That's Not What You Said, Is It? (2)
Cheong's team let out a low groan.
“…Shuri.”
“…Yeah.”
“He definitely said it. That Isaac was a successor candidate of House Eshua……”
“…He is. I'm one of the candidates too, but… yeah.”
Their eyes drifted upward toward a sky as blue and wide as Cheong himself.
“And that he was the Saintess's child……”
“…Yeah. That's right.”
That was true. And yet……
“Hey, you! There's dust in this water! Go pour me a fresh one!”
“Ugh, this plate is square. I hate it. Bring it back on something else!”
“Seriously, sauce splattered onto the plate! Wipe it off!”
“Come on, the food's gone cold! Are you kidding me? Make it all again from scratch!”
……….
What the hell. What is with him now?
Cheong's team stared at Isaac, unable to make sense of what they were seeing.
No, seriously—food's on the table, so just shove it down your throat. You call yourself a cleric while tormenting the waitstaff? What kind of behavior is that?
Granted, considering what they'd paid to rent out the entire restaurant, the owner would probably dance a little jig and bring back another hundred plates if asked… but still, this was genuinely too much.
Worse, the little bastard had tipped the other servers generously—yet singled out exactly one employee to torment.
Yes. The pretty one……
Crack.
“Hey. Can any of you accept this?”
“No.”
As Cheong… no, as a cleric… no, as men, this was unbearable!!
And so Cheong's team shot to their feet.
“Hey, Isaac! That pretty noona has been fawning all over you, giving you extra service left and right, and you—!!!!!”
“You're just hoarding all the attention for yourselfffff! You ungrateful little—! Huh?!”
“Is that what Cheong taught you?! Is it?! You little brat!”
Cheong's team, receiving no attention themselves, were breathing fire from their mouths.
The Eshua bunch were all annoyingly good-looking to begin with, so everywhere the party went, they became the center of attention.
Shuri was no exception, but Isaac especially—that little punk monopolized all the pretty noonas' interest!
Of course, having him around meant more complimentary food, which was nice and all—but being stuck as the backup dancer was getting old!
By rights, with Cheong around! Women should treat you like a rolling stone, huh?! Well…! Though the real problem is he doesn't treat them like stone at all—he treats them like molten lava!
“You, that's enough—!”
At that moment, the waitress—or rather, Ash, disguised in human form—smiled sweetly.
“Ah… I don't mind at all. I'm the one who made mistakes serving your disciples. Thank you for your concern.”
That gentle smile made Cheong's team's hearts clench.
'Ah… what a beautifully kind soul……!'
Damn it. After staring so long at Isaac—that lowborn wench-flaunting face whipping around his lash—gazing upon a true heavenly maiden made their hearts melt like butter.
Meanwhile, Ash was grinding her teeth on the inside.
'Right. Just be patient. The prey is right in front of me.'
Seeing Isaac in the flesh made it even harder to endure. Forget the precious bloodline—the majestic demonic power of the great Skeleton Demon King, seeping out of him in whispers.
So be patient. Just endure it.
But these bastards? Unforgivable.
“Our young master Isaac didn't tell you to replace it. Why do you keep making the man do everything twice?”
“Exactly. At this point you're clearly baiting him on purpose, aren't you? Hmmm?”
These wretched knights, standing right beside Isaac and brazenly taking his side.
Cheong's team could only stare at the spectacle in disbelief.
'Our young master Isaac?'
…Weren't those guys the ones who hated their disciples?
'To flip over like that just because we went to save our comrades……'
'So this is the infamous reputation of the Courier Corps……'
Ash, meanwhile, was burning with frustration but couldn't easily reveal her true nature—because of these very knights.
Her half-demon blood was already a headache, its power at risk of being suppressed……
'And that captain in particular has a troublesome wish bound to him.'
In the end, she decided to deal with the knights first.
“You haven't touched your food this whole time. If you're training, you should eat properly. Please, go ahead.”
“Ah. We're hired retainers, so we can't touch our employer's food……”
“With Holy Knights here, the whole village is safe from demon threats. This is offered to you separately, so don't refuse.”
“Ah, well then……”
But the moment the knights reached for the food, Isaac blocked them.
“Isaac?”
Isaac frowned at Ash.
“Hey. You eat it.”
“What?!”
Cheong's team gaped at Isaac in horror.
But—
“You taste it. How would anyone know if it's poisoned?”
That was a step too far. Cheong's team shot up, no longer able to hold back.
“Isaac!”
Ash, however, frowned in genuine confusion.
'Did he catch that it's poisoned……?!'
No, that was impossible.
Clerics could never detect it.
