Light Redeemed by Evil (1)
It wasn't that I had come to believe in a demon.
Perhaps I had simply let my guard down, lulled by a warmth I hadn't felt in so long.
"So… the attackers all took their own lives."
"Yes. You have no idea how startled I was."
"……"
I should have kept firmly in mind that their kind thrived on deceiving humans.
When I woke, a host of corpses lay scattered around us. Every one of them had been armed — clearly the men who had tried to ambush us in the night.
"…Thank you for protecting me."
"Think nothing of it. Guarding one's contractor is only natural."
Probably.
If I didn't tell myself that, I felt I might lose my mind entirely.
Dark elves… they aren't a race that lives around here.
I checked one of the bodies. A race that had submitted to demonic power and fallen into corruption — dark elves. Wicked demonkin who practiced human sacrifice for the sake of greater strength.
They must have needed a sacrifice. Which means the purpose of the attack was…
Me.
A virgin's body made the finest offering. They had tried to claim me as a sacrifice, and the demon had stopped them.
"But did you really have to kill them?"
"I wanted to spare them myself, but they slit their own throats before I could stop them."
I simply could not bring myself to believe that story.
They took their own lives just because he revealed himself as a demon? They didn't even try to run?
A lie no one would fall for. The shameless way he covered it up left me speechless.
I know. I have no right to complain.
Of course I didn't — not when I owed him my life. They had attacked us, and the demon was strong. That was the whole of it. And yet…
"…I see. Understood."
Even so, I wanted to forgive them. I wanted to absolve their sins and give them another chance to live.
Because every human is fundamentally good.
"Haley."
While I was lost in thought, the demon spoke.
"Yes? What is it?"
"You seem rather unsettled that they died, so I'll offer you one piece of advice."
Advice. Was he trying to comfort me? I listened in silence.
"At their core, all humans are evil."
"…What?"
I would come to regret it soon enough — but the demon said the exact opposite of what I believed.
"There is no human in this world who is not evil. There is only a difference in degree."
No. They had simply taken a wrong turn. They could always find their way back to the right path.
"A child who receives no education becomes a thug — because they never learned how to restrain their evil."
No. A child is simply afraid. Afraid of the world, afraid of people. They only thrash against the terror closing in on them.
"Humans are fundamentally evil, yet through learning patience they become good. That is what it means to be human."
"Does… that include me as well?"
"It does."
No.
People — humans — are good. I am a good person.
"…Let's move on. We don't have time to linger."
"As you wish."
As expected, a demon could not be trusted. He always lied, always tried to deceive.
…At least, that was what I believed at the time.
This was the checkpoint into Barloken.
"Dammit, not a soul coming through today."
On the only road linking the city to the outside world, Hans, captain of the local vigilantes, grumbled under his breath.
"Can't be helped, Cap. The Empire's been way too quiet lately, hasn't it?"
"Hah… you're telling me. Wish they'd round up a whole batch of criminals for once and drive 'em our way."
It wasn't for any noble cause. When criminals fled the Empire's dogs and came running to Barloken, the checkpoint got to collect the toll — that was all.
"We're in trouble. Gonna have to settle for moldy bread tonight…"
"Cap. People comin'."
In the middle of his worthless complaining, two figures emerged from the forest.
"So this is Barloken. The walls look rather thick."
"Not just thick. They've been magically reinforced — ordinary impacts won't even scratch them."
The pair approached, chatting as they came.
The guy's a rookie. Easy to fleece.
Hans practically drooled.
And what have we here — a kid? Jackpot.
A sucker, a child, and a woman. Only the easiest marks in the world had walked straight into his hands.
"Halt! Halt! State your identities and purpose!"
He leveled his spear. Both of them stopped.
"We're merchants. Looking for a place to do business."
"Merchants, huh. Mind showing me your goods?"
"Of course."
The man drew items from his coat — food, medicinal herbs, ornaments. High-quality goods that matched his crisp formal attire.
"Well, well. Looks like you two make some real money."
"Haha. We made something of a name for ourselves once."
"……"
Hans's eyes were fixed on the merchandise, so he missed the strange look the woman gave the man as he smiled with what seemed like embarrassment.
"Ahem. Thing is, the world's been pretty rough these days."
