Cockroach in the Garden
Fortunately, though.
“Did you hear? An Inquisitor came over the recent disappearances.”
“That’s right. They say he drove off the Evil Book Society and even played a major role in catching Jealousy of the Seven Deadly Sins this time.”
“Really? Then we can finally breathe easy. Lately business has been dead because of that, and the kids haven’t even been able to play outside.”
The rumors spread naturally among the residents.
And they reached the ears of a demon as well.
Got him.
A demon wearing the appearance of an ordinary adult man hid a smile.
Posing as a servant of Viscount Cedric, the demon had gone to the capital and placed disappearance requests all over the place.
All to draw out someone stronger than that middle-aged knight.
Of course I couldn’t cause a scene in the capital where strong humans gather, so I lured him to this territory.
And sure enough, that foolish Inquisitor had come here without even realizing he’d been tricked.
Well, by now he must have heard from the viscount that it wasn’t his request, but the disappearances themselves are real, so he ended up taking the case anyway.
If he’d simply turned around and left, I would have chased him down and hunted him.
Either way, the fact that he came here means the plan is already half successful.
Even if that Inquisitor turned out stronger than expected, it wouldn’t matter. Any wounds would just regenerate.
In fact, the middle-aged knight he’d killed just before had been quite skilled, yet the demon’s unique regenerative power had been enough to finish him.
As long as one of the Twelve Holy Knights who wield divine power doesn’t show up, it’s not that dangerous.
Now all that remained was to find the Inquisitor and deal with him. After that he could simply move somewhere else while avoiding the Holy Knights’ eyes.
Tonight, I grow even stronger.
Baring his fangs, the demon wandered about gathering information until the darkness deepened.
Apparently the Inquisitor, seeing the day grow late, planned to stay at the manor tonight and begin in earnest tomorrow.
Of course, there will be no tomorrow for you.
The moment the sky turned fully dark, the demon headed straight for the manor.
He vaulted the wall, slipped into the estate, and walked the corridor of the annex.
Thud, thud—
The annex was dark, and no servants’ presence could be felt.
Depending on a guest’s temperament, servants were sometimes dismissed, so it wasn’t particularly strange.
The demon stopped before the single door from which a presence still emanated.
Then he drew his sword and opened it.
Creeeak—
Inside the room, a man in black priestly robes stood looking out the window.
“You’re here, cockroach.”
The man spoke without turning around.
“I almost let the whole day slip by staring at the full moon.”
The demon’s eyes narrowed.
“Don’t tell me you knew I was coming?”
Judging by that completely unconcerned attitude, it seemed he had.
Which meant the absence of servants was deliberate—to keep them out of the fight.
“Demons reek. You lot always think you’re clever just because you’ve eaten a few humans.”
“You fell for it, though.”
“No. In the end you walked into my trap, so I was the one who tricked you, you idiot.”
The demon glared at the man’s back. Even though he hadn’t drawn his sword, there was no opening.
“Arrogant bastard. If you knew I was here, you should have called for help from the Holy See.”
“Technically I am part of the Holy See.”
“Ha. You’ve only ever dealt with half-baked trash, haven’t you? You actually think you can win against a real demon?”
“Nothing saying I can’t.”
At the man’s reply the demon curled his lip.
He’d fallen into a trap, but it was already too late to turn back. And even if others suddenly charged in, the demon was confident he could cut them all down.
The man asked,
“How many have you eaten? Judging by how thoroughly you’ve hidden that ashen skin, quite a few.”
“About thirty. But ordinary ones barely make a difference.”
“So you ate the middle-aged knight.”
“Thanks to him I can perfectly mimic human form.”
The demon leveled his sword.
“And next is you.”
“I see.”
“When are the others showing up? I’d rather get started sooner than later.”
“No one else is joining. I’m the only one facing you.”
The man drew his sword from its scabbard and turned. His appearance was the sort that could easily enchant humans.
“Just you? Do you really want to die that badly?”
“I’m alone precisely because I don’t want to die. Does that answer your question, cockroach?”
“Haha. I see.”
The man continued with a suggestion.
