The Aftermath
The moment my left arm underwent complete demonification, I was rushed straight to the nearest Church branch.
In other words, we headed right back to the border town of Illusion Tail.
Across the barren expanses of the northern ducal territory, there were barely any settlements large enough to warrant a proper Church presence. Around here, Illusion Tail was the sole exception.
"Hmm. On the surface, it appears identical to the curse that afflicted Cardinal Perdio Hadim, but... there is one rather grave complication."
Having personally inspected my left arm, the Pope slowly shook his head in dismay.
"Is it because of this thing?"
Even without an explanation, I had a pretty good idea of what the issue was. Raising my left arm, I pointed to the crest etched into the flesh.
The intricate design, reminiscent of an archaic clock face, stood out starkly against the dark scales and plumage sprouting from my skin.
"Precisely. From what I was told, the Demon King carved it directly with her own hands... and because of that, her very soul and authority dwell within it."
"...Ha."
A breathless, dry laugh slipped past my lips.
That goddamn psycho bitch. When she babbled on about becoming one with me, she actually meant every damn word.
"Wait a minute. Can someone just hand over a soul and an authority to another person like a souvenir?"
"...Until now, I firmly believed it to be impossible. Yet here lies the undeniable proof before our very eyes. In all my long years, I have witnessed countless bizarre demonic arts, but I cannot begin to fathom how this was achieved. An authority is the karmic fruit inextricably bound to the soul, and the soul is the profound vessel that cultivates that authority... Yet right now, both exist within your body as distinct foreign entities. The soul tethered to your vessel, and the authority bound to that soul... Which means, to put it plainly, your current state is..."
Catching the Pope glancing at me with cautious hesitation, I smirked.
"Just spit it out. I'm not going to faint."
"Ahem. Forgive me. The sheer shock of it makes me hesitate to give voice to the thought." Smoothing his magnificent beard, he paused for a brief moment before letting out a weary sigh. "In essence, your current existence is functionally equivalent to being the Demon King's avatar."
"...Come again?"
I asked back, wondering if my ears were playing tricks on me, but the Pope merely offered another grave shake of his head.
"The Demon King's avatar? Me?"
"Theoretically speaking, that is. Nothing is certain."
"......"
Stunned into silence, I shut my mouth, but the gears in my head were spinning at breakneck speed. I rifled through countless hours of gameplay memories and the vivid lines of world-building lore etched into my brain, searching desperately for any relevant data.
There was nothing. Absolutely zilch.
"...Is there any way to get rid of it?"
"At present, nothing comes to mind."
"What about the method we used on Perdio Hadim?"
"It would be futile. The Demon King's soul and authority have already laid down deep roots. Even if we chopped your body into dozens of pieces, you would not revert to your original state. Furthermore, the constitution of your physical vessel is exceedingly peculiar. Despite having undergone demonification, there is not a single trace of demonic energy within you. Consequently, you can accept divine power without the slightest rejection. Truly, an unthinkable state... completely outside the natural order."
"Huh. Is that so?"
I let out a faint sigh and gave a curt nod.
"Well, guess it can't be helped. Oh, by the way, is the mutation going to keep spreading?"
"On that front... fortunately, because her soul and authority have anchored themselves entirely to your left arm, it shouldn't advance any further. There is no demonic energy present to drive the corruption forward, after all. Though, naturally, I cannot offer an absolute guarantee."
"That's a relief, then. Good enough for me."
Sure, my left arm looked like an absolute monstrosity now, but honestly? Viewed from a certain angle, it almost looked kind of badass. Plus, the arm felt absurdly sturdy and dense with raw power. In gamer terms, you could practically call this a stat buff.
"...How can you sit there acting like none of this matters?"
"Hm?"
Cecilia, who had been listening to our exchange in silence, looked up at me with an utterly bewildered expression. Her pale face was so brimming with heartfelt worry and distress that it felt suffocatingly heavy.
"Sir Stanasila Alzen. Does it truly not matter to you what happens to your own body and soul? Aren't you terrified? Aren't you worried at all?"
"Oh, I'm terrified out of my wits. I'm shaking so hard I can barely breathe."
I tossed out the answer with a sarcastic smirk, but roughly half of it was genuine.
Of course, what I was actually worried about wasn't the body and soul of Stanasila Alzen. I was worried about my real body, my real soul.
