Grimgal of Ashes and Illusion - Volume 16 - Chapter 11

11. Someday, That Debt Will Be Repaid with Interest

“Okay. That story’s gone on quite long enough. It’s about time we steeled ourselves and got down to business, wouldn’t you say?”

As Hiyo spoke, looking down at Haruhiro, she had a cloth wrapped around the lower half of her face. Thanks to that, it was hard to tell her expression. But he was pretty confident she was smirking.

“Well... I’d say I’m as steely as I’m going to get... I guess.”

Bright sunlight shone in through a hole in the ceiling just above the table where Haruhiro was lying down on his back. It made him feel weird.

He was naked from the waist up, for one thing.

The table was one that Kuzaku had found in the ruins and brought here. It had a clean sheet thrown over it, and now Haruhiro was half-naked on top of it. He didn’t know how to describe how strange this felt.

“Okay.”

There was another table, or a chair rather, next to where Hiyo was standing. The chair had a white cloth over it, too. Sitting on that was a knife that had been sterilized with boiling water, and an object that looked like a flower bud that was maybe three centimeters across.

“Let’s get this show on the road, then.”

Hiyo grabbed the knife with her right hand, holding it up to look at the end of the blade. She tested its edge with her left index finger.

“Nyeheheheheh...”

She wasn’t just smirking, she was laughing out loud.

He was tempted to say, Oh, come on, but Hiyo quickly withdrew her finger.

“Whoopsie. I shouldn’t touch it after going to all the trouble of disinfecting it.”

“...If we’re doing this, can you just get it over with? I’m getting tired here.”

“Any final words?”

Hiyo was clearly enjoying this. He wasn’t going to give her any more satisfaction.

“Nope.”

“Is that a fact?”

Hiyo looked unamused.

“Then, please roll over onto your side.”

Haruhiro did as he was told and turned over so that his right side was facing up. When he did, he saw Kuzaku by the wall, looking at him worriedly. Merry and Setora were close by the warrior’s side. Kiichi and Neal were outside the ruin, standing guard in case anything happened.

“...Hold on,” Kuzaku said through quivering lips. “I just can’t... I can’t accept this, you know? Does Haruhiro really have to be the one to do this? Can’t someone else? Like the old man, maybe?”

The “old man” was Neal, of course.

“No one else will do,” Hiyo said with a nasal laugh. “Neal-san does seem like a capable scout, sure. And Hiyo can do thief-y stuff, too. Not to overstate this and make him think I’m trying to butter him up or something, but Haru-kun is head and shoulders above both of us.”

“...Um, could you not call me Haru-kun?”

Haruhiro tried objecting, just to see if it would work.

“Haru-kun,” Hiyo deliberately emphasized his name, “is quite the thief, you know? Oh, yes, Haru-kun is.”

I shouldn’t have opened my mouth.

“Oh, a thief with Haru-kun’s skills is just what we need. Haru-kun is the one. It has to be Haru-kun. Therefore, we’ll have Haru-kun do it. All right, you’re ready now, aren’t you, Haru-kun?”

Before responding, Haruhiro looked at Kuzaku. Why were his eyes a little misty?

I wish he wouldn’t look at me like that.

Kuzaku’s brow was furrowed, his lips drawn taut, and he had the most pathetic look on his face.

I really wish he’d cut it out.

“Ultimately, I decided for myself that I’d do this. I can’t say, ‘Believe in me,’ or anything bigheaded like that, but it’s kind of unnerving when you guys look that worried.”

“...It is, isn’t it?” Kuzaku’s shoulders slumped. “Sorry, man. I know this goes without saying, but I believe in you. I just can’t help feeling like we’re falling for her plan, and I don’t like it.”

Hiyo got miffed, and spun the knife around.

“You make it sound like Hiyo’s some kind of evil strategist. Hiyo’s just brainy, you know? Deep down, she’s a good person, okay?”

“...A good person?” Merry muttered.

Setora sighed.

“How about you stop running your mouth, and get this over with quickly?”

“Oh, I’ll do it. You don’t have to tell me. I already said I would, you little bitch.”

Hiyo placed her left hand on Haruhiro’s hip. The knife in her right hand flashed dully. It couldn’t possibly do that on its own. Was it reflecting the sunlight from the hole in the ceiling?

What am I supposed to do at a time like this? Haruhiro wondered. Was it better to watch? Or should he look away? Could he shut his eyes until it was over?

His heart was racing like mad. His breathing was shallow, too.

Hiyo took a deep breath.

Well, this is just a vague feeling I have, but I should probably watch.

“Here it comes.”

“Go ahead, whenever you’re ready.”

Even he thought that was kind of an awkward response. Hiyo laughed a little, then smoothly inserted the knife into Haruhiro’s right flank.

There was a small slicing sound, but it felt more hot than painful.

No. Wait. Yeah, it hurts. It does hurt. Ow.

Haruhiro gritted his teeth.

Ohhhh. Damn, this hurts.

He was sweating. Buckets. He wanted to thrash around. But he wouldn’t. He had to stay put.

