Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Episode 12.
A crushing grip pressed down on Deril's throat, cutting off his breath. Aiden pinned him against the wall like a predator subduing its prey.
"Half-breed, show me your true form."
Foam bubbled at Deril's lips. Black veins spiderwebbed across his pupils.
"What are you hesitating for?"
Aiden's demon-slaying trait flooded him with murderous rage. He wanted to burn the bastard alive and rip his head off, but a sliver of reason remained.
Using holy power wasn't an option.
With his free hand, Aiden brought a vial of holy water to his mouth and uncorked it with his teeth. Then he slowly tilted it toward Deril's face.
"Planning to die without even resisting? Show me your ugly true nature first."
Ghk, hrrk— Deril's mouth gaped like a fish. His eyes rolled independently like a reptile's, his round pupils elongating vertically.
"Look at this."
Aiden smirked cruelly as a single drop of holy water fell onto Deril's face.
To demons, the tears of god were pure poison—even a minuscule amount inflicted mortal wounds. The more demonic blood one possessed, the higher their rank, the greater the agony.
Sssss— Deril's skin sizzled, releasing a foul stench. The reek of demons. Where the holy water touched, smooth scales now covered his face.
"Sentinel blood."
A serpentine demon species that inhabited the demon realm.
Aiden threw the convulsing Deril to the ground in disgust. The man desperately clamped both hands over his mouth, choking—as if trying to contain his screams.
This puzzled Aiden. He should be unable to endure this. Normally, victims shrieked themselves hoarse before dying in torment.
Aiden flipped Deril over with his boot.
The half-demon's eyes pleaded for something—not for his life.
"Se... Se... S-sein... Khhk—"
Aiden yanked him up by the hair.
"What? Speak clearly."
"My... sister... doesn't... know..."
Deril couldn't form coherent words. As Aiden prepared to demand answers, the locked door swung open.
"Sir Aiden."
It was Knight Sistina and Priest Vandel.
Aiden stared at them incredulously. Neither showed any shock at Deril's transformed appearance.
"What kind of fucking joke is this? Explain properly or you'll die here too."
Sistina flinched while Vandel swallowed hard. Both quickly composed themselves.
"Sir Aiden, I swear upon my knightly vows—I remain uncorrupted by evil."
"And I, who've devoted my life to god, would never consort with his enemies."
Aiden's voice dropped dangerously low.
"I said explain. Not spout empty oaths and platitudes."
Sistina carefully closed the door before speaking.
"...Deril is a quarter-blood. Priest Vandel and I were ordered by the Archbishop to monitor and protect him. Sometimes... we undertake missions together."
Aiden's vague suspicions crystallized into certainty.
Midway through the game, Archmage Kadak had reduced the Holy See's headquarters to ruins. Though a Paladin eventually subdued him, the devastation was catastrophic.
While a major event, the details remained obscure—players at that stage lacked influence in such high-level conflicts regardless of growth rate.
Regardless, Kadak's motive had been revenge against the Church for betraying his disciples. From what Aiden recalled, those disciples were half-demons—hybrids of human and demon blood. The Church never released their names.
Rumors suggested one disciple possessed a "vessel of magic"—now clearly referring to Sein, Deril's sister.
Aiden felt dizzy. He never imagined Archbishop Tegan would be involved.
The siblings—Kadak's disciples turned demon hunters—had been used and discarded by Tegan.
Aiden studied Deril's writhing form.
"Must be enduring because he's only a quarter-blood."
The man's veins ran one part black to four parts red.
Gritting his teeth, Aiden addressed the knight and priest.
"Did the Archbishop think I wouldn't notice?"
Sistina shook her head.
"No. But he assumed you'd only realize during a mission... when using holy power. He intended for us to inform you beforehand."
The timing had gone awry when Aiden figured it out first.
"So what? He wants me to put down his rabid dog?"
Sorrow shadowed Sistina's face as she glanced toward the door.
Moving closer, she whispered where Deril couldn't hear:
"He... left it to your judgment. Use him if needed for the mission, kill him if not. And that post-mission disposal... falls under your authority."
