Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Accepts.
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We had caught the demon worshippers hiding in the city, but that didn't mean everything was resolved.
In fact, the situation had grown even more serious.
The things we'd suspected but couldn't confirm had taken the bait and revealed themselves.
Demon worshippers had infiltrated the kingdom's capital.
This was a major problem.
Demon worshippers had faces melted away, forcing them to wear masks, and they exuded an unpleasant aura even when standing still.
Even ordinary people unfamiliar with demon worshippers could easily spot something off about them. There was no way the soldiers guarding the gates had missed that.
Shan, I, and the temple folk judged this the worst-case scenario unfolding.
"This is serious."
The incident had happened in the capital—the place we'd deemed safest.
In the late hours before dawn, we'd handled it as quietly and swiftly as possible, preventing it from blowing up. Still, we felt a deep sense of crisis.
Those bastards were just like cockroaches.
Catching the ten you could see didn't mean it was over.
Spotting ten right in front of you meant twenty, thirty, or more could be lurking out of sight.
The trouble was, unlike cockroaches, they had brains. If something went wrong in one spot, the others might catch on and move before we could.
"...It seems there's an inside man."
We could only nod gravely at the priest's words.
Could they have breached the capital's defenses on their own and hidden dozens of members to operate undetected?
Impossible.
If demon worshippers could pull that off with their own power alone, the kingdom would have fallen long ago.
Logically speaking, some group or entity aiding the demon worshippers had to be involved.
"This world's gone mad."
What else was there to say?
Helping demon worshippers? What kind of price could they possibly have paid for that?
The words I'd used to fool the demon worshippers earlier were half-true, at least.
I wasn't the type to believe in favors without strings attached.
My grandfather and Ban were rare exceptions, but you couldn't base your worldview on a few special people.
Either way, if someone was helping the demon worshippers, it was likely a transactional deal with fitting compensation.
"What on earth could they be getting in return? For threatening people's lives?"
No one could answer my question easily.
We had no idea what they stood to gain.
The demon worshippers we'd dragged to the basement would have to provide those answers.
With a sigh, the priest began summarizing the situation.
"We'll contact the royals. No matter how much they keep our temple in check, they won't obstruct us on something like this."
"Yeah, since the capital's been breached."
What if—just what if—the dice had rolled past 6 like before, hitting 7, 8, or even 9?
Would it have been deemed an impossible difficulty again, wiping the city off the map?
Or since it was my personal difficulty rating, would only I have died?
Either way, it was chilling.
The thought that even the capital wasn't safe made me bow my head, trembling.
This time, luck had been on our side. I'd nearly twisted things into a mess again because of me.
I knew I was the problem.
Recognizing the issue didn't make it any less agonizing, since I couldn't fix it.
"...El... Ellie... Ellie?"
The voice calling me registered late, startling me upright. I looked around to find everyone's eyes fixed on me.
"...We've fallen short. Our apologies. Ellie's just a child, and she nearly died moments ago—it's only natural she'd be scared."
"...Huh?"
"You were trembling all over."
They must have seen me shaking.
But they were attributing it to fear... which wasn't wrong, just not the fear they thought.
It wasn't terror of losing my life—it was horror that innocents had nearly died because of me.
That was closer to self-loathing and guilt than plain fear.
"...I'm fine."
Fine.
No matter how wronged I felt, if the situation wouldn't improve, I had to soothe myself and call it fine.
"In that case... Ellie."
I tilted my head at the priest's gentle tone. As if finally getting to the point, he continued.
"About that story we improvised during the bait operation."
"That was totally made up! I'm really not a demon worshipper!"
"No, that's not what I'm asking. I just have a proposal for you."
"...A proposal?"
"We saw how the demon worshippers were drawn in by your story. Likely because you carry the same aura, yet in a child's body with such a pretty face—it lends credibility."
That made sense.
Seeing someone with the exact same aura in such a mismatched form would create a strong sense of dissonance.
Left unchecked, that dissonance could twist into inferiority or jealousy.
But if I explained why I looked this way first, this young body and beautiful appearance would lend powerful weight to the stories that followed.
