepted these conditions.
"Hmph!"
Beatrice, who had kept her mouth shut the whole time, let out a sigh of relief. She let out a little grunt, wearing an "I knew it would turn out like this" expression, forming a sharp contrast to her previous nervous look. She was devastatingly cute.
Once her aura of anxiety for Roswaal vanished and she relaxed, she became preoccupied with something else. She asked in a very intimate and natural tone: "Will this be very troublesome?"
Knowing what she was worried about, Hachiman shook his head. "No. The people Roswaal harmed the most were Emilia and me. Once the two of us agree to give him a chance, no one can object. That is our right and our position."
"Then don't worry about that guy anymore!" Beatrice's eyes lit up. She stood on her tiptoes, a look of impatient anticipation on her face, her heart thumping. "Hey, say that, okay? Say it to me? I've been waiting for a long time, Hachiman!"
"That? That is...!?"
After a two-second blank stare, Hikigaya Hachiman suddenly understood. Beatrice wanted to hear him replicate those sincere, heartfelt words he said when he dragged her out of the Forbidden Library in the original future.
He scrambled back several steps, turning his head away, his resistance written all over his face.
How was he supposed to replicate that? Even if he remembered the content, Beatrice had clearly moved on by now. Making him say those things now would be way too embarrassing, wouldn't it?
"Rein—"
Just as he was about to call his best friend for help, he turned around only to grab empty air. Reinhard had already taken Roswaal and leapt lightly from the rooftop, leaving space for him and Beatrice to be alone.
"Hmph~"
Beatrice had already pounced toward him. No matter what, she wanted to hear those words from his mouth for real.
"Don't come over here!?"
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