Suspicious Movements - 7

"Who sent you?"

Nahen posed the question, but Lily could not answer. From the moment she laid eyes on this man, she had been utterly overwhelmed, unable to even consider opening her mouth. The one served by Leviathan and the three Beasts of the Apocalypse was a singular existence throughout the entire world. The master of the inverted kingdom.

"I-I..."

Even daring to utter that name was forbidden to an ordinary demon like Lily. If it had been the great demon she served, it might have been different.

Crunch!

Nahen's hand clamped around Lily's throat. With a trace of anger in his voice, he asked one final time.

"I asked who you are acting under orders from."

"Kehk, I-I came under Lord Gamaliel's command...!!"

When Lily barely managed to answer, Nahen indifferently released her neck. He mulled over the name Gamaliel, then let out a hollow laugh.

"Deliver this message."

"...Yes?"

"Tell your lewd master."

"Wh-what..."

A warning-laden statement flowed from Nahen's lips.

"Tell them to stop this nonsense. If something like this happens one more time, I won't let it slide."

He gave Lily one last instruction.

"Deliver it."

"...Hik, y-yes!"

Lily frantically pulled something out and hurled it to the floor. A massive circle formed on the Pope's bedroom floor, and through it appeared a horrific scene.

"H-Hugh...!"

The Pope collapsed. Beyond the circle in the floor, the sight of those emaciated souls writhing in endless agony was unbearable. Yet neither Lily nor the stranger before them seemed affected in the slightest. Lily was one thing, but what kind of man could remain unmoved by such horrific screams?

"L-Lily... what in the world is this?!"

Even when the Pope called out, Lily gave no answer. Desperate to escape the situation, she hurriedly slipped into the hole and vanished.

Thanks to that, the Pope was left alone with Nahen in the shattered bedroom.

Pope Sernius III slowly turned his head to look at Nahen. The man was already staring at him with terrifying eyes.

"Did you summon that?"

He didn't even consider questioning the unauthorized intrusion into his private chambers. The way the demon Lily had cowered and fled was proof enough that this man was no ordinary being.

"I-I summoned it? What do you..."

"I'm asking if you summoned a demon from Hell. Don't play dumb by pretending not to understand when you've seized the position of a nation's leader. I don't think you lack the intelligence for that."

"......"

Though thoroughly terrified, he was still the leader of one of the three greatest nations in the human realm. It was only natural that such a person wouldn't be a fool incapable of reading the situation.

Yet for some reason, the Pope still couldn't regain his composure.

"D-Did I summon Lily?"

"Yes."

"Did... I summon her...?"

Nahen looked at the Pope as if wondering what nonsense he was spouting, but the man's hands trembled violently as he began muttering to himself.

"Did I summon a demon? When? Why? What on earth is going on? Uhh... why was that woman next to me..."

Nahen narrowed his brows sharply. Somehow, the Pope was not in his right mind. With a sense of suspicion, he seized the Pope's body.

"Huk... L-Let go of me!"

"Stay still."

At that moment, the atmosphere froze solid. Even the Pope, who had been babbling and convulsing, snapped back to attention. The confusion hadn't fully cleared, but his instincts screamed at him: if he didn't stay still, he would die.

Once the Pope stopped his seizure, Nahen placed a hand on his forehead and channeled his magic power.

"Kuhk... Kuuuuhk...!"

The Pope drooled profusely, letting out strange groans. It seemed painful, as if reacting to Nahen's magic. But Nahen wasn't trying to torment or kill him. The reason the Pope convulsed in response to the magic power was because of something engraved upon him.

"Uuuuuhk......"

A strange mark began to rise from his forehead. It glowed red and emanated a sinister aura.

Seeing it, Nahen let out a hollow laugh.

"To engrave something like this."

It resembled the brainwashing mark used by succubi. Yet it possessed a power far beyond anything a succubus could create, and no one in the Demon Realm could cast such a thing. Only the master served by that whore demon from earlier would be capable of it.

