An Impossible Dream
I could feel cold sweat trickling down my spine. Things had gone wrong—catastrophically so. I should have realized it the moment Orca fell asleep right in front of Anastasia. Because nothing seemed amiss on the surface, I had carelessly let it slide. I knew full well that the Watcher had absolutely no reason to overlook a devil, even one that wasn't causing any harm.
"Counselor. I am aware that you are close with Orca. ...Please, where is she?"
"..."
"I do not mean her any harm. Though I serve the Church, I believe that even a devil can integrate into society, provided they can be reformed."
Yes, she was indeed the type of person who would treat a devil like a dear friend, so long as they could be reformed. I knew this all too well. Unlike others who recoiled in disgust at the mere existence of devils and persecuted the Devil Possessed, she had persistently clung to Orca. ...Which was precisely why I couldn't let her meet Orca. She seemed to have already harbored a sliver of hope, but... I couldn't allow it. I couldn't let her cling to a hope that would only destroy her.
"I'm sorry. She doesn't wish to meet you."
"...Why?"
"She said it was annoying and that she didn't want to see you."
It was a lie. I had never once discussed the Watcher with Orca. But knowing Orca, I knew she would have said exactly that, so I lied smoothly, as if the words had come straight from her mouth.
"You kept pestering her, didn't you? She said it was irritating. She specifically asked me not to tell you anything if you came looking for her."
"..."
"I'm sorry, Watcher, but I cannot help you. It doesn't seem like the two of you are close friends anyway."
She looked as though she wanted to say more, but I cut her off with finality, making it clear the conversation was over. If I didn't take a firm stance, she would persist tenaciously. I felt a pang of pity, but it couldn't be helped.
"...Is there truly no way, Counselor?"
... I knew exactly why she was so desperate to meet Orca—or rather, Haze. That was precisely why I couldn't let them meet. No matter what. I couldn't allow her to chase an impossible dream. I didn't want to see her consumed by a fantasy that could never come true.
"I'm sorry."
"...I see. Forgive my intrusion."
...This was for the best. I stood up to see her out.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."
"No, it is quite alright. Forgive me for disturbing you so late."
"If you ever have anything on your mind, please visit the Counseling Room. You never know, I might be able to help."
"...Yes. Thank you."
Long after she departed, I remained seated, staring quietly at the empty space. I lost track of how much time had passed. It was only when Haze, finally realizing the coast was clear, began to crawl out from under the bed that I let out a heavy sigh.
"Whew..."
"Ugh, damn it... *cough, cough*. It's so damn dusty under there!"
"Good job, Haze. Though I don't know why you chose to hide in there of all places..."
"It was sudden, alright? I didn't have a choice! If there was a better spot, I would've hidden there instead!"
It felt as though a tempest had just swept through the room. Utterly drained, Haze and I slumped onto the edge of the bed in unison, letting out a synchronized sigh.
"Damn it, that girl... Why on earth is she hunting me down? I haven't even done anything yet. There's no reason for a big shot like her to be after me..."
"You didn't do anything wrong. The one at fault... is your kind."
"...What? Why are you taking that out on me?"
"It's not so much taking it out on you... She simply wants to confirm something. She wants to see if a devil friendly to humans truly exists."
"And why the hell would she look at me for—ah."
Haze cut herself off, her eyes snapping to glare at me. ...Well, yes. Strictly speaking, it was my fault. I was the one who had eased Orca's tension, carelessly letting her fall asleep right there in the open.
"...So? Why on earth is she trying to prove something so ridiculous? A devil friendly to humans? As if such a thing could ever exist. It's a total waste of time."
"You're right. It is a waste of time, and utterly meaningless. But she doesn't see it that way."
"Why not?"
"Let's just say she is trapped in the past."
Considering Anastasia's high status, it might seem surprising, but she had a rather tragic childhood. While it was true that almost all the playable characters in this world suffered through miserable childhoods, she differed from them in one key aspect: she refused to give up. The other children—who had spent their lives wandering, watching their families die, parting with loved ones, or treating their own kin as rivals to overcome—eventually resigned themselves to their misfortune. But Anastasia could not accept her tragedy. Clinging to the memory of a happy past, she lived under the delusion that if she just tried a little harder, she could return to those days. Unable to accept that the past was set in stone, her mind was still wandering in her childhood.
