Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Ruby
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Hide and Seek
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The operation we needed to devise required quite delicate work.
First, we couldn't kill that bastard Carcus.
If he died, the poison inside him would spread.
Second, we had to knock out Carcus before he felt his life was threatened.
This was a countermeasure to prevent him from self-destructing.
We had to accomplish both of these things at once.
So I came up with a tremendous brilliant plan.
"Given the situation, we're going to City Hall."
Of course, the others who couldn't fathom my deep intentions had faces full of question marks.
"What do you mean?"
Baron Romhadi was the first to speak.
I explained step by step in response to his question.
"Luring out Carcus is the first task."
"I acknowledge that. That's why we're pondering it."
"Isn't it simple?"
"What exactly..."
"In the end, that bastard Carcus also made a contract with a demon. Then what if that demon is in danger?"
"...!"
Now everyone seemed to be following what I was saying.
Baron Romhadi and Merdin nodded.
"Certainly! Even if it's a demon, if it stands before the Seven Knight Orders..."
"It will definitely be frightened. Moreover, they said it was a lower-class demon."
"Right. Then it would need a shield. Its subordinate, that is. It couldn't dare face the Seven Knight Orders alone."
That was exactly what I meant.
If things went according to plan, Carcus would appear on his own feet.
Without us having to call him out.
"Not only that. Even if there are other subordinates hiding, we can catch them all in one net. Plus, escape routes will be limited too."
It seemed simple, but if we had the skills to pull it off.
It was the most certain and perfect plan.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Diaz and Merdin were lying in ambush in the bushes on the hill located directly behind the City Hall building.
Behind them, those who followed Baron Romhadi were similarly hiding their bodies.
Their goal was simple.
But its importance was very great.
Rohan and Baron Romhadi would storm into City Hall to draw attention.
Then when Carcus appeared leading his forces, they would pretend to let Carcus slip away and drive him into City Hall.
While blocking the rest of his forces.
In other words, they would deliberately create a small escape hole for Carcus so he wouldn't think of committing suicide.
While simultaneously blocking his subordinate forces to make it easier for Rohan and Baron Romhadi inside to be active.
The core work of dealing with Carcus and the demon was Rohan and Baron Romhadi's responsibility.
But the hardest job of conducting a full-scale battle was theirs to accomplish.
Naturally, the ambush team's tension was in a very taut, sharp state.
Diaz was a veteran with considerable experience despite her young age.
So she knew that excessive tension could be poison.
'Lady Merdin is also very nervous.'
Maintaining tension continuously was itself an exhausting task.
Although Merdin had also served as this city's guard captain, perhaps because of the title "Great Demon Battle," she seemed unable to easily calm down.
She spoke to the very tense Merdin.
"Lady Merdin, how did you come to know Baron Romhadi?"
"Baron Romhadi? Hmm... it's been about 40 years now."
"That's a long time."
"Indeed. The Romhadi family was quite a distinguished house in the past. I was from a family that had served the Romhadi house for generations. We've known each other since we were very young."
"You must have deep trust."
"I suppose so?"
Now I could understand.
The reason why she had been willing to throw away her life so easily in his place.
Merdin smiled slightly.
"It's my first time fighting a demon, so I'm quite nervous, you know? That's why Lady Diaz is having this conversation to help me relax."
Diaz smiled awkwardly.
Experience was indeed experience.
Merdin asked Diaz in return.
"But Lady Diaz and Sir Rohan also seem to have quite deep trust?"
"Pardon?"
"That desperately stoic expression you're making. I can see it all."
"H-how..."
Diaz couldn't continue her words easily.
She hadn't expected that her being a woman would be discovered.
"How did I know? Because I'm doing the same thing right now."
"..."
At Merdin's words, Diaz closed her mouth.
But she couldn't stop her ears from turning red.
"Don't just keep hiding everything. I'm regretting that myself."
Diaz was curious.
What was she regretting?
But she couldn't ask that question.
Because she saw Merdin's expression become serious.
"Sir Rohan and Baron Romhadi. They're entering."
Diaz turned her head.
Just now, those two men had reached the main entrance of City Hall.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
When Baron Romhadi and I appeared boldly from the front.
The defensive forces couldn't hide their bewilderment.
And why wouldn't they?
An escaped prisoner had walked out and appeared on his own feet.
"B-Baron Romhadi..."
"You can't do this. We'll escort you, so please stay in the cell for now."
However, the soldiers didn't come out roughly either.
Baron Romhadi's usual conduct seemed to subtly show in moments like this.
Baron Romhadi shook his head.
"I appreciate you thinking of me. But now I think it's time for me to be a little strong too."
The soldiers' gazes turned to me.
It was obvious from their expressions.
It seems like Baron Romhadi's source of confidence is that person...
But we're not sure, their faces said.
I took out the heretic inquisitor's insignia and activated my authority.
"From this moment on, if you block this inquisitor's path, know that you can be considered a demon's subordinate and subjected to interrogation, and can be handed over to religious tribunal."
Up to here was a principled statement.
"Try blocking me if you want to block me."
The latter comment was a statement from my personality.