“I’m gonna cut a little more.”

This time, it was all he could do to nod. Hiyo’s knife entered through the wound, and jerked around. Okay, maybe she wasn’t jerking it around, but he had to imagine it was about that bad.

It hurts. But I can take it, I guess. I can handle this.

“Sorry, it’s gonna be another centimeter... Two centimeters.”

Yeah, no, I didn’t need that. Don’t explain it to me. I don’t need the rundown, just get it over with. I don’t care anymore. Cut whatever skin, or meat, or whatever else, you want.

“I’m trying not to damage the muscle, see? I think there’s subcutaneous fat here. Probably, at least. So, it’s fine, juuust fine.”

Like I said, I don’t need that. You don’t have to say it. I don’t want the running commentary.

“There!”

“...Guh!”

“Whoo!”

“...Ohhhh!”

“Nyan, nyan, nyah!”

“...Nnnngh!”

“Almost there! Almost there! Hah!”

“...Y-You’re doing this intentionally, aren’t you?”

“Oh, heavens no. Gosh. I think you’re projecting a bit. Alrighty then, we’re almost done. It’s tiiiime to implant the relic. Merry-chan, are you ready?”

“Yes. Any time. Hurry up.”

“Then here it coooomes!”

Hiyo set down the knife, and picked up the bud-like object instead. He was getting used to the pain from having been opened up with a knife, but this was going to be something else. Haruhiro clenched his teeth in advance, and braced himself.

“And in it gooooes!”

Hiyo twisted the bud-like object inside Haruhiro.

This is it.

“Afuh...!”

Haruhiro let out a weird gasp.

It sounded sad, heart-wrenching. Like he wanted to cry. This was a pretty nasty kind of pain.

“It’s in! It’s inside him now! Have at it, Merry-chan!”

“O light! May Lumiaris’ divine protection be upon you...”

Merry rushed over, and shoved Hiyo aside. He just had to endure a little longer.

Merry. Merry-sama.

He felt like worshiping her now.

“Sacrament!”

It was like a miracle. As the blinding light enveloped him in an instant, the pain faded, and he felt the tension slip away as his body relaxed.

“Haru...!”

By the time he noticed her moving closer, Merry had practically leapt onto him.

“Are you okay? It doesn’t hurt anymore? Haru? How are you?”

“...Oh, uh, s-sure... I’m good.”

“Thank goodness...”

Yeah. Let’s go with “good” for now.

Haruhiro was as glad as she was, but it wasn’t good for her to hug him like this. He was half-naked for one thing. And, oh yeah, that’s right...

“...You’ll get blood on you, Merry.”

“Ohh.”

For a moment, Merry looked concerned by that. But she apparently didn’t care about her own clothing getting dirty. She grabbed the corner of the cloth that was covering the table, and used it to start wiping down Haruhiro’s body.

“The wounds have all closed up properly. Does anything feel wrong? That’s a pretty big object inside you.”

“...Not really. As long as I don’t touch it, I barely notice it’s there.”

“Well, that’s good.”

“Hey, noooow!” Hiyo interrupted them. Her voice was filled with malice. It was like she was trying to fill it with every negative emotion possible at the same time. Not only was she squinting, her whole face was scrunched up.

“Enough with the public display of affection, okay? Also, we’re not in a rush here. Cure would have done just fine, but no, you had to go and bust out Sacrament. Are you trying to show off?”

“Th-That’s not what I...!”

Merry slowly moved away from Haruhiro.

Thanks to that, he was able to catch his breath. When someone of the opposite sex was that close to him, it wasn’t unpleasant, it was the opposite, actually, but it still made it hard to calm down. Maybe this varied from person to person, but even if it was someone of the same gender, like Kuzaku, Haruhiro would have a hard time relaxing when they had their hands all over him.

When Haruhiro sat up, Kuzaku brought him his clothes.

“Here!”

Look at him.

Why is he grinning like that?

But if Haruhiro told him he didn’t like it, Kuzaku would get depressed again.

I know he doesn’t mean any harm. I’ll put up with it. It’s not hard.

Before taking the clothes and getting dressed, Haruhiro tried touching his right flank. The area around the relic was slightly swollen, but it felt more irritating than painful. It made him want to cut it out as soon as possible.

“Well, if this is as bad as it gets...”

Obviously, this had been Hiyo’s idea. The plan made use of a relic, so the rest of them never could have thought of it.

Though, even if they’d had the relic in their possession, it was questionable whether it would have occurred to him. Even if it had crossed his mind, he still might have thought, No way. Not a chance. I couldn’t do that, and dismissed it outright.

Haruhiro put on his clothes and got down from the table.

“Well, give it your best shot, okay?” Hiyo clapped him on the shoulder. He wanted to punch her, but decided to hold off for now, and ignored it.

For the moment, they were working together. Out of necessity. This relationship wouldn’t go on forever.

When the time came, he was going to make Hiyo pay.

The more she hurt them and made them suffer, the higher the price was going to be.