Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: Grand Parade (2)
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“⋯⋯.”
Gray silently gazed down at the finely pulverized remains on the floor.
They were someone's remains, ground into tiny pieces.
The forms of Viscount Cornelius and the demon called Alistair.
“According to the guard who found them first this morning, they were perfectly fine until yesterday.”
Felix said, scratching her cheek.
“They died without any resistance. No signs of a fight.”
“⋯⋯.”
Carlyle nodded quietly.
Viewed in isolation, it wasn’t anything special. By the ecology of demons as he remembered it, it was more surprising they hadn’t implanted a curse to kill them instantly upon mission failure.
But the problem was that they’d been slaughtered like this inside the imperial palace.
‘There’s still a demon intact deeper inside.’
[An enemy within, huh.]
A voice briefly rose in agreement from the holy sword.
They’d prevented the capital’s collapse, but the lurking threat nearby remained.
Moreover, what Felix had just said pointed to something even graver.
‘Died without resistance...’
[⋯⋯Meaning a far higher-ranking demon.]
Everything in hell was a lifeform forged from survival instincts and combat.
No matter the crisis of disposal, it didn’t make sense for them not to make a final struggle.
For such creatures to go so peacefully meant, in most cases, just one conclusion.
A foe of an entirely different league had personally descended—one where resistance was futile.
“⋯⋯.”
⋯⋯Unsettling.
From one to ten.
[You look extremely suspicious of this.]
‘The situation itself is.’
Just take the incident he’d confronted recently.
It hadn’t stood out, overshadowed by the crisis of the capital’s potential one-shot destruction.
From the start, in Carlyle’s view, everything they’d been through felt that way.
‘Why put a time limit on launching the rocket?’
[⋯⋯What?]
‘What I saw there didn’t seem to warrant it.’
At least the rocket’s state when Carlyle had gone to check it had been perfectly primed—just press a button to launch.
If they’d wanted, they could’ve fired it before his group even breached.
Yet they’d deliberately set a time limit.
A razor-thin one, just enough for his group to rush in and stop it.
⋯⋯Not a pleasant lineup of facts.
[What are you getting at?]
‘Something’s teasing at the edge of my grasp.’
A pattern emerges.
If there’s something this fishy, something must be checked thoroughly.
Otherwise, they’d trip hard.
The combination of info so far clearly pointed to one conclusion.
Carlyle was missing one massive piece.
He felt it vaguely, but couldn’t pin it down exactly.
“⋯⋯.”
Lost in those thoughts.
He suddenly noticed Gray beside him letting out a faint sigh.
Oh, right.
‘⋯⋯Why is Lady here?’
She didn’t seem the type to take interest just because these demons died.
“Lady, any interest in this incident?”
“Not really.”
Gray answered flatly.
“⋯⋯They’re demons. They can die.”
But the lady saying that somehow.
Looked a bit downcast.
Full of an unpleasant aftertaste.
Point that out, and Gray pouted slightly before speaking.
“I talked to them a few times.”
“⋯⋯.”
“⋯⋯That’s all, but still.”
With that, Gray idly kicked the floor.
Meanwhile, Carlyle gaped at her.
Good lord.
Was this really the same person who’d later throw everything away if it meant killing demons?
That some lingering sentiment had formed, enough to care about their fates.
“⋯⋯I’m disappointed too that we couldn’t kill them through proper procedure. If I’d known they could die like this, I’d have tried to stop it somehow. No alarm even went off.”
As Felix quietly said that, Gray irritably scratched her head.
“It is weird. I didn’t sense a thing.”
“Hm?”
“From personally beating on this one, I can say it was tough—wouldn’t die easily to ordinary attacks. For something that could kill it like this, I should’ve felt something—”
“—Hold on, Hero.”
“Hm?”
Gray turned at Carlyle’s words, her motion grinding to a halt.
Likely sensing something off right away from his expression.
“What did you just say?”
Something in Gray’s words.
Flipped a switch in his head.
A clue clicked.
What these demon bastards were plotting.
What kind of demon had done this here.
⋯⋯And how terrifying it was.
‘Ah, damn it.’
How had he missed this?
Obvious in hindsight.
[⋯⋯You?]
The hero in the holy sword called to him for a moment.
But Carlyle just gave a hollow laugh, running a hand over his face.
His guts twisted.
⋯⋯How had he not thought of this until now?
Only one suspect fit the bill.
One thing was certain.
If he hadn’t caught this just now, they’d have been in deep trouble.
“Hero. Cardinal.”
“⋯⋯What? Something to say?”
“Do you trust me?”
“⋯⋯?”
At Carlyle’s sudden words, Gray and Felix both tilted their heads.
“There’s something I need to handle.”
◆
The day of the grand parade.
The imperial army marched imposingly through the streets. Golden lion imperial flags fluttered everywhere, and fireworks with cheers bursting from all sides created a true festival atmosphere.
Amid that dazzling nightscape.
Carlyle was on the verge of being crushed to death by the surging crowds nearby.
“⋯⋯.”
Whoa, so many people it’s deadly.
The capital was crowded enough already, but the festival made it suffocating.
Blackie, carrying him, seemed to be enjoying it—thank goodness—but Carlyle in the center was dying.
Just standing still, his body moved on its own. Astonishing so many people in one city⋯⋯
‘⋯⋯Feels like I’m gonna die.’
[⋯⋯Definitely a density that’d tire even me.]
Well, the empire’s biggest festival—not incomprehensible.
And in such a situation, one thing to watch for.
‘Hero.’
[Yeah.]
‘⋯⋯If something’s gonna happen, today’s perfect, right?’
[Absolutely.]
With this many people gathered.
⋯⋯If an incident erupted, the casualties would dwarf anything before.
From the demons’ view, perfect to lull into complacency after the ‘rocket’ was stopped, then strike for real.
That’s why he was out here alone with Blackie, no escorts.
No situation to relax and enjoy the festival. No telling what or how something might blow up.
“⋯⋯Yeah, ah—?”
Mid-thought, Blackie tapped Carlyle’s crown from above.
Looking up, it beamed, rubbing his forehead with its tiny paw.
Why so serious? Look around—it’s so pretty, let’s enjoy together.
That’s what it seemed to say.
[Reading its mind now⋯⋯?]
‘⋯⋯It doesn’t talk much, so I can only guess.’
One thing felt watching Blackie: it just didn’t care for human social norms—not dumb at all.
Every action had a clear reason.
“⋯⋯.”
It had helped him dodge a bullet this time too.
Smiling at the thought, he stroked Blackie’s head.
It rubbed back against his palm with a purring cat-like face—adorable⋯⋯
“Cute, space, whoa—!”
“⋯⋯.”
⋯⋯Not adorable enough to roar like that, though.
Nearby people startled and turned, but the roarer ignored them, eyes flashing as it shoved through the crowd toward Carlyle.
“Ah, damn, why’s only Oppa touching it—! Let me too—!”
“⋯⋯.”
A familiar face.
“⋯⋯Liza Margrave?”
Carlyle called her name quietly, and she beamed.
“Long time! Doing well?”
“⋯⋯.”
⋯⋯What to say.
Then or now.
Every time he saw her, she gave off a mysterious vibe.
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