I've Fallen (4)
Something astonishing had just happened.
A powerful aura surged up from Shavnak's body. The force was anything but ordinary, and in the instant everyone flinched —
Shavnak's strike flew straight at the Head of House.
"Father!"
The Head of the House thrust out his palm and swiftly deflected Shavnak's blow.
BOOOOM!
At last, the overwhelming power of a 9th-tier demon collided head-on with that of a 9th-tier priest. Amid the shockwave, a ferocious torrent of force blew the entire mansion apart.
CRASH, KRRRRK!
KA-BOOM!
Power enough to make standing upright impossible shattered the mansion's pillars, walls, and windows alike.
"Ghk!"
A cloud of choking dust and stone debris blanketed everyone's vision.
And when their eyes finally opened, a thin cut had split across the Head of House's face, a single bead of blood trickling down.
Everyone's jaw dropped at the sight.
"Th-that's impossible……!"
Far from taking damage, Shavnak looked as though he had grown even stronger. It was enough to make the Head of the Blue Faith himself tilt his head.
"…Hmm? Why is he perfectly fine?"
"Why? Because he's a human, of course he's fine!"
The sons raised their voices in horror, as if demanding to know what on earth their father had done.
"Good heavens, you used Exorcism Arts on a human being!"
"If this were any other House, they'd be demanding a duel to the death right now!"
"Not just any holy art — Exorcism Arts… Have you lost your mind to old age?"
Exorcism Arts were an extraordinarily sensitive form of holy power in the Holy Empire. Their use effectively declared — no, confirmed — that the target was a demon, and the people of the Empire regarded them as a grievous insult.
In other words, it was something you must never do, not even by accident.
"This can't exactly end with an apology, you know……!"
Rillai lamented, but the second son, Benjamin, seemed to consider that beside the point as he pointed at the mansion's wall.
Where he pointed, a gaping hole gaped wide open. It made sense that Benjamin, the one in charge of the family's finances, would be seeing red.
"Who's going to pay for the mansion you just blew up, Father?! Do you have any idea how much repairs will cost?!"
"Ah……."
They had apparently concluded that Shavnak had been mistaken for a demon and exploded in rage — hence the demolished mansion.
Because of that, Rillai could only stare at Shavnak, inwardly startled.
"Well, at least now we know exactly how strong he is."
"In any case, the mansion repair costs will be deducted from Father's dignity-maintenance budget!"
"Ah……."
And that was when it happened.
The moment money came up, Isaac sidled quietly over to Benjamin and let out a loud, performative sob.
"Lord Benjamin. Grandpa called my person a demon."
"!"
At those words, the entire Eshua family flinched.
Branding an innocent man a demon was a gross violation of the Blue Faith's duty to protect the weak! To wield the mighty strength granted to them for guarding humanity so carelessly —
They could do nothing but swallow hard, while Isaac feigned tears, sobbing without shedding a single one.
"Because of Grandpa, Isaac is so, so sad. I've suffered a wound to my heart."
At that, the Head of House flinched, and Rillai patted the boy's head with a deeply apologetic look.
"You must have been so upset. I'm sure Grandpa didn't mean any harm by it……."
"Isaac's heart hurts so much."
"There, there. Grandpa must be terribly sorry for doubting him, so……."
Then Isaac raised his voice, as if that wasn't the point at all.
"Isaac's heart hurts SO! SO! Much! If only there were! Something! Specific! To! Treat! This wound of my heart!"
…No, seriously? You're actually going there with this?
The Head of House's eyebrow twitched. Then, looking rather put-upon, he gestured at his own cut face.
"Grandpappy got hurt too, you know."
"Isaac's heart hurts sooo much, he might fall to corruption."
…What did he just say?
At Isaac's words, the entire Eshua family flinched in unison. If Isaac — the bearer of the Supreme God's blessing — were to fall, it would be a catastrophe for the Blue Faith!
In the end, Benjamin pushed up his glasses and stepped forward quickly.
"We'll get you compensation for emotional damages. Out of Father's dignity-maintenance budget!"
"Shav got hurt too, tho."
