Crack!
“Kuooook?!”
As I struck his head with the handcuffs with all my strength, the wooden restraints shattered easily.
At the same time, his head slammed into the ground.
“…W-What!”
“Kyaaaah?!”
“W-What the hell?!”
The injured people around me, including the wounded man the young doctor had just bandaged, all looked at me in shock.
The young man, who had just been treated, shouted.
“W-Who are you?! What the hell are you doing?!”
“H-Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”
Even the guards who had followed me belatedly were now staring in horror at the scene.
‘Did they really think I had just attacked a kind doctor who was tending to the wounded?’
“W-What is this…”
The young doctor groggily tried to lift himself up, his face dazed with confusion.
I grabbed the back of his neck.
“Kuugh?!”
“H-Hey! Let go of the doctor! Do you even realize what you’re doing right now?!”
One of the guards hurriedly raised his crossbow, aiming it at me.
I smirked.
“I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m catching a terrorist.”
“What?”
“Watch closely.”
I grabbed the horns on his head and tore them off.
Rip!
“Arghhh!”
Along with a chunk of skin, the horns—which had been attached—came off.
Blood started trickling down from the doctor’s head.
“W-What the hell?!”
A demon’s horns don’t simply come off like that.
Their horns are fused with the skull itself.
And yet, his horns, though they took some skin with them, had been pulled out.
In other words…
“This man is not a demon.”
“…W-What?!”
The surrounding people gasped in shock.
‘A doctor who had been treating them all this time… was actually human?’
Of course, they were confused.
I understood.
But I wasn’t.
Because I already knew who this man was.
Johan Ambertt.
I looked down at the man, now sweating profusely, his eyes darting around in panic.
As Ain, I had never seen him before.
But as Saint John, that was a different story.
This man was an NPC from the game This Hero Gets Robbed a Lot!.
An NPC who sold magical fragrances that made hunting monsters easier.
He even had an illustration in the game, so I recognized him instantly.
‘Did he really think just slapping some horns onto his head would fool me?’
It’s like putting a dot on someone’s face and claiming they’re a different person—maybe some people would fall for it, but I sure as hell wouldn’t.
‘Why was this man, who had sold magical fragrances in the human lands, now in the demon territory?’
There was no need to ask.
The answer was obvious.
“You’re the one who did this to the city, aren’t you, doctor?”
***
“H-Hey, sir…”
A wounded demon nearby asked in a trembling voice.
“Are you… really human?”
“…D-Did you… are you the one who caused this disaster? Answer me.”
The revelation that he was human alone was enough to make the demons suspicious of him.
Rampaging monsters appearing out of nowhere, a human disguised as a demon lurking among them—
Anyone would find that suspicious.
Ambertt must have realized this too.
That’s why he clenched his teeth and spat out, “…Damn it. Do you have any proof?”
“…What?”
“Do you have proof that I did this to the city?! You ungrateful bastards… Have you already forgotten how I’ve been running around treating the injured all this time?! Just because I turned out to be human, you’re all going to turn on me now?!”
It seemed he had decided to play dumb.
Technically, there was no law against humans being in demon territory.
But there didn’t need to be.
After years of war, the hatred between the two races had deepened beyond reason.
Whether human or demon, anyone found in enemy territory was either beaten to death or enslaved.
That was just how it was.
There were only two kinds of humans in the demon lands—
Those who had been captured, like me, or those who had entered with ill intent.
And Johan Ambertt was clearly the latter.
He glared at me.
“And who the hell are you, anyway?! Why should they believe you? I’ve been here all this time, healing their wounds, but you? You’re an outsider! And yet they’re just going to believe whatever you say?!”
The demons turned to look at him blankly.
Not because his words made sense—
But because they were so absurd.
He had snuck into their city while hiding the fact that he was human, and now, without even giving a proper explanation, he was blaming them?
‘Was this really the same kind doctor they knew?’
“Johan Ambertt. Age, 38.”
“!”
I gazed down at him calmly.
“A perfumer specializing in magical fragrances. Born in the Kingdom of Luntar. At the age of 31, he converted to the Holy Nation. Supposedly quite devout.”
“…You…!”
