4. What's True

Surprised as they were when they saw Ash sliced off Fritz's both arms. Felicity straight away cast her healing skill on Fritz. They couldn't believe that Ash, the youngest of the group would do something so cruel to a kid just to save his own ass.

Her heal has no effect on him, "I can't heal him! Ash, just why did you do it?!" She tried again and again until her MP hit 0, draining all of her energy. Goldnard grabbed Ash by his collar. There was anger in his expression.

"Y-you can't blame me! If I didn't do what I did, that demon would kill me instead!" Goldnard let go of his collar causing Ash to fall on his butt. Then they heard the demon clapping its hands majestically. He was laughing sarcastically.

"Even I was surprised. He really did cut off the kid's arms." The demon stopped clapping his hands. He slowly raised his right hand. Everyone's eyes narrowed to his hand that eventually pointed to both of his legs. 

"Splendidly done, though. One leg for one life. Two legs for two lives."

And they all immediately understand what he meant. Hesitantly, Sylvia picked up the blade Ash had dropped. It was light. She could still see 

Fritz's blood on the blade dripping off. Her hands were shaking.

"I can't..." she dropped the blade onto the ground and, her knees finally lose all of their strength to stand. "It's too cruel," the thought of cutting off a kid's leg was too horrible for her. She dumped her face on her palm and began crying.

Worriedly, Sylvia's brother, Percieval caressed her back, calming her down. "Don't worry, Sylvia, everything will be okay." He reassuringly said as he glanced at the blade's location. Percy surged and picked up the blade. He closed his eyes and prayed for forgiveness for what he was about to do.

"What's happening to you guys?!" Felicity remained steadfast and calm, despite what was happening in front of her. The only thing that was confusing her was how could her friends do something so cruel to a kid who could not even fight back. "This isn't like you, Ash, and you, Percy, what are you trying to do?! Are you gonna do everything that demon wants?!"

"You don't understand, Feli," Percieval's voice was full of convictions. "This is the only way for us to survive!" He exclaimed. Goldnard didn't even intervene. He knew himself full well that the demon in front of them was no ordinary demon.

Goldnard placed a hand on Felicity's shoulder and shook his head. "He'll kill us." There was no sign of hope in his eyes. That was what Felicity was seeing in it. She trusts Goldnard and would respect any decisions he makes. In the end, they came to understand their situations. Felicity closed her eyes as Percy approached the still bleeding Fritz.

Percy looked at Fritz with so much pain in his eyes. His wound became numb and, he wasn't feeling any pain anymore. He had lost so much blood, yet he was still alive and still feeling fine. Fritz was on both knees when he looked up to Percy, holding the blade in his hand. He stood up, slowly building up his balance.

'Let's get on with this fucking crap and end it fast.' Fritz nearly said those words aloud to Percy. He closed his eyes and bit on his lower lip as hard as he could. Blood dripped off his mouth. When he opened his eyes, Percy had swung the blades, aiming for his legs. And then he let out a deafening groan. He couldn't bear the pain. Even when feeling numb. He fell to the ground, blood began to spurt again.

The demon was having fun watching the humans, whom he calls pigs, torture a kid who can't do anything against them. Whilst the others couldn't bear to watch any longer.

"I guess that two legs for the siblings, right? All right, three of them gonna survive. How about the remaining two? Hmmm... what should I tell them next?" He then decided to end the fun and told Goldnard and Felicity to decapitate the pitiful kid for them to leave the dungeon and survive.

The twisted demon grabbed Fritz by his hair, raising him up for Goldnard, who was now holding the blade in his hand, ready to behead the kid and save their own lives. They can't back down anymore. They need to finish what they have started.

Goldnard exclaimed as he swung the blade to Fritz's tiny neck. It was a clean cut. His body that had no limbs made a thud and, all the five adventurers fell on their knees. Every one of them had fallen into despair. Conscience was eating them away and, the same thought kept repeating inside their head, "Haha... hahaha! It's not our fault... It's not! It was the demon! Yeah, that demon made us do it!"

On one side, with the demon holding Fritz's head, he made him see the reaction on their faces. It was blank on the outside but full of despair on the inside. And even with his head being cut off from his body he was still alive and conscious. It was confusing him. Though he does not have the strength to speak. Drops of blood were falling from his neck to the ground.

"This is how far any humans would go, just to save their asses," the demon muttered to his ears. "Don't be like them."

The demon put Fritz's head carefully on the ground. "Okay, okay! Get the hell out of here, or else I'll slaughter all of you!" They quickly moved their asses and began towards the door. "Look at them scram." He had a smirk on his face. He picked up his blade and muttered indistinctively. He then head towards Fritz's scattered limbs. He put his arms, legs, and head back to its body and heal his wounds. It took a few seconds for him to completely heal the kid. And the wound was marked forever with the scars in his neck and limbs.

"I like the look in your eyes. It's filled with anger and rage, though not against those five pigs but your anger's directed to me." Fritz holds no grudge against Goldnard and the others. He knew that they were forced to. "You really thought they have nothing to do against you?" The demon had read his thoughts. He cast a spell and, the five were shown to him. It wasn't the present time the demon was showing.

Felicity was spacing out, sitting on a rock. They were currently taking rest after eradicating the swarm of goblins and trolls. Just like what they did when Fritz was with them, they didn't pick up the loots, leaving them lying down on the ground.

"I was expecting some visitors, but I didn't expect you pigs to bring your sacrifice."

Felicity has a unique skill called 'Foreshadow,' It's a passive skill that does not often activate and, if it does, she's in real danger. Despite knowing the fact that they could die, she just ignored it. Actually, she even made a smile full of excitement. Fritz saw her expression and, disgust was stirred inside him. He wanted to rip Felicity's face. Another scene was shown to him.

What the demon showed him was Goldnard and the other four slaughtering not monsters but humans and demi-humans. They were killing them mercilessly. From children to elders, no one was left alive. They were executing their evil deeds inside a chamber that only the five of them had access to. It angers Fritz more to the point that he wants to rush out of the room, catch up to them and slaughter them all after witnessing another shocking truth.

"All that theatre acting that I'm always doing paid off," just as Fritz expected. They weren't mourning nor feeling sorrow for the kid that they abandoned for the sake of saving themselves. Instead, they were arguing about how good they acted.

"You should have let us know first hand that a demon was that room's boss. I nearly had a heart attack back there when that demon warned me."

"We're still lucky that that demon didn't kill us! Gosh, that was super scary! That kid saves us."

The fuckers were already at the entrance of the dungeon. Fritz stayed silent. Until the demon grabbed him up and had him sit on his throne. He chucks his own chin and, he looks satisfied after examining Fritz for a few seconds.

"You might be wondering why I didn't finish those pigs, knowing the fact that they were eviler than me. It's because I'm not a real demon." Fritz made a puzzled expression. The fake demon pulled both of its horns. It came off so easily. His clothes changed too.

He propped the blade to the ground and spoke again: "The other reason is, you will do it for me, Fritz Esecleus Desmond."

~