The Unfortunate Girl Wants an Easy Mode in Her Second Life – Chapter 159

Chapter 159: The Loyalty of a Traitor
ㅤ”I still have questions for Hamilton.”
ㅤ
ㅤI look at Hamilton.
ㅤHamilton, who had been resolved to die just moments ago, has a dumbfounded look on his face.
ㅤHis previous feigned wickedness has vanished.
ㅤHe wasn’t the type to be able to act in the first place.
ㅤ
ㅤ”What is it, Usurper Minato? I’m done for. There’s nothing left for me to tell you.”
ㅤ
ㅤHamilton said sullenly.
ㅤ
ㅤ”…That’s right. Let me kill you before my resolve wavers.”
ㅤ
ㅤAlmi glared at me sharply and said.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Well, wait a minute.
ㅤHamilton. The disgruntled demons you were leading have been annihilated. I’m glad your goal was achieved.”
ㅤ
ㅤHamilton’s eyes waver at my words.
ㅤ
ㅤ”…What are you talking about?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I thought it was strange from the beginning. If you had just betrayed us, I could have accepted it as something that happens. But your actions after the betrayal were way too messed up.”
ㅤ
ㅤHamilton falls silent.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Well, I guess you don’t intend to talk honestly. Your plan is to be hated by Almi and killed as a traitor, right?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Huh, Minato? What are you talking about?”
ㅤ
ㅤAlmi let out a bewildered voice.
ㅤ
ㅤ”This is a story from the world I was originally from.
ㅤIn the country where I was born, there was a major reform about 150 years ago. It was closer to a revolution. It was that big of a change.”
ㅤ
ㅤAlmi and Hamilton make puzzled faces at me for suddenly starting such a story.
ㅤ
ㅤ”A history of the world where Usurper Minato was born, huh? I’m not uninterested. Was there no discontent from the aristocratic class that lost its privileges?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Um… I don’t quite follow.”
ㅤ
ㅤAlmi mutters.
ㅤ
ㅤ”The history of the world where the false king, Minato, was born? I can’t say I’m not interested. Were there no complaints from the clans who lost their privileges?”
ㅤ
ㅤHamilton asks.
ㅤ
ㅤ”So, that’s what you’re interested in.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”…There’s no such thing. If you’re going to kill me, do it quickly.”
ㅤ
ㅤHamilton says, turning his face away.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Of course, there were complaints. The clans dissatisfied with the new government revolted. The largest of these was instigated by someone who should have been on the new government’s side. It was closer to a civil war than a rebellion. It’s actually called a war.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Minato, can you save the unrelated stories for later?”
ㅤ
ㅤAlmi’s voice was laced with anger.
ㅤ
ㅤIgnoring her, I continue.
ㅤ
ㅤ”The new government had new weapons, so the civil war ended relatively quickly. Of course, the new government won.
ㅤThe leader of the rebels at that time was kind of like Hamilton, you know? Fatherly and caring. Well, I’m not a history expert, so maybe I’m wrong.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I can’t help but sympathize with that poor man.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Yeah. He’s actually different from Hamilton, though. That person broke ties with the new government and became an enemy, but Hamilton isn’t like that.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Wait, Minato. Hamilton is the enemy. He betrayed us… he belittled your ideals.”
ㅤ
ㅤI gave a vague laugh and said,
ㅤ
ㅤ”First, let’s finish the story of the civil war.
ㅤThe civil war was a major crisis for the new government, but by overcoming it, the new government finally solidified its position. The civil war resulted in the elimination of the dissatisfied clans all at once. Besides, there are no more charismatic leaders like that person left on the anti-government side.
ㅤThe new government was able to focus on building a new nation without being troubled by internal strife.”
ㅤ
ㅤI watched Hamilton’s reaction.
ㅤ
ㅤHamilton remained silent, his stern expression unchanging.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Wait a minute, Minato. Don’t tell me…”
ㅤ
ㅤ”That person probably didn’t intentionally try to eliminate the internal strife, but the result was that he played the role of draining the nation of its poison.
ㅤHamilton, I think you tried to take on the role that this person was destined to play.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Don’t be impertinent, false king Minato. Do you want to believe in my good intentions so badly that you’d resort to such sophistry? You’re a hopelessly naive girl.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”You thought it would be difficult to persuade all the disgruntled demons.
ㅤBut if you couldn’t persuade them, they would become a major obstacle to building a new nation. No matter how much the Demon Kingdom appealed to other countries, it wouldn’t be convincing if disgruntled demons were running rampant.”
ㅤ
ㅤI stop there.
ㅤ
ㅤAlmi said,
ㅤ
ㅤ”So, are you saying Hamilton devised a plan for that?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I think Hamilton might have said something like this to the demons who wouldn’t listen to persuasion. I’m also dissatisfied with the Demon King’s policies, and I’ll rise up when the time is right, so please lend me your strength then.”
ㅤ
ㅤOf course, there’s no need to say such things to the demons who readily agreed to be persuaded.
ㅤHe would only secretly confide his true feelings and inject his poison into the demons who absolutely refused to be persuaded.
