He's Fallen (3)
The Blue Enclosure.
Together with the main estate, the mansion in the capital was where the direct bloodline of House Eshua spent the most time.
And for Isaac—who had run away from home vowing to become a priest and had been holed up in the Holy See ever since—it was a place of great expectations, at that.
Why, you ask?
Good heavens, a hidden room!
Shuri explained that the place held deep significance for the Eshua family, but who cared!
Money!
Yes! The Pentagons were over now. The intensive training was finished too, which meant he needed a home to commute to!
And so, in service of his fated destiny as an Eshua, Isaac had crawled into the capital mansion instead of that filthy main estate!
"So you've already started learning bad habits? Is that what Blue taught you?"
This old coot won't even feed me, and now he's making me stand here?!
The head of the family's fury bristled, and Isaac—knowing all too well where the arrows of that anger would land—glared right back.
"I'm his bodyguard, Grandfather."
More importantly, why was this man still hanging around here instead of going back to the main estate, when the Sacrificial Offering Festival was already over?
In truth, the Sacrificial Offering Festival had concluded in spectacular fashion thanks to Isaac's unprecedented divine contract. Apparently, the God of the Penal Code—a deity only the Red Faith's successor was supposed to be able to contract with—choosing Isaac had become quite the scandal.
Even now, that rumor was spreading bit by bit among the onlookers.
And with the nobles dispersing to their territories to prepare for winter, the head of the Blue Faith would have to return to the main estate as well.
"You said you'd be settling in at the capital, so I settled in too."
No, why?!
"Someone has to learn how to wield the Supreme God's power."
Don't need to! I'll terminate the contract and sign with the God of Wealth instead!
Shut up!
"When this old grandfather refused to go back to the main estate, everyone grieved and tried to talk me out of it… and yet I stayed here, all the same."
Then just go, already!
The head of the family insisted, for some reason, that he had deliberately remained in the capital—but Isaac only furrowed his brow.
Tch, and here I was planning to smuggle Shavnakh through the apprenticeship while Grandpa was away.
Well, nothing for it now.
Come to think of it, if Grandfather approved it himself, there'd be no one left to complain, wouldn't that be even better?
"Anyway, once I pass the apprenticeship, I get to appoint a 3rd-rank personal priest, right? I'd like to choose the person I want, if possible."
But the head of the family simply stared at Shavnakh. And the old man's eyes narrowed, as if probing for the demon's true nature.
Those eyes seemed to peer into the very soul, and even Isaac couldn't help tensing for a moment.
It was only natural. The cardinals were, by definition, the heads of the priesthood charged with hunting down Demon Kings.
Don't tell me he's caught on to the Fourteen Six Demons thing?
Of course, no human could possibly see through a humanization performed with the God of the Penal Code's help.
But the head of the Blue Faith was so immensely strong that even Isaac acknowledged it. Had the man sensed something, then—
"What kind of talk of marriage is this from a boy so young?"
"Huh?"
"If he's a bodyguard, then he'd better be skilled."
At that, Shavnakh's eyes glinted.
"Have no fear. I am confident in my abilities. I will never lose to anyone present in this room."
Hearing this, Rillai couldn't hold his tongue and clicked his tongue.
"I admire the confidence, but Isaac has already promised to go hunt the Skeleton Demon King with this uncle of his. I'm sure Isaac would prefer my protection as well—"
"Nope. Don't need it anymore. I like Shav better."
"?!"
As Rillai's face crumbled like the end of the world, Asili stepped forward.
"Young master. No matter how you feel, you cannot defeat a trained knight of Blue. If you wish, I could—"
"No. I like this big sis more than any Eshua."
This time even Asili looked as though she'd been slammed over the head with a hammer. Only Shuri, shooting them a killer glare, muttered, 'See? See? Told you she's his girlfriend.'
At last, the eyes of Rillai and Asili flickered and blazed to life.
"Head of the family. Allow me to test his skills myself."
"No. I'll do it."
Before long, Rillai was striding over with fury in his eyes and sword drawn, and Shavnakh, waving a hand, sent a telepathic message.
…No.
Shavnakh was not a pureblood True Demon, and so had certain weaknesses compared to them, but he was still a supreme 9th-tier demon.
One wrong move and those people will all die…….
No, come to think of it, this was a priest's mansion. Shavnakh would fight using pure martial arts without touching his demonic mana, so surely it would be fine?
Hmm. No, actually.
On the contrary—having opponents of that caliber step up was exactly what would prove Shavnakh's skill in one stroke.
And sure enough.
"Well, if he prefers that fellow over his own kin, his skills must be worth something. Beat him in the skill test, and I'll take him into our family on the spot. I'll grant him the qualification of a 1st-rank knight."
At those words, Benjamin, who had been standing quietly, broke into a fit of coughing.
"Father! A 1st rank?! No matter how you look at it, that's—! That's a senior knight's title that takes at least ten years of accumulated merit to earn!"
"Well, consider it his reward for glorifying the name of Eshua at the Sacrificial Offering Festival and landing a solid blow on Sephet."
"That is far too great a reward for a ten-year-old!"
"Oh, we can simply strip Rillai of his title to make room."
"Father?!"
At the head of the family's words, even Isaac's lips curled upward.
Heh. That's Grandpa for you—he speaks my language!
Yes! Everything's falling right into place!
A 1st-rank knight, no less!
Compared to a mere 3rd-rank lackey, that was general-level—a completely absurd rise in status. He would stand equal to Rillai and Asili. Moving about the Empire would become far easier, and screwing over the gods would get that much more convenient.
