Kōichi stopped laughing and cleared his throat twice, trying to preserve his last shred of dignity. But under the pressure of the staff and the bell, he could only slump in his chair like a deflated balloon.
"Fine, I'll talk. The truth is, like him, I'm also an ordinary person from the same world. Or rather, I was an even more seasoned useless NEET than he was."
Kōichi sighed, his gaze turning somewhat distant, as if he was recalling a past too painful to look back on.
"That day, I was lying in bed scrolling on my phone when I suddenly saw a trending video on a global news forum. The title was something like, 'Shocking! High school student attempts heroic rescue, gets scared out of his wits by a tractor moving at ten kilometers per hour, wets himself, and dies on the spot!' The title was so eye-catching that I clicked it... It was actually a clip of Kazuma's death scene, from episode one of Konosuba..."
At this point, the corners of Kōichi's mouth began rising uncontrollably. He had to pinch his own thigh hard to keep himself from laughing out loud.
"The way the guy in the video died was just... too creative. That twisted expression, his pants slowly getting wet, and the way the girl beside him looked at him like he was an idiot. I was drinking cola at the time, and as I kept watching, I really couldn't hold it in. I burst out laughing."
Kōichi pointed at his own nose, his tone carrying a bizarre tragic grandeur.
"And then, because I was laughing too hard, that mouthful of cola went straight down my windpipe, causing a violent coughing fit. In the end, I couldn't catch my breath, had a heart attack, and died laughing in bed. When I opened my eyes again, there was a Goddess sitting in front of me, asking if I wanted to reincarnate."
Silence.
The Bell of Truth not only failed to sound any alarm, it even gave off an extremely soft, almost benevolent green glow, as if mourning this tragedy that surpassed the limits of human imagination.
The air in the interrogation room seemed to freeze.
In that benevolent green light, Kazuma Satou's face, which had been flushed red from shame and anger, now showed a strange calm.
"Heh. Hehehe... Kōichi, if you hadn't said that, I almost would've forgotten. You were once someone who pissed me off even more than that idiot Aqua." Kazuma laughed self-mockingly and wiped the spit from his face. "But I've made peace with it. In a way, I'm the one who killed you, aren't I...? The two of us really are mortal enemies in the most literal sense."
Kōichi brushed the dust from himself and sat back down in the chair as if it were only natural.
"What can I say, Kazuma? Your death really was the source of joy for that entire season. But look, because I laughed myself to death, I was able to descend to this world and save you, or rather, torment you. Isn't that fate?"
"I don't want that kind of fate!!!"
"Enough!! Shut up!! Sit properly!!"
Sena let out a roar that bordered on a breakdown.
With trembling hands, she picked up the enforcement staff from the floor and looked at the two of them as if they were some indescribable Cthulhu-like creatures.
She took a deep breath, trying hard to pull her mind out of the logical black hole these two had created.
"Listen. I now fully understand your... creative... deaths." Sena gritted her teeth and skipped over the topic that had shattered her worldview, forcefully dragging the conversation back on track. "Now we move to the main issue. The Bell of Truth is ready. Listen carefully to the next question."
She abruptly leaned forward, her eyes fixed on the two of them as she asked each word clearly.
"Regarding the Coronatite that caused the destruction of the lord's manor. Did the two of you, knowing full well that it possessed immense destructive power, still agree to and carry out the operation to transfer it to the lord's manor? Answer me. Yes or no?!"
The atmosphere in the interrogation room instantly dropped to freezing.
The silver bell on the table trembled slightly, its blue runes flowing nonstop as it waited for their testimony.
Cold sweat immediately broke out on Kazuma and Kōichi.
The tension in the interrogation room reached its peak. The silver Bell of Truth seemed like an eye examining their souls, staring fixedly at Kōichi and Kazuma.
Kōichi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, forced himself to calm down, and spoke in a tragic tone almost like he was marching toward sacrifice.
"Sena-sama, you have to understand the situation at the time! That Coronatite was like a super bomb that could flatten everything within dozens of miles at any second! If we hadn't transferred it away, forget this interrogation room. There probably wouldn't be a single intact brick left in all of Axel! The only thought in our minds at the time was that we absolutely could not let innocent civilians suffer! We did agree to the order to transfer it, but we can guarantee that we absolutely did not intentionally transfer it to the lord's house!"
Ding.
The Bell of Truth gave a clear, lingering chime, its blue light flashing gently.
Its verdict: completely true.
After all, in the twisted logic of the two of them, saving their own lives and saving Axel were equivalent, and throwing the bomb into an unknown location really had been the optimal solution.
Sena froze. Her hand, which had been gripping the staff tightly, slowly loosened, and the sharpness in her eyes gradually gave way to deep guilt.
She looked at the two of them, slightly battered yet noble and righteous, and let out a long sigh.
"So that's how it was... Even in that life-and-death moment, you were still thinking about the town's safety. You were willing to bear this pressure so the citizens would not suffer...? I was too narrow-minded. I mistook heroes for criminals."
Sena stood and bowed to them with utmost seriousness.
"Kōichi Hayashi-san, Kazuma Satou-san. I apologize for my earlier rudeness and baseless assumptions. I will immediately explain the situation to the judge and have all charges withdrawn. You are free to go now."
Seeing this, Kōichi and Kazuma exchanged a glance.
In that one second, what crossed between their eyes was not relief after surviving a disaster, but an evil gleam known as sadism.
Kazuma was the first to change his expression. His hunched shoulders suddenly straightened, and he even pushed his luck by putting his feet up on the interrogation table before snorting coldly.
"An apology? If apologies were enough, what would we need police for... cough, what would we need the law for? Sena-san, do you have any idea what kind of mental torture we suffered in that dungeon these past two days? Especially that thug named Dust. He actually wanted to share a toilet with me! Do you think that kind of psychological trauma can be fixed with a mere bow?!"
Kōichi immediately understood and followed up, putting on a sadistic expression of deep disappointment as he pounded the table in grief.
"Exactly! We are heroes who risked our lives to save this town! And what welcomed us? Cold shackles and a moldy pile of hay! My pure and spotless reputation has been damaged. Now the whole town probably thinks I'm a terrorist! Sena-sama, just now, you almost had us, the very people who saved you, beaten to death with a staff! Is this how Axel treats its heroes? It's heartbreaking!"
Sena was thrown into confusion by their perfectly coordinated attack, her face flushing bright red.
"T-Then what do you want? As for compensation, I'll try to arrange it..."
"Compensation is a given! And we want the highest level of compensation!" Kazuma showed his signature sadistic grin, tapping his fingers on the table. "Also, to soothe my nerves, I demand that all my future spending at every tavern in Axel be reimbursed by the prosecutor's office! And that spit you aimed at Dust earlier... Well, it was a good shot, but it also proves excessive force! If you don't accept our conditions, we'll stage a sit-in at the Adventurers Guild entrance and tell everyone how the prosecutor bullied the town's heroes!"
Kōichi looked at Sena's aggrieved expression, like she was about to cry, and felt utterly satisfied. He even wanted to add more fuel to the fire.