If a Demon King's soul and authority were grafted onto me, what the hell was happening to Kang Han-gil's soul? If I ever managed to return to my original body, would there be bizarre side effects? Or worse... would I be barred from ever going back because my soul had been fundamentally tainted?
Thinking about it made a surge of bitter indignation boil in my chest.
Getting dragged into this godforsaken world against my will was unfair enough, and now I had to deal with this grotesque crap too? If whoever pulled me into this mess had even a shred of conscience, shouldn't they have at least protected my soul from this kind of nonsense?
"Are you joking at a time like this? Sir Stanasila Alzen, please answer me seriously!"
"......"
Yet the remaining half of me was resigned to a careless, fuck-it-all attitude.
Sure, I had set reaching the game's ending as my objective, but that was solely because it was the only actionable path in front of me. There was no guarantee that clearing the world would send me home. I threw myself into it just to stay sane, to bury my head in tasks so I wouldn't have to dwell on my miserable reality.
Besides, if things truly went to absolute hell, I could always slit my own throat and loop back anyway.
"Heh... and what are you going to do once you hear an answer?"
Enveloped in a heavy, languid apathy, I slouched back and offered Cecilia a lazy, cynical grin.
"Ah...!?"
The indignant scowl on her face vanished in an instant. The moment she caught sight of the vacant emptiness in my eyes, all the color drained from her cheeks, and she took a reflexive step back.
"Ugh... my head's throbbing. I need a drink. Where's Muriel?"
"I am here, Lord Alzen."
With a quiet rustle, Muriel rose smoothly from my shadow, fixing me with her customary, perfectly blank expression.
"Muriel. Liquor."
"Yes. Right here."
She produced a bottle of harsh distilled spirits. As I tipped it back and poured a generous mouthful down my throat, a scorching heat blazed through my esophagus straight into my stomach.
"Kahhh... Ah, yeah. That hits the spot. Finally feels like the fog in my head is clearing up. Heh..."
Grinning like an utter delinquent, I turned my attention back to the Pope, who had been quietly scrutinizing me with a grave demeanor.
"Hey, Your Holiness. There's something I'm curious about."
"If it is within my power to answer, I shall."
"If the Demon King's soul and authority are fused with me, does that mean I can use her authority too?"
Flinch!
At my question, the Pope's shoulders jerked visibly. His brow furrowed as if the dreaded shoe had finally dropped.
"I... cannot give you a definitive answer. It remains uncertain whether a divine authority can truly be transferred to another being. However, in my personal estimation... the probability is exceedingly high."
"Oho. Really?"
Rubias's authority was a cheat-tier power that manipulated time and space at will. If I could actually wield that kind of power... well, things might get pretty damn entertaining.
"So, how do I activate an authority?"
"...I haven't the faintest idea. I have never wielded one myself."
"Cecilia. Do you know?"
"I have no idea."
"Is that so? Hmm..."
I flexed the hideous, heavily muscled left arm back and forth. I tried focusing my consciousness into it the way I did with relics, and even tried circulating mana through the limb, but nothing happened. Not even a spark.
"...Well, I guess if an authority were that easy to pop off, it wouldn't be much of an authority."
Giving up without a second thought, I took another hearty swig of liquor and leaned my weight against Muriel's shoulder beside me.
"Then... all that's left is tying up the loose ends. Right, Your Holiness?"
"......"
"What does the Church plan to do with me? Brand me a heretic and execute me on the spot? Or lock me up in some dungeon to poke and prod at me as a research specimen?"
A heavy shadow fell across the Pope's face, turning his expression profoundly grim.
"What in the world are you saying?! Do you honestly believe our Holy Order would do such a dreadful thing?!"
Cecilia shouted in shock, but when neither the Pope nor I offered a denial—merely trading a heavy, loaded glance—her voice faltered into anxious panic.
"Uh... Your Holiness? He's wrong, right? Tell me he's wrong!"
"...Regrettably, a human who has undergone demonification poses an unimaginable danger, Cecilia."
"I-I know that! But executing or imprisoning Sir Alzen after he fought alongside us is going entirely too far! Besides, you said yourself that the mutation won't spread any further! I can't sense even a speck of demonic energy from him! Doesn't that mean he's safe?!"
