Chapter 113
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Light
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A demon appeared.
A demon setting up crude traps in the forest—traps barely suitable for hunting small animals, hardly fit for preying on humans.
There was a demon sweating diligently as he earnestly placed traps between the trees, who lit up with joy at the sight of a tiny rabbit caught in one. He looked like a sturdy young man, thrilled that this rabbit would fill his parents' bellies today.
Because of that, he never noticed the heroes approaching.
"Filthy."
-Crunch!!
A demon appeared.
A demon in the form of a beautiful woman, her clothes neatly folded by a clear stream gurgling through the underbrush, washing the mud from her body.
The naked demon's body bore no symbols of devils or demon gods, no grotesque protrusions.
Limbs just like a human's, two eyes. A straight nose. Red lips. A pair of ears. A demon identical to a human in every way.
"In the name of God."
-Crunch-crunch!!
A demon appeared.
This time, the demon looked a little different from a human. A demon with a pair of cute, animal-like ears sprouting from the top of its head. Ears perked up, desperately clamping its mouth shut to stifle any sound of breathing, tears streaming down in terror.
The demon's tears were clear and transparent. When the heroes ransacked its hiding spot and found it, the demon screamed, sobbed, and fled.
"You think you can escape?"
-Slash!!
A demon appeared. A demon appeared. A demon...
"...Ugh!!"
"Saintess? What's the matter?"
Yet another demon—this time, not one, but a group huddled together. The heroes discovered them and mercilessly "judged" them in the name of God, then approached the saintess with worried looks.
'This... is a demon?'
The saintess's eyes trembled uneasily. These were powerless demons utterly unlike the wicked ones endlessly drilled into her at the temple. No hostility toward them, no wielding of dark powers—just ordinary demons.
"P-Please... spare at least my child!"
"Ah..."
And amid the ceaseless slaughter of demons, one clutched a young-looking boy to her chest, tears flowing. Trembling in fear, yet desperately trying to save her offspring—a mother's heart laid bare.
The demon held in her arms clung tightly to his mother in turn, shedding helpless tears.
-Sshk!
"Wai...!!"
A scene far too human for demons said to lack human hearts. Just ordinary parents and child... brimming with love. As Jeanne opened her mouth to speak, the hero who had silently listened swung his sword without mercy.
"....!!!!"
Two lives snuffed out in one stroke. Even as the spark of life faded, their hands remained clasped, protecting one another to the end.
"Lord Lexus!!"
Jeanne called out loudly to the sword-wielding hero before she could stop herself. Lexus—the 4-star hero she named—turned to her with a puzzled look, as if wondering what the problem was.
"J-Just now... that was a child...!"
"A child...?"
Her voice trembling, Jeanne demanded how he could slaughter even a child so ruthlessly. Lexus wrinkled his nose as if she were speaking nonsense.
"It's a demon, isn't it?"
"........."
As if there was nothing remotely wrong.
"No demons resembling scouts. Just some weak ones scraping by in the area."
"At this rate, we'll reach that dungeon in about 15 hours."
The sun had set, plunging the night into darkness. Amid heroes poring over maps, devising strategies, and tending gear, Jeanne stared blankly at the campfire, her face deathly pale.
"Saintess. Are you alright?"
"Lord Lumen..."
Perhaps sensing her turmoil, Lumen—helmet off, seated beside her—addressed Jeanne gravely.
"I'm fine..."
Habituated to the rote reply, Jeanne choked before finishing. Her first day beyond the capital after over twenty years... an utter nightmare.
The reality she faced diverged sharply from the heroic epics she'd read. Tales of heroes and saintesses vanquishing evil demons to bring peace... all stained in blood.
She had steeled herself to bloody her hands. Taught relentlessly it was right, convinced it was her duty and mission. But...
"...Lord Lumen. As a hero, you've slain countless demons over the years, haven't you?"
"Indeed."
The demons she'd witnessed today bore no resemblance to the tales. No bottomless hatred for humans, no cannibalism—just ordinary folk grazing grass, hunting meat, lacking grotesque forms.
No, they loved like humans, felt pain, bled red, shed tears.