“Speaking of which, how about we take this outside? Just the two of us under the full moon. Intimate, don’t you think?”
“I refuse—”
“Figured as much. Damn, you have zero romance. Zero consideration for the building. You cockroach-like demon bastard.”
“…….”
Startled by the sudden torrent of abuse, the demon’s face hardened and he lunged.
Kaaang!
Their blades clashed; the man shoved hard and drove the demon back.
The demon now stood in his true ashen-skinned form, sword in hand.
“A demon who wields a sword…. You took the knowledge from the knight you ate.”
“What, never seen one before?”
“No. It’s just been a long time. Brings back memories.”
“What?”
The man tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling.
“Ah, those days were rough. Cut him and he just regenerates, cut him again and he regenerates, what a pain in the ass….”
“…….”
“But fortunately. I don’t have to deal with that bother anymore.”
At the man’s muttering the demon’s brow furrowed.
“What the hell are you babbling about?”
“Curious? If you’re that curious, I might feel like telling you.”
The man suddenly drew up his power, and scorching flames coiled around the blade.
Blazing fire of pure rage wraps the steel.
It was a sight the demon had never seen, yet what shocked him more was the source of those flames.
A power of pure quality utterly different from mana or demonic energy. Instinct branded into every demon made his skin prickle and tremble.
“Th-that’s….”
He had never witnessed it himself, only heard the rumors, yet the moment he faced it he knew.
This was the power that killed demons—the noble divine power granted only to those chosen by the Goddess Ella.
The power of a Holy Knight.
“Heh heh….”
As the man laughed low, the flames writhed more fiercely.
“Do I still look like an ordinary Inquisitor to you?”
I had been suppressing my divine power as much as possible in case the demon tried to run.
Some demons were sensitive enough to recognize a Holy Knight even without the power being manifested.
The sword-wielding cockroach spoke in a flustered tone.
“A mere Inquisitor possessing—!”
But we’d already talked enough, so I swung the sword of Wrath at him.
Kwaaang!
He hastily gathered his stance and blocked with his blade.
Yet he couldn’t withstand the power, so different from before, and was driven backward.
Wuuung!
He immediately drew up demonic energy.
Black aura churned along his blade; the moment he swung, a black sword aura came crashing in.
Kwaaaaaang!
I brought my sword straight down and shattered the aura. As a result the room began to break apart in places, thick dust rising.
To think he can even use sword aura.
Even if a demon eats knights who wield sword aura, it doesn’t automatically mean he can use it himself.
He also has to be able to freely manipulate demonic energy to that degree.
Without divine power this would’ve been a real struggle.
How strong? Strong enough that even Holy Knight Sebastian would have a hard time.
Not because Sebastian is weak—because this demon is stronger than expected.
Still, since I saved him in this life, Sebastian will probably end up a bit stronger than in the previous one.
Whoosh!
Suddenly a sword tip pierced through the dust and aimed for my face.
I twisted my body to dodge and swung in the same motion.
Kaang!
But the demon reacted even to that and met my blade.
Afterward the air was embroidered with sword strikes laced with divine power and demonic energy.
Kwang! Kwachik! Kung!
Every exchange of blows wrecked the room further.
The bed was sliced, the mirror shattered, curtains whipped about, part of the ceiling collapsed….
Those sounds somehow resembled Viscount Cedric’s screams, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Haha.”
Still, a building getting wrecked is better than the residents’ lives collapsing, right?
Damn right it is.
So I swung without the slightest hesitation.
His counterattacks were no joke either. His understanding of swordsmanship was still lacking, but he compensated with overwhelming physical ability.
Pffft!
When his blade lightly grazed my cheekbone I cut his forearm; when his edge raked across my chest I drove my leg into his gut.
Whoosh!
Then, as if growing impatient that his wounds weren’t regenerating, his attack came in large and wide.
I seized the opening; my blade slipped into the gap. The cockroach couldn’t fully kill the force just by blocking with his sword and was blasted through the wall into the corridor.
Kwaang!
In that moment I dropped my stance and gathered the flames that had been wrapping the blade, condensing them at the tip.
