The Remaining Ones (2)
The Remaining Ones (2)
"Thank goodness! You haven't left yet!"
Ellin, the Guard Corps lieutenant, visited the inn where Melanie's party was staying.
"Seer Murgan-nim from the imperial palace has contacted us. She says she wants to hire you all directly."
Ellin, who had received the message from Seer Murgan, looked quite anxious.
But since she had already met Murgan in person, Melanie wasn't particularly surprised.
"......Is this about the Demon God?"
"Yes. The Demon God is moving toward Pazurion."
Pazurion was the city where they had fought the Demon God Acedia not long ago.
Perhaps because she was concerned about the city she had protected as a Saintess, Hilda's hand trembled slightly.
"Then should we head to Pazurion?"
"No. You need to go to Analion."
"Huh? The capital?"
"Yes. The direction Demon God Gula is heading was originally where Demon God Acedia appeared. The 'demonkin' who were there seem to be trying to avoid Gula, and are moving toward the capital. People along their path are falling into sleep."
Putting people to sleep was the ability of the Nightmares who served Demon God Acedia.
Hilda's complexion grew even darker upon hearing Ellin's words.
"Before that group reaches the capital, we've decided to send troops from three cities - Analion, Smalion, and Pazurion - simultaneously to surround and exterminate them. But since we still need to prepare, she's asking you to join the Analion side first."
Ellin handed Murgan's letter to Melanie and clicked his tongue.
"Honestly, they didn't even send proper support when Smalion was in this state, yet they're being this sensitive about a threat that hasn't even reached the capital yet... What a wonderful country to live in."
"Indeed......"
It was blasphemous talk that no imperial citizen should engage in, but since it was a story she could sympathize with, Melanie nodded.
If Professor Jerahl hadn't died due to Melanie's mistake, Ellin wouldn't have stopped at just words.
After being kidnapped by Professor Jerahl and subjected to horrific torture and experiments firsthand, she would come to believe that extreme measures were sometimes necessary to protect the city.
To ensure neither the Demon God nor the Empire could threaten Smalion, she would join the group trying to oust the mayor and take control of the city.
"That's all I needed to tell you. I'll take my leave now."
Ellin bowed politely and left the room.
As Melanie was about to check the letter, Hilda grabbed her hand.
"Hilda?"
"Melanie. Something's strange. Demonkin avoiding a Demon God? That doesn't make sense, does it?"
"Not all demonkin are on the same side. Since they served a different Demon God, they might be wary of a new one."
"Even so, heading toward the imperial capital? Unless they're planning mass suicide..."
Melanie firmly grasped Hilda's trembling hand.
"Don't worry. Ever since I heard from Ellin, I asked Luxuria to check for me. Let's wait a bit."
Hilda looked at Melanie with dissatisfaction, as if she was trying to reassure her with her gentle words.
For a female who just gets pinned down by her every day, it felt like she was pretending to be a reliable male, which Hilda didn't like.
"......Let go of this."
"......Okay."
Melanie felt a bit disappointed, but considered it progress that Hilda hadn't roughly shaken her off, and withdrew her hand.
Shortly after, the Goddess's voice echoed in Melanie's mind.
[Hilda is right. I summoned Salome and confirmed. The demonkin left there are not avoiding Gula - they're busy preparing to welcome him.]
Salome, who had been the Chosen One of Demon God Acedia, had fallen to being little more than Luxuria's slave after losing her god.
She led Acedia's remnants while managing that area, and was summoned by Luxuria whenever needed like this.
She was probably filled with the desire to be chosen by Gula and escape from Luxuria even now.
[No matter how foolish humans are, this is strange. Mobilizing troops from three cities for something that hasn't even happened yet.]
'......That can't be. Something must have happened.'
Melanie looked at Hilda again and spoke.
"Luxuria checked for us. She says the demonkin aren't moving."
"Then...... don't tell me......"
"......Right. It's not demonkin - it must be a group of humans. What the capital is trying to exterminate are humans."
"Kkh......"
Hilda clutched her chest as if in pain.