The intention was painfully obvious.

Nahen clicked his tongue, imagining what catastrophic outcome would have occurred if he hadn't resolved this quickly.

"...Were they planning to start a war with the heavenly realm?"

The Pope was the human who served the Heavenly God with the utmost devotion. Though the Heavenly God did not directly interfere in the human realm, they would naturally grow enraged upon learning that their most faithful ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worshiper was being toyed with by a demon's schemes.

Nahen clicked his tongue again and poured his magic power into the mark on the Pope's forehead. The mark writhed violently, causing the Pope to cry out in agony.

"Ugh... Uuuuhk! Kuuuuhk!!!"

"Just endure it a little longer."

Eventually the writhing mark began to fade. Nahen's magic was eroding and devouring it. The mark grew fainter and fainter until it started to shatter. And finally, it vanished completely.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Huuugh...!"

The Pope stopped convulsing. He recalled everything he had done until now and fell into confusion.

Seeing that expression, Nahen withdrew his hand.

Sernius III slowly raised his head and looked at Nahen with eyes full of reverence, as if gazing upon a saint.

"Who... are you?"

"Don't misunderstand. I am not someone you should worship."

Nahen struck first, certain the man would misinterpret the situation. He was clearly regarding him as some heavenly being who had freed him from evil. And he had expected this reaction.

The reason Nahen had gone so far as to erase the mark on the Pope, even accepting such a misunderstanding and expending his own power, was for a different purpose. It was certainly not out of pity or sympathy for a Pope who had been toyed with by a demon.

If traces of demonic interference remained on this man...

Those above would learn of it. A clash between the heavenly realm and Hell would follow, and the Demon Realm could not avoid being dragged into it. That must never happen.

Since Nahen's goal was for Seere to ascend to the pinnacle, he had to prevent the Demon Realm from getting caught up in such a war.

"I only erased the spell engraved on you because I needed to. But if you truly feel grateful..."

Nahen lowered himself to eye level with the seated Pope and asked subtly.

"I have a few questions. You can answer them, can't you?"

"Wh-what is it?"

"As I asked before, did you summon that demon?"

There were two ways for a demon who normally resided in Hell to enter the human realm: by their own will, or by being summoned by a human who had learned forbidden arts.

"...No. That demon suddenly appeared before me one day."

The Pope denied it, and his words did not seem like a lie. If it had been the latter rather than the former, there would be no explanation for engraving a brainwashing mark.

"What did the demon give you, and what did it urge you to do?"

"The moment I saw her, I felt enchanted. I believe I entered a state where proper judgment was impossible."

"That makes sense."

"To me in that state, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠demon said there were filthy things from the Demon Realm in my country, so I must root them out and purify them. Then she gave me a certain tool."

"A tool?"

When Nahen repeated the word, the Pope pulled something from his robe. It was a diamond-shaped gem.

The moment Nahen saw it, his brows narrowed sharply.

"She told me this was a tool capable of detecting demons. I distributed them to the holy knight order, and under the pretext of a purification operation..."

The Pope could not continue. Even though he had been brainwashed, he now understood what he had done to the people he ruled. The guilt crushed his heart.

"One more question."

"Yes..."

"This is the sanctuary of the Heavenly God. It is not a place a mere low-ranking demon should be able to reach. So how was that demon able to intrude all the way into your bedroom?"

"That is..."

The Pope hesitated, then let out a deep sigh.

"It must be because the Heavenly God's protection is weakening."

"Weakening?"

"This is knowledge passed only to the Popes. Since the founding of the Holy Kingdom four hundred years ago, the Heavenly God has never once responded to our calls. Nor have they bestowed any further protection since then."

Nahen's eyes widened slightly. This was the first time he had heard such a thing. He had believed the angel known as the Heavenly God protected the humans who worshiped them. But that had never been the case?

Nahen wondered if this was another hidden setting or story from the game he had not known about.

"B-But... who are you, sir? I thought you were the Heavenly God himself, or an envoy sent by the Heavenly God..."

