Truths That Shouldn't Be Spoken
Daeho kept shouting the "Fire! Fire! Fire!" that should never have been spoken as he hurled spell after spell. The flames that struck Lucifer's hand blazed all the way up to the ceiling. The acrid smell of burning flesh stung my nose so sharply that it really looked as if she'd been reduced to ash.
"Did you block it?" Daeho muttered, voice hollow with disbelief.
This bastard was ridiculously strong even with just a hand. A black aura coiled around her palm and snuffed out the flames completely.
"Insolent—Seal!" A blue light enveloped Lucifer's hand and condensed into a perfect sphere. Daeho snatched it up and declared, "This should hold for a while."
"What a shame we let her slip away…."
"Still, we came away with something, so I'm satisfied. There will be another chance. However…."
He had other worries. Just as I'd expected, the fact that Lucifer had truly been in the capital meant she was scheming something else. Every time she appeared, catastrophe followed. This felt like an omen of tragedy for the capital itself.
"Those Garcia artifacts we discovered recently… she's clearly after the nobles. Could she be targeting the banquet that's coming up?"
That was Daeho's reasoning. In honor of the martial tournament's main finals, a grand eve banquet was being held. Both finalists would attend, along with key figures from every nation.
"With the Demon King's army showing such unusual momentum lately, talks about that will surely come up. Looks like she's aiming for the chaos." It was exactly as Daeho said. In the original novel, the Demon King's army had targeted the most important people from each country. I remembered they were especially focused on assassinating the Arcadia Empress, the host of this very gathering.
"We'll have no choice but to attend the banquet. The Baekya family should have received an invitation, so I'll look into it."
"Good."
A Demon King's army ambush. If only Akasha hadn't let Lucifer escape—but now that we'd been marked by her, there was no undoing it.
The ancient god or whatever she called me? The words she'd muttered while staring at me. I didn't understand the meaning, but I had a strong premonition that staying quiet would lead to disaster. At this point, the only correct move was to stop Lucifer with everything we had. Besides, as someone cheering for Daeho, I didn't want to see her meet the worst possible ending.
"Sieg-nim, can you heal me?"
Lost in thought, I was pulled back when Akasha approached. A cut marked her chin—apparently from the fall through the air. It wasn't serious, but as a healer I couldn't overlook even the smallest injury.
"Yeah, got it. Heal—!"
"Hehehe, thank you!"
It was simple work, and honestly welcome. I'd been itching to use magic after holding back for so long.
After finishing Akasha's healing, Emilia stepped forward and said the same thing.
"Me too! I'd be grateful if you could heal me, Young Master."
"You don't have any injuries, do you, Emilia?"
"That can't be… Let's see, I was scratched right here."
No matter where I looked, Emilia's body was flawless. Sensing my gaze, she pointed to her pale forearm. The skin was perfectly smooth without a single mark—nothing at all appeared to my eyes.
"Heal—!"
But none of that mattered. I cast the spell anyway.
"Hehehehe… Yes!"
Emilia beamed so widely it looked like her mouth might split. It might have been a strange comparison, but her expression was utterly dazed, like she'd taken some kind of drug.
Just like Soho last time… why are the reactions always like this?
The more consecutive healing magic people received, the stranger they became. Looking at Emilia now, her reaction absolutely did not seem like that of someone who'd simply been healed.
Maybe I should ask Freya about it?
Freya's behavior might be bizarre, but she was still a saint of the church. She might know something I didn't. Especially after seeing how Lucifer acted like she knew secrets I wasn't privy to, I felt the need to investigate.
Can't be helped…
It was reluctant, but the painful truth was that I had nowhere else to ask.
Anyway, I already needed to visit because of the Goshura Great Forest, so I'll ask when the chance comes.
This meeting would be different from last time since Daeho would be with me. Daeho handled Nero and Freya with eerie skill, so even Freya would have no choice but to behave herself in his presence.
"Shall we head back now?"
Having settled on a plan, I rose from my seat. That was when it happened.
"Ugh… S-save me…!"
A cracked, raspy voice rang out. It came from the corpse in the corner that had been bleeding profusely.
'This can't be… It doesn't make sense!' The demon Endelion couldn't believe what was unfolding before her eyes. The hideout had been peaceful, the plans had been proceeding smoothly—it should have been a good day.
"Down with the Demon King's army!"
Humans had stormed in.
"Humans? How did they even know to attack?" one demon cried out. It was unbelievable. The hideout should have been protected by the Corps Commander's barrier.
"Summary execution of all demons!"
The humans radiated murderous intent as they massacred her comrades. Resistance was impossible. They were armed with holy water that was lethal to demons, and they pressed forward without giving anyone a chance to breathe. Above all, the critical problem was that Chierre-nim, who had been guarding this place, was absent.
"Damn it…!"
Endelion scanned her surroundings. She was nothing more than the lowest-ranking soldier. There was no way she could face those lunatics. In a situation like this, running was the only smart move. But—
"No one from the Demon King's army escapes! For Sieg-nim!"
