The Tale of the Teapot Hero’s Revenge

Chapter 17 - Her face froze, and her heart...

Brigadier General Neil Deltal.

He was a high-ranking officer who played an active role in the war of aggression against neighboring countries. Apparently, he was quite a dirty guy. Attacking under the pretense of retreating was part of the art of warfare, but he went beyond that. He did as he pleased, including hoisting a white flag to deceive his enemies and then launching an attack, and using local civilians as shields to make the enemy hesitate. On the side of Brutogyu, he didn't care as long as Neil achieved results, so he continued such actions.

Furthermore, there was another reason he earned such resentment: he was connected to slave traders. When the women who didn't pass Brutogyu's selection were sold as slaves, he controlled the flow of money. Because of this, he was resented in abundance by the Resistance, which mostly consisted of people from the invaded countries.

Unfortunately, there was no definitive evidence linking him to Brutogyu; he was a shade of gray close to being black. Without solid evidence, we couldn't risk going to kill him. That's why he became the primary target once evidence was found. For me, it's a relief that I would kill such scum.

Joanna and I were currently blending into the darkness of the night, sneaking into the Deltal mansion. The plan was to simply climb over the wall and enter through the back door. I thought it would be impossible, but the guards were completely careless. They had zero motivation even though they had a large number. They probably didn't seriously consider an assassination attempt happening on this day. Or perhaps, Neil's popularity had hit rock bottom, and no one was genuinely protecting him.

(But seriously, it's not right for the guards at the back door to be dozing off.)

Thanks to that, it's easy to take them out. With a light touch on their heads, their brains exploded without making a sound. After killing the two soldiers with just one finger, we entered the mansion. Continuing from there, we traversed through the attic from an empty room, reaching just above Neil's own room.

"Kyrie, are you ready?"

"Yes."

We exchanged words in a low voice while Neil headed toward the bathroom connected to his room, and two guards entered the room.

Now was the time to kill them. Removing the ceiling boards, we both jump down simultaneously. Thankfully, the sound of our landing was muffled by the fluffy carpet unique to the wealthy.

"W-What the hell..."

Before they could make a fuss, I touched one soldier's head, causing his brain to burst. Joanna, meanwhile, covered the mouth of the other soldier and then slashed his throat.

"That should do it. I'll search this room, and Kyrie-chan, you..."

"No need to say it. It's his last chance to take a bath with a girl, so he shouldn’t have any more regrets."

If Joanna's role was gathering information, then my role was assassination.

Leaving Joanna, who started searching through the contents of the desk, I moved to the front of the bathroom door. It seemed like the noise from earlier didn’t reach Neil since he was leisurely humming to himself.

Putting on a sweet voice, I spoke to him, "Uh, um, would you like me to wash your back, sir?"

"W-What...?"

The response I received was a voice mixed with agitation and a slight perverted curiosity. First impression: creepy, and that's putting it mildly.

Without hesitation, I opened the door and intruded into the bathroom. Inside was a skinny middle-aged man, soaking in the huge bubble bath. He was taken aback when he saw my face.

Without preamble, I squatted by the edge of the bath, and dipped my fingertips into the water, saying, "How's the temperature? Isn't it a little lukewarm?"

"Y-You... You can't be... the hero..."

"Hey, I'm just asking if it's not too lukewarm. Personally, I prefer it hotter. Maybe around this temperature."

I infused magic power into the water. Neil, who finally realized what I was going to do, turned pale in an instant. He desperately jumped out of the bath naked, but did he think he could escape? I pushed him back as he emerged, slamming him back into the bathtub.

"Glub, gabubububu!!?

"How's the temperature of the water?... Well, I guess you're not listening."

Well, it wouldn't be amusing to torment a completely naked man I'd just met any further. If it were the members of the Resistance who had direct grievances, they would probably say to do more.

"Well, then, you can keep boiling like this."

"Globa, wh-what are you...?"

"It's nothing major, I'm just making sure you can't escape from the bath."

To prevent him from escaping from the boiling water, I drew the Sword Breaker I had attached to my waist. Kenny-jiisan said that there's something called a tendon around the ankles, and if it was cut it, one couldn't walk anymore. So, I grabbed Neil's struggling leg and sliced right above his ankle with all my might.

"Eeek, globub, gobogobo!!"

"If he use my hands, he might be able escape. I might as well cut off his wrists."

Neil was desperately clinging to the bathtub to avoid sinking in the boiling water. With this, he might survive, and that's not acceptable. Without mercy, I cut off his wrists with force.

"Ah, gyaaaah, bukk, gobo...!"

Unable to support his body with his hands or feet, poor Neil-jiisan sunk into the boiling water. Whether he drowned or got fully cooked, there's no hope for him.

"That should do it."

It's a bit unfortunate that I can't see his dying moments due to the abundant bubbles.

"Miss, have you finished having fun?"

"Joanna, have you found what you were looking for?"

"Yes, perfectly. But still, you used such a cruel method..."

"I think he's still alive, though."

"No, he's already dead. Look."

When I turn around, Neil had floated to the surface. His eyes had turned white like a burned fish. His skin was reddened, like he had been thoroughly cooked.

"It's quite amusing. Well, we're done here, so no need to linger."

"It's amusing, huh... You know, your facial expression hasn't changed at all."

"I'm laughing inside."

After the assassination of Neil, we successfully escaped from the mansion with no one the wiser. We returned to the Littner Armory without any incidents. I didn't expect it to be such an easy victory.

Joanna was reporting various things to the leader, but I was feeling a bit tired, so I informed them that I'd go to sleep first and headed to my own room in the basement.

"Welcome home!"

Beato greeted me, holding a paper with 'WELCOME HOME' written on it in big letters, in front of her chest. Well, she's here as usual, but this was my room, right?

"...I'm back."

It's pointless to comment on it since it's a daily occurrence at this point, so I wouldn't say anything.

"Are you injured? If you are, I'll heal you."

"I'm fine. No injuries."

"But your cloak is a little different."

"Oh, this is the splattered blood of the old man. Don't worry, it's not mine."

I let go of the cloak, took off my clothes, and changed into pajamas. As usual, I felt like I was being watched intensely. Was it really interesting to see someone else changing clothes?

In the mirror, I saw the same expressionless me as always. Recently, the leader said that my facial muscles seemed to be frozen. On my face, the hair accessory Claire gave me looked terribly unbalanced.

After I finished changing, Beato stood frozen for a while with the paper, then resolutely started writing. And then, she slammed the paper on the table with such force that it could make a sound.

"Can we sleep together today?"

"...It's always the same thing. It's fine."

I wondered what kind of expression Beato would make if I told her that I couldn't sleep without her. I didn't intend to get intimate to anyone because I already learned that when you lose someone important, the pain was enough to make my heart die.

But if I couldn't sleep without her, there's no helping it. Yes, I was  just using Beato. That's all there was to it.

"Well, let's go to bed quickly. I'm a bit tired today."

"......!"

It's a bit annoying that she's so happy and was running toward me. Why was this child so attached to me? I really have no idea.