I Need to Make Money (5)
"Fuck this! Then hand over everything you've got!"
I spat out words I'd never utter under normal circumstances. If things had gone too far to turn back, I'd crank the chaos up to Disneyland levels. The ultimate demonic cultist act they were imagining? Fine, I'd deliver.
"Your eyes, your money, your lives—I'll take it all! Everything for Him!"
Who was Him? No clue. I was just blurting out the most villainous line that popped into my head in the heat of the moment.
The effect was perfect.
"...What?"
Heinrich's eyebrows crumpled. He seemed to need a moment to process what he'd just heard.
"Whisper whisper!!!"
Cassandra's veil fluttered as she shouted something. I couldn't make it out, but it was probably an attack order.
"Ah, the young lady is furious! 'You unspeakably greedy demon! Instead of repenting your sins, you dare covet the flesh of the light's emissaries! I shall judge the end of your filthy gluttony right now!'"
"Try it if you can, you wretched hounds of light! Come, tear through my darkness with that flimsy faith of yours!"
"You scum—!!"
This was unexpectedly fun. Their reactions were so on-point, it made the acting a blast. Sure, the aftermath worried me a bit, but if I didn't get caught, it was fine. My usual self was a perfectly polite 15-year-old noble lady, so linking this me to that one wouldn't be easy. The minor headaches? Future me could deal with them. Not my problem now.
Fwaaah—!
Heinrich's gloved fingertips flashed, and the spears of light arrayed behind him rained down on me all at once.
Shoooosh!
Sharp clusters of light tore through the warehouse's pitch black, hurtling toward me.
"Not a chance!"
I swung my left arm wide. Black chains trailed belatedly, clashing with the light spears and exploding.
Kwaaang—!
Flashes burst in every direction. Each collision between spear and chain lit up the darkened warehouse in strobing pulses—bright, dark, bright, dark.
Flicker flicker flicker flicker.
Red pupils blinked frantically like they were seizing. The flashing lights were overwhelming Dusty, leaving it disoriented.
—Aaaagh! Aaaaagh!
—Uwaaaaah!
Dusty wailed, tears trickling from its eyes. Not literally screaming, of course—just mimicking the screams it had devoured. Still, it meant it was suffering that much.
"This is…!"
"Whisper whisper! Whiiiisper!!"
For some reason, that flickering and wailing struck the duo as the ominous harbinger of some massive catastrophe.
"Hahaha! Hear that? The lions' death cries! But fear not! Soon you'll be screaming right alongside them!"
I spread my arms wide and bellowed dramatically. Recalling Sigurd's rants from before had helped here—his speech patterns were perfect for this ominous villain vibe.
Shrieeek—!
A spear grazed my cheek. Heinrich's voice boomed through the warehouse at the same time.
"The young lady says: 'You're rousing the hellish undead to spew their vengeful wails! Horrid thing!'"
My performance was landing hard—Heinrich's face sharpened like a priest facing a demon.
Kwang—!
I whipped a chain to deflect another spear, calmly assessing the situation. Acting was fun, but escaping without blowing my cover was priority one.
Heinrich first. This guy was strong. I'd pegged him as just a butler-interpreter, but the density on those light spears was no joke. The Heart Image mages I'd seen fell into two types: systematic formula-crunchers like Zepeto, or innate feelers like Evel.
This was new. Pure, blind faith channeling mana. Matching his fanaticism, his magic was nothing but straight lines—pure forward thrust. No fancy tricks or curves. Just the arrogance that his 'light' and 'justice' were absolutely right.
A powerless zealot? I'd scoff and move on. But when that faith gained physical force? Different story.
Kwaaaang—!
"Ugh!"
Overwhelming mass and explosive power. Blind Heart Image blobs Dusty couldn't devour kept pouring in relentlessly. My chain-wrapped left arm tingled with numbness.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwaaang!
After an exchange of blows, a brief lull. I reeled in the chains and caught my breath. Situation wasn't great.
One of Dusty's big edges in one-on-one fights was vision denial. Blanketing the area in darkness was a huge plus. But it wasn't working here. They kept firing light blobs everywhere, preventing the dark from settling. Bonus: Dusty suffering from the blinks.
Most troubling? The veiled woman lurking in the back, just watching. Cassandra hadn't even joined yet.
