He's Fallen (1)

The Fourteen Six Demons. What manner of creatures had they been, exactly?

The Skeleton Demon King himself had been infuriating enough, but the Fourteen Six Demons who guarded him were, to a man, a collection of absolute eyesores.

Especially Shabnak!

He had been the Skeleton Demon King's closest butler and his Silent Assassin — who could even count how many servants of the gods had vanished by his hand?

True to his role as a butler who screened out unnecessary guests for his master, he had never once allowed anyone to even approach the Skeleton Demon King without permission.

At any rate, among all the Fourteen Six Demons, Shabnak was the very first gate one had to break through — past the doorkeeper, before ever laying eyes on the King.

He was also the only demon who could be subdued at all, purely because he was undead.

And now they wanted to do what with him?

'Turn him into a human?'

Was he out of his mind?

As the God of Penal Law, he had no choice but to be flabbergasted.

But Isaac was dead serious.

"Do it. You're the one god who can."

The God of Penal Law. The one who decreed punishment, the one who governed the rules. In principle, his duty was to assess a sinner's crimes, bring them to their knees with a sentence, and guide them toward repentance.

In the old order, the God of Penal Law crafted the rules, the God of Judgment delivered the verdict, and the God of Punishment carried out the sentence.

'The God of Penal Law can rewrite even the laws of nature.'

So long as the purpose was punishment, that is.

To guarantee a sinner received his due, he could turn an unbreakable body of diamond into one soft and fragile. To ensure no one could ever flee from punishment, he could render their legs useless.

In other words — he could transmute attributes.

And turning an undead into a human...?

'Punishing an undead by making him human... yes, that is technically possible.'

Because the undead cannot feel pain.

In order to inflict the punishment of 'suffering' upon him, transform him into a human — the creature most vulnerable to suffering. Something like that. The attribute conversion was entirely within his power.

Granted, he was no God of All Creation, so there were conditions and limits — but possible it was.

The Skeleton Demon King himself existed beyond the reach of any god's authority; his own power alone could never have made the King human. But that demon? That demon he could do.

The problem was that this particular demon happened to be the Skeleton Demon King's subordinate, of all things!

'The only reason we ever managed to pin him down was because he was undead.'

Isaac alone was a handful enough. And now what — the enemy wanted him to eliminate his own weaknesses for them?

'If we turn that thing human, won't the entire encirclement just tear wide open?'

The God of Penal Law had, of course, already heard of the Fourteen Six Demons' escape. The gods had been pouring their every effort into hunting them down since news broke.

But if that creature became human, then tracking the Fourteen Six Demons would be plunged into permanent fog. Worse — as a human, the death-wound marring his body could be healed effortlessly with holy arts.

In fact, Isaac was snickering away, clearly counting on exactly that.

Which meant the God of Penal Law had only one possible answer.

Contracting with the Skeleton Demon King had already been enough to drive him to the brink. Was the boy insane? Did he honestly expect the God of Penal Law to stand by and watch while the Demon King and his remnant minions lurked inside the sacred Holy Empire itself?

"Sure, sure. Go ahead and refuse. All I have to do is start talking about your little brother, after all."

But Isaac only curled his lips into a smirk. Then he began striding off somewhere with purpose, and the God of Penal Law hastily called after him.

"To see the Pope."

"I'll just unleash the Skeleton Demon King's true power right in front of him. He'll come drag me in all on his own."

The matter was far too grave to wave off as a joke.

The Pope was connected to the pillar gods of the God Realm. And not merely any pillar gods — he was linked to the god who effectively led the entire realm at this very moment.

"Oh, I know him very well. He and I once signed a contract together, remember?"

Even thinking about it made his teeth grind.

Meaning: it had been the Pope's family god who shoved a fraudulent contract under the Skeleton Demon King's nose.

"They hate me more than anyone. Flash my power in front of the Pope and they'll come running within ten seconds, giddy as schoolchildren."

"If I can't even save one subordinate I care about, I'd rather just die alongside him."

There was no hesitation in Isaac's steps. And when he actually began trying to unseal the Skeleton Demon King's power, the God of Penal Law let out a silent scream.

"You should have just said so from the start."

Resigned, the God of Penal Law poured his power into Isaac's outstretched hand.

At the surge of that overwhelming, blinding force, Isaac screwed one eye shut—

"Gwaaagh! Blegh, blegh! Filthy divine power!"

