The Kingdom of the Dead
The reason demons and their creations burrow into human society—and the reason they kill them—is simple. Their flesh and blood strengthen their powers, and their screams bring pleasure. Their terror elevates the demons' own worth. Since ancient times, demons have favored humans. They always sought to live among them, only to eventually devour them. The sense of betrayal and despair from their victims, the fullness swelling in their bellies, the power steadily stretching toward the heavens, the feeling of omnipotence—those were the reasons demons could never abandon humans.
They had driven tens of thousands of residents in a great city to throw themselves into vast pastures. Beyond merely running wild as they pleased, the demons had grown greedy enough to wonder if they could seize those pastures for themselves. Moreover, the timing was perfect. The war had ended long ago. The wealthy, stable citizens of the capital had grown complacent in peace and forgotten how to fight. On top of that, everyone was already thrown into chaos by recent incidents. One more spark, and a riot in the city would not be surprising. For demons who had spent years infiltrating the cracks and stockpiling countless kin, this was an opportunity of a lifetime.
Politicians, tycoons, firefighters, government officials, ordinary citizens—regardless of occupation or class, their reach extended into every corner of the city. They could overturn everything in an instant. Yet the demons did not grow arrogant. They did not try to accomplish it alone. Though they had built their forces over decades, they remained an overwhelming minority, while the humans in the city were countless. There were enough to feed on for a lifetime, so sharing was more than possible.
Thus, they dispatched messengers across the land in search of allies who would help them destroy the city. At last, they reached one kingdom. A demon who looked like nothing more than a city youth arrived not at an army of humans or monsters, but at a wasteland where endless bones lay stretched across the horizon.
He had expected to die immediately, yet the corpses willingly parted to make way. Though it was a kingdom without a palace, consisting only of tents, the plain was wider than any other. The demon had no choice but to walk a long distance upon arrival. After passing countless tents, he reached the largest one and realized his breath had already stopped. Even the corpse that had guided him had turned to dust and vanished.
The demon recalled what place he had come to. The land of the dead—Necropolis. The domain ruled by the god of death. A land where even the most insignificant weeds, and the earth itself, rotted and crumbled. A territory where every last breath met its end, where everything was dying. If not for the blessing his mother had given him, if the lord of this land had not shown mercy, he would have perished before even realizing death had come.
Even now, feeling his own flesh rot away, the demon stepped into the tent. Delivering his mother's words mattered more than his own death. He passed through a long corridor and finally stood before the throne where the god presided. Then he went blind. He was not permitted to behold the god's majesty. His ears went deaf, and his blood began to rot. Only just before his heart stopped could the demon force out a single sentence.
“……Corpse. The bat is in the capital.”
Perhaps it was punishment for his insolence. The demon lost his life at once. He crumbled into dust without even leaving a corpse behind, and scattered.
“A predictable trick.”
The god who witnessed it pitied the foolishness of the lowly. What did he think would change by offering his own body? He became dust without even the worth of a proper sacrifice.
“Go summon your mother instead.”
At the god's words, the dust flew far away.
Creak— Ashily Dolores stopped her thoughts as the car stopped in front of her. She set aside every worry filling her mind. For now, she decided to focus on receiving the guest who had come to her.
She put on a bright smile and took Demian Cloud's hand. He must have been out in the cold until just now—his skin was cold.
“Please take good care of me today.”
“Likewise.”
Ashily looked at Demian, who answered so briefly, and realized something. ……This man was not looking at her at all. She could feel no sexual curiosity or romantic interest from this cold man. Family alliances were always this bleak, after all. Indeed, whether any real harmony would form was something she would have to wait and see until the very end.
Thud. Ashily Dolores climbed into the vehicle.
“Juliet! Accept my love!”
“Oh, my Romeo! How could I refuse when you have come to me?”
“Oh, my Juliet!”
“Romeo!”
After exchanging lines, the actors pressed their faces together as if they were about to move on to a battle of lips. A long kiss followed.