...Should I use my right hand?
I had hidden cards too—like activating Zepeto's formula etched on my right hand.
No, absolutely not.
I shook my head. Using that here would make it way too easy to ID me later.
"No choice, then…."
I muttered in a chilling tone, warping my voice with twisted mana for extra subtlety.
"This body strains under the burden… but your arrogance has forced open the abyss!"
"The abyss…?!"
Heinrich flinched, adjusting his stance.
I commanded Dusty to unleash every stored shadow from my left arm.
"Behold… my true darkness…!"
Swooooosh—!
Pitch black flooded everywhere. Even Heinrich's light orbs vanished into the dense void after brief flashes.
Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash!
Hundreds, thousands of crimson eyes snapped open in a seizure-like frenzy. A grotesque density of red pupils, blinking lids wildly to flash their glow.
I slipped into the darkness, murmuring low.
"Scream."
—Kiiiiiaaaah!!
—Save me! Pleeeease!!
—Kraaaaah!!
Ear-shattering noise and wails shook the entire abandoned warehouse. Dusty unleashed every suppressed scream from its depths at once.
"……!!"
"Young lady, fall back! The demon's opening hell's gate! Light barrier—!!"
Perfect. Frenzied red glows, eardrum-bursting shrieks, overwhelming compressed darkness.
Time to bail.
Subduing them cleanly looked impossible. Failing the job sucked, but dragging it out risked exposure.
I bolted for the warehouse wall, planning to slip out a window while they hesitated.
"Good luck, I'm busy."
That moment—as I toed the windowsill for a leap.
"[Stop.]"
A young woman's voice, and my feet froze solid.
...Huh?
My body turned to stone. Not a finger would budge.
I rolled my eyes toward the voice. There stood Cassandra.
What the—no way. Word Spirit? You're kidding! Cheating!
That's why she'd been whispering nonstop? Not mute after all?
"Ugh…!"
I gritted my teeth, trying to lift a foot, but my legs felt buried in concrete.
Move, damn it!
I summoned all my mana to resist. My body jerked, starting to budge bit by bit.
"Grrrh…!"
"Where do you think you're going!"
But my hard-won movement didn't last. Heinrich gestured, and blinding light shot forth.
Clink clink!
Light ropes bound my limbs tight. My body hung suspended, crucified in midair.
"Struggle's futile, wicked one. These are ropes of judgment that burn evil to the soul and purify it!"
As Heinrich shouted, the light ropes squeezed harder. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for searing agony.
......Huh?
It didn't hurt. Just... tight.
Oh right. I'm not evil.
The duo's over-the-top reactions had me way too deep in character.
What? So you're binding an innocent person right now! Let go! Wrong target!
"Ugh… uuuugh!"
I wanted to yell, but Cassandra's Word Spirit garbled my words.
Wooong—! Wooong—!
Then my left arm vibrated wildly.
...?
Dusty was suffering.
Woooong—!
Blood tears streamed from the floating eyes around me. Cassandra and Heinrich nodded knowingly at the sight.
No, what?
Dusty, is that you? You're my Destiny. Can Destiny even count as evil? ...Well, considering it tried gnawing my mind as a kid, maybe.
Anyway, not the point. This was bad. Dusty was anemic from blood tears, and I was pinned, mask at risk of slipping!
Step step.
Cassandra approached slowly through the dark. Her veiled gaze pierced me.
Her lips moved. No interpreter needed—her will hammered my mind directly.
"[Confess your sins.]"
"Grrrh…! Ugh…!"
My clamped mouth pried open against my will. A terrifying compulsion to drag every hidden sin from my soul's depths.
Unbidden, my mind hunted for 'my sins.'
"………."
Sins I'd committed? Nothing came up. Anything bad was Dusty's doing.
My mouth opened, spilling the truth.
"I have no sins to confess…!"
"[After this carnage, you say that?]"
"Not my doing…! Just the being inside me… No sin of mine lies there!"
"You've sold your body to a demon, then!"
Heinrich gasped in horror.
"Young lady! This one's forsaken humanity! We must uncover that foul demon and purify it now!"
Cassandra stepped closer instead of replying, murmuring her Word Spirit softly.
"[State your name.]"
"………!!"
My eyes behind the mask shook wildly.