"...Haven't you received a letter from the Demon Realm recently?"

"...Yes?"

A letter from the Demon Realm. There had been only one: the negotiation letter from the 72nd floor proposing an exchange of captured humans for money.

Recalling it, Sernius III was stunned. Nahen spoke to him in a warning tone.

"I wish to maintain an amicable relationship with the Holy Kingdom. I also hope the Holy Kingdom remains relatively peaceful. A situation that isn't overly chaotic."

"......"

"So let's continue exactly as we are now. The reason I restored you was for that purpose."

Nahen smiled at the Pope.

"Understood?"

"...Since these are the words of my lifesaver, I will remember them well."

Nahen felt satisfied. He had not mentioned the 72nd floor expecting the Pope to side with him. He had simply hoped that, having saved the man, the Pope would listen and stabilize the chaotic state of the Holy Kingdom.

"I'll be going. Fare well, Sernius III."

Having slipped out of the Holy Kingdom's capital, Babylon, Nahen and Dane were heading toward the forest where they had parted from Seere and the others to regroup.

"Was the matter resolved satisfactorily, Lord Nahen?"

"Yes. Are you all right?"

"Yes, well... it hurt, but it wasn't fatal."

Nahen studied Dane for a moment, then nodded. Even by his standards, the man did not appear to need immediate treatment. It was surprising he remained fine after such an impact, but considering he was an exceptionally skilled rogue, it wasn't entirely strange.

He must have used some trick when they collided.

When Nahen and Dane reached the forest, they spotted three figures waiting in the distance. The slightly youthful child with striking pure-white hair noticed them immediately and came running with a bright smile.

"Teacher~!!"

It was Seere. Seeing her beaming smile, Nahen unconsciously smiled back. He did not push away the girl who clung to him tightly and instead stroked her head.

"Were you behaving yourself?"

"Ah, teacher! I have something to show you!"

Seere rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a handful of diamond-shaped gems. She smiled brightly.

"The holy knight order was carrying these around! They contain demonic power from the Demon Realm, yet they aren't items from the Demon Realm, so I thought they might be from Hell and brought them!"

"...Is that so?"

Nahen already knew these had been supplied to the holy knight order. He had heard it from the Pope himself. However, one thing still puzzled him.

"But how did you obtain them?"

"Huh?"

"We also learned that these were supplied to the holy knight order for their nonsense about hunting demons. We even eliminated the mastermind behind it."

"Really? As expected, you're amazing, teacher!"

"That's not what's important. I'm asking how you managed to gather so many."

"......"

Seere fell silent. Seeing her reaction, Nahen turned to Secily with a sinking feeling.

"Secily."

"Yes, Lord Nahen."

"What happened?"

"...Her Majesty said we needed to secure these."

"S-Secily?!"

Seere panicked at the betrayal from the trusted Secily. Secily gave Seere an apologetic look before speaking to Nahen.

"No matter how I thought about it, this didn't seem like something we could hide, so I'll tell you upfront."

"Go on."

"W-Wait...!"

"We eliminated the holy knight order. We left no witnesses."

"Haa..."

Nahen pressed a hand to his forehead. When he glanced at Seere, she flinched and averted her gaze.

"Seere."

"...Yes?"

With a deep sigh, a vein throbbed on Nahen's forehead. For the first time, he raised his voice at her.

"I told you not to cause incidents!!!"

"Hueh?!"

"When we get back, expect to be punished!"

"Huaaa...!"

When Nahen scolded her, Seere dropped all the tools she had been holding and covered her ears. She ran to Secily and buried herself in her arms.

"Huaang, teacher is scaryyy...!"

"I told you we couldn't deceive Lord Nahen, so we should have been honest from the start."

Watching Secily gently pat Seere to comfort her, Nahen let out a long sigh and calmed himself.

"Haa, Secily. Why didn't you stop her?"

"Because I am Her Majesty's person. If Her Majesty decides to do something, I can only follow."

