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Antagonist Protection Service-Chapter 133: Burn the Witch (4)
『6 - "Thou shalt not kill."』
By now, everyone was smart enough to recognise the danger of committing sin.
Even if far less people had died this time around, the reality of the First and Second Day victims, as well as a solid deal of persuasion by myself and Cecilia, the fear of what 'could potentially happen' was enough to outweigh whatever morbid curiosity might lead to someone testing it out.
Of course, it did mean that everyone had to grit their teeth and bare their secrets before everyone, but I'm sure that was a small price to pay in return for guaranteeing their lives.
On this Sixth Day, that meant "Thomas", the highschooler girl, would need to confess.
It was the second time to see her doing so for me, but I held no doubt that having to admit that she killed someone in front of so many people, especially a group that she had grown pretty close to over the past few days, was immeasurably tough.
It reminded me deeply of my own situation, and because of that, only reinforced my resolve to keep everything under wraps.
In the back of my mind, I was also curious what reactions they all might have.
Despite knowing for a fact there was no way I would do so, it made a small part of me think there might not be such a big issue with revealing what I am...
Even if I knew that at least "Matthew" would continue to treat her well from the First Round, it was impossible for her to know that. Besides, things might also be different from back then, and also, what kinds of reactions the others might have was something even I couldn't guess.
In "John's" case especially, since he already had a past of attacking me due to mere suspicion, I wouldn't be surprised if he took even more extreme action at the actual confession of murder.
...Although, in that first case, I guess his temper was bolstered through excessive fear, so maybe there wasn't anything to worry about.
In the end, whatever the case truly was, the girl confessed, and following that, nothing really seemed to change in the others' attitudes.
Conversely, perhaps seeing the aftereffects of that distant experience hidden within her expression, they even consoled her after.
From then on, there was not much else I could do. No matter how many times I asked, "Peter" wouldn't allow her son to name the Protagonist as 「Judas」 even though everyone else had done so, and as for the delinquent, well, he wouldn't even give me the time of day, so there was no chance.
Staying up late just in case, I confirmed that no one was breaking any rules.
No one repented that day.
『"Day of the Sabbath."』
Again, on the Day of the Sabbath, neither could any confessions be made nor could I have anyone name the Protagonist, so there was nothing I could do but remain idle.
Still, on the First Round, this day was heavily dangerous. What could be considered as 'breaking the Sabbath' was still unclear, so to ensure that everybody would remain safe, I caution them beforehand.
Of course, Cecilia was "kind" enough to just warn me when I did it, but I doubted they would all be granted the same privilege.
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In the evening, I also wanted to stay awake again, but thinking that that too might be considered a sin for today, I decided against it in the end.
No one repented on this day.
『7 - "Thou shalt not commit adultery."』
After the Sixth and Seventh Days, the Eighth Day was yet another to be wary of from my perspective.
This was because, last time, "Peter" vehemently refused to confess her sin after being accused. Then, she went and committed it again at night anyway, paying the price for it immediately.
I wasn't sure if it was related to her decision or not, but on that same night, both "John" and the delinquent also died.
Fortunately, she did end up confessing, and I found myself clenching fists at what was frankly to be considered a pure stroke of luck.
Perhaps it was because she saw the resounding support poured upon "Thomas" for her sin, but she evidently felt confident enough to share without too much fear of rejection, and albeit with the amount of defensive talk that you might expect from someone who cheated, I was at least relieved that no one else would be dragged down by her selfishness.
If I could, I still wanted "Andrew's" and the delinquent's votes, so I wanted to make sure they stayed alive for as long as possible at the very least.
As for everyone else... Well, maybe it was because I'd already witnessed all of their deceased bodies at least once since accepting the Contract, but I wasn't feeling as concerned as I was during the beginning...
Anyway, with the thought of what happened in the Second Round still stuck in my mind, I stayed up this night as well.
Again, no one repented on this day.
『8 - "Thou shalt not steal."』
Like the First Round, "Andrew" was able to confess thanks to not being overwhelmed by the loss of family.
This time was quite different―rather than losing his mother and being consoled together with "James" by "Thomas", he had not lost anyone. So, with the gentle push of "Peter", he confessed to stealing a cookie without much issue.
Of course, I should have expected that even that wouldn't be enough to let him name the Protagonist. As for the delinquent, I didn't even want to bother.
I guess those blood-red letters were really bad for persuasion once someone saw them.
No one repented on this day.
『9 - "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour."』
Today was the little girl "James'" time to speak, and as was the case the day prior, she too had not lost her family this time around.
Despite seeming to have some difficulty saying it due to the presence of her brother who was related to the event, eventually, she managed to spit out a confession.
By this point, I had already given up trying to persuade "Peter". She had not moved an inch in her stance, and now, was starting to seem quite annoyed by my persistence.
Deciding I had no choice but to trust in the seven votes I had accrued in this Round, I named the Protagonist as 「Judas」 myself and waited.
『10 - "Thou shalt not covet."』
Like that, the Eleventh Day was upon us once again.