The True Nature Of Betrayal

“Ahaha.”

Jonah raised both hands toward the night sky and laughed.

Just like the time he sank Zarichu, the Demon Lord Army officer called “Hunger,” into the depths of a deep, deep darkness.

――To make those scoundrels who took the life of a boy about his age by despicable means taste an even greater despair through an injustice they absolutely cannot resist.

“O primal roots of the earth that frolic deep beneath the ground. Manifest before me, become a shackle that binds to the land, and make the demon servitors who take falsehood for a friend crawl upon the earth.”

When Jonah traced with his right index finger at high speed and chanted, a glowing magic circle rose in the night sky.

It was so enormous that the magic circle would cover the entire city of Gratz.

“【Gravitation】”

The moment the glowing magic circle fell to the ground, Petra prostrated herself on the spot… no, that expression isn’t correct.

She was assaulted by the sensation as if something invisible were pressing her down, as if a gigantic weight had been placed on her body, and she was being crushed against the ground.

Yes… as if she were bearing the sins she had committed.

“*U… *gu…”

“Hey, will you tell me? Who are you… no, what exactly are you?”

Jonah, usually showing an untroubled, adorable smile. But now his onyx eyes and voice were utterly cold.

“…How did you know?”

“First you should answer my question… I’d like to say that, but fine, I’ll tell you since it can’t be helped.”

Jonah looked down at Petra, who crawled and endured the unseen weight, and began to explain in a flat voice.

The first thing that felt off was at dinner.

Petra referred to Duke Lanberg, who asked for wine, as “Lord Lanberg.”

But when she was told of Duke Lanberg’s past in Daniel’s room, she had certainly called her “Young Lady.”

“Even after Lord Lanberg departed, you kept trying to take me to Lord Daniel’s room… No, that isn’t right. You pretended to take me but intended to abduct or kill me, didn’t you? Just like you did to Lord Daniel.”

“……………………”

Perhaps because she was enduring the crushing pain, or because Jonah had hit the mark.

Petra bit her lip and cast her eyes down.

“And I learned that you are cowardly, despicable, and the lowest kind of person. You deliberately do what will make Duke Lanberg suffer the most.”

If they were only going to attack Gratz using remnants of the Demon Lord’s army at the border as a diversion, there would be no need to specifically target Jonah like this.

By hurting Jonah, who carried Daniel’s image in his heart, Petra wanted to make Duke Lanberg suffer.

“It’s possible that Her Excellency Lanberg, learning from last time, deployed troops outside Gratz so they could stop an attack before the city was struck—or perhaps you… or your comrades maneuvered him into doing that. If they could slip past the outside troops and enter the city, they could easily seize control.”

“……”

Petra glared at Jonah, who spoke eloquently.

Unaware that each of her gestures and movements proved Jonah’s words to be true.

Then.

“*Fu… *fufu…”

“…?”

“Fool! Even if you realized my true identity and captured me, this city is already in our… Lord Taromati’s hands! Others will rush to this mansion at once, and the pain inflicted upon you—Lanberg’s weakness—will be such that you’d be better off dead…”

“Just so you know, the area of effect of my magic… 【Gravitation】 covers the whole of Gratz. It also applies to the soldiers deployed outside the city.”

“Wha…!?”

Petra, who had revealed her true nature, widened her eyes in astonishment at the realization that this magic reached not only the entire city but even beyond it.

And finally, Petra understood.

That the magic she was currently under was an absurdly out-of-scale phenomenon.

The amazingness of the small boy before her who had cast that magic so nonchalantly.

If so.

“…Kill me.”

“……………………”

“Kill me! Now that it’s come to this, neither the seizure of Gratz nor the infliction of pain on Lanberg can be achieved! Then as a demon… as a devoted subordinate of dear Lord Taromati, I will not stay alive to wallow in shame!”

Petra pleaded as she glared at Jonah.

With nothing left to be done, death awaited her. She begged to be put out of her misery quickly.

“Hah… I understand.”

“…! …I’m sorry.”

Petra expressed gratitude to Jonah, who sighed and agreed.

She lifted the corner of her mouth.

However.

“…That’s not something I would do. Because you’re not a demon—you’re human.”