Excellent. Fight, Shavnakh! Win it in style! Jab a straw straight into the backs of these Eshua bastards!
"As if I'd let you steal my nephew away."
Just as Rillai, looking delighted at how things were turning out, glinted his eyes and rolled up his sleeves—
"Who said either of you could do it?"
"…Pardon?"
The head of the family cracked his neck.
"I will."
"……."
At those words, everyone cried out as if they couldn't trust their own ears.
"WHAT?!"
"Father, you?!"
Isaac was every bit as flustered.
Whoa, whoa, Grandpa?!
Grandpa stepping in personally was just cheating!
Shavnakh, too, looked rather tense.
Rillai or Asili would have been one thing, but a cardinal was never an easy opponent. And Shavnakh, of all people, had been chased down by a cardinal before.
Granted, he had recovered his strength now, and the one who'd actually crossed blades with him had been the White Cardinal rather than anyone else—but still, the Blue Cardinal was absurdly strong. There was a reason people said that if he hadn't been stuck with the Gold Faith, he could easily have become Pope.
If that grandfather was his opponent, Shavnakh might well be forced to use his full power. And that risked exposing his true identity.
Can Shavnakh really face Grandpa without his demonic mana?
On reflection, better to shut this down.
"Grandfather, a 3rd-rank knight is fine by me, so honestly, Uncle would make a better test opponent—"
"Ha! If he can't handle a single cardinal, how does he expect to guard my grandson?"
No, most people never have to fight a cardinal in their entire lives?!
But in that very moment, the head of the Blue Faith vanished.
In the blink of an eye, the man was behind Shavnakh.
'!'
BANG!
At that merciless hand strike, the Eshua household all sighed in unison. However skilled Isaac claimed his new hire was, he was still only human, after all.
But the head of the Blue Faith was the one being in existence who could fight evenly with a half-transcendent Saintess or the Pope himself!
What terrible luck this fellow had.
'And that's that…….'
Yet moments later, they all found themselves doubting their own eyes.
Shavnakh—everyone had been sure he'd been caught from behind—had dodged the head of the family's strike.
"!"
No—it was more than a dodge.
'He blocked it?'
Having deflected the head of the family's attack, Shavnakh launched a counter of his own.
BAM!
The head of the family's open hand became a fist. It meant he was taking this seriously now. At last, a magnificent divine formation bloomed around the old man's fist.
CRASH!
The blows grew wilder with each clash of the holy formation, until the mansion itself shook and pillars exploded into splinters.
At the sight, Isaac clutched his brow as if his skull ached.
'Grandpaaa! At this point, doesn't it just mean you have no intention of accepting Shavnakh at all?'
This had already gone way past a skill test!
Meanwhile, the head of the family, facing Shavnakh head-on, was the one being surprised.
'Why is someone this strong wasting himself on that colt?'
The old man wasn't using his full strength—but neither was his opponent. They had exchanged only a handful of punches, yet that alone had been more than enough to gauge the man's abilities.
Which made it all the harder to understand.
'Honestly, he's far too good for my grandson. Almost a waste on him.'
The original plan had simply been to flush out the parasite latched onto his grandson. Isaac, having contracted with the Supreme God, was already being watched from every angle, in every sense of the word.
Those who wanted to curry favor, those who envied him, those who wanted to use him, those who wanted him eliminated. This woman, too, could well be a spy for one of them.
And that wasn't all.
He'd been concealing his strength to an unnatural degree all this while, deliberately aiming only for vital points… something about him was off.
'A demon……?'
He hadn't sensed demonic mana—but the head of the family had battled demons for so long that his instincts were razor-sharp. A demon, of all things, he could detect at a glance.
And so, in an instant, the old man's eyes flashed.
"!"
At the same moment, the very character of the holy power radiating from him changed in a heartbeat.
KZZZRACK!
The sudden shift to that ferocious holy art made even Isaac flinch. No one else would know it, but that was unmistakably an exorcism art—holy magic made specifically to cast out demons!
Shavnakh flinched too.
An exorcism art—and one wielded by the highest priest of Blue, the faith that stood at the very pinnacle of demon-hunting. Even a graze from it would leave not a trace of his soul behind.
It was a technique so agonizing that even high-ranked demons wept like children. Shavnakh, granted, could easily blunt its damage with his own mana.
But—
'I must not.'
Nothing that would cast suspicion upon his lord could ever be allowed.
Even if his mind shattered under the agony and death seemed a mercy by comparison—his lord's safety would be protected to the very end!
And so Shavnakh let all tension drain from his body. He had severed his strength entirely, lest his mana stir on instinct.
At that, Whisper shrieked as if he were the one dying of pain.
'Yeah, it's fine.'
As the exorcism art finally came pouring down, the Eshua household went white as sheets.
"Father!"
"An exorcism art, out of nowhere—why?!"
"That one is a demon. Drive it out."
"WHAT?!"
Every face in the room froze solid.
Isaac had brought a demon home? What in the world—!
"But none of us sensed even a hint of its aura!"
"You half-baked children. Well, as for that, we'll simply investigate it step by step… hm?"
But something was wrong with Shavnakh's appearance under the exorcism art. Far from suffering under a demon-banishing holy art—which any demon should have found agonizing…….
FLASH!
As if the holy power of the exorcism were actually feeding him, cords of muscle and veins bulged along Shavnakh's forearms.
And then, without missing a beat, he moved to strike at the head of the family——
What? Strike at him?!
In that instant, with a thunderous boom, the mansion shook to its foundations.