"...Yes, I asked a foolish question."

It had been a mistake from the beginning to bring the Demon King to the human realm. Considering a Demon King's instincts, it was only natural she could not remain quiet among humans.

Nahen's eyes had grown cold as he spoke.

"How did you handle the aftermath?"

"Perfectly. People may find it strange, but they won't know who was responsible."

"...Next time, I'll go alone for matters like this."

"...Understood. Did you hear that, Your Majesty?"

"Eep..."

Seere looked up at Secily, then glanced fearfully at Nahen. Seeing his still-angry expression, she quickly turned away and buried her face in Secily's chest again. She was still just a child. The pouting face she had made earlier proved it.

Since Seere had never feared him before, Nahen wondered if he had been too harsh. With a small sigh, he spoke to Dane and Eri.

"You two remain here and continue monitoring the situation. Eri, change your identity first."

"Yes, Lord Nahen."

Nahen slowly approached Seere, who was still in Secily's arms, and gently patted her back.

"I'm sorry for raising my voice."

"...Sniff."

"Let's go back. I won't push you too hard anymore."

"...I'm sorry."

"No. It was an error in my judgment. Don't worry about it."

Seere sniffled for a moment, then slowly lifted her head. With slightly swollen eyes, she looked up at Nahen.

...Yes, no matter how clever this child is, there are limits.

Everyone is like that when young; self-restraint is weak. As one grows, rational thinking develops. When young, it is perfectly normal for emotions to dominate.

Nahen closed his eyes briefly, then opened them with a gentle smile. Seere's eyes widened in surprise.

"Let's go back. We'll have pudding when we get there."

"...Pudding? Can I really have some?"

"Yes. If you stop crying."

Seere's expression brightened as if she had never been crying at all. She slipped from Secily's arms and declared confidently to Nahen.

"I-I wasn't crying."

"Yes, you're not crying. Then shall we head back?"

"Yes!"

Hell, where the agonized cries of the dead surged alongside the never-extinguishing fires of sin. In a palace that felt slightly out of place even in that hell, an enchanting woman sat upon the head seat.

Bowing before her and trembling was the demon Lily, who until moments ago had been acting arrogantly while manipulating the Pope.

"Lily. Why have you returned so soon?"

"Th-that is... I was interrupted."

At Lily's report, the woman let out a hollow laugh. Even that breath carried a lewd undertone.

"Interrupted? You returned without completing my order just because of some minor interference?"

When the woman grew angry, Lily found it difficult to even breathe. Demons were beings stronger and of higher rank than the demon race, yet this demon Lily could show no bravado and suffered from pure instinctive terror.

Lily barely opened her mouth and forced out the words.

"Th-that interference was done by another great one...!"

"...What?"

The woman paused at Lily's excuse, then burst into another hollow laugh.

"Interference? When everyone agreed to it, who would dare interfere with my work? You dare report a lie?"

An intangible hand emerged from thin air and seized Lily's limbs. It began pulling as if to tear her apart.

Even amid the pain, Lily used every ounce of strength to explain. If she didn't, she would truly die.

"Aaaagh... The one who commands the Beasts of the Apocalypse..."

"...What?"

At that moment, the hand's grip loosened and Lily fell to the floor with a thud. It was shocking, but far less painful than the moment when her limbs had nearly been torn off.

"Speak clearly. Who interfered?"

"The one followed by the Beasts of the Apocalypse... suddenly appeared."

"......"

The woman's eyes rolled. Then, unconsciously, the corners of her mouth lifted. She gestured for Lily to leave at once.

"I-I will take my leave."

After Lily barely composed herself and withdrew, the woman covered her mouth with her hand. She was hiding her smile.

It was extremely rare for the master of lust to conceal her smile, but now she had no choice. She did not want to show this emotion to the others.

"I wondered where he went after emptying even his own country..."

A chilling gaze gleamed in the darkness. The lips hidden behind her hand drew a perfect arc.

"So that's where you were."