Plenty to steal. They looked clueless about the local situation. Hans began to set the hook.
"Has something happened?"
"Don't freak out when you hear this — high-density demonic energy's been detected around here."
The first rule of his scamming playbook: always mix truth into a lie.
"Demonic energy, you say."
"That's right! And because of it, demonkin have been drawn into the area."
That part was true.
The lord even sent out a detachment over it. Not that anyone volunteered.
Demonkin had flocked here seeking the demonic energy, and Hans himself had been drafted under the mobilization order.
"Some of them are even trying to sneak into Barloken itself."
"That does sound rather troublesome."
From here on, pure fiction. No demonkin had ever actually entered Barloken. They all just cut through the forest and kept going.
"So the problem is, there's no way to tell whether you two are human."
"…How rude. Are you seriously suspecting us?"
"Hey now, miss, I'm just trying to be thorough."
He heaved a deep sigh, as if he hated having to do this as much as anyone.
"Very well. What would you have us do?"
"Demonkin don't carry human currency. Pay a toll of ten Belga and you can pass."
Ten Belga. What an Empire commoner would earn in three months of labor.
"That's highway robbery!"
"Then find yourselves another town. You wouldn't be coming to Barloken if you didn't have something to hide, would you?"
"Grr…!"
He'd struck the mark dead-on — or so Hans decided, smiling to himself.
"Heh, that's our captain for you."
"Where else would a tongue like mine go? I'm the vigilante captain, after all."
One of his men whispered flattery in his ear. Anyone heading into Barloken was either a criminal or a lunatic. Hans knew that well enough.
"No money, then get lost. Though I doubt a pair of merchants can't scrape together a measly ten gold."
A perfect corner. They would have no choice but to pay up — or so he thought.
"Would it be acceptable to settle by some other means instead of cash?"
"Huh?"
Until the man made a completely unexpected offer.
"This pouch holding our goods. We'll give it to you as is."
"What… you serious? Something this valuable?"
It was a windfall. That pouch was worth fifty Belga at the least — enough to buy a small plot of land in the capital.
"We're rather pressed for time. Of course, if you'd rather not…"
"No, no! Who said anything about not wanting it? I mean — who would refuse, sir?"
Snatch!
He grabbed the pouch before the offer could be withdrawn.
"Go right on through, good people! Have a wonderful day! Heh heh."
"How polite of you. I hope you have a fine day as well."
"……"
The woman glared daggers at him the entire way through the checkpoint. Hans paid it no mind. He was the one who'd come out ahead.
"Holy hell, we hit the jackpot today."
"Heh heh, no kidding. Where do suckers like that even come from?"
They snickered, jiggling the pouch. It was so light it almost felt empty — as if nothing but treasures had been packed inside.
"Wait. Light?"
He tore the pouch open in a panic. Moments ago it had been stuffed full of goods. Now the interior held…
"…It's empty."
Nothing at all.
Click, click.
"Is this really all right?"
"What's there to feel guilty about? They tried to scam us first."
They should have at least made their lies believable.
"Demonkin being drawn here? Please. We came from that very direction and didn't run into a single one."
"So the dead don't count as demonkin either…"
"Hmm? What was that?"
"…Nothing."
Damn. I'd been so irritated with that man that I hadn't been listening carefully enough. I needed to accommodate Haley's wishes as much as I could.
She's been withdrawn ever since that conversation.
I'd lost her trust. Words alone wouldn't convince her — I would have to prove it through my actions.
That I wasn't a bad demon.
Growl.
"Ugh…"
An odd sound rose as we walked through the streets — Haley's stomach complaining.
"Are you hungry? You haven't eaten anything all this time, have you."
"I'm fine. We don't have any money, so I can endure this much—"
"No. Children need to eat properly."
Daring to go hungry right in front of me? Going without food and suffering for it was the most miserable thing in the world. I knew that better than anyone — I'd lived it myself.
"Don't worry about the money. Let's find a nearby inn."
"…All right. Thank you."
Good. This was how I'd raise her affinity. As for money — once I found some real currency, I could simply duplicate it with magic—
Affinity system recognized!
Affinity with contract target will now be displayed!
Affinity: -30 / 100
Excuse me?
Now?
…
Seriously? Now?