Ellyse Bertman tilted her head as she watched the passionate scene unfold on stage. Did I ever like this sort of thing?
Thump, thump, thump, thump. At some point, her heart had begun to race. It was certainly an embarrassing play. She had been startled earlier when they realistically reenacted even the bedroom scene. It was the kind of performance where coming with a partner would make you worry about their reaction, and coming alone would invite accusations of sneaking in to watch something indecent. Yet Ellyse Bertman was neither tense about being caught by someone nor sexually aroused. At least, she believed her current state was nothing to be ashamed of.
Well, it was fine to watch this kind of play. Honestly, it did not move her much, so why was her heart pounding like this? She felt puzzled. Soon after, she recalled how her heart had raced violently in the archives yesterday. ……Nah, no way.
Ellyse chuckled. There was an extremely low chance she would encounter Butler or traces of a Doppelganger here. Something like that happening in a small theater not far from the police headquarters……
But Ellyse Bertman soon narrowed her eyes. She rose from her seat. Leaving during a performance was rude, but the situation appeared urgent. Whether being caught by a colleague watching this embarrassing scene or facing an unknown monster, neither option was good. She was not the kind of foolish, lazy person who would let her guard down even after sensing an omen.
Ellyse left her seat and headed down the aisle toward the exit. All the lights were focused on the stage so the audience could watch the play properly, leaving the seats and aisle pitch black. Still, she was not afraid. She would not run into a robber the moment she stepped outside, and she did not particularly believe in ghosts. She moved forward, gauging the direction, and sharpened all her senses just in case.
Click—
Thanks to that, Ellyse did not miss even the small sound. She raised a Mystery to her fingertips and quickly turned around. There stood a familiar woman aiming a pistol at her. Golden hair, blue eyes, a beautiful face, and a police uniform covering her entire body. Ellyse Bertman's expression hardened instantly. The person she faced was Ellyse Bertman herself. It was her Doppelganger.
She did not know why it had revealed itself at this moment, but what she had to do was simple. Capture it.
Ellyse aimed and recited her wish. “——Be crushed.”
And Ellyse Bertman pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet flew.
“Aren't you going home?”
At the sudden voice, Ellyna looked up. What came into view was a sturdy build and a characteristically intelligent face. Butler Kimbrey. Among the idiots filling the police headquarters, he was one of the few useful ones. In more ways than one. Why had he spoken to her out of the blue? The thought lasted only a moment. Ellyna let out a deep sigh as she looked at Butler Kimbrey's face, which was smiling politely yet somehow stiff. On any other day she would have teased this insolent guy, but her condition had not been good lately. The stack of documents piled on her desk was tormenting both her mind and body. She would rather have a pile of garlic of the same weight. At least the garlic could be quickly dealt with and escaped from. Either way it would be disgusting, but the latter was far better.
……Why am I even doing this?
Ellyna Bastard found herself pondering her identity anew. The righteous inspector tapped her desk with a displeased expression before speaking.
“Kimbrey.”
“What do you need?”
“Mind if I play a little prank?”
“I'd rather decline, if possible……”
“Then tell me, which would you rather grant—your superior's request or your colleague's?”
“Are the two requests mutually exclusive?”
“Yeah. One is your master's request to work diligently without getting caught. The other is a cute junior's request to tell her what you did decades ago.”
The demon spoke with a laugh. At those words, Butler Kimbrey’s face went completely rigid. After a long silence, he answered.
“……You should be well aware that leaking secrets would constitute a breach of contract.”
Even after that insolent remark, Ellyna only giggled and did not press the matter. First, because what he said was only natural even to her, and second, because she had gotten a better reaction than expected. Inside the police headquarters office, Butler Kimbrey's eyes glowed green. Looking at the hybrid before her, the demon replied without wiping the smile from her face.
“Yeah, got it. I won't tell anyone.”
That you are a monster.