The Curtain Falls
The battle intensified as time wore on.
Aura and flashing blade strikes scattered in disarray, steadily reducing the dining room to rubble beneath them. Yet the strange part was that the faster and more ferocious their clash grew, the quieter the room seemed to become. Their tempo accelerated and the raw momentum they poured out grew fiercely concentrated, yet the accompanying din seemed to recede into the distance—fading until a sudden chill prickled at the nape of my neck.
Amidst that chaos, Cecilia and I remained trapped in our own endless loop of an argument.
"I have no idea what it is you expect me to wait for."
"I can persuade her... Or there might be another way! There has to be!"
"There isn't. How many times do I have to tell you?"
"T-Then... In that case! Even if I have to use this...!"
Cecilia clutched the Legendary relic hanging around her neck—the Holy Divinity of Early Dawn.
"Are you planning to invoke God's Miracle? I won't allow it."
"Why not?!"
"You can only invoke that once every ten days. Ten days is more than enough time for us to reach the Great Forest. If you're going to use it, save it for Sukra. Besides, even if you did unleash it, it probably wouldn't neutralize the relic Delarang holds."
"Are you saying not even the Goddess's divine authority can overcome that relic?!"
"It's not Her complete authority; it's merely a fraction of it manifested through an artifact."
"Kh...!"
Backed into a corner, Cecilia's eyes trembled wildly.
"I can't fathom what you're agonizing over. Is making a decision really that difficult?"
"Of course it is!"
"Because of the hostages?"
"T-That too, but...!"
"Hmm..."
The concept of a 'benevolent demon' seemed to have plunged her into even deeper turmoil.
Sensing that her inner conflict had reached its boiling point, I cast a subtle glance toward Delarang. Catching the cue, she let out a quiet sigh. Her expression practically screamed, Do I really have to go through with this...? but she quickly steeled her resolve and summoned her demonic energy.
"Die! You evil bastard!"
"What?!"
Unlike ordinary demonic energy, a saw-toothed blade glowing a dark, blood-tinged crimson lunged straight for me.
"Hup!"
"Hraaaagh!"
Cacciola's daggers and Lampon Pashtra's battle axe swung out in unison to parry the strike, setting off a deafening metallic roar. Pashtra's display was especially awe-inspiring; the effortless way she swung an axe nearly the size of her own body to dominate a vast swath of space was intimidating in its own right.
"Why are you doing this all of a sudden?! Delarang! Please, stop!"
"Saintess. Though demon blood runs through my veins, I despise demons with every fiber of my being."
"What are you talking about so out of nowhere?!"
"The reason I hate demons is that every single one I have seen and endured has been wicked, cunning, and delighted in mocking human emotions and dignity."
Delarang's expression softened into one of poignant sorrow. That didn't look like acting; that seemed completely genuine. Well, given that Cecilia had awakened the ability to discern truth from falsehood, only genuine conviction would ever work on her.
"Just like how I took the people of this village hostage."
"Y-You're different from demons like that!"
"No. I am the same. Because I, too, can understand the psychology and mindset of demons. That is why I can commit acts only a demon would dare to do."
"What...?!"
"Yet at the same time, I also understand the human heart and how humans think. And so, while I understand demons, I detest them. That includes myself; I am no exception. Saintess... Is this heart of mine a blessing, or is it a curse?"
"......"
"I hate and revile the demon blood flowing through my veins. And I pity and cherish my human blood. To me, my very existence is nothing but love and hatred intertwined."
"...What does that have to do with attacking Lord Alzen?"
"Because that man is the very embodiment of what I despise—a true demon!"
"What...?!"
A bewildered Cecilia whipped her head around to look at me. I gave a slight shake of my head, feigning complete ignorance.
"Have you really not realized it?! That man is a demon! I saw the scales and feathers sprouting from his left arm! He's a demon wearing the guise of a human! And not just some ordinary high demon, but one wielding power comparable to a Demon King!"
"A-Ah...! N-No! You're wrong! That's a misunderstanding!"
Turning pale as a sheet, Cecilia frantically tried to talk Delarang down, but Delarang, seemingly swept up in her own dramatic performance, stoked her demonic energy with impassioned fervor.
"Saintess, you have been thoroughly deceived by that wicked demon! A cowardly beast who toys with bonds, trust, and dignity with a deceitful tongue!"
