85
Chapter 85
Dominic stared at the corpse before him with cold, lifeless eyes.
An impious demon.
A sinner who dared insult the Black Saint with blasphemous words.
The punishment for his crimes had just been concluded.
With the aid of the brothers from the Fool's Society, that wicked demon had been purged.
By cycling through healing and torture, his mind had been completely shattered. There was no longer any need to fear the demon returning to this world.
However, there was one problem.......
'How on earth should I handle this?'
The man before him was a far more prominent figure than one might assume.
One of the five wealthiest men in the land.
Furthermore, his own achievements were remarkable; he was an 8th Circle Mage.
Eight Cardinals and twelve Archbishops.
He had ended up this way only because of the idiotic decision to commit blasphemy while the Holy See's greatest forces were gathered.
In other words, he wasn't someone who should have died so pathetically.
Sian's death would undoubtedly attract a great deal of attention. No matter the effort, it could not be kept secret.
'Not that I intend to hide it in the first place, so that's fine.'
Of course.
Dominic wasn't pondering how to cover up the incident.
That much was obvious.
This was not a simple murder.
It was a form of exorcism.
After all, that thing was no longer human.
Why should he feel ashamed and hide the fact that he had slain a demon?
'The key is how to reveal this to the world.'
If possible, he had to unveil it in a way that would benefit the Saint.
Faith in God had hit rock bottom due to the Holy See's atrocities.
They had tarnished God's name through their own negligence, so they had to make amends somehow.
How could he utilize this for that purpose?
Dominic pondered for a long while... and then he remembered.
A way to elevate God's name once more.
'A grand judgment.'
He would stage exactly that.
He would make it so that everyone had no choice but to admire God's majesty.
By searing the image of a God punishing evil into everyone's minds, he would ensure they praised the Black Saint.
Once that was decided, there was no further need for hesitation.
Dominic left the mark of the Fool's Society and a message only the Saint could recognize on the corpse, then moved it to prepare for the task.
*****
Sian Ludbes was dead.
And of all times, it happened right after I told Rubia that the matter would be solved quickly.
Rubia's face turned pale.
Her mouth hung open as she tried to say something, but the sounds that escaped her lips failed to form a sentence.
She merely sputtered strange sounds, a confused sequence of huhs and ahs.
She had completely lost her ability to speak.
Thinking about it, it wasn't surprising.
Given the timing, anyone would assume I was the one who did it.
Especially since I had just shown her how I could tear down the Training Ground with my bare hands.
It was obvious what was about to happen.
I had gained enough experience to know; just as I was preparing to calm the panicking Rubia, it happened.
"...Ah! I see what happened!"
I wondered what on earth was going on.
The color returned to Rubia's face. Her speech had suddenly recovered.
"You were planning to get rid of him from the start, weren't you? Well, he was scum, so it makes sense. Did you send Ciel or Rien?"
Rubia laughed, remarking on how exquisite the timing was.
The message left on the corpse.
A cryptic text written in ancient characters under the name of the Fool's Society, impossible for most to decipher.
She wondered if that, too, was intended to confuse the investigation.
"Still, killing an 8th Circle Mage without even touching him is a bit unrealistic. That's impossible unless you're a god!"
Rubia gave a bright smile, adding that since it was bad for her heart, I should let her know beforehand next time I did something like this.
I couldn't believe this. Here I was, understanding the situation, while Rubia was talking nonsense and convincing herself of a completely different story.
This bizarre situation continued for a while... until a familiar sound rang out.
A communication request had come through again.
It seemed the informant had contacted me to report on the detailed investigation.
Before long, the informant's face appeared on the screen. And then... she spoke.
-...They say Sian was killed by a giant Sword of Light that fell from the sky. All witness testimonies match, so it's likely true.
She said it wasn't a typical assassination.
A Sword of Light, as massive as a mountain, had plummeted from the heavens to grant Sian his death.
As if someone had brought down divine punishment.
Rubia's face instantly drained of color.
That it was impossible unless you were a god.