A blade pierced straight through her chest. When had he struck? There hadn't even been time to think. Endelion collapsed, desperately searching for the best way to survive. That answer was to activate her unique magic, Transformation. It allowed her to freely change her appearance.
From what she'd observed, these humans liked to mutilate fallen bodies to confirm their kills. Having noticed the pattern, Endelion transformed her own body into that of a brutally torn corpse. While she held her breath and played dead, the humans eventually withdrew.
Now… time to slip away…
First she had to report this to the Demon King's army. The humans had formed a specialized unit to oppose them! On top of that, the wound she'd taken earlier refused to stop bleeding; she needed treatment immediately.
But Endelion had missed her chance to move. She couldn't release her transformation until Sieg finished healing Emilia. The moment she realized the green light surrounding Emilia was healing magic, Endelion cried out.
"Ugh… S-save me…!"
Endelion acted as pitifully as she could. She had transformed into a human. There was no way she'd be discovered. After all, she'd joined the Demon King's army thanks to this very ability. Healers who served the church's god would never abandon an injured human. Holding onto that certainty, Endelion looked up at Sieg.
"…There was a person here?"
"Please wait a moment, Sieg-nim."
Just as the healer was about to approach, the big-breasted woman beside him stopped him. Then she began to chant.
"Release—!"
In that instant, Endelion's transformation unraveled. Dispelling a unique magic? She'd never heard of such insane magic existing.
"Sieg-nim, this one is a demon. Let's dispose of it immediately."
"Good."
The healer nodded at the big-breasted woman's suggestion. These people truly had neither blood nor tears.
"P-please spare me! I have information you need! If you just let me live, I'll tell you anything…!"
Endelion bowed her head desperately. This should work. From the conversation she'd overheard, they had been discussing the plan Lucifer-nim had set in motion. If she cleverly mixed in lies with the real information, it might actually benefit the Demon King's army. Two birds with one stone.
"Hmm…."
The big-breasted woman fell into thought. A positive reaction. It looked like things might proceed according to plan.
"Then let's torture her. Sieg-nim, can you keep casting healing magic?"
"Of course. I can use it as much as you want."
"Huh?"
At that moment, Endelion realized the terrible truth. The ones she'd begged weren't devout healers from the church at all—they were devils.
"Tell the truth and I'll consider sparing you. So it'd be best to be honest."
"O-of course! So please, no torture…."
When Daeho threatened her with a bloodthirsty tone, the demon shrank back in terror. Her whole body shook violently. Only now did her horn become noticeable. Just one, and ridiculously small—about the size of Akasha's thumb. It was so tiny it would be invisible under hair. It was a stark contrast to the demon named Mammon we'd met before. That one had four horns, right? And judging by her condition, she probably didn't know much of value.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, the demon hurriedly explained herself.
"Although my rank is low, I was scheduled for a special mission… so I do possess important information."
"How can you prove that?"
"If you see my unique magic, it should explain everything…."
At Daeho's sharp question, the demon's body began to change. Her frame shuddered as her skeleton shifted, transforming into a refined young boy. Then she changed into an old man, a child, a woman, and finally became Diana Arcadia, Empress of the Arcadia Empire.
So it was her…!
I remembered now. She'd appeared only briefly like an extra in the original story—a demon who infiltrated noble circles to sow chaos.
"Good. A promise is a promise, so Sieg-nim, could you heal her first?"
I nodded at Daeho's request and cast the spell. The demon bowed her head with a deeply moved expression.
"Th-thank you! Ask me anything!"
"Speak honestly."
"Of course!"
At her overconfident assurance, I warned her. Demons were an untrustworthy race. If she lied, we would begin the torture in earnest just as Daeho had said.
"Why was Lucifer here?"
Daeho asked immediately. The demon smiled and opened her mouth.
"That's because… she came to meet Duke Deloa, the leader of the noble faction in the Arcadia Empire… Huk! I wasn't supposed to say that!!"
The demon who had been spilling everything so freely suddenly panicked. Why was she horrified after blurting it out herself?
"What did you do after meeting Duke Deloa?"
"To approach and persuade Princess Morgan… Ing? Why am I like this? Why is my mouth moving on its own?"
The demon frantically covered her mouth. Her shocked reaction was bizarre.
"Did you use some other magic?"
"No…?"
I asked Daeho, but he looked equally confused. Instead, he asked me whether I knew any magic besides healing. I shook my head. I was a pure healer who had only invested in heal stats.
Daeho turned back to the demon, who was now wearing a wronged expression, and asked again.
"What were you planning to do after persuading Princess Morgan?"
"Mmph… Mmph…."
The demon covered her mouth and trembled. After a moment, she finally confessed.
"To use Princess Morgan to usurp the throne and kill Diana Arcadia… Ah, shit."
Her face had gone deathly pale.
"We're fucked."
It was as if she had spat out words that must never be spoken.