The Scent of the Demon
The city of pleasure, Sabron.
"My husband never came home... When I asked around, people said he followed some woman into the night."
Jenkinson nodded at the request of the middle-aged woman named Ara, who ran a butcher shop in the city.
"Perhaps he simply ran away with her?"
At her worried words, Jenkinson considered it plausible. A man abandoning his family after finding a new woman? It was a common enough occurrence.
"I'll look into it."
"Thank you. Thank you, Father."
After nodding to the woman who clasped her hands in gratitude, Jenkinson turned to Giri, who was still following him with a smile plastered on her face.
"More importantly, how long do you intend to keep following me?"
He never expected her to tag along this far. Giri answered his exasperated look with a sly grin.
"Until the Chief Inquisitor Jenkinson encounters a demon, of course."
Jenkinson sighed at her words. Asa tilted her head, still clearly confused by the situation.
"More than that... the city really is in chaos right now."
Giri muttered as she surveyed the desolate streets. Those addicted to drugs, those hooked on gambling, and those enslaved by lust—all of them were now hiding and trembling. Anyone who could not stand proudly before God had gone into hiding, leaving only those who had maintained their conscience and the law even in this corrupt place wandering the city. As a result, it was difficult to find anyone on the streets.
In such a place...
Knock. Knock.
"Huh? Who is it. I'm closed for the day."
"I just have a few questions. Do you happen to know anything about this person?"
Jenkinson silently began the work he had to do. Just as Ilena was fulfilling her role. Just as the priest Giri was carrying out her assigned duties. His job was this kind of adultery investigation.
--
A magnificent palace existing in Hell. Within this beautiful palace, untouched even by the blue flames that stained Hell itself, lay an endless array of delicacies, beautiful women, and an abundance of liquor and tobacco. This place, where all such things existed, was a paradise for everyone. Satan took pride in it.
The souls of sinners who had suffered in the blue flames were greeted by the beauties Satan had prepared the moment they stepped inside.
"Ahh."
They buried their weary faces in those large breasts and thrust their hips like dogs. Eventually... these weary, sinful souls would fall and become demons. Seated upon the highest throne, Satan watched the moment of their corruption with delight.
That's one more added to the ranks.
Satan smiled in satisfaction as she watched the corrupted soul, its reason completely gone, lay a woman on the floor and move its hips. Under those rough hands, the alluring breasts were crushed, and under that rough tongue, saliva formed bridges between their mouths. Watching the beast-like mating, Satan quietly waited for the end.
Squelch! Glorp! Glorp!
The man who released himself inside her shuddered violently before finally turning his gaze toward Satan. Step. Step. Wearing not a single thread, the man approached Satan as if entranced. Thud. Then he dropped to his knees. His instincts—implanted the moment he transformed into a demon—were telling him exactly what kind of being stood before him.
"I greet the great King of Hell."
Satan smiled in satisfaction at those words and spoke, her vertical pupils gleaming.
[Good. Speak your name.]
The man flinched and paused at the command. Name? His name... The man struggled to recall his own name. Memories began to surface. Scorching flames. The horrific pain of burning flesh. And the priest he had hated and feared. Pain. Terror. Pain. Terror. As he traced those intertwined memories, the man broke out in a cold sweat and answered.
"...My name is Bain."
Bain. The man who had once ruled Yoqheim. When he spoke, Satan looked down at him with her golden, goat-like eyes. She saw it. The ferocious desire dwelling in Bain's eyes.
[Excellent.]
A soul with memories had the potential to become a high-ranking demon. This man had clearly been a sufficiently corrupted sinner even in life. Thinking this, Satan lightly gestured.
[Come here.]
At her gesture, Bain approached without the slightest resistance. Satan placed her hand on his head and delved into his memories. Calmly, she read the fear and memories imprinted upon this soul. Then she murmured softly.
[...So you're the one who killed Amon.]
The priest who had killed this man was, surprisingly, someone Satan knew all too well. A human who had slain Amon? With this level of power...