"Her father is possessed by a devil."
"...Ha. How ironic. The Watcher's own flesh and blood is a Devil Possessed?"
"Yes, exactly."
"But why does nobody know about it? ...Did some high-and-mighty noble secretly slit his throat because they couldn't bear the shame of having a possessed family member?"
"No. He is still alive. Halfway, at least."
"...Half?"
She believed her father was still alive. But could that truly be considered living? Personally, I didn't think so. It was hard to call a Devil Possessed whose body had been completely usurped by a devil "alive." It wasn't like Orca and Haze, who constantly vied for control. Her father's body had been entirely conquered. Not a single shred of his original consciousness remained. Anastasia knew this deep down, yet she refused to accept it.
"She likely hopes to strike a deal with a devil to get her father back. That is why she came looking for you."
"...Hmph."
By common sense, it was completely impossible. Devils hated humans. ...But she had witnessed it—a devil who had seized a human's body, yet did no harm and willingly returned control to its original owner.
"Then why don't you just do what you did to me and force the devil to return the body?"
"No. That is impossible."
Controlling a devil is no simple feat. Their mental barriers are incredibly robust. In Orca and Haze's case, they share a single body, meaning that when I cast Hypnosis on Orca, Haze is affected as well, even if not entirely. That was why I could hypnotize her so easily; I had already laid the groundwork by hypnotizing Orca beforehand. But for a human whose body has been completely usurped, it is a different story entirely. No amount of preparation would work. ...And even if I did succeed in hypnotizing the devil, another problem remained. Would the consciousness of a human who had been suppressed by a devil for so long even be intact? Well, judging by the game's lore, it was safe to assume they were already dead. Besides, there was an even more fundamental reason why it was impossible. Physical access was out of the question. Because her father was...
"...By the way. A thought just occurred to me."
"Yes?"
"How do you know so much about this? Were you once part of the Church?"
...Ah. Had I gotten too comfortable having an audience? I had carelessly let too much slip. Hmm, what should I do? ...Well, she was already bound by a contract with me to prevent her from committing evil deeds. There was no need to go so far as erasing her memory. Given her nature, she wasn't the type to go around gossiping with others anyway.
"It's a secret."
"Y-You jerk...! How can you just leave me hanging like this?!"
"Haha. If you're that curious, you're welcome to try and force it out of me. Not that you could, of course."
"Grrrrr...!"
"...She was definitely there."
The Watcher, Anastasia, was absolutely certain. She had smelled a devil. Even if they had masked it as best they could and suppressed their presence, they couldn't fool her senses. The Counselor and Orca's devil had definitely been speaking. What they were discussing, she couldn't say—she hadn't been in the room, after all. It was hard to believe, but if a human was willing to hide a devil, they couldn't be on bad terms. Devils harbored an immense, instinctual hostility toward humans. Unless it possessed extraordinary patience, no devil would remain docile in the presence of a living human. For a Counselor who looked completely physically helpless, her body should have been torn to shreds the moment they met. ...The fact that she was unharmed meant they were close enough, at the very least, to coexist without violence.
"What on earth is their relationship?"
Orca had started attending classes diligently after her sessions in the Counseling Room, and the devil and the Counselor clearly knew each other. Furthermore, the Counselor was close enough to the devil to hide her. Could all of this truly be a coincidence? She didn't know for sure; there was too little information to draw a definitive conclusion. But one thing was certain: the Counselor had actively hidden the devil.
"Did she say to visit the Counseling Room if I ever had any worries?"
What kind of worry would she need to fabricate to justify a visit? ...Should she chop off her own arm? She stood there, deeply contemplating the option, until her guard finally spotted her and cried out.
"Lady Watcher! What on earth were you doing?! I was terrified that you might have been hurt!"
"...Tell me, if I were to chop off my arm, would that qualify as a worry?"
"Have you lost your mind?!"