"No, you're wrong! Lord Alzen isn't that kind of person!"
"Are you claiming he isn't a demon?"
"Yes! Lord Alzen merely... merely had a part of his body mutate like a demon's, that's all!"
"...Then what about me, Saintess?"
"Pardon?"
"Am I a demon? Or am I human? Tell me."
"...!!"
Cecilia froze solid, the light in her wide eyes instantly hazing over. She had plunged deep into her inner consciousness—a state of profound spiritual awakening.
"...Ah~ alright, alright, that's enough, everyone. Wrap it up."
Clapping my hands twice, I called a halt to the battle raging around us. I had hoped to foster some growth in the other little ones as well, but judging by their expressions, that wasn't going to happen.
"Hehe, I knew it! As expected of my brother!"
"I had a feeling, but sure enough..."
Vivian was beaming brightly as if she had seen it coming all along, while Arpe gave a hollow sigh, having apparently caught on to the scheme behind the curtain. Tsk, sharp little brats. Would it kill them to get naively, purely invested like Cecilia? I put on a whole theatrical performance just for their benefit, after all.
"...So it truly was a staged act."
"You are wicked, Lord Alzen."
"Your acting was downright terrible. It was embarrassing to watch as your sister."
"Please don't be so harsh, Lady Weller. I'm sure Lord Alzen did his best..."
Nemeth, Wendy, Weller, and even Lira chimed in. Their commentary annoyed me, but I simply brushed it off with a wave of my hand.
"Huh? Huh? What happened? Did something happen?"
Only Lampon Pashtra stood there thoroughly lost, question marks practically floating above her head. Cute. You stay delightfully simple just like that, Pashtra.
"It's alright, nothing's wrong. More importantly, Pashtra-unnie, aren't you hungry? Look, this steak is still perfectly fine!"
"Uh, huh? Ah... thank you."
Vivian looked at Pashtra with fond affection, feeding her a steak that had miraculously survived the destruction.
"Is that enough?" Delarang asked, her shoulders slumping in deep exhaustion.
I nodded. "Yeah. It's a shame the other little ones didn't take the bait, but getting one out of the batch is good enough."
"...Please, never make me do something like that again."
"Hahaha. We'll see about that."
As she glared daggers at me, I held out my open hand. "More importantly, hand over what you promised."
"You talk like it was yours to begin with... You really have a terrible personality."
Grumbling resentfully, she handed over a dark crimson, glowing scroll-shaped relic. This was the Shroud of Sacrifice—a relic capable of transferring any damage taken by the bearer to a registered target, or conversely, transferring the registered target's damage back onto the bearer. Nostalgic. I used to run this relic into the ground back in the game...
"Clean."
I unrolled the scroll, but only a completely blank parchment met my eyes.
"Naturally. I erased all the villagers registered on it long ago. Who knows what you might do with it?"
"...Is that so."
I gave a small nod and rolled the scroll back up. Delarang stared intently at me before letting out a soft sigh. Her expression carried an odd tinge of concern.
"You shouldn't be like that. Why don't you ever refute it?"
"Refute what?"
"You aren't the kind of person who would do something like that, are you?"
"...I honestly have no idea how you arrived at that conclusion. Are your eyes just decorative?"
"Maybe they are. But my intuition and instincts tell me that you're a gentle, tenderhearted person."
"Ha. Must be a defect from being a half-breed."
"......"
She held my gaze for a quiet moment, then suddenly thrust a small vial toward me. "Drink this, sober up, and try saying that again. If you can."
"...Seeing as you performed your role admirably, I'll provide the support I promised."
"Don't change the subject. Or are you afraid? Afraid of having your true self exposed?"
"Shut up. How can I expose a 'true self' when I never hid anything in the first place?"
"If you say so."
"......"
I bared my teeth in annoyance, but she only smiled as if finding it endearing.
"...Muriel."
"Yes, Master."
Muriel pulled gold bullion from the Subspace Pouch and began stacking it into a gleaming pyramid. Delarang's jaw dropped.
"That should be more than enough funds... And I'll give you other things as well."
With a flick of my fingers, Muriel handed over the Subspace Pouch. "Let's see here..."