Kuguguguguguk!
A fire orb that vomited an eerie sound.
The dark room wavered in crimson light as tremendous heat spread far and wide.
Yet unlike before, my sword endured the extreme temperature without melting, holding firm.
Just as I was about to turn the room into a sauna—
Taat!
The demon, unwilling to watch that happen, charged at full speed to interrupt the technique.
Geugeugeugeugeung!
But the fire orb was already complete.
I had reduced the power compared to when I destroyed the building of Jealousy of the Seven Deadly Sins, so it was possible.
My goal was only to kill the cockroach that had crawled into the building, after all.
Whoosh!
I thrust my sword straight at the charging bastard.
A concentrated orb of Wrath’s fire erupts in a single devastating thrust.
Kwaaaaaaaaaang!
Accompanied by a roar that shook the entire building, searing flames shot straight forward.
The Single Point Explosion punched through the demon and didn’t stop, smashing the wall and the room beyond as it surged onward.
A single streak of fire rose into the night sky.
Kugugugung!
Once cockroaches appear in a building, it’s already too late. Even if you catch them, more will eventually show up.
That’s why I believe completely overturning the building is the wise decision.
Of course, the homeowner’s opinion doesn’t matter here.
“…What the hell?!”
But what do you know? The cockroach was still alive.
Apparently he had twisted his body hard just before the direct hit; only the arm and shoulder that had held the sword were completely blown away.
As expected, incredible vitality.
But I’m a man who takes responsibility for what he starts, so I charged the demon to finish the job cleanly.
“Get lost!”
Whoosh!
Having lost his sword, the demon thrust out his remaining arm.
Before the fist could reach my face I brought my blade down and severed the arm.
“Ghk!”
Stripped of any means of attack, he immediately spun on his heel and sprinted toward the gaping hole in the wall.
Beyond it lay the garden bathed in moonlight.
A smart choice, but….
He was already a rat in a trap.
Taat!
I stuck right on his heels and began a game of tag with the demon alone in the garden.
“Haha! Should’ve come outside sooner!”
“You crazy bastard…!”
He crossed the garden using only his two legs.
Normally both arms would have already regenerated, but having been struck by divine power, full recovery would take a long time.
I wasn’t idle enough to wait for that, so I kicked hard off the ground and closed the distance in an instant.
Whoosh!
As a final thrash he used his remaining legs to launch a reverse kick.
But without arms the attack had no balance.
I leaned my upper body back to dodge, then sliced through the leg that rose right in front of me.
Seogeok!
Now a cripple in both arms and legs, he twisted his features into a grotesque snarl.
At this rate even his face would end up crippled, so I mercifully swung my sword.
This time I aimed for his neck.
“Got you.”
“No—”
Seogeok!
The flame-wreathed blade parted his neck. Head and torso separated and sprawled neatly across the ground.
I decided the title of the piece would be “Cockroach in the Garden.”
I looked down at the corpse for a moment, then planted my sword in the earth and prayed.
Goddess, I offer up one cockroach that tormented Your frail lambs. Even if You dislike insects, please accept it gladly….
Then a black mass seeped out of the demon and, as always, began to purify into pure white.
Afterward the condensed lump of divine power flowed into me, and I refined it, making it my own.
Excellent.
A bit more than when I took down Baron Scalen.
Baron Scalen had been a human who drank demon blood; this one was a real demon, so it was only natural.
Thud, thud—
I walked a short distance and approached the building where Viscount Cedric waited. Then I shouted loudly.
“It’s over!”
Lights came on behind the door; a window opened and Viscount Cedric appeared.
The viscount said,
“I’m relieved it ended safely! Are you unharmed, Inquisitor?”
“Yes!”
“I see. Thank—!”
That was when it happened.
Kugugu….
Part of the annex where I had been staying collapsed.
The overall shape of the building was still intact, but there were places with large holes, and the room I had occupied was punched through as if a rat had gnawed it open.
Watching it, Viscount Cedric wiped the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief.
“Hic… thank you so much….”
He seemed so happy he was crying.