“The recent monster rampage was caused by magical fragrances. No traces of drugs or poisons were found during examination. There were no signs of diseases like rabies either. Physically, they were in perfect health. The only thing that could have influenced them without leaving a trace… was magical fragrance.”
Ambertt’s face contorted in shock as he looked at me.
I continued.
“And this man is a perfumer specializing in magical fragrances. If you check his residence, you’ll find the evidence yourselves.”
Thud!
“Kuheok!”
I kicked Ambertt square in the gut.
As he gasped for breath, I grabbed his collar and hoisted him up.
“Why?”
“Khugh… Kuhh…”
“You’ve been here long enough to gain these people’s trust. Shouldn’t you have realized by now that they’re just normal people? Didn’t you feel even a little bit of guilt?”
Crack!
“Ghh…!”
I tightened my grip on his collar.
Ambertt let out a pained groan as I glared at him coldly.
“Why did you do it, you fucking bastard?”
“Kuh… ptuh!”
Ambertt spat at me.
I tilted my head slightly, letting the spit fly past.
Then he sneered.
“Normal? Ha! You think these dirty demons are normal? They’re pests, living in filthy clusters—why the hell should I feel guilty for cleaning them up? Hah! This is a holy duty! The Goddess herself rejects these disgusting creatures! Why should I feel remorse for eradicating them? I’m a martyr! You ignorant fool!”
“Hah.”
***
“Don’t start preaching about morals to me, dumbass. We’re in the middle of a goddamn war. You lot kill humans all the time, so why the fuck shouldn’t I kill demons? Huh? You’re demons, and I’m human. Killing the enemy is just common sense! What, you can kill us, but we can’t kill you? Are you that stupid?”
Ambertt scoffed, his eyes full of scorn.
“Letting you demons live just means more of my kind will die. By killing you, I’m saving my own people! Don’t you dare judge me by your pathetic standards—”
Smack!
I punched him in the face before he could finish.
Crack!
“Kuheok!”
“You call this a military strike? You attacked a small town full of civilians, and now you’re spewing bullshit about martyrdom and enemy forces? More than anything, targeting civilian towns during war is a war crime, you pathetic terrorist scum.”
Smash!
“Kehk…!”
“Want me to tell you the truth? What you call martyrdom is nothing more than mass murder. It does nothing for humanity. I don’t know what makes a worthless piece of trash like you think you’ve done anything for humankind.”
Ain spoke as he stomped down on Ambertt’s throat.
“What? Killing them saved your own kind? What a load of shit. Did every single person here look like a soldier to you?”
“Kugh… Kehk…!”
“They say an idiot with conviction is the worst. And you? Whatever devotion you claim to have for humanity—it’s people like you who make me lose faith in it.”
“In… humanity…? Bullshit…! You filthy demon…!”
Even now, his eyes were burning with determination.
Ain chuckled.
“Demon? Do I really look like one?”
“…What…?”
Ambertt muttered in confusion.
Ain tossed aside his robe.
“…!”
Ambertt’s eyes widened, as did the eyes of the demons who had been watching.
Ain had fully revealed himself. In other words—he had just openly admitted he was human.
“Congratulations, Ambertt. You managed to make a hero lose faith in humanity… even if only for a moment.”
“A… hero…?”
Ambertt mumbled blankly, staring up at him.
Ain smiled down at him—
Crunch!
“AAAAAARGH!!!”
And stomped on his hand.
Crack. Crack.
Bones shattered over and over again.
Ain spoke as he continued.
“The reason I said ‘for a moment’ is… Because, no matter how I look at it, you don’t seem like a person. Including you in humanity just wouldn’t feel right.”
“AAAAARGH…!”
Crack!
“AAAAAAAGH!!!”
This time, it was his arm.
Ain ground it underfoot until the bones turned to dust.
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. At least, not completely. You see, it’s up to these people to decide how you die. Instead, let’s just kill you halfway.”
“?!?!”
“There’s a scene from a manga I read once that really stuck with me. Ambertt, what do you think the definition of ‘half-dead’ is?”
‘Manga? What the hell was this bastard talking about now?’
Ambertt couldn’t understand and gasped, “W-What…?”