She had always believed—herself, the saintess, the heroes embodied justice. Yet the sight of those powerless demons butchered mercilessly... enough to shatter that faith.
"Lord Lumen. When you've killed demons... have you never once thought it might be wrong?"
The day's shocks so profound, Jeanne forgot her facade and confided in Lumen—the most trustworthy among them.
A veteran demon hunter like Lumen must have grappled with this long ago, found his answer, she thought.
But Lumen's response came without a flicker of doubt—resolute.
"Never."
"I-Is that so...?"
Expecting shared guilt or remorse, Jeanne faltered at the unexpected reply.
"Yes. Slaying demons is the mission and duty God has bestowed upon us. How could I question it?"
A textbook answer—priests would weep and applaud. Truly befitting the 'Hero of Glory'... but not what Jeanne sought.
"I... see..."
Gazing at Lumen's unshakeable faith—firmer than her own as saintess—Jeanne felt a pang of guilt.
Lumen was right. If this was God's will, she mustn't doubt. Especially she, chosen by the one true god Eukrasia, granted saintess power and authority.
"First time beyond the capital—you must be exhausted. Rest now. I've prepared your tent."
Lumen offered no further probing, escorting her to the lavish tent prepared for the group's sole woman, the saintess.
Alone after Lumen departed, Jeanne pondered briefly before shedding her thick travel garb. Donning her pristine white prayer robes, she drew the church's emblem ever carried at her side and began to pray.
'Eukrasia...'
Perhaps the one true god Eukrasia would resolve her turmoil. Jeanne prayed through the night.
'Is this what you wish of me, Eukrasia?'
God might rebuke such words as blasphemy... No—even that, she hoped for, pressing on with her pleas.
She'd heard it endlessly in the temple: heroes and priests declaring demon extermination God's will.
Humans challenging ever-spawning dungeons to root out demons, shattering the previous emperor's hard-won dungeon maintenance policy, reigniting war.
'God...'
It had always puzzled her. One reason she yearned to venture beyond the capital.
Even the records of prior saintesses, now accessible to her—no revelation commanding demon extinction.
Yet how could humans act with such certainty that it was God's will? She'd assumed some grand unknown purpose. But witnessing demons firsthand only deepened the mystery.
'The meaning of "Walk with Glory"... are you saying his words ring true?'
God had revealed she would journey with Glory. Did that mean his actions, his convictions, were God's desire?
Jeanne prayed in the same posture until dawn, unanswered. Doubt lingering, her expression faintly shadowed, she pressed on with the heroes.
She would know soon enough. Their destination—where the heroes, where Glory headed—lay just ahead.
The entrance to the ruins where Eugene resided was enveloped by a vast forest.
The already lush outer woods had grown denser still, as the resident elves transplanted trees from home, forming a canopy unmatched anywhere on the continent.
And figures roamed that dense forest like it was their own backyard.
"This side's clear."
"Same here."
Elves. The forest folk finished patrolling the perimeter and chatted. With Lilith's illusion blanketing the woods, no one wandered in lost anymore—patrols wrapped up quick.
"Reporting time?"
One elf sentry rummaged the pouch at his waist, promptly producing a round object.
"Every time I see it, that thing looks so bizarre..."
-Whirrr?
What the elf held was none other than a Robot Vacuum Cleaner. A level 3 upgraded one, fitted with a camera.
He set the Robot Vacuum Cleaner down before him, facing the lens, and awkwardly signaled "all clear" over and over.
"Captain. You dancing?"
"Quiet. Master's remote viewing spell's on it—orders are to report here."
Embarassed at gyrating toward empty air, the elf flushed faintly and nudged the Robot Vacuum Cleaner. Just in case Master missed—report every minute...
"Isn't it suddenly brighter?"
As he geared for another signal, the vigilant elf muttered oddly and glanced skyward.
"Huh? Yeah, brighter than before..."
The captain elf, idly adjusting the Robot Vacuum Cleaner, looked up carelessly.
And then...
"...Light?"
He froze at the sight of a white orb, blazing with eye-searing brilliance closer than the sun itself.
-KABOOOOOM!!!!