"Of course Shav gets taken care of as well! Out of Father's dignity-maintenance budget!"
The Head of House, who had been getting milked dry at every turn, turned to Benjamin with an expression of pure incredulity.
"Excuse me. I was injured too."
"Father, kindly be quiet!"
…These unfilial little—?!
Benjamin flipped through the documents and let out a long sigh.
"Shav Roier. As far as our investigation goes, we turned up nothing about his hometown, relatives, or friends — nothing remarkable at all. There doesn't appear to be anything problematic, but… are you truly certain about granting this man a First-Rank title?"
"Yes. It's fine."
Ultimately, the Head of the Blue Faith had decided to grant Shavnak the First-Rank seat he had promised.
It was a position normally only attainable after years of service to House Eshua, so backlash was to be expected — but since the man would be serving as Isaac's personal bodyguard, it shouldn't be a serious issue.
If anything, considering everything Isaac had accomplished, it was practically a bargain.
'Besides, House Eshua's standing — with the Supreme God in its keeping — is in a league entirely of its own now.'
Still, Benjamin raised his glasses with a suspicious glint. Setting the matter of the title aside, the man was nothing if not thorough, and he had dug into Shavnak's background himself.
No matter how he looked at it, the fellow had either been brought in by Isaac to manufacture an identity, or had entered the household of his own accord with some hidden agenda……
"Is it wise to bring someone of unknown origin into Eshua? Surely you didn't use Exorcism Arts on him for no reason."
At that, the Head of House turned to his son with a look of utter disbelief.
"…The man who just lectured me and docked my dignity-maintenance budget is asking that?"
"Ahem. Well. You did do wrong, Father."
Though he had yielded the position of Head, Benjamin was no less a guardian of the family than anyone — a man who loved the Blue Faith more than anyone.
And he was also the sort who would forgive no one, whoever they might be, if they sought to harm the Blue.
True to form, Benjamin's eyes grew cold as he reviewed Shavnak's documents.
"Is this man really a demon?"
"I don't know. I couldn't sense a trace of demonic energy."
"Then it's possible he isn't a demon at all……?"
"No."
The blue light in the Head of House's eyes turned as sharp and cold as a wolf's.
"My instinct tells me. That thing is human — and yet it is not human. Not that it matters; even if a god came down to investigate, it would register as human."
"!"
His father's instinct — counted among the finest of any Cardinal in history — was one hundred percent accurate. No, though he called it instinct, in truth he was simply certain.
Admittedly, at this point it was closer to the Head of House's sheer stubbornness, but Benjamin trusted his father's instinct.
"Then shouldn't we be driving him out?"
It was already a delicate time, what with the Fourteen Six Demons having escaped. The official conclusion was that they had been freed by a rival House's blunder, but other demons might well seize this opening to slip into the Empire. After all, they were supposed to be after the Saint's life.
"If he came in targeting Isaac, bearer of the Supreme God's mark……"
"No. Leave him be. Better to keep him close where I can watch. Whatever he's plotting will come to light eventually."
Benjamin broke out in a cold sweat.
'He's taken quite a liking to that fellow, hasn't he.'
"And besides—"
"!"
"The important thing is that it was Isaac who brought him in."
"I'm sorry — Isaac?"
Benjamin wondered if his father really doted on the boy that much, but the look in the Head of House's eyes as he thought of Isaac was, if anything, perfectly composed.
"Commanding demons isn't purely a bad thing for the Blue. In that sense, if the man really is a demon, it only proves Isaac's power."
"……?"
What on earth is he……?
"House Eshua is more than sufficient as it stands. But there are things that have been forgotten."
"!"
Is he saying this is connected to the family's secret arts?
Indeed, there was something in the Head of House's eyes — an look of extraordinary anticipation.
"Benjamin. I suspect the matter of the successor will be discussed at this New Year's direct-line gathering."
"……!"
Benjamin held his breath at his father's words.
'He's finally made up his mind!'
For over a decade, the world had watched and waited, yet the succession of House Eshua had never changed. The seat of the Blue Faith's master — coveted and schemed over by countless souls.