"Would you consider taking a designated request?"
"...A designated request?"
I turned to Shan.
Even he looked surprised, his usual blank expression cracking with wide eyes.
"Yes, but feel free to refuse. It's that dangerous."
I couldn't even guess what they wanted, so I asked hesitantly.
"I'll hear it out first, then decide."
"We've pinpointed a demon worshipper base, but it's larger and more heavily guarded than expected. We can't breach it easily."
Such a place existed?
We'd only just spotted a handful of cockroaches in the capital—this seemed to refer to somewhere else, something ongoing.
Still, it was hard to fathom.
No matter how numerous or well-guarded the demon worshippers were, could they stand against the temple unless they numbered in the thousands like an army?
As if answering my doubts, the priest continued.
"If we charge in with our brothers, we'd win the fight, but a force that's grown this large surely holds valuable intel. We're worried about losing that in the chaos if we attack outright..."
The priest looked at me.
Dawn was breaking outside the window behind him, morning arriving as sparrows chirped, tickling my ears in jarring contrast to the grim talk.
"Could you infiltrate them and extract the information?"
"Wouldn't sweeping them out like before and torturing survivors yield the same results?"
"That works on the small fry, but anyone with real intel kills themselves just before capture or summons a demon at the cost of their life. Regrettably, we've been stuck relying on low-level scraps."
Even sending devout believers who'd undergone the same rituals as real worshippers only led to a vicious cycle—they'd last half a year at best before turning into the real thing.
The priest laid bare the temple's shame to me.
Listening, I realized they weren't entirely sane either.
Admitting even their faithful broke down after half a year among those freaks, yet suggesting I go in?
"Just because I fooled some demon worshippers earlier doesn't mean it'll always work."
I'd need multiple tests to be sure.
It was too soon to demand it of me—or for me to pull it off.
"I'll pass."
I refused flatly.
I wasn't a hero.
Steeped in unjust guilt or not, when weighing my life against strangers', mine came first.
"Besides, now's not the time for that. Handle the capital situation first."
I knew it was a probing offer, and it irked me.
"And wrap this up yourselves. I'll be laying low for a while after today."
They'd given me two gold coins as a reward.
That didn't just mean demon worshippers—greedy bandits might target me now too.
I needed to hole up for a bit.
The capital had good public order, but only compared to other cities. Danger was still danger.
"Shan."
Shan reacted to my call, but I wasn't thrilled with how he did.
"I get you're suspicious of me, but he's my companion—look after him a bit if he's struggling."
Every time we gathered to talk, eyes kept locking onto me. It was suffocating.
"Your abilities are tempting, so it's unavoidable."
"Sounds like praise, but also kinda deflating..."
I scowled behind my sunglasses, glared a moment, then stood.
I planned to move the inn to a safer district and barricade myself there for a while.
"I'll head out first."
That was when it happened.
The priest called me back in his gentle voice.
"Ellie, thank you for today."
"...Huh? ...Yeah."
Sudden gratitude.
But a hint of regret laced his tone.
"No rush—take your time thinking it over. We'd appreciate if you at least considered our proposal."
"I don't wanna..."
I wanted to say, I told you.
But no words came.
Time froze.
A familiar sensation—not quite like the dice rolling, but close.
1. Talk.
2. Accept.
3. Refuse.
4. Attack.
What is this? I thought the demon worshipper junk suddenly filled the inventory, but something fun dropped?
Demon Worshipper Base Infiltration Request! Isn't this something even Rie hasn't tried?
I know, I know—new requests are risky. No backseat gaming! But that's why we're testing it on her first, right? Get the hang of it so Rie doesn't screw up a similar one later.
Against my will, words slipped out.
"...I'll give it a try."
"Pardon?"
"...I'll infiltrate the demon worshipper base."
The priests' faces lit up with clear joy.
No way they'd realize those weren't my words.
But, got a question.
She's heading into the demon worshipper base now. But what if she just scouts the location, then we bring Rie's crew to raid it? Does Rie snag the reward?
You guys don't know either? Guess we'll just have to see what happens.
A light-hearted, harmless chuckle clawed at my heart.