[Good. Rest now.]
Jenkinson, was it...
The moment she witnessed that immense power, greed flickered in Satan's eyes. She coveted it. If that man became a demon, then perhaps...
That damned brat will finally be finished.
Beelzebub, who constantly interfered with her ambitions, would be finished as well. The tedious power structure of Hell would change. Even the other arrogant ones would kneel before her.
[Perhaps soon...]
Satan smiled as she looked at the map with her vertical pupils.
[I may need to pay a visit to the surface.]
"I obey the supreme King."
Bain immediately pressed his head to the floor. Satan placed her foot upon his head. She could not suppress her laughter. Truly... there was little in this world more enjoyable than corrupting humans.
--
"He disappeared from here..."
Jenkinson examined the alley where the woman's husband had vanished. Finding clues came first.
...Is this urine?
Further inside, there were traces of someone having urinated. The stench of piss hung in the air. That in itself was not a problem. It was not unusual for someone to relieve themselves in a back alley. In fact, if it had been clean, he would have found it suspicious. But...
Then what about this semen?
A faint scent of semen lingered nearby. And more than anything...
Demonic energy as well.
He could feel demonic energy seeping into the ground. Jenkinson sighed. He did not know why a simple adultery investigation had come to this.
"Priest Giri."
"Yes?"
Smiling brightly as ever, she finally heard what she wanted from Jenkinson.
"It appears to be a demon."
Perhaps he really was fated to attract demons, just as Archbishop Hermann had said.
"As expected... His Excellency was right."
She fiddled with the soil stained by demonic energy and smiled. Giri even sniffed and tasted the dirt—an action befitting an exorcist priest willing to do anything to catch a demon.
"It's over there."
So this was what an exorcist priest was capable of. Watching her immediately pinpoint the demon's location, Jenkinson spoke to Asa.
"Sir Asa."
"Yes!"
At her energetic reply, Jenkinson said, "Follow me. And don't forget to watch our surroundings."
Asa nodded firmly and placed her hand on her sword hilt.
Shall I see the exorcist priest's skills in action...?
Jenkinson thought as he followed Giri, who was walking ahead at a brisk pace. Since a demon was involved, the man was most likely dead. Still, he needed to learn the man's fate. That was why Jenkinson quietly followed behind Priest Giri. For now... with an exorcist priest present, he had no intention of getting deeply involved in this demon subjugation.
--
What is this? This sense of foreboding?
Riniery, who had been quietly holed up in her room, felt an inexplicable anxiety. The outside was already in an uproar. To put it properly... from a human perspective, it could be called purification? The drug dealers had hidden, the gamblers had disappeared. If this continued, no one would call this place the city of pleasure, Sabron, anymore.
Knock knock.
She flinched. At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
Who is it? I should go out and...
Her body, which had been about to rise without much thought, froze in place. What was this? Why did she feel so uneasy? Riniery broke into a cold sweat and did not answer. Her strange senses were telling her that she absolutely must not let anyone discover she was here.
"Hmm, how strange. Maybe no one's home?"
The woman's voice coming from beyond the door felt strangely chilling. Who was it? A priest? Could she relax if it was a woman? Would it be alright to go out now and kill that priest? She was thinking this when...
"There's no way she's not here. Are you certain this is the right place?"
A man?
A man's voice reached her. Thump. Thump. It was strange. The moment she heard that voice, Riniery was seized by an inexplicable fear. Her heart began to pound wildly with terror. She already felt as though she were being crushed to death by the immense mana pressing down on this place.
"I'm certain."
"Then... let's break it down. Sir Asa, cut it down."
What?
The moment she heard those words, Riniery shot to her feet in shock. Swish!
"As expected. You were right."
The door was cleanly sliced in half, and a man stepped inside. The first thing she saw was dark brown hair. And... black clerical robes. Riniery knew instinctively. This handsome man was...
"Well then, let's begin."
The man Lilith had warned her about so gravely. Jenkinson Beckett.