ㅤ
ㅤ”By doing so, he could have urged the disgruntled demons, eager for revenge, to exercise restraint for a while. ‘Please bear with me for now, I’m enduring it too, so please wait for the right time.'”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Humph… Of course, I told those with unwavering hearts who wouldn’t bend their principles my true feelings, and asked them to wait for the opportune moment.
ㅤBut I meant it from the bottom of my heart. I would never deceive those true demons who have aspirations.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”In that way, Hamilton gathered the disgruntled demons. Once he had gathered enough, Hamilton would openly rebel against the Demon Kingdom. So that we could round them all up at once.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”What nonsense!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”There’s plenty of circumstantial evidence.
ㅤFirst, although they revolted, they didn’t really launch any serious attacks on the Tree Country. They immediately holed up in the Dungeon Ruins and avoided a direct confrontation with the Tree Country’s knights.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”B-but the demons attacked the Mist Forest settlements. That definitely wasn’t a setup.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”You’re right. The demons who attacked the settlements were completely serious.
ㅤBut the settlements that were attacked were all small enough to have minimal defenses and could hold out until we arrived after receiving the emergency alert.
ㅤIf they really wanted to kill humans, there were more defenseless settlements they could have attacked.
ㅤBesides, the demon attacks on the settlements only happened after Almi and I joined the knights.
ㅤMaybe they were trying to improve the Demon Kingdom’s image by letting us rescue the settlements?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”…Even when we rushed to the rescue, the demons didn’t try to run away and fought us to the last man. What about that?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Yeah. Hamilton instilled in the demons the idea of fighting for their ideals, so they wouldn’t run away or surrender in the middle of the fight. So that they would be annihilated for sure.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”S-such…”
ㅤ
ㅤAlmi was speechless.
ㅤ
ㅤ”At the same time, by attacking the settlements, he lured us into attacking the dungeon.
ㅤIf the indiscriminate attacks on the settlements continued, the knights would have no choice but to strike, even if it meant sacrificing themselves. Even more so if the demon forces were dwindling.”
ㅤ
ㅤLewis arrived at an aggressive strategy through rational thought.
ㅤIn this case, “rational” means “what anyone would think.”
ㅤLewis, with his sharp mind, was the first to arrive at the obvious conclusion.
ㅤ
ㅤ”The demons’ actions, targeting civilians indiscriminately, naturally fueled the knights’ anger. And of course, Almi’s and mine too. In that situation, neither we nor the knights would show mercy to the demons. It’s already difficult to incapacitate demons without killing them.”
ㅤ
ㅤI looked directly at Hamilton.
ㅤ
ㅤ”You said this to us:
ㅤ『I will face this with my life on the line.』
ㅤTrue to your word, you tried to remove the obstacle to the Demon Kingdom by sacrificing yourself.”
ㅤ
ㅤAt my words, Hamilton closed his eyes.
ㅤ
ㅤAnd then he said,
ㅤ
ㅤ”Don’t be ridiculous… Do you want to protect your comfortable fantasy so badly that you’d resort to such fallacies? It’s a hollow theory you’ve concocted because you don’t want to be called an incompetent Demon King betrayed by her subordinate. It’s preposterous.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”That’s fine if you don’t want to admit it. I just didn’t want you to die wallowing in self-satisfaction. I also didn’t want Almi to be hurt because of your self-satisfaction.
ㅤIf you had been honest with us, there would have been plenty of other options. Why did it have to come to this…”
ㅤ
ㅤI gritted my teeth.
ㅤMy eyes ached.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I don’t acknowledge this kind of loyalty. I won’t accept building peace by sacrificing someone. I can’t accept it.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Minato…”
ㅤ
ㅤAlmi murmured to me as I looked down.
ㅤ
ㅤThen, a voice came from the entrance to the Water Sphere room.
ㅤ
ㅤ”━━Minato, Almirash-san! Are you alright!?”
ㅤ
ㅤIt’s Sherry-san.
ㅤ
ㅤJust as I was about to turn around, Almi said,
ㅤ
ㅤ”I see. So that’s why. Neither Minato nor I would accept such a thing.
ㅤThat’s why Hamilton-san had no choice but to do this. He had no choice but to admonish us with his actions.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Almi!?”
ㅤ
ㅤI couldn’t see Almi’s expression as she stepped forward.
ㅤ
ㅤAlmi raises her sword.
ㅤ
ㅤShe lifted her face, which had been downcast, and spoke in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Damn you, traitor! You fool who betrayed the loyalty you swore to your lord! I won’t be satisfied until I punish you with my own hands! Regret betraying the Demon King in the depths of hell!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Wai━━”
ㅤ
ㅤMy attempt to stop her was too late.
ㅤ
ㅤAlmi’s sword sliced off Hamilton’s head, who had been standing frozen.
ㅤ
ㅤ（Ah…）
ㅤ
ㅤMaybe it was just my imagination.
ㅤ
ㅤBut for a moment, just before the end, it seemed like the corners of Hamilton’s mouth twitched into a slight smile.