The haul salvaged from Hegelina Krenkel's laboratory was far more diverse and plentiful than expected. Self-Propagating Seeds to solve any food scarcity. Chimera Golems that could serve as both manual labor and military strength. A Black Crystal capable of disrupting a target's cognitive faculties to brainwash and manipulate them.
"W-Wait a minute. Brainwashing and manipulation? Such a relic exists? No, before that, is it really alright to give me something like that?"
"It doesn't work on anyone truly strong. At best, it might barely manage Aura Lower rank."
"...That sounds like it would work on the vast majority of people."
"I trust you won't abuse it. Put it to good use. And..."
"There's more?"
"You need personal equipment tailored for yourself, don't you?"
I dumped out an assortment of Rare Grade Artifacts. "Let's see... this one, and this, and also this..."
"......"
Delarang stood dumbfounded, watching in utter silence until I had picked out an entire set for her.
"Lastly, this too."
"...What is this?"
"Eat it."
"Eat it?! This thing?!"
When I held out the Permanent Flesh, her face twisted in visceral revulsion.
"It's good for your health. You'll get stronger once you eat it, so grit your teeth and swallow."
"I find that hard to believe... Is that... is that really true...?"
Delarang looked back at the rest of the party, and they offered wry, sympathetic nods.
"U-Ugh...!"
Unable to resist my insistence, she took the lump of Permanent Flesh, hesitated for a long while, and then forced herself to chew and swallow it down.
A few moments later.
"Urgh... It's true. My physical strength and mana... ugh, I can feel them surging dramatically. But I never want to eat that again...!"
Smirking, I lifted Cecilia up in my arms. Still lost in her deep state of awakening, she slumped limply against my chest without resisting.
"Well then, we're taking our leave."
"...You're leaving already?"
"We got what we came for, so of course. We're on a tight schedule."
"That was... quite the brief and tempestuous encounter." Sighing, she waved her hand with a feigned air of indifference. "Still, I'll never forget it as long as I live. Until we meet again, should fate allow it."
"Yeah. See you around."
Boarding the carriage without delay, the rest of the party and I set off toward our next destination. Yet a peaceful rest remained elusive.
"...Lord Alzen. I believe it's about time you gave us an explanation."
Because I was immediately cornered by questions from an entourage whose curiosity had reached its absolute limit.
"...What a pain. An explanation about what?"
"About Shepherd Village, about Delarang, why you spared her despite her demonic heritage... There is so much we wish to know."
"Haaah..."
Gulping down a mouthful of booze, I began rambling through everything I knew.
After some time had passed and the full story was laid bare, the girls nodded in understanding.
"I see... A half-human, half-demon..."
"So the hostage situation was an entire fabrication..."
"To think such a hybrid could even exist..."
"Judging by the fact that Lord Alzen let her live, she must be someone who will benefit humanity, right?"
At Arpe's inquiry, I gave an equivocal tilt of my head. "Who knows? I can't say for certain. But at the very least, she isn't someone who'll cause harm."
"Hmm... But did you intend to put us through a trial from the very beginning?"
"That's right."
"And you were confident we would grow through it?"
"Yeah."
"Which is why you acted like that... Hmm, but it seems no one grew from it except Cecilia?"
"Tell me about it. If only the rest of you had been a little dumber, it would've worked like a charm."
If it had been just the younger girls, it undoubtedly would have succeeded. Rattling them by prodding at their lingering insecurities would have thrown them into turmoil. However, because composed figures like Nemeth, Wendy, Lira, and Weller didn't cause a fuss and calmly deduced what was happening beneath the surface, the younger ones were able to assess the situation coolly as well.
"Excuse me?"
Ignoring Arpe's sharp glare, I took another swig of alcohol. The gulf between game mechanics and reality was truly vast. When we swept up every conceivable treasure from Hegelina Krenkel's dungeon, this discrepancy had felt like an immense boon; watching the heroines miss their chance to grow in real-time, however, proved that reality wasn't without its drawbacks.
"......"
Worry and unease about the future loomed in my thoughts, but I washed them away with another heavy draught of booze. For now, let's just focus on doing what can be done. Our next destination lay to the north—beyond the ducal domain, deep within barbarian territory.
"You're telling me that was all an orchestrated act?! How could you do that?! Do you have any idea how seriously I was agonizing over it?!"
Bearing the brunt of Cecilia's fury once she finally snapped out of her awakening, of course, was an entirely different ordeal.