As I quietly looked at the soldiers, Baron Romhadi spoke to them.
"Please step aside. From now on, there will be many troublesome matters if you get involved."
"Baron..."
"T-then is it really true as you said, that there's a demon inside here?"
Baron Romhadi quietly nodded.
The soldiers' faces turned pale.
Before the Great Invasion, encountering demons wasn't that common.
Actually, after coming here, what I felt firsthand was that some people even dismissed demons as just stories from another world.
Since there was such a lack of crisis awareness, didn't they get hit hard by the surprise Great Invasion?
The two soldiers' gazes turned toward the City Hall building.
There really was a demon inside there.
Wearing someone's appearance.
Deceiving everyone.
Both felt chills run down their spines.
And then.
Gulp.
They swallowed dry saliva and cleared the way.
I patted their shoulders as I passed.
"Guard this door. That's what you gatekeepers should do."
"Y-yes, understood."
"Yes, yes!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Entering the interior of City Hall, I searched my memory.
'They definitely said it was a lower-class demon.'
At the same time, this widespread stench I was feeling.
The demon's smell was already being detected here and there throughout the interior.
'It's a possessing-type demon.'
Combining various conditions.
The most likely possibility was a possessing-type demon.
Possessing-type demons weren't threatening as single entities alone.
However, when they hid in places with many humans like this, they became somewhat troublesome creatures.
Of course, basically, even if possessed by a demon, that military power wasn't overwhelmingly great.
At most, about the ability of one ghoul added to the original human's capabilities?
Since possession wasn't easy even for strong humans, generally it was a demon that could be sufficiently subdued even when encountered around the middle of the story.
But that was in the game.
Since it became reality, there were many inconveniences.
Finding by smell also had its limits.
Since it was wafting from all directions, it was difficult to figure out where the source was.
In the game, you'd encounter them while searching through already devastated villages and immediately enter combat to resolve it.
But this, well, I wondered where to start tackling it.
It wasn't like there were just one or two people in City Hall.
If Carcus appeared, we could deal with him according to plan.
If we could just find the main body, dealing with it would be no problem...
While thinking such thoughts, a knight I had met before stood in front of me.
He seemed to have appeared after hearing the news that I had broken through the main gate and burst into City Hall.
And then.
"The mayor is currently absent."
He blocked my path again with the same line I had heard before.
"And we would like Baron Romhadi to quietly return to his cell."
Being blocked by the same guy twice didn't feel very good.
Moreover, while I had stepped back before, this time I had entered with the intention of causing a scene anyway.
"Do I look like I came in to have a conversation?"
A sword was already drawn and held in my hand.
At my response, the knight frowned.
"Even if you are a holy knight, you cannot commit such reckless violence."
"Then what about as a heretic inquisitor?"
"Heretic... inquisitor, you said?"
"If you block me one more time, I won't just let it slide either. Immediately guide me to the mayor's office."
"...Understood."
Perhaps because he was a knight.
He was less shaken than the soldiers outside.
Nevertheless, his voice trembled slightly.
"This is the office. But the mayor is truly absent."
I'm sure he is.
Since they said he was already dead.
Creak.
As the door opened, an empty space was revealed.
I gave Baron Romhadi a meaningful look.
He nodded and began searching the office.
Since I wouldn't know much even if I looked, it was right to leave this to Baron Romhadi.
While Baron Romhadi searched the interior.
I was guarding the doorway.
But...
'Huh?'
A group passing by me.
My gaze was fixed on one maid among them.
'The smell is... nauseating?...'
This space itself was already quite unpleasantly foul.
But that maid was even more intense among all that.
I called her to stop.
"There. Stop."
"...Yes?"
The head maid leading the group made a face that said she didn't understand.
I ignored the head maid and pushed through the group of maids.
"Kyaak!"
"Aak?"
Then I reached out and grabbed the hair of that maid who reeked terribly.
Grab!
Then I glared and grinned wickedly.
"Hide and seek... I can see your hair!"
At that moment.
Swish! Whoosh!
In an instant, the knight who had guided us drew his sword and struck down at my left arm.
Clang!
This guy was also one of them, it seemed.
But naturally, the knight couldn't cut off my arm.
"Hmm?"
How dare a demon's subordinate think of scratching my arm?
Insolent bastard.
Anger rose like mad for the first time in a while.
Adrenaline ran wild, and excitement wouldn't subside.
I licked my lips and rolled my eyes.
Toward the knight who was a demon's subordinate.
"You impious one!"
With quick hand movements, I drew my sword.
Slice.
I struck his neck.
The knight, who couldn't grasp the situation in that instant, only left a pathetic last word.
"...Why is my torso over there..."
He died like that.
Now I turned my gaze back to the demon.
This is the main event!
Flash.
After lifting up the demon I had grabbed by the head.
"Uuaak! Aaaaak!"
I swung my arm with full force and slammed it straight down to the floor.
Crack!
"Kheuk!"
Then I struck down with my left fist toward the face of the demon lying on the floor.
Whoooosh!
The sound of my arm cutting through the air brushed past my ears.
I thought I briefly heard the demon's last muttering.
"Ugh. Shit..."
Craaaaaack!