Just as Whisper wailed in disgust, Isaac placed his hand upon Shabnak's shoulder — and something astonishing began.

A sacred divine arts circle erupted beneath Shabnak's feet, and change swept over his body.

The rotting, near-mummified skin of his subordinate's flesh began to shift and smooth. The upper body that had swollen grotesquely in pursuit of power returned to a natural frame.

And then, like a Dullahan whose head had been replaced by a wisp of phantom vapor, a face began to grow where none had existed for hundreds of years.

A skull mantled in skin. Straight, clear eyes. A nose, a mouth — and hair!

As the figure before him approached something unmistakably human, Isaac's lips curled upward.

'Good.'

This would let him slip right past the Cardinals' pursuit!

Yes! He'd have himself a dependable, competent personal butler!

'Heh. He really was a fine one, wasn't he.'

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Silent Assassin, who had faithfully served at his side for hundreds of years...

...served at his side...

...huh?

Isaac stared at the newly human Shabnak and doubted his own eyes.

Shabnak becoming human — fine. And his clothes, little more than a threadbare rag, had all but ceased functioning as garments, leaving skin bared everywhere — also fine.

This would let him completely shake off the Cardinals and give the gods a solid slap in the face. Honestly speaking, it had all been part of the plan.

Since when, you ask?

Truthfully — since ten years ago.

It was a meticulously constructed scheme, one he had been refining ever since he found Shabnak in the Saintess's treasury.

Everything had gone precisely as Isaac predicted. Precisely as planned.

Yes. Everything, exactly as expected, except—

Isaac looked at the human Shabnak and asked, in the tone of a man confronting something he had failed to anticipate across several centuries.

"Shabnak."

"Yes."

"You were a woman?"

"Yes. It... appears I was."

Having learned his subordinate's gender after several hundred years, Isaac pressed a hand to his forehead.

...Yeah, that one I did not see coming.

The headless Dullahan Shabnak — in other words, a stolid, immovable wall of a creature. This was someone who had once answered even the lightest lewd joke with absolute, deadpan seriousness.

'I mean... the build was male, the voice was male!'

Well, being undead, communication was closer to telepathy, so the timbre of a voice carried no meaning. And as a Silent Assassin, a body hardened by constant training was only natural.

And really — what had gender ever meant to an undead in the first place?

The reason Isaac had clutched his forehead was simply the realization that, for several hundred years, he had been steeped in prejudice.

'From now on, I shall look upon all things with a more open mind.'

Yes! An open mind! Starting with stealing the God of Wealth blind!

Just then, Shabnak appeared before Isaac, now dressed in a butler's uniform of the Holy Empire.

"...Anything uncomfortable?"

"It is strange to be able to feel sensation."

"You'll probably come to like it once you're used to it. Anyway — your identity must not be discovered. Especially not by your grandfather, or the Eshuas who are dead set on cracking the Skeleton Demon King's skull."

"Understood. Especially the Blue Cardinal, who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was Pope-caliber, if I recall."

Right — he fully intended to work the God of Penal Law to the bone, but it was still wise to be careful around family.

Heaven only knew what would happen if the Eshuas — all hopelessly obsessed with the Skeleton Demon King — collided with the loyal retainer Shabnak.

Yes, caution was best, and yet—

"ISAAC!!"

"!"

Shuri came sprinting toward him from nearby, screaming his name.

"Where the hell have you been this whole time!"

"Working hard to guard the household's patron spirit. Made a real racket doing it, too."

"Ugh! There's absolute chaos because of the terrorist attack right now!"

"Terrorist attack?"

"Yes! The Gold priests got attacked, and so did that Chief the Senior General Leader you stomped all over! They're hunting for the culprit right now!"

Ah. The culprit is standing right here, actually.

Isaac glanced sideways at Shabnak, but the demon's face betrayed nothing. If anything, what radiated off him was not the stillness of a bomb but the quiet fury of someone who genuinely wanted to grind someone into paste.

"Anyway, that's not the important part! You've been blacklisted!"

"Blacklisted? By whom?"

"Who do you think! The 2nd-Grade seniors! They said no one is to help you with anything — not to include you when they form teams for the Imperial mission, not even to post the mission notice where you can see it!"

"Then why are you telling me?"

"...Because I'm your family."

"Oh? Then you've teamed up with me, I take it?"

"Why would I?"

...Excuse me, you brat?

"Yeah, I care about you. But I don't want to get tangled up in your mess."