Just then, Cheong's team swaggered over, as if to say enough was enough.
“Hey, Isaac! That's enough out of you! Cheong isn't a demon—second-guessing people like this is beneath you!”
They seized their forks in unison.
“That's right! We'll prove this lady's innocence ourselves!”
“Watch closely! Eat it and be perfectly finaarghk—”
Cheong's team collapsed in a heap the moment they swallowed.
THUD. THUD-THUD!
“……!!”
“Hey, you guys!!”
Of the fifteen, everyone except Shuri and one or two others lost consciousness and dropped.
Isaac clicked his tongue at the sight.
“Ha. Idiots.”
Shuri looked at Isaac in alarm, but Isaac actually grinned as if this worked out nicely.
“Well, it does save me the trouble of knocking them out myself. I was planning to knock them out anyway—I was just debating whether to use poison or a blunt object.”
Excuse me, WHAT??
But then Isaac's eyes went wide.
Isaac had never intended to let Cheong's team fight the demons in the first place.
They were, after all, the ones who had trusted him and followed him here. He couldn't let such young sprouts die—not after they'd come on faith alone.
Whisper immediately stepped in.
[Shall I summon a Holy Spirit to cleanse the poison?]
Shalach, the king-grade Holy Spirit he'd rescued from the Papal Court's priests, had become fairly obedient since then. Right now, it was off investigating the distribution of the Dead Man's Grass Isaac had planted back in his Skeleton King days.
To Whisper's question, Isaac refused.
'No. People only learn to listen once they've suffered through it with their own bodies.'
Granted, this was a rite of passage they'd have to go through sooner or later anyway.
But if a Holy Spirit patched them up in an instant, they'd never learn a thing.
'Well, they are my brothers, so I'll have the antidote administered as fast as……'
“Isaac. This is Parasitic Poison—it converts Holy Power into Demonic Magic Power!”
…Holy Power into magic power, what?
“The antidote may be difficult, Isaac. That woman is cunning!”
…An antidote… is it really necessary?
[Master?]
But at the Courier Corps captain's words, Isaac's eyes were spinning.
No, honestly—couldn't you see why?!
'Holy shit. Filthy Holy Power—and a poison that converts it into MAGIC POWER?!'
Thanks to his king-grade Holy Spirit, he knew how to turn magic power into Holy Power.
But the reverse?!
Isaac's eyes flashed open.
Handled properly, this meant he could stick a straw into—no, build a magic power farm across—no, no, no, he could siphon magic power straight out of the Papal Court's priests, right there inside the Holy Empire!
“…Isaac?”
Shuri's eyebrows twitched.
Why is this bastard drooling while his comrades are being poisoned?
But Isaac's eyes had already gone completely deranged. He asked again, as if he couldn't believe it.
“So… this really converts Holy Power into magic power? Really? Genuinely?”
“Yes! And if you don't hurry, it'll keep growing! Every last drop of their Holy Power could turn into magic power!”
Isaac clapped a hand over his mouth. The corner of his hidden grin was creeping up past his ear.
Aging! This poison must absolutely be aged!!!
The longer he left it alone, the bigger the magic power harvest would be!
But at Isaac's expression, Ash let her true nature flash through in a sly smile.
“You really can't manage without your tricks after all. If you want those men to live, platinum-blond, you follow me. Come along, and I'll give you the antidote. And to be clear—you come alone.”
Cheong's team and the knights, who had been panicking, instantly narrowed their eyes.
What? You're trading the antidote for Isaac?
“How dare you try such a stunt—!”
“Why? You don't need the antidote? If it weren't for me, then——”
“Why would we need an antidote?”
“Yeah! Why would we……”
……Pardon?
…I'm sorry, what?
Isaac's entire party stared at him as if they couldn't process what they'd just heard.
Did he just… ask why they'd need an antidote?
At those trembling pupils, Isaac cleared his throat. Ahem.
“No, that's not what I meant.”
Holy shit, my true feelings almost slipped out.
Isaac turned to Shuri and the courier captain and spoke with grave seriousness.
“This poison is designed to wear off if the caster gets far away from the victims. I'll lure her out by pretending to chase her, so you just hold out until then. Keep pouring Holy Power into them.”
“So it's a stalling tactic?”
Yes! That's exactly how the poison feeds on their Holy Power and grows into delicious, delicious magic power!
And he would chase her down, uncover the secret of that poison technique, and steal it for himself!
[Master, would you kindly get your grin under control.]
It's fine! These dumbasses wouldn't notice if it hit them in the face!
But Shuri stared at him with deep, deep suspicion.
“…I'm Cheong's own operative against demons. I've never once heard of a method like that.”
