Chapter 176: Confession of the Mask

When he realized it, he was gazing at the night sky. It was an incredibly quiet night, almost unbelievable considering the intense battle and diving into the flames just moments ago.

Something felt off; he wasn’t wearing the mask. Instead, bandages covered the right half of his face.

He wasn’t the Hero of Justice, Samurai Mask, but rather Donald, a former delinquent knight.

(…I see, they’ve found out.)

Will Josel cut him down? Will Dennis look down on him? He didn’t want people to know that Samurai Mask was such a miserable human being.

Maybe it would have been better to disappear in the flames as an unknown hero, showing off in the end before dying would be too convenient.

…No, that way of thinking won’t work. He needed to face his past, apologize with his true face, and accept the consequences. Dying in style as if it resolved everything would be too easy.

As he tried to get up, he felt a throbbing pain in his head, like being hit with a blunt object.

“Hey, don’t overexert yourself.”

A man’s face interrupted his view of the night sky. It was Lutz, who had a closer look at Donald’s face. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that his hair was burned. Did he rescue him from the burning shack?

…Do I even have value for someone to go that far and help me?

He wanted to ask, but voicing it would make him feel even more pathetic.

“I’m sorry. I left the sword I was entrusted with in the shed.”

To break the cage where the girl was trapped, he had repeatedly struck it with the sword, causing the blade to bend. The deformed sword wouldn’t fit into its scabbard, so he had to leave it behind.

Lutz didn’t seem angry at all. In fact, he even smiled faintly, as if he wasn’t concerned about that.

“Well, you’re quite helpless. I’ll make a new one for you, so wait a bit.”

“Eh, you mean…”

“Don’t ask for specifics. Just smile mysteriously and be all enigmatic at times like these.”

“Is that how it works?”

“That’s exactly how it works.”

Getting his own sword made him ecstatic, but his enthusiasm was short-lived. Right now, he had to face the people he couldn’t avoid. Everything hinged on that.

“Lutz-sama, could you help me sit up?”

“What are you talking about? Rest a bit more. You’re a miserable piece of work for surviving.”

“Please. I can’t run away from this.”

Lutz muttered, “Honestly,” as he helped Donald sit up and propped him up with a suitable cushion.

He had a terrible headache, but he couldn’t complain. When he glanced left and right, Josel and Dennis were looking at Donald with stern expressions. Even Josel’s hair was burned from the fire.

The girl was sleeping on Dennis’s lap, which relieved Donald. He was truly happy that she was safe. If she was safe, then there was meaning to his own life.

Donald and Dennis exchanged wordless glances for a while. Finally, it was Donald who spoke first.

“Dennis, my real name is Donald.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve escaped, but originally, I was a knight in Count Zander’s territory.”

Dennis’s unseen left eye stared at Donald.

“When your eye was crushed by the knight’s punishment, I was there, and I laughed with everyone. I’m truly sorry about what happened back then.”

Dennis looked down at Sleeping Beauty in his lap, then quickly back at Donald.

.

“Samurai Mask… I mean, Donald, did you accept my unreasonable request as an act of atonement?”

“That was my intention. Of course, I won’t arbitrarily decide how to atone. I won’t resist, even if I’m going to be tortured or killed. All the blame falls on me.”

Dennis shook his head and said. 

“I understand your feelings. If you think about it, saving my daughter with just this left eye was a rather advantageous deal, isn’t it?”

“Do you… forgive me?”

“Right now, you are the hero Samurai Mask to our family.”

“I’m grateful…”

Tears overflowed from Donald’s eyes, and his voice trembled, almost inaudible.

But he couldn’t continue to be overwhelmed by emotions. Donald wiped his tears and turned his gaze towards Josel.

“Josel-sama, I have nothing left to do here. Please take me to the Count’s territory for judgment.”

In response to Donald’s dignified words, Josel turned away, answering in a nonchalant and somewhat careless tone.

“I am Masked Knight, not Josel. I don’t know you, and you and I are meeting for the first time. I don’t care.”

“But still…”

“You might have done whatever you did in the Count’s territory, but this is Baron Esterreich’s domain. So it doesn’t concern me.”

Crimes are usually judged within the jurisdiction in which they were committed. Even if you committed murder in the Count’s territory, you wouldn’t be held accountable in the Baron’s territory.

However, Count Zander’s territory and the Baron Esterreich’s territory are adjacent, and they have connections. Additionally, Count Zander’s family is far superior. It is possible for high-ranking knights like Josel to request the extradition of a criminal, and he had the authority to do so.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Don’t be so noisy. It doesn’t matter either way. The one Josel and the others are looking for is probably the guy with sword wounds, right? They’re probably not interested in the one with burn scars.”

To the bitter-faced Josel, Donald bowed his head in silence. Regardless of the reason, a noble knight had bent his principles for his sake.

“Donald, it’s probably best if you don’t return to the Count’s territory. There will always be a spark there. How about becoming an adventurer here in the Baron’s domain?” 

Dennis nodded heavily at Lutz’s suggestion and followed.

“Then, why not live with us? My daughter was worried about her big brother, Samurai Mask, until she fell asleep.”

Donald responded with a small smile to Dennis’s proposal.

“Do you want a guard dog?”

“It’s a rather dangerous place.”

Dennis replied with a smile without denying it. Lutz nodded in agreement, reassured that the two were now safe.

“Well” Josel stood up and said.

“Donald, rest here. You won’t be able to move until dawn anyway. Ricardo, I’ll leave the escort of Dennis and his family to you.”

Ricardo, who had remained silent, replied briefly while chewing on hardtack. He was the type who didn’t engage in conversation when there were many people around, just as he did during the Allied Nations expedition.

“Lutz, come with me to pick up the other guest.”

“Oh, right, there’s another one.”

Lutz also stood up and brushed off the dirt from his pants.

The warm light of the young men watching the young man from their eyes had disappeared.

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