Repeating the Same Mistake
Repeating the same mistake... "What should I start with? Chwi-ik!"
Chierre, Corps Commander of the Demon King's Army. The moment she saw the hideout reduced to a complete disaster, a sigh escaped her first. She'd come to handle the cleanup on Lucifer's orders, but there were zero surviving subordinates. The barrier was smashed to bits. The entire operation had collapsed. She felt zero motivation for any of this. On top of that, she faced a mountain of tasks, starting with finding a new hideout. Since this wasn't her area of expertise, the urge to bolt right then and there surged through her. But—
"It's truly fortunate that we have you, Chierre, the strongest force in the Demon King's Army. Hehehehe. Should I say I can entrust this to you with complete confidence? Of course, if you refuse, there's nothing we can do. But as a true warrior, Chierre would never turn it down, right?"
Lucifer's silver tongue left the prideful Chierre with no choice but to accept. Yeah. If not her—the greatest power in the Demon King's Army—who else could handle it?
The one silver lining was this.
"Commander Chierre, I've prepared several candidates for the new hideout in the slums of the capital!"
"Commander Chierre, would this approach work for restoring the barrier and replenishing our forces?"
"As expected of Commander Chierre. I'm in awe of your insight and have learned something new. It's truly reassuring."
The adjutants Lucifer had recommended were handling everything on their own. She liked how prettily they spoke, too. At this rate, the headache-inducing chores would be resolved in no time.
"Are there no survivors? Chwi-ik!"
"Well, there is one."
"Oh!! Who is it?"
At Chierre's question, the adjutant brought the survivor forward. What appeared was a delicate-looking demon. She seemed so fragile that a single punch might kill her instantly.
"She is the owner of 'Transformation' magic, a key member of this operation."
"Oh!! Transformation magic! Chwi-ik! That's excellent. Lucifer will be delighted! Chwi-ik!"
Chierre clapped her hands in delight. In truth, she had no idea what this so-called key operation had even been about. That was why she'd simply followed Lucifer's orders from start to finish. Still, since this was a survivor who'd been assigned something important, she felt glad for now. At least she'd gained something that could count as a positive amid this hopeless cleanup.
"Soldier. You've worked hard, Chwi-ik! I look forward to your contributions in future operations, Chwi-ik!"
"Y-yes!"
In front of Chierre, Corps Commander of the Demon King's Army, the demon Endelion nodded with stiff, creaking motions. The power that had endured a Sword Master's attack without a scratch. Though she possessed the weakness of being vulnerable to magic, the overwhelming pressure radiating from her massive, muscular frame could not be ignored. It felt like the slightest mistake would bring a fist flying at her immediately. Terrifying.
Damn it, why did things end up like this?
Endelion had confessed everything in front of Daeho and Sieg, yet she'd stood on the brink of death. The reason was simple: a demon was still a demon, and they couldn't be trusted. However, they had greatly valued her honest spilling of information, so she was released for the time being.
The problem was...
They want me to act as a spy... I'd rather die...
It was a threat to continuously send information about the Demon King's Army. Just how cruel were those people? Especially that big-breasted woman. She'd sealed Endelion's heart and taken it with her. Thanks to that, her life hung as precariously as a mayfly that could be crushed under a fingertip—she could die at any moment according to the whims of those queenly breasts.
So she had no choice but to rejoin the Demon King's Army, but...
"I have very high expectations for you, soldier! Un-der-stood? Chwi-ik!"
The monster standing before her eyes. Corps Commander Chierre was simply too frightening.
Fuck, why did I have to open my mouth...
It would have been better to just die. This was all because of that healer called Sieg. If not for him, she would have given up and waited for death, or quietly waited for the Demon King's Army to return.
Wait, Sieg? Where have I heard that name before...?
It felt recent, too. Specifically, around the time the humans had launched their assault...
"Ugh..."
Endelion dropped to her knees as a headache split through her skull. Her body shook violently, nausea rising in her throat at any second. This was PTSD. The despair and terror she'd felt as the humans stabbed her with blades came rushing back. It felt like something she absolutely shouldn't remember.
There has to be another way.
Endelion decided to watch for an opportunity. Submitting to the humans like this was humiliating. Even if it was spying, she didn't have to tell them everything, right? Just enough that it wouldn't be obvious on the surface. Only trivial information that wouldn't matter.
But...
"I need to relay this information right away?"
For some reason, Endelion found herself faithfully carrying out Daeho and Sieg's orders.
"Thank you for coming with me."
"Of course. The Church is... no, Saintess Freya is no ordinary person."
