🔊 TTS Settings
~Chapter 38~
At his words, Nehemiah blinked her wide eyes. Beside her stood Derrick, vigilant as ever.
Antonio let out a silent whistle in his head.
‘What…? There’s no guard dog in the world like him.’
The sheer intensity of the man’s watchfulness was astonishing.
“But…”
Nehemiah, feigning fear, clutched Derrick’s trouser leg tightly. Immediately, he scooped the child up into his arms.
Seeing her now, she seemed completely different from the one who had stood before the towering monstrosity moments ago.
Had she been suppressing her fear all along? Her trembling voice from earlier suggested as much.
‘And yet she stepped forward anyway… befitting a papal candidate, I suppose.’
The child peeked her small head out from Derrick’s arms.
“If Nehemiah leaves… will you be the lawyer?”
The moment Antonio met her clear gaze, he felt as though he had been struck.
Was she implying, ‘The rest of you are hopeless without me, aren’t you?’
He might have been exaggerating, but the thought left him breathless. He laughed softly to release the tension.
But Nehemiah had already darted away, burying her face into her father’s chest.
‘They said she kept her composure even when provoked by Gidehme in the Miracle Room… and now I see why.’
He clicked his tongue, recalling that moment. By the time he looked up again, Derrick and Nehemiah had already passed him by, giving him no chance to speak further.
“She truly is remarkable…”
Laura clasped her hands as though in prayer, her expression dazed.
Antonio gave a small nod.
Remarkable, indeed. But even seasoned veterans could falter in the face of anomalous phenomena.
‘And in this place, death can come without warning.’
To entrust one’s life to such a small back—what a strange feeling it was.
The royal spy shifted his gaze and caught sight of Usher approaching Derrick and Nehemiah.
“Candidate.”
His voice, pleasant to most, was utterly unpleasant to Nehemiah. The child buried her face deeper into her father’s neck, like an ostrich convinced the world would disappear if it just hid its head.
Derrick awkwardly patted her back while glaring daggers at Usher.
“I have a question.”
Unbothered, Usher ignored Derrick completely and addressed Nehemiah.
Derrick could feel the child stiffen ever so slightly in his arms.
‘…What is this?’
Before he could puzzle it out, Nehemiah lifted her head. She looked as though she were on the verge of tears.
“It’s a simple question, and even easier to answer, isn’t it? Candidate, you knew what that monster was going to ask, didn’t you?”
It was a question asked with unnerving certainty.
Derrick furrowed his brow, about to interject, but Nehemiah answered first.
“…No, I didn’t know.”
“Then did you know how the monster would react based on your actions?”
“I… I could guess.”
“Oh? And how?”
“By analyzing…”
Derrick felt an unease creep into his gut.
“Is that so? Then—”
“Enough.”
Without hesitation, Derrick stepped in front of Usher, blocking his view with his broad back. He turned his head just enough to glare at him.
Something wasn’t right.
Nehemiah was trembling ever so slightly.
Each time she answered, she seemed to bite her lips or clench her jaw, as if she were forcing the words out against her will.
And usually, she recoiled instinctively whenever Usher drew near, yet now the questions just kept coming.
His instincts screamed that something was very wrong.
“Ah… how bothersome…”
Derrick caught Usher’s muttered words and his suspicion hardened into certainty. This man needed to be driven away, now.
“Don’t you worry about your own candidate?”
“Hmm, former hero? That’s my problem, isn’t it? Why bring up my candidate now, when they’re not even here?”
Usher’s eyes chilled over.
“Not as though you’re planning to hand your candidate over to me, are you?”
A papal candidate was not some object to be given or taken. The very suggestion made Derrick’s body harden like stone as holy power surged within him, ready to lash out—
—when a voice rang out, perfectly timed.
—Esteemed guests, the trials in Space Two will now resume! Please return to your positions.
—Break time is over!
—How exciting.
—Exciting!
—Trials are not for entertainment.
—They can be!
—Stop acting like dogs.
—But we are dogs, aren’t we?
“Dad.”
As the bizarre-looking judges bickered among themselves, Nehemiah reached up and cupped Derrick’s cheek.
A faint, almost imperceptible warmth of purification flowed into him.
“Don’t be angry. I’m okay.”
Derrick went still, relieved that no one else seemed to notice.
Nehemiah placed a finger to her lips in a shh gesture. The sight was endearing beyond measure.
“Heehee, no one ever notices this much. It’s a secret. Feel better now?”
“…Yes.”
It hadn’t been long since they met, and yet—
Derrick could no longer picture a day without this child.
“Everything will be okay,” she said softly.
As an adult, he ought not lean on a child’s comfort.
But the child’s kindness, her innate goodness, shone all the brighter.
She truly was the epitome of a holy and saintly pope.
…And then—
—A negotiation?
—He dares to propose a negotiation!
—This is the first time!
—The first, isn’t it?
As the trial resumed, Nehemiah proposed a negotiation to the monstrous judges.
—Very well, we accept.
—We accept!
—But we’ve changed our minds.
The judges agreed, but they were far from lenient.
Derrick noticed that among the three heads, the one that always seemed the most serious now bared its fangs in a sly grin.
—If you wish to send one of your companions away, it will not be under those terms. Sacrifice a hostage instead.
—Then we’ll let them go!
The negotiation collapsed. At least, that’s what Derrick assumed.
“Oh dear, what a shame~ Looks like things won’t go your way, Candidate,” Usher said, grinning at Derrick.
“Right? Our little candidate wouldn’t dream of sacrificing someone else. Even though sometimes, that’s the quickest, simplest solution!”
Derrick ignored him, certain the man was trying to provoke him.
Still, he knew Usher was right about one thing: Nehemiah would never choose to sacrifice another life.
Usher clearly believed it, too. His twisted fascination with Nehemiah was evident, but his certainty was infuriating.
And yet, in this one thing, the two men agreed.
This child was too kind, too good, too innocent to condemn anyone.
But then Nehemiah glanced at her teammates and smiled—brightly, freely, with a face lighter than the breeze.
“Very well,” she said. “I’ll sacrifice a hostage.”
What?
…Derrick thought, for an instant, that he had misheard.