“‘Half of death’ should mean doing half the things that could kill you. But if we divide the body into upper and lower halves, the damage is too uneven. You can live without your lower body, but if your upper body is destroyed, you die instantly.”
Ain kept talking, unconcerned with Ambertt’s reaction.
“What about organs? If we consider that, we’d have to judge their individual value. But honestly, organs are tricky. Like the brain—do we count it as one, or divide it into the cerebrum, cerebellum, and hippocampus? And frankly, I don’t want to put in that much effort just to half-kill you. So, I’ve decided—I’ll break your bones instead.”
“What…?”
“If every bone in a human body is broken, they die. So I’ll break exactly half of them. That should count as half-dead, don’t you think? That’s what they decided in the manga.”
Ain grinned and continued.
“A human has about 206 bones. Since the body is symmetrical, dividing them in half is easy. So, starting now, I’m going to break exactly 103 of your bones.”
Ambertt’s face turned deathly pale.
“There are 30 bones in the hands and arms. Since I already crushed those, let’s move on… Next up—your legs.”
Crack!
“GUUAAAH…!!!”
“Counting the femur down, that’s 30 bones, and with the sesamoid bones included… 32. Oh, and since this is getting a bit dull…”
[Enhanced Sensation: Pain]
Ain activated his power.
Ambertt’s pain receptors heightened instantly.
“I’ll start with just twice the pain. If you hold up well, I’ll increase it.”
CRACK!
“!!!!!!”
Ambertt’s eyes rolled back.
The pain was so overwhelming he couldn’t even scream.
“The scapula and clavicle…”
Crunch!
“…..!!”
Each time a bone broke, a fresh wave of agony pierced his mind.
Ambertt’s mouth flapped uselessly, trying to form words.
He wanted to beg for death.
But this demon wouldn’t grant him that.
“The fibula, zygomatic bones, lacrimal bones, and palatine bones—two each.”
Snap! Crack!
“The ribs—let’s do all 24.”
CRUNCH! CRACK! CRACK!
“The maxilla, mandible, ethmoid bone…”
Crack! Crack! Crack!
“And, lastly, the sphenoid bone…”
One by one, Ain listed the bones he was breaking.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Until exactly half of Ambertt’s bones were broken.
Then—
“Does it hurt?”
Ain tilted his head as he grabbed Ambertt’s tear-streaked face.
“My heart hurt even more.”
Crunch, creak…
A faint cracking sound came from Ambertt’s skull.
But Ain suddenly let go and stood up.
“That should be enough. The rest isn’t my job.”
He picked up his discarded robe and put it back on, then casually glanced around.
The demons were staring at him in stunned silence.
Ain let out a bitter chuckle.
‘I just wanted to rest for a day… and I couldn’t even do that.’
Well, nothing could be done about it now.
Since his identity as a human had been exposed, staying here wasn’t a good idea.
Besides, Kkamang was waiting for him outside.
Leaving quickly was the best option.
He turned to go.
***
“…E-Excuse me!”
“…Hm?”
Ain stopped at the sound of a voice calling him.
A small child, trembling yet determined, was hesitantly stepping toward him.
The kid was afraid of him.
That much was obvious.
But still, they didn’t run away.
“…Th-Thank you! B-Because of you… the bad man who killed my mom was caught…!”
The child’s voice wavered as they held back tears.
Ain stared at them blankly for a moment.
Then, as if contemplating something, he lowered his head.
After a brief silence, he stepped closer.
The child flinched—but didn’t back away.
Ain knelt on one knee.
“…No need to thank me. This is just what heroes do.”
“H-Hero…?”
“Yeah.
Heroes beat up bad guys and help people.”
Ain gave a small, amused smile.
“But if you really want to thank me, can you do me a favor?”
“A… favor…?”
“Yeah. A favor. But it’s up to you. You don’t have to do it.”
Ain looked into the child’s eyes and said, “Don’t become like me.”
“…Huh…?”
“A world where people like me aren’t needed is a better world.”
“…?”
“Heroes fight to make a world where heroes aren’t needed.”
Ain smiled again, ruffled the child’s hair, and stood up.
“Besides, you saw me just now, right? I’m not exactly a nice guy. The world doesn’t need more people like me.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
The demons of the city stood in silence, watching him disappear into the distance.