On the way to the Church alongside Daeho. I'd arranged to meet Saintess Freya, and when I asked if she could join me, she accepted without hesitation. In fact, the moment she heard Freya's name, she practically volunteered to come along first. It couldn't have been more reassuring. I still remembered how terrifying Freya became when she blushed and begged to be insulted. Even so, I couldn't possibly bring that up with Daeho right beside me.
Arriving at the Church with light steps, I spotted a familiar face.
Her name was... Ariel, right?
She was the attendant who followed Freya around. Had she been waiting because she knew we were coming?
"The Saintess is waiting for you. Welcome, Sir Sieg."
Did she know I'd been in the capital? No—how did she even know we'd arrive today? The more I learned, the more mysterious she seemed.
Following Ariel's guidance, I walked down the corridor. Daeho trailed behind me when Ariel suddenly stopped.
"Ah! Could you be Lady Daeho Baekya?"
"That's correct."
"Perfect timing. High Priestess Jenis mentioned she has an urgent matter to discuss regarding the Baekya Duchy..."
With that, Daeho was led away, tilting her head in confusion. Another priest guided her, and her expression made it clear she had no idea what was happening. Since it concerned the territory, she went along, but she looked thoroughly bewildered.
It can't be... right?
Using the High Priestess as an excuse to separate Daeho so she could meet me alone? The thought crossed my mind, but I told myself it was impossible. If it really was intentional, that woman Freya would seem even more frightening.
"Hello?"
"Eek, she appeared!"
"Appeared? Am I a ghost?"
Freya had materialized behind me. She'd appeared without a sound, nearly making my heart drop. She'd done the same during our first meeting. Could Saintesses erase their footsteps? If so, wasn't she an assassin rather than a healer?
"If I startled you, I'm sorry. Is your heart pounding right now? I didn't do it on purpose, but if that's the case, it means you got excited seeing me. I'm glad. Hehe."
"..."
"Hah, I like it when you stare at me like that, too."
Realizing that anything I did would put me at a disadvantage, I averted my gaze. Without another word, I entered the room I'd been led to and sat down.
"Did you enjoy exploring the capital? If you haven't done any sightseeing yet, I can show you around. I know the place well."
"Fortunately, I looked around to my heart's content. Still, thank you for the offer."
"Really? Then let's tour it together one more time!"
Wasn't a Saintess of the Church supposed to be busy? Anyone looking at this woman would think she was a jobless slacker.
"Aren't you busy, Saintess?"
"Ah! But I can always make time to spend with you, Sir Sieg. So please tell me anytime. I'll clear my schedule."
Her firm determination to secure an appointment was obvious. At this rate I'd end up scheduling something whether I wanted to or not, so I changed the subject. I had no intention of getting dragged in any further.
"The reason I came here is because of the Goshura Great Forest..."
"Oh, that's right! You mentioned you had business there, Sir Sieg!"
"So I believe I'll need permission from the imperial family."
"Don't worry. I've already obtained it for you."
Freya handed me a luxurious sheet of paper. It was a permit stamped with the seal of the Arcadia Imperial Family—a document regarding passage through the Goshura Great Forest.
"Perfect! What a coincidence! We also have business in that direction! So you can simply come with us then, Sir Sieg. As a guest of the Church. How about it?"
Freya made the suggestion in a coaxing tone. For a moment I nearly nodded. There was no need to rack my brain worrying about obtaining imperial permission; I could simply go along.
However, it was obviously not free.
"In return, please use the healing magic I requested last time..."
"Healing magic?"
"Yes! Just use it like you did during the test. Simply relax, raise your hand, and cast heal on me! It's simple, isn't it?"
"It is, but..."
"I don't have any other intentions. It's just that your healing magic seems to be on a very high level, Sir Sieg, so there are some things I'd like to confirm."
A gentle suggestion. And a perfectly reasonable explanation. At this point, I thought it might be fine to use healing magic. Besides, I'd been curious about that magic that had been bothering me lately anyway. So maybe it was okay?
"And above all, before you arrived, Sir Sieg, I had an important ritual that required the use of healing magic... You might not know this, but because of its effects, my current condition is... cough!"
Freya coughed up blood. It flowed from the corner of her mouth, and the amount was by no means small—it looked like an emergency.
"That's also a reason why I truly need it as a patient."
Not using healing magic on someone who was sick? That concept didn't exist in my vocabulary. I was becoming more and more convinced I should use magic on Freya. Yet the thought that all of this—the entire situation—was a scheme this woman had prepared made me hesitate.
"Please make it not hurt~."
Knowing that, I still had no choice but to raise my hand.