"...Setting aside Cardinal Perdio Hadim, Sir Stanasila Alzen is only the second human to ever survive demonification. Yet his circumstances differ fundamentally from the Cardinal's. No one can predict what manner of transformation he might undergo in the future."
"E-Even so...! Ah! Sir Alzen was the one who wanted to slay the Demon King in the first place! Furthermore, he knows secrets of the past and the future! He possesses an unfathomable wealth of knowledge from origins unknown! Putting him to death would be an catastrophic loss for all of humanity!"
Realizing the gravity of the situation, she desperately scrambled to plead my case, listing my usefulness with such clumsy earnestness that both the Pope and I couldn't help but crack bitter smiles.
"W-Why are you looking at me like that...? Am I wrong?"
"If Sir Alzen's intelligence were limited strictly to monsters and demons, that would indeed be the case. However... the problem lies in the fact that his knowledge extends far beyond that, child."
"What...? What do you mean..."
"Should he ever become our enemy, he would be more lethal and terrifying than anyone in existence, Cecilia."
"...!!"
Cecilia's face went stark white.
"N-No! Absolutely not! I don't care what you say! Executing or locking Sir Alzen away is something I, as the Saintess, will never permit! I choose to place my faith in him!"
Watching her plant herself firmly between me and the Pope, throwing an obstinate tantrum like an angry child, I let out an involuntary sigh.
"Hey now, Saintess. Why don't you tone it down a notch? Anyone watching would think I was mind-controlling you."
"Excuse me?! Do you have any idea who I'm doing this for—"
"Don't sweat it. It's not like I have any intention of dying quietly, and I sure as hell won't let myself be locked in a cage... Muriel. Go fetch my father."
"Understood, My Lord."
Watching her sink seamlessly into the floor shadows—a spectacle that never failed to fascinate—I took a deep, steadying breath.
"Phew... In short, the issue is that you have no guarantee I won't turn traitor against humanity, right?"
"That is correct."
"Then all we need is someone to stand as my guarantor. Someone with enough weight... like Stanasila Urtega, for instance."
Click.
As if he had been waiting right outside for his cue, the clinic door swung open. Duke Urtega stepped inside, swept a sharp gaze across the room, and met the Pope's eyes with an expression carved from solid iron.
"I shall stand as guarantor for Stanasila Alzen. Should he ever betray humanity and bear fangs against our kind, my own blade shall sever his neck."
"Damn. Now that's a true duke for you. Cold-blooded to the bone. Hear that, Your Holiness? That's his guarantee."
"...If Duke Stanasila Urtega himself stands as guarantor, then even the Holy Church must yield. Very well. The Church solemnly pledges that we shall pose no threat nor enact any interference regarding Sir Stanasila Alzen's safety."
"Haaah...!"
Finally grasping the resolution a beat late, Cecilia let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief.
"......"
And then, she turned around and glared daggers straight at me.
"Why are you glaring at me like that? Everything worked out for the best, didn't it?"
"You jerk...! If you already had a solution prepared, you should have said so from the start! You made me look like an absolute fool, wearing myself out for nothing!"
"For nothing? You were plenty helpful."
"Huh?"
As she blinked in confusion, I reached out and gave her shoulder a couple of reassuring pats.
"If you, the Saintess, had stood there passionately demanding my head on a pike, the Pope wouldn't have backed down nearly this easily. As the living proxy of the Goddess, your word carries the weight of divine scripture. Isn't that right, Your Holiness?"
"Ho-ho-ho."
The Pope offered nothing more than a mild, hearty chuckle.
Which only made him seem all the more chilling.
Sly old fox of a geezer.
"So, in a very real sense, your defense of me is what saved my hide. Thank you, Cecilia. You're my lifesaver."
"Uh, ah... Is... is that how it works? C-Cough! Well, I suppose that's a relief then. Yes! There's no need to thank me. I merely did what was right."
Seeing her puff her chest out with triumphant pride, I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Brother! Are you all right?! Eeeeeek?! What on earth happened to your arm?!"
"Hey. What the hell is that?"
Just then, the clinic door was slammed open as Vivian and Weller barged inside. The moment their eyes locked onto my monstrous left arm, one let out a shrill scream of panic while the other's voice dropped to a grim, dangerous register.
Gulp.
Sensing that this room was about to turn into an absolute madhouse, I promptly tipped the bottle back and took another massive swig of liquor.