No matter how much momentum the other faiths gained, none could afford to ignore the power and history that carried the Blue, nor the vast influence it wielded across every corner of the continent.
Nay — in a sense, an influence even the Emperors of the continent could not match.
And this was the heir to a father hailed as the strongest Blue Cardinal in history.
"It will no doubt become the talk of the entire Empire."
"Perhaps."
The Head of House looked deep in thought.
The Blue Faith, held equal in standing to the Papal House, was sometimes called the 'Guardian See.'
But—
"I don't know. Whether it is truly right for Eshua to speak of succession at all."
By rights, Benjamin should have become heir the moment the eldest son vanished — but this was a cursed house, incapable of even that.
It was enough to make one believe the gods themselves despised them.
And yet, ever since Isaac had appeared, the Head of House had begun to feel as though a light had come into view.
"That child, perhaps, may be able to escape the Eshua Curse."
"…Father."
"Well, the Skeleton Demon King is our mortal enemy. That the child who devoured the Demon King's flesh looks like a light to me — ironic, isn't it?"
Benjamin gazed out the window at the clouds, a flush of pride in his chest.
'Has that child come to protect the Blue?'
No — in truth, the little wretch had come to snatch it away with a sly grin.
Whisper screamed in wide-eyed outrage. Curious as to what the fuss was—
Apparently, the familiar had been eaten up with envy — holy power being nothing but poison to the likes of it.
'Why? You think Exorcism Arts work on a human?'
'Because Shavnak has never once devoured a human, that's why.'
Had Shavnak ever disobeyed his orders and eaten a human, the Exorcism Arts would surely have tormented him.
The fact that they hadn't meant he had served the Skeleton Demon King faithfully to the very end.
'Holy arts are, by their very nature, a power that benefits humans.'
Exorcism Arts were no exception — so long as the target wasn't a demon, they channeled holy power that blessed the body. In other words, they had simply worked on Shavnak as a divine blessing.
Not that Shavnak seemed to question it in the slightest; despite having every reason to wonder, he'd simply nodded along with a simple-minded "As expected of my lord."
And that wasn't the only reason Shavnak had grown stronger.
'Shavnak is a subordinate bound to me by contract — just like you.'
Shavnak was contracted to the Skeleton Demon King — that is, to the soul of the Skeleton Demon King.
Granted, his body had been freshly remade and the contract would need renewing, but the point stood: the connection was still there.
And Isaac had contracted with the God of the Penal Code — meaning that as long as Shavnak remained linked to him, the God of the Penal Code's blessing extended to Shavnak as well.
'Well then. Thanks to this little incident, I now knoooow that the gods' holy power buffs my subordinates too. This is absolutely something I can exploit.'
A way to keep House Eshua riding high — and exact his revenge at the same time.
Granted, it had made the God of the Penal Code scream in terror, but so be it.
As Isaac grew stronger, the gods might just come to realize they had been digging their own graves.
'They might even scramble to find a way to defeat me on their own.'
Which was all the more reason he needed another power to check the gods. Best to get close to the Imperial Family, bearers of the Holy Dragon.
'Besides, the House of Berith keeps threatening the Emperor, demanding he cough up the tribute mine.'
How could he pit the Papal House against the Imperial Family in a way that benefited his side?
Thus Isaac smiled brightly, brainstorming ways to win over the throne — while his surroundings were being razed to the ground.
'Oh, for the love of…….'
'What did I just hear?'
And Shuri, too, was trembling, his pupils quaking.
Lift his head? He couldn't even think of it.
Why?
'You lunatic! That's the kind of talk that gets your HEAD lopped off in front of His Majesty the Emperor!'
Yes — they had already arrived at the Imperial Palace.
A handful of apprentices had gathered to carry out the final mission of their training period, but every last one of them had long since frozen solid thanks to Isaac's words.
The Imperial Knights, for their part, wore expressions of utter shock.
Why?
"No answer, Your Majesty? I asked how much you would pay me if I found the Skeleton Demon King's spy for you."
THIS ABSOLUTE MANIAC—!
What kind of insane nonsense is this, in front of the IMPERIAL FAMILY?!