Rubia stared at me, repeating her earlier words with a soulless expression.
Her gaze was fixed right on my wings. The wings that were still radiating a soft, ethereal glow.
What kind of misunderstanding she was under...
It was painfully obvious.
I quickly tried to come up with a plausible excuse.
That was only natural.
The power to effortlessly murder an 8th Circle Mage without even lifting a finger.
An incomprehensible entity capable of smiting people with divine punishment through sheer will alone.
If I left her to her own devices, it was clear that in Rubia's mind, I would become something far beyond human.
However, no useful excuses came to mind.
Honestly, it would have been stranger if one had.
The information in the documents Rubia had handed over.
That bastard Sian was a piece of human trash who operated hundreds of facilities just like the Mining Site I was initially locked up in.
On top of that, he had repeatedly interfered with the business ventures I was pushing forward.
That was more than enough motive.
It was completely natural for her to connect the Sword of Light falling from the sky with my glowing wings.
In this situation, there was no way I could find a convincing way to clear my name.
The only solution I could come up with was a completely unhinged idea: just laughing it off by shouting, 'Ta-da! Surprise!'
Like that, the silence dragged on for quite a while.
As the silence stretched on, Rubia's face became increasingly painted with sheer terror.
"Y-You are......."
Rubia murmured those words as she stared at me.
Her gaze was like that of someone staring at an otherworldly entity.
So this is how I end up being helplessly misunderstood. Just as that thought crossed my mind...
-And they say a Criminal Statement from the Black Fang Leader was left next to the corpse. It stated that the Demon who committed such atrocious evil deeds had been judged in the name of God.
Hearing that story at exactly the right moment...
Naturally brought a bright smile to my lips.
In a situation where I, who had simply been minding my own business, was suddenly being pinned as the culprit, it was a relief that the Black Fang's Leader had been revealed as the true mastermind behind this entire incident.
-I will report back immediately if we discover anything else.
With those words, the communication was disconnected.
All of this was the doing of the Black Fang Leader.
The situation was resolved with the conclusion that it had absolutely nothing to do with me.
This should have cleared up Rubia's misunderstanding as well.
"......?"
But strangely enough...
No matter how much time passed, the fear never disappeared from Rubia's face.
She just stood there with her mouth agape in sheer terror, staring at my smiling face.
The misunderstanding should have been resolved by now. Why was she still acting like that? I pondered it for a moment... and then I realized.
'Well, come to think of it, I suppose it makes sense.'
Black Fang.
Just how terrifying of an organization were they?
Based on everything that had happened so far, I had judged that they weren't Villains, so it was safe to let my guard down.
But putting that aside, that absolutely overwhelming power was honestly enough to make even me a little frightened.
Dropping a giant Sword of Light from the sky to kill someone? Didn't that make them seem like some sort of divine being?
If even I felt this way, how much worse would it be for the timid Rubia? She must have been in a state of profound shock after witnessing the Black Fang Leader's power.
Seeing her tremble like that made me feel genuinely sorry for her.
In this current situation.
There was only one thing I could do.
"Please don't tremble so much, Rubia."
Speaking in a gentle tone, I carefully took Rubia's hand to reassure her.
"If you think about it, there's no need to worry about that problem anymore, right?"
While the Black Fang Leader's power was certainly intimidating, setting that aside, this situation wasn't actually all that bad.
Regardless of everything else, Sian wouldn't be around to interfere with our business anymore.
"It's a simple matter that practically resolved itself. If anything, this is something we should be rejoicing over."
At my words, Rubia nodded.
However, even I could tell that her response wasn't entirely genuine.
It was a fiercely forced nod.
Her face looked as if she could burst into tears at any second.
It seemed her fear had yet to subside. Because of that, I gripped her hand a little tighter.
So she wouldn't have to feel so anxious all by herself.
So she would know I was always right by her side.
"If you ever have any worries, please come to me right away, just like this. I'll gladly lend you a hand whenever you need it."
I offered her an incredibly warm smile as I spoke those words to her.