Isaac swiftly flattened his soaring grin. Damn it. This is why smart kids are such a headache.
“I heard it. From someone.”
Shuri's brow furrowed.
“This feels uneasy… Is this person trustworthy? Is the lure worth relying on?”
“Yup! It was a god! I heard the voice of a god!”
“……??”
…Holy shit, now it's even MORE suspicious?
There is no way this bastard can hear the voice of a god!
As Shuri cursed at him with his eyes, Isaac glared back even harder, as if to say, you dare look down on me?
“Hey, Shuri dear. How do you think I learned all those ancient Saintess techniques? Because I heard them! From the noble Saintesses who became gods!”
[Master, where exactly did you put your conscience……?]
Shut it!
Do you dare underestimate the obsession of a skeleton bearing the divine wish of [Survival]?! If I can take revenge on the gods, I'd sell my own body for it!
Shuri looked at him as if he were extremely suspicious, but couldn't really argue. After all, he himself was the one who'd personally learned Isaac's special techniques.
Soon the captain of the Courier Corps drew his sword.
“If you are acting as the lure, Isaac, then I shall escort you as well.”
Isaac's eyes instantly flashed with sparks.
“No!”
Holy shit! If you all come chasing after me, I can't blast her with magic!
Isaac grabbed the courier captain's shoulders with utter earnestness.
“Right now, you're the only ones who can protect my brothers!”
“…Pardon?”
“Shuri can't handle them all by himself! You have to help. That woman might have more of her crew lurking around! Protect our precious brothers.”
Shuri looked at Isaac, surprised.
“Isaac… you…”
At the same time, the couriers were secretly trembling with emotion.
And no wonder.
They were nothing more than message-runners—mere “courier horses.”
'The disciples entrusted us with a mission of this weight……'
What kinds of missions had the disciples always given them?
The sneering bastards who, because of the demon blood in their veins, didn't trust them and just told them to deliver letters.
“It's a sealed letter, so they won't be able to open it. Even if they divert it elsewhere, we can trace the location.”
“Even the lowliest half-demon whelps can manage hauling luggage, no?”
But a Holy Knight's duty was to protect. These were men who took enormous pride in that. To guard human lives—how long had it been?
The captain of the couriers especially—who held the rank of senior knight yet had been denied his very knighthood—bit his lip.
“But Isaac, you will be……”
Isaac slipped something secretly into the captain's breast pocket.
It was none other than a blue necklace.
“Hold on to this.”
“This is——!”
Isaac whispered conspiratorially to him.
“Keep it secret from Shuri too. This is a treasure I received from the Head of House Eshua. It lets me summon whoever carries it to my side. If things get dangerous, I'll call you.”
The captain stared at Isaac in disbelief.
Good heavens—an artifact of House Eshua, received from the Head of the Blue Faith himself! A thing they could never even hope to see, let alone touch, in their entire lives.
“…How can such a precious thing be entrusted to the likes of us……!”
“I'm giving it to you because I trust you.”
Of course, the claim that it was an Eshua artifact was a bald-faced lie.
He'd snatched this necklace off some thugs, that's all. He'd simply stored a faint trace of Blue Holy Power inside it.
“Keep it secret from the others. Just say it was payment for the job.”
Isaac smirked at the captain, who looked freshly moved all over again.
Yes—lying and secrets, ironically, multiply trust. Puhet.
It was a dark night.
Ash led Isaac deep into the forest. If any Holy Knights or priests sensed the aura of magic power nearby and came swarming, it would be a headache.
'Once we reach somewhere with no people around, I'll show my true form and devour that little brat.'
Ash trembled with excitement at the mere thought. His bloodline alone would make him a delicacy—but above all, the power of the great Demon King himself!
'Ahh, I can feel it. The king's power that thing devoured……!'
If she split open that thing's belly and devoured the great King's flesh—how glorious would that be? How euphoric? How much stronger could she become?
They had traveled far enough from the village that revealing her demonic power would go unnoticed by anyone.
Ash stopped.
“Scared, are we? Not even running away. What a truly foolish little boy. Believing I'd hand over an antidote, chasing me all the way out here with no escort. Clerics really are imbeciles.”
“Yeah. Foolish. Can't even recognize a king—and here you are, talking about eating humans.”
“…What?”
In that instant, droplets of crimson blood scattered before Ash's eyes. And at the same time, demonic eyes just as red as those droplets glinted out of the darkness.
A color like jewels set into a face—beautiful, and chilling to the bone.
Ash's eyes went wide with disbelief.
A voice she thought had vanished a hundred and fifty years ago—no, a voice that should never have existed at all—echoed through the night.