Aiden's chest tightened. Tegan couldn't know—killing this man would bring catastrophe.
Archmage Kadak. That monster wouldn't just overturn the Holy Kingdom—he'd hunt Aiden down personally.
"Goddammit."
After long deliberation, Aiden concluded direct execution wasn't the right choice.
While the Demon-Slayer trait proved invaluable, situations like this made it a curse. Suppressing this urge—stronger than any carnal desire—was agony.
"Bring Sein here."
Deril's convulsions intensified, his face bleaching whiter.
"She... doesn't... khhk— know—"
Barely restraining his fury, Aiden gripped Deril's jaw.
"Don't speak in my presence. Don't breathe. Don't utter another word. Understood?"
The demon's breath and tainted blood scent were clouding his judgment.
Sistina hesitated before explaining:
"...Sein doesn't know she's quarter-blood. Strangely, she's never transformed and shows no reaction to holy power."
Aiden could guess why—Kadak likely implanted a special artifact or spell. But why hadn't Deril received the same protection? That mystery would have to wait.
Regardless, this entire situation stressed Aiden to the breaking point. Not vomiting counted as a victory.
"This is utterly fucked."
"Our apologies."
"Please forgive us."
Both bowed simultaneously.
Aiden knew they owed him no apology—their guilt stemmed from sympathy.
"You pity these half-breeds."
Their frozen expressions confirmed his guess.
Aiden approached the stiff-backed knight and priest.
"A sworn knight and ordained priest, standing together to defend mongrels. I can't comprehend this."
Sistina paled.
"...I offer no excuses. But after months guarding them... they seem more human than demon. I beg you to temper judgment with mercy."
"Been fucking Deril?"
Her face flushed crimson as she vehemently shook her head.
"By the Emperor and Holy Father, I swear no such relationship exists!"
She seemed truthful—this wasn't lust-driven defense.
"And the priest? You share her sentiments?"
Vandel spoke hesitantly:
"While cold blood flows in their veins... the rest runs warmer than most. Just as light consumes darkness, given the chance—"
Aiden cut him off.
"I wonder if you'd say the same on the Inquisition's rack."
Both turned ashen. While obeying the Archbishop wasn't sinful, sympathy was another matter.
"That's—"
"Enough."
Just being here wearied Aiden. He needed air.
Brushing past them, he exited—only to encounter another half-demon outdoors.
Late at night, in the inn's garden, Yuron and Sein conversed.
The girl listened wide-eyed to Yuron's animated storytelling, while the young knight gestured enthusiastically.
"'Don't look back!' he roared, then clashed with the Dark Warrior—his spear whooshing straight through the bastard's gut! Then Sir Aiden charged in and cleaved the fiend in twain! Now guess what I was doing—"
Sein giggled.
"Silly, did your brother grow eyes on his back? 'Don't look' yet you saw everything!"
Yuron scratched his head.
"Well... fighting back-to-back creates this... connection, I guess? Hard to explain."
"Pfft, whatever. So what were you doing?"
"Me? While Sir Aiden dueled their leader, I handled the flaming undead—"
Yuron's smile turned bittersweet.
"Truthfully... I barely helped. The Inquisitor did everything. I just... swung my sword feeling useful, but... it's all hazy now."
"I get it. The paladin's your hero, right? You admire him?"
"Who doesn't? Try finding a recruit who doesn't! There's this undying flame called the Pyre of—"
Aiden, unintentionally eavesdropping, felt uncomfortable yet couldn't leave.
His Honor stat rooted him in place.
"If everything you said is true, he belongs in the scriptures. A true hero."
As Yuron nodded, he suddenly peered at Sein's chest.
"Hey, what's that? It's glowing."
"This? A necklace my master gave me. He said it would light up when the great hero appears—the one who'll complete the halted scriptures. That it would guide them to the slumbering relic sites... huh?"
The pendant brightened steadily.
"Why's it—"
"Don't tell me it's—"
"Couldn't be. No way."