This absolute son of a—

"All the direct descendants of House Eshua are gathering at the New Year celebration next month."

"Hah. Direct descendants? So, just more Eshuas."

"Don't be cocky. You've never seen them, not even once, but do you have any idea how many monsters are in that branch? Grandma and this generation's Saintesses will all be there too."

Kehek.

He really, really wanted to avoid the Saintesses.

"Succession might come up. So you need to rack up at least a little credit on the Imperial mission. From this point on, consider us rivals. Handle your own messes — I refuse to be dragged down because of you."

"Oh? Then why don't you go roll somewhere right now?"

When Isaac smoothly drew out his rattle, Shuri froze solid and hiccupped in fright.

"I-I already have a team!"

"Ah. Whatever, fine. I'll just do the Imperial mission alone. I've been meaning to look into the Imperial Palace anyway."

"You won't manage that alone."

"What?"

"Do you even know ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what this Imperial mission is? Finding the Skeleton Demon King's spy."

"...The Skeleton Demon King's spy?"

What kind of dogshit nonsense is this now?

"They say there's a spy of the Skeleton Demon King inside the Imperial Palace. One of his followers — apparently someone's been conducting a summoning ritual for the Demon King."

Isaac gave an empty laugh.

I'm right here. Who exactly are you planning to summon, hm?

"But whatever, how bad could it be?"

"Bad. They found someone who looks like the culprit — a 6th-Tier squad ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was annihilated, and even a 7th-Tier Imperial knight got taken down."

"That's pretty serious. And they're making apprentices hunt that?"

"Well, if you spot it, you just call over a His Excellency, so. Point is, the commission's that difficult. Pairs are mandatory. Of course, if you grovel and beg real nicely, your dear big brother might—"

"Save it. I've got plenty of people who'd team with me that aren't you."

"?"

As Shuri shot him a who on earth would work with you look, Isaac pointed at Shabnak.

Shuri nearly jumped out of his skin.

"GAH! Where did you even— no. Who is this beauty?!"

The face of someone around nineteen, framed in a perfectly blank expression — Shuri clutched at his chest. Granted, the Eshua clan was long accustomed to staggering good looks, but even he had been momentarily stunned.

"Who is this person, and why are they hanging around with a degenerate like you!"

"Ah. I saved them while they were being attacked by a demon."

"...By a demon?"

"I was actually tracking one of the Fourteen Six Demons, and there were people caught up in it. Probably got hit by them, not the one I was after."

[You catch on remarkably fast, my lord.]

Yeah, shut it.

"When I saved them, they insisted on repaying the debt and followed me here."

But Shuri only eyed Isaac with deepening suspicion.

...A rescue operation.

There was no way this bastard had done something like that.

No — setting that aside, the fact that it was a woman of unknown identity gnawed at him.

'There are plenty of people who'd love to abduct an Eshua.'

What if this person had approached knowing Isaac was an Eshua? At that suspicious stare, Shabnak turned a frosty gaze upon Shuri.

"Please, do not worry. I have come to become your master's servant."

"...Your master? ...Your servant?"

Something was off here, but if they were talking about sworn service — a holy knight, then?

Shuri's eyes sharpened.

"State your origin and affiliation. Now."

At those words, Shabnak winced inwardly. Come to think of it, his lord had told him to mind his tongue.

"My apologies. Not a servant — I am my master's slave."

"Y-your— slave?!"

"Yes. Day and night alike, I intend to attend to my master's every need as his devoted slave—"

Shocked to his core, Shuri lunged to seize Isaac by the collar — his face, for some inexplicable reason, blazing scarlet.

"Isaac!! You shameless little brat, you've gone completely off the rails already! What do you think a priest is supposed to do!"

Then he bellowed at Shabnak as though warning her off.

"Don't even dream about it! Isaac's a direct descendant — he'll have a betrothed eventually! We can't have any complications! You're unnecessary, so get lost!"

"Ah, there is no need for concern. I have no intention of laying a finger on my master's betrothed. I merely wish to attend to my master's soul, stroking it with all due care."

H-his soul?!

"I can never forget my master's grace. Even if I wished to leave, I could not. So I beg you — allow me to remain at his side."

Whatever image had just bloomed in his head, Shuri — face now the color of a boiled beet — shrieked and bolted from the room.

"GRANDFAAAATHER! Isaac's learned something even worse again!"

That little twerp.