It was known that when attacked by Nightmares, black spots appear all over the body, and victims fall into sleep from which they cannot awaken.
But that wasn't true for all humans.
There were humans who could live normally even with spots on their bodies.
But because they might spread the Nightmares' curse to others, they were forbidden from entering cities.
They had gathered outside cities, helping each other and living together.
Both Melanie and Hilda thought it must be them who were now heading toward the capital.
It was something they could predict, knowing the dark side of the Empire and the Church well.
"Since Pazurion won't accept them. They're heading to the capital trying to survive somehow."
"What does that mean... Is the Empire now defining its own citizens as demonkin and trying to exterminate them?"
Pia also asked in a trembling voice, seemingly shocked.
As a knight who took pride in her loyalty to the Empire, it was unbelievable, but Melanie's prediction didn't seem wrong either.
"They probably think those people might spread the curse to the capital, so they want to kill them all before they reach it."
"People shouldn't do that to each other! Only demonkin deserve to be killed!"
Lili said while clenching her fist.
As someone who started this adventure out of anger toward demonkin who killed humans, she couldn't comprehend humans committing the same acts as demonkin.
"Melanie... Is what's happening now something you didn't anticipate either......?"
In response to Hilda's question, Melanie slowly nodded.
This event doesn't happen in Sephemo.
According to the original story, they were supposed to join forces with that refugee group during the fight against Acedia.
But since Acedia directly invaded the city, that didn't happen.
There was mention that some hardliners among them had considered heading to the capital.
It was a plan that wasn't implemented because many opposed it.
But with the unprecedented situation of Demon God Gula approaching, it seemed their opinion had finally shifted toward the capital.
"Did this happen because of me......?"
"What?"
Hilda's expression looked as gloomy as when she had screamed in despair about having survived, for some reason.
"Those people... I could have healed them. Of course not in a short time, but little by little, slowly. Because I left, their chance to receive treatment completely disappeared, so they're doing this, aren't they?"
Even during her time as Saintess, Hilda hadn't liked them.
Dirty, smelly people with impoverished and diseased minds - there was nothing to like about them.
The very act of her noble self touching such people was disgusting and repulsive.
She could only suppress such feelings because of the sense of mission as a Saintess that had been forcibly instilled in her by the Heavenly God.
When she could escape, she left Pazurion without any hesitation, abandoning her duty to care for the sick.
But no matter how much she disliked them, if so many people were in danger of dying because of her...
"That can't be."
Melanie knelt before Hilda and carefully took her hand.
"You... I forcibly saved you when you were supposed to die. None of what's happening now is your responsibility."
"......Then does that mean it's your responsibility?"
"Yes. This is happening because I... because we have been changing the story until now."
It was clear that Demon God Gula was moving toward Pazurion now because Murgan had pulled some scheme.
Because only by directly threatening the capital would the atmosphere for exterminating the Demon God arise.
Murgan had to do this because Professor Jerahl died meaninglessly at Melanie's hands, preventing the battle with Gula from happening.
Also because Melanie killed Lancelot, making the imperial family too weakened to send an extermination force.
......To be accurate, it was actually all because of Luxuria.
[Your blasphemous thoughts are reaching me here.]
'Couldn't you pretend not to notice when I'm just thinking to myself......?'
[You're getting more insolent by the day. Tonight I'll fill both your front and back holes equally.]
'Ugh......'
Though Melanie held her hand for a long time, Hilda no longer rejected that touch.
"When you saved me..."
"Yes?"
"When I cursed you...... Were you feeling like this back then?"
When the choice she made had brought about the worst possible outcome.
Had she felt the same way as Hilda did now.
"......My situation was different from yours. I knew full well what consequences my choice would bring."
"That......"
Hilda opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.
She stood still, feeling Melanie's body temperature transmitted through their fingertips.
"......Instead of standing around like this, we should pack!"
"That's right! We can't dawdle when it's a summons from the imperial family!"
Lili and Pia, who had been looking at the two with dissatisfaction, urged them on